Read more about the project here, and see the magazine’s website here.

Since I work in an industry where the over night turn is a way of life I think this is cool.

Me and friend and author, Katy Ryan, two weeks ago, celebrating a friend's wedding.

One of my best friends, Katy Ryan, is now a published author. She’s written the Kansas City guide for the Moon travel series. The book isn’t just for travelers though. It’s for people new to the city, or for anyone wanting to get to know the city better — even if they’ve lived here forever! While Katy was writing the book, she often asked me if I had heard of a place, or turned me on to something I didn’t know about. There’s just THAT MUCH going on in the KC metro area.

Not to brag, but Katy is a juggernaut of talent and I am honored to know her. She wrote this book while she had a full time job as a magazine editor and additional freelance responsibilities. I am really not sure how she managed it all!

The Moon Kansas City guide is available at major retailers, and at local Rainy Day Books. Please support Katy and Kansas City businesses and get a copy for yourself or someone who would love to visit KC!

Nikki and I at my second shoot with her, late last year.

Retro Lovely is printed in glorious full color, and features lots of well known pinups, including cover girl, Masuimi Max. On top of that, you can pre-order issue one at a discount here. If you’re into lovely ladies with style to spare, you should be reading Retro Lovely.

I’m one of those people who still likes to buy and read magazines, so hopefully you are too. The quality of the photography in the magazine is fantastic, so it’s sure to be lots of fun to flip through. Please support me and the other Kansas City pinups, as well as the fierce and fabulous Nikki, and check out Retro Lovely! I am so excited for Vixen Pinup Photography and honored to be a part of this issue!

Paris Apartment Building

So I’m not moving to Paris, I am moving a mile from where I live now. However when one has lived somewhere for five and a half years with another person, uprooting that life and physically moving all of one’s belongings to a new space is no small task.

Not to mention, this isn’t just a move, it’s a lifestyle change. Anyone who has lived in a loft will understand what I mean. Our only door is the bathroom door, currently. Even the bedroom, which is made of partial walls, doesn’t have a door, but a curtain that I put up. I’ve done my best when we’ve had overnight guests, but you can imagine the awkwardness this could create.

So, this week is consumed by final preparations for moving. We are so excited, even though it means leaving good friends in our building, including Katy and Rob. That part of leaving is sad, but the right opportunity came along, and this move is going to be wonderful and worth it when I am sleeping in my new bedroom Saturday night.

I didn’t do a retrospective 2009 blog post, but I feel really good about making this change at the beginning of the year. 2009 was good for me for a lot of reasons, but I think more good things are going to come out of this for me and David. Least of which is having rooms, doors, and each having our own bedroom closet. Oh yeah, and David can walk to work. How cool is that?

So anyway, excuse me if posting is spotty this week. I do want to share a few things though.

• Zac Posen for Target. Ignore the comment from the person who says his line for Aussie Target was so much better. People are snotty. I’m looking forward to seeing this stuff in person.

• Fashion Week is quickly approaching. I can’t wait.

• Nice (and very handsome) gay couples giving me the thumbs up on my outfit for Party Arty on Saturday night. Getting photo booth photos with my date for the night, Katy. Seeing my favorite DJ has returned to Firefly.

• FINALLY doing my pinup shoot with Nikki and Candy of Vixen Pinup Photography! It was amazing, and damn, can Nikki lace a tight corset!

• The Ayn Rand letter.

• Mmm…Helvetica. NOM NOM NOM.

In mere days I will be typing to you from my new, fabulous home office. Until then, stay classy.

** Pictures from last night’s second holiday party with MK12.

• My dad sent me this New York Times article about young men who are taking more interest in how they dress. I totally see this in David, and my friends Krysztof, Nick and Ivan. And, pardon me for being judgmental, but I love it because most men dress like slobs.  I will step down from my soapbox now.

• Rachel Zoe’s holiday gift guide. You know you want to look. Everything is under $100, so really, she’s keeping it pretty realistic, which I can appreciate.

• The Shoe Girl blog. Love at first sight, obviously.

• I’m indifferent to Angelina Jolie, but I like this quote.“scars are sexy because it means you made a mistake that led to a mess” Ok, that’s not a link, but give me a break.

• Next time I visit my sister in Austin I am so getting my hair styled just for the hell of it at THIS salon.

Have a great weekend!

I’m talking amazing, sometimes over the top, sometimes useful gifts! A girl can dream, can’t she? Here’s a list of things that I wouldn’t mind finding under the tree in 10 days.

• Christian Louboutin pumps.

I think Santa understands that shoes are like toys to me.

Hyper Prive 120, via net-a-porter.com

• Adobe CS4 Creative Suite Design Premium.

Because, you know, as a girl grows her freelance business and design empire, she really needs to keep her software up to date.

• Panasonic RP-HTX7 Headphones.

To be fair, Santa, aka David, actually got these for me and let me have them early because I was desperate. I had a Bose pair that sounded great, but the design of the “headband” was fundamentally flawed and the plastic broke in about 12 places.  Bummer. So, these are metal and block sound like a dream. Not to mention the look rad!

Panasonic headphones, via amazon.com

• Pantone Formula books.

I’ve never owned my own set of these, and I think it’s high time!

Pantone swatch books, via pantone.com

• A giant iTunes giftcard.

Because music is my best friend.

• Candles from 5B&Co.

I love 5B’s candles than any other candles EVER. In addition to my favorite, Burnt Sugar, I also love Cloved Orange , Hellavanilla™ and Rawhide (leather scent). They only make votives, but they have more “throw” (that’s candle-speak for smell) than any other candle I’ve ever had. Plus the smells are really good, not synthetic and fake smelling.

• Meow necklace.

From Old Soul New Heart. I love leopard print, but I don’t have any leopard print JEWELRY!

Meow Necklace from www.oldsoulnewheart.com

• Reebok Easy Tone sneakers.

Perhaps I am a sucker, but I need new shoes for the gym anyway…so I am thinking it would be cool to see if these actually work!

• Fräulein

It’s the new, large format book by phototographer Ellen von Unwerth, published by Taschen.

From Fräulein, via Taschen

• And last but not least, peace on earth, equality for all, an end to war everywhere, you know, the big stuff that one wish list really can’t do justice to.

Photo by Tommy of http://jakandjil.com/blog/

• The Dior Dolls of Spring 2010, as captured by JAK&JIL. I can’t WAIT.

• I’ve read this blog for awhile and I have no idea what they are talking about, but I always find the clothes and the photography so enthralling that I can’t stop looking.

• Collection of artists’ interpretations of Alice in Wonderland

• AOL tries to” give people a reason to care again” with a logo redesign. I’m dubious.

• CNN explores what vegetarians enjoy for Thanksgiving. I was a vegetarian for all my teenage years and a good chunk of college, so I ate a lot of green bean casserole. These options look a lot more interesting!

• You know you want the Weezer Snuggie for Christmas.

• My friends Kelly, Kara and I were just having a discussion about over the knee boots and Gala has a guide how to do the trend right.

• Cuteness from Fafi.

I’ll be back tomorrow with a very special Thanksgiving Grabby ‘n Stabby.

You’re reading the debut of Grabby ‘n Stabby on my new blog and portfolio home! Woohoo!

This week has been all about the web. Email design as well as blog design, I have been living and breathing them! That’s not all I’ve been up to though, so let’s get to the G’nS!

Photo by Valentin Ottone, used through the Creative Commons license

Grabby

• Cocktails and conversation with fabulously fashionable and entertaining friends is a great way to keep life exciting and interesting!

• Fawn Gehweiler, one of my favorite artists, has added some paintings to her pop up shop!! She’s killing me with cuteness!!

• I’m a sucker for beverage packaging design, and The Dieline posted their 50 favorite liquor packaging designs this week. Every designer needs a really great bottle of something on the home bar that all their other designer friends ask about! I’m partial to the Lovejoy Vodka designs.

• Per her Twitter, Dita Von Teese will be releasing a DVD of her performance at Crazy Horse in Paris. Trés sexy!

• Ten things to do after installing WordPress, is stuff we all need to do, if we haven’t. Thanks for the link, Josh!

• Dirty laundry…err, I mean songs about metaphorical dirty laundry. This song from Bitter:Sweet makes me happy whenever it comes on Pandora.

• Nigella Lawson on Top Chef. I think she might be my favorite female food personality! Umm…how cute is her site, BTW?!

• I think designers tend to be perfectionists. This article from 99% reminds us not to waste energy on things about the design process that we can’t control. Letting go can even be good!

• The experts on tough-girl-hotness at BLEACH BLACK have debuted their holiday jewelry collaboration with Urban Outfitters. You better believe some of that is going to find its way on to my person.

• Awesome opportunities to hang with college friends from near and far are seriously keeping me grounded these days! SO FUN!

Stabby

• Weird, misty but not rainy, dank, damp cold weather. Cold is fine. Rain is fine. Some weird in between hybrid is just…bad for my mood, and my shoes.

• The latest Diamonds are Forever commercial, featuring a cute couple ice skating to an acoustic cover of Sonny and Cher’s “I got you babe”. When I saw this commercial, my first thought was, didn’t Sonny die after a skiing accident? The answer is yes he did, and I am kind of surprised that didn’t dissuade them from using it.

• Spending too much time in the car. I wish we had mass transit.

• Blog coding issues. I’m not a developer, and sometimes this stuff drives me batty! GAH!

So, that’s the G’nS for the week!!

I’m definitely looking forward to the weekend to catch up on sleep and work on my blog design more! I’m also planning to see some friends and see some art before things are said and done!