NYE 2009

Who is amazed that we are mere hours away from 2010? {raises hand}

We passed 2 big milestones in the Pony household this year.

We're Married!

We own a house!!

That said- we've been busy the last year, and it has swooshed by alarmingly. Next year we don't have such major life hurdles to leap, but I'm excited to see what shenanigans we encounter!

New Years resolutions have never worked for me all that well, so this year, my only resolution is to keep working on my 101 in 1001 list and see what comes my way. I've made a bit of progress on the list in the last few days, and it feels good to start crossing things off the list. I won't finish it this year, but I don't think that matters, so long as I keep ticking away at it!

We are planning a quiet evening of wine tastings at a local winery, finished with a glass of champagne (they are open until midnight, so it just barely works). Indeed, we are dull, but we have a deep aversion to shelling out $50/person to go swill the bubbly dregs with numerous party-goers we don't know. Yick. Not that going to a party wouldn't be fun- I just refuse to pay for it!

No matter how you plan to spend your NYE 2009, I hope you have a safe and fun evening and a Happy New Year!


Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.  - Oprah Winfrey

Obsessions

I tend to obsess. Over lots of things. Constantly. Its a personality flaw that I'm working on {not really}.

My current obsession is getting a girly camera bag. You may not know this, but most camera bags are a bit less than glamorous. The bag that I'm using now is a utilitarian Lowepro Slingshot 200. It is really quite fabulous for my current needs, but it isn't... cute... or fashionable... or pretty. {tears}

Of course, the options for meeting the above mentioned titles are few and far between. But it can be had {for a rather magnificent price, for poor-yours-truly}. Feast your eyes on this beauty.

Pardon the drool.

Beautiful leather. Cute little attached wristlet-thingy. Lots of padding. Optional shoulder strap. {Swoon}. This bag does not scream 'TOURIST' or 'PHOTOGRAPHER'. Rather, it whispers 'I have pretty good taste. Look how awesome I am.' Plus, it comes in brown, red, black or white, to match all one's obsessive fashion needs.

The company who makes her is called jill-e, and they have several sizes and colors of beautious bags for the camera-woman in the know (or on the go?) who wants a fashionable AND functional camera bag.

Of course, the bags I want run from $140-$240 {hellllooooo eBay!}, so I won't be rushing out to buy a brand new one anytime soon, but that doesn't stop me from checking them out 4-5 times {8-10} times a week.

But don't call me obsessed. It just isn't nice to name names.

Cure for an obsession: get another one. - Mason Cooley

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, 
wafted the smell of fried taters, cooked by my spouse;


The onions were carmelized in the pan with great care
In hopes that no kitten hair would flutter in there;


The hogs were well nestled in their muddy wallows,
For they knew Holiday ham wasn't a tradition we'd follow;

Ok, I'm out of inspiration. That is a long poem to try to mimic, and I just don't have the energy!

For our Christmas Eve dinner, Mr. Pony and I celebrated with blue cheese hamburgers and oven fried potatoes. Nope, not ham. Not turkey. Not even green bean casserole {Mr. Pony lacks the required gene to enjoy that particular gastronomical delight}. My photo skills failed to yield an attractive burger shot, but I like this one of my phalanx of potatoey goodness.

But whatever you may have {had} for dinner tonight, I hope the stupor of overeating wears off enough so that you can repeat it again tomorrow!

Confusion

I know I've said this before, but photography crap is confusing. Here I am, trying to understand the concepts of setting custom white balance, getting lighting right and finding good composition, and... I can't even get the camera to focus on a piece of paper. *sigh* This is going to take a while.  I know I need to understand the equipment, but I really think I'd rather have the photo-fairy tap me with his wand {I imagine this particular fairy as a British gent in miniature wings and a tiara- don't ask} and make it so I take fabulous photos without any work at all.

Barring that, I guess I'll sit down with my camera manual and the DP Review of my 10D and become as familiar as my non-technical brain will allow. Oh well. At least I have a few cute pictures of the cat!

BTW- it makes a HUGE difference once you realize that you've been shooting EVERYTHING at ISO 800... 200 makes the pictures look much nicer. I think that would be part of this 'understanding your equipment' crap everyone is telling me about. I don't like it when 'everyone' is proved right!

Its the small things

Mr. Pony and I aren't too hard to please. Every day, we find new reasons why our new acquisition is amazing. So convenient. So quiet. So fabulous.

And our lives have been changed.

To be fair- the old one smashed into the counter behind/above it. And only worked if we left a 15lb weight in the bottom. And usually had to be opened with your hands anyway. And slammed shut quite loudly. So this upgrade was much needed, and now that we've made the move, we don't know why we waited so long. Thank you, Target & Simple Human- we love our kitchen even more now.

Hmm... now how about some living room projects *devious smile*

Great things are done by a series of small things brought together. - Vincent Van Gogh

Long time no post!

And so I have finally returned to the blogging world. Life has been exceptionally busy (as I'm sure it has been for anyone else), but I've decided its time to return to the blog-o-sphere. Whats new here?

-I've made a few changes to my 101 in 1001 which I'll post in the new few days. Over the last month, I've made next to no progress on my list and found that several of my goals didn't really matter that much to me, so... I changed them and I'm starting over as of Dec. 1, just to make a clean break of it. I suppose I could procrastinate until New Year's, but then I'd probably never get started.

-I'm obsessing over new ideas in home decor {shocking} and I'm just itching to distract Mr. Pony long enough to spend hundreds of dollars on airy bookcases, delicate knick-knack tables and tidbits of foolishness to decorate said tables. I may have to content myself with daydreaming for now, but one day, victory shall be mine!

-The Pony family is strongly considering adopting a dog from one of the local animal rescues. Mr. P thinks a lab puppy would be super. I'm a bit more... tentative on the puppy-ness of what we adopt. I'm leaning more towards a mature animal that will hopefully be past its puppy chewing phase, etc. After all, we already have the catdog that chews on shoes, wires and small pieces of wooden furniture- isn't that enough?

Nothing major has changed, but important things for me! Upcoming will be some updates to the 'look' of the Pony site, plus *hopefully* more regular additions. Cheers!

The begining is the most important part of the work. - Plato

101 in 1001: The Beginning

Sometimes motivation is a problem for me, so when I found the 101 in 1001 project, I thought 'Why not, maybe it'll help!' I don't know if I'll get through all of these tasks, but I'm gonna do my best- check back for progress!

The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.
Start Date: 11/2/2009
End Date: 7/30/2012

Bold - Completed Item

1. Learn French from French in 10 minutes a Day.
2. Learn how to use Ap and Shutter priority settings to get nice pictures.
3. Take a Photoshop course.

4. Private goal
5. Run at least 2x a week every week for the entire 1001 days. {0/143}
6. Talk to Roommateo at least 2x a month. {0/33}
7. Join a book club

8. Learn how to sew well enough to make things for the house.

9. Return my library books on time for these entire 1001 days

10. Read at least 50 new books- rereads and other books on the list don’t count. {0/50}

11. Buy 2 nice lenses for my camera

12. Commit at least 2 hours a week to writing one of my story ideas. {0/143}

13. Pick 1 photo every month to set aside as my photography benchmark so I can look back and see how I’ve progressed. {0/33}

14. Learn to use all the fancy make-up I purchased for the wedding

15. Inspire at least 2 people to make their own 101 in 1001 lists. {1/2}

16. Participate in a project from sh1ft.org at least 3 times (http://sh1ft.org/projects/)

17. Bake at least 2x a month. {0/33}

18. Clean my desk off every week. {0/143}

19. Get Copper to Training level dressage.

20. Cook dinner for Mr. Pony at least 30 times. {0/30}

21. Learn to make 5 tasty cocktails (excluding those I already know). {0/5}

22. Create at least 5 DIY tutorials for my blog. {0/5}

23. Design & build bookshelves for home.

24. Check craigslist, flea markets and 2^nd hand shops for things before buying in a store.

25. Avoid Wal-Mart at all costs.

26. Say thank-you more.

27. Make the bedroom into a haven, not a sleep-hole.

28. Get bangs cut.

29. Attend a local theater production.

30. Take my camera out on 10.10.10 and 11.11.11 and do a "Day in the Life" segment. {0/2}

31. Learn more about wine.

32. Go to at least 5 wine tastings. {0/5}

33. Call my brother at least 1x a month for no real reason. {0/33}

34. Call my aunt at least 1x a month for no real reason. {0/33}

35. Learn to be less defensive.

35. Travel outside of the U.S.

36. Visit one fabulous U.S. location.

37. Send at least 5 small presents for absolutely no reason. {0/5}

38. Get rid of music I don’t listen to anymore.

39. Find 10 new artists/songs that make me smile or work out better.

40. Relax with a bubble bath, some wine and a good book 1x a month. {0/33}

41. Read 5 books from the ‘Banned Books’ List. http://www.banned-books.com/bblist.html {0/5}

42. Find 5 things about Central Nowhere that make me happy to live here. {0/5}

43. Get 20 followers on blog (have 3 now, so need 17 more). {0/17}

44. Spend at least 2 nights a month completely away from the computer, and vacations don’t count. {0/66}

45. Make a skirt that I would want to wear in public.

46. Find at least 2 reasons a month to get all dressed up and go out.

47. Private goal.

48. Read all published books by Diana Gabaldon.

49. Read at least 5 non-fiction books. {0/5}

50. Identify all the historical and factual errors in The DaVinci Code.

51. Listen to more classical music.

52. Pony ride at least 2x per week.

53. Photograph at least one dinner per week.

54. Make a list of weekly goals and actually finish all of them.

55. Make at least 2 blog posts a week- 1 should actually have ‘real’ content.

56. Private goal.

57. Get one more beautiful picture of Lyric.

58. Become a real Pony Clubber again (knowledge and care skills at least).

59. Finish the wedding photo book.

60. Do a trash the dress session.

61. Sew at least once a month. {0/33}

62. Get art up on all the walls.

63. Find a perfect LBD and heels combo.

64. Make a purse for daily use.

65. Take riding lessons again.

66. Wander campus and take pictures.

67. Put away laundry the day it is washed, not later in the week.

68. Take a picture for each letter of the alphabet. {0/26}

69. Make the guestroom actually inviting (headboard, etc).

70. Keep the animals all up to date on shots/health care stuff.

71. Buy a quality piece of clothing on each vacation.

72. Create a more useful desk/craft/writing space.

73. Take a photography class.

74. Paint my fingernails bi-monthly.

75. Private Goal

76. Reread and buy all the Harry Potter books in hardcover. {0/7}

77. Go visit Roommateo at least once.

78. Buy one quality piece of art on each vacation instead of lots of cheap ones.

79. Plant and garden around the front of the house.

80. Complete the 100 snapshot challenge. (http://community.livejournal.com/100_snapshots/profile)

81. Put up crown molding around the house.

82. Show at training level dressage or beginner novice eventing.

83. Do something special each New Year’s Eve.{0/3}

84. Clean the litterbox once a week. {0/143}

85. Update resume & CV and keep updated.

86. Make 4 pillow covers for throw pillows. {0/4}

87. Turn back patio into an outdoor retreat.

88. Visit 5 cities I’ve never been to. {0/5}

89. Keep an inspiration notebook w/ quotes, pictures and ideas that inspire me.

90. Organize & clear out all photos on the computer.

91. Go to a real concert (singer, orchestra, whatever).

92. Spend 30 minutes/week looking at the news.

93. Get an 8% raise in 2010 and 2011. {0/2}

94. Get a professional massage (at least 30 minutes).

95. Put pictures that make me smile in several spots at home & work to improve my day.

96. Watch the sun rise without being up for work 5 times (photography optional). {0/5}

97. Take a course on becoming a better manager.

98. Stay off of Facebook for one consecutive week.

99. Write a short story and submit it for publication somewhere.

100. Donate $2 to the local animal shelter for each incomplete task at the end of 1001 days.

101. Make a new 101 in 1001 for the next go around!

'Nothing builds self-esteem and self-confidence like accomplishment.' - Thomas Carlyle

Keeping up the Halloween spirit!

My best friend came to visit me over the Halloween weekend. *ahem* YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY

Not that I was excited about it or anything;).

In true Halloween spirit, we carved jack-o-lanterns {while watching The Nightmare Before Christmas, no less!}


Made caramel apples {courtesy of Mr. Pony, who surprised us by making home-made caramel sauce for us!}


And on All Hallow's Eve, we dressed up in our ghoulish best {ok- cheap make-up and clothing from my closet} for a night on the town!


We ended up having to make our own mini dance party because all the people in Central Nowhere were so busy getting hammered that they forgot to dance. Bastards. Oh yes, and of the hundreds sharing Halloween festivities, we were members of the small crowd that realized that Halloween is about the damned and the monstrous, not about wearing lingerie as a costume- maybe that is why no one would dance with us. Wimps.

At least we had a fabulous time and looked wicked doing it!

Men say that in this midnight hour,
The disembodièd have power
To wander as it liketh them,
By wizard oak and fairy stream.
~William Motherwell

*all photos by myself or Mr. Pony

This is Halloween...

Well, almost. Here at the Pony household I am ramping it up in preparation for my favorite holiday. A big plus is that my best friend is coming to visit me- guess what her favorite holiday is:)? So tricks will ensue (though not the kind that get you put in jail). I think we'll start with a round of these.

*photo by Hungry Cravings

Then we'll move on to these.

*from Martha Stewart

We'll probably get all liquored up with these.

*photo from Sofakingdrunk.com

We'll throw on our holiday appropriate t-shirts.

*photo from Woot Shirts

And we'll carve our grinning front-door guardians.

*photo from boxercab's flickr photostream

Not that I'm excited or anything;).


When witches go riding,
and black cats are seen,
the moon laughs and whispers,
‘tis near Halloween.
~Author Unknown

The Joys of Fall

Flaming colors in every tree.

Crunchy leaves underfoot.

Warm apple cider and sugary donuts.

Crisp morning air and frisky pony gallops.

Scowling jack-o-lanterns with flickering eyes.

Tall boots and cozy tights.

Firepits or bonfires with copious amounts of s'mores.

Haunted hayrack rides and nervously giggling nights.

Skittering leaves following me in the wind.

Ghostly visions and wicked hi-jinks.

Fair Isle sweaters and fleece blankets.

Rake leaves, jump in the pile. Repeat. Giggle.

Long evenings in with lamplight and good books.

Fuzzy slippers and woolen mittens.

Bittersweet October. The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter. - Carol Bishop Hipps

*photo by me- taken at Blarney Castle

New fave

I'm not trendy. Just isn't my thing. That makes shopping for clothes at the local mall somewhat depressing- most of the stores cater to trend whore teen-to-twenties who follow all the fashions and who don't bat an eye at throwing away 1/2 of last year's clothing because it's so last year. *blink* Nope, can't do it. So I'm constantly looking for pieces of clothing that I can adore for multiple seasons. It can be frustrating, this search for actual wearable clothing, and it can be frustrating. And then I received a catalog from Garnet Hill. I'm now in love! Not only do they have wonderful clothing, but they've got great stuff for the home as well. I <3 them!

Here are a few of my favorite things. Crap- now that song will be stuck in my head all day.







Know, first, who you are; and then adorn yourself accordingly. ~Epictetus

*all photos from Garnet Hill

Blog Action Day 2009

We've only got one Earth, and it seems like every year some horrible new thing crops up (or old thing disappears). This year, Blog Action Day is devoted to raising awareness about Global Climate Change. We've all heard about this issue, and like many of you, I used to think 'But I'm one person, what can changing my habits matter?'. But thinking like that doesn't take into account that the average American produces 1460 pounds of garbage and 20 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year. A few small adjustments to your lifestyle can drastically decrease those numbers, and if even 100 people did that, think of how much we could improve the environment.

Mr. Pony and I are trying to take a few steps towards being more 'green', like biking to work/school, decreasing use of paper household goods and participating in our city's recycling program, and even those small steps can make a big difference. What steps have you taken to reduce your carbon footprint? I love ideas- we're always looking for more ways to help the planet out!

Modern technology
Owes ecology
An apology.
~Alan M. Eddison

Domestication?

I don't really cook {Mr. Pony does}. I'm not much of a cleaner {Mr. Pony hates it}. I'm exceedingly clumsy {always good for a laugh}. I often start things without reading all the directions {fantastic way to create chaos}.

But in my on wayward manner, I've decided to pick up at least one 'domestic' ability that may end up in a mass of knotted thread and twisted fabric. You see, I've purchased one of these babies.Why, you ask? Well, it all started with napkins. Someone in this family is a messy eater and that individual {me} shall remain {me} unnamed {me}. To combat the innate messiness of this person, we spend some $$ each year on paper napkins, and we've recently decided that it seems silly to keep using and throwing away countless bits of paper when we could simply wash and reuse fabric napkins. Good for the planet, good for our wallets.

Or so we thought. I found some pretty napkins at Kohl's and started to grab handfuls of them (we wanted 14- 2 for each day of the week). But then I noticed the price. After the ever present Kohl's discount, they were still a whopping $2.50 each. $40 on squares of cloth? Methinks no. But a yard of fabric and some thread for less than $10? Methinks yes!

This led to me wanting to make a table runner, a skirt (to replace one I bought 4 years ago in Barcelona and can not find the equal of in the U.S.), various stuffed creatures and some pillows.

So I perused craigslist and came up with a barely used sewing machine (a Brother LS 2125, if you are interested or know what that means {I certainly don't}). Now I just need to learn how to use the darn thing. Hopefully I'll figure it out and begin showering my home with adorable gifts.

Inpiration {largely provided by Etsy}- Go!

yystudio

montessoribyhand

maidenlove

lollyland

The sewing machine joins what the scissors have cut asunder, plus whatever else comes in its path. ~Mason Cooley

Spook-tacular Halloween Tree

The internet is a great place for inspiration {obsession}, and last month I decided I HAD to have a Halloween tree for this year's holiday decor. Inspired by the DIY Show-Off's version {here} and Martha Stewart's version {here}, I made my own version of the Halloween tree. The most difficult part? Finding a stupid branch that would actually work for the project!


Ok, once the branch was procured from a nearby park, I got some glossy black spray paint and away we went. While the branch dried, I assembled the other items I needed- a vessel to hold the branch, some floral foam, felt (to cover the foam) and decorations. Hobby Lobby had lots of great decorations on sale right now, so the whole project cost less than $10!


I cut the floral foam to fit into my black cat container and wedged it in tightly to help balance the branch out, and then I cut a piece of orange felt to cover the felt (with an 'X' in the middle to push the branch through). Once it was in place, I made sure to tuck the edges of the felt in well and the base was finished.


My decorations were pretty simple- a string of screaming skulls, some black & orange globe ornaments and some bat, skeleton and black cat felt shapes. Oh yes, and a black crow, but who could do a Halloween tree without one?


I used a clear filament string to hang them from the branches.


That was Pepsi's favorite part- she was dreadfully (emphasis on dreadful) helpful at this point. stringstringstringstringSTRING!!!!!! This may have resulted in some tangles, but I can neither confirm nor deny such an occurrence.


It was fairly simple, and other than having to wait for the rain to stop long enough to spray paint (and battling my feline assistant), the entire project really only took me about 30 minutes. This is a great project for kids, or for kids at heart, and Mr. Pony laughed with {at?} me because I was so pleased with the results! I hope you enjoy!


For other awesome DIY fall decor, stop over at the DIY Show-Off!



'Tis the night - the night Of the grave's delight, And the warlocks are at their play; Ye think that without The wild winds shout, But no, it is they - it is they. ~Arthur Cleveland Coxe

*all photos by me:)

Simply Monday

Mr. Pony and I had an impromptu dessert of gummy worms and Sour Patch Kids. Yum!

Pepsi adored the rain... as long as it stayed outside {water... it burnssss uss....}


We geeked out and watched a few episodes of SG Atlantis online. Its a fantastic show (as was the first Star Gate series)- you should check them out!

And I spent the evening doing absolutely nothing useful- one of the best feelings in the world!

Simple things
We take pleasure in the simple things
We take pride in little victories
And we wear our simple crowns
- Amy Kuney from Simple Things

*kitty pic by me

Celebrate!

Its Friday!!!

Centsational Girl is having an awesome giveaway!

There are only 29 days until Halloween!

This is a one-stop shop to find some awesome blogs (crafty, non-crafty, random and fun)!

Hollywood has been making some interesting films again! My top picks to go to {eventually}: Zombieland, 9 and Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day.

Blue Bell Coffee Ice Cream with chocolate ganache on top tastes likes a dreamy mocha!

Its officially slipper weather!

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate. - Oprah Winfrey

Simply Mondays

I was home sick again today, but there is still plenty to smile about, like:

Having a back-up plan. Our dinner got messed up (we had a mishap concerning raw salmon instead of smoked salmon that turned our tuna salad into an inedible heap), so my darling husband grabbed a meal we'd planned for later in the week and threw it together tonight. Ahh.. Pasta Puttanesca, what a tasty dish! {Side note- though differing stories have arisen, this is commonly believed to be a dish created by Italian whores to eat quickly between customers. Tasty, quick and... slutty? Whatever works!}

Watching Pepsi try to figure out why the broom was taking away all her carefully placed hairs.


Putting up the first piece of art. Yes, we've lived here for nearly 2.5 months and we are just getting to it. So sue me. {and this piece of art looked HUGE in our apartment- we need to get a frame or something because it is dwarfed on this massive wall!!}

And finding a few more gorgeous flowers along our street before summer {actually} ends here in Central Nowhere.

Think big thoughts but relish small pleasures. - H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

*All photos by me

Personal Goals: By the Letter

I now have a pretty camera (its 9 years old, but its new to me!), and it is... frightening. There are so many buttons and bells and whistles that I could start my own brass orchestra with the bloody thing, and that makes it quite disconcerting to use stepping up from a point-and-shoot camera.

So for the first couple of days it sat on my desk. I stared at it. It stared back. I think it won the contest. And I realized that such treatment of a nice camera simply won't do. I've read a bunch of things on the interwebz and recently pestered various members of the IL family with questions about using 'The Beast' {affectionately, TB}, and I've reached a decision.

Goals must be set with this camera or I'll never get it! I'm like this with things- if I just go with the flow, I never end up learning anything- it just isn't my style. If I really want to do a project or learn a skill, I have to set weekly/monthly {some kind of timeline} goals to reach on a regular basis. I can make a list that way, and I L.O.V.E. crossing things off of lists {please tell me I'm not the only one!}, so its much more likely that I'll actually follow the plan.

With that in mind, I have created a new plan for myself: Photography by the Letter. Each week I will wander around and use my imagination and my lens to capture a new letter (in order!) in a creative yet easily recognizable manner. This was inspired by The Art of Whimsy, and it seemed like a fantastic way to get myself out and taking pictures! Today I spent about 40 minutes wandering down our street, and while I'm not entirely satisfied with my 'A' yet, I still have all week to find 'the one'. Bear with me, you might have to use your imagination on some of these! What do you think of attempt #1?

Imagination disposes of everything; it creates beauty, justice, and happiness, which are everything in this world.- Blaise Pascal

*photo by me

Promises, promises...

So Mr. Pony has promised to become Mr. Wood-working Pony in the near future. But why? Largely because we have a taste for this {expensive} champagne

with a budget for this {mid-priced} beer (which Mr. P does actually enjoy when he isn't brewing his own libations).

Not that we are talking about him making wooden champagne. Yuck. Actually, we are talking about bookshelves, in an odd, tangential manner. I’ve been drooling over these bookshelves from Crate & Barrel for a while now.

To be specific, this is the Bungalow bookcase, and I think that 2 of these would look fantastic here

in lieu of the 2 crappy leaning bookcases and the matched-to-each-other (and only each other) DVD shelves. Ahh... pending beautiousness.

And then we looked at the price tag {gulp} of $599 each and ran away frantically. Thankfully, Mr. Pony volunteered his own (and his father's) wood-working craftiness to attempt a DIY knock-off of this bookcase for a fraction of the cost using particle board, veneer and DIY-awesomeness to make things pretty and functional all at once.

We are in the planning stages right now- I was handed paper, pencil and a measuring tape and told to design it, which I'm in the process of doing (between running off to look at other pretty things and blogging, of course), so I'll keep you informed on our DIY bookshelf progress.

Of course, once these are done, I'll have to buy more books to fill them up completely. What a delicious task!

Books may well be the only true magic. - Alice Hoffman