one chance

Jason makes a killer zombie, don't you think?

Let's play a little game...
one of the best games (via gretchen) I've ever seen.

You are in a mall when the zombies attack.
You have:
1. One weapon.
2. One song blasting on the speakers.
3. One famous person to fight alongside you.
Weapon can be real or fictional;
you may assume endless ammo if applicable.
Person can be real or fictional.
Play along if you'd like!

I had a very hard time choosing a song...(Gretchen used Killer Queen - genius!) so I ended up having to go with two scenarios:

Scenario 1-
1) a really big gun (thanks to my friend Josiah, I now know what I mean is a "semi-automatic Remington 1187 shotgun with unlimited slug ammo")
2) Requiem - Mozart
3) Christopher Walken

Scenario 2-
1) a sniper rifle
2) Take On Me - A-Ha
3) Angelina Jolie

PS Happy Halloween, everyone!
PPS more polas here.

happy cheesy joke day

In the spirit of Halloween-candy-eating time, here are a few Laffy Taffy jokes for you...enjoy!

What is a witch's favorite subject?
- Spelling.

How does a witch tell time?
- By her witch watch.

What do you call it when the Easter Bunny shows up for Halloween?
- A Hoppy Halloween.

Why don't skeletons ever go trick or treating?
- They don't have any body to go out with.

What do dogs celebrate on October 31st?
- Bow wow ween! ....(I personally thought it should have been "Howl-oween").

Why didn't the skeleton cross the road?
- Because he had no guts.

What did one casket say to the other casket?
- Is that you coughing?!

Who did Frankenstein take to the prom?
- His ghoul friend.

photo via

obsessing...

over this wedding.

He's a magician!

via vintage glam

trick or treat?

Definitely treat.

Too cute Halloween card available for free download from Inside a Black Apple. It's too late to mail...but it would still be fun to give to friends!

via armelle

do the monster mash

It will make you happy. I promise.

I was working in the lab late one night
When my eyes beheld an eerie sight
For my monster from his slab began to rise
And suddenly to my surprise

He did the mash
He did the monster mash
The monster mash
It was a graveyard smash
He did the mash
It caught on in a flash
He did the mash
He did the monster mash

From my laboratory in the castle east
To the master bedroom where the vampires feast
The ghouls all came from their humble abodes
To get a jolt from my electrodes

They did the mash
They did the monster mash
The monster mash
It was a graveyard smash
They did the mash
It caught on in a flash
They did the mash
They did the monster mash

The zombies were having fun
The party had just begun
The guests included Wolf Man
Dracula and his son

The scene was rockin', all were digging the sounds
Igor on chains, backed by his baying hounds
The coffin-bangers were about to arrive
With their vocal group, "The Crypt-Kicker Five"

They played the mash
They played the monster mash
The monster mash
It was a graveyard smash
They played the mash
It caught on in a flash
They played the mash
They played the monster mash

Out from his coffin, Drac's voice did ring
Seems he was troubled by just one thing
He opened the lid and shook his fist
And said, "Whatever happened to my Transylvania twist?"

It's now the mash
It's now the monster mash
The monster mash
And it's a graveyard smash
It's now the mash
It's caught on in a flash
It's now the mash
It's now the monster mash

Now everything's cool,
Drac's a part of the band
And my monster mash is the hit of the land
For you, the living, this mash was meant too
When you get to my door, tell them Boris sent you

Then you can mash
Then you can monster mash
The monster mash
And do my graveyard smash
Then you can mash
You'll catch on in a flash
Then you can mash
Then you can monster mash

oh my goodness, oh my goodness

This Friday at 7pm, at the New York Halloween parade, a secret group of friends are planning to recreate that fabulous Ferris Bueller scene, where Ferris inspires a Chicago parade to sing Twist & Shout. They have 1,000 volunteers, balloons, sound equipment & (my favorite part) an entire marching band!

I want to be part of something this cool...& if it pertains to The Beatles, even better!
PS I've been thinking about that top 10 list, Cindy.

via a cup of jo

in love

is what i am.the snail and the cyclops

i'm not sure why...

but I'm slightly obsessed with this cartoon ...& the fact that the file name is "its free & you cant get your hair in a ponytail if you dont."

I am growing my hair out & I definitely don't want to be.

via cusp of normal

a slightly morbid alphabet

Check out The Gashlycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey.

Ernest is my favorite. Which is yours?

surrender

Just loving Adrian Johnson's work...

like this great mustached man.
& especially this one, which kind of makes me want to cry.

via design for mankind

salty & sweet

What's salty & sweet & even better

than zombies stuck to your walls?

(this sounds like some sort of terribly cheesy joke, doesn't it?)

Zombies dancing above your head at night!

via rare bird finds

i've got zombies stuck to my walls

not really...though I wish I did.

via we covet

thrill the world

Could you tell that the boys were doing the Thriller dance in my last post?

Pretty ironic considering this past weekend people in 91 cities of 12 different countries celebrated Thrill the World & rocked out to Thriller...we had no idea this was happening. What a coincidence!

Hm, now I can't stop thinking about zombies...

via Prêt à Voyager

happy monday

How was your weekend, everyone? Mine was absolutely fantastic.

Friday: of Montreal at The Pageant.

+

Saturday: Fall Fest at Camp Ondessonk.

+

Sunday: two games of Scrabble at home. =

Wonderful.

The above photo is from Ondessonk's 2nd Annual Fall Fest. Think painting faces & pumpkins, hot apple cider, pony rides, a caramel apple buffet, & haunted (hilarious) hayrides. Tons of fun. I'm thrilled to be able to say I've had the privelage of attending both years now.

AAAHH!!! real monsters

All this Halloween talk got me thinking about famous monsters...which of course led me to real monsters. Did anyone else looove this show? I'm pretty sure Ickis was my first true love.

dracula puppets

These puppets are gorgeous.
The entire shop is dream-worthy.

via rare bird finds

costumes, costumes, costumes

When Lauren asked me about what I'm dressing as this Halloween, I realized that I hadn't thought about it nearly enough. Do you have any good ideas?

Last year, my friend Kelsey & I tried (to no avail) to get our group to dress as Scooby & the gang. (I firmly believe in homemade/gathered costumes so we wouldn't have used those pictured, but just to give you an idea). I would, of course, have been Velma & she would, of course, have been Daphne. Gosh! It would have been so fun...but now, most of our core group is scattered across the country so it looks like it may never happen. Le sigh.

As for this year, I'm thinking we're going to throw together a decade party (you know how much I've been wanting to!). I'm leaning towards something along these lines.

How much do you love Mad Men? I'm afraid I'm slightly addicted.

In other costume news, this Mega Man is quite possibly the coolest, most inventive, & downright adorable costume I've ever seen.
via hello bauldoff

evolution

I'm sure many of you have seen the Dove Evolution commercial. If you haven't, you definitely should. It blows my mind every time.

Then, after you've seen the Dove commercial, come back here to watch this parody.


I can't wait to carve my pumpkin! We have plans to do it this weekend & I can already taste the roasted seeds. Have you carved/decorated a pumpkin yet? Will you? If you do, put up some pictures & comment here with a link...Then I can make a jack-o-lantern hall of fame for everyone to see our work!

halloween is coming!

I love Halloween. It just may have been my favorite holiday as a kid. I'm from a very small town but Halloween night never failed to be absolutely crawling with people. We always got roughly 400 trick-or-treaters (this is a lot, right?!). My idea of a lot may be skewed but anywhere else I've ever lived, I only get a handful of kids...maybe 20. Regardless, Halloween has always been a big celebration in my family & all of the Halloween inspired posts around the blogosphere have been getting me super excited. The next handful of posts will most certainly reflect that excitement.

photo via

interobang this

I keep going back to this necklace. I definitely love it.
Now, whether or not to indulge...

via paper schmaper

dead celebrities

I'm just loving these images of dead celebrities - created entirely from type. Thanks for the link, Amanda!

via geekologie

incredible

Remember when I was questioning how people put on their pants both legs at a time?
Apparently this is how...

good grief is right

i just can't stand how adorable this is.

via rare bird finds

i am bound & determined...

to have a decade-themed party.
hopefully sooner rather than later.

via a cup of jo

punctuate!

The flyer pretty much explains it all so let me just say that if you enjoy helping kids to find a love of writing & if you love all things punctuational, you should come out to support this event.

At the very least, it will be FUN!

StudioSTL is a fantastic organization. Find out more about what they do here.

forgive my rudeness

Earlier I posted about a show in St. Louis coming up next week but, until Krissy mentioned not knowing who Old Crow Medicine Show is, I hadn't even thought to share a bit of their music with you. How silly of me!

Wagon Wheel is probably their most popular (parts of which you may recognize from a similar Bob Dylan song). & oh does this video shake me up! I can't decide if I hate it or love it. ...I'm leaning towards love it.



But I think this one is actually my favorite song.

They are folky & fantastic. Enjoy!

old crow medicine show

OCMS at The Pageant in St. Louis next Wednesday. I couldn't be any more excited. Anyone else from the area going?

image via hello bauldoff

road trips

Yesterday a good friend (who I happen to work with) & I were running errands for a manager & we started talking about where we would go if we ran away in the company van. We decided on Maine & then changed our minds & decided on Maine...followed by the entire east coast.

Clearly it didn't happen because I'm here, on my work computer, writing to you today...but it got me thinking & what I'm thinking is a nice long road trip is in the works.

I would love to make it in one of these.

birds of prey

This wallet makes me smile.

It reminds me of the summer camp I work for, Camp Ondessonk. Ondessonk is Huron for "bird of prey," which is what the Hurons called Father Isaac Jogues, the man our camp is named after.

...also, I just really like owls.

traveling gnomes

I've told you about swap-bot at least once before...but recently I took part in a swap that I couldn't resist sharing. This photo is from the Traveling Gnomes swap...it was just like it sounds, except you didn't have to use a gnome if you didn't want to (of course, I did).

After conferring with your swap partner to learn a bit about them, you chose a softie or trinket of a sort that he/she would enjoy. Then you took at least 10 photos of it, & mailed it along with the photos to your partner. So fun!

Now I'm wondering...if I hosted a similar swap here, would anyone be interested? Comment to let me know. If enough people voice interest, I'll put it together!

i've got a polaroid...

I found a polaroid camera...for freeee. Can't wait to start shooting!

pola via design crush

a dance party is just what i need

the stress of too much to do & too many decisions to make in too little time has been making me feel a bit ill...but lighthearted quirks like this necklace remind me that dancing helps everyone feel better.

via rare bird finds

the quirkbook

image via

Weeks ago, Lauren of Double Takes emailed me about this great list of quirks put together on Rands In Repose. Thanks Lauren!

Some of my favorites from the list:
-brentsimmons I always sit on the right side of the plane, where it’s safe.
-ckolderup volume levels on TV/stereo/etc must be even or divisible by 5. (me too buddy, me too)
-epochblue M&Ms must be eaten in even numbers. You wouldn’t want one side of your mouth to get jealous while the other eats an M&M, would you?
-ergelo always click my pen open twice before writing, it certainly won’t write as well if i don’t.
-kissane My closet door must be closed at night so nothing can eat my shoes. (We keep neither dogs nor raccoons).
-maczter I always put my pants on both legs at the same time. (i would love to know how?)

I definitely have quite a list of my own...most of which have to do with balance, patterns, routine, order. I am very adamant about things being in their place.
Odd things.
For example, I can have a basket full of clean laundry sit on my bedroom floor for a week, but once the clothes make it to the closet, each & every article must be facing left & be organized by frequency of use.
Every magnet on my fridge has to be in it's exact place.
Every word, every letter written in my planner or class notebook must be in the same color. Better if it's all written with the same pen.
The list goes on.

What are your odd little quirks?

serious baby

zipper week

There's an interesting theme over on the purl bee this week. Can't wait to see what they've got in store!

things i learned as a kid = brilliant

i always wanted to be a tenenbaum
via swissmiss

have i ever mentioned...

my undying love for The Beatles?

image via k is for katie

quir-keys

How could I not love these?
Not only are they owls, but they're named Quir-Keys.
I'm pretty sure they were made especially for me...although, apparently not. Because they're sold out & I don't have them.

6 unspectaculars

Kaylen tagged me ages ago & since I'm apparently in the mood for games, I might as well keep playing!

6 Unspectacular Things About Me:
1) Growing up, I wanted to be a gymnast, an artist, an astronomer, a lawyer, & then an English teacher. In that order. With no others in-between.
2) I loathe wearing socks with every fiber of my being.
3) I put ketchup on mashed potatoes.
4) I was forced to watch Gremlins by a friend when I was four. I then had nightmares every night for two years (literally). Just the sight of the box still makes me shudder. Silly, I know.
5) In 2nd grade I learned the order of our presidents to the tune of Yankee Doodle Dandy. I sang it at welcome day of my first year of college to win an ice-breaker game for my group.
6) 6 is my favorite number. I have a very strong bias towards the 6th item on any list...unless it's socks.

Play along if you'd like - & comment if you do...I'd love to know your unspectaculars!

& since we're talking about unspectaculars, you should really check out Bill Keaggy's photo collection of The Unspectacular Doors of St. Louis. I don't know about you, but unspectacular is definitely not a word I would use to describe his work.

happy monday

I hope you all had wonderful weekends. Mine was spectacular. It has been so great spending time with my brother & the graduation was nothing short of incredible...photos soon.

I have so much to get caught up on but I just can't seem to find my focus today, so in search of some inspiration, I thought it would be a good time for me to play this little game.
1. Laura y el aire, 2. Mom's Lasagna Recipe, 3. ICG 9545 near Freeburg, IL (May 1984), 4. Cerulean Curves, 5. registering Zachary Levi cheek swab, 6. Apple Juice Heart, 7. Puerto Rico - cafe scene, 8. Picking Peaches, 9. Day 8/366 • At least I look creative..., 10. Di che colore sei? (What kind of color are you?), 11. 41 • 365 :: Ministry of Silly Walks, 12. engaged

Answer the following 12 questions about yourself:
1. What is your first name? (laura)
2. What is your favorite food? (mom's 10lb lasagna)
3. What high school did you attend? (freeburg community highschool...we were the midgets! yes, really.)
4. What is your favorite color? (cerulean)
5. Who is your celebrity crush? (zachary levi)
6. Favorite drink? (apple juice)
7. Dream vacation? (puerto rico)
8. Favorite dessert? (peach everything)
9. What do you want to be when you grow up? (creative)
10. What do you love most in life? (color)
11. One word to describe you? (silly)
12. Your Flickr name? (lbeau6)

Now type your answer to each of the above questions into Flickr's search. Using only the images that appear on the first page, choose your favorite then copy & paste each of the URL’s into the Mosaic Maker (3 columns, 4 rows). Fun!