Hallmark Christmas 2.0

Happy Late Christmas!!

One of the great things about having family all over the place is the fact that you get to have more than one Christmas. So that means that the present opening-fun goes on for much longer!! Haha and the present giving as well. But this year was great. I tried to give every one in my family something that was made especially for them, like some stationary I designed for my sisters or an ink print of C3PO and R2D2 or a screen printed onesie for the newest member of the family, etc. It was fun and for the most part I was successful but I did cheat a little bit when I found lightsaber chopsticks for my brother.

But in the end it was a fantastic Christmas. I lounged in DC with my Dad and his wife and then I came to NYC to party with my Mother and Brother's clan. We've been shopping till we drop and kicking my butt at dominoes. But it was a good haul. Here's a sampling of the great gifts my family gave. (Not all since I got so much great stuff from many generous loved ones but these were just the ones I found photos of)

THE CANON 5D MARK II!!! I'm still in shock

This awesome collection of Beatles guitar (or ukulele) picks! There's 15 and each one has an album cover on it or an illustration thats popular. I think I'm going to frame them so I can have it next to my "Meet the Beatles" Album cover that I got framed

My sister and I have this running joke about Pepe the King Prawn. So I have no idea how she was able to find this but it was a good laugh

Vinyl!!

More Vinyl!! And I just love the illustrations of this one. So cute. So Disney.

This awesome Tin Cup that my mother found for me. I was so excited to see it!

Ok, so I actually got these for myself, but you always give yourself the best gifts!! These are noise-silencing earphones by UrbanEars. They're made for iPhones and iPods, so there's a volume adjuster as well as a speaker and button to answer calls or change the tracks. Plus it's bright red which is my favorite color!!

And of couse more vinyls... I also got a couple of other cool old ones that I'm excited to listen to on my magnavox when I get settled in California!!

All I have to say...

It's just not Christmas without...

Christmas lights!! I'm sadly lacking this year but maybe next year

White Christmas!! It's on tonight!!

Holiday Inn!! Watched it with the Briggs family but I can watch this multiple times a week

Christmas Time is Here Again! (Beatles Christmas song... look it up)

My clean checks are done and I'm loading up the final stuff in my car. I'm not going to be able to post for a couple days while I'm traveling so don't miss me too much, I'll be back.

But before I leave this fair state of Idaho for the next 9 months (?!) I just had to post this picture because I will never get a real tree after seeing this....

Perfect Morning

I had a really fantastic morning.

I woke up around 8 after going to bed around 2 and drove the 30 mins to the closer Starbucks. my intention was to meet up with a friend and just hang out but things didn't really work out when we both ended up at two different Starbucks about 15 mins apart. So we had to reschedule. Woops. Funny, after coming from a place where there were a minimum of 4 Starbucks in a 3 block radius, and we can't even manage to meet up at the right one out of 2.

But it was great, I sat at a table all to myself, drinking my drink and catching up on some much needed writing and reading. I love it. I got to just take some time to myself and relax. It was also nice to be in my familiar element. I had a really stressful day yesterday so it was genuinely soothing.

I always meet the best people at Starbucks. There was Nathan, the creepy older man (featured below); Marie and Michelle, a french woman and her adorable little girl, she's trying to teach her daughter french so I got to speak to them and use my french skills, love it. And Mike, the barista who made my 2nd grande Peppermint Mocha (love the Christmas season) and admitted that he was slightly obsessed with my name and how he'll always remember it (haha that was also kind of odd but I took it as a compliment).

Fantastic morning. I feel so relaxed and ready to tackle my final projects.

Rexburg, ID

Thought

I've decided I want to get married around the Christmas time. I think it would be appropriate. Also, there's just so much love going round in December, it just sounds happy and romantic.

I freaking love Christmas!!

I want a tree and I want Christmas lights! I want a house where I can decorate my own Christmas tree and play around with it. I want a place to decorate and cover with lights and snow flakes! I want to get Christmas cards and I want to go to downtown Seattle and see the carrousel and the Christmas decorations, and the gingerbread competition at the Marriott. I want to see Pippin dressed in his red and white sweater... yes my dog wears a sweater. I'm looking into a bow-tie as well. Be jealous, my dog is a snappy dresser.

Man on Porch: Why don't you kiss her instead of talking her to death?
George Bailey: You want me to kiss her, huh?
Man on Porch: Ah, youth is wasted on the wrong people.

It's a Wonderful Life

I love when artists come out with Christmas singles

It has arrived...

Yes indeed, that fateful time of year where everyone feels inclined to sing me any Christmas song that includes the word "holly" in it. I've heard it all "deck the halls with bows of holly"... "the holly and the ivy"... "oh by gosh by golly, it's time for mistletoe WITH holly" that's the most clever one. But in truth, I've never actually been caught under mistletoe before.

But I'm now currently sitting at my kitchen table listening to Nat King Cole sing me Christmas music over my record player. It's just beautiful. Christmas is beautiful. I love Christmas!! And although I may get a lot of musical grief about it, I love my name. And I love that it's Christmas themed. And then I love to tell people that I also have a brother named Noel. I think my parents really love Christmas too.

But you wanna know something weird? One of the reasons I'm most excited to start a family is for the Christmas cards! I can't wait to take family Christmas photos or send out Christmas cards. I can't wait to decorate our home for Christmas and such! Below are some adorable ideas that I love.

I just need to marry a graphic designer or something to make these, I'm crap at Adobe Illustrator

I simply love silhouettes!

These first christmas ornaments are classic, that way you don't get stuck years later trying to find a sneaky place to hide the Hallmark Crayola "Baby's First Christmas" ornament

Remember when...

Do you ever see children's toys and think "Mine were never that cool"? These toys get cooler and cooler and it's getting to the point where I just want to play with them myself!

Do you remember when you wrote your christmas list and the last thing you would ever want to put on that list was clothes? It was 100% toys. I miss that. I don't remember when my list changed from toys to necessities. Crazy days, I miss my youth haha

Feathers!!

I'm slightly obsessed with feathers at the moment. I wear them on my necklaces and feather earings and I've been experimenting with them in my hair. I love them!

If you want to give me a really random Christmas present, I would love a bag of feathers. Not dyed feathers, just give me natural white or brown or mixed! But I have discovered that I can't wear black feathers because they literally disappear in my hair.

It's funny though, and I'm going off on a tangent here, but I think I've finally found my style. All through Junior High and High School I didn't really have a style. I kind of just threw on what was the most comfortable to me and that went with my hair too. I stuck with the bob or the awkward short with layering. It wasn't really until end of my senior year and the beginning of my freshman year that I really started pulling together a look. This is just a random list of influences:

-Star Wars (yes... vintage T's totally wearing the Millenium Falcon shirt now)

-Layers

-Feathers!

-Black and neutral colors

-Red

-Christmas (goes with the name, why not work it?)

-Seattle and Rain

-The Beatles

-Snow White

-Vintage

-Sweaters

-Comfy!

Back to feathers... here's random examples that I totally love!

Christmas Wish List

November 1st is the start of all things Christmas!! I am listening to "Baby It's Cold Outside" as we speak! But along with the joyous occasion of Christmas music is dreaming of presents! I'm getting to that point where presents don't really matter, it's not as big of a deal as the food, music, christmas trees, etc. I'm getting excited just thinking about it! So to get myself in the Holiday mood, I've composed a Christmas Wish List. Don't get confused. I don't expect to get any of this, infact, some of them I'll probably end up getting myself! But it's still fun to compose The List!

A Poster of Diane Arbus' "Child with a Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park", It's my favorite photo!

A New iPod (my other is slowly dying, and of course it must be red!)

Brown and White Saddle Shoes

A Moleskin Notebook

Cool iPhone cover no?

THIS I want! Wooden covers for an iPhone

Bob Marley Record/LP

Minolta X-700 (this is the camera I have for my photography class but when class is done, I'll have to give it back :(

Medium Format Camera- The plastic Holga Camera (you can get them for cheap at Urban Outfitters)

I've always wanted a grey leather jacket similar to this

Medium Format- Hasselblad Camera, some can be expensive but I NEED one!

I've always wanted a "Keep Calm" poster in red!

John Lennon "Imagine" Record/LP (I have yet to find one 2nd hand)

A metal Beatles lunch box. I almost bought this exact one in Disney World, but I didn't and now I regret it SO much... but please, no cartoon "Yellow Submarine" please!!

Not Pictured:

Star Wars Twin Flannel Sheets! (Only Original Trilogy of course)

Grey Wool or Brown Tweed Back Pack (seen HERE)

Candy Apple Red Nail Polish from OPI

Polaroid Film (I'm completely out!)

French Hymnbook

Original Star Wars Trilogy DVD set

Black and White Diana F+ film (Also completely out, also at Urban Outfitters)

iTunes card

Also notice that this list is also located on the side of my blog under "My People"... just for future reference ;D... hint hint