Have a cozy weekend

Happy Friday, friends! What are your plans for the weekend? I'm heading to the movies to see We Need To Talk About Kevin. Have you seen it? It looks pretty interesting, and I've always been a fan of psychological thrillers. While I'm enjoying my buttery popcorn (the best part about going to the movies, really), I hope you all have a great weekend, and here are my favorite finds from the wonderful Web...

Romance in New York City!

What music video would you like to be in?

Famous eyebrows.

Genius: Tea bag cookies!

Isn't this Colorado wedding beautiful?

Valentine's Day balloons.

Meet Ms. Brown, the newest M&M with a personality.

Photographers posing with their famous photos.

I want this dress.

The dangers of Pinterest...

In defense of messy desks (remember my desk?).

I miss Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

Six things not to say to a childhood sweetheart.

A cape made of spider silk. Would you dare?

Genius: Interactive paintings.

Awesome nostalgic gizmos!

Neat.

A delicious Tumblr all about food!
[Photos via Wit + Delight]

Fashion Friday: Pocket squares

Let's turn the tables and talk about men's fashion today, shall we, friends? Remember when I mentioned how a wedding ring on a man is incredibly sexy? Well, the same goes for pocket squares.

They're so small, yet I'm pretty certain that you can tell a lot about a man by his pocket square of choice. Plus, they add a dash of dapper charm and an old-world gentlemen flair, don't you think, friends? I love the romantic feel too! xoxo

So, where do you fall in the Great Pocket Square Debate? Is it a do or a don't?

P.S. I'm also a huge fan of pocket protectors. They're beyond sexy, but more about that in another post. :)

[Top photo by The Sartorialist, via A Lovely Being]

Pencil bites test

This made me smile this morning. Which one are you, friends? xoxo

[Via I Love Charts]

Would you rather: Live in the bustling city or in the quiet country?

Confession: Growing up, I had the best of both world. All my surgeries and hospital stays turned me into the utmost, uber-chic city gal. My senses took it all in. The tall buildings that stretched across the horizon. The classic Chicago smell – a mixture of pollution and whiffs of nearby Lake Michigan. The sound of a car honk in the distance or the music of a street performer. And the hoards of people rushing -- always rushing -- to their jobs, iPhones firmly in hand. I loved the hustle and bustle the big, expansive city had to offer.
But I also loved the calming quiet retreat awaiting me at home -- in a small town amidst the cornfields and far removed from the city. Summer picnics. A rocking chair on the front porch. A glass of tall lemonade perched on the wooden table. The sounds of the country and the ears of corn blowing in the wind sweeping over the field. Seeing for miles in the distance.

What about you, friends? Are you a city mouse or a country mouse? What do you like about the city? The country? Do you think it's possible for someone to be both? xoxo

[First two photos by Virginia Gálvez, bottom graphic via The Color]

Grandmother Tips: Part two

Chacho Puebla is back! He recently released part two of his hilariously brilliant (and true!) Grandmother Tips series. This time around, Puebla's great aunt is still front and center with those netiquette signs for navigating the perils of social networks, but there's a fun twist: readers are invited to share their own tips on the Grandmother Tips Facebook page. If your tip is chosen, you can even have your grandmother in the photo. How awesome is that?

[Via 22 Words]

Etsy Love: Terrarium postcards

Wouldn't these postcards be a neat way to give friends a little reminder of spring during the cold winter months?

P.S. Pick-up line postcards and postcard cups! :)

Love Lounge: Perils of pressure

Let's talk pressure today, friends. You know, the kind that bears down on your shoulders and tries to get the best of you? It's an evil little monster, isn't it? And after some comments in yesterday's MEMO TO MEN, I got to thinking about all the pressure that comes with Cupid's arrow -- or lack of Cupid's arrow. The vicious cycle starts when we're teenagers. We see our friends having all these new experiences -- seeking out with boys, stealing secret kisses -- and we start to panic. We can't be the last of our friends to have these experiences, we think. So we sometimes just jump in head-without-heart to simply get it over with. Another item checked off our romantic to-do list. Done. Easy as that.

But somewhere down the line, we realize just what a mistake we've made. Maybe things don't feel the way they should. We don't feel those butterflies. We don't feel that giddy, school-girl glow coming over us. We feel, well, nothing. And it's the worst none-feeling feeling in the whole world. And that's when, sometimes, we realize that we let all that pressure get the better of us.
Well, me? I don't want to just do it. First kiss. First date. I don't want to just get them over with. Because that's not what any of them mean to me. They all mean something to me -- every first kiss, every first date, even every first fight -- and I don't want to be left feeling like I let someone else's pressure lead my heart into making the wrong decision. I'm starting to believe that things will naturally happen when they're supposed to, so I'm not going to rush things along. If I do, I'll miss the beauty of the scenery along the way. And something tells me I don't want to miss out on even one second of that beauty.

Do you ever feel that sort of pressure, friends? Are there certain things you've done just to get them over with? Was it worth it? Have your views changed as you've gotten older? xoxo

[Photos via Le Love]

Dream Home: Space bedroom

What an out-of-this-world bedroom -- literally! Ben and Tatjana, the husband-and-wife team from the Netherlands-based design studio Studio Aandacht, used the universe as inspiration when designing sons Max and Raf's room. Every night, you could pretend you were sleeping under a blanket of stars, or that your bed was a spaceship floating through the galaxy! Is it weird that I'm secretly thinking I want this room as an adult? :)

[Via Bloesem Kids]

How I Feel (In 5 Photos) Wednesday.

"These boots were made for walkin' and that's just what they'll do..." --Nancy Sinatra

[Photos via My Summer Twist]

Sunglasses Shop Giveaway!

Today's giveaway is from Jess of Sunglasses Shop, the one-stop-shop for all sorts of cool and chic shades. You can browse by brand name, color, occasion or hairstyle ; there are even awesome accessories to complete the look!

Jess is offering one lucky reader a £50 (around $75) gift certificate from the Le Specs collection. Which pair is your favorite, friends? I'm loving the Distant Lovers pair -- it would go perfect with my red hair -- and the Sweet Disposition pair is retro cool, don't you think?

For your chance to win, simply visit the Le Specs collection, and leave a comment below with your favorite pair of shades, along with your email address. Also, you can follow Sunglasses Shop on Twitter and LIKE them on Facebook for extra entries. A winner will be chosen at random tomorrow afternoon. Happy hunting! xoxo