Hello there, and happy late Monday!

Where have I been since my last post on Halloween? Very, very busy. (imagine that!)

In the last two weeks, I’ve worked over 90 hours between work work and freelance work. I’ve been sick off an on (mostly on) and barely had time for seeing my wonderful, understanding and incredibly patient fiancé (will I ever get used to that word??), let alone do any sort of creative thing or be social with friends.

Luckily, I’ve completed a couple pretty huge projects and am looking forward to a bit of a slow-down, just in time for the holidays. In fact, today I was given the day off to recuperate, and I treated myself to a manicure, complete with a Christmas tree spotting, as demonstrated below:

Some people might think it’s too early for Christmas in the stores, but I can’t get enough of them. (not surprising, I know.)

Well, enough of that complaining (and parenthetical commentary to myself). Here are some of the links I’ve saved since I last wrote:

• These fun desktop and iphone backgrounds remind me of my roommate (YOLO!)
• I count having read 19 out of these 30 “Book Club Books”– and am intrigued to read the rest!
• I recently ordered flowers to be delivered for my sweet sister-in-law (happy birthday, Ashley!) and was so thrilled by the job/affordability/timeliness of Sammy’s florist in Portland. If you’re in need of a florist who delivers, they are highly recommended. By me.
• How beautiful is this new website, launched by the talented Breanna Rose! Makes me want to get my hands on a more girly project…
• I got a kick out of the way this six year old pronounced French– I can so relate! And what a wonderful lesson in continuing to try new things, and ignoring the fact that you might look silly in the process.
• Some fun ampersands, and a DIY gift guide for ladies from Design Fixation, because really why not?
• I loved this post from DesignLoveFest about negativity online. I’ve found my blog/facebook/instagram/twitter, etc. to be nothing but positive, a community of encouraging friends and fellow creatives, but I realize that I’m probably in some unlikely Bermuda Triangle of the Internet. Haters gonna hate.
• As someone with unusually small ear holes, I appreciated this roundup of headphones specifically designed for women.
• I have this thing for narwhals ever since I was one for halloween….and this post is killing me. Narwhal ornaments??! Ermahgerd.
• Really beautiful story of the highest compliment Maurice Sendak ever received.

Happy, happy Monday y’all!