Cute tags, eh? I would like to have all of them, please. I think we have every right to own all of them. It's almost like having multiple scarves to choose from to spruce up an outfit--why can't your suitcase receive the same special treatment with multiple, adorable, stylish tags? Your suitcase deserves to show off a different accessory each time it travels. You wouldn't wear the same, boring scarf every time you went somewhere, would you? No. Make your suitcase feel special.

Tags: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 

If you're one of those travelers who, when you first book your flight to your next destination, immediately proceed to jotting down all of the following items on your detailed itinerary, this App is for you. I don't just mean planning ahead with activities & site-seeing tours (the fun stuff), I mean planning ahead to knowing where your gate is in the airport your departing from, & the taxi is in the airport you'll fly into, & what address to give the taxi driver to your hotel once you arrive, & how many coffee shops will be conveniently located near to you should you run into any emergencies. I mean down to the nitty-gritty details of travel planning so there will be no chance for panic due to your poor planning. There's nothing worse than something going wrong on a trip that you could have prevented...other than accidentally flying to Hawaii, Rome, or Brazil or something like that.

Because let's face it, there are times when we travel we forget to keep all of this important information for when we need it most of all--& when we may be running late (which happens unfortunately too often for me), having all of this information in one, simple place on my handy-dandy phone would be the biggest blessing in the world. I actually think this App could possibly save my life.

You also don't even need to download a map app of your city (although, I probably will anyways because they're fun to look through when I'm bored)--you can keep it within this one so you have your own personal travel agent in one touch of a screen for your well-planned trip.

I know some of you are the type who like to "travel by the seat of your pants" & "go where the wind takes you." You wouldn't need this app. But, for those of us who sometimes think you're crazy, & at the same time envy your free spirit, we annoyingly organized folk need a tool like this so we can plug in the plans, then sit back, relax, & realize there's room for flexible-free-spirit-ness. Yes, we need to find room for spontaneity. It's absurd, & makes zero sense. If we started a trip your way, without the Trip It App, we'd enter our destination screaming for our mommies asking ourselves, "Whyy didn't I Plann?? I'm going to diiee!"

So, you see, the Trip It App will save lives...one trip at a time. Hope you find it as useful as I'm discovering it to be!

Say Whaat? You mean I can have a glorious blanket custom made with a map on it? Sign me up! Looks like I'm going to have to start creating a yearly savings account for 1 high-quality-map-related-item (see other here) per year to contribute to my map collection. Having a blanket made especially for you of your hometown or just favorite big city would be one of the most precious possessions that could even be passed down for generations. Such a special thing!

This takes making Mickey Mouse pancakes on Sunday morning to a whole new level, dontcha think? "Hey Mah...make me some Minnesota-shaped pancakes, will ya? & pour syrup over it carefully to serve as their many lakes while you're at it..."

I must admit, having frying pans in the shapes of states would definitely motivate me to cook more often! & the awesome thing is, you can actually order a custom skillet. You might want to add it as your one-and-only Christmas gift list, though...one skillet can run up to $400. But it's custom & of your home state, so it could definitely be worth the splurge!

I mean, the best part of waking up...is {California} on your plate.."

(It almost works...sorry for killing it, Folgers).

This may be the longest amount of time I've escaped from blogging! It's weird how a "simple" thing as blogging a few times a week can become such a part of your routine, that when outside forces enter into your life (sometimes unwelcomed), no matter how big or small, & you're forced to put blogging on the back-burner to attend to those more important matters, how it makes you feel a bit off-balanced. That goes for any routine any of us may create for ourselves, but blogging has become one of those enjoyable daily habits that can cramp my style if I am unable to do so. But, in hindsight, it's good to break up the routine a bit so you can be forced to take a break from it all--it could be God's way of saying, "Hey...time to switch things up a bit..your life is getting boring & you need to take a step back."

Without going into much detail, a random series of events have left me utterly exhausted: from having most important purse items stolen, & thus getting back (phone, apartment keys, license, cash, blah blah blah), to making a surprise road trip to Ohio & back, to getting lost a few times, to running into a strange needle incident leftover in my rental car, to facing big rental fees for being "let into my apartment for stolen keys", I've been catching up on sleep, making many annoying phone calls & errands to get my little life back on track. Who knew getting your license carried over from Ohio to Pennsylvania could become such a pain in the butt, especially when you have a rental car scheduled a few days later? Oh well, the past couple of weeks have grown into quite the "lessons learned" theme, & I'm thankful things weren't much worse. Just basically annoying to deal with, & we've all been there in some shape or form, right?! It's all good for us, I'm sure of it. 

In a way, we should be thankful for those who make our lives a little more interesting & "annoying," because who wants a boring life? We have to live through these lessons somehow, I suppose (like, don't leave your purse on the arm of your chair unattended {I KNOW.. "duh!"), or invest in a GPS for Dog's sake), & we surely get some good stories out of them!

I hope you all have a great weekend & remember: keep your purse with you at all times, don't lose your apartment keys, & when you have a rain cloud hovering, listen to this song to cheer you up...always works for me!

There's much to be happy for this weekend: 

1. It's the weekend, 

2. We can sleep in Saturday,

3. We can sleep in Sunday,

4. We can surround ourselves with fun people, or chill with a glass of wine, or do whatever we please,

5. & lastly, it's Will & Kate's 1 year "Royal" anniversary!

I can remember 1 year ago (this coming Sunday), I set my alarm for 4am, with a job interview to attend at 8am. I would say I had my priorities straight, right? I just couldn't miss this real-life, fairytale story that would live happily ever after in history, & I witnessed it live. We all witnessed it live. I am well aware this is cheesy to say, but it was just magical to be a part of...there's no denying that. Do you remember where you were when you watched it? Whether we were in front of the television or {luckily} there in person, we were all a part of it & it was happy news. & this Sunday we can relive that happy day (or early morning for some).

So much has changed since then in many ways. Everywhere around the world from that point on, every girl wanted to buy this ring, wear creative & beautiful hats, classy was "the new pink" (yes, classy has always been in style, but fashion has definitely showing more & more skin & less & less class if you know what I mean. Thank you, Kate, for reminding all girls how to be a "lady"), & many other good deeds & acts of kindness the couple has shown that have either inspired us to do the same, or simply remind us there is still good being done in the world. 

Yes, I've caught the Kate & Wills bug & I'm still very thankful for their story that has brought so many smiles to this world. & on that second cheesy note, let's celebrate their anniversary & have a happy weekend! 

Images above: Big Ben. Wills & Kate illustrated collector's plate.

Mother's Day is approaching (2 & a half weeks away!), so if you like to think ahead for her gift (even your grandma, aunt, sister--any of the special "Mom's" in your life), custom calligraphy prints have become great ideas that are personal, special, & from the heart. I've had a few custom orders that revolve around Scripture, special Mother-inspired quotes, & lyrics to a Mom's favorite song. Those are just some ideas the Mom in your life may enjoy seeing translated into a special, custom calligraphy print. If you need more information on how to go about gathering a custom order, just click here!

There are 3 sizing options, a choice between whimsical lettering or calligraphy, as well as the option to add "embellishments" if you like:

5x7 or 8x10 Regular Calligraphy

5x7 or 8x10 Calligraphy with Embellishments

11x14 Regular Calligraphy

11x14 Calligraphy with Embellishments

There are about 5 pizza places I can honestly say have the best pizza I've ever tasted, & The Upper Crust is one of them (with this said, there's really no such thing as "bad pizza" in my opinion). This one is located in the quaint New England town of Newburyport, Mass. (& other locations). I don't know about you all, but for me & pizza, I personally prefer an even balance between the cheese & sauce. A good way to tell if there's enough sauce & cheese on the pizza is if the sauce drips down my face & the cheese amount requires a lengthy-arm-stretch to pull it away. Messy face + Arm exercise=Awesome pizza. Long story short, UCP has this kind of pizza. & all I can say is this: get your behinds up there & try it.

How do you get there?

Unless you know someone who lives in the area to drive you, it may be difficult to get there if you don't have a car. Luckily for me, I take the Commuter Rail from Boston's North Station to the Newburyport stop (Newburyport/Rockport Line), & my aunt picks me up from the train station. If you're driving, you can see the directions here. Lucky for you, there are other locations that might better accomodate you. This also means you have less excuses to try to miss the opportunity to visit!

I want to go buy myself a new colorful chalk set, purchase this chalkboard map, order myself some pizza, put on some fun tunes, & color my life away. You're never too old for color by numbers, & if someone says you are, they've never truly lived.

Remember when I was beyond excited for the little "Felicity Tour" my sister & I created & explored? Well, we finally made it happen, visited all of the reachable spots from the show, & have it all here to share for you fellow Felicity lovers! Naturally, not every spot exists {anymore}, since they were mostly on-set, but we made the most of it. It was actually a pretty basic tour. It consisted of a few spots within the Soho District: Dean & Deluca, NYU Campus, & the general Soho area off of Broadway (We took Canal St. off the N/R train & headed to Broadway).

To make our tour come to life, we played the Felicity soundtrack on our iPods as we strolled around {yes, we are those people}. If you feel the need to go on your own Felicity Tour, I recommend you do the same or else your tour feels kind of "bleh." You will not be judged by me. We felt like we were really in an episode & at any moment Keri Russell would turn a corner. What's better than to feel like you're in an episode of Felicity (besides actually being in an episode of Felicity...)? Not many things, I'd say. 

We most definitely bought the famous Dean & Deluca black t-shirts & hats they wore on the job.

We also wore sweaters & sneakers. It was only right.

Happy Weekend!

{If anyone is interested in going on a Felicity Tour, my sister & I would gladly volunteer to be your honorary tour guides}