The Under-Analyst

Decorating with maps

The Under-Analyst — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:00:39 +0000

Maps are cool, they just are. I might not know how to use them very well (evidenced by my 8th grade orienteering field trip where my partner and I finished dead last) but I can appreciate their value and aesthetic elements. We have a large empty wall still in our place and we’ve been grappling over what to do with it. More mirrors? lame. Maybe a large map is what we are missing, or maybe a few maps?

I got the idea off of Pinterest. I was directed to Inspire Bohemia a pretty fun blog. Here is some inspiration from this post.

love the colors, the map looks great in this corner

could easily DIY a map like this

I love the old school house pull down maps.

You can find similar maps (real examples below) on Etsy.

$40 vintage pull down school map

$195 beautiful 3 piece installation world map, mounted on wood.

Bride vs. Groom (wedding arguments)

The Under-Analyst — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:42:43 +0000

Throughout this wedding planning process Mike and I have had some pretty fun disagreements. We see eye to eye on important matters like food but some of the decor elements are a bit lost on him (“how much for linens!?”). I totally understand. The amount of money spent on ONE day seems absolutely frivolous and dumb. So as the costs pile up it’s conversations like this that make me laugh/really frustrated;

Me: “So we can have live music for when the guests arrive and for the ceremony. It’ll be $300, which is a pretty good deal and we need to decide if we want a guitar or a cello.”

Him: “Wait? $300 for music for an hour? That’s ridiculous.”

Me: “Yes, but it’s the only time I’ll ever walk down the aisle, hopefully, and I’d really like live pretty music.”

Him: “Well, don’t most people have a DJ for that?”

Me: “No.”

Him: “I don’t see why your brother doesn’t just press play on a boom box, this is dumb. No.”

-Skip to a few days later…..-

I get an e-mail from him;

“Let’s do this! (link to m&m website in which you can personalize m&ms as party favors)”

My reply, “This is fun, but it’s $300.”

His reply, “Go ahead and order it, it’s totally worth it!”

Crockpot Oatmeal, yes I cook

The Under-Analyst — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:49:04 +0000

We’ve been wanting to try this one out for a while. I love oatmeal and I love a good crockpot so the two together just seems natural. Oh, and it’s low fat and healthy too? Fantastic. I studied a few variations of this recipe and worked with what we had. We got some bad news last night so this was definitely a good comfort food for this morning.

Chop up two apples (some recipes suggest peeling them, but I left it on)

You’ll need to grease the crockpot or it will stick like silly glue the next morning.

Dump in 1 cup of Steel Cut Oats

Add 1 1/2 cup water and 1 1/2 cup milk (I substitued Almond milk)

Sprinkle some cinnamon.

Set on low and leave overnight for roughly 7 hours

In the morning you are greeted with a wonderful smell!

I crushed up some almonds to throw on top for a crunchy treat.

YUM YUM YUM

20 Things You Didn’t Know About Me

The Under-Analyst — Tue, 14 May 2013 15:00:41 +0000

There’s me in Godspell my freshman year of college.

DIY necklace -ooh la la!

The Under-Analyst — Fri, 10 May 2013 15:00:53 +0000

So I’m constantly in awe of these women bloggers who post something über crafty every other day. When do they have the time to craft? And why are they not watching tv? Anyways, I finally did something. I made my own necklace! I actually went to a bead/supplies store, quickly realized that beads/jewelry toggle noggles are really kind of expensive and then found my precious gems. I came home, where these new supplies sat alone, untouched for at least a week or two. But then one day I found myself home and in between Real Housewives episodes so WALAAH;

Finished product

Etsy here I come!

Does your cat do stuff like this?

The Under-Analyst — Thu, 09 May 2013 15:00:34 +0000

Remember when I spent time and effort to create lovely window boxes for our kitchen? Yeah, well I got home the following night and look at what I found…

BAD kitty

REALLY BAD kitty

This was the smug face he gave me when I tried to shame him.

So I moved the succulents into the window and tried to fix these little guys outside in their new home.

Does your really cute plant destroying monster do this?

Negotiating your Gym Membership

The Under-Analyst — Wed, 08 May 2013 15:55:00 +0000

I’m baaaack! After an extended weekend spent at Stagecoach (photos to follow) and a much-needed catchup at work I have finally returned to the keyboard.

The countdown has begun; 73 days until the wedding! Up until now I’ve been somewhat sedentary, saving my energy for the big push. It’s time. Consequently Mike decided he should join my gym, Equinox, a) because it’s better than his (24 Fitness) and b) so we can go together and try the ‘co-dependent motivation’ method.

When I joined a while back I was warned that they’d try to throw initiation fees at me. Granted I was starstruck when I signed my contract but I managed to avoid all initiation fees, annual contracts and received a decent pro-rated amount for the following month. But apparently I didn’t throw the big guns out because Mike went in there ready to play hard ball.

He played coy, batted his eyelashes, flexed his muscles, cracked jokes, barred his teeth and threatened to leave until finally he was not only given a membership for less money than me but he also negotiated it so that my membership would be lowered as well!

Lesson: None of their “fees”, membership “dues” or integrity are written in stone. They want you to join. Do it on your terms, or Mike’s.

p.s. his bravery inspired me to inquire about a certificate that had expired months ago. They reinstated it! BAM

I’m Almost Famous

The Under-Analyst — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:00:01 +0000

I went to brunch in Venice with a girlfriend on Sunday. I was a bit of a mess and threw on a new Free People dress that could also serve as a nightgown (that’s how comfy it is!). After a delicious meal and a few mimosas at Joe’s we headed to the streets of Abbot Kinney. I discovered a deep seeded need to start making candles (which I have yet to do… wait for it!) and we made small talk with various artistic vendors- such a lovely day! And then it happened. A man, photographer Michael Dumler, stopped us and asked if he could photograph me. He handed me a card and said he captures street fashion “On Abbot Kinney” and would I like to be featured on his blog. Who me? Yes please! And obviously I was super excited to see it get posted…

but then as I scrolled down I realized that the person photographed right before me was Olivia Palermo! She’s pretty legit famous in the world of fashion. So therefore I’m classifying myself as “almost famous” . Thanks Michael!

Happy Earth Day- How To: plant life in a kitchen window

The Under-Analyst — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:00:54 +0000

Happy belated Earth day! I had the chance to get my fingers in the soil over the weekend and it felt absolutely great. We might have the smallest terrace ever but our plants are happy to be there soaking up the enormous amount of sun. My mission was two-fold; 1) Repot the lemon and lime trees/bushes into larger terracotta holders 2) buy and plant herbs/veggies in window boxes in our kitchen.

The first task was intense. I didn’t realize that I’d have to do a lot of digging in a cramped space to heave these little redwoods out of their temporary plastic containers. Gilligan was right there with me the whole time.

The second to-do was a bit more fun. Our kitchen has this amazing big window box over the sink and it’s been dying for some greenery.

I found these adorable wooden planter boxes on OneKingsLane at $30 each.

I first lined the boxes to avoid any water leaking (regular trash bags work, just cut the drawstring top part off).

Then I made a trip to Armstrong’s Nursery for herbs,.veggies and a few succulents for empty pots about the house. They were giving away free Lady Bug packets at checkout!

And finally after cleaning Gilligan’s paws we were ready to introduce our plants to their new home;

I can’t wait to see if these plants survive (French Thyme, Jalapeno and Cilantro).

xoxo

Girls Night featuring Stella & Dot jewelry

The Under-Analyst — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:17:00 +0000

Last Wednesday night was beyond fun! I threw a ladies night jewelry party featuring Stella & Dot (LOVE). The turnout was pretty great considering it was a school night. There were tons of the following; champagne/vino, cupcakes, wine, jewelry and loose lipped entertainment. I could throw these every week, who doesn’t love a good party? Next time I”ll showcase the goods a bit better (including live model Gilligan). Next time? Yes, I had so much fun that I’m now a certified (is that the correct term) Stella & Dot stylist- ready for all your precious gem/sparkling body decor needs. A bit of a secret- if you host a party you get free product.

If you haven’t checked out Stella & Dot before please do so (they just added bags to their line!). And host a party, it’s fun!