Friday link love

Happy Friday everyone!

Here's a photo of me from almost exactly one year ago! Then: I was taking silly photos of myself on photobooth. Now: holding a sleeping newborn baby on my left arm while I type with my right. Ah, how much changes in a year! ...and I wouldn't change it for the world!

Today I thought I'd share a little round up of links from around the internet that have caught my eye or tickled my fancy:

• First, I'm beyond excited for my buddy Leigh-Ann's new blog makeover and good news. Click here to head over to Freckled Nest's new home and "ooh" and "ahh" over that amazing new design. Love it!

• Also loving this round up of edible holiday gift ideas (and recipes!) via Framed blog- one of my favorite food/cooking spots online.

• Lately I've been watching some of my old favorite skate videos. I love love skateboarding- I don't do it myself but I was around it my entire life, from all of my guy friends to the boys I ended up dating...and Chad Muska was always my favorite when I was in high school. And by favorite I mean my huge crush. Some girls liked movie stars, other liked pop stars...I was into pro-skaters. haha. This snippet from a Transworld video (from 2000) takes me way back.

• I think this Russian doll floor cushion would be adorable in a baby girl's nursery! (via I heart Baby)

• "Fade into You" by Mazzy Star was one of my favorite songs and my girl Jess reminded me of so many happy 90s memories with this post. And seriously, how amazing were the 90s?!

• I'm a total bookworm and lit-nerd, so this has got to be one of my favorite Tumblrs. It takes everything in my willpower not to reblog a million things a day from this site. You can go to my Tumblr here, too.

• and finally, you know how much I love playlists. I also happen to adore the darling Amber Joy- so here's the best of both- a "stuck in traffic" playlist on Amber's blog. Stop by, give a listen, and say hello!

I hope all of you have a wonderful, magical weekend. Our plans: lots of baby loving, watching Modern Family, some Mexican takeout, and putting up the Christmas tree. Can't wait. xo

Robbie's Red Balloon, with a Nod to Seattle

Here it is December and I have all these loose ends, tattoos I photographed in the summer and, for some reason or other, never wrote about.

One such example belongs to Robbie, who is originally from Seattle. I stopped to talk to him at the corner of 34th Street and 7th Avenue, and he was kind enough to share this tattoo on his upper right arm:

Robbie explained that the red balloon is a family reminder about his grandmother, and that in addition to his own tattoo, his mother, brother, cousin and aunt all have tattoos that contain a red balloon, as a nod to the family matriarch.

The skyline depicted is punctuated by the Space Needle, Seattle's most recognizable landmark. Robbie is from Washington State, and the addition of this famous structure to a metropolitan cluster of buildings, which includes a scaled-down replica of the Empire State Building to its right, is a nod to his home town, while also recognizing New York City, his current home.


Robbie credited the tattoo to Liz at Addiction NYC, although he noted she tattoos somewhere out on Long Island now.

Thanks to Robbie for sharing his tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Guest post from Erin/Happy Owl!

Today's special guest feature is from my long-time blog buddy Erin. Many of you may know Erin, and if you do, you probably know her as I do: a kind-hearted, bright-spirited mama, wife, and friend to all. Erin and her beautiful family live in Alaska, and since I've met her, I've never ceased to be amazed by her zest for life! It's truly inspiring. I'm so happy to host Erin here today, and I hope all of you show her a little love, and hop over to her blog and say hello!




Hi everyone! I'm Erin from Happy Owl. Not only am I overwhelmingly excited about Danielle and Hank welcoming their first little man into the world but I am thrilled to be able to share a guest post with you today.

There is so much change happening these days; politically, personally and professionally, everyday, all around us. So I thought it would be fun for us to focus a bit on dreams today. Not the ones we have once our heads finally reach the pillow but the dreams that we dare to fulfill each day.

Are you a dreamer? A risk taker, a passionate person who preservers through adversity?

I have heard time and time again people say, "with this economy I can't afford to live my dreams." And when I hear that I get so sad. My husband and I took a risk as most of you know by moving to Alaska. Without any assurance or concrete plans, we forged ahead with our dreams to live life bigger and better than we did before.

Do you dare to be a dreamer too? Make your dreams become a reality?

Whether it be the dream to stay at home and raise your children,

source: cup of jo

Or open a beautiful shop with your sister,

Host a dinner in an amazing place,

source: cup of jo

Leave the corporate world and become an amazing photographer and artist,

Run an amazing business and inspire fashionable moms around the world,

Or be that lovely whimsical couple that thousands of readers adore.

Whether your dreams are big or small, overwhelming or not. Live them, dream them and share them with us below. I would love to hear what you have to say. Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!! :)

xo Erin

a little post about Elsie's Blog Love: an e-course for bloggers!

This week I had the chance to peek at my friend Elsie's new e-course, "Blog Love," and I wanted to make a quick post to recommend this course to all of you! As I browsed through the lessons (there's a LOT of information), I found myself growing more and more inspired with every click of the mouse. Elsie touches on any and every thing you could imagine in regards to blogging- from her own detailed blog story, to how to grow and create your own original space on the internet, common blogging mistakes, monetizing or not monetizing, writing prompts...you name it, it's there!

When I clicked out of the e-course, my mind was running with possibilities. I feel like I have a new fire under me in regards to blogging, and I'm looking forward to implementing a lot of the advice I found within the pages of "Blog Love." With the new year approaching I can't think of a better time find new inspiration and drive in creative endeavors, and if you agree with me on this, then you too may be interested in this fabulous course.

Click here for more info!

A Slice of...Claremont, CA!

My name is Katie. I'm *almost* 21 and an art education major at California State University San Bernardino, and I work as a barista at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. I love owls, vintage Pyrex, and nail polish :). You can check out my blog at: http://katieebeee.blogspot.com/


I'm from the city of Claremont, California! This town is wonderful and it's a true treasure among all the smog and traffic congested cities of Southern California. Claremont is home to lots of tree-lined streets and the Claremont Colleges, which are often considered ivy-league colleges of the West Coast. The Colleges (there are 5) have such beautiful campuses. They consist of large green lawns, beautiful historic buildings where classes are held, and lovely gardens. Scripps College is definitely the most notable, as far as beauty goes. One of my favorite buildings at Scripps is the Garrison Theatre. Then I'll take a walk down to the elm tree lawn. People are always out taking pictures and doing their own photoshoots here, like me! Many weddings are done here too.


My favorite place in Claremont is the Village. The Village is an area with many restaurants and boutiques. The awesome thing about Claremont is that it doesn't have any fast food restaurants, and almost all of the businesses and restaurants are run by small business owners. I love supporting small business owners because I feel like they deserve business so much more than the big boys! Anyway, my favorite store is The Grove Vintage. Its tucked away from all the hustle and bustle of Claremont, and totally worth the visit! Everything is vintage, of course. But whats even more awesome is the fact that the lady who owns is collects owls, too!


Just two blocks away from The Grove Vintage is where I work- Coffee Bean! I cannot even express how much I love my job. The location, my co-workers, the customers (usually) - everything about it is rad. This is also where I spend 3/4 of my life. :)


I know this sounds weird, but we have a pretty cool parking structure in the Village. Its pretty average as far as parking structures go. But the cool part about it is that it has a "plaza" that over looks the entire village! Not only that, but its also got this beautiful tile mosaic, along with chairs and a shelter kind of thing.


Next is Claremont's coolest park! Its known as Memorial Park, and its right off the main street of the city. Its got this really pretty historic building called the Garner House, where you can take a tour if you are lucky. Besides that, the park is just an average park. I just really like it because you can get a glimpse of all the pretty houses that surround it.


Lastly is Indian Hill. The prettiest street ever! Just like every street in Claremont, this street is lined with trees. Even though it is out of the way for me, I still will make an extra few minutes just to take this "scenic route". See for yourself :)


I wish I could communicate via internet how much I love this city, but I think it's impossible! I hope if you ever come to southern California that you will make a special trip to see this city. Trust me, its worth it!

Guest post from Kelly Ann/The Flowerchild Dwelling!

Yay for today and yay for Kelly Ann! I adore this girl, her blog, and her view on just about everything. I've been reading her blog for awhile, and let me tell you, if you like beautiful things, new/amazing music, and inspiring photos...hop on over and say hello! The Flowerchild Dwelling is absolutely one of my favorites, and I was just so happy when she agreed to contribute a post here while I am spending time with my new little bundle of joy! Kelly Ann is the epitome of beauty, in and out, and I know you will all enjoy this little glimpse into her musical world. Enjoy! And thank you so much Kelly Ann.


Hello Sometimes Sweet lovelies! I'm Kelly Ann from The Flowerchild Dwelling, and I'm so thrilled to be able to contribute to Danielle's wonderful blog while she is entering a beautiful new phase in her life. I'm so thrilled for her and her family - welcome to the world, Henry!


If you read my blog, you know I am absolutely obsessed with music and talk about it constantly. So, I thought I would share some lovely music with you today! November and December are two very different months, but both are months of celebration, gratefulness, and family. They're two of my favourite months!


November is filled with red, orange, and yellow colours, pumpkin patches, chai lattes, caramel apples, and crisp air. December is white wonderlands and snow (in some places), bows and packages, rosy cheeks, scarves, hot chocolate, holiday decorating, baking, and fireplaces. I always say that music can remind us of seasons and different times of year... so I thought I would combine some songs that had an autumn/November vibe, and some that had a winter/December vibe - into one playlist.

I always think of more folk/bluegrass tunes for autumn... very earthy and guitar-driven: Ray Lamontagne, Mumford and Sons, Gregory Alan Isakov. And for winter (besides traditional holiday tunes) - I think of sweeping, full, dreamy music: Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, Sigur Ros & Jonsi. Sprinkle in some classical, maybe a little french music, and a bit of jazz in between... and I give you: a playlist of just some of my favourite songs. :) I could have made this playlist even longer, but either way - I hope you love it, and maybe it will be the perfect soundtrack to your day! Thank you so much for having me... now press play and enjoy.

Mrs. Dirtbird's Wedding Tattoo

Yesterday we enjoyed seeing the neck tattoo of a Missouri-based artist nicknamed "Dirtbird," as well as a piece he had inked on his friend Shawn.

In addition to meeting both Shawn and Dirtbird across the street from where I work, I also met Katie, who half-jokingly referred to herself as "Mrs. Dirtbird". She shared this tattoo with us:

Katie explained that this is a wedding tattoo. The piece depicts a heart, comprised of a male and female bird, sewn together. Since she married Dirtbird, this seems like and appropriate expression of their matrimony.

The tattoo was inked by Becky "Pink Eye" Ashcraft, who works with Dirtbird at Punkteur Tattoo in Joplin, Missouri.

Thanks to Katie for sharing her cool tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!