Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Newlywed Kitchen

Check out my BFF's new blog, Newlywed Kitchen! She is an awesome cook and yes, a newlywed! Need a good recipe? She's your girl! Leave her some love--we all know what it's like when you first start a blog--unless you have hundreds and thousands of followers, most of the time you are pretty positive no one is reading... but sure enough there is always someone who enjoys what you write : )
Here are the newlyweds!

And how lucky am I that I get to see my beautiful best friend TOMORROW! She lives over 3 hours away so we don't see each other as much as we would like--now this blog gives us a chance to stay connected in a different way!

Cameron's Favorite Set Lists


I love this. First off it is no secret that I love Cameron Crown (the writer and director of Almost Famous), and second it is no secret that I love music… especially live music. On his website, theuncool.com, Cameron shows off his absolute favorite set lists. 

I kind of wish I would have thought of this. The more I think about it, set lists are actually really amazing. It’s a piece of paper that captures the night. It lists every song, the order, special notes, and some are pretty beat up by the end of the night—which just adds to their beauty. I usually save all my ticket stubs, but set lists would have helped with the memories.

Here are his favorites (click on the images to enlarge):

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

All the Girls Are Going to the Canyon.

I don’t even really know where to begin when it comes to the 2012 Spanish Moss editorial. If I could live in these photographs, believe me I would. It is inspired by the legendary Laurel Canyon and all the artists who lived there and used their lyrics to tell its story.

If you’ve never heard of Spanish Moss go check them out—now! They have an awesome site & blog at shopspanishmoss.com filled with photographs, look books, new & vintage items and so much more that will just leave you oozing with inspiration for new looks and envy for all the items shown.

Here are some of my favorite shots from the editorial:

Check out the rest of the photos here.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Music Monday

Enjoy the beautiful sounds of Joe Purdy. This is a live version or "Troubadour."

Sunday, November 27, 2011

The Boss II

I can't believe I forgot to post about this! A few weeks ago I posted about going to see none other than The Boss himself live in concert. That's right I'm talking about Bruce Springeteen. I've posted about this dreamy American man before (here) and (here) and my love for Bruce is now bigger than before. He played for almost FOUR hours at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum in Oakland. Joe Grushecky & the House Rockers were great as always but Bruce really stole the show. The night was filled with classics, sing-alongs, smiles and just an all-round awesome environment. After each song the audience would scream "BRUCEEEEEE" and he would just smile and contine to rock out. It was unbelieveable hearing about and talking to all the people who came from hours and hours away. In the beginning of the show Bruce gave a shout out to all the people from all over the country, many being from his home state of New Jersey, and there were even a few people from out of the country! It was unreal--the energy and passion lasted the entire night. Seeing Bruce is something I will always remember--and he is every bit as great as I imagined he would be.

The Week Ahead...

I couldn't be more excited for this coming week. First off, I have a four day work week--for the second week in a row. Second I get to see one of my very bestest friends who lives a few hours away. Third I get to finally visit the Museum at Bethel Woods aka the Woodstock Museum & the site of the Woodstock music festival--something I've been wanting to do for years. And fourth, I get to see Dawes & the Levon Helm Band play live at Levon's barn--talk about a dream. I have such high expectations for this weekend and I'm pretty confident that it will be even better than I can imagine. Not to mention I was told there is a "special guest" performing with Levon on Saturday--in the past Warren Haynes and Phil Lesh have stopped by, so I can't wait to find out who he is (yes, it's confirmed that it is a 'he'). 

So these next four days need to hurry up! I will miss this pretty little face this weekend--she was a sleepy girl all day today:

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Gardner Ann's

It's official! I'd like to introduce you all to Gardner Ann's. I had my first vendor craft fair today and it was such a success. Not only did I sell some great items, I met some great people and made some awesome connections! Not to mention all the positive feedback I received from women AND men! I knew I loved my products, but I was still unsure on how other people would feel about them. 

I also launched my Facebook page! Check it out here and please "like" it. It is still a work in progress, but it shows off some of my items & lets off a little bit of our personality. My etsy site is just about ready, so check back for that soon. 

And you can always email me at gardneranns@gmail.com. Anything you see on either site can be personalized to a specific name, color or size!

Here are some photos of the craft fair today:

Friday, November 25, 2011

Busy Bee

I have been completely MIA lately--but I do have a reason! Work & traiffic have been kicking my butt, & I'm a vendor in a craft show tomorrow! That means my day consists of waking up at 6 am, being at work by 8, leaving at 5 pm, getting home at 6 (sometimes later) then crafting all night long. I've been loving it though. I'm really proud of all the items I have and just cross my fingers that I sell some stuff! Saturday is "Small Business Day" so there are quite a few small and locally owned business that will be at the craft show. 

Here's a little peek of some of my items:
It's (hopefully) my first of many, so wish me luck!

Monday, November 14, 2011

Million Dollar Quartet

This past Sunday my gram and I went to the Benedum Center in downtown Pittsburgh to see "Million Dollar Quartet." It was different from many other Broadway shows I've seen... only 1 hour and 40 minutes, no intermission, and only one set change. But wow was it amazing. Over a week later and my gram is still talking about it! For those of you who don't know, Million Dollare Quartet is the story of Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis and their legendary recording session with Sam Phillips at Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. These four men were the real deal. We couldn't stop smiling and singing the entire show. If you have the chance I definitely recommend you go see it! I promise you will not be disappointed. 

I snapped some pictures of the Benedum Center. It is one of my favorite places in the city mostly for its beauty and character. I also broke the rules & tried to take a picture at the end of the show. It didn't turn out too well, but its of all four singers singing during the finale.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

New Hobby

I'm really excited about my new hobby. I've been wanting to find something new that is inexpensive and I enjoy doing, and yesterday I did just that. I've been doing some research online and got some pretty great inspiration for homemade jewelry making. I can't wait to share some photos with you. I made three necklaces and a bracelet so far, each costing be between $2-5! There are a few local craft shows coming up and I'm really considering getting a booth to sell some of this stuff! Hey, who couldn't use some extra money, right? 
Here is a sneak peek:

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Trying Something Out..

Some of you may already know, but I tried out the whole vegetarian thing while I was on the road last year. I started in July 2010 and caved in around August 2011. I was just completely over it--until now. I started to realize that I definitely feel different now that I'm back to eating meat, especially the red meat. So I've decided to cut ALL meat out of my diet until at least Christmas, if not longer. I'm going to really watch and listen to my body, the different things it does, how it feels and try to figure out what it is telling me. I'm actually very excited about this. Of course my grandma's think I'm absolutely nuts. I remember going to dinner at my Gramma G's house one night last year and she still insisted on serving me a plate with the meat portion on it--even though she knew I wouldn't eat it. 

So. This decision also meant going grocery shopping for some fun veggie-lovers food. I bought hummus, tons of veggies, yogurt, fruit, cheese and some other goodies. Here is my lunch tomorrow:
Veggies, roasted red pepper hummus and pears!
Any vegatarian readers out there? If you have any great recipies--I'd love if you would share! I'm always looking for new meals... especially tasty ones that my family would enjoy!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

We Learned More From A 3-Minute Record, Than We Ever Learned In School

For music lovers, there is no truer statement. This line comes from "No Surrender" by none other than the Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen. 

And guess what, I will be seeing that beautiful American man tomorrow night! I know, I can't believe it. Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers are performing for two nights at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Museum & Hall here in Pittsburgh. If you've never heard of Joe Grushecky I suggest you check him out. He is longtime friends with Springsteen and invited him to this once-in-a-lifetime performance. S&S is a small venue, a beautiful auditorium located in one of the countries best military museums. I'm telling you, there is not a bad seat in the house.

So tomorrow night I will be crossing off an artist off "the list" and seeing the one and only Bruce Springsteen. Stay tuned for more stories and hopefully pictures!

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Tune Tuesday

Enjoy some Amos Lee "Flower" on this foggy morning!