friday roundup

 

first, can i get a T-G-I-F? woot, woot!

now.

lately i've been coming across all kinds of goodies on various media outlets that i just have to share. it's a random assortment which i hope will pique at least one of your interests, but even if something doesn't immediately jump out, give it a chance, you never know what you might find. anyway, just some things to peruse over the weekend:

+ have you all heard of picmonkey? i downloaded the free online service two years ago when it replaced picnik as a photo editing program but didn't even use it until recently. now i'm hooked. it's photoshop or lightroom for the non-graphic designer. see the nifty icon by current tempo up there on the tab? yeah, i did that on picmonkey. no big deal. also, their blog post on 2013 word-of-the-year, 'selfie', gave me courage to snap the sequence you see above. i still need some work, obvi (<-- 2014 word-of-the-year?).

+ i've developed something of a crush on nana. a few weeks ago i stumbled across her photos on instagram and now sort of obsessively follow her @urbanxkoi. her feed is gorgeous.

+ another new acquaintance thanks to instagram is mary beth of the blog annapolis&company. her pictures and writing reveals that she is a beautiful person with amazing perspective on life - both literally and figuratively. she hosts this series on IG (#theeverydayproject) where she encourages people to search for the beauty in the everyday and capture it. if you're new to photography or just looking for some good photo tips, you must check out her tutorials.

+ this excerpt from molly wizenberg's talk at food blog south where she shared her gut feelings about writing and creativity. i love molly's writing and apparently, her speaking is just as good. p.s. her next book comes out in a couple months and i.can't.wait.

  + last, great news runners who are coffee lovers! turns out caffeine really had absolutely no influence on hydration status. also, the wonderdrink is said to improve memory, hence my DOMINATION in scrabble versus the husband. so. stay thirsty my friends.