So, this is what twenty-six looks like.

I'm celebrating on my own tonight. Got a haircut. Indulging in another piece of my chocolate cake. Watching one of my favorite movies (When Harry Met Sally). And making myself a pair of earrings. Not bad, not bad at all. 

Today when people were asking me what I was going to do for my birthday I told them that I went out last night to Malley's for ice cream sundaes. Malley's is a local place, mostly known for their chocolates, but a few of their locations have ice cream. I love Malley's. Not just because they have the BEST hot fudge, or because they give you free pretzels to enjoy with your ice cream (salty+sweet!), but because of the atmosphere. You can ride on a carousel while eating...it goes extremely slow. And then there are the animal heads. 

Birthday treats.

Tomorrow is my birthday and so far I've been celebrating by eating delicious treats. My mom surprised me with an awesome chocolate mousse cake from Presti's. My favorite! This was the cake that Andrew and I chose to have at our wedding, although in the end we decided to get a variety so non-chocolate lovers could enjoy dessert as well. Tonight I'm celebrating with some of our friends and going out for ice cream at Malley's. They have the best hot fudge around! I'm easy to please. 

Birds over the innerbelt.

I've been thinking about spring already. It's too soon for that. 

To do. What to do.

The photo above basically describes my weekend. Buried in cats and projects. In a good way.

Andrew had Sunday off so we started to tackle a project we've been talking about for a while. We're giving a makeover to this terribly ugly little bench we found in our basement. I was a little skeptical of if we could actually pull off the look we were going for, but now that we've started it I'm 100% sure it's going to be awesome. Some of our inspiration can be found here and here. 

My hair is getting to be awkward and challenging and I'm debating cutting it all off again. I think I idealize long hair.

A pick me up.

I've been sick since Monday night. Surviving on a diet of soup and ginger ale (which I'm really getting tired of). Today I was feeling well enough to go back to work, but still not 100% and definitely not excited to be out in 15 degree weather. But then "Sea Legs" by The Shins started playing and things got a little better. I love that song. It was a nice pick me up.

I drew this poster a few years ago for a concert to win free tickets to a Shins show. I didn't win, and I've still never seen them live, but I do like my poster. 

Swedish design, glass and plants. Or, an early birthday.

This weekend my family and I had an early birthday celebration for my dad and I. We trekked to Pittsburgh and our first stop was Ikea for a little shopping. After that we went to the Phipps Conservatory where a lot of picture taking took place. It was really nice to be able to walk around in a lively "outdoor" type environment and not be bundled up from the cold. Not to mention smelling all the plants and dirt. I like that a lot. It was also pretty cool to see some of Dale Chihuly's glass work incorporated into the exhibits there. I'm really glad we got to do that, it was a great way to celebrate. 

I love Bonsai trees.

Photography runs in the family. 

Coffee. Mmm.

Sketchbook Project - The send off.

I put all the final touches on my Sketchbook Project tonight so I can send it off tomorrow. It's first stop will be the Brooklyn Art Library this February. I'm definitely a little sad to be sending it away. Like all of my sketchbooks, it's basically a journal of that time in my life. I may not necessarily spell out everything that's going on in my life, but I remember the emotions and story behind almost everything I draw. Almost like flipping through a photo album, or hearing that song that triggers all of the memories you've had hidden away. I snapped a few pictures of it before I put it in the mail. I will post a link to it in it's entirety once it is digitized. I had a lot of fun with this project. Even if it meant that my own personal sketchbook suffered greatly. I think it may just be time to start fresh. It is that time of year after all.