Better than an annoying FWD:

Returning to work after a long holiday weekend is always particularly painful.

Due to much tighter pants, you've sworn yourself to a diet of minestrone soup or Lean Cuisines, so the 11:32 a.m. kitchen snack of Baked Doritos isn't there to brighten your day. Your office chair you previously thought comfy and adequate pales in comparison to mom and dad's recliner. And the traditional five-day work week is looming ahead, mocking you. Friday is so far away.

I'm glad I discovered the someecards.com Workplace section so I can bring a little sarcastic sunshine to my coworkers tomorrow. I've loved the site's irreverent e-cards for quite a while, but hadn't yet perused the section perfect for gifting to your coworkers. I am scared that the creators of these cards "get" the workplace as much as they do.

The free cards are spot on, with jokes about not joining your colleague's LinkedIn network, apologies for IMing them from three feet away and feeling connected to your cubicle mate via their shared iTunes folder. They even poke fun at inevitably pointless colleague chatter, such as "It feels like a Tuesday." I'd rather it feel like Friday, myself.

So go ahead and clog the email inboxes of your colleagues. These cards are likely to be the one thing they fish out of their quarantined junk box that brings a smile to their face. Although, I can't for the life of me imagine an appropriate time to send some of these, like uh, this one.

Although, I do really want to see a card like "Do you have the dial-in number?" or "Sorry I ate your box of Wheat Thins while you were on vacation." But of course, my current favorites joke about timesheets, like the one you see above.

How could a joke about timesheets not be funny?

Cat Power

I have been sending too many cat videos to my coworkers. One suggested I make a cat blog. Sounds a little scary, so I think I'll stick with just a funny cat video every now and then. This one is great - cats are so smart!

Rorschach Turkey

Behold, the impressionist/ink blot turkey masterpiece I created in honor of Thanksgiving.

Isn't he pretty? You can make one, or something else less festive, at http://www.jacksonpollock.org/. Play around with it, try to spell your name, draw your favorite pair of shoes, your dog, etc. FYI, hitting the space bar clears the screen.

Make sure you hit F11 and do a "print screen" and paste into another application when you see something you like. You can save the image as a jpeg and do absolutely nothing with it. Enjoy.

Attention Black Friday Shoppers

I am that girl that gets up at a very unreasonable hour the day after Thanksgiving to grab much-needed Starbucks and then fight my way through the mall. My name is Brianne, and I'm a Black Friday shopper.

This is not necessarily because I'm aware of any great deals or really need to get my holiday shopping done. I just love feeding into the crazy madness and seeing all those bloodshot people, tired from all the tryptophan, lunging for cheap electronics. I sit back with my Peppermint Mocha and laugh at the ensuing chaos.

So imagine my surprise when I found out there was an entire blog dedicated to Black Friday deals and ads! There are literally message boards lovingly referring to Black Friday as "BF" (hey! it's an acronym not just for your boyfriend!) and threads about everything from being pregnant on Black Friday to a drunk poster asking why beer companies don't participate in post-Thanksgiving discounts. You can even sign up for "Black Friday Ads Mobile." Wow, this is almost like Facebook. Can you "poke" people, too?

One user who is a certified "Black Friday Pro," is going to share all of her November 23 shopping experiences live via webcast at http://bf2k7.fundies.org/. And it looks like a journalist from the board is including her in the article about Black Friday for an New York-based newspaper. She said she'll post the story once she's done with it - I am really curious how it will turn out. Even Gizmodo likes this site.

So for those of you who haven't found a favorite hobby or sport, maybe you should take up "Black Friday Shopping." You could buy really cheap holiday gifts and parlay it into some Internet fame.

Pretty Trash

Right now, everything is "going green" or "eco-friendly." I feel a little passe with my non-hybrid car everytime I go to the gas pump. However, I am finding I really do like an off-shoot of this trend - using things that are usually deemed as trash to make something much more pretty, art.

Case in point, Tara Donovan's upcoming exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York opening this Tuesday, November 20, that makes larger-than-life installations out of ordinary objects you'd find around the house like tape and drinking straws. So instead of piling up in a dump, or on a beach like Styrofoam beads are want to do, it becomes pretty amazing art that you can pay a $20 suggested donation to see. I'd love to see something like this Stryofoam cup extravaganza. Tara's also got about 18,000 graphite pencils on display at BEDFORD Gallery in Walnut Creek, Calif. through December 22, 2007. Bay area friends, check it out!

Also, like the Blueprint blog, Bluelines, I am a very big fan of Chris Natrop's lovely paper pieces. I instantly thought of Tord Boontje, too (anyone looking for an over-priced Christmas gift for me? It would be Boontje's beautiful and quite heavy coffee book, thanks.) Natrop has a piece called "Super City Spin" over at Chapman University in Orange, Calif., that I might just be tempted to check out.

But what I'm really interested in is the lasercut free-flowing paper constructions from his site like the pretty one to the left. He also has a book that you can download for free, check it out.

Peter Calleson also makes some crazy large-scale paper installations (and works on snow, ice and water...wow.)

So, lesson learned - there's actually a LOT more to supposed trash than meets the eye. Maybe next time you want to throw out that pizza box, you can repurpose it to make an oil painting or something.

Have Yourself a D.I.Y. Little Christmas

Apparently, crafts are now just as cool as knitting was a few years back...even though sewing is the "new" knitting.

This month, Blueprint's unique gift wrap ideas encourage a little more creativity and less red and green. Unfortunately, their links aren't working too well right now, so check back a bit later.

There's a really great section on how to use layers of colored tissue paper and confetti, as well as rubber stamps in contrasting colors.

If you're feeling nerdy and are at all computer savvy, you can also try this Word clip art idea to make your own wrapping paper. I don't really think using a highlighter pen to give it some extra pizazz sounds very festive though. I mean, a neon yellow snowflake just doesn't say "Happy Holidays" to me.

What about glitter paint or some nice watercolors? Or you could be brave and try to run pre-printed or colored paper through the printer. Just be sure to watch the thickness and make sure it doesn't get wrinkled...that's a headache in the making, for sure.

If you're feeling like you want to support the handmade scene, check out the handmade holiday cards at etsy.com. The cost won't set you back as much as you think, most cards are around $1.00 to $3.00 each. Or you could just get some inspiration there and use the site to get some ideas to make your own cards.

My favorites are like the linocut cards by Rainy Prints, especially the Santa, this funny owl, a little more grumpy of a message and this labrador reindeer.

And you really can't find gems like the "Happy Hanukkah, Hooker" card to the left at Hallmark. You just can't. If you're wondering, this crafter also makes a "Merry Christmas, Bitch" version.

Wonder if Britney would like that one this holiday season?

Bland is the New Glam

Finally, my love for less-than-classy accomodations has been validated.

I'll say it again and again...I would much rather rest my head on a starched-out pillowcase at the Comfort Inn than deal with an assortment of 300-thread-count ones at a Ritz Carlton.


Apparently, the rest of the world is catching on to my sentiments as well! Trendwatching.com issued five trends to watch and one of them was BLANDTASTIC, a "a paradigm shift of potentially biblical proportions, that has ‘middle of the road' brands salivating, and sophisticated brands worried sick to their designer stomachs: a return to blandness."

Testifying this trend is the Howard Johnson LaGuardia Airport East, who says they're going to start advertising on The Coolhunter, Springwise and Josh Spear. Brian Pillsbury, manager of the Howard Johnson LaGuardia says they're seeing "well-heeled European visitors" and have an occupany rate of 85 percent. Maybe it's due to their inviting graphic to the left and their Web site's bold statement of amenities such as: Non Smoking/1Queen Bed/Work Desk/ Coffee Maker/Iron/Ironing Board/ Hairdryer/HBO.

LOVE IT!

I first noticed my distaste for overdone poshness when I stayed at the Hudson Hotel in New York for a business trip. Lovely, really, but not outfitted with all the comforts I'd been used to on my economic personal travels. I don't get a USA Today under my door and there's no Coffeemate. But I do have free toiletries branded by some bourgeoise spa and a plasma TV screen embedded into my bathroom mirror.

But on a second glance throughout the room, I wonder, where are the light switches? They are cleverly hidden into lighting gizmos that are more like art installations. Where's my comfy armchair covered in bronze damask fabric? Why is the closet the size of a medicine cabinet? And, why can't I order anything off the room service menu that doesn't come with "pommes frites" (Hi, you're just a French fry....), heirloom tomatoes or some sort of intense cheese?

The same experience befell me on another business trip to the Hotel Roosevelt in Hollywood. And the W Los Angeles...maybe it's that I feel uncomfortable and undeserving of people waiting on me hand and foot, or maybe I'm indignant about the $24 room service breakfast. Either way, I am interested in this backlash against overindulgence and am curious to see where marketers take this idea. I'm so not into backlash for backlash's sake, but this really appeals to my budget, so I'm going with it!

***Haha. Joke is on me. These apparently were fake trends. I'm still sticking by my love of the HoJo though!! :)

Another Shelter Book Bites the Dust

I hate when I hear about a magazine folding.

It's always so sudden and without much reason but the ever-looming "ad sales" issue. Who cares about the bottom line, I say! (coming from a girl who took the most elementary math classes possible.) Well, I learned today in a staff meeting that House & Garden has bit the dust. I seriously love shelter mags, but they really are in a volatile state these days. Guess they won't be needing this special offer anymore, hmm.

Here's an interesting quote from MindShare in The New York Times piece...

“The category as a whole is so crowded,” said Kelly Foster, senior partner and print director at MindShare North America, a media planning and buying agency that is part of the WPP Group, adding that the magazines “get in each other’s way.”

The article also says House & Garden is one of the country's oldest magazines, as it was founded in 1901. In December, H&G will close its doors and eliminate 80 jobs.

Bum out. I was just really getting on the band wagon after their gorgeous November issue with Gwyneth Paltrow. And H&G really does have such great blogs.

I certainly hope this does not affect Design*Sponge, as so many others do.

Sigh.

Music to Fly By

I logged some serious frequent flyer miles in October. As you can imagine, all this air travel made me and my iPod BFFs. To keep my sanity, I leaned on my music playlist to avoid crazy people and potentially look asleep at times. I'm sharing with you all in case you ever have a marathon flight and need some tunes. Enjoy!

As if trying to dress like Carrie wasn't enough...

Since I'm just copying CasaSugar for the time being, let's also point out they are giving us tips on how to copy Carrie from SATC's home style. Hey is it just me, or did you ever notice the heinously Southwestern/1980s rug in front of her bed? How did that get in there? And I thought you weren't supposed to put things on radiators? Hmm....this could be my California ignorance talking.

Anyway, they go on to link to products you can buy to emulate the Carrie style. My roommate, who has been dying to find a version of Carrie's muted bedding for years, will be mucho pleased that she waited it out and didn't purchase the $300+ bedding from Anthropologie that she had lukewarm feelings about. I'm wondering if this Calvin Klein collection will do the trick for her.

I so love that they're even giving us an option to buy a faux "Aidan Chair." Recently, they also showed how to get the Miranda Hobbes look, which I think is more suited to my taste. I've always loved her sunburst mirror and am thinking about getting one in the near future. I'm also a fan of her crystal ball lamps. I purchased two very similar versions from Target back in March for super cheap, $35 each! Restoration Hardware, eat your heart out.

Interesting tips! I'll definitely be on the look out for any Charlotte or Samantha "get the look" information.

Shabby Chic, Literally

There are many things I will not do. I will not buy a perfume made by Paris Hilton. I will not put garbanzo beans on my salad. And I will not live in a trailer park...or would I?

For most of my adult life, I've thought the idea of inhabiting a trailer park might be one of the least desirable housing options possible. However, I'm having second thoughts after knowing of a chic couple who bought a doublewide in Malibu, Calif., and after seeing this Shabby Chic-inspired version.

I tend to enjoy a tad more color than we're seeing here, but this 2,016-square-foot residence has got to win the Best Doublewide O' the Year Award. The Kentucky mobile home was featured in Country Living, that has to mean something. I really love all the distressed wood and the black/white, somewhat Parisian theme. I'm actually really surprised the construction of this mobile home can support some intense-looking wall mounts...all the more power to these antique enthusiasts, though!

Really beats plastic yard flamingos and TV trays, eh?