Catching My Eye [links I like]

(Death to the Stock Photo)

I knowww it's Monday, but in lieu of our previously scheduled weekly goals post, I'm sharing some of my favorite links + recently read blog posts. Why? Well, for one, I just don't want to think about this week, much less plan goals. I'll get back to NC tonight, see H for three days and then move in at school (which means I won't see him for another six weeks :( ...so sad!). Second, I've been catching up on blog posts this weekend and there is just so much good stuff coming out, you guys. I just had to share!

+ As I get ready to move into a dorm, I have to somehow decide which of my clothes to leave at home, and what to bring along. Gina (from Gina Alyse) talks about minimalism and why we shouldn't be afraid of downsizing our wardrobe.

+ Moving to central Florida calls and being a cold-weather kind of gal means I need help. Sarah Von from Yes and Yes helps with her tips for dealing with the heat. My favorite: putting bras in the freezer. Holy genius! Except, I almost can't take her seriously because she lives in Minnesota.

+ I didn't even know these were a legitimate thing, but oh my goodness, these Eames chairs are gorgeous.

+ Just because it looks delicious and--holy poop--actually not terribly hard (what is this witchcraft?!), this sweet and sour chicken recipe from The Sunshine Blog.

+ I'm sure you've heard them all before, but here's a reminder of to-do lists 101, thanks to Lifehacker (my fave!).

+ Because I'm looking for any way to make mornings a little happier and a little less "ughhh I want to be in bed," I may start doing these five morning stretches.

Welp. Now it's back to the car. Have a great Monday!

Favorite Podcast / NPR's All Songs Considered

(Death to the Stock Photo)

Earlier this week, I mentioned that I was starting to listen to podcasts more often. I find that I have a lot of long walks in my day--to the beach, to work sometimes and to friend's houses. I used to just listen to music on these walks, but more and more, I find that I prefer a little bit of talk to keep my attention. In the quest for a happy medium between music and talk, I found NPR's All Songs Considered and it has quickly become my new favorite.

Host Bob Boilen (along with Robin Hilton) show you all the songs you should know, from all kinds of genres. In the same episode, I heard a weird metal song, a super catchy indie pop song and an acoustic duo. Literally, all songs are considered. I love this podcast because I always find new songs/bands to listen to--often ones I never would have given a chance. Oftentimes, I won't really like a song the first time around, but the more I listen, the more it grows on me. Plus I love Bob + Robin's commentary on the artists and the songs. 

In case you just want even more, all songs ever played on the radio show are available in a continuous online radio called All Songs 24/7.

Listen to All Songs Considered on iTunes or listen to All Songs 24/7 online.

Snippets 04.

Snippets is a series where I share recent photos that I have taken--snapshots of my life. I share what I'm loving about my life lately.

ONE. The beach has been so beautiful this year (and yes, this is where I live). I've really enjoyed the windy days where most people stay home and the beach is quiet and cool except for a few kids flying kites. On wavy days like these, I just want to show everyone who says lakes are boring/not like oceans. Look at those waves! They may not be oceans waves, but we still surf in them.

TWO. I don't think I will ever take for granted how lovely it is to live in a forest. Even though the bugs can be annoying (and sometimes half the size of my head), it's the most beautiful area around. My house is in between a nature preserve and the beach, which means I literally get the best views on either side of my house. There's something just so wonderful to me about all the green, all around me. I love it!

THREE. In this mornings, I've been running up and down the stairs to the beach. I love the beach on wavy days, but I especially love the beach when I have it all to myself. Sometimes I'll walk down to the shore, take off my running shoes and just stick my feet into the water up to my ankles.

FOUR. Enough of the outdoors, look at my hair! I've been itching to dye my hair turquoise or green but before I take the plunge (and freak out H!), I decided to test it out on just the tips of my hair. Personally, I'm obsessed with the color. I didn't bleach it first, so it's sort of mixed with the brown of my hair and I really, really like it. Should I do my whole head? Just a couple more inches? Suggestions please!

What's going on in your life these days? Aaaand, should I dye my hair?!

5 Back-to-School Essentials for Studying

This post first appeared as a guest post (by me) on the Duchess of Plumewood.

So y'all probably know that my blog is mostly centered around design, productivity and my lifestyle, but what you may not know is that I'm a microbiology/cell science student. And as I get ready for classes to start up again this fall, I'm getting ready for all the studying and work that comes along with being a student.

I'm all about finding ways to make sometimes tedious things (like studying or work) suck a little bit less. I love taking care to brighten up a desk--because if you work at a desk all day, then those things brighten up your life. 

So these are my essentials for a bright, happy study session. A sunny print to remind you to keep working. A plant to keep your desk feeling fresh. A chic backpack for when you need to relocate to the nearest coffee shop. A poppy calendar to keep track of everything. Unique pencils for writing down all your genius thoughts.

Calendar Notepad / Positivity Print / Fabric Plant Bucket / Striped Backpack / Wood Pencils

What are your study essentials?

Weekly Goals #38 + August Goals

(photo)

I've said it before and I'll say it again--I can't believe it's already August. I know I say that every month, but this month it's even more of a shock since for the last six months or so, college has felt so far off--"in August". But now August is here! I move in two weeks from today which is just crazy exciting and scary and I'm going to stop writing about it right now because I'm freaking myself out. 

How was your weekend? I spent my weekend with family, sailing and rollerskating with friends (yes, that's actually something people do regularly in southwest Michigan). On Sunday, I leave to go back to NC (aka work is over!!) and then less than a week later I move in! Lots going on around here.

Last Week's Goals:

+ Exercise 120 minutes. I think I got this one. I went for an hour long walk one day, swam one day and rode my bike one day, but I'm not positive on time. Just so you guys know, I'm aware that two hours of exercise a week isn't adequate (especially when it's half walking!) but for now, I'm choosing to spend more of my time working and with friends. Once I'm home and settled into school, I'll be exercising a lot more (hopefully). I chose not to run the 5k because all of my friends were working + I didn't want to do it on my own. No worries, though.

+ Find a new podcast. I fell back in love with This American Life and started listening to NPR's All Songs Considered and Scientific American's 60-Second Science. Both are great!

+ Comment on three blogs a day. Again, I didn't reeeally keep track and I know I missed a day here and there, but I generally did a good job of keeping up with my feed.

Last Month's Goal:

+ My big goal for June was to continue my lettering so that I could sell some pieces at the fair in my town. I did some lettering this month but the pieces I chose to sell were largely digital art and so I didn't spend as much time on hand-lettering as I planned. But really, I'm fine with that. My goal more morphed into getting pieces ready for the fair and I did that!

August Goals:

+ I'm choosing not to make goals for this week since I'll be wrapping up work + my time with Michigan friends and I'd rather just go with the flow this week. So...August goals!

+ Stretch myself for college. Figuratively of course. I'm definitely an introvert and while I can make friends pretty easily when I try, it's hard to make myself try sometimes. By the end of August, I'll have been at school for two weeks. At that point, I hope I've settled in a little bit with friends, activities, classes and etc. 

+ Finish all design projects currently open before school. This could be tough since I'm still at the beginning of some projects, but I'd like to finish those up soon so that I can take the first month or two of school off from design.

What are your goals for this week/month? Any tips on getting ready for college?

Goodbye July: a month in favorites

(Death to the Stock Photo)

Can you believe it's August already?! I feel like I say that every month but especially this month, it just feels crazy. May both feels like yesterday and a year ago. Funny how time can do that.  

July has (obviously) been the busiest month of my summer. Between working full time, working on four design projects, designing a tattoo, selling my stationery at a craft fair and H coming to visit, I've been going-going-going, but doing all good things! I can't wait to see what August will bring (namely, college!).

I've mentioned it before, but I got a new laptop at the beginning of the month, which is fantastic. My old one was dying a slow, agonizing death. But the one thing I haven't figured out/gotten productive enough to try to figure out is transferring my iTunes library. So I just haven't quite been as focused as usual on music. I've been using spotify, 8tracks and songza (my three fave music sites--pandora is a close fourth) for the most part. Trending in my head these days are the 60s, but also soft acoustics. So good. A couple good playlists from 8tracks (with the exception of the first, the titles mean nothing):

Songs to Dance to / 60s rock

Self Portrait / acoustics

For When Words Aren't Enough / indie folk, singer-songwriter

This month, as I mentioned a few days ago, I largely read books I wasn't totally interested in as part of my library's adult reading challenge. I did however, really enjoy two books this month. One, called The Poisoner's Handbook was just amazing. It's a story of forensic medical examiners in the Jazz Age and different cases involving Prohibition-era wood alcohol and poisons. Very, very interesting if you're at all into medicine or chemistry (or even just US history!). The second was Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. Although the main part of the book is super well known (everyone dies one at a time until there are..none. You guessed it.), I still thought it was super well written and I never suspected the ending. 

This month, I focused more on design/my life than I have in the past. I'm constantly tweaking, but I'd love to hear what you think. Do you like more design, life/productivity, music or science posts? Anyways, I really enjoyed the first installment of my new series, the Color Files, starting with Tangerine. Ever since I got my tablet, I've been obsessed with digital handlettering, but in this DIY Design, I showed you how to make a font from your own handwriting. Finally, I always enjoy a good Missing Links (science for normal people) post. This one features articles on jellyfish that age backwards, the possibility of printing a human heart and a mind-blowing infographic on the depths of our oceans.

What was your favorite post that you read or wrote this month?!

Free Font: Anders by Tom Anders Watkins

I'm seriously digging this font. The lines, the clean, minimalist feel, the just-bold-enough uniqueness. This would make a killer header font for a rad fashion blogger or a tech website. 

Isn't it just awesome? And as always, best of all, it's totally free. All images are courtesy of Tom Anders Watkins on Behance. Download the font.

(Also, happy August!)