Hello!  I’m typing at you from sunny Panama City Beach, FL!  I took a few days off for some fun in the sun and it has been SUBLIME.

I have literally spent the last 4 days with my toes in the white sand, in not one stitch of makeup, with a gin + tonic in one hand and in the other? ...my new NOOK!

I am OBSESSED.

FYI the “Nook” is Barnes and Noble’s e-reader.  My mom has an Amazon Kindle and we spent the whole trip debating the merits of each…  she still loves hers but I’m still pretty happy with my choice for 2 main reasons: #1.  I got the new color version so in addition to books, I can also read my trashy gossip magazines AND #2. I have the CUTEST Jonathan Adler Nook-case EVER.

Witness:

How cute is this!? I mean, please!

The Nook is great.  Greg loaded my iTunes into it and I can also Tweet and check my email!  You can do everything with this thing. I was worried that would be a double edged sword- because I’m often too busy (distracted) to finish a single book, but lo and behold: I have read 4 books on this trip! (a book a day!) Here’s what I read:

1. Bossypants by Tina Fey
You guys…it was GREAT.  Not only was it laugh-out-loud funny (if you’re planning on reading this in public, you’ve officially been warned.) but Tina also shares some pretty interesting insights – I think my favorite was the section entitled “The Rules of Improvisation That Will Change Your Life and Reduce Belly Fat* (*Improv will not reduce belly fat) and I really appreciated her commentary on media influencing politics…and vice versa.  I recommend this book 100% to anyone. The cover alone had me chuckling:

2. Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me
This is a compilation of essays written by her staffers, friends, and family (her dog, Chunk, even has a chapter!) It was really funny and informative and definitely worth the afternoon I spent reading it.  I still prefer Chelsea’s first person books (Are You There, Vodka, Its Me, Chelsea and Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang)

3. My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler
What can I say? Chelsea makes a great beach read.  In case you’re living under a rock  and didn’t know this- MHL is the first book my lady love Chelsea wrote and if I’m not mistaken – written before she had her own talk show (while she was appearing in the hidden-camera show “Girls Behaving Badly”…which I LOVED)  I still prefer Are You There Vodka and Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang…but this was a great beach read and I’m happy to have completed the series in its entirety.  I love you, Chelsea. I’d order room service and watch TBS movie marathons with you anyday.

4. Skinny Bitch by Rory Friedman and Kim Barnouin
I picked this book up on the recommendation of my friend Angel.  Angel told me this book changed her life and her body…and since has a totally smokin’ hot figure I figured I’d better comply.  Witness:

Sandwiched between two of my favorite skinny b--s. Stefani (left) and Angel (right)

Angel wasn’t the only one to recommend this book to me, many of my skinny b— friends have read it and I am here to tell you it TERRIFIED me.   It probably got a LITTLE too conspiracy-theory-y for my taste (pun intended) and it’s pretty extreme, but you know, I think there’s some pretty valuable information regarding our food supply in the US and it gave me a lot of food for thought (pun intended) about my diet.  (I’ll let you know how that goes.) I think it’s a must-read.

And there you have it!  It seems I DID actually accomplish something other than this wicked tan* these last few days!

Catch you when I’m back in the A!

xx, L

(*Deep apologies to my dermatologist and to my airbrush tan artist, Tiffers.)

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I found the following mantra in the Daily Candy book Lindsay gave me for my birthday this year (01/21. Mark your calendars.) and I think that it perfectly and succinctly encompasses my personal philosophy:

Sweat the small stuff
Drink lots of water
Drink lots of wine
Send thank you notes

As I have mentioned before, I have a thing with stationery. I love love love to send handwritten notes. It’s warm and personal and in this age of digital technology, people LOVE to get snail mail. Fact.

Another fact: the winter holidays are an excellent snail-mail opportunity. BUT, a word to the wise – holiday cards can be stylish, clever and gorgeous or they can be nerdy, cliché and c.h.e.e.s.y. And if you wait too long to get yours, you’ll be stuck with the latter. Trust. Also, it can be especially hard to find cool Hanukkah cards. You have to start early.

The time is NOW, my friends.

Check out these spectacular cards I found:

Available here at Pinecone and Chickadee

Available here on etsy.com.

Available here from Rock Scissor Paper

Available here from fabulous Julia Farill at Red Bird Ink. Please see my previous post about Julia’s stunning work here.

Inside: "Pez on Earth." Brilliant.

Available here at Papercards.com

Available here at Pancake and Franks.

Available here at Vigocard.com

I will tell you, though, that I also considered doing tongue-in-cheek family photo card with Olive…

…but I didn’t think I can get her into a reindeer costume. Ssssigh.

xx, L

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I love to hand write notes. If we have been friends for any length of time, you have probably received a minimum of 2-3 items of snail mail from me during the course of our friendship. I don’t know if it’s my hard-core southern upbringing (Thank you notes for e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.) or my creative nature, but I adore notes. I love handwriting, I love postage stamps, I love the USPS. I love it all.

Most of all, I love stationery.

This is why I NEED you to know about Red Bird Ink. About a year ago, my friend Maura introduced me to the loveliest girl, Julia Farill. She’s the kind of person you instantly like – interested, interesting and just very very kind. When I found out she designs and prints her own stationery line, I wanted to like it because she is a precious person. But really, she could have been downright rude and I would still be obsessed because her collections are undeniably gorgeous.

The Q+DD on Julia and Red Bird Ink is that she creates art in a variety of ways: painting, photography, pen and ink and printmaking and then applies her artwork to the products that she designs. She does all kinds of things: wedding invitations, boxed stationery sets, greeting cards, business cards, you name it.

Going Green: Julia says, “My friends and I at the studio work to design high quality products with a fresh, elegant aesthetic using a sustainable design approach. We choose the highest quality materials available and we are continually tweaking our design process to reduce waist, recycle extra bits and make choices that do not harm the environment.”

My first experience with Julia’s work was when I received a simply amazing custom thank-you note she designed for and with Maura. Earlier this year I received a wedding invitation that Julia designed that was one of the freshest, most gorgeous I have ever seen and then…I stumbled upon this:

If you can’t see, underneath the mustache reads the instructions:

1. Cut out mustache
2. Tape under nose
3. Enjoy your new identity

I don’t think I need to explain how awesome that is. Especially since, clearly, I adore a fake mustache, myself.

Listen, you have to go check out all of her designs, but here are some of my favorites:
So, there you have it. A stunning, environmentally-friendly product that makes people happy created by a truly fabulous local artist. What in the WORLD is better than that?

Now, go work on your penmanship.

xx, L

Red Bird Ink
Julia B. Farril
www.redbirdink.com
hello@redbirdink.com
404-395-9259
twitter.com/redbirdink
redbirdink.etsy.com
flickr.com/photos/redbirdink

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