Hump Day Distractions

Hump Daaaaay!

Guys. Today is my baby boy Dugans' 2nd birthday!!!! Remember yesterday when I mentioned that I might be too obsessed with my dog!? Well, first of all, NO SUCH THING and second, how could you not be obsessed with this face:

LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!!

Dugans may not have come home to Dr. H and I until Nov. of 2015, but he was born on this day 2 short, but somehow seems like forever, years ago. I can remember getting the email from the breeder that there was 1 little dude puppy in the litter (I've only ever had male dogs and figured I'd stick with what I know) and that he was nearly completely white (only thing we'd said was "NYC is dirty, we don't want a white dog"). After a lengthy debate which seems truly insane now, we decided that this pup was for us and the rest is history!!!

In honor of Mister Dugs (pronounced Doogs) birthday, here's a doggy style (hehe) serving of hump day distractions. Enjoy!

* Here are some of the best dog instagram accounts. Personal favorites of mine are Toast, Muppet, The Dogist, Samson and of course DUGANS!

* Do you know DoggoLingo?!

* Adorable puppers grow up into adorable doggos

* I could go on for hours about the love affair blossoming between baby and puppy in my house (and I probably will at some point), but for now, THIS

* Halloween is coming and obviously in my house it's going to be a family affair!!!

* Dog memes are funny

Insta-riffic

Happy sunny spring Monday my friends! Fresh off a delightful weekend filled with spring weather, QT with my hubby and delicious food (is there really anything better?) I'm cruising into today with a smile on my face and determination to avoid "the Mondays" (yaaaay Monday?!?) To help keep the mood bright and light, I wanted to share with you some of my favorite Instagram accounts to follow. 

Instagram is without question my favorite social media platform and escaping into my feed is a guilty pleasure I indulge in multiple times a day. So who am I following to fill my day with beautiful, delicious and delightful distractions? Check em out (click on the name to link directly to the Insta account and start following!):

* toastmeetsworld / muppetsrevenge

The tongue-baring King Charles Cavaliers of Insta sensation TheFatJewish (you're following him right!?) these two pups are adorable, the captions are hysterical and there is no limit to the ridiculous costumes and locations they will pop up in.

* Pete Souza

Allowing my inner geek flag to fly on this one... Pete Souza is the Chief Official White House Photographer and I love looking at his images of the President in action, places the President is traveling, behind the scenes in the White House and of course pictures of Bo and Sunny, the Obamas adorable dogs!

* Charlottelovely

The Insta account of London based stylist and photographer Charlotte Love (how great is that name!?), these colorful and playful images from her current projects usually make me smile as I pass them in my feed.

* This Wild Idea

I don't remember how I discovered Theron Humphrey's awesome Insta feed, but I'm sure glad that I did. A talented photographer and adventurer with companion Maddie (his adorable and photogenic dog) always by his side, prepare to smile at Maddie's amazing poses and some stunning scenery.

* Travel & Leisure

For my fellow wanderlust'ers, this account was created to keep our travel-hungry souls satisfied.

* The Infatuation

This restaurant review website includes NY, SF, CHI and DEN and the pictures will make your mouth water. I click through and if the location looks tasty and is in my city, I add the restaurant to my "Favorites" map for next time I'm drawing a blank on where to go eat!

* alwayssssleep

This account is only pictures of beds. Beds in gorgeous, fabulous, exotic settings. The captions are witty and the resting places are divine. If you like to sleep, this one's for you!

* IcecreamofInsta

Do you like ice cream? Do you want to salivate over pictures while ingesting zero calories? Thank you Instagram for bringing me all the ice cream my waistline could never handle in photo format (and for providing the exact location of where to procure said ice cream in case I decide I just NEED a scoop of my own:)

Yaaaaay!!

Life Goal.

Today is one of those Fridays when I feel super excited that it's Friday. Not because this week was particularly trying or bad, just because weekends (especially 3-day weekends!) will always be preferable to work days (no matter how much I love my work, I've recently discovered. Doh!) To send you into the weekend I thought I'd share a few things that have been making me smile recently. Here's to smiles, Saturdays, Sundays and holiday Mondays. xox!

I recently started following the instagram account BABYANMLS, the self-proclaimed "only baby animals page on instagram". It is so adorable I could squeal out loud every time one of their pictures comes up in my feed (and I often do). And of course because my Insta feed is quickly becoming a stream of dog and cute animal images anyway, I am now also following DailyAnmls, their other account.

People's creativity and talents never cease to amaze me and these hand carved Crayola "sculptures", available for sale on Etsy from Hoang Tran of "Wax Nostalgic" are no exception. These guys come in all sorts of characters (they'll even do a custom carving of your dog!) and would make an absolutely adorable gift, framed in a shadow box, or as art work hung perhaps in your kiddos' bedroom!? Check out the store and all Tran's amazing carvings HERE.

Started by one of my favorite bloggers/interiors designers Justina Blakeney, #FacetheFoliage is a collection of amazing collages of flowers and leaves made into faces with expressiveness beyond belief. Search the #FacetheFoliage on Instagram or Twitter for Justina's work and to see the movement she's created. Also check out the time Vogue got in on the trend..!

Hump Day Distractions

hehe.

What's a week without a hump!? Let's get over it together with these goodies from around the web. Enjoy!

* Get ready to salivate

* For anyone you know that's in the market for a wedding dress (eghm, Sis!)

* I might have to take a trip to London just to see THIS in person!

* Is it better to go fast or go far when you run?

* I want to wear you.

* This kid does not give a damn about meeting the President of the United States. You do you kid. 

* The truth behind a perfectly manicured Instagram life

* The perfect picture is all about the moment you go "click"

Hump Day Distractions

hehe.

I've been having a particularly distracting hump day, so much so that I got distracted from posting your links!! Better late than never right!? Have at it:

* These images are strangely beautiful...

* As someone who frequently makes up words/botches pronunciations, I bet I'm making some of these errors as well!

* I think I need this t-shirt.

* A super interesting post about J. Crew's shrinking size chart and the retail trend of "vanity sizing".

* "Let it Go" videos aren't done circulating the internet - enjoy THIS particularly adorable and enthusiastic rendition.

* Some iPhone myths and truths.

* One of my favorite Instagram accounts is getting some mayjah press. 

* These sorts of pictures/lists never fail to crack me up.

* 3 ingredient summer cocktails? Yes please.

* Shane, you are my hero.

Can't Knock the Hustle.

Be sure to take your daily dose of sparkle!

Bubbly Bath

Merry Meri is poppin glitter pills, spreading fabulous sparkle all around (and hopes to end today with something akin to the bathtub pictured above). She'll be back tomorrow with your regularly scheduled programming. Until then, check out THIS Instagram account of smiling dogs (because who doesn't love a smiling dog!?) ps, follow my main pup Oscar on Instagram HERE. xox.

I have officially lost it. (#OscartheFriendlyPup)

Own your crazy!

Last night I created an Instagram account... for my family's dog Oscar.

I know. I have officially lost it. But allow me to explain!!

1) Oscar is freakin awesome. He is the most cuddly, lovable dog I've ever known.

2) When anyone in my family walks Oscar around NYC, people constantly stop us to pet and love on Oscar, frequently asking if they can take his picture and even the occasional selfie WITH Oscar. Can you actually imagine stopping a stranger on the street and taking a selfie with their dog?! Well it happens to Oscar all. the. time.

Recently when Sis was walking Oscar in Washington Square Park, after a young girl snapped a pic of him, she asked if he had an Instagram account or Hashtag she should use to share the photo. He did not, but obviously when Sis relayed this funny exchange to me all I could think was BEST IDEA EVER.

So now I'm officially one of those crazy dog people who has created a social media account for my animal (even the "my" being a stretch given that he's a family dog in the family I belong to, but no longer live with...) Whatever. Want to follow Oscar's adventures? Just click HERE and follow the Instagram account that his officially crazy big sister created for him. And if you ever see us on the street, you better use the hairy man's official hashtag #OscartheFriendlyPup. I promise he'll make you smile. 

High Fashion Paper.

Meet "Mayhem". Mayhem and her mama Angie (of the Instagram feed @2sisters_angie) are paper dress designer extraordinaires, whose fashion talents have recently exploded Mom's Instagram following and landed them features on top websites like Huffington Post. Initially just a mama sharing the creative outlet she'd come up with for her fashion-focused 4-year old, the duo's "creating dresses with paper" idea took an amazing turn for the fabulous:

And don't you dare assume that the creativity stops at original designs! The two are pros at capturing the latest in Hollywood fashion as well: 

I cannot even handle the fabulousity of this little lady or her Mom's incredible eye/off the charts creativity! To keep up with Angie and Mayhem on their paper fashion journey, click HERE to follow on Instagram or check out their blog HERE. Work it girls!!!

Hump Day Distractions

Absolutely.

This week has been bananas, b-a-n-a-n-a-s... but the good bananas, like workin hard, having fun, livin well kind of bananas. So let's just keep on keepin on through hump day and head straight for the holiday weekend that's so close we can almost taste it!

* Sexy men reading classic children's books. Even sexier than you'd think (via CupofJo)

* Remember Rolly? I just wish I'd been asked to have him featured in THIS (via exPress-o)

* Recently added to my "to read" list.

* These amazing snaps were taken with a cellphone. A freaking CELL PHONE!!!

* Never been, heard good things... who wants to go eat with me!?

* Another way to lurve your Instagrams (a little pricey, but kinda awesome! courtesy of Justina)

* I want to live here.

* For the bookworm in your life, awesome books-turned-art/clothes/accessories? (another CupofJo awesome find!)

* If your phone could say what you really mean.

* Animal photobombs. Amazeballs. (thanks Sis!)

Insta-bsession

Of all the forms of social media I've encountered, I recently decided that Instagram is my favorite. As a lover of photography, the simple click-edit-share platform cuts away the clutter of Facebook, the character limits of Twitter and the creepy-stalkerishness of FourSquare. It's a chance to curate and share my collection of photos, whether they be scenic views, tasty meals or adventures with Dr. H.

The biggest problem I have with Instagram however, is that I never DO anything with my 'grams other than share them through my phone... and sometimes the shots are real winners and deserve a bit more lovin than that! So today I thought I would share my recently discovered Instagram printing options with my fellow Insta-lovers.

* Instaprint - http://www.onlinesocialprint.com/

* InstaThis - http://www.instathis.com/ (thanks for the tip Justina!)

* Printsagram - http://printstagr.am/

* CanvasPop - http://www.canvaspop.com/ (30% off sale until midnight!!)

To follow me on Instagram, click HERE. 

Hump Day Distractions

Smile! It's already almost Friday!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! And maybe more importantly, happy "you only have to survive 3 days this week!" Isn't that fabulous? All I can say is, thank goodness we get to ease back into reality because though I'm feeling fresh and energized after nearly two weeks of vacation/staycation-ing (last week's 2-day work week barely disrupted my flow) coming back to a routine is going to take some effort. Here are a few delightful distractions to help you get back to it.

* This news is still boggling my mind. Boggling.

* Always looking for ways to make life easier (the pizza idea is brilliant and oh so very "duh" inducing)

* A way to turn all your Instagrams into a tangible collection of photos from your life.

* I admit I am intrigued...

* Because 90% of us will attempt to eat healthier for at least another 48 hours.

* "Co-workers were complaining about your flatulence"