Thank You for Following + Giveaway

Dry As Toast's Facebook page reached 200 likes last week! To celebrate, I'm having a big giveaway to thank you guys for following through all these years. When I first started up the blog back in 2007, I had finished grad school and was having the toughest time landing a magazine job. During a networking session, one contact suggested I start a blog so that I could continue to write and learn how to edit myself. I was so shy and nervous about the idea that when I finally hit publish on my first post I didn't tell anyone other than my sister. Well fast-forward nearly seven years and 1,575 posts later and here we are. There have been quite a few times when I've had to back away for a bit because work + life + lack of inspiration, but I'm so thankful for those who've been reading all along. Whether you stumbled upon Dry As Toast in the early days or are a recent reader, I'm very grateful that you take any time out of your day to read the randomness that spews out my brain. I'm really looking forward to sharing the next year ahead with you.

As a token of my appreciation, I'm giving away a box filled with paper goodies to three readers. Over the years, I've realized that I'm quite the formidable paper hoarder. I have drawers and bags filled with greeting cards, notebooks, note sets, postcards, bookmarks, and other lovely items I've collected from stationery shows, PR reps, friends, and my own purchases. Silly thing is, they're just so pretty I've never been able to part with them or *gasp* actually write in these. Crazy, I know, but here's where you can help. Save me from myself (read: help me make room for my paper obsession). I hope the winners will share their goodies, use them to bring a smile to a friend, send snail mail, and jot down thoughts and dreams. Each box will be randomly filled with swag from my stash so it'll be a complete surprise, but a really fun one.

To gain multiple entries for the giveaway, just log into the Rafflecopter widget below and a winner will be announced Wednesday, Jan. 22.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

CONGRATULATIONS: This week's giveaway winners are Jenelle, Cody, and Dariany!

Design Sponge's New Travel Series "24 Hours In" + Yard Sale

Design Sponge has just started a new travel series called "24 Hours In" in which creative folks share their ideal day in any given city. Design Sponge's own Grace Bonney kicked things off last week with a little tour of her 15 favorite spots in North Brooklyn, which is where her studio is located, and this week, prop stylist Ginny Branch shares her top picks in her hometown of Atlanta, Georgia.

While Design Sponge has a long list of more detailed city guides, I'm enjoying these mini snippets and the fun illustrations that accompany them. It's like having a host show you the neighborhood through their eyes. It's probably why I also enjoy The New York Times' 36 Hours series so much and love flipping through the book. It quickly breaks down an area, gives you suggested itineraries filled with spots both known and hidden, and presents it in a neat little package. Perfect for the person who hardly has time to travel, let alone plan for weeks in advance.

Now to go back to Brooklyn and artsy finds, Design Sponge is hosting a yard sale this Saturday in their Greenpoint studio. If you're searching for cool furniture, artwork, paper goods, accessories or just new goodies for your home, you'll have to drop in. I'll be popping over to see if I find anything interesting to dress up these walls.

Would You Have a Big or a Small Wedding?

Let me start out by saying that we're not engaged nor are there plans (that I know of) to do so anytime soon. A. and I can't even have a discussion about weddings without getting into an argument about money and whether spending so much on just one day is the responsible thing to do. See, I'd love to have a celebration with friends and family someday and while I know there are so many ways to keep expenses down (and I'd want a sweet and simple affair anyway), it'll still cost a few thousand to pull it off.

I agree with A. to a certain extent: I'd like to save money for a house, to raise a family, or travel the world, but it would be special to have this beautiful moment, too. I think he fears that I'll go Bridezilla on him, requesting some high-end details, inviting guests we hardly even know, a big fat rock, and this big to-do, but he has to admit that I'm not that kind of girl. I didn't grow up planning out my wedding day just waiting to plop the guy into the scene. I don't have a Pinterest board filled with décor and dress inspiration. Heck, I never even wanted to get married until just a few years ago. But lately I've been envisioning an autumn wedding in the park with DIY touches, colorful scenery, and a dessert table. When he argues that weddings are just money down the drain he assures me that he wants one, but would like to know how we could keep costs down. Present him a case, if you will.

So I'd love to know: did you have a big or a small wedding? How did you stay within your budget? Or did you blow it altogether?

And if you haven't tied the knot yet, what would your wedding be like? Or would you elope?! I have a close friend who ran off to marry her love and I remember being so shocked and thrilled for her when she told me what she planned to do. I think the older I get the less hoopla I need, but I'll still be wanting to walk down the aisle with my father, say some sweet words to my husband-to-be, and have a day that's all about us. How selfish does that sound?

Image: stylemepretty.com

Housewarming + 32

This weekend, A. and I had our first party in the new place to celebrate our housewarming and my 32nd birthday. It was so nice to finally have friends over to give them the grand tour and goof around. I even got to catch up with someone I hadn't seen in years and was really touched that he made the drive over for the evening.

Birthdays always leave me feeling sentimental and incredibly lucky. I have wonderful people in my life and I still get a little shocked when they come out to celebrate with me. Even though I was a bit nervous about how our separate social circles would mesh, our friends quickly connected and had a fun time playing games, listening to music, and eating snackies. Now we can't wait to host them again especially since we were left with a ton of food and wine that need to get consumed. Plus, it was nice to have the house full of people and chatter and buzz about the crowd.

Do you love hosting people or does it stress you out? I'm usually running around like a headless chicken up until it's go time and then everything I was worried about before is quickly forgotten about.

{Monday Inspiration} Stand Out

As someone who flips back and forth between being a wallflower and then wishing she were brave enough to dance in the spotlight, this poster from Striking Truths caught my attention. Sometimes it's easier to blend in with the crowd and go by unnoticed than to stand out and be recognized for something amazing especially if you cloak yourself in shyness. It takes risk, courage, comfort with vulnerability, and even a little shamelessness to just put it all out there - yourself, your work, your dreams - for the world to see.

I keep contemplating my career choices, my creative ventures, and how I engage with others in social settings. I'm so apprehensive that it keeps me from connecting with people and then I'm left feeling like others don't engage with me as much as I'd like because I don't open up. I observe, I hang around corners, and only when I feel slightly at ease is when little bursts of the real me shoot out. This year, I want to burst all the time, I want to be fearless in a crowd, feel more confident, and go above what could be expected of me both in my career and relationships.

What are your goals for the new year?

Image: strikingtruths.com