Gold Star Fitness

I have my (optional) biometric health screening at work next week, but I don't need to wait till the official weigh-in to know that I've fallen victim to the pudge effect.

Tomorrow is March 1st , and it's time to start New Year's Resolutions Round 2. To keep me in line and accountable, I've developed a workout chore chart.

Wanna play along? Download a set here. And maybe if you ask real nice, I'll customize the exercises to you're own routine!

Happy Bissextile Year*

This may be a sign of shopaholism but I find pretty much any reason to buy myself things.

"It's Leap Year you say? Why check out my awesome happy-leap-year-to-me- gift-package!"

It's my new smash journal (and date stamp!) and a little watchable, self-indulgance to accompany my late night and weekend design binges. Can't wait to get smashing!

*a bissextile year is a year with an extra day, a.k.a. a leap year.

Burger of the Week #46

Straight from the mouth of frequent blog contributor Ashley:
"For those who prefer to wear their burgers on their heads."

And the Oscar for Best Poster Design goes to....

It's a definite trend. Minimalist movie posters are in high internet fashion. No complaints here, I applaud the design aesthetic and the subtle movie allusions.

From Minimal Movie Posters Tumblr

From Inspiration Feed

From Forever Geek

Now assuming these are just-for-fun passion projects— Who are these people who have time to design these?

Well, I dont know who they are but I seem to have found their clubhouse.

It's Society6. And according to their facebook page,

"The artwork on Society6 is created by thousands of artists from around the world.... Society6 empowers artists to make their artwork immediately available for sale as a variety of products, without giving up control of their rights."

I stumbled upon the society earlier today and I haven't been able to find my way out! So enter with caution, do not proceed unless you have hours to lose!

Burger of the Week #45

Ahhh, check out this amazing burger inspired trash can! Or maybe it's a POP display. Not sure which— but I do know I want one!

Also, that's a lot of ketchup!

Carbs in the Kitchen

It may be 2012 and my 2011 resolution may be completed but I'm still cooking. As long as Pinterest exists the desire—scratch that—the need to cook and try new recipes will exist.

This past month, in a biscuit vs. roll bake-off I tried these three recipes:

1. Sweet Potato Biscuits

2. KFC's Kentucky Biscuits

3. Sweet Potato and Honey Dinner Rolls

There's no clear winner here, and in actuality I'm not sure if I'd tackle any of these again however— #2 wins in the ease category (And the taste isn't identical but is quite close to the KFC taste). BUT #3 definitely wins the tastiness battle - even if I'm not a fan of dealing with yeast. This was my first yeast challenge and I obviously need more practice!

Anyhow, this is what has been going on on in my kitchen. Next up—scones!

The Monkiest

Now I'm sure it's pretty clear that I like sock monkeys a little bit. But this dress is a little beyond me. But I applaud the commitment to a look!

Flip through Rebecca Yaker's other creations. Clearly I'm a sock monkey amateur!

Burger of the Week #44

I'm extra excited about today's very special holiday BOTW*.
It's the I ♥ Sliderz set from Studio 2/14 (with sliderz erasers!).

In fact, watch those mailboxes because 16 burger-lovin' friends will be getting a tasty surprise!

Thanks to Ashley for sending me Valentine's I'm in LOVE with!!
*Burger of the Week

Outlook Bright

In case you haven't been to the mall lately, the Spring fashion color report is in... and it's bright. It's bright and it's striped and I'm in love with it!

Yes sir, the Color of the Year is Tangerine, (See Pantone's full Fashion Color Trend Report for Spring 2012) and according to today's DSW mailer, "This season, we're inspired by bright colors and playful prints."

Don't believe me, simply surf on over to your favorite clothing sites. Here we have Gap, Banana Republic, Forever 21, NY&Co, J Crew and Kate Spade.

Of course, Anthropologie isn't about to be shown up by no-one. Check out their incredible Spring Windows.

And, for the cherry on top—while I was typing this Target commercial came on. "Color Changes Everything." Nuff said.

Anyhow, I'm excited for the season, and not just because I despise snowy weather, but because I know it's going to be a great one for color, clothes and shoes. Brighten up— it's going to be great!

Craft Hour at the Library

I love books, especially old ones. I also love crafting (really??). Which pretty much makes The Repurposed Library by Lisa Occhipinti the Bible as far as I'm concerned. It's full of great ideas.

In fact when we were at the Recycled Arts Market in November there was a woman selling birdhouses made out of old books. They were beautiful and drawing people in like the latest beloved endangered species. You can find instructions for book birdhouses in Occhipinti's book!

Among other wonderful ideas... like a Kindle Keeper!

I highly recommend checking it out.

And the Oscar goes to.....

So we just saw the 2012 Nominated Oscar Shorts at the UICA — live action and animated.

This was my favorite animated:

This was my favorite live action:

However I think this animated will win:

And this live action will win:

What do you think? See full list of nominated shorts and their trailers here. Winners will be announced Sunday, February 26th on the Oscars!

Burger of the Week #43

This sweet little burger is straight from the pages of Martha—in a delightful article about a sock hop!

Peanut butter cookies and a brownie for a tasty beef-free treat!

Getting Cozy with my Tea Cozy

Nothing beats a sock monkey surprise. This was waiting for me when I got home from work last night. What a great hat right? WRONG! It's a tea cozy! The most fantastic tea cozy I've ever seen.

My mom made it—using our stash of old sweaters of course. It's lined with fleece and fits right over my little tea pot.

Sock monkeys are pretty much always a home run with me, but I have to say, this one is pretty extra fab.

My response to the cozy was so strong that I wouldn't be surprise if they show up on the ScrappyLynn Etsy page soon!

**UPDATE: A Monkey Tea Cozy is now available on the ScrappyLynn Etsy Page.

[Thanks Mom!]

*This isn't photo staging, the apple and orange were not placed next to the cozy by me. My mom subtly likes to remind me that I should lay off the donuts. Either that or she thought the monkey may need a snack before i made it home.

Not your Grandmother's Wallpaper

Historically, whenever wallpaper was mentioned it was cause to cringe. But now there's so many bold, beautiful patterns there's loads of opportunity to incorporate wallpaper into modern, sleek decor.

What a sophisticated way to textures and patterns to a room. For endless ideas simply visit Pinterest and search "wallpaper".

Check it out, I need more walls to colorize!!

It May be Time

I haven't yet embraced the new Facebook Timeline. (Resistance is futile, rumor is the new layout will be mandatory before the month is over). But what I dislike about the new Facebook profile design*, I love about these Timeline cards from Moo.com.

So clean and simple, yet they say much! What a great opportunity to infuse a little personality into your calling card. See more timeline designs here.

*Doesn't it seem like the design violates the "above the fold" design rule? That top picture is so large I have to scroll down to see any info. Plus those oversized timeline windows encroach on one another. CLUTTER!

Holiday Cards that POP

Nothing says how you feel more than a handmade card. If you don't think a card says it loud enough, try these cards with a little pop!

Or if you're itchin' to show how you feel, try a scratch off card. The scratch-off solution can be made with acrylic paint and dishwashing liquid. Find the instructions here.

OR if you're valentine has a sweet tooth, give them a treat with these customized labels. The patterns can be downloaded here.

Find other DIY Valentine's Day gifts on BHG.com

At Home with Martha (Stewart that is)

It was a long, hard week, so by Friday evening I was more than ready for a little TGIF. So I stayed in with the March Martha Stewart and some Boy Meets World dvds (see heeelarious outtakes here).

Now despite the issue's lackluster cover (seriously, must Martha be on every other cover?) the inside content did not disappoint.

This image, which really didn't seem to correlate with the rest of the issue's design at all (I think it's awesome despite it's seemingly randomness), has me geeked about Spring gardening plans.

It's February and 50 degrees out—in Michigan. Bulbs are already making appearances; my mother has Snowbells blooming in her backyard. And with Martha's March garden preparation tips, I'm more than ready for Spring.

I'm just crossing my fingers we're not being teased....

Something Creative

I'm a huge fan of the Paper-Source catalog. Perhaps it has something to do with their tagline: "Do Something Creative Everyday". This is a philosophy I whole-heartedly agree with.

And what better excuse to do something creative than a favorite Hallmark holiday?

In case you're about to let it slip by unnoticed, V-day is just a few short weeks away. Why not let loose some smiles with these adoringly silly crafts. Check out these wildly fun and sweet valentines kits from Paper-Source.