Oh Etsy, how we love thee...

Let us count the ways...

1. Cardboard Rocket
2. Team Edward Pillow
3. Bubble Wall Decal (check out the rest of the wall decals...there are LOTS of great ones)
4. The Hooded Missy
5. Freak Out and Eat Cake Fridge Magnet
6. Bird Charm Necklace
That's enough for now. I'm sure we'll be back with more later.

Toodles,
J Squirrel

Happy New Year!

Hope you all have a lovely evening.

Lovely thoughts to all of you,
J Fox and J Squirrel

Christmas Gifts

Just thought I'd let you guys see the T-shirts we made as Christmas presents for our bosses. We kind of think they are awesome. :) (Hopefully they did as well!)

Marc on a sky blue American Apparel T-shirt

Tommy on a Spearmint Green American Apparel T-shirt

What do you think? We had our resident artist, John, create the images and then we printed them out on iron transfer paper and ironed them on. It was pretty easy and the shirts look great. It's inspired me to decorate more t-shirts/bags/etc with iron on transfers, so I'll let you guys know what I come up with. Have you guys ever used iron on transfers before? Any helpful tips?


Until next time,
J Squirrel

Awesome Sale

Squash Blossom on the Decatur Square is doing 50% off all Le Sport Sac items!! What a good deal! They have a bunch of different styles and patterns left. Soooo super cute. I really resisted the urge to get a new bag the other day when I was in there...but I don't know how much longer I can hold out...

How about you guys go check it out and buy it all before I do. Thanks!

J Squirrel

It's Christmas time...

My roommates and I got a Christmas tree! We're such grownups now. We got him from a the First Christian Church in Decatur. They won out because they advertised FREE delivery for people in Decatur. We like free and we really like not getting pine needles and sap in/all over our car (we got a little heated talking about whose car the tree was going in...).

Isn't he so pretty?! We haven't named him (or did we...Allie, Jane??), but we definitely know that the tree is a he and that he will not listen to us and stand up straight! Here he is all decorated.
Can you tell he kind of leans? Oh well.

Next on the schedule is making wreaths and garland out of leftover branches that Lowe's will give you for free. Wish us luck!

Night,
J Squirrel

Artsy Friends

We like having artsy friends...especially ones named John that can create/design/make new blog headers for us! Do you guys like it?? I'm sure you do. We think it's the cat's meow. :)

John is a pretty creative guy. He's come up with some really cool ideas/projects. Go to google and type in: pops stache. It's one of the projects he's working on, but you can also heck out his portfolio thing to look at more of his work.

Stay warm!
J Squirrel and J Fox

Creepy or Awesome?

Once again, I heard about this from my boyfriend. He was sick this week so has some extra time to surf the web...

Here is what he decided to enlighten me with:

The Hug Me Pillow
Available on Overstock.com for $28.99

I'm not sure if this is really creepy or cool...those fingers are kind of creeping me out. I'm sure J Fox will be ordering one tomorrow, but I'll probably pass...

Anyone else getting one anytime soon?

Night!
J Squirrel

Kids say the darndest things....

Conversation had between a good friend and her 3 year old daughter:

The mom: Some families have two daddies, some have grandparents, some have two mommies. It just depends on their family.
The kid: So she has two mommies?
The mom: Yes, she has two mommies in her family.
The kid: She is sooo lucky!

Puts a big smile on our faces. :)

J Squirrel and J Fox

Family

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and got to visit with all sorts of people you love -or at least can stand. :) I was up in North Carolina stuffing my face with sweet potato casserole, tofurky (fake turkey), stuffing, squash casserole, homemade bread, cranberry sauce and all sorts of other yumminess. Mmmmm....

We've started a new tradition on my dad's side of the family called "cousin bowl". Anyone that is in town and "agile enough" gets roped/teased/talked into playing football/baseball/basketball/etc. with the very young, competitive cousins that need to get their excess energy out. This year, my Uncle surprised us with t-shirts for cousin bowl since everyone was in town. When everyone is in town we really can field our own football team - all 28 of us.
We all escaped with minor bruises, scrapes, and pulled muscles. A few tears were shed in the heat of the battle, but soon after our tailgating lunch was set up, all was forgotten...

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. We'd love to hear about any family traditions you have during the holidays (or non-holidays).

Until then,
J Squirrel

fly me to the moon....

J Fox here, hyperventilating over the perfect Christmas gift I just scored on Etsy.com for my rocket-building engineer friend.

This super cool graphic tee is made by the Psycho Reindeer T-Shirt Company and if you ask me, it combines almost TOO much awesomeness for one person: a saavy squirrel going to the moon! Doesn't get much cooler, and on an American Apparel unisex tee to boot!

You can view it modeled here!

~ J Fox

Gift Idea #2

Inspired by our midnight viewing of New Moon yesterday/this morning...I thought this little gem might be a good gift for anyone with a Twilight obsessed girlfriend.

Image from FredFlare

Whoa! That's a bling-alicious wolf! A bit on the pricey side, so start saving up your change now. :)

Have a great weekend!
J Squirrel

And so the lion fell in love with the lamb....

Friends... the time has come, the countdown is over, we are sporting our Cullen crests and showing off our 'Team Edward/Team Jacob/Team Carlisle tees.

Our obsession with the Twilight saga continues with tonight's midnight showing of New Moon. 

Yes, we may be a bit old to be so hopelessly sprung on these complicated character's dark lives, but Edward "I don't have the strength to stay away from you anymore." :)

Hope you all get a chance to enjoy the movie this weekend, and do let us know what you thought of it! 

Until next time... "hold on tight, spider monkey!"

~ J Fox

Gift Idea #1

The holidays are approaching! So, here's gift idea #1: Reusable Coffee Sleeve

Image from Cupkozy's Etsy Store

I know, I know...kind of an old idea, but this one caught my eye for a couple reasons.
1. much sleeker design than the knitted ones
2. it has a clip for you to clip it to keys, hook on your backpack, purse, etc.
3. the little elastic loop lets you roll it up so it's even more compact


What do you think? You can find it on Etsy for $7.

Happy Shopping!
J Squirrel

Famous

Congratulations to the lovely Lauren and Catherine over at AsianCajuns for being included in 944 Magazine's 2009 list of people to know in Atlanta! It's so fun to know 'famous' people that are so sweet, beautiful, and down to earth. (We went to school together, so I can acutally say that I know them). Go pick up a copy of the magazine - available at Dancing Goats Coffee or UO in VA Highlands - and check out the awesome pic of Lauren and Catherine. I'm going to stop by and pick up a copy to see if I know anyone else on the list. I've been in the Decatur/Atlanta area so long that I can't help but run into people EVERYWHERE!

Anyone else have that happen?

Night night,
J Squirrel

Meow-y Christmas!

Ho ho ho!

We had a dress rehearsal last night for this year's holiday photo card that will include our kitties and it was a good time had by all (except for George Michael aka Santa -- I'm not convinced that he is pleased with his outfit)! Perhaps he would rather be an elf? Or maybe he just isn't "feeling" Christmas and we will have to construct him a Grinch costume! 

Mia adored her little red striped sweater, and did not want to take it off, but she will just have to wait until the rest of us are all set with our coordinating outfits because we don't want her wearing that little number out before the official photo shoot :)

We will be sure to post the final product as soon as it is complete, as we are certain that you will get a laugh out of it! 

Until then,

~J Fox

Men in Underwear

My boyfriend sends me various articles about this, that, and the other throughout the day. I know how much work he gets done during the day by how many emails I get. :) The latest article was about men in underwear and is quite silly and probably true to a large extent. Does it ring true for anyone else out there?

Image from Asylum UK-For all Mankind

Enjoy the beautiful fall weather out there! Hopefully you all have fun weekend plans.

Toodles,
J Squirrel

Happy Fall!

Well if this does not make you love fall* than I don't know what will! My friend sent me this little gem of a pic knowing how much I love strange critters AND this wonderful season! (I have actually looked in to purchasing a chinchilla of my own as a pet, but have discovered that they do not like to be cuddled... which knocks them off my pet wish list!) 

 *and yes, I spelled 'fall' without capitalizing the "F" because seasons are not to be capitalized and if my grammar-police mother reads this she will be proud :)

Happy Fall! Go rake some leaves into a big pile and jump in them! 

~J Fox

Awkward...

Hahaha! These are hilarious...you've probably already seen this site, but in case you haven't...

Awkward Family Photos

The photo comments sometimes really make the photo so make sure you read them. Now I'm going to go look through old family photos to see if I can find anything to add to the site... :)

Stay Dry Atlantans!
J Squirrel

Fall

You can tell that fall is here...well, it's as "here" as it ever gets in Georgia. It won't really feel like fall until January, but the trees in my neighborhood sure are pretty.

Hope you all had a great weekend!
J Squirrel

Free Coffee

I got free coffee today!! Yay! Went into Star-bu (Starbucks) and wasn't even planning on getting anything because I had already had my coffee for the morning...but the guy in there kind of knows me because he's the one I always see and he totally hooked me up! Free Caramel Macchiato. My fave. All I had to do was give him a wink...unfortunately for him I'm not a good winker, so I probably looked a mess. Anyways, thanks Michael at Starbucks in Decatur!

Happy Weekend!
J Squirrel

What a Steal!

The Urban Outfitters near us was having a super sale this weekend! Half off already reduced home goods...so I picked up a new duvet cover...for only $16!! Can you believe it? Duvet covers are never that cheap.

It's so super cute. I love it. They didn't have the shams in the store, so I picked those up online today. So, the good news is that I got a super good deal on a new duvet cover and shams...the bad news is that this might be the start of a whole new room redecoration... :)

Off I go to sleep under my new duvet. Sweet dreams everyone!
J Squirrel

Happy Halloween

Sitting around waiting for the hordes of trick-or-treaters and thought I'd share my Halloween costume from last year. I was and still am sooo proud of it!

Anyone remember He-man and She-ra?

Here we are:

Spray painted gold boots, swords made out of cardboard, duct tape and spray paint. Faux-fur loincloth for He-man. :)

Hope everyone has a fun-filled evening!

J Squirrel

Quidditch World Cup

You've heard about it if you're a Harry Potter fan, but guess what...it has come to life in college level competition. Check out the awesomeness here: Quidditch World Cup

Who wants to take a field trip to see it next year?

Better yet...who wants to form a team with me??

Happy Friday!
J Squirrel

Halloween Costumes

Taisy was not very pleased when I got home with her Halloween costume for this year. I usually don't dress her up because she's too big to be the type of dog you carry around dressed in pink sweaters and rhinestone collars. However...while at Target today I happened to pass by the Halloween costumes and found this funny little costume on sale for about $6. In case you couldn't tell...she's a Hot Dog! OR a Veggie Dog since she's a vegetarian dog (yes, a vegetarian dog, I know...it's weird...whatever) Either way...how cute?!?!

Hahaha! Sooo hilarious! She just stands or sits when she has it on. She's not really sure what to do with it or how to move in it...she's such a good sport, isn't she? :)

Anyone have any stellar costume ideas for Halloween this year? I outdid myself last year and am taking it "boring/easy/simple" this year.

Til next time,
J Squirrel

AllieJane Designs

Remember those cute necklaces I showed you from AllieJane Designs? Well, I had to get one. :) It came in the mail this week and I adore it!

It came in the sweetest little blue box. Very Tiffany-esque. :)

Good job AllieJane Designs and thank you for a new, fun necklace!

Have a lovely day, J Squirrel

Weekend!

Last weekend my boyfriend and I had a lovely, lazy, Saturday morning complete with coffee, eggs and pancakes. We both love cooking so we thought we would try and experiment a little with our pancakes. Granola + coconut + almonds + pancake batter = super delicious pancakes! Here they are:
I'm not really into syrup on my pancakes, so the granola and coconut gave it just the right amount of extra sweetness. I also tried a little nutella on the pancake when my roommate brought her jar out. Nutella makes everything better. :)

We've also tried peanut butter and pumpkin pancakes, lemon and ricotta pancakes, and mac'n'cheese pancakes. Crazy, huh?! Okay...I'll admit it...we didn't think of those ourselves. We got those recipes from a really cool cookbook called Eat Me: The Food and Philosophy of Kenny Shopsin.

Available on Amazon for about $17.

The lemon and ricotta were the tastiest pancakes by far. The other two needed a few adjustments from the original recipes. Check out the cookbook for some other crazy recipes such as Egg Guacamole and a Cuban Bean Polenta Melt. If you ever get a chance to check out Shopsin's restaurant in New York I highly recommend it. Take everything with a pinch of salt though - it's not your everyday restaurant. :)

Have a lovely weekend!
J Squirrel

Matryoshka Doll Key Covers

We love our new key covers!! Little Matryoshka dolls. So sweet. They make us smile when we open our doors. You can get them here.

J Squirrel & J Fox

Where The Wild Things Are... Part II (the real wild...)

My original plans for today were to visit my favorite metro Atlanta attraction, the Wild Animal Safari in Pine Mountain. But alas... the 49 degree weather, cloudy skies, and my lack of getting down all of my warm clothing from the attic has prevented me from pursuing my planned adventure, so I decided that there's really no better way to spend it than staying in my pajamas with plenty of yummy candles lit, a big mug of cider & spiced rum, John Coltrane on the Bose, and a good book in hand (right now it is 'Into the Wild' by John Krakauer).

However, I have decided anyway to share with you some pictures of my friends at the Wild Animal Safari that I would be visiting with today...  I am hoping that they are all having equally cozy days (perhaps cuddling with one another and asking themselves why a zebra, a pig, a giraffe, a sheep, a buffalo, an ostrich, a goat, a deer, and countless other creatures are all living together on a big farm an hour south of Atlanta, Georgia??!!)

Enjoy :)  And if you're a local, make sure you visit this fabulously peculiar attraction sometime, its well worth the trip! The animals are free roaming (as they should always be in my opinion!) and they love to try to get into your car windows, especially when you give them treats!

Hope you're all having a lovely weekend! 

- J Fox

Where the Wild Things Are

Anyone else going to see the movie at midnight??? Maybe I'll see you there. :)

Have a good evening!
J Squirrel

Pumpkin Carving

My roommates and I hosted a pumpkin carving party last night at our house. We have a great, big screened in porch, so we moved our dining room table out there (along with two porch tables) for everyone to carve pumpkins on.

My lovely sister working on her pumpkin.

For the most part everyone stuck to "normal" pumpkin carving - my boyfriend being the exception, not for what he made, but the tools he used...a dremel. Oh, those engineers. :) In the end we had a couple different scary faces, a haunted tree (mine), a heart monitor beat (very cool), Cartman (I think), and a few other ones. Here they are:

All the pumpkins lined up together. Good job guys!

The one in the middle that's not lit has "red rum" (from The Shining) carved into it. The candle went out in the midst of picture taking. Oh well. We all sat around staring at the pumpkins after they were lit. It was kind of like watching a fire burn. Relaxing and quiet...but after about two minutes it got a little boring so we started playing around with the pumpkins. :)

Senor Pumpkin

We had a pretty big crowd, 10-12 people, which meant a lot of pumpkin goop and a lot of pumpkin seeds to roast. Yum-o! I sprinkle salt, pepper, curry, and cumin on my pumpkin seeds, pour a little oil over them, and stick them in the oven at 375 degrees. I recommend checking them every 8 min and stirring them around on the pan. It usually takes about 20 min for them to dry out properly.

Have you ever roasted pumpkin seeds? What do you put on them?

Until next time!
J Squirrel

Fireflies

Have you heard the song Fireflies on the radio? It's by Owl City. I'm really 'digging it' right now. Sounds a lot like The Postal Service, but with a bit more 'pop-py' sound. Check it out through iTunes...OR...go check out their website. It's really cool and they play music in the background so you can listen to some of their songs. On their home page there are planes that fly across the screen with comments that people have left. You can leave your own comment if you sign up. :) It's the little things in life sometimes.

Hope you're having a great weekend!
J Squirrel

Boodalee Pillows

So, after doing a little research I just learned that the Boodalee pillows I got in the mail yesterday are meant for kids/babies...oh well, they're awesome and they are going on my big adult bed. :)

I attempted taking pictures of them last night, but my camera doesn't know how to take a good picture in anything other than bright sunlight, so here are the ones from the Boodalee website.

Squirrel and birdhouse. I love this one the most, obvs. The blocky, simple design is great for a kid, but the cheekiness (is that a word?) of the squirrel with the birdhouse keeps us adults entertained as well.

The robot pillow is just fun. I can totally see a little boy making up stories about the robots and what battle they're going to fight during nap time. :) It's also really interesting that Boodalee went with such a detailed image compared to the rest of the pillows in their aresenal. I wonder if a simpler robot image would look as good...

This girl pillow is so sweet with her big rosy cheeks and the flowers in her hair. I'm actually not sure I'm going to keep this pillow. It might turn into a birthday gift for someone...or maybe I'll save it until a friend has a baby...we'll see which one comes first.

Check out the rest of the pillows on the Boodalee website. I was lucky and picked them up from a great, online sample sale for a lot less than what they are originally. (yay!)

Sleep well,
J Squirrel

Photos

After going through the gazillion photos on my computer, I thought I'd share a few of my favorites. They were all taken on one of the two Nikon digital cameras I've had over the past few years. What did we do without digital cameras?? I have so many great (well, I think they're great) pictures from my time studying abroad and I don't think I would have captured them if I hadn't had a digital camera...hooray for technology. :)

Statue of Liberty - NY, NY

Manarola - one of the towns of Cinque Terre, Italy

Tintern Abbey - Wales, United Kingdom

The London Eye - London, England

The Hummingbird Bakery on Portobello Rd. - London, England

Orchids at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens - Atlanta, GA

Vernazza (I think) - Cinque Terre, Italy

Fruit Stand in the Portobello Rd. Market - London, England

Chicken on the Braun's Farm - Newnan, GA

Shadows on the beach - Savannah, GA

I hope you have enjoyed these images. They bring back a lot of fond memories. :) Let me know if you have any questions about any of the places. I'd be glad to share what I know about them.

Back tomorrow,
J Squirrel