Things I Love Thursday

Happy Thursday! Phew, short weeks always seem longer than regular weeks, yes? Or am I being too dramatic?

Nevertheless, it’s Thursday, which means link-time goodies for your eyeballs and brain. Enjoy!

1. Check out this pink-orange color palette from Matchbook Mag!

Fabulous!!

2. From Gaiam: Ten ways to green your pet.

NO, not by spray painting them! Haha.

Great tips here for the eco-conscious human companion.

3. The web’s all up in arms about Pinterest and copyright. Here are two good articles about what you can do.

From Mashable: Websites can now block Pinterest. Great idea if you don’t want readers to pin your pages!

From GeekMom: excellent advice about fair use, copyright, and Pinterest etiquette.

4. Time-lapse photos of fireflies: gone viral! Via Wired.

Gorgeous! And the accompanying article about how the photos went viral is very interesting.

Also, the exhibit on bioluminescence (which the article mentions) at the Museum of Natural History (in D.C.) is SO COOL. Check it out if you’re in the D.C. area. It’s fascinating!

5. Jeff Goins reminds us why writers need to read.

It always seems like duh to me, but whatever it is you do, you must know your craft. That means reading with a critical eye.

6. Make your own perfume locket! Via How Did You Make This.

Petroleum jelly skeeves me out, so I’d probably use a substitute, myself: coconut oil, maybe?

Would be great in any kind of little tin, too!

7. Eat, Spin, Run, Repeat reminded us why artificial sweeteners are so nasty.

They’re addictive and toxic, for one thing (er, two things). Stick with whole foods, friends!

8. The House Home showed off this serene living room (via Rue Mag):

I loooooooove that ocean photo against the stripey couch.

9. Vegan S’mores Cupcakes, via Pickles & Honey

All I can say is YUM!!

10. Or how about a low-sugar chocolate chip cookie cake? Via Pure2Raw.

Can hardly wait to make this one. Look at that awesome frosting ~ can you believe it’s made with avocado??

Aaaaaand, I’m out! Have a fantastic weekend, you!

What are some great things you’ve seen this week?

Got any fun plans for the weekend??

Things I Love Thursday

I’ve been catching up with a lot of stuff that was posted right after the first of the year… here’s some great stuff I ran across over the last week! Enjoy ~ happy almost-Friday!

1. Rue Magazine showed off this awesome outdoor porch:

(http://ruemag.tumblr.com/post/14881631450)

2. What’s The Difference Between Dreaming and Starting? Writer Jeff Goins has an answer.

Dreaming is essential, but starting something requires making a decision and taking action. Here’s more from Jeff:

Creativity is the ability to see the theoretical, to imagine endless possibilities. But our creativity can cripple our ability to choose. It can paralyze us with fear or hesitation, causing us to delay the inevitable.

Read the whole thing, then get started!

3. The Ultimate Goth Guide had a request to bring back the “mutual freak nod.”

If two Goths or other dark and unusual types encountered each other in the street, they would acknowledge each other with a nod.

I never really thought it went away! But it’s really just a matter of politeness and acknowledgement. So if I nod to you, you understand.

4. From The Spontaneous Hausfrau: Tangy Tuna and White Bean Salad

A delicious and high-protein lunch!

5. The Healthy Diva shared Paleo Banana Bread

It’s gluten-free, refined-sugar-free, and dairy-free! Yippee!

6. 40+ Style had some great ideas for How to Dress for a First Date at 40

I personally am happily attached, but I think the ideas are great for date nights, even if you’re NOT single!

Be sure to read all the way through ~ some of the comments have awesome tips, as well!

7. Via Boing Boing: Create Your Own My Little Pony

My Own Little Pony

Oh, dear. This is a weird and silly ~ and totally fun ~ time-waster!

8. How About Orange alerted us to these cute Five Free Fonts

Enjoy! I think they’re wonderful!

9. Joanna of The Creative Penn wonders if your website is hurting your writing?

WOW, is all I can say about some of those author websites. Get with the times, folks! Or pay someone to get with it for you! It’s crucial to have a website that is easy to navigate and looks fresh and clean. If you can’t do it yourself, use a professional. There are many fantastic designers out there who can help you find your way.

10. Finally, Say it With Sprinkles make us drool with these Lemon Cupcakes.

Lemon = the happiest bit of sunshine you can eat.

11. BONUS! If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s becoming one of my most-clicked-on posts: 10 Things NOT to Say to an Unemployed Person

On that note, I’m off to spread sunshine in other realms. Have a wonderful day!

What are some great things you’ve seen this week?

Got any fun plans for the weekend??

Things I Love Thursday

I always love the ocean... no matter what day of the week!

Happy Thursday, everyone! It’s been an amazingly inspired week so far and I’m happy the year is off to such a good start.

Onward and upward! Some of my faves from around the webs…

1. From Copyblogger: 31 Pro Tips for a Successful, Satisfying, and Insanely Profitable 2012

Some excellent tips in this article! Particularly useful information for writers and entrepreneurs but they can be applied to anyone, in any field, really!

• Leo Babauta, of my fave blog Zen Habits, says: Don’t mistake busy-ness for effectiveness.
• Erika Napoletano, the sassy firestarter behind Redhead Writing says: Be you, be true, have an opinion. Opinions start conversations — being wishy washy sends people running.
• And the always-inspiring Jonathan Fields says:

To stay sane, productive and creative, pulse and refuel. Ninety minutes of intense focused work, then 10 to 30 minutes of any activities that completely removes you from work. Meditate, walk, exercise, listen to music, eat great food. This allows the part of your brain responsible for problem-solving, attention and creativity to refuel and helps stoke self-regulation — aka willpower — that keeps the mean-nasties and distraction at bay.

Read all 31 tips when you can ~ they’re super-inspiring.

2. From WOW! Women On Writing: The Writer’s Diet OR How to Balance With Writing, Food and Exercise

Writers know… it can be so easy to sit all day. WOW! calls it the “butt-in-chair nature of writing.” I can relate, can you?

This short and effective post has some great advice on balancing the desire (or need) to sit and write all day with the essential needs of exercise and healthy eating habits.

3. Running Foodie showed us how to Cook Your Own Beans in the Slow Cooker

TBH, this is something I’ve always wanted to try but have shied away from for some reason. I think I’ve been afraid the beans would turn out too mushy, causing too much waste (beans, time, energy). But not so! At least according to RF. Check it out and get your cheap legume living on!

4. The Art of Manliness shared: How to Handle Being Out of Your Depth: 6 Tips from a Con Man

Strangely practical advice. For example:

The next time you’re at an event where you feel like everyone is staring at you, try to relax and realize that people probably aren’t paying attention to you. Abagnale found that if he strode confidently and purposefully wherever he wanted to go, people were unlikely to question him at all. He acted like he belonged, so people assumed that he did.

Fake it till you make it! Always one of my favorite methods  Or this:

When you’re dressed appropriately, and you feel like you look good, your confidence goes up, and this effect is only compounded as people treat you with more respect.

Yep ~ look good, feel good. I’ll add that even if you’re a telecommuter, work from home, or are a SAHM, dress for work! I promise, it will improve your self-esteem and confidence levels tremendously. No yoga pants (unless you’re a yoga teacher), and no sweats ~ get dressed!

5. From Clean Eating Magazine: Sharpen Your Mind

Simple, everyday tips that can help keep your brain healthy and vital.

6. Rue Magazine shared this gorgeous living room, courtesy of Remash:

7. Boing Boing reminded us how to advertise to girls.

I didn’t play with Legos, but I wasn’t allowed to have gender-specific toys: no dolls or fake pink kitchens, etc. Instead, I played outside a LOT, had stuffed-animal friends, and read oodles. I think I turned out pretty okay as a result (and girly enough, eh?)!

8. From The Beauty Department: this adorable short twist.

Alas, my own hair is way too long for this style, but it sure is cute!

9. Becoming Minimalist offered one of my all-time favorite tips: Don’t Just Declutter, De-own

Who cares if you’re well-organized if you still have a bunch of junk in your trunks? Let go, let go, let go.

They say:

Simply organizing our stuff (without removing it) is always only a temporary solution. By definition, organizing possessions is an action that must be repeated over and over and over again. At its heart, organizing is simply rearranging.

And on that note, I’m off to clean photos from my laptop! Have a wonderful day!

Are you a de-clutterer or a de-owner at heart?

What were some of your favorite things from around the web this week?