Piece by Piece

Last week, a friend of mine posted an Instagram of her housemates and herself working on a puzzle. It reminded me of how much I loved puzzles when I was a kid -- it was always a good activity at grandma's house. This 1000 Colors puzzle seems like a worthy reintroduction. Every piece is a different color and they fit together in relation to each other. Sounds fun, right? Or am I just a huge nerd?

Game Days

Despite the heat, it's the time of year when I just want to get outside and play. Growing up, I was always a fan of croquet in the front yard and paddle ball at the beach, despite my lack of hand-eye coordination. I'd definitely say kite flying is my strong suit. Of course, these game sets from Terrain are almost too pretty to play with.

Bike Likes

Anthropologie is really nailing it in the cute bicycle department. Of course, I'm more interested in the baskets and bells than the actual bike that goes with them.

Bringing Back Backgammon

When I flipped open the new CB2 catalog featuring the latest Novogratz collection, I got a burst of happy nostalgia thanks to this backgammon set. My dad and I used to play backgammon all the time when I was growing up, usually while Murphy Brown was on in the background. It was exciting cracking open that briefcase gameboard, shaking the dice in the little box and winning often enough that I wanted to keep playing. You don't see a lot of cool backgammon boards, but I love this one with its rose gold leather and bright pops of color. I might just have to treat myself to it and start re-learning the rules.

Yard Games

Croquet is typically my lawn game of choice, but giant Connect Four, Jenga, Twister and Scrabble would be too fun to resist. When I was in the third grade, I played Jenga against a family friend of ours who is a surgeon. She, thankfully, ended up winning, but the match went on so long, I still consider myself a Jenga champion. It's all in the tiny fingers, which would probably not come in handy for giant backyard Jenga.

[spotted here: 1, 2, 3, 4]

Gamer Girl

Other than nostalgia for Mario Brothers and Duck Hunt and the occasional Wii battle, I am not a video game kind of girl. But lately, I find myself borrowing my husband's PlayStation 3 to play the recently-released Journey. It's about a faceless creature's trek through a sandy desert to a mystical mountain, and I like to think of it as the yoga of video games. It's goal-oriented but also beautiful and calming. In an equally stunning game produced by the same company in 2009, you get to be a flower petal and roam through fields gathering other petals. I had no idea video games could be so pretty -- or feminine. Watch trailers for both games below.

Mountain Music

When my parents visited last month, my dad brought me a dulcimer, which is this folksy little instrument that I find so quaint and beautiful. I took a few lessons back in Seattle a couple years ago but never had my own dulcimer, so my dad kindly bought me one from a shop in Tennessee. It's handcrafted from walnut and is absolutely beautiful. I'm not very good (yet) as you'll see below, but playing it makes me happy and it's easier than guitar for a girl with small hands and weak fingers. Thank you, Dad.

You may just barely recognize "Oh, Susanna." Do any of you play an instrument?

Little House

This dollhouse puts my apartment to shame. The lighting fixtures alone are enough to inspire a trip to ikea.

[spotted on: you are my fave via Dos Family]

Thursday Giveaway!

Update: Jessica of Cheese Grater in Paradise is the winner!

I have a giveaway for you this week courtesy of Zuliblu. This Etsy shop is filled with all kinds of cute and crafty creations. Shop owner Julie also sells vintage sewing patterns and provides crafting lessons via YouTube. How fun is that?

Check out her shop, then leave a comment below before midnight on Monday, June 7th. You could win this adorable pin cushion! One lucky winner will be chosen at random.

Chalk it Up to Experience

I'm seriously contemplating spending some time outside this summer with a bucket of chalk. I already found the perfect kit. It comes with polka dot chalk, striped chalk, marbleized chalk and chalk holders, which are genius. Why weren't those around when I was a kid? To think, I spent all those afternoons scraping my knuckles on pavement for the sake of art.

[photos: Fotos by Flo, curious illusion, thezidane and eklektick]

Cupcakes and Cameras

A trio of cupcakes and a brand new camera were the highlights of my holiday weekend. How did you spend your time?

Custom Wheels

Urban Outfitters recently opened a fun and user-friendly custom bike shop on their site. While I'm not in the market for a bicycle, I love the idea, and I can't seem to stop playing around with color schemes.

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme

There's something about people who have herb gardens that really impresses me. It just seems so industrious. If you happen to be so inclined, there's a slew of merchandise to make the whole process easier. For a start, this iron caddy and set of pots from Crate and Barrel can house your plants either indoors or out. Crate and Barrel even sells kits that contain everything you need to grow your own basil, mini tomatoes or oregano. Of course, you'll need herb snips to harvest your tiny crops and my new favorite gadget, a rolling mincer, to chop up all the leafy goodness before cooking. I'm actually quite motivated to give it a try, but for now I'll just eat from these herb-inspired bowls ...and listen to Simon and Garfunkel.

Get Your Game On

When throwing a party, I think it's important to have an entertaining activity on hand -- a backup plan if the night gets a little slow. And since I don't have Guitar Hero or a Wii yet, I turn to the ever-faithful board game. I'm not particularly crazy about the medium, other than my nostalgia for Mouse Trap and deep, deep love of Scene It?, but Whoonu is a lot of fun. Made by Cranium, it's a very simple, test-how-well-you-know-your-friends type game. It's great for learning new things about people and has yet to result in one of those ugly, over-competitive, joy-destroying evenings.

Dog Show!

While I would have preferred to see any one of these Old English Sheepdogs take home the title of best in show, I salute Uno the beagle on his Westminster win. I can't seem to find the Dog Show skit from SNL, so I offer you the next best thing.

Stay Classy

Taking classes is one of my favorite ways to stay motivated during this dreary time of year. Currently, my favorite extracurricular is ballet. It works the body and the brain, and I love anything that gives me the excuse to wear legwarmers.

Read my article about unconventional classes here.