Category Archives: Life

Hot Hot Heat + Indie Wed Giveaway Winners

the best to eye, to buy, to make, and to bake / a thousand threads
The days just keep getting hotter and hotter around here, and I keep asking my brain to focus, but all it says back is popsicles, pool… frozen cake. Sometimes it just says this.

It’s almost impossible to keep up with everything Mark and I have going on, but this week we may have finally made the decision to move forward with a big big project that’s been in the works for some time. Our baby, if you will (but definitely not a baby — not quite yet). I can’t wait to share it when the time comes, but for now… I think I’m going to go find myself some ice cream.

Are you melting like I’m melting in this heat? Any big plans for the sun?

P.S. As promised, I have some winners!! Congratulations to Ashley and Donna, you’ll have to tell me all about the fun you have at Indie Wed! Be on the lookout for an email soon.

Everyone else, don’t forget, you can head over to Indie Wed’s site today for 20 percent off with the code THREADS20.

Eye these shots from Tec and Chelsea Petaja’s recent trip to Italy — wanderlust doesn’t even begin to describe, you guys.

Buy this jacket that takes me back in the best possible way.

Make these pretty paper fans, with so many fun possibilities.

Bake this drool-worthy frozen ice box cake.

I’m loving this little challenge to help me be more active on Instagram and hopefully improve my skills. If you’re following along, I’m keeping everything at the hashtag #1000for30. You should join in! Just tag all of your shots with #abeautifulmess.

Do you know about Treehouse? I think I might start trying to work through a course.

Summer movies for the summertime.

Aaand, I need to go here now.

2 Comments | Posted on: July 19, 2013 | Category: Life

What do you think of as a healthy diet?

what do you think of as healthy? / a thousand threads
Since our vacations pretty much always revolve around food (and oh this last trip was no exception… I dream all year long about that pasta and those pastries in upstate NY) I always come home feeling like I’m ready to go into hibernation. Suddenly that ice cream isn’t looking so good, and I find myself searching for the healthiest diet, cleanse – whatever – to help make me feel normal again.

But with so many options out there (low carb, low fat, gluten free, clean, paleo, and on and on until we all pull our hair out…) how do you decide what really is the healthiest way to cut back?

My favorite fallback is usually to get rid of processed sugar and flour. It seems to cover most of the bad stuff and leave me with a pretty healthy, whole diet that makes me feel good. Lately I’ve also been cutting dairy, but for reasons that have more to do with suspected lactose intolerance than what I’d necessarily consider “health.” Mark, on the other hand, likes something a little more restrictive, and tends to feel that gluten and dairy should be cut out regardless.

Everyone has a little bit of a different take… so tell me, what do you think of as a healthy diet? And I use the term “diet” loosely here, since any change really shouldn’t be a temporary trip to weight loss, but more of a lasting decision (which doesn’t mean you won’t occasionally cheat… you see how much sugar I eat) that leads to a healthier life.

But feel free to disagree on that one too… I really want to know what you think!

Rhubarb tart via Food and Cook.

0 Comments | Posted on: July 16, 2013 | Category: Life

Run, Run, Run!

the best to eye, to buy, to make, and to bake / a thousand threads
Busy, busy day! Why is it that the day you’re set to travel always ends up so crazy? It’s not like you didn’t have fair warning…

I’m always a little perplexed by that, but hey, today’s one of those days… what can you do? This afternoon I’m excited to be meeting up with one of the sweetest ladies I know on the webs, who just so happens to be here in Maryland for a conference, then I’ll be running home to throw all of my clothes in a bag (that’s pretty much how I pack), jump in a car, and drive to Upstate New York for this! We run it almost every year and it still manages to make me crazy nervous… so many things can go wrong in a race! But mostly I’m just really, really excited.

Follow along on Instagram at @laicie — I’m sure I’ll be overgramming the heck out of the situation, so I apologize in advance.

Here are a few of my favorites this (and last) week…

Eye this beautiful destination wedding, shot by Jen Huang.

Buy the best-smelling body wash in the world (obsessed).

Make your own hammock!

Bake this sweet summer lemon cake.

The guy who was kicked out of both Nirvana and Soundgarden and went on to become a war hero.

On balance.

Ya, Dustin… we know.

This sweet, silly anniversary message made me unexpectedly emotional.

Lou Reed reviews Kanye West.

I really need to try pickled strawberries.

0 Comments | Posted on: July 12, 2013 | Category: Life

Happy 4th, Mr. Narwhal!

'merica narwhal print
And happy 4th to you! Hope you have an amazing weekend, I’ll see you back here Monday.

(I’ll be busy celebrating six whole years since I met this guy.)

‘Merica narwhal print via Hayley Cassatt on Etsy.

4 Comments | Posted on: July 4, 2013 | Category: Holidays, Life

Camping for the 4th

camping for the 4th / a thousand threads
Lately I’ve been dying for a camping trip, and the 4th just seems like the perfect time… what says summer more than s’mores and sparklers?

Happy first day of July! (Can you believe it’s already July?!)

Photos clockwise via 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

6 Comments | Posted on: July 1, 2013 | Category: Holidays, Life

This week you guys…

The best to eye, to buy, to make, and to bake.
DOMA, immigration reform, red pandas in Adams Morgan… it’s been a pretty frickin’ fantastic week if I do say so myself.  Here’s to some good news for a change.

And here’s to an amazing weekend!  Any big plans?

(By the way, if you need a quick rundown of the week’s biggest news, don’t forget you can catch me over at The Everygirl every Friday.)

Eye Kinfolk’s coffee brewing in the great outdoors — it’s killing me how bad I’d like to be camping right now.

Buy a gorgeous picnic basket, so you can do this.

Make flower-dyed thank yous — a brilliant idea for your bridal bouquet.

Bake these. (I think the picture says it all.)

So… this happened.

Pronation schmonation?

A complete list of Alt recaps for your reading pleasure.

… and don’t forget the pictures, from the seriously amazing Justin Hackworth.

Umm… ladies? This sounds like the best thing ever. Can I be your friend?

Marilyn Manson, karaoke, and “Cry Me a River.”

How to build a fort.

1 Comment | Posted on: June 28, 2013 | Category: Life

5 Fantastic Things // June

alt nyc 2013 / a thousand threads
Five things, times two, once a month — it’s a journaling revolution, folks.

I want to remember…

1 // Meeting up with (and just plain meeting) so many awesome, amazing, wonderful folks at Alt (like Gloria and Audrey above!). How great is it that things like blogging conferences exist to pull us all away from our computers and into a room together?
2 // Entering the last year of my 20s… and swearing to make it count.
3 // Laughing as hard as I think I ever have on a long-ass drive home from NYC that included a hot dog with a pitchfork and a trip to the Jersey state line.
4 // Dreaming of bakery-plans-to-be over an Intelligentsia (finally on the east coast!) latte in the sun.
5 // Pool days and stormy nights. I know I resist, but there’s something about summer on the east coast that really gets me. I’m lookin’ at you, fireflies.

I’m looking forward to…

1 // Come on, July is just the best… barbecues, fireworks, hot sweaty days in the sun (what can I say, I like vitamin D). I can’t wait to get this party started. The one and only sad thing about July is that it brings us one month closer to winter’s return.
2 // So actually, the 4th will be Mark’s and my sixth anniversary. We’ve been married just under a year, but this thing goes way back. I’m looking forward to a little celebration, even if it is the unofficial kind.
3 // Pasta and pastries in upstate NY — my mouth is already watering.
4 // Chipping away at our little project to spruce up the house. Little by very very little, it’s starting to come together — sometime next year I should be ready to share.
5 // Seeing Jim James, Father John Misty, Frank Turner, Phosphorescent and So. Many. Others. at Folk Fest (I’m counting down the days).

7 Comments | Posted on: June 27, 2013 | Category: Life, Style

The End is Nigh

how to move your google reader / a thousand threads
Just a few more days! Have you started the move?

I have to admit that I’ve been pleasantly surprised by Feedly, but there are lots of great options out there — including Bloglovin’, of course, along with an upcoming reader from Digg that promises to be pretty great.

And because of the mass exodus, nearly all of these services have made it crazy easy to move. For instructions on moving to Bloglovin’, click here. And for Feedly it’s as easy as signing in. They do all of the work for you.

So if you’re still holding out (I know a few of you are) don’t be scared to take the leap. You can even try a few and see which one you like best.

And while you’re at it (because what would this post be without a little shameless self-promotion?) you can add A Thousand Threads to your list!

// To add A Thousand Threads on Bloglovin’, click here.

// To add A Thousand Threads on Feedly, click here.

// To add A Thousand Threads on another reader or subscribe by email, click here.

9 Comments | Posted on: June 26, 2013 | Category: Life, Tips and Tricks

Do you prioritize sleep?

do you prioritize sleep? / a thousand threads
When I mentioned to Mark that I might do a post on hours of sleep, he laughed and responded that he thought it was a great idea — that the issue is “close to my heart.”  For a reason I still can’t quite understand, I took his response as a criticism.

I really like sleep.  In fact if I could I’d get 10 hours a night.  Instead, I get around 6 or 7… sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less… which isn’t bad, considering.  If you count the blog (which I do) I have two full time jobs, a husband, a stepson, and a marathon-training schedule to keep.  In fact I often think longingly of the lucky ones who manage to subsist on a steady diet of cocaine-fueled, sleep deprived creativity — it’s not for me, but god must they get a lot done.

In reality, Mark meant that the issue was close to my heart because I’m so busy he often finds himself falling asleep next to me on the couch while I continue to plug away at whatever it is I need to get done.  He meant that the issue was close to my heart because he can see that I don’t get enough sleep… and yet, apparently I feel guilty for what I get.

There’s just so much to do…

Do you feel the same?  Or are you better at prioritizing sleep than I am?  According to a recent survey, 71 percent of Americans do not get the doctor-recommended seven to eight hours of sleep each night.

P.S. If you have trouble falling asleep, the New York Times this week has some tips that might help.

Photo via.

18 Comments | Posted on: June 25, 2013 | Category: Life

The 5 Best Things I Learned at Alt NYC

alt nyc / a thousand threads
Where to start? I’ve heard a lot of things about Alt over the years, but nothing could have prepared me for the experience itself. My head is still reeling from the events of the day, which were entertaining, enlightening and — most of all — empowering.

My mind wasn’t necessarily blown. I didn’t come home with the secret password that unlocks the door to bloggy success… but I did come home with something that’s, arguably, a lot more important. Confidence.

And come to think of it, I suppose that kind of is the key to bloggy success.

Despite hearing from so many different voices, speaking from so many different perspectives, there was a constant that ran throughout the day. You have to have confidence in yourself and your goal to succeed. You have to be willing to put yourself out there, to take risks and to suffer the consequences with grace, and willingness to turn around and do it all over again. Because that is the only way you’ll make it.

I feel so lucky to have heard from such inspiring speakers as Grace Bonney and Garance Doré, and to have the chance now to take their lessons and run.

The five best things I learned at Alt NYC are more specific than the lesson above, but they all ultimately hold the same truth.

Believe in yourself, and others will begin to believe in you too…

Read More »

19 Comments | Posted on: June 24, 2013 | Category: Business, Life, Tips and Tricks

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