Sailing off to new Projects

So, after much deliberation I have decided to shut down the blog for a while, or maybe forever. I will still keep all the old posts up, but I will not be making anymore new posts. There are a bunch of other projects I have lined up to work on, and I have never really been able to put as much time into The Brown Owl as I would like. So thank you guys all for reading! And who knows, maybe I will start it all back up in the future.

xoxo

Nicole

Etsy Update

What I have been working on lately...

Updating the Etsy Shop! The vintage one to be exact. It's about time I got all of these clothes up!! I am not even half way through yet, but I feel so much better even getting up a little bit at a time. Be sure to keep checking the shop because I will be stocking it every day hopefully. To visit my Vintage Etsy Shop click HERE.

Want It: J.Crew Sparkle Flats

I am not going to pretend that I don't love things that sparkle. Don't get me wrong, I am not one of those girls that wants to be draped in diamonds and always wearing pink. I actually think that gets a little tacky. I don't even wear a ton of jewelry. I'd rather spend the money on something else, I am perfectly content with my vintage costume jewelry. The one piece of jewelry I do look forward to is my engagement ring, but what girl doesn't? I should really say I am attracted to glittery things. Like these beautiful J.Crew flats! Are they not the cutest?! I would love to pair these with a cute little skirt for a night out. If only they were not $135... On to the want list they go...

Just Checking In

Let's see I don't know where to begin. First of all I had to work on the 4th, one of my most favorite holidays ever!! Which is why all I have is this fuzzy iPhone picture to show for my day. Bummer. I know. On the bright side I did get to see some fireworks!! I also just got back from vacation last week. I went to Charleston with some girls and it was so beautiful! I really recommend Charleston for your vacationing needs. Unfortunately I forgot my camera on the trip, so I only have some iPhone pics yet again, ugh! I need to get back to photographing my life! In other news I really am working on my Etsy shops and some blog stuff, which I know I say all the time. But this time I am trying my hardest to get everything up and organized. I am also deciding what I will be doing about my schooling this upcoming semester. School is just too far away (2 hours back and forth) for me to afford the gas to get there. I may wind up taking two more classes and just get my design certificate, concentration in Typography. I will probably also start photography classes and get to buying that new camera (Canon 5D Mark II) I have been swooning over. Anyways, sorry this wasn't much of a post, just checking in!! More to come soon!

Letterpress Process

Remember when I was talking about Letterpresses and all of the awesomeness they encompass?? Well, I just stumbled upon this video that explains the entire letterpress process in a much better way then my semi lucid rambling. So here you go, a beautiful video that will completely explain the process from start to end...

DIY: Pin Shadowbox

I don't know about you, but I tend to accumulate a ton of random craft/decorating items that sometimes get forgotten in the depths of my office/craft room. Imagine my delight when I rediscovered this shadow box I had bought last year. Since I no longer work at Starbucks I have a ton of pins (which we would earn for various reasons) that are going unused. Unfortunately the back of this particular box was not very cute, black, velvet, and all around cheesy. My solution, cover it up! I pretty much recovered this backing like I would have a chair but instead of stapling I glued.

What you need...

• shadow box (I got mine at Hobby Lobby)

• tan fabric

• burlap

• glue gun

• scissors (preferably fabric ones)

This DIY job is pretty simple and self explanatory. I first covered the backing with tan fabric since the burlap was a little see through and the black would definitely show. I used the glue gun around the perimeter of the backing, leaving a little extra fabric hanging over the edges. I then trimmed the fabric so it was flush with the backing and repeated the process with the burlap.

I honestly used the burlap because it was what I had lying around, but I really do like how it came. Burlap does kind of go with coffee right? Those big burlap sacks of beans are often used to decorate coffee shops. You can of course use whatever fabric you prefer. I hope you try this out if you have any type of pin collection you would like to display. Let me know how it goes!!

Skinny Love

Oh my goodness, this little girl is amazing! And I say little because she was only 14 when she did this video (I believe she is 15 now). Her Bon Iver cover is so beautiful, love everything about it!! Just thought I would share the loveliness.

Wear It: Elsa Billgren

Let me just say Elsa's blog may be one of my absolute favorites! She has thee cutest style, a fabulous job, and an adorable husband. I am pretty sure she blog's for Elle but I am not quite positive because everything on her page is in Swedish because she lives in Sweden! Awesome right? I love seeing what fashionable girls around the world wear. From what I have gathered from Google translate (very helpful little tool) is that for a while Elsa worked at an upscale vintage store, which explains all of her pretty dresses! I am seriously jealous of her collection, all frilly and dainty, perfect for a fashionable girl on the town.

Not only can Elsa wear a dress, but I absolutely adore the silhouette she usually goes with. A-Line has always been my personal cup of tea. It is well suited for my height and body shape and is also super lady like which I love. Elsa also pairs most of her dresses with some fabulous shoes, she def has a closet I would love to raid! Most of them are heels or wedges which of course look great with dresses, the whole elongating the leg action is always something us girls welcome. I only put up a few of the many photos from Elsa's blog I encourage you to check it out for the rest it is def a must read!

Instagr.am

I've been working on basic stuff lately, now that my work schedule has become pretty normal. I actually have had a second to catch my breath so now I can get back to the everyday boring stuff. Here is my stuff to get done because I have to stop procrastinating list:

• make eye, dental, reg check-up, foot and hair appointments (I am a car that needs to go to the shop haha)

• clean room

• clean car (sort of done with this already)

• clean office (a never ending task)

• organize Etsy stuff (not gonna lie dreading this just a little)

• hang out with friends! (been neglecting and it's time to party!)

• check out photography classes for Fall

• find comfortable AND stylish shoes for work (impossible!)

• get more blog posts together!!

• get some healthy meals/recipes together

andddd I am probably forgetting like 7,000 things but, OH WELL!! While I try to think of more things to add to my list here are some Instagr.ams [if you would like to follow my name is theebrownowl] I have taken lately...

Photos include my brand new whats with the cattitude? nail polish, new American Eagle shoes (I know who knew??), my new fav. floral top (Anthro of course), some awesome movies for my collection, my new Not Made in China tote, my semi clean office, and catching up on my Google Reader.

Want It: Wooden Letterpress Alphabet

Vintage Wooden Letterpress Letters

I don't know if you have noticed but I have been posting a lot of design related stuff lately. I promise it is not on purpose. I still love florals, owls, and lace dresses. I guess I have subconsciously been exploring another facet of my interests. Which brings me to a major want of mine lately... A vintage wooden letterpress alphabet set! Being a graphic designer I have a great appreciation and love for where our trade has come from. Wooden type, for those of you who don't know was used in early printing (as well as today) to create posters, pamphlets, and pretty much anything that needed type printed on it. Not only are these type letters historical, but they are just so pretty!! Right now I own only three pieces of wooden type. All letter "N" and I love them to pieces but I would truly love a whole set! Too bad most alphabet sets are around $100. I guess I will just have to keep up the yard sale hunt till I find a deal on my very own wooden alphabet.

P.S. Here is an awesome video about type you may want to check out, I guess this could have almost been a "Design It" post, oh well...

Nowhere Boy

Let me start off by saying the second I saw this trailer I could not WAIT to see this movie. Unfortunately it took forever to release in the US so I had to wait patiently. My love for The Beatles started in 8th grade when my Mom popped in a mix CD on a long car ride. By the chorus of "We Can Work it Out" I was hooked. Whichever friend of hers made that CD really deserves a gigantic hug. Not only were the Fab Four on there but I was also introduced to The Monkees, The Kinks, The Who, The Doors... and so many more. That first CD was really all I needed to jump start my love for The Beatles and classic rock in general. I ran with it. I read every article I could find on The Beatles, watched every bit of YouTube footage, rented every movie they were in, and read every biography written (I highly recommend Hunter Davies). I even did a cause effect paper on them in high school. It was entitled "The Beatles effect on America" In case you were curious I got an A! I seriously became obsessed. While I still love my Beatles I have packed up all of my peace sign jewelry, and put away my woodstock posters. I am no longer in my "hippie phase" as my Mom so annoyingly used to call it. But my love for the Beatles will never go away.

Warby Parker

Today I want to tell you guys about this awesome company call Warby Parker. A girl at work told me about them after coming in sporting some awesome new glasses and I knew I had to give them a try. Their business is simple, pick five of your favorite frames from their website, try them on at home (all free of charge), send them back (free of charge) and order your favorite for the low low cost of $95. You read right, $95 for frames and lenses PLUS free shipping. Sounds too good to be true, I know! But it really is that simple. My five frame choices were, The Huxley, The Winston, The Crosby, The Filmore, and The Webb. Below are pictures of my three favorites, and my final choice which I will be ordering as soon as I get my updated prescription. I am in LOVE with the pair I picked and really do recommend this to anyone who is due for a new pair of specs! Oh! and sorry for the ridiculous faces, while I love being behind the camera, I tend to dislike being in front of it...

Aren't they so fun!! I wore them around the house for the past three days asking my family over and over which ones they liked most. They voted unanimously and thankfully for the pair I like best! And while I love all three, my absolute favorite is the...

I can't wait to get to the eye doctor and get my new prescription! Oh, and by the way this was not at all a sponsored post, mainly because I don't do sponsored posts. I just wanted to share this awesome new company with you all!

Design It: Pantone

Another "Design It" post! I just couldn't help myself I am in love with everything Pantone! For those of you who are not giant nerds; Pantone books are the universal color books used by designers everywhere. Say I wanted to print a giant poster for a new super cool band and I found just the perfect shade of yellow for the sunrise vector I created for the background. Well imagine my excitement when the poster arrives, I unroll it and ECK! it is not the beautiful burnt yellow I picked but more like a neon yellow that belongs only on 80's related memorabilia. The problem was I saw a much different color on my computer screen (because of the light being projected behind it/ my personal brightness settings/ the light in the room I was working on it in ect.) then the actual color being printed. In order to avoid this color catastrophe Pantone books were created so that no matter where you are in the world the color you want will be the color you get. Each color is assigned a number which can be plugged into the design you are working on to ensure color perfection. Not only are Pantone books a great way to keep designers and printers from going insane, but the books themselves are designed pretty darn well. They are simple, sleek and straight to the point. My kind of design! I am honestly in love with all of the Pantone items below but I have been super duper wanting the iPhone case!! If only I could find a place in the US that doesn't charge $30 shipping...

1. Pantone Postcards

2. Pantone iPhone Cover (i want soooo bad!)

3. Pantone Mug

4. Pantone Tote

5. Pantone Colored Pencils

Jersey Trip

Wow! Sorry this took so long to post but it has been a whirlwind of school and work ever since we got back from NJ. Needless to say, we made it there safe and sound but in need of some chiropractic help after sitting for 11 hours with our knees touching our noses. Yeah, compact cars are not the best transportation choice for four grown adults and their four suitcases. We stopped at my Popop's first which is up in the mountains (yes there are actually mountains in NJ). It was great and I was soo happy to see him (He is probably the person I miss the most from NJ, I wish he would move closer to us). After that we headed to my cousins where I got to meet little baby Vincenzo!! And oh my goodness he is the cutest little munchkin I have ever seen! I held him for about two hours because he fell asleep in my arms! He really is the cutest thing ever! He was a little preemie when he was born and is only 6lbs now making him all the more precious!

Can you not get over his little hands or what?! Eeek so cute! My favorite things about babies are how tiny their little hands and feet are. Can you believe all of us once had hands that little? I just can't take the cuteness! And we can't forget about Vito... my cousins mastiff. He really is an adorable dog! I usually don't like big dogs too much, but Vito is an exception. He has the loudest, deepest bark I have ever heard (it's actually a little scary) but deep down he is just a little teddy bear that wants to be pet. My cousin even told us that sometimes when the baby is crying he will come grab her or her husbands arm and pull them over to the baby and then sit there and look at them like "You gonna do something about this?" Hilarious.

On Wednesday we headed to NYC via our local train. Our crew consisted of my mom, sister, my best friend Jill, her mom, sister, and of course me. We thought this was best because this way everyone had a "buddy" to hang out with. Little did we know that having six people would deny us from being able to take a cab. After eating a quick lunch we tried to hail a cab (we were aiming for one of the van ones because of our large group) but no one would stop. Jill and I have been to NY plenty of times and hailed cabs before so we really could not figure out why no none was stopping. We gave up after a while and started to head the fifty blocks to the Museum of Natural History.

Words of wisdom to anyone planning a trip to NYC anytime soon: DO NOT walk fifty blocks when you are going somewhere that requires you to walk through the entire thing. Yeah, we literally had to drag each other through the exhibits at the museum. Not that we didn't like the museum. I actually loved it! The dinosaurs were my favorite part!! I actually couldn't believe that after so many trips to NYC I had never been to the Museum of Natural History. I will always love the MET best, but this was a close second. I will need to go back again when I have a little more energy, but at least my Mom got to enjoy visiting the place where she used to spend so much time as a kid. She was literally bursting to see the "giant" whale that she insisted had to still be there. Thankfully it was and she even got a picture with it.

After leaving the museum we got the big bad news from a nice cab driver that no one, not even a van would take six people in it. So we headed off to the subway and took a ride back to Times Square. Once there we headed to Bubba Gump for some dinner partially because it had the least wait time. It actually was really nice, we had a great view looking down at Times Square while we ate. After we finished up we headed to H&M to do some shopping. I was unfortunately disappointed at the selection, we even went to the three story location in Herald Square. Oh well, maybe next time. After wrapping up at H&M we headed back to the train and got back to NJ around midnight. The rest of our trip was spent visiting friends and family which was really nice. I actually wound up getting sick the last couple of days because I was so tired, but I was tired before we left so I expected the sickness. Now I can't wait to plan our next trip back where I will be well rested and energized so I can enjoy every second of my NJ.

My Little Garden State

Have I mentioned I am from New Jersey...

The shore to be exact. I was technically born in New York, but my family is from the shore and that is where I have collectively spent most of my life. We have lived there on and off and it is the place that feels most like home. Yes, the rumors are true... We are Italian, most of our neighbors are Italian, we eat pasta every sunday, we are loud, we are tan (not orange those are the medigans that are trying to be Italian), we love the Yankees, we have an abnormal obsession with our motherland and have the need to put the Italian flag everywhere, The Godfather boxed set sits proudly on the mantel, and Frank Sinatra can be heard somewhere in the background of any major get together. I can not say that I have held onto all of the traditions of my Jersey now that we have moved down South, but I can say every once in a while I miss the chaos and delicious smells of my Grandma's house. Which is why I am excited that I get to visit my little state this week! I can't wait to get some coffee at Wawa, grab a poppy seed Manhattan bagel, have some lasagna, not have to pump my own gas, go to NYC, see my best friend, and meet my cousin's new little baby Vincenzo (Vinnie for short, too cute right)!! Hopefully this will be a great trip and I will be sure to share the stories when I get back! (If you are super curious how my trip is going I will probably post pictures and updates on my Twitter while I am there).

Oh! And let me explain the picture above. That is my best friend and I at the Jersey Shore house, yes Snooki has most likely stood in that very spot before... I actually wasn't a big Jersey Shore fan at first, but one night while flipping through the channels I saw my cousin on one of the episodes (he was "The Cop" in season one if you are curious) and I have been hooked ever since. Like everyone else it has become my guilty pleasure. I justify it by saying I need to watch because it reminds me of home and I have to see if I can spot anyone else I know. It has become a fun game of "Where's the Guido?"

Well, it was fun sharing a little about my life. I will be back to posting when I get back!! I hope everyone enjoys their Spring Break!

Seen It: Anatomy of a Murder

This Valentines Day I bought my mom a little old movie called Anatomy of a Murder. Not exactly Valentines Day themed, but still a terrific movie. I honestly love any movie Jimmy Stewart is in, and it doesn't hurt when there is a little eye candy involved (Ben Gazzara). You can def. file this movie under courtroom drama but don't worry the entire movie is not shot in a stuffy room. You will take the ride along with Stewart from the jail to Barney Quill's bar (the scene of the town's most recent murder). Jimmy plays a former district attorney who is hired by a young army lieutenant named Frederick Manion to clear him from the murder charge he has looming over him. Manion has found himself in need of a good lawyer after shooting Barney Quill, a bar owner who allegedly raped his wife. It is obvious from the start that Manion and his wife Laura are not going to be helping Stewart prove his innocence. Between Laura's scandalous behavior and dress, and Manion's hot head and jealous rage it looks like Stewart has his work cut out for him. Not only is this a very interesting story, but it is also one that keeps you thinking. I personally believe the ending is meant to keep you guessing about what really happened that day that a jealous husband found his promiscuous wife stumbling home with what proved to be a fatal story.