A Fangsgiving Miracle

November 21, 2012November 21, 2012 | Viciously Sweet

I am still trying to hold on to Halloween. Mostly because I’m not a big Thanksgiving fan.

I mean I love having a day dedicated to being thankful. I get to see my family… but I really cannot stand cornucopias.

And I am always afraid their little coned shaped wicker horn is going to show up and provide my day of thankfulness with a serious visual blight.

So I suggest a new jazzy holiday. One that combines the sheer magic of Halloween and the thankfulness of Thanksgiving:

And see you still get all the best parts of the holidays… spooky scary things and food! The best part is that the cornucopia must check itself at the door.

And you can party safely without the fear of that horn of plenty getting in your way.

♥Lauren

Isabel Stare-a-thon 2012: Opening Ceremonies

November 20, 2012November 20, 2012 | Viciously Sweet

It’s that time of year again to dust of your periscopes and get into the groove of staring at Californian sweetheart Isabel! Now as you can remember the Isabel Stare-A-thon is the official start to the holiday season. And it is where we take time to show Isabel how much we care to stare at her face.

Now this stare-a-thon has an exciting new development. Isabel has since the last stare-a-thon got engaged… to Dave the man who wants to make every day his own personal stare-a-thon.

And now to announce the theme of this year’s stare-a-thon I must give credit of this brain child to my new giggling accomplice/coworker Jonathon who is excited about his first Stare-a-thon:

So everyone… get ready to get some Isabel Staring Happening!

♥Lauren

The Pro’s and Con’s of Cornucopias

November 19, 2012 | Viciously Sweet

Hi Internet. This is a new type of post for me. It’s a pro/con subject matter. And this one is about cornucopia’s. If you find yourself questioning the existence of the horn of plenty… this is the article Phil Collins would say you’ve been waiting for all your life.

Pro Cornucopia: Amber’s side of the cornucopia debate

I’m indifferent. They just hold fruit and stuff… I don’t see the big deal.

I don’t love them or hate them.

Indifferently yours,

Amber

Con Cornucopia: Lauren’s Cornucopia Conundrum

It’s Lauren. And I have something to tell you. I don’t like cornucopia’s. The back story of this is that when I was a kid I loved to check the brand new calendar to see what day of the week my birthday was. Like every other cool kid out there I prayed it never landed on a Wednesday… because it would be too far to wait for a weekend! But the calendar always had alternative plans for me…

Unlike my sister who was born in July and usually had beautiful pictures of fireworks. And my parents born in June had beaches, summer in full swing. And both Christine and Isabel born in March who would have fields of gorgeous flowers for their calendar month. And the children of December who had these fantastic winter scenes, Christmas, promises for the New Year… and of course October and September riddled with the most gorgeous changing leaf colors you have ever seen. And then there was November… and the Cornucopia.

It was on a table, near a turkey, with a pilgrim, with an Indian. It was featured by itself, it was outside marring the beautiful scenery. But it was always there. And even on the calendars without a picture it would sneak its little wicker basket self in there.

horns of sadness is more like it — Horns of sadness is more like it

And when I grew up I started to resent it, not just because of the beauty of the other months. But because the cornucopia was always so forced. I never remember us having one for any other day. I don’t remember getting a cornucopia to celebrate the crisp days of autumn, from a horn of plenty lot. Actually it was just wicker with plastic fruit on my grandma’s kitchen table. And it was only out for Thanksgiving. Now here is the moment we can all admit it’s not as charming as a Christmas tree, it’s not as fun as an Easter basket stuffed with candy, and it definitely could not hold a candle to a pink foiled doily valentine, heck it can’t even compete with Flag Day. It’s just a wicker horn with vegetables in it. And since I never have had to live a cold winter clutching my wicker horn to get me through the long nights, I just can’t get into it.

I also want to take this time to share from first to sixth grade I had to color the same cornucopia color page… every year. It may have even been this picture:

cornucopia of saddness — linked from family color pages. Featuring Families that color horns of seasonal fruits and vegetables

And one more thing about cornucopia’s. They are not even very convenient. I mean I don’t carry around horns of water. Or horns of markers. When I go to the market I don’t say “Horn” when they ask “Paper or plastic”. There are so many better ways to hold things. Bags, boxes, those little packs on the sides of mules. I just don’t get their horn-shaped allure.

And although this week I will get to see my family and eat wonderful food with them. And I will have a fantastic time… there is just a little hesitation knowing that a horned foe may show up. I just hope that we have plenty too cumbersome to fit in that wicker horn… if you know what I mean.

Happy Thanksgiving week everybody. Decorate accordingly.

Lauren

Club 27

November 16, 2012November 16, 2012 | Viciously Sweet

Seriously. My birthday is finally here.

That means the whole calender year is nearly complete. But for me it’s a beginning. A new chapter.

And since my 26th year was one of the strangest, and most surreal 365 days of my existence and tentatively titled “The Passion of Unicorn” … I’m expecting my next 365 to be even more exciting.

I’ve been sharing my experiences on this blog all year so this post is going to be like one of those clip shows from the Golden Girls… except it will have awesome new material too. Because that is what I do.

So let’s kick it off with the old.

Things I’ve Learned in my 26th year:

♥ Crepes are fantastic. And in the right moment, they can be life changing.

♥ That every one deserves to feel like their life is a romantic comedy, even if it only lasts for a few hours.

♥ That everyone should “be prepared to be surprised”, because if you keep your eyes open… you can see that life is made of them.

♥ That sometimes you should just try to realize in the future things won’t suck in the way they do now… but it isn’t going to be perfect.

♥ That the things you want, aren’t always what you need or get… but I will never settle for anything that is less than wonderful.

♥Some people in the world really just like you for who you are. And I send them my most sincere thank you’s.

♥There is no shame in telling people to “Wang Chung tonight” especially if you are sincere about these wishes.

♥Sometimes a churro makes everything better.

♥My optomistrist is right, I should have a tv show. Everyone would have died of anticipation during my sweeps month.

♥Even though loved ones have great intentions… no one but you, knows what is best for you.

♥ Talk to strangers. Because sometimes awesome things happen. This is a shout-out to all my lovely blog readers who I have never met in real life but feel an affinity for!

♥And if there was a narrator to my life, it would be Drew Barrymore.

Things I will do in the next year:

♥Buy more red lipstick. I’m so tired of people trying to drag it down. I like it and it likes me. And I don’t care what dudes say about it.

♥Enjoy my girliness with reckless abandon. I’m 27 and I bought sparkly diamond mascara. #dealwithit

♥Finish up my new doodle store! Preview notice, it’s going to be called the “Viciously Sweet Shop” and it may be candy themed. Take that, Katy Perry.

♥Kick back and draw. Work is stressful enough, turning it into silly doodles ALWAYS makes it better

♥ Blast through my ARE’s. Boy have I been procrastinating on those. I need to get my booty back in gear and get it done with.

♥ Maybe the masters… I should probably add that to the list too. I mean if it’s out there… maybe I’ll do it.

♥ Take more dance classes. I stopped doing them because I thought they were “uncool” during my teen years. Well teen Lauren was wrong… I love them, they are the best way to get out energy. And also the weirder the better. I like telling people that I Tahitian dance, and I love dancing around my office. And I think more dancing could help my confidence when I go out to places. Any suggestions of what kind?

♥ Learn how to play the songs I love on Ukulele. I will then pull out said ukulele from my trunk and surprise serenade people.

Have a wonderful Lauren Birthday weekend!

♥Lauren

At least there will be cake

November 15, 2012 | Viciously Sweet

Tomorrow is my birthday and I did not make the deadline in my Blergsday miracle.

I have to show up and work… like a grown up. Instead of staying home and chillaxing in my jammy jams until I hit the town with Christine.

good news... there will be cake — At least there will be cake!

It is okay. I have been promised cake, and everyone likes promises that are made with frosting.

FROSTING PROMISES — Make me sweet sweet promises

So it’s all really good news if you think about it!

♥Lauren

Happy Hour

November 14, 2012 | Viciously Sweet

So I’m not the biggest drinker. But I am a fan of happy hour. And not just because that is when drinks are most affordable, but because of the name. Happy Hour. I think more hours should be dedicated to happy, and not just because I like to have a drink or two… but because we need an hour where the world is not driving us mad and an hour to pretend like we have never heard of cell phones or the internet. You know, time to just be.

Also if I had a happy hour it would have alcohol and desserts. Because I don’t know if there are two things that could make people happier.

True story: I’m not the biggest drinker. And I never quite know what to drink… and well I know alcohol is not the tastiest thing… so I’m not that picky. And a lot of the time when I order drinks I sound like this:

I’m going to get my happy hour on now.

♥Lauren

The Goal

November 13, 2012 | Viciously Sweet

I have very odd selected daily goals, and the weirder they are the joy of completing them is greater.

At work I have many professional goals… you know deadlines and the sort… but I always keep some spare time for a little giggly goal.

And this goal is not really a secret:

Today I read her a exterior canvas catalog in a spicy Marilyn Monroe kind of accent. We both laughed so hard we had to stop… and somehow I ended up shoe-less.

Talk about that you talk-talkers.

♥Lauren

The Oh Oh Overload

November 12, 2012 | Viciously Sweet

You know this time of the year is a magical time. The leaves turn, the nights get longer, people are a little nicer (to your face)… and the Lauren is always stuck in the office missing these previously mentioned things.

I have been so busy these last few weeks that I actually have dreaded taking the days off I had previously planned. This Friday I plan on not going to work and I plan to celebrate my birthday, so I need to figure out how to make a whole new day somewhere in between that can be filled with work. I think if anyone can do it… it could be me. I would like to call it Blergsday. I am in need of a Blergsday miracle.

I have work up to my eyeballs, no one wants to Wang Chung with me, and some people at my work are even gossiping about me (for real). This basically means, I’m too awesome for them to handle. And their lives are really really boring. Trying to deal with all of this while simultaneously trying to figure out if I found the lid to my pot.. is really stressful!

Any who I also have to admit that I actually had to do something even more terrifying to make sure I don’t neglect my blog, my birthday, my doodle time, the holiday I created about my friend Isabel, and my other responsibilities. I made a calendar with a drawing matrix and scheduled events. I this I just made making doodles a professional commitment… how is this happening to me? How is it you can get so busy you have to schedule in fun? Is this real life?

♥Lauren
Also shout out to my brother and sister-in-law. I haven’t heard from either of you for what feels like forever. I hope your vacation was awesome. And I ♥ you all.

Every Pot has it’s Lid

November 8, 2012November 12, 2012 | Viciously Sweet

So many people who know me know I like funny things… and that includes funny people.

My love of 2012, Amy Poehler has inspired me in so many ways this year, and although she herself has had a trying year. She just keeps making things better for everyone.

She has these really great videos for girls, and she sincerely gives stellar advice. But good advice is really just good advice, so have a watch right here:

In this video, after I dried my tears on the closest carpet samples. I realized Amy shared a really beautiful saying in the video.

“Every Pot has a lid.”

every. single. pot.

Now I know this saying is probably old fashioned and directed from grandmothers to girls they deemed spinsters at 21. But as a girl who usually feels like a unicorn trying to board Noah’s Ark, I totally get it. And someday when looking through the mounds of mismatched lids, I will find one that works. I think everybody will. So needless to say, I found this saying really wonderful. It’s sweet and I think it makes a really cute doodle: