RANDOM THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY, VOLUME TWO

As I near the home stretch with my dissertation, my brain increasingly feels like swiss cheese—completely full of holes. It is perhaps only fitting that I give you another 'Random Things' post, if only to accurately represent my chaotic state of mind. . . 

ONE > How fabulous are these colorful playing cards? Who knew poker could be so pretty . . . 

TWO > I rotate my desktop background regularly and am always looking for new (and free!) patterns to upload. DesignLoveFest's regular column is the best source for these and I totally fell in love with her recent post featuring this palm print by Kate Worsum.

THREE > Candy on a stick? Yes, please!

FOUR > I can't decide if one piece bathing suits are all purposefully designed to be unflattering or if they don't just work on me, but the raving reviews and pretty colors of this JCrew number have me tempted to try again . . . 

FIVE > These brightly colored beauties in Naples have me dreaming of revisiting my trip to Italy and heading down south instead. 

SIX > I collect typewriters. Have I told you that? Well I do. It's a hard hobby to keep up in my cramped NYC apartment, but oh baby this yellow number is calling my name!

I LOVE SUMMER (AND HOPE IT NEVER ENDS!)

With August quickly approaching I am starting to realize, woefully, that summer is almost over! I can't believe June and July went so fast and know I need to make an end of summer bucket list stat. It will involve eating my weight in ice cream, sailing regularly, and BBQing as much as possible. What would you add to yours?

In the spirit of summer I wanted to share this fabulous photo series, entitled I Love Summer, by artist Krista Long. The Iowa-based photographer took high speed shots of people zooming out of a waterslide as a joyous display of summer fun. Now don't you wish you could be transported to the top of that waterslide right now?

See more photos here.


(Thanks to My Modern Met for the tip)

BON VOYAGE: I AM BEACH BOUND!

Guess what, guys? As you read this the handsome hubby and I are headed on a plane to Hawaii! Huzzah! We will spend a week there helping a dear friend ring in his 30th birthday and generally getting some much needed rest and relaxation. I am very much looking forward to escaping New York—which still feels beleaguered by some dastardly cool weather given it is now officially spring—and basking in some surf and sunshine. I am contemplating taking a surfing lesson, where I will surely make a fool of myself but not so badly that it can't be fixed by a delicious cocktail afterwards, right?

After Hawaii I am headed to Los Angeles to do a week's worth of research for my dissertation. Never fear, though, I will still have a handful of fun posts (many appropriately travel themed) scheduled to keep you occupied while I am gone. It will be almost like I never left!

Until then, aloha!


(photos of Hawaii above by the super talented Max Wanger)

JUMP! JUMP FOR MY LOVE!

After the long post yesterday, I thought I would keep it short today. How cool is this public pool installation created by artist Ich Bin Kong in Wiesbaden, Germany? I would definitely "jump" into it (while singing the Pointer Sisters of course!).

Found via the Wooster Collective here.

DUMPSTER DIVING, HIPSTER STYLE

Not like I count myself with the hipster crowd, but I would sure like to get an invite to this:
a pool in Brooklyn made out of a dumpster (a concept I have read about before, but never seen implemented).

Read the article here and start making calls to angle yourself an invite. Apparently it is a long waiting list . . .

URBAN SWIMMING

Sometimes it seems that everything in Europe is cooler.  I mean, really, how awesome is this "Harbour Bath" swimming area in Copenhagen?  

To answer that question: it's so cool that they are building another one just to accommodate the demand.

See? Good design is rewarded!  Maybe American cities will catch on and start reconsidering the way we treat public spaces . . .