Feeling a little glitzy...

1: Sportmax S/S 2012 Runway Details from Monsieur J
2: Free People sequin button down (via my friend Holly)

Music Monday : The Black Keys

This is a great music clip to watch on a Monday, I'm digging this guy's nice dance moves. The Black Keys has me smiling real big today. Hope you had a nice weekend.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Whew, this week has been a doozey. Along with being sick, (finally we are all getting better!) we also found out sad news about someone in our close family (in another state) that involved the ER and hospital. Yikes. I won't go into details but it sure puts things into perspective. Our gratitude for good health, modern medicine, and loving family and friends with great hearts has definitely been heightened.

The above shots are taken with my iPhone and shared on Instagram over the last few weeks. I love that app and I am excited to hear that they are working on an Android version so more people can enjoy the fun. Do you use Instagram?

Tomorrow we are picking up my sister at the San Francisco airport and I am currently planning out the perfect day. Shout out any San Francisco tips you have in the comments. I will be sharing our adventures on Instagram (username : blackeiffel) if you want to see what we are up to.

Wishing you all a healthy and wonderful weekend!

Hi there everyone, me and the baby have been under the weather, and now V has join in the fun with some type of stomach bug, which unfortunately involved lots of unglamorous cleaning up today. Hope to be back soon.

The World's Smallest Post Service Kit

We have this ongoing joke in our family that when you call something 'cute' it has to reference something miniature and tiny. You know like babies, kittens, puppies, these teeny-tiny macarons or mini burgers and fries. I can hear echoes of our daughter saying, "sooooo cute, cute, and cuuuute!" to all of the above. 

A little while ago I remember sharing these teeny-tiny custom letters that Lea Redmond created that set off my 'tiny cute radar' back then, and have remained on my gift idea list. Then recently... voila! Lea in conjuction with Chronicle Books came out with a Tiny Mail Stationery Kit that allows anyone to create their very own bundle of miniature cuteness. The kit supplies items to write those itty bitty letters and make little gift boxes to share with others. Check out this clip to see what I mean, talk about hip, hip, cool. Wouldn't you love to give or receive a tiny letter, how memorable would that be?!

Trying to think of what to say in such a limited space? This excerpt from one of Lea's custom letters may help inspire you to get the ball rolling and is so adorable.

"To my wife who is my all. I send this card so very small. And though it's held by fingertips. The love inside could sink ten ships."

GIVEAWAY ALERT: Enter to win a Tiny Mail Stationery Kit! Leave a comment below and a winner will be randomly selected and notified on Monday and I will update this post with the winner's name as well. Good luck. You can also find the kit to buy here if you want.

I am happy be part of The World's Smallest Post Service's blog tour  - which included : Simple Lovely >  Refinery 29 > Fete a Fete > Oh My Handmade.

*Update: Jen is the lucky randomly selected winner which I will contact via email. // Comments are now closed.

Top 25 Christmas Books for 2011 part 2

A continuation of Christmas Books for our Advent countdown (Part 1 here). See all of the titles below:

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Paper Animals

These paper cut animals created by Andy MacGregor caught my eye this morning, aren't they delightful. See a few more animals here too.

Joy to the World

I love the fantastic map print that Angela did that you can download complimentary on her site. (Wow, thanks Angela!) She was inspired by Emily of Secrets from a Stylist and this beautiful simple idea makes such a nice statement. I'm still a huge fan of most anything dealing with maps, globes etc.

(top photo : Angela Hardison // bottom photo: Emily Henderson)

Music Monday : Theme Park

Theme Park is up for Music Monday today, I'm enjoying their British sound and this quirky video. Hope you had a nice weekend and are having a great Monday.

Have a delightful weekend!

These ideas around the web made me smile this week. I hope you will have a lovely weekend.

Be Optimistic Notecards
The language of flowers calendar (via Frolic) oh and these are insanely brilliant too.
How to get rid of Pomegranate seeds with a whack.
Pretty boxes tied all up and Project Holiday.

Top 25 Christmas Books for 2011 part 1

A friend told me about a special tradition she does with Christmas and winter holiday books. She wraps them up for her young children and starting on December 1st they open one book to read each evening as a sort of Advent Book Celebration. Since then I've seen many other people online partake in this tradition and I've always thought it was really cool.

This year we decided to join in and try this out. I have collected a few holiday books over time from bookstores and thrift shops, but many also came from the local library.

I love that anyone can do this idea, it is something that can end up costing zilch, (thanks to libraries or swapping with friends) and is totally adaptable to what you like. I'm usually partial to classic or heartwarming well-illustrated titles.

Here is part one of our Advent books for 2011.

1 A Christmas Carol - I enjoy the mysterious illustrations by Brett Helquist that pair well with Dickens' style.

2 The Reindeer Christmas - This story by Moe Price about how Santa decided to choose reindeers to pull his sleigh opposed to alligators or elephants is charming and superbly illustrated by Japanese artist Atsuko Morozumi. I got this title at the library but it is so gorgeous I'm putting it on our wish list.

3 Merry Christmas Strega Nona - I am a fan of Tomie DePaola 70's illustration style and this title is about surprise acts of kindness.

4 How the Grinch Stole Christmas - A classic! The movie is a hoot too, I love Dr. Suess. We will probably watch the cartoon edition movie this season too.

5 A Penguin Story - More of a winter selection, but I love penguins and this graphic illustration style by Antoinette Portis. It is also nice to throw some shorter titles in the mix for our little ones. I like that the main character is all about exploration and seeking out new adventures.

6 Hans Brinker - We used to watch this movie growing up around Christmas so I am excited to share this endearing story with our girls, really pretty art inside too.

7 The Snowy Day - Another classic, can you believe it has been around for 50 years?! A title geared to small ones, also award winning.

8 The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey - I went to this play a few years back and ever since then have loved the tender story about healing and love, the illustrations by P.J. Lynch are beautiful too.

I have more selections to share coming your way, but would love to hear about your favorites!