Recent Purchase | Of Montreal Album/Tote

Ok, for those of you who don't know, Of Montreal is amazing. And they just released a new album. And their album formats are outstanding. You can purchase it the normal ways: CD, vinyl or digital download OR you can get a nifty item that includes a code for a digital copy of the album. The nifty items consist of a shirt, wall decals, paper lantern, or tote bag. I went the tote bag route and am so happy to have my album purchase be a functional item and not just a cheap plastic case sitting on a shelf.

Recent Purchase | Water is Yummy!

I have had my eye on this water bottle for awhile and today I just had to give in.

Recent Purchase | Duluth Trip

So I have been kind of a bum since we got back from our mini vacation, at least as far as blogging goes. But, I am back now and everything will be o.k. my little ones.

Now lets get to the blogging:
In Duluth, Jason and I did a little shopping and I picked up some great things. When I saw this first one, I think I actually screamed.

A Hard Day's Night Tumblers

That's right Beatle drinking glasses. I saw these in the oh-so-nerdy BeatleFest catalog and there they were, waiting for a good home.


Ray Fenwick Coin Purse

Mr. Fenwick was one of my past featured designers and I could not resist this charming little bit of irony that fits conveniently in my pocket. My personal favorite phrase on the purse is "Awesome Car Payments" because will all know how awesome they really are.

Poketo

These designer wallets are amazing. There are dozens of designs to choose from and each one comes with a matching button! I was so happy to find them on sale for $10. It is a divine wallet.

Recent Purchase | Five Year Diary

I just got my Five Year Diary in the mail yesterday. I managed to run down to the mailbox and grab it before the guy who has been tampering with the mail in our apartment got to it. I have been wanting this diary for some time now and one day I just gave into to the urge and ordered it. Now even though I have this handy dandy blog to keep track of happenings in my life, I felt I needed something beyond the digital format. Something I could carry with me, draw in and hide in the rafters of a creepy old house so someone could find it years after I am gone.

And this five year diary seemed the perfect choice. I am too lazy to sit down and write a whole page everyday, so the 4-5 lines provided for each day will suit me just fine. I don't want great detail or the ramblings of my inner thoughts. (I do enough of that here.) I just want to look back and remember what my day-to-day life was like.

I can not wait to get the next five years started.

Recent Purchase (slash) Recent Concert

Last night, Jason and I attended the Daniel Johnston show at First Ave. Overall it was a pretty good experience.
Here is the rundown:
• We found an open meter (which we had to fight for with knives and fists)
• We got into the show for free (with only a small amount of confusion)
• We got free coat check (with my mad connections)
• We had a crazy but kindly drunk helping us find a good view of the stage (he also like to grab lesbian butts)

The place was pretty packed with hipsters. Some of the hipsters were what I called "To The Max" because you could tell that every fiber of their being was dedicated to being as hipstery as humanly possible. There were non-hipsters there too. My favorite was the older rocker woman jamming like she was at a Poison show in 1989.

Daniel's performance was overall pretty good. The lo-fi charm of his music really stood out when he played by himself but later became more muddled when a backing band joined. The band felt awkward and clunky and sort of stole away the innocence of the songs. (That last statement made it sound like the band raped the songs...well maybe that's true.) Daniel sounded pretty good considering is age and the fact that he is schizophrenic (which might be what makes him brilliant).

But the BEST part of the night was my purchase of yet another Aesthetic Apparatus poster. The second I got in the door, I darted over to the merch stand and bought one. And luckily you can check posters at the purse check so you don't have to carry it around like a big weenie all night.



Typographic Close-Up! Boop!

Recent Purchase Update

Thanks to my InAnimate Stickers, I now have a really lazy, cracked-out, Fonz-like computer screen looking back at me. He's all like, "eehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Amanda." And I am all like, "Well, eeehhhhhhhhhhhhh to you to computer." Yeah, we have a real good thing going.

Recent Purchase

Yesterday I made a quick jaunt to the Borders in downtown Minneapolis. Normally this would be a pain to get to and slightly out of the way but I had some motivation, the store was going to close in a week and everything was on sale. At this point the majority of the stock was only 25% off. This included CD's, DVD's and most popular books. But the items that I was most interested in were the gifts and stationary. All these items were 75% off. By this time most of the selection was picked over but I still managed to come away with some great finds.

1. In Animate Character Stickers

I have seen these around the web and have always wanted some. They are kind of silly and really serve no purpose but I love the idea of seeing faces on everyday objects. And what better day to get them than when they are 75% off!


2. Paperchase Address Book

It seems that with the popularity of the cell phone and email that there is no need to keep a good ol' fashioned address book any longer. Well as I have learned many times in the past, I know that you can't depend on technology. Plus, I think nothing can replace the great feeling of having books and tactile items.


3. Black Photocorners

This is another item that may seem outdated and not at all useful but in fact, I can't get enough of them. I use them for so many different things. I have used them for art and design projects and the occasional scrapbook type item. I even use them when I am framing a picture without a mat. They add a bit of class and old worldly-ness to any photo. So if you see some, get them! Believe me, you will find a way to use them.


4. The Best American Non-Required Reading 2007

The cover of this is what stopped me first. I love that hand drawn style. Upon closer look I realized that I have read a few books in this series and this was the newest one. Now, if you must know, I have a really bad habit of starting books, losing intrest and starting another. I have about four books I am reading currently. But the great thing about these books is that they are jam packed with great short stories, articles and even comics. So you aren't commited to reading the whole dang thing, you can pick and choose. For example, last night I chose to read a high school commecement speech given by Conan O'Brien. It was amazing and I am forever jealous of those high school kids.

Over all, it was worth the bus ride downtown. I got all this for only about $15. It is sad to see Borders fail in so many areas of this city. Just last winter, the Borders in Uptown closed its door as well. Mind you, I do love the local independent book stores in the area but I grew up going to Borders and I like the familar feeling of the store. I have spent many hours and many dollars there and I wouldn't mind keeping that going.