Top row (L to R): Isphotography, Shop Shop Designs, Cheer up Cherup.
2nd row (L to R): Creative nuts , Home Studio, Berkley illustration!.
3rd row (L to R): Woodworking & recycled bike parts by Julien Jaborska, Bicycle paintings, Arcane Arts.
4th row (L to R): Velocipede, WD Design & Photography, bitter sugar, Rar Rar Press.

with spring weather in full force here in arizona (okay, it’s pretty much “spring weather” here as far as everyone else is concerned all winter long), i’m wanting to ride my bike everywhere. i think lots of people might be feeling the same way, judging by the bike imagery/inspiration i’ve been seeing all over etsy. art, clothing, accessories, stationery…from retro illustrations to gear-head inspired pieces, bikes are everywhere.


original photos from beachbikes.net

i'm loving this cupholder from beachbikes.net--it may not be ideal for all terrains, but for cruising around the (relatively flat) streets of tempe, it would be a handy, hands-free way to bring along my venti americano. and for those of you who tote around your lives with you on your bikes, how adorable is this double bike bag, which mounts over your back tire?


L ro R: sunlite wooden basket, carrie bicycle basket, topeak quick-release basket

for people like me who can usually fit your necessities in your front basket, how about one of these? the topeak basket, which has a quick-release function, would be great to tote along to the grocery store for smaller shopping trips. and i love the carrie bicycle basket (available at huset-shop.com) with it's bright green pop of color (it might make my orange bike looke a little bit pumpkin-esque, though...).

the pear project: artisan goods for every day life

pear project items
Originally uploaded by kristaleigh

so if any of you are in the same boat as me, and i suspect that many of you are these days, you've got your mind on your money and your money on you mind (snicker). it's tempting at times like these to hit up the big box stores in search of low prices, especially when you're looking to purchase "extras". and while i am a big fan (and frequent shopper) of tar-jay, there's a lot to be said for putting in a little more leg work and maybe an extra few dollars to upgrade to an item that is unique, creative, and hand made.

etsy is pretty well known as a source for items like this, but there are other options, too. the pear project, run by north carolina artist (and looooong time friend of mine) brooke fuller, is a fantastic place to find household good, jewelry, handbags, and one of a kind art. and unlike larger sites like etsy, the pear project is able to carefully regulate the quality of each and every item sold through the site, so you can rest assured that your purchase will be well made (more well made, more than likely, than it's big box brethren).

so next time you're on the hunt for the perfect purse, necklace, piece of art, or even some new salt and pepper shakers, check out the artists over at the pear project for something a cut above that mass-produced "bargain" at tarjay. you get a great product, and you support an independent artist and a small business owner, all with one purchase--everybody wins! and who doesn't love that?

probably a better idea in theory than in practice...

road rage-pola

Originally uploaded by kristaleigh

these road rage sticks from urban outfitters are cracking me up. i especially like the "are you drunk?" sign. however, i imagine whipping one of these out after someone cuts you off might only fuel the already fired-up tempers that flare during rush hour. they sure are tempting, though...i can think of a few people i know who'd make good use of them!

how to work better

how to work better
Originally uploaded by kristaleigh

i'm really striving to live by this lately. unfortunately, i can't recall how or where i stumbled across it, but i have it printed out and hanging on the wall in my office. #1 is especially relevant for me. i have a tendency to take on about 20 tasks at a time, and while some people are truly efficient multi-taskers, i have come to realize over the years that i am not one of those people. i work best, fastest, and most efficiently when i can sort the things i need to do into a list and tackle them one at a time. hence the legal pad next to my computer that serves as my "to do" lsit. i refresh it every monday, tearing off the top sheet and only transfering over to the next sheet the things that didn't get finished the previous week.

also relevant is #10...as someone who tends to wear her emotions like a flag on her face, i sometimes need to remind myself to smile when i'm feeling overwhelmed at work.

what do you do to stay focused, motivated, and efficient?

Who says you can only send Valentines on 2/14?

mustache valentine
Originally uploaded by kristaleigh

So it's past Valentines Day, but I couldn't resist posting this free e-Valentine from katespade.com. Perfect for the mustachioed man in your life on Valentines Day, or any day!

clearly something's got to give...between facebook, twitter, and myspace, there are so many other places to check and update that this blog has fallen through the cracks. i'd like to fix that. so i'm going to be making some changes...i can't promise anything in terms of timelines since i'm focusing most of my energy on the wedding lately, but i'm a-workin' on it...

IMG_1019
Originally uploaded by kristaleigh

Erika suggested that if this chicken hat ever needs replacing, I could always buy Chester a kitty wig:



What do you think?

my best girl brooke is having a sale at her online shop! the pear project is a great place to find handmade crafts by talented artists--check it out by clicking below:

more folders
Originally uploaded by kristaleigh

...these seem quite fitting lately. I could file lots of things on my desk under "Documents: Useless".

Changing things around again a bit...

A Political Diversion

I don't get political here often, but I thought this was a pretty interesting article...

"Few Americans (less than 20 percent) want to return to an America in which abortion is almost always illegal, and if they knew McCain's true views on the subject, most would not vote for him. So the candidate is...sneaking a little of his bad-tasting reproductive rights stance into the meatloaf of his candidacy—not by hiding it, but by trading on his reputation as a maverick."

Read the rest of this article at Slate.com...

Okay, so I know I'm stupid late to the party on this, but has anyone heard Obadiah Parker (they're an Arizona band) cover Outkast's "Hey Ya"? It's been out for a few years now, but I just heard it recently.

You're probably best off starting the video and then just minimizing it and listening...someone tried to patch the real video in with the live cover, and the timing is nowhere near right. But anyhow, I just wanted to share this because I lurve me some acoustic guitar and a good cover. Hear more on their Myspace page, or download them off iTunes. Enjoy!

I am in love with pretty much everything that Amy Butler does. Now she's come out with a line of eco-friendly paper products...I am presently coveting this blue and green gift wrap and this fancy paper tableware. Her designs are so elegant, and I consistently love the colors she chooses.

If you've always been dying to know whether you're rock, paper, or scissors, today is your lucky day. I, by the way, am paper.

You Are Paper

Crafty and creative, you are able to adapt freely to almost any situation. People tend to underestimate you, unless they've truly seen what you are capable of. Deep down, you're always scheming and thinking up new plans. Your mind is constantly active. You are quite capable of anything you dream of. You can always figure out a way to get what you want. You can wrap a rock person up in your sheet of trickery. A scissor person can sneak up and cut you to pieces. When you fight: No one can anticipate your next move If someone makes you mad: You'll attack them mercilessly when they're unprepared

Are You Rock, Paper, or Scissors?

I blame Sonia, who instigated this with her "what karaoke song are you?" blog post. (For the record, I am "Living on a Prayer.")

Finally, a scientific(ish) explanation for something I have always known to be true...
how to properly position a roll of toilet paper.

*blows dust of blog*
Anybody in here?

Probably not, seeing as I've been the Queen of Inconsistent Posting. Yikes. Life has been eventful lately, too.

We're buzzing right along with the wedding planning; we'll be getting hitched on May 9th 2009, most likely at Elizabeth Park in West Hartford Connecticut. We've booked the Pond House Cafe for the reception, which is located within the park. Erika has mocked up some incredibly cool looking Save-the-Dates (which we'll be sending out soon-ish)and invitations for us. Lots of other kettles on the Wedding fire, as well.

Also, Dana and I are in the process of packing up and moving. We found a great house in Mesa (just east of Tempe, where we currently are) with more space, an enclosed garage, a pool, and room for the dogs to run around like idiots. We move in 2 weeks, so our current house pretty much looks like a bomb went off. Good times. You can see some pictures of the new pad here, but I'll be posting more once we're in and settled. I'm pretty jazzed about the thought of a fireplace. Indoor s'mores!

That's all for now...more in a couple of weeks, at the longest!

dana and i are engaged!

after weeks of high-quality secret-keeping on his part, dana proposed to me on christmas eve! no date has been set yet, but we're planning on getting married in connecticut next spring (2009). i have never been happier, and i am so jazzed about planning the wedding that i can hardly see straight :). we'd really like to be married outside, and for the reception to be able to have some sort of outdoor component, so i've been scoping out locations...and I already managed to stumble across the perfect bridesmaid's dress. other than that...well, what's to say other than that? christmas was fantastic; i was able to see a ton of friends (though not as many as i'd have liked), and got to spend some time with two of the CUTEST wee ones ever (that's you, babies renshaw...). now it's 2008 (2008?!?!), and it looks like this year will revolve largely around wedding planning. i'd love to throw some house buying in there as well, but we'll see...

i hope you all had a great holiday and new year's, and that 2008 is being good to you so far. cheers!

just so this is out of the way, i am fully aware that i am the worst blogger ever and should not be allowed to have a blog, because i have lapsed into quarterly updates at best, which is fairly pointless.

anyhow, it's monday night and today was my last day of work for the next two weeks, which is frickin' fabulous. tomorrow is our arizona christmas (which means sipping hot chocolate while walking around zoo lights, takeout from p.f. chang's, and opening most of our presents from one another (oh, and i got some good ones for dana...:D). wednesday i fly out to connecticut, and don't come back until new year's eve. so on the off chance that anyone actually still reads this blog (which, you know, thanks), i'll be in the middlebury area and the uconn/storrs area intermittently over the next two weeks. let's go to the bidwell!

i am so excited for christmas...there's actually going to be snow in connecticut this year, i'm hoping to see lots and lots of my friends (i miss you guys so much!), and also some babies that i have not yet had the pleasure of squeezing and smooching on (hailey! mila! a bigger tristan who will not remember me!). i was lucky to see a lot of my family this year, considering they're 2600 miles away, and christmas with them is always the best (ain't no christmas like an osterberg christmas!). it's sort of been christmas for a couple of weeks now (basically, i'm sold once the tree goes up), but this past week has really gotten me in the spirit. i baked lots of cookies on saturday and made glug, and then we had a little christmas get-together saturday evening in which all (ALL) of the glug (THREE BATCHES) was consumed, causing many hangovers on sunday. but you loved it, all of you. you know you did. and now tomorrow, i will pack my suitcase, and celebrate my little arizona christmas with the love of my life, and then i will get on a plane and see family and friends and SNOW and not work for two weeks, and really, what's better than that? nothing.

happy holidays everyone, and a wonderful new year! and merry christmas to you, jeff--you will be missed.

first and foremost:
happy birthday erika!!

and then:
it is GORGEOUS outside!

today is my day off, and i am enjoying my morning for several reasons:

~the sun is shining, but there is a wonderful breeze (which we don't get often here) keeping me cool and making my wind chime make lovely bright happy jingly noises.
~i am sitting on my new patio furniture, which happily redd did not consume while i was at work yesterday (he did nibble on one corner, but you can barely see it and he appears to be sorry).
~the internet! she is working! this is sort of like an endangered animal sighting.
~did i mention my happy wind chime?
~i'm going to ph!lly for EPA training at the end of the month, and while i am sad that i will not be able to spend halloween with dana, i am psyched that i may be able to spend it with the lovely nieci!
~we had our first group training run last night, and it was super-motivating to run in that large of a group of people. we have another one on saturday morning, and i'm excited to push myself to run the whole thing.
~i've already got $325 $350 (just saw a new one! thanks jared!) in donations to the leukemia and lymphoma society for my 1/2 marathon run. it's a far cry from the $2200 that i need, but i only started fundraising a few days ago!

so, lots of things to be happy about. including my awesome boyfriend, totally not at all cute pets (ha!), and great friends and family. life is good.

on january 13th, dana and i will be participating in the p.f. chang's rock 'n' roll arizona half marathon here in tempe. we're doing it as part of team in training with the leukemia and lymphoma society. those of you who know me know that i normally participate in the american cancer society's relay for life; this year i'm mixing it up a bit. don't worry--i'll still be hitting you all up for donations for this incredibly worthwhile cause...details to follow!

last week i went rafting down the grand canyon with some co-workers (we did the "diamond down" trip, where you go in at diamond creek, and raft all the way out to south cove at lake mead). it's about 60 river miles, of which becky and i jumped off the boat and swam about a half-mile (swimming! in the colorado river! in the grand canyon!). what a blast...since redd ate my camera a while back, i don't have any pictures of my own from the trip, but i'll post links to some photos once i get 'em.

the big news this week is that brooke is getting married on saturday!!!!. brooke and i have known each other since daisy scouts, and i am so, so, SO excited to be a part of this. yay brooke and dave! whooooo!

anywho...that's all for now, more to come. look for marathon and donation updates in the next week or so...