if you're in Vegas....

come to first friday & go here, i got some new work to show!


at the Gypsy Den, 213 E. Colorado in Downtown Las Vegas.

AA, a short & sweet friday.

One day I'll be able to enjoy a friday, for the reason its named Friday.
When will that day come? Your guess is as good as mine.
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Off to work.
Again.
On a Friday.

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Can I really just quit my day job? And write for a living. I'll get back to you, when that happens.


The best thing of today (for me at least) is viewing the work of Natsumi Nishizumi and to all of you who's Friday is today, have a good weekend! And indulge every aspect a Friday should bring, relaxation, fun, and ______ !

What did you do creatively today?

I'm currently obsessed with windowsills.

DREAMY windowsills.
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I'm obsessed with windowsills for numerous reasons...
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One of the reasons is the curious factor of why people have what they have on their own window stills...plants, artwork, candles...? I think its fascinating to see what people carry on to their windowsills.
In my kitchen as of now, I pretend I have a bigger windowsill than I really do! :-(
I have plants...glass jars that I collect, but even the smallest pot barely fits on my kitchen window. Hopefully, our next place we get has a nice kitchen window with plenty of space like the visual below:
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This picture above, I needed to share with all of you.
Yesterday, my B. came home from work & called my name from downstairs....as I walked down the stairs, his arm was sticking out with the rest of his body hidden....what was in his hands? FLOWERS.
I love these days, he's the best thing thats ever happened to me.
He brought me flowers in support to both of our goals...making our dream come true. Basically, moving.
Moving out of this materialized sin city.

Which, brings me to this:
A picture of a condo (built in th 1920's!) that B. & i were looking at in Seattle. What I absolutely loved about this condo was that it already had wooden maple floors first of all....AND look at that window. I mean yeah...VERY small and narrow kitchen, but windows make up for it. Having a cup of coffee in the morning next to an open window. Dreamy, isn't it? It is, especially if its not in a desert.
The condo also has mahogany leaded-glass doors, and located in an excellent neighborhood in Capitol Hill. AND the best part? It is in our price range!
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I recently just bought new curtains for our bedroom. Its hand-woven silk, white. And its gorgeous. I told B. when we move, I can't wait to be able to use it for what its made for....breeze coming through. The temp. right now in Vegas is pretty good for opening your windows, but the thing is, it is SO windy here. And lots of pollen in the air, I'm just getting over being sick...and I want it to stay that way!
"Do something creative everyday".. ....giraffey agrees.
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I love bamboo.
Did you know that bamboo grows about 24 inches a day?! Its the fastest growing wood plant in the world. AND its beautiful.
I especially want this towel rack. I tend to find all my kitchen towels everywhere in the sink, on the oven, on the dining table...organize! Find all these bamboo appliances here. They have much much more too including Caldrea poducts such as this green tea patchouli scent laundry detergent.

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DUST away those cobwebs, and get your cleaning on.

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....yesterday I did a bit of Spring cleaning.
Its an ongoing process....I got the bathrooms, kitchen, and living room done, now I need to focus on my office! We bought grey paint about 3 months ago and we still haven't gotten the chance to start painting! But....Spring is here and its all about starting fresh, right?
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I recently just got the new Real Simple Mag. and boy, did it have some great basic tips on cleaning...
Here are a couple of my favorite tips that it gave:
1.) Toothpaste, a stain fighter. And make sure you get the standard paste, no gel. (I dislike using gel toothpaste, anyway) Use toothpaste to clean the following; acrylic accessories, chrome fixtures, piano keys, tarnished silverware, steam iron.
2.) Lemon, if you haven't known of the lemon trick, you're in for a turn...lemons cleans your countertops, dishes, faucets, garbage disposal, grout, hands, laundry, plastic food containers! My two favorite are garbage disposals and laundry. With the garbage disposal, cut a lemon in half, than rub both pieces of lemon through the entire disposal. It makes it smell fabulous. And with the laundry, it brightens whites, add 1/2 cup of lemon juice to the rinse cycle for a normal size load.
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Try to focus on one thing at a time. We can all have clutter and mess everywhere and not just in one room! So, grab a pencil and paper and start jotting down what you'd like to accomplish first. Magnet it to your fridge, so its in your sight and you won't forget. My next goal, like I had said....is this office! I will be taking before and after shots, so all of you will get to see how nice spring cleaning can be and can feel once everything is all organized and spotless. At least for me, I feel great inside!

MLW's top 5 list.

my little way's TOP 5 list from Etsy's can be found here:
1.) Penguin & Fish 2.) Imagination Kid 3.) Fox & Clover 4.) Ten Thousand Spoons 5.) Skinny Laminx






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If you haven't yet peeped Design for Mankind's Dialogue, you should really go check it out. There are a lot of great people within the art/design/blog community with real-life situations that we can all relate to in one way or another....dealing with finances, family struggles...etc. I really love when artist, Lisa Solomon points out how she stresses on needing to work to supplement her art-making. Rather than depending on her art work being sold to make money. I've always thought the same way, when I'm in my studio, I want to make things because I want to make them and not because I'm thinking about it being sold. That can be frustrating and just not worth it.




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A lovely house tour....
Kim from Desire to Inspire has been featured on Apartment Therapy's house tours. A charmin 936 sqft. home in Ottawa, Ontario. The colors are what I enjoy the most. Bright and fun. A sense of energy with clean white walls, and concrete slab.

Heavenly.

This patio looks so inviting that it almost seems like its from a miniature barbie toy set, or something equivalent.
What I really love is how she threw in her tv with all of her frames...its less distracting like that rather than seeing it plastered onto the wall with nothing aside from it. The tv stand is pretty cute too.

Facehunter Faves

in London. I love headbands that are tints, tones of one's hair color. She has pretty hair.





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Check in with facehunter...he's been updating with a whole lot of new scenies from London & Paris!
These are some of my favorites.

in Paris. Those wedges!

in Paris. Her eyes are amazing and that head piece is even more amazing.
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in London. Fringe purse, sequin leggings, ruffled scarf.......ALL AMAZING.

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missin SXSW!

some great bands have been playin and some great memories have been makin... out in austin, texas.

playin their magic, and i'm sadly missin it.

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Electro disco queen, Little Boots
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she's blonde.
and she's 'SUPer cute.
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woah.

okay, seriously.

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ponytail is crazy.
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(in a positive way)
btw, is it weird (or bad of me) that the asian kid reminds me of data (wang) from Goonies?
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anyway, see for yourself:






Oh, vivian:







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Don't forget to read about these 24-hr SXSW party peeps.

I want me some tacos.
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Which, reminds me I haven't introduced anyone to the finest taco shop of Las Vegas. I apologize for my senseless behavior!...
Open 24hrs.
(duh..its las vegas right)

For some convenient locations:

North Town:
1414 N Eastern Ave, Las Vegas, NV
3085 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV
2151 N Rancho Dr, Las Vegas, NV
6650 Vegas Dr, Las Vegas, NV

South Town:
3399 S Durango Dr # 102, Las Vegas, NV
907 S Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV‎

10612 S Eastern Ave., Henderson, NV 89052

10430 Bermuda Rd., Las Vegas, NV 8918

I'm a Tourist & I want some underground sh** Town:

4604 W Sahara Ave # 7, Las Vegas, NV 89102

545 E Twain Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89169

Get Directions

Oh yeah, talking about food. Say hi to the food network diva, Rachel Ray for me, shes there.

Get Directions

* approximate times

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Category:

Unverified listing

AND last, but not least....lets hear it for our local band, afghan raiders.

They always put on a great show.

make YOUR weekend fun

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I THINK one of my favorite things about the warm weather...and Spring is Smoothies!
I absolutely love smoothies.
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I think I'm going to go make one right now.
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I saw this Tee-Pee on Black Eiffel's new post, I had to immediately add it to my favorite Tee-Pee photos that I posted a while back!
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A shop I recently visited was Joo Joo's on etsy. I was delighted.
.Jewelry, magnets, paper goods...all your spring needs! :-)
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The snails are my favorite.
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B. really wants to travel to India. I would like to, but I have to admit there are a lot more places ahead on my list I want to take care of before I go to India. One thing that fascinates me, especially this time around the year is THEIR fascination of color. Its aspires me.
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Holi, also called the Festival of Colours, is a popular Hindu spring festival held in India, Nepal and countries with large Hindu such as Guyana, South Africa, Trinidad, the UK, and Fiji.
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I recently just discovered this place. Terraces on the Samthar walk in India. It looks so inviting.
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I love fiats, but I think I'm in love with Citroens as well!

I mean look how many of these school kids can cram in the back!
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I especially could love Citroens because of this guy....
In Tokyo, there is a neighborhood named Nakameguro and its supposed to be one of the HIPPEST neighborhoods around to date. Popular for its bars and restaraunts, cafes, real laid-back vibe in Nakameguro.
I mean just look at this picture...
The dude is selling coffee and lattes out of his old cream-colored vintage Citroen.
"It's this kind of resourcefulness that gives the neighborhood its creative, youthful energy."

Nakameguro has what I love.
"A neighborhood that is a harmonious melding of old and new, urban and rustic."
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Mmmm....
Chocolate.
HERSHEY's chocolate.

This new museum (a $23.5 million museum!) settles in of course, Chocolate Avenue in Hershey, Pa. Located down the street where Milton S. Hershey built his factory in 1903. It recently just opened in January. It has interactive interactive photos, and maps....you can even roll your own truffle in sprinkles!.
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On a much healthier note:

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That was perfectly said.
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Talking about all the gardening with Spring starting up today....
The Obama's are planning to make a vegetable garden as well! One lucky elementary school got chosen in the area to help.
It'll be called, The White House Vegetable Garden. And these kids along with many other helpers including the White House staff and the Obama's themselves will be contributing. This will be the first time The White House will have ever had a garden since Eleanor Roosevelt's, "Victory Garden" which was built during World War II. That did lead a lot of other's to build their own victory garden's....hopefully this vegetable garden will do the same!
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Oh, Willy Wonka!

Today, before I left to work I was listening to NPR's last 'Day to Day' talk show. Thats right, another sad time for one in closing its run time. Day to Day, hosted by Madeleine Brand, offered world and national news in regards to politics, culture, and technology. Madeleine brought in Willy Wonka's Screenwriter, David Seltzer to give Day to Day a bit of an inside on how to make a happy ending to a show that was important not only to the host herself, but to all of us, listeners. As how he made a happy ending with Willy Wonka, he gave it to us, "They all just lived happily ever after, you, your crew, everyone who does all this good work, lives happily ever after".

As for all of us!

Won't we live happily ever after...its the best ending any can have.

merry weekend.

xo.

j.