the 2011 calendar is (finally!) here!

our third annual calendar is in the shop, just in time for your holiday giving! our love affair with asian restaurants and fortune cookie fortunes continues with our handprinted calendar in bright peacock blue and fire red to make your whole year merry and bright.
view the pages here or jump straight to our shop and buy it here.

sweet jake, an english cocker spaniel, has been diagnosed with mast cell cancer, a common cancer in dogs that can be aggressive and dangerous. the best treatment is a quick surgery, which can be expensive. to help raise money for the surgery, jake’s owner anna, who is a talented seamstress, created the apron campaign. you pick the fabric and she’ll sew you a beautiful apron.
order yours (or just donate!) here.
(via sfgirlbybay)

i know that i’m hardly the first person to blog about canvas by lands’ end, but after a month of looking and thinking, last week i finally caved and ordered a few basics. and how could i not? i mean, really. there’s a sort of classic jcrew vibe but at a MUCH nicer price point. plus, a freckly redhead model? let’s face it, that’s about all they had to do to win my love.
and so my two tops arrived (i chose this one in navy and this one in green, both colors that are no longer listed on the site so my timing must have been good) and i can officially say they are fantastic. and not at all frumpy (which i admit was my fear since that’s sort of lands’ end’s realm). quality cotton, nice seams, and terribly cute. if you’re thinking about ordering, be sure to check their size charts, as things run large and you can expect to go down a size (or two). and so now, i’ll spend some time considering this dress. in yellow, of course. yum.
okay. you know rbb loves bikes. we also love soccer. a lot.
and we can’t help but love this awesome film from nike and wieden+kennedy. especially trailer park rooney and “ronal…DOH!”
fantastic.
the power of photography (and easy ways to help)

i don’t even know where to begin with this post. there is so much to say.
first, i guess that while i intellectually understood the gulf oil spill, it wasn’t until i came across these images that the boston globe recently published that the magnitude of it really hit home for me. and made me cry.
and want to help, in whatever way i can. to start, riding my bike everywhere i can. i figure the less oil i consume, the better.
and strange as it may sound, have my dogs groomed. i will send their fur (and there’s a lot of it) to help soak up oil via an organization called matter of trust. i know it sounds crazy, but it works. if you don’t have a dog, you can also get your own hair cut at a participating aveda salon that will send all hair clippings to matter of trust.
i know they are little things, but i want to help in my own small way. and all the little things add up. really. if you have any other ideas how we can help, please comment and share.
(thanks a ton to april and her wonderful blog for bringing these images and efforts to my attention. images are, of course, from the boston globe.)

that we hope to see you tonight!
it’s our very first first friday with the lowertown art scene and we’d love to spend it with you!
friday, may 7 (tonight!)
6:30 until we’re tired
the jax building #307
253 east 4th street, st. paul

i am in love with these beautiful vintage-inspired shirts from foret. oh, the colors! the textures! the simple, beautiful photography! can’t you just image a whole summer in such breezy, beautiful tops? sigh.
