Tweet! Tweet!

As I see the reports of snow falling on the east coast and the Midwest again and again, I know people are ready for spring.  Since I live in San Diego, I don't feel that same "I need warm weather urge" because it's pretty much perfect weather here every single day.

Before I moved to San Diego, someone asked if I would miss the change in seasons....I promptly said "no!"  I hate winter and cold weather, so why would I miss the seasons?

After three years of living in San Diego, I will admit that I was wrong. I totally miss the seasonal changes.  I miss the feeling of cold and wanting to get cozy as summer creeps into fall; and I one hundred million times over miss the feeling of the first warm days of spring.  It is such a feeling of renewal and life, my favorite time of year.

Now that I have lived in San Diego three years, I notice extremely subtle season changes.  Just this week, I noticed birds chirping in a tree outside of my house.  Either it is becoming spring, or the bird family was sick of the cold and they came here.  Whatevs, the sound of the birds gave me the idea to indulge another obsession and post some of my favorite bird finds from Etsy.

Enjoy!

 

{Clockwise from left}

1. Necklace by Zosterops
2. Reusable Snack Bags by The Silver Bobbin
3. Clutch by Clutch That
4. Owl Pillow by Gracey May
5. Stationary by Jessie Mac Creations

I need a new rug

A few months ago, my puppy (Finn) had an accident in which he both peed and pooped on the floor.  Well, to be exact, he peed on the hardwood floor and pooped on the rug by the couch.  He did all of this while my husband was in the shower (note- if you have a puppy, always let him or her out before you tend to yourself).

When Neil was finished getting dressed, he walked into the main room of our house, slipped on the puddle of pee and landed smack dab into the pile of shit.  If you know my husband, you will know that he doesn't handle things like this well and he freaked out. 

He tried to clean the rug with every bottle of cleaner in our house. (Chlorox Green Works? Check! Tilex? Check! Dish Soap? Check! Windex? Check! Carpet Cleaner? Surprisingly, no.)

As the minutes of scrubbing went on and the fumes of the various cleaners went to his head, he grew more and more frustrated.  The frustration resulted in him throwing the perfectly good rug into the trash.  Yes, he threw the 5' x 7' rug away.  In fairness, I hated the rug, so I was slightly pleased with Finn's clever shitting tactics and Neil's insane attempt at handling pretty much anything.

Months later (this was about 6 months ago) and I have yet to replace the rug.  They are expensive and I have two muddy dogs, so I don't need anything nice.  I would prefer to spend around $100, which can be a challenge.  A big challenge. I am pretty much limited to Ikea and Target.

Here is what I have found.  Which do you like the best? (I get that they are kind of boring, but like I said, I am faced with limited choices.)

Erslev Rug, by Ikea

Lydum Rug, by Ikea

Jute Rug by Pier One

Sprayed Lace Rug by Urban Outfitters

 

Aqua Rug by World Market

Floral Block Rug by Dwell Studio for Target

Chenille Floral Rug by Thomas O‘Brien for Target

Happy Birthday Mr. F!

This weekend is my lovely, skinny, big eared puppy's first birthday. I cannot believe how fast this past year has gone. Oh, how I long to hold the little Finny in my arms again and carry him around. Just for a day, then I would want the big one year old back. Puppies are a lot of work and this past year has been full of puppy work.

Indulge me for a moment while I write about my baby boy...

The best things about Finn:

-He never chews on anything except his dog toys.  I rarely have to wonder "what is Finn doing?" because I know he is just playing with his toys.

-He comes when he is called, will sit, give paw, lay down, and play dead (and he learned all of this in less than an hour. The boy is smart!)

-He is the cuddliest dog I have ever met.  He still wants to sit in my lap (even though he is far too big) and he quietly sleeps next to me all night.

-He will wear clothes!

-He has the biggest ears EVER. We always thought he would grow into them, but he hasn't. They are still too big for his head and I love them.

The not so best things about Finn:

-He is super, duper nervous and these nerves have created a lot of angst in our household.

-He is fearful of new people and this causes him to act aggressive (which has caused me to hire the best dog trainer in San Diego).

-He dribbles water all over the floor after he drinks. (Boys are messy.)

Despite his anxiety and his nerves, he's perfect.  I think I'll keep him for the rest of his life.

I Love Beige

So, I heard somewhere (probably on the Today Show) that beige has been popping up all over the runways of New York Fashion Week.  This excites me. I wear a lot of black, a lot of gray, and a lot of what I will call neutral colors.  Things like beige, tan, brown, and so on.

I love that I one of my favorite colors is in and that all my gold jewelry will go so well with my new beige finds for spring.

Here are a fewlovely and budget friendly beige-esque items from my favorite retailers.

Top from Anthropologie

Dress from Modcloth

Basic button down top from Gap

Blazer from Anthropologie

Another dress from Modcloth

New Design - Button Necklace/Headband

This newest addition to Acute Designs can be worn as a headband or as a necklace.  It is light weight and light in color....perfect for spring. 

     

My New Banner

Have you noticed my new blog banner?  What about the one on my foodie blog, Taste? 

I love them and they are just what I would have made if I was a graphic designer.  Alas, I am not a graphic designer, so I commissioned Michelle Raine of White Pixel Fence to make these banners.

This is the second project Michelle has done for me and both times I have been delighted with the results.  She is quick to respond and finish your project, she allows a lot of customer input and will re-do until the client is satisfied, and her prices are reasonable.  Oh, and her designs are awesome.

If you have a project in need of some fantastic designing, contact Michelle.

Obsession- Dewey's Pizza

Dewey‘s Pizza (original shop in Cincinnati, but others have popped up in near-by cities) is the best pizza I have ever eaten. Ever.

When I lived in Cincinnati, I ate there at least once a week.  Lucky for me, I am heading to Cincinnati for the weekend and plan on eating there at least twice (and probably gaining 5 lbs in the process...it's so worth it).

If you live in a city with a Dewey‘s Pizza, go there this weekend.  I am obsessed.

I am obsessed with Graham Norton and you should be too

(I kind of slacked on my "week of obsessions" week, so I am continuing it this week.  In my defense my place of employment has finally seemed to nail their Websense software and Blogger is blocked.  Ahhhhh!!!)

If you are not watching The Graham Norton Show (airs in the U.S. on BBC America at random times, set your DVR) then you are missing one of the funniest men on television.  The Graham Norton Show is essentially a chat show, with celebrity guests that chat with Graham for the entire show (usually 2 or 3 guests) and often a music guest at the end.

It is like Late Night or The Tonight Show, except it's funny. Not only is Graham Norton adorable, witty, and freaking high-larious, he is also Irish. And in my experience, most things Irish are pretty great.

Graham was recently featured in The Irish Times.  Check out the article and find his show.  You will not regret it and you will soon see why I am obsessed.

Another Obsession - Monograms

My third obsession of the week is anything monogrammed.  I love my initials and am a bit obsessed with buying anything initial related.

My dogs each have their initial above their beds...they need to know where to sleep at night!  I bought these at Urban Outfitters last year.

Princess Gordita

 

Sweet Finn

And, I have these tiles from Anthropologie in my kitchen...

In honor of my monogrammed obsession, here are some items that I totally want.

Mugs from Anthropologie:

Aqua blue and gold monogrammed necklace by E. Ria Designs on Etsy.  I love this necklace, it's unique and gorgeous.

I always have to pick something about dogs and I love these monogrammed doggie tags by Urban Puppy on Etsy.  They're perfect.

The other day, I was flipping through the Restoration Hardware catalog, when I came across this bed. I immediately thought, "I want that!" And then I realized I was in the "baby and child" section of the catalog.  Either way, I am obsessed with it.

Another Obsession...Old Mansions

After my post yesterday about my obsession with EmersonMade, I decided to do a week of my obsessions.  Some of them are in the moment obsessions and some are things that I have always loved.  Today's obsession is something that I have always been infatuated with...old mansions.  By "old" I mean at least 100 years old.  I tend to favor Victorian era mansions, but I am open to others.

I am going to start my list with a few for sale in Cincinnati (it is my secret wish to move back there one day soon).  Housing in Cincinnati is really cheap, but sadly, I still cannot afford any of these beauties...maybe one day.

Clifton

 Clifton #2

 Walnut Hills Area

 East Walnut Hills Area

And I just love these.  I don't know where they are, but they are amazing....love.love.love!

A Slight Obsession

I have slowly become somewhat obsessed (in a good way) with the company EmersonMade. I first saw their items on a blog, so I clicked and was led to the EmersonMade Blog.  I followed and read, well looked at the pictures (there isn't a lot to read) and each day I loved what I saw.

Photo courtesy EmersonMade

Per their shop website, the company started as a one woman team and has ballooned into a successful business. With customers and employees and all of that "real company" stuff! Also, Emerson does all her own photo shoots and design concepts. I don't know her at all, but I feel like I can see her coming through the pictures and I love that.

Photo courtesy EmersonMade

Not only are EmersonMade's designs beautiful, they are inspiring. They make me want to do more with my own designs. The whole story of the company excites me and makes me want to get there....get to the point where my business, Acute Designs, is a success.

Photo courtesy EmersonMade