By Sarah, on December 15th, 2009  {a little blurry, but I don’t mind.}
Christmas is almost upon us. Ten days to go. And the solstice is on Monday, which is definitely a special day for me, personally. I’ve spoken about my thoughts on the seasons before, and Yuletide is one of the major points on the wheel of the year. That blackest of nights that gives way to the promises of brighter, longer days to come. Though we still have the brunt of winter to get through, we can take comfort in knowing that every day now will be just a little bit longer. Until finally, we reach the promise of spring and a world reborn into new beauty.
But back to the topic at hand: Yule and Christmas. I unfortunately have to work on Monday and Tuesday next week, but after that both Dave and I have the rest of the month off, heading back to work in January. Even though I don’t have Monday off, I do want to do something special with Dave. Maybe something just the two of us. I’m picturing candles, but I haven’t gotten much beyond that yet. Either way, I can tell the solstice is close. As I write this, the sun is already going down and it’s barely 4:00.
I still haven’t finished my holiday shopping either. Dave is stopping at a store after work to pick up another gift, but after that we still have four people left to shop for, plus stocking-stuffers. I used to find Christmas shopping a lot easier and more enjoyable, but we’re on a much tighter budget this year, saving for the wedding and all. We’re trying to make it work but it’s made gift ideas a little harder to come by and the whole shopping experience seems a bit more tense. Once that’s done though I think I’ll be able to start enjoying myself the way I normally do at this time of year. Because usually, I’m that annoying person in every family that loves the holidays SO much, despite the fact that everyone else around them seems to be a giant grinch. As proof, I submit my Christmas Music playlist, currently standing at 100+ songs in length. It has been on heavy rotation in these here parts ever since the Santa Claus Parade.
ANd tomorrow is our office’s Holiday Lunch. My workplace is too poor to afford an actual Christmas party, so they have some catering brought in for us one day instead. That generally translates into not a lot of work getting done, which is fine by me. I’m planning on baking sugar cookies tonight to bring in as my contribution to the “party.” Sugar cookies with a drizzling of royal icing and sprinkles on top. What do you think? And I’ll try to remember to take pictures of my baking bonanza this evening, during which the aforementioned playlist will again be put to very good use.
T-minus 10 days and counting!
By Sarah, on July 6th, 2009 What I would’ve bought today if I had any money at all:
Five of these gorgeous photo albums to put all our photos in. Getting them out of my childhood Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse albums and giving us the ability to print more of the backlog of photos stored on our computers.
Cool, money-free thing I did instead:
I bought this tree more than a year ago when I was part of my first and only craft show. Since then, it’s been collecting dust at the top of my craft closet. Because I’m always so frustrated at not being able to see my jewelry, thus remembering what I have to wear, I decided to pull it down and actually use it. The little momiji doll was a gift from my sister. I love that little doll. Makes the whole thing look so much better.
By Sarah, on March 23rd, 2009 Week of March 23th:
A weekly list of goodies that I’ve forced myself not to buy.
(You know, because I’m broke.)
I swear, I think the Crate and Barrel stylists have taken a peek inside my head and are doing everything they can to wear down my self-control. See that bed? Yeah, remarkably similar to my own. And that night stand? What do you know, it just happens to be the one that I’ve been eyeing as well. And now comes the final punch in the gut (i.e. my empty wallet), the Lulu bed linen set. It’s like they know I want a grey and blue bedroom and now they’re just mocking me. Argh!
 Okay, now how cute is this? Come on! A cake shaped like a sunflower? I think that one of my goals in life may turn out to be owning a cake pan for every season and occasion. But knowing my luck, I’d probably end up with half the cake stuck inside the flower pan and the other half tumbled onto the plate. But a girl can dream, right?
 And the final blow coming this week from Crate and Barrel are these. This gorgeous set of plates and matching platter are right up there on trend for Spring 2009 with a bold floral motif. Just looking at these plates makes you feel warm and spring-like, don’t they? So lovely. I think I’d be too busy looking at them, though, to actually eat what I put on them. Ha!
All items in this post found via here.
By Sarah, on March 9th, 2009 Week of March 9th:
A weekly list of goodies that I’ve forced myself not to buy.
(You know, because I’m broke.)
 Since I was forced to abandon my snowman Christmas coasters at the end of the season I’ve been searching for the perfect coasters to replace them for daily use — because nobody likes coffee rings — and I think I’ve found them. These are the sweetest, most amazing coasters ever. And the title of this post shouldn’t be “Must Have Self-Control” but rather, “I Gave In” because I plan on ordering these lovelies very soon.
Found via here.
By Sarah, on February 23rd, 2009 Week of February 23rd:
A weekly list of goodies that I’ve forced myself not to buy.
(You know, because I’m broke.)
Zara has colourful skinny jeans for less than $40?!? Man, I wish I was 3 inches taller!
Found via here.
Dude, this drying station has its own fan! So much better than hanging wet clothes over doors, chairs and any other surface. Less stretching too!
Available here. Found via here.
Finally, did you know that Saks Fifth Avenue offers free shipping to Canada?
I didn’t, but now I do. Trouble!
By Sarah, on February 15th, 2009 Added a bunch of stuff to my Shopping List.
The damned thing just keeps growing, doesn’t it?
By Sarah, on January 27th, 2009 Week of January 26th:
A weekly list of goodies that I’ve forced myself not to buy.
(You know, because I’m broke.)
 So lovely! Even Dave thinks so. And Dave usually only tolerates my penchant for pink. That makes this little handmade beauty extra special. Still, must resist temptation!
Available here.
How awesome is this fern-leaf motif? And the added bonus is that it’s handmade from recycled materials!
Available here.
By Sarah, on January 20th, 2009
Week of January 19th:
A weekly list of goodies that I’ve forced myself not to buy.
(You know, because I’m broke.)
 Ever since I read Craft Boom’s review of the Artisan 800 I’ve been wanting to get my hands on the Artisan 700. It’s basically the 800′s kid brother. You know, without the fax functions that I don’t need.
Since I am attempting to save money at the moment I’m trying to put off its purchase for as long as possible, but my current printer is so lame that I’m bound to buckle under the pressure soon enough.
Available here.
 See, this is the kind of gorgeous wrap dress that flatters every figure and can be worn a million ways. I am loving charcoal grey right now too. So cozy. And don’t even get me started on that shawl collar. Self-control. Self-control. Self-control.
Available here. Found via here.
 Wow. So lovely and intricate. I can’t imagine how long it takes to weave the band of a ring like this. Quite the statement piece! Available here. Found via here.
 The more I look at things, the more I understand my own style better. Lately, instead of just an “Oh, I like that” reaction, I’ve been thinking about why I like the things I do. What I’ve learned is that my style is simple+. The design can’t be too ornate or look like it’s trying too hard, but it can’t just be straightforward, plain-jane minimalism either. It’s gotta have something. Some flare.
And, wowza! See right here? This is a perfect example of the style I love. It’s simple, with clean lines but also has flourish enough to make it stand out from the crowd.
Available here. Found via here.
By Sarah, on January 13th, 2009 
My mom and I went shopping for new glasses last Friday. We both needed new ones pretty badly. The arms of my current pair are kind of degrading. They’ve got this weird peel-y look to them that skeeves me out a bit.
So, these are the pairs that I chose. The optician said it would take about 2 weeks for them to be ready. The store was having a 2-for-1 deal and I totally took advantage in order to buy my first-ever pair of prescription sunglasses! Can you tell I’m super-excited about these? It’s always so hard for me in the summer time, being blinded by the light but only able to wear sunglasses when I’ve got contacts on, lest I end up walking around in a blind daze.
And if you’re wondering why I only gave you a side view, it’s because I’m waiting. I mean, it’s one thing to try them on in the store and another when you get your very own pair and put them on. I can’t wait to see if they are as super-cute and comfortable as the samples I tried on. Yay!
By Sarah, on January 12th, 2009 Week of January 12th:
A weekly list of goodies that I’ve forced myself not to buy.
(You know, because I’m broke.)
So lovely. So perfect. So never gonna fit on my desk and way out of my price range, but still.
You know, for years I’ve shunned yellow gold, but I feel like this little lovely is definitely helping to make room for it again in my heart.
18k Yellow Gold Vermeil.
Okay, this I may have to buy. It’s like a little patch of grass to hold my pens and warm my cold winter days! Maybe I’ll get two: one for my pens, and one for my makeup.
And for you children of the ’80s, there can be nothing awesomer than coasters of the original Final Fantasy characters.
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