Orbit Mist

Abe bought a pack of Orbit Mist - Watermelon Spring. It tastes very, very good. However, after chewing it for a while the stuff turns super gooey. You know when you chew gum and accidentally chew some food too and the two mix together? No good, boss.

Verdict: thumbs up for flavor, thumbs down for chew

Yes, Please.

Pet tree plant necklace by treeforyou

Endless Summer - Peruvian Blue Opal by BloomStudios

Exquisite lichen necklace by elinart

Enchanted Garden Ring by ForTheCrossJewelry

The Great Sofa Search - Dream Stage

I've started the house-hunting process. . Since I'm still in the beginning stages I am not yet worrying much about mortgages and replacing hot water boilers. Instead, I am allowing myself to dream about decorating and remodeling. It's very easy to let my imagination go wild when I have actual houses to use as a base.

There is a sofa I have been lusting after from A&G Merch for about 3 years. It's called the Greenpoint Sectional/Loveseat. I want the sectional, but in the fabric shown on the loveseat.

I fear the $3,199 price tag will be out of my price range so I'm considering a version from Ikea - the Karlstad. It's actually a very nice sofa and I like the fabric texture, but it doesn't even compare to the Greenpoint Sectional. However, it's a $2,000 difference. Oh god, but I love that Greenpoint sofa and I love the color - something I can't duplicate in the Ikea couch.

Jessica's Birthday & Beacon, NY

Saturday night was Jessica's birthday/housewarming party at her new condo in Williamsburg. We must have danced for at least 4 hours. I just remember looking at the clock at 4:30am and not believing it was correct.

Note the power drill.

The next morning I was reminded of my age when I tried to get out of bed and was so sore my knees buckled.

Abe and I recharged with egg sandwiches & iced Americanos and hit the road. We grabbed our friends, Luke and Kim, and drove up to Beacon, NY for a day of art and fresh air. I didn't take enough photos, but I think it was just because I was having too much fun. It was such a dreamy day.

If you have never been to Dia: Beacon you need to go before September 2009 when the Sol Lewitt exhibit ends.

Craft: DIY Crayon Shapes

One of the greatest pleasures in life is a fresh new box of Crayola Crayons. Bring those puppies to school and you'd have to guard them with your life or else the boy next to you would wear down the points before you could say Burnt Sienna.

If you have a pile of crayon nubs sitting in an old Royal Dansk Butter Cookie tin now is the time to give them a second chance at life. Or maybe right now you're saying "I haven't had a tin of crayons in my house for 25 years!" - in that case, hit up your local dollar store and pick up a new box of crayons - you're about to make them way cooler.

Supplies:

• Silicon baking pan or ice cube trays
  
• Crayons (lots and lots, can be new, broken, whatever you have around)
• Glitter (optional)
  
• X-acto knife (optional)
• Cookie sheet
• Oven

Step 1
Preheat your oven to 250 degrees.
Peel the paper wrappers off your crayons. This is where you can use an X-acto knife by cutting a slip down each wrapper - or just use your fingernails.

Step 2
Now break the crayons into small pieces. The smaller you break the crayons, the easier they will melt. Tip: sort the crayons by color grouping and put them in a plastic baggie. Place the bag on a suitable surface (not your tiled kitchen floor) and use a hammer to smash up the crayons.

Step 3
Now fill up your tray with broken crayon pieces. You want to fill up each hole with as many crayons as possible, but be very careful not to leave any bits hanging over the edges. You can mix colors, keep it in the family (all reds, all blues), or make a solid color. Remember though - lots of different colors = brown. Tip: at this point you can also add a little bit of glitter if you feel so inclined.

Step 4
Put the tray on a cookie sheet and place in the oven. They will soon begin to turn glossy and melt together. You want to keep your eye on them and pull out the tray when they appear to be fully melted (10-15 mins)

Step 5
Pull the tray (still on cookie sheet) from the oven being careful not to spill any melted wax. Set these aside and let cool. As soon as they are cooled off you can pop them out and get to coloring!