it breaks my heart

I love this picture. I'm not positive where it came from but I'm guessing here. If I were better at crafty things I would make one of my very own.



--Katie

we've come to wish you a happy birthday

Happy Birthday to "The Man " Today he is celebrating the milestone of 50 and we are so happy to celebrate with him in his hometown of Manchester. We originally didn't think we would be able to go but we're so glad we did. He has been such a large part of our lives for the last 16 1/2 years how could we not say thank you and be there with him.

"For everybody there is an artist that captures you just at the right time, and you never let them go, and they can never disappoint you." Yes, so true.

manchester...so much to answer for

We have been back from Scotland for just ten days and now we are off again. This time we are going for a long weekend to Manchester, England to celebrate a very important birthday. We just couldn't miss this glorious event.

Soon we'll have lots of pictures from both Scotland and Manchester-once we've recovered.

aye...scotland

Today we are off for a fun filled trip to visit dear friends in Glasgow. It has been ten years since the first time we have been there so we're sure the city has changed a lot since then. Last time we were there the city was alive with a lot of new design projects so it will be great to see all the new architecture. The music scene is also thriving again there so we should have lots of fun checking out some local bands. We are also going to take a quick trip on the ferry to Northern Ireland and visit the hometown of one of our friends and then on to Belfast.

We promise we'll take lots of pictures to post once we return.

fischerspooner

Last night we went to the first of three open rehearsals Fischerspooner was holding at The Performing Garage in Soho. Each rehearsal holds 60 people so it was very intimate. It was BRILLIANT!! The new direction that they are moving in is so incredible. Their creativity is beyond words, each time we see them we are in complete awe.

If they are coming to a city near you, you must go. We promise you will be so glad you went.

reduce, reuse, recycle

Happy Earth Day! This day always gives me hope that we are all on the right path to taking care of our planet. With the green movement becoming so in vouge there is a chance that our earth will start to heal from all the terrible things we have done to it. It all starts with simple daily life changes. There are many great books out there that can guide everyone on how they can make a difference. Some of my favorite are The Green Book and Living Green. Another great resource on how you can lead a more green life is Treehugger. Be kind to our planet today and everyday.

--heidi

top shopping

We made the trip to the glorious Topshop. We managed to get there right before it got so crowded that a line formed to get inside. I want to know how they get to that point, knowing that they can't let in anyone else until someone comes out. Shopping in New York is always crowded and it didn't feel anymore cramped than any other store.

I have to say I was a bit disappointed. Nothing stood out as mind-blowing fantastic to me. Dare I even say it looked like stuff I could get for less at Urban Outfitters and Forever 21. Granted they are all similar in their own ways but I expected better from Topshop. The one item that stood out for us was a lovely scarf, but at $70 it wasn't happening.


We'll check it out often but until I win the lottery it will be a a total splurge for me to be able to buy anything there. I have rent to pay people.

--heidi

signs

When we lived in Salt Lake our favorite time of year was Sundance. We would go to 14 or more films in a week in a half. So much fun but also exhausting. We always loved the shorts programs and would try to catch at least one per festival. I discovered this charming short film via the lovely blog Le Love. It is worth watching and I encourage all to get wrapped up in this story. At my old job I had a window seat, which was very rare-our studio was in the basement of the building. My view was of the Chinese lady in the apartment next door's laundy. I would have loved to just once looked up and out my window and saw someone who I could have shared signs with. Well, I guess I could have with the laundry lady but some how I don't think a sign that says "your bra just fell down into the window well" is as romantic.



--heidi

yogurt goodness

While at our favorite Whole Foods on 2nd Ave the other night Katie and I saw this yogurt called Siggi's. The packaging alone made me want this yogurt. I love the type (aka font) they used and the nice clean design of their packaging. Plus the container itself was perfect. Then the fact that it is Icelandic just made me die a bit more. The design nerd in me was in heaven. Yes I tend to buy things based soley on their looks, hence the reason I am a bit of a design nerd.

--heidi

happy birthday denise!

Denise is the best sister a girl could ask for. We have always adored her and looked up to her and when we were younger we wanted to be her. One of our favorite things to do was go through her shoes and play shoe store-she had the best shoes so we could play for hours. We also loved to watch her get ready and put on her makeup, so glamorous.

She has also instilled in us a love of Tom Selleck. We watched Magnum P.I. with her every week and all his movies. Our favorite being High Road to China (speeaak!). We still have a spot for him in our hearts.

Happy Birthday Denise!

huzzah

The time has come dear people. Topshop is finally open!!! We have been so excited for this day and now that it is here we are going to wait til next week to see the glorious new store. Why? Because that place is going to be crazytown for the next few days and it would put us in crankytown. 'nuff said. Shopping is supposed to be fun not bootcamp. Details to follow once we have made the trip.

the courteeners

We recently saw The Courteeners who hail from Manchester. Their set was fantastic! We were familiar with a few songs but hearing them live always makes a big difference. We were instantly hooked. The songs are strong and layered so each time you hear them something different comes out in the lyrics or the music. They also had family at the gig, it was so fun to watch their parents singing and cheering them on. They all looked so proud of their boys. Awww

Below is one of our favorites but we recommend checking out the entire album. It's quickly gone onto our most played this week.

happy birthday katie!

Today is my sister and best friend Katie's birthday (and mine too). We have had so much fun this past year since she moved to New York. I laugh so much with her that my cheeks hurt all the time.

We are going to have a fun day celebrating by going to a special gig and spending time with dear friends.

Happy Birthday to my sweet sister!

--heidi

wot you lookin at?

I discovered the work of Jodie Silsby today via Design* Sponge and it's brilliant. I love maps so her project made me very happy. Jodie is a recent graduate of University of Portsmouth. While there she created the Portsmouth vernacular map and was awarded membership for entry to the ISTD (International Society of Typographic Designers) student assessment scheme for it. It's a map of Portsmouth that lays out the streets with words that relate to the dialect and language of Portsmouth. Having actually gone to Portsmouth before it was fun to look at the layout of the map and see what was included on it. Katie and I went there in 2006 and we loved the city. It was so charming and the people were extremely friendly and helpful. We had the best cabbies there of any of the towns we went to on that visit. I think this might have to join our family of maps. Plus I love English slang so this is a good way to have a daily dose of it.





--heidi

happy birthday mum!

Happy birthday to our dear sweet mum. We were called her "little bonuses" when we came along and she's been known to brag that we keep her young and hip.

We know we are biased but we really do have the best mum. She is always there to talk to...no matter what time it is. She always set a good example for us on how to treat others. She supports us in all our silly ideas and when ever we need help she is the first person we call.

One of our favorite stories (sorry mum had to tell this one) is when she took us to Dairy Queen in Pocatello for a treat. She wasn't close enough to the speaker at the drive through for the girl on the other end to hear her. Well, hilarity ensued and it ended with her roaring past the drive through window yelling "NEVER MIND". We were laughing so hard, we had tears rolling down our faces. She was not pleased at all with us but as the years have passed we'd like to think she now sees the humor in this story.

Another favorite is when we were on a family road trip in Oregon and when she came out of the restroom our dad had moved the car closer to the building but she didn't see us. She stood no less than 4 feet away from us looking for us with a puzzled look as to where we had disappeared to. We were in hysterics the whole time and when she finally noticed us she wasn't too pleased and flipped us off! This only made us laugh even harder.

Have a great birthday mum and don't get too tan out in the desert partying hard with all your friends.

*oh and thanks for putting up with all our crazy antics and for turning around to go back to get that really cool Barbie motor home we saw at a yard sale when we were little.

mystery jets

We're glad that we're finally going to see Mystery Jets tomorrow night. We've been listening to them a lot as of late. This song is our current favorite and has been on a constant repeat. Edward Scissorhands is even in the band!



--heidi

start the love affair

This song by The Bird & The Bee is so fabbity fab and since I totally dig Japan I love it even more for that. I've been listening to it a lot and I can't wait to see them play in a few weeks. I saw them perform on TV a few weeks ago and haven't stopped doing the back up girls dance since and by the way how great are their outfits?



--Katie

city living

I thought I'd share a few of my favorite photos that I've taken while living in NY. I'm so full of inspiration every where I turn, sometimes I feel a bit overwhelmed by it all. Ahh...but I do love it.

This is the view from the roof of the Met. I love watching the sunset anywhere close to Central Park.


These photos are from my many wanderings in Brooklyn. Everything here has a special place in my heart. I love my borough.




The windows at Paul Smith last year were tres bon!




The hall leading to the cafe at PS 1. I adore those lights.


--heidi

happy valentines day

Happy Valentines Day! We're sending love from Brooklyn to our family, friends and a special shout out to the spinsters club.

image via getty

friendly fires

I am mesmerized by this video by Friendly Fires. This song/album/band are fabitty fab. Makes me want to dance all around my flat nonstop. I can't wait to see these guys in March with White Lies at the Bowery Ballroom.



--heidi