The Faves // Tunes

Whew.

I think I may finally be over my creative slump. Maybe. I'm just really hoping to once again make this the little corner of the 'net that I used to love. Thanks for sticking with me.

I've had the idea in my head for a long time to sit down and try and come up with a list of my very favorite songs. Not just songs I like right now, or my favorite songs of the year, but my favorite songs of all time. I don't really know why I've felt compelled to take on such an arduous task, but I think it boils down to two things: (1) I really love music, and (2) I really love making lists.

Over the past few days, I've narrowed this list down to 50 songs that I truly love. It's an interesting reflection of my past musical tastes, and how certain people and experiences have influenced what I listen to. I've gone through a number of musical phases in my life, from SoCal punk to girl-powered folk (or what I like to call "lesbian coffeeshop music"), from hip-hop to alternative, and from bluegrass to 80s classics, my tastes have definitely run the gamut. And to be honest, these 50 songs were pretty much the best of the first 75 or so that came to mind, so I know there are a lot that are missing and will come to me in the middle of the night some random day in the future. But right now, this is what I've got. I hope to keep adding to this list and re-sharing in the future.

For now, please enjoy.

Note: I just thought that I should point out that Guttermouth's "Lipstick" is in no way the way I feel about my own mother. It's just a song from my high school days that I've always thought was kind of hilarious.

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RESOURCES
Bokeh Textures - Regular Jane
Fonts - Futura Condensed Medium and Josefin Sans
Playlist Widget - Grooveshark

2012

Yes, I know it's January 2. I spent most of January 1 on our couch recovering from New Year's Eve. It happens.

Happy New Year, everyone! May 2012 bring you everything you hope for and more.

Here's to having the best year yet! xo

Enjoy your pancakes

I can't stop watching this video. Mac Lethal kills it. KILLS. IT. Also, he's from KC, which may make me a little biased ... but only a little.

Time Out

This image has nothing to do with the post, but I wanted to share in the juicy deliciousness that was my kobe beef burger from The Burger Stand earlier this evening. Pair it with their truffle fries and it might just be the key to my heart.

I need a break.

I'm sure you're asking yourself "A break from what, the grueling schedule of one or two posts a week?".

Well ... yes.

With the craziness of the holidays ahead, I really want to take time to make these next couple of months special. My loved ones and I have had some trying times this year, and I'd much rather be celebrating the people and traditions that we love, instead of sitting behind a computer trying to force myself to write something for a few extra page views. It will also give me some time to reassess my "brand" and place on the interweb. That shop link up in the navbar still leads to a Coming Soon image on Etsy, and it has done so for far too long. I'm ready for something more ... but what exactly "more" is escapes me.

So November and December, you're all about loving, celebrating, creating, reorganizing, refreshing, and reloading.

And that's not to say I won't post at all for the next two months, but I'm certainly not going to stress over doing so with any sense of regularity. And if you're still asking yourself "Stressing over what, the grueling schedule of one or two posts a week?", I envy your free time and/or endless energy.

See y'all soon!

QuickClicks : 11|1|11

I had the chance to try my hand at decorating sugar skulls for the first time on Friday. It's certainly not perfect, but I thought it turned out alright. I wish I would have gotten a photo from a better angle, since it had some hearts and a sweet flower on top. Ah well. This will be on display and for sale this week at the Kansas Children's Discovery Center during their week-long Dia de los Muertos celebration.

♥ If someone wanted to buy me this lovely Latin-themed 2012 calendar from Peachy Cheek, I certainly wouldn't object! Be sure to check out the Peachy Cheek blog as well, Kim's a pretty swell lady!

♥ Another swell lady? My friend Brie, who's undertaking a personal challenge to do 30 random acts of kindness in 30 days. Anyone and everyone is encouraged to join in! Check it out on Tumblr, Twitter, or Facebook.

♥ I've vowed to do mostly-handmade holiday gifts this year, and I'm getting an early start (famous last words). You can imagine my joy when Caiti posted her Handmade Holiday Gift Guide! She's got several posts with some great DIY gift ideas ... I'm already planning on making a couple of the gifts listed!

♥ Too early to be talking about the holiday season? Chic Steals posted a number of ideas found in Elle Magazine of how to turn used Halloween costumes into super on-trend looks. The Cleopatra transformation is pretty stunning (although admittedly, so is the original costume!)

♥ And if you didn't get enough candy over the Halloween weekend, you might try whipping up a batch (or three) of these Homemade Almond Joy Candy Bars from Deliciously Organic. Oh, pardon me, I was just drooling on my keyboard.

♥ These 3D works by Yuki Matsueda speak for themselves. Mind = blown.

Happy November, everyone! I hope you're all enjoying your week.

For all you boys and ghouls ...

Photo of yours truly by my dad

Giveaway Winner!

Congrats to Kate! I'll be sending your info on to the team at MyMemories so they can get you all set up with your new scrapbooking software. Yippee! And since I had only a whopping two entrants into the giveaway, I'll be sending a little something special to my other entrant as well (Brandi, be on the lookout for something to come your way soon!).

Thanks to Kate and Brandi, and especially the people at MyMemories for giving me AND one of my readers a copy of their cool software. If you didn't get a chance to enter and you want to pick up a copy of the program with a sweet discount, don't forget that you can use my coupon code (STMMMS99144) to get $10 off the price of the software AND $10 to use in their online store.

MyMemories Suite Giveaway - EXTENDED!

Well, with all the excitement of my long Vegas weekend, the giveaway for the free copy of the MyMemories scrapbooking software totally slipped my mind. D'oh! What does that mean for you? I've extended the deadline to enter!

The giveaway is now closing at 11:59 p.m. (central time) on Wednesday, October 19.
That gives you over an extra day to enter! Follow this link to get back to the original post.

Can't wait for the giveaway to end? Just use this coupon code to get $10 off the price of the program (making it under $30) AND a $10 coupon code for the MyMemories store!

STMMMS99144