It's no secret that I'm a fan of a good homemade pizza.  Well, sort of homemade.  Here was tonight's dinner-in-a-hurry.

I used store-bought crust, pre-grilled chicken, mozzarella, and (squeezable!) pizza sauce.  It took about 15 minutes total, including oven time.

I finished it off with some freshly cracked black pepper.  Nums.

Gift Guide 2011: Etsy Edition

I love a gift guide.  And this year I thought I'd break mine up into small editions to keep things easier.  First up is Etsy. 

Where to start?  These picks came from countless hours of perusing blogs, magazines, and Etsy itself.  Most of my favorites are of the paper variety, but I tried to branch out a bit.  I am a fan of supporting independent businesses and craftspeople whenever possible.  You end up with unique, creative gifts while helping someone else live their dreams.  Hokey but accurate.

A milk & honey candle from Sweet Petula.  It's vegetable wax in a clean scent, and it will burn for 60+ hours in that snazzy frosted (reusable) glass.  $24

A linen-covered journal in awesome chevron stripes from Holli Zollinger.  And a kraft paper binding, naturally.  Let your recipient sketch, list, and doodle to their heart's content.   $12

A jar of chocolate spoon fudge from Nicole's Treats.  Handmade in a really nifty 4 oz. jar, with two mini spoons!  Nummy.  $9

A monogrammed porcelain tray from Jeanette Risco.  Customizable, 6.75" x 5.25", and just the right size for an array of finger sandwiches or your favorite cosmetics containers.  $31

A chevron jotter from Wit & Whistle.  I love a chevron.  Guilty.  At 3.5" by 5" and in sturdy kraft paper, it's perfect for marking down websites, coupon codes, blog ideas, etc. in an old-school way.  $5.75

A set of me & you pencils from Knot & Bow.  Now, aren't these sweet?  A veritable who's who of the great food pairings, along with a lil' sentiment for a best friend or a significant otre, to round out the set of six.  $12

(Note: I received permission from all sellers to use their images and to link to their Etsy stores.)

Jingle Jangle

I saw this picture in my inbox today from Crate and Barrel.  If it doesn't put you in the Christmas spirit, I don't know what will.  I'd like that outfit in my size, please.  (He can keep the cap.)

Magnets!

I love a good magnet.  Here are some recent acquisitions.

Remember this artist?  Here's a picture of that doe.

The cool wooden magnet came from Peru, courtesy of my pals Lexie and James.

The three at the bottom all came from Parts & Labour in Austin.  I love them and think that they are hilarious.  They started as buttons, but Lexie manhandled them into submission and removed the pin part.  I stuck on magnets.

Sitting Pretty

I got a new chair!

  



I'm sort of enjoying how it has that British library thing going on.  But then it's a cool blue/white stripe (like seersucker without the puckers) that gives it a little laid-back vibe.

Two of My Favorite Initials: W. E.

Can you even stand it?  My love for West Elm has been rather well documented at this point, but this picture that landed in my inbox almost put me in the (way-too-early) holiday spirit.  I love the mix of materials and colors but with the unified font.

Oh, and I went ahead and tagged this as an ad, mostly because it makes me want to buy, buy, buy.  Who doesn't need a monogrammed ice bucket?

Austin!

Let me just say that I had a great weekend in Austin.  My pals Melanie and Joe were wonderful hosts, and we had a brief but enormously fun tour around the Texan capital.  Our first stop was South Congress (locally called SoCo) at the store Uncommon Objects.



I don't know what it is about taxidermy that alternately fascinates and terrifies me, but this baboon definitely fit the bill. 

Along those lines: doll parts.

Now we come to what was arguably my favorite part of the trip.  Hey Cupcake! is a company of Airstream trailers that have been turned into mobile cupcakeries.  Yum.  I ate four.

Here we have a red velvet and "the standard," which is a yellow cake with chocolate frosting.  I also got another standard and a Michael Jackson.  That would be a chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting.

Parts & Labour was a recommendation from my pal Dawn.  It's a really neat shop where you can find things like Burt Reynolds pillows, complete with felt mustache, and hilarious postcards (see below).

One of our last hoorahs was a trip to The Oasis at Lake Travis.  It's a nice restaurant overlooking the lake, where we were able to snag a balcony table and eat some delicious TexMex as the sun set over the Lonestar State.

One night we also went to Esther's Follies, which is a wholly unique experience.  It's a show that combines music, magic, and political satire--almost like a scaled-down (funny) version of Saturday Night Live.  If you're ever in Austin, I recommend all of the above.  I think it makes a great destination for a long weekend, and we didn't even go to a concert, which is the heart of the city.  The mind reels at such prospects.

I am already planning a return trip next year.

Definitely Late 20s Now. And Austin?

Well, my 20s are almost officially over.  My birthday happened over the weekend, and I'm now 29.

My twin bro and I met up at our older sister's house, and along with her family and our mom, we had a big lunch.  If it wasn't a simple carb, we weren't eating it.  For dessert we had cupcakes.  They were most delicious.

The picture above shows my placecard for the meal, handmade by my younger niece.  She did one for everybody and then thought it would be hilarious to turn them around so that we all had to guess where we were sitting.  Isn't little kids' handwriting the best?!

I'm going on a weekend trip to Austin to visit some friends, so I'm extra excited about that, too.  Does anyone have any must-sees?!