Spring Forward | Memorial Day Weekend.

Already?  Now that summer weather has finally shown itself in Chicago, the days are just flying.  What is that all about?  We're heading up this evening to the family cottage for the weekend and hoping for a little bit of bathing suit weather.

Have a wonderful and safe holiday weekend.

xo. di. 

P.S. Site news - I'll have really spotty Internet through Monday night when we get back to town, so next week's Grateful post likely won't be up until Tuesday.

*image property of Diane Crary

Herb Garden.

Apartment living means knocking pretty much everything down in scale.  Someday, I'll have a lavish, sprawling vegetable, fruit and flower garden that supplies us with fresh produce all summer long.  But for now, whatever fits on our windowsill and survives my anti-green thumb is all we've got.   

I picked up a few new herbs at the Green City Market last weekend, and because I like complicating everything, I decided to whip up some flags for the "garden."  Just a little bit of card stock, a very light green watercolor base, toothpicks and some basic calligraphy (still lots to improve on), and I was in business.

And I'm happy to report all 3 herbs are still alive and well and even growing!

xo. di.

*images property of Diane Crary

Nostalgia is Seductive.

{inspired by The Office's series finale last week, I spent a couple of hours this past weekend sketching, calligraphy-ing and watercoloring the above.  
It's not as great as I'd imagined in my head, but what are ya gonna do!}

Have you ever seen or read an interview with an actor best known for a television role talk about how because he's in our living rooms every week (on tv, I mean!), people seem more likely to approach him and equate him with that character?  That can't go very well for King Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) of Game of Thrones, but I get it.  You grow-up with certain shows, they can inspire or provoke change in you, they make you laugh and cry and feel like you are a part of a world that is built, piece by piece, over years.  And when you think back on them or go back and watch a show all over again, you remember little bits of who you were during that time so powerfully, it's like a rabbit hole of memories.  

Here's a few for me:

• The Office first, in honor of its recent ending: "Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica." "You must be PMS-ing pretty hard right now, huh?"  And of course, "That's what she said."  All substituting for actual conversation for like 2 years.

• Texting my law school roommate/best friend (who now lives in a different state), "do you think we're really going to meet The Mother tonight?" - and all those times we've discussed Ted Mosby's search for his future wife over the last few years.

• Throwing a four-course Westerosi feast for Game of Thrones' season 2 premiere.

• CryingOpenly sobbing at "I got off the plane" sitting next to my college roommate on our awful futon during the FRIENDS series finale the last night of sophomore year.

• Having friends over to watch Dawson's Creek almost every Wednesday night senior year of high school; Team Pacey!

• Friday Night Lights.  LOST.  The Vampire Diaries.  Harper's Island.  I could keep going for way too long on this.

One last quote from 9 years of watching The Office, a good summation: "I wish there was a way to know you're in the good ole days when you're in them." -Andy Bernard.  Or as I prefer to look at it: all days are the good ole days; you just don't realize why until they're over. 

xo. di.

*image property of Diane Crary

Grateful | May 20, 2013.

I am Grateful.  

For summer weather and leisurely weekends.

   

Pictures of the Week.

{Hyacinths are a weakness of mine}

{Receiving pretty wedding invitations is the best; Flavored water with fresh ingredients; Marmaduke?!; Playing with watercolor}

{little spruce-ups in the bathroom: Lochness Monster by Quill & Fox; Gone With the Wind Quote from The First Snow; Love Print via Minted}

{Sushi dinner take-out in the park with a friend; Calla lily plant is blooming like crazy!; Started selling some clothes 

on Poshmark - have you ever done it?; Love having lilacs in bouquets, so fragrant!}

Links Worth Sharing.

• Get a peek inside how paint colors are named with Design*Sponge's Interview with a Color Marketer. 
• If you missed The Everygirl's DIY Floral Event at Anthropologie like I did, now we can all recreate the look at home.
• How COOL is the new "Rain Room" at MoMA? - via A Cup of Jo.
• Intrigued to try a few of these kitchen staples by Camille Styles; it's super helpful to see inside how others cook. 

Have a wonderful week.

xo. di.    

*images property of Diane Crary

Spring Forward | Non Sequiturs.

Stray Observations of the Week:

• The red carpet fashion at Cannes Film Festival always yields some great eye candy (Nicole is looking GOOD up there!).  Like last week's Met Gala, Cannes seems to inspire more dramatic and costume-worthy looks than awards shows in the States.  I'm looking forward to checking back in throughout the weekend.

• It has been a pretty intense work week for me, but C and I got to sneak in Star Trek Into Darkness 2 days early at the Navy Pier IMAX on Wednesday, and it was really good.  Highly recommend, and that's coming from a Star Wars-lovin' non-Trekkie :)  I might just be a Cumberbitch.

• I was really satisfied with The Office's series finale last night.  If you watched: were you?

• Don't forget: the second jewel in the Triple Crown is tomorrow!

• Go Wings!

• 80 degree forecast the entire weekend; hoping wherever you are, it's similarly beautiful.

Have a wonderful weekend.

xo. di.

*images clockwise from top L: 1,2,3,4

Beauty | Dr. Jart+ BB Cream

I have fallen, like so many before me, for BB ("beauty balm") cream.  Dr. Jart's, in particular.  To begin, a confession: when I first started wearing make-up every day, some time in early high school, I declared [to myself] to go concealer/foundation/powder free for as long as possible.  And for the next 10+ years, I adhered to that declaration.  Beyond not liking the feel of it on my face and worrying about break-outs, I just felt that having a natural base, even if it meant uncovered flaws and unevenness, led to a more natural, softer look that I preferred.  

Well I'm 29 now, and while not exactly an old maid, I've noticed a few more imperfections recently.  After hearing over and over about the benefits of BB cream: its all-in-one functionality as a foundation, concealer, serum, sunscreen and moisturizer, I took a chance on Dr. Jart's version and will not be going back on it.  It's lightweight and blends easily, but the real benefit is how much longer my make-up lasts, stays in place and looks fresh throughout the day with a BB cream base, not to mention that I really should have added a daily SPF on my face years ago.   

If this cream is a bit too rich for your blood (I know I'm very choosy about what cosmetics I consider "worth" going upscale on), Tristan of Besotted Blog has raved about L'oreal's BB Magic Cream, at a far more friendly price.

    

xo. di.

*images property of Diane Crary
*I received nothing for this post; these are just my opinions and experiences, and I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about the product.

Netflix Gems | Neverland.

Notwithstanding the constantly growing catalog of available content on Netflix Instant, I know there are a lot of people out there who feel like they can’t find anything to watch.   With this periodic series – Netflix Gems – I aim to introduce you to movies, tv shows and documentaries you may not know are hiding in there.  While Netflix is still lagging behind where I think it should be on new releases and current seasons of television, there’s a whole bunch of awesome there as well, so let's talk about it right here.

If you watch Once Upon a Time (like me!), you might be looking for more of J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan after the final 2 episodes of the season, which concluded last Sunday.  Neverland, a Peter Pan origin story, which originally aired as a 2-night miniseries on SyFy in December 2011, is the perfect anecdote.  Watch the trailer here.  

The story follows Peter in Victorian-era London, the leader of a group of orphaned pick-pockets, whose mentor and guardian, James Hook, accidentally transports them all to Neverland.

{Charlie Rowe as Peter, a pretty fabulous child actor}

{Rhys Ifans as Jimmy Hook - you know where this is going, right?}

{Peter's arrival in Neverland}

 {Captured by pirates}

{The Lost Boys}

 {Neverland, in all its glory}

{Bob Hoskins as Smee; Anna Friel as Captain Elizabeth Bonny}

{Peter and Tink, voiced by Keira Knightley}

SyFy's reimagined fairy tale series, like this one - including Tin Man in 2007 and Alice in 2009 - skew a bit darker, so I wouldn't consider this family entertainment for wee ones, but older children should be just fine.   

"All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust.” 

xo. di.

P.S. Game of Thrones' own Tywin Lannister - Charles Dance - also makes a brief appearance in Neverland; his presence is always a treat.

*images via SyFy