Always In Great Taste

While BF and I were apartment hunting last weekend (Houston, Seattle, Chicago? Where am I going to live in six weeks????), we came across the adorable Sugar Babies Cupcake Boutique. Okay, so the uber-girly decor may nauseate your male companion, but you can get the cupcakes to-go!

You must check it out if you're in the Kirby/Montrose Area. It's also next to a fantastic design shop with plenty of stationery goodies that will tug on your letterpressed heart strings.

Sugar Babies Cupcake Boutique
3310 S. Shepherd
Houston, TX 77098

Paper Jellies

The talented woman behind The Butter Flying found me via Oh Joy, and I'm happy she did. Her paper jellyfish made my black heart melt just a little bit. Sylvie B. is a Montreal-based artist who cuts paper with the best of them. Lucky for you, you don't have the be in Canada to get a hold of her work. Visit her Etsy shop for her latest nature-inspired creations.

Sick Excitement

I woke up at 5:00 am today. This is unusual because I've been sleeping in until 10:30'ish on days that I do not work. The early rise is a mix of excitement for New Orleans (we leave tonight, stay overnight at the BF's grandparent's Lake house, leave for NO tomorrow, arrive in early afternoon) and the Theraflu I drank last night that made me pass out at 9:00 PM (I'm feeling all sore-throaty).

Even though our destination is only five hours away, I feel like it's a different country because come on, it is. CAJUN COUNTRY. Yes, good jokes in the a.m.

Thanks to the New Orleans D*S guide (+ reader comments) and the Domino Magazine Shopping Guide, I'm in good hands.

P.S. If you're traveling anywhere, a good up-to-date resource for delicious eats, and trendy, unique shopping is the Design*Sponge guides. I look at the Houston one all the time, and I live here. Check out the full list here.

New Orleans photo from David Paul Ohmer.

Magic Moment

How amazing is the SELF-PORTRAIT?? The first thing I noticed was the yellow-to-yellow/green-to-green-to-blue chromatic luck in the landscape. The sun on the tree and perfect swing position is just serendipitous.

I can't reduce the value of this image on luck alone, the photographer Pia Jane Bijkerk has a fantastic eye for this sort of thing (her blog is a daily read for me).

It was Just a Paper Bag

I know the holidays are over, but here's a simple wrapping idea that can be used all year. I found it on the always inspring blog, An Apple A Day.

See Ya.

Today is my last day at the current temp job. It's been real...stupid. Ha, no.. I'm thankful that I got a nice little five-weeker in so that I don't have to tap into my savings (said savings only exists because of my dear Suze Orman).

I'm spending my day researching for our trip to New Orleans (which we may take next weekend?). The BF's parents gave it to us for Christmas and we're super-pumped. Maybe we'll go see Benjamin Button to build the NOLA anticipation. And finish A Confederacy of Dunces(I'm the worst).

Anyway, we have Very New Orleans: A Celebration of History, Culture, and Cajun Country Charm, the beautifully illusrated guidebook by Diana Hollingsworth Gessler to bring us to the best food, shopping and sights. Are there any off-the-beaten-path places that are the bee's knees??

P.S. Be Cool.

Pixel Bathroom

Bisazza Pixelized Bathroom from The New Museum in NYC. Bisazza makes all the tiles for the New York subway system. Cha-Ching.