Copy how happy I am

I jumped for joy when Panic won Best Video of the Year. I was shocked, really, but happy.

Copy my pick to win every moonman at the VMA's

The VMA's are tonight at 8pm 7c and I can't wait to see Panic! at the Disco. I love their music, and feel cool because I've actuallyyyyyy met the lead singer, Brendon. Thanks Mason and Erika for having us over for New Years. I tell everyone how cool I am because I've met a rock star and it's all because of you guys. I just visited Panic's website and saw that they will be at performing in San Jose on Tuesday, Dec.5. Will you please baby-sit for us Grandma???

Copy this and have a nice day

I just downloaded two songs that are titled Nice Day. I think they would both make good songs for any iMovie.

Nice Day
Band: Ephemera
Album: Score

Nice Day
Band: Persephone's Bees <-----From Oakland
Album: Notes from the Underworld

Copy Bille's favorite flower

Despite that it was in the middle of the summer in California, my friend Bille got her wish to have peonies at her wedding (they were shipped in from somewhere on the East coast). And now I'm copycatting her and making them my favorite flower. My favorite used to be roses, but peonies have a fullness and whimsy that roses tend to lack.

Copy everything Jordan does

I recently read Jordan's post about photo booths and thought it was cool and all. Rob and I love going to those booths too. Everyone does, right? Maybe not Ryan McConnell--could he even fit into one of those booths?! It's the one time when I can take pictures of me and my husband without him complaining the whole time. And when it's done, they turn out so wonderful. I took 10 bucks (Jordan suggested 20, I could see why because it's so addicting) and with each strip costing $2.50, I got four. It was very difficult doing it with Ella because she's such a wiggle worm and didn't understand what was going on the whole time. Some tips I learned:
1. Sit back as far as you can and stay stillll or else all the photos will be so blurry.
2. Make the background white if you're having a good hair day and want to show it off
3. Try not to look at yourself in the reflective glass inside the booth because every time I did, I looked like a deer in headlights in the photograph.
If you want to find a photo booth near you, click here. I found the booth within walking distance from my house at a place called (I forget and will add later) located on cross streets 3rd and Harrison. I found it on accident and couldn't help but think it was my lucky day. I put all the pictures in a cheap frame from Ikea and set it on the kitchen table for Rob to see when he got home. He loved it.

Copy or quote from Bud Not Buddy

I just finished reading Bud, Not Buddy and loved it. The author said a lot of smart things. I'll copy them later, I feel like going out now.

Copy Brian and Emily's idea for a good baby name

Rob's cousin's (I guess they're mine too) just named their baby girl Henrietta, and I can't stop thinking about it. I love it and wish I thought of it first. Here's a list of cool Henrietta's:
225_Henrietta, an asteroid
Henrietta Swan Leavitt, astromer (Swan as a middle name is cool)
Henrietta Johnston, early American artist
Henrietta Ónodi, 1996 Olympic gymnast from Hungary
Henrietta Esmé Gertrude Petunia Pew, already cool at one month old (pictured above)

Copy or download this tune

I downloaded Lazy Eye by Silversun Pickups and despite the horrible part in the middle that suddenly sounds like a Foo Fighters song, I like it. It takes me back to hanging out with Margaret, Lindsay, and Amy in the purple beamer for some reason.

Copy Green Day

I loooved the way the green Canadian geese looked on my blog so much that I've avoided posting anything new. So I googled green and these images came up. I like them too. Have a good weekend everyone.
The above painting didn't come up in my Google search, but I knew I'd find something green on Paul Ferney's website. This one is called The Big Green Field and it's sold for obvious reasons. It' s great.I couldn't add the link to whoever made the above painting because their website failed. Perhaps it's a famous piece of artwork and you're all laughing at me.
How do designers get away with painting the wall color this shade of green? I've watched design shows and they do it all the time and it looks great. I'll give it a try someday, only if I have crown molding's like the one in the White House. Doesn't it look wonderful? Is this a current picture of what the Green Room looks like or is it old? I can't tell.
Here's a recipe for green tea cup cakes. Looks simple and look how pretty! You have to scroll all the way down to Feb 06, 2005 for the recipe.

This is the first image that came up under my search for green that popped out to me. I'm not crazy about it now that I've put up all the others.

Copy a good print when you see one

I love what Virginia Johnson is doing with prints. I want to somehow incorporate this print into my blog skin, but for now, I'll just incorporate the color. Are you happy to see the gray skin gone, Jeannine and Rob? When you go to her website, check out the audio slideshow. It will make you like the prints even more when you see where she finds her inspirations.

Copy the Tanner's idea of a good time

Ever since I've moved to San Francisco I've always wanted to go to the park where the Tanner's had a picnic in the opening credits. It took one Google search to find it, and now I know it's at Alamo Square. I'm there with a loaf of bread, fresh mozzarella and cherry tomato salad, and bottled water from the market next to my apartment.

(Don't) Copy how materialistic I am

Today Daily Candy wrote about the perfect boots and how they were a splurge, but they didn't tell how much of a splurge. So I called a store that carried the boots (Workshop, 2254 Union Street, between Steiner and Fillmore Streets, 415-561-9551) and the girl who answered was so nice and normal, so I figured the boots couldn't be that expensive. But they were. $950. And you want to know the pathetic thing? After I got off the phone I was actually thinking of ways to buy them--second job, credit card, sell something. I'm not going to get them now that I've come to my senses, but wouldn't it be nice to somehow own good boots like these?

Copy Martha Stewart's Gray kitchen

I love that her kitchen looks like a black and white picture. Find more pictures and comments of her beautiful kitchen at this blog.

Copy whatever Madonna does

What blog did I read that showed Madonna wearing the same outfit four times within a two week period? I've been doing that for years and was ashamed, but now that Madonna approves, it somehow becomes a fashion statement. If I were to have a uniform for the next two weeks it would include my gray old navy skinny jeans (of course) and this sweater, these gold shoes and a my one headband. Fetch me my Target Visa card.

Copy this gift idea

It was Ina Garten (Food Network's Barefoot Contessa) who once said that every good gift should disappear (example: food, flowers, etc.) These vintage magazine notecards will eventually disappear if you gave them to someone, and plus they are one of a kind. They're almost the perfect gift. They might be missing the humor element, you know? Sometimes things like this end up looking too cool for schoolish.

Copy my reading list

Here's me when I was 16 or 17. I know I look older than this picture because the lady at the Lancome counter said I have the eyes of someone in their mid-30's. I still don't know if she was being honest or scamming me into buying that eye cream for 100 bucks. Anyhow, I still feel in many ways like a teenager--doesn't everyone? I'm still comparing myself to girls who know how to style an outfit accurately and I always feel a few months behind them, I still try to listen to current music (Ok Go is cool right?) and try not to date myself with the way I style my hair. I love all that stuff that teenagers have to deal with daily at high school. It's so exciting to me. I have a teenage novel in me somewhere, and that's the original reason I wanted to start a blog, so I could write some more chapters from the book and get feed back. But that's not the direction this thing took.
Here's a list of some of the books I love. And if I were to ever write that Newbery Honor Book that's inside me, it would combine all the stuff I love about these books into one.
1. Monster by Walter Dean Myers: (about a 16 year old who's on trial for murder--the way he writes the story like a screen play is smart)
2. A Hero Ain't Nothin But A Sandwich by Alice Childress (I love the voice of the kid telling the story)
3. A Separate Peace John Knowles
4. Hatchet Gary Pulson (it was alright--maybe a guy book. . . I was surprised I finished it. I don't really know why I'm putting this one on the list except for the fact that it won an award)
5. BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA- Katherine Paterson and Donna Diamond (If I were to ever write a book, I hope it would follow the same style and tone of this book....loved it)
6. Perks of Being a Wallflower (for the Emo chick in all of us--I didn't even like this book, but loved the cover art and title--I remember I felt cool walking around high school with it!!)
7. Bud Not Buddy (I'm not even sure if I've read this book, but I love the title and the million awards it got)
8. Out Of The Dust by Karen Hesse (completely different writing style then I'm used to in a novel. Loved it. Taught me a lot about the Dust Bowl Era just by the simplicity of the writing style--you'll see what I mean after you read a page or two.)
9. Go Ask Alice (I'm not sure I read this book either, but I just read the first three pages of it on amazon.com and loved how it began--teenage angst at it's finest)
10. Olive's Ocean--Another book I would copycat in a second, maybe my favorite book on the list)
11. Maus a Survivors Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman --taught me more about the Holocaust than anything, loved the comic book format.
12. Unlikely Romance of Kate Bjorkman by Louise Plummer --funny book written by a woman who inspires me to write and write and write. She's the one who introduced me to a lot of the books on this list.

Copy copy copycat

Hi Jeannine...my biggest blog fan. Could you do me a favor and sell your house for 400 bucks more and buy me this bag please?! I neeeeed it in both black and tobacco. Surprise me on the color.

Copy my luck

I had a perfect day on public transportation. I didn't have to wait for longer than 10 seconds for anything. I don't know how I got so lucky. Here's a blog that has stories about the N-Judah (the line that stops right in front of my apartment).

Copy everyone's new favorite color, including mine

I think everyone is on the same page as me--the color gray (spelled grey in Britain) is wonderful. If I were to have a huge party tomorrow and I had to choose a color to base everything around, it would be gray. Gray and pink or green or sky blue or red.

Because I'm not having this fantastic party tomorrow, I've decided to change my blog skin in honor of my and everyone else's new favorite color.

Copy Ella's Luck

Ella won the weekly contest at the Picture People! That means she will recieve a free portrait package. I'm so excited--I've never bought the portrait package because they are too much money! The picture she won with is posted above. Now she's going to be entered into the monthly contest where she can win more prices. Wish her luck!

Copy this girl's design style

Someday I'll open my own business. Whether it be for editing family movies or a card shop, I would have Tara Sinn design my web page no matter if it cost me a million bucks. Oh, and I wanted to put it out there: I'm not a cat person. I was worried that when I titled this blog "Copycat" that people would miss understand me and think I looooved cats. I don't. I don't like dogs either. I do like zoos though. Check out Tara's site and you'll be impressed, but sometimes scared. Some of her designs are scandalous.

Copy these birth announcements

I was planning to make fantastic birth annoucements for Ella, then got bored after making 5 of them. So my family got a few, and the rest are still half done. But next time I have a baby (in years and years and years) I think I'll ask cardsbyjeannine.com to do something like this one. Could you copycat these, Jeannine?

Copy Ella's get out of trouble face

How could I ever get mad at a face like that? She's going to get away with so much!

Copy Ella's hair color

I like this picture of my family that was taken last Sunday. Ella's hair looks great--and I like mine too!

Copy Ella's future bedroom decor

If Ella was to stop sleeping in her crib and I had to choose how to decorate her room, I would go with this apple theme room from Delias.

Copy this Gift Idea Part 2

A while ago I wrote a blog about giving iMovies to friends instead of the classic gift card. Then I suggested if you don't have iMovie, take some pictures of the event and mail the pictures to them in a cute album. It's taken me a while, but I finally found the perfect photo albums here. I love these albums--small, overpriced, and holographed.

Copy this website's ability to please everyone

The shirt is good for Rob, because I love when he wears super soft shirts.

The dress is good for me, or something with the same idea, esp. over a pair of jeans like the picture shows.

And the nightlight is perfect for Ella when she stops sleeping in her crib and she wants to take a midnight walk around the apartment and into our bed.

Now I need someone to sponsor us to test these cool products out.

Copy someone's dream home

I love what this person wrote on his/her (I couldn't figure it out--I saw the name Jon, but the person loves pillows? Could go either way i guess) blog. She/he is talking about a new housing development in Palm Springs:
I'm excited that there are some brave developers that are offering modern-styled houses, as opposed to the tuscan/mediterranean/terra cotta tiled madness that is so prevalent in suburbia right now. Someone just needs to make some closer to home. Anyways. Cool houses...(sigh) I want one. Dare to dream. . .
I hope when it comes time for me to buy a house, I won't get suckered into buying a "tuscan/mediterranean/terra cotta tiled madness" house. It's so much easier to buy one of those homes, because they are everywhere and look nice and comfortable. It's the same reason why I get so mad at myself when I love everything in Old Navy. I want to have these modern refined tastes, but when it comes down to it, I buy things that are easy and convenient and affordable. Wish me luck.

Copy pretty roses

If I had my wish, I would be getting one of these roses from Rob today. But I think they are a weird hybrid kind that are probably not sold in Safeway.

Copy my marriage!!!!!

Today is our three year wedding anniversary. I love being married to Rob!

Copy the handwriting

I was excited when I found this.

Copy this bracelet

I bought a cheap bracelet at Forever 21 and it's already chipping and looking horrible. Luckily, I found away to make it look cute again. Here's my copied idea (she wouldn't have posted it had she not wanted me to copy it, right?) that I found at this fantastic website.

1) You'll need a sheet of patterned paper (I used Japanese origami paper, which can generally be found in arts & crafts shops), some basic white glue (or Modpodge) and a clean paintbrush.

2) Cut the paper into small strips, about 1cm wide and long enough to wrap around the width of the bracelet. You're going to need to have enough to cover the entire exterior of the bracelet, which is probably around 30 strips.

3) Brush a light layer of glue on the inside and outside of the paper and position on bracelet. Continue this and work your way around the exterior of the bracelet, slightly overlapping each piece. Coat the outside with more layers of glue to help the paper stick together seamlessly (you don't want to overdue it with the glue, but it will dry clear so you don't need to keep it too minimal either).

4) You'll probably want to do half the bracelet, then set it upright on its non-gluey end to dry before finishing the other half.

5) I gave mine another good coat of Modpodge Matte later to seal it so I wouldn't have to panic too much if I'm wearing the bracelets during one of Singapore's regular rainstorms. However, they're still not exactly rain- and spill-proof, so perhaps a spray of acrylic sealer would work better?

6) This seriously takes about 20 minutes, tops.

Copy this joke

A girl in Tennessee drew this picture for her blog. I think the title is accurate.

Copy these headbands

I would buy this headband from Jennifer Behr, if it were $60 cheaper. It's completely out of my budget, but I'm sure I can find something close to it at H&M. Of course their copycat versions won't be made with cool vintage ribbons.
I like the way the model has all of her bangs back into the headband--a great way to cover up a bad bang day. You'll most likely see me doing this style until I get a haircut.

Copy these Cleaning Tips

Last week I found some websites that gave me cleaning tips and lists, but this week I found a better one here at realsimple.com.

Copy this Recipe

I love when vanilla ice cream is really white--like the color of the McDonald's ice cream. I found this recipe and think it would be beautiful. I'm going to give it a try sometime this week.

12 medium yellow cupcakes
2 pints vanilla ice cream
Sprinkles (not optional)

Arrange the cupcakes on a baking sheet. Place them in freezer for 15 minutes. Scoop the ice cream into the bowl of an electric mixer and beat with a paddle attachment (I don't have a paddle attachment nor do know what it is--I'm just going to use a regular mixer-I hope that's ok) until it's soft but still holds its shape, about 2 minutes. Spoon the ice cream over the cold cupcakes, creating swoops and peaks. Decorate with the sprinkles and serve immediately, or return to freezer and chill until the ice cream is firm, about 30 minutes.

Copy Ella's socks

I love when toddlers wear their socks up to their knees. These pictures have insprired me to look for the perfect boots for Ella. I've seen some at BabyGap, Gymboree, and The Children's Place. I know there are more boots out there, but where?

Copy Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart's attention to detail is so helpful. While this project seems cool--She suggests tracing your child's hand while sleeping (yeah right, when Ella's sleeping I'm not going to risk it), then trace it again in a few months, frame it, and wahla, cute artwork. It's the final step that I think is the best--she suggests hanging it from a wide satin ribbon on a vintage picture nail. Another cheap thing to find in an antique store! I'll be on the look out for vintage nails and envelopes (see posting below) if I ever go to an antique store with one of my creative San Francisco friends. Now I won't have to follow them around the store like the copycat that I am. I'll have my own shopping list!

Copy Jackson Pollock

For the first time today, Ella showed interest in crayons other than eating them. So I got out a sheet of paper and taped it to the table and she proceded to

pound the paper with the crayon and laugh. Then she was getting frusterated and I couldn't figure out why until I realized she wanted to be on the table drawing, and that's when the fun began.

Copy my Workout Playlist

I went running a few weeks ago. Two days in a row, even. But I haven't gone since because I always go over board and start throwing up when I come home. I think it because I run along the Embarcadero and everyone's watching me (you are, right?) and I don't want to let the tourist onto the fact that I'm so out of shape. These are the songs that I played to get my mind off of the pain:

Been It The Cardigans
Be Gentle With Me The Boy Least Likely To
Q&A Office
Wound Up Office
Girl and the Sea The Presets
Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Polly Wolly Doodle Dan Zanes & Sheryl Crow (originally bought it for ella, then found the beat is the exact pace that I run at so I love it even more)
Here It Goes Again OK Go

Copy and Paste This

I guess I'm suppose to be doing this daily. And this by the end of the week.