Have A Happy Weekend.

Happy Friday, friends. Did you have a good week? I've got a busy weekend, including a potluck on Sunday, so I'll leave you with my favorite posts from the Web this week. Have a great weekend, friends, and I'll see you on Monday!

Geek chic

Let's take a trip to some museums!

I love these nature photos, don't you?

Let's relax

I love this vintage dress

An interesting new Prada project

Genius: Mr. & Mrs. Honeymoon

Colorful shoes

Adorable farm animals

Genius: Scrapbook table

A romantic country wedding!

I love these bikes with names!

Cool calendars

Beetlejuice was such an awesome movie, no?

A great DIY carved pumpkin

Can you be friends with an ex?

Love this poetry!

[Photo via Beauty In Everything]

Vintage Handbag Giveaway!

Today's giveaway is from Pudding Store Vintage, a great etsy shop full of accessories, purses and shoes (I'm loving this vintage wings necklace!).

They're giving away this 1950's brown vintage handbag to one lucky reader! It's made from a sturdy brown fabric, gold plated metal frame and link chain.

For your chance to win, simply visit Pudding Store Vintage, and leave a comment below, along with your email address. A winner will be chosen at random on Monday afternoon. Happy browsing! xoxo

Update: Congrats to winner Cindy! Thanks so much! :)

Food Friday: Halloween Treats.

Are you excited about Halloween this Sunday, friends? I'll admit that my mouth started watering when I spotted these halloween treats! What's your favorite Halloween candy?

I thought it would be cool to do a blog hop with this festive post, so go ahead and link back to one of your posts about your favorite treats! Let's share the sugar fun! xoxo

Wedding Dress.

Isn't this dress gorgeous? The bride bought it at the Salvation Army! The price? $9! Can you believe it?

[Via The Senses Five]

Thursday Giveaway!

Today's giveaway is from Urban Belle, a Jackson, Wyoming-based etsy shop full of elegant and urban items such as glassware and prints.

One lucky reader will win this set of four spooktacular wine glasses just in time for Halloween. Don't you love the bats on them? I'd love to fill them up with root beer myself! :)

For your chance to win, simply visit Urban Belle, and leave a comment below, along with your email address. A winner will be chosen at random tomorrow afternoon. Have fun! xoxo

Update: Congrats to winner Melissa. Thanks so much! :)

Love Lounge: Walking The Line.

How do you know where the balance is? In love and looking for it, I mean. I'm not talking about anyone specific here, so no need to start up the rumor mill. The scenario usually goes like this: First he backs off, then I back off. then I contact him and feel like a Bon Jovi groupie looking a bit too desperate. It's sort of a sad state of affairs really. And sometimes, I wonder if my disability makes it just a little harder to decipher the clues and cues.

I don't want it to. I wish it didn't. But I can't help feeling like it does. At least sometimes.

Half the time, this leaves me having this conversation in my head:

Me: Don't you ever get tired of doing "the right thing?"

Me: Why, yes, Melissa, I do. I know exactly how you feel.

Me: Whew. I'm glad I'm not the only one.

Me: Don't worry. you're not. Sometimes I feel like I'm always letting my (well, ours) mind dictate our actions and pushing our heart full of pumping emotions further and further down into our subconscious?
So how do you know if you've ever really got all the rules down? Or how do you even know what the rules are, for that matter? If only there really were some sort of visible line in the sand that we could go by.

[Photos via Sabino]

Etsy Love: Talking Pillows.

Well, not literally talking pillows, but I've been feeling super sad and emotional lately, and I'd love to line my entire bed with these pillows -- to tell me to relax, smile, love and of course, always say hello. Aren't they genius? xoxo

P.S. More fantastic pillows! :)

Letters To My Future Husband: Letter #115

Dear Mr. Melissa Blake:
Do you have a falling pattern? OK, I know what might sound like an odd question, but just hear me out on this one (and get ready to hear me out on a lot of other things during our love, too...). But is there a certain type of gal you typically fall for? I'm not talking about looks, really, here, and I often wonder how much we talk about our past relationships together. Now, when we meet, I'm not exactly sure how many past relationships I'll have to speak of, but why do I have a pattern of falling for these two types of guys:

1. The guy who is so obviously not into me - and yet I still hold out hope that someday, by some miraculous miracle of the Gods, he'll wake up one day and realize my pure awesomeness?

2. The guy who I know rationally I shouldn't be falling for because it's just one giant mine field of mistakes and missteps - and yet, I, a mature, independent, (somewhat) self-assured woman, takes on the attitude of a teenager and simply doesn't care?

What is wrong with me here? I know the MOs of Mr Wrongs: Immature, self-absorbed, shallow. Please tell me you're not one of those, Sweetpea. I'm not sure I could handle that sort of stress.
The only rationalization (darn it, there I go trying to justify everything again) I can come up with is my case of non-experience. As you know, I've never, ever pretended to have experienced something - well, OK, technically more like experience anything is more appropriate - so am I just starting to get to that phase? Is it a phase you went through, Sweetpea?

And while we're on the subject of past (or in-our-head past) relationships, I think it only appropriate to open up Pandora's Box of cheating. I know, I know. It's a topic you probably don't want to even discuss, but we have to. Remember, I don't want to suffer any casualties of the heart here. Or, rather, I'd like to avoid them as much as humanly possible, if only for my mental sanity.

My rule: Don't even get any ideas in your head about going and doing something as stupid as cheating on me. Think about it: i write about you before we've even met. Think about how much worse it would be if i wrote about you after i found you in some seedy motel bed with some two-bit flussy. Until we meet... xoxo

[Photos via xthislovee and Chasing Pavements]

Striped Stairs.

Aren't these stairs genius? Not sure you could walk up them without falling over, but I can't stop staring at them! xoxo

[Via DesignLoveFest]

Dream Vacation: Calming Forest.

Friends, I've been feeling really emotional and overwhelmed this week; I'm not sure what's wrong with me. I'd love the chance to just curl up in this forest full of green, wouldn't you?

P.S. What are your other dream vacations?

[Photos by Camilla Engman]

How I Feel (In 5 Photos) Wednesday.

"You are the best thing that's ever been mine." --Taylor Swift

[Photos via We Heart It]

Video Hello.

Teaser: Who would play my cast of characters in a movie? Thanks for the suggestion, Blair! xoxo

County Fair Wedding.

I'm swooning over everything about Sarah + Kyle's whimsical wedding. The couple wanted to incorporate pies, yard games and fireworks into the wedding, and I'm loving the vibrant colors.

P.S. Sarah's wedding dress is gorgeous too! :)

[Photos by Jagger Photography]

Holiday Advertising.

Would you like to advertise on So about what I said? I'm offering some special package rates for the upcoming holiday season and would love to work with you! My readers are engaging and passionate, and they shop online often for wonderful gems.

My rates are ideal for etsy sellers, small businesses, crafters, bloggers, shop owners, photographers, artists, and designers.

Stats:
Site: melissabxoxo.blogspot.com
Number of subscribers (Feedburner, Google FriendConnect + Facebook): 2,858
Daily readers: 600+
Monthly visits: 19,596
Monthly page views: 38,645
Number of page visits since November 2008: 281,000

Please email mellow1422 (at) aol (dot) com for rates and blog stats. Thank you so much, and I look forward to working with you! xoxo

[Image designed by the wonderful Ez]

Getting Over You.

I wrote this one after I saw a certain someone a few months ago. And yes, I did act like a complete awkward dork as usual. Why is it that just when we think we're over someone, we see them again and those same emotions come flooding back like a tidal wave into our hearts?

An awkward glance, a distant smile
Guess that's all we didn't have to say to each other
And you know I felt like a fool just standing there staring at you all that time
Knowing all the words I'd said before

I saw you walk by and I muttered hi
On my way to getting over you
And I'm tripping and falling, you're looking, I'm stalling
On my way to getting over you
Maybe I could pretend that you'd never haunt my dreams again
Could I really get myself believing
That I'm getting over you?

Maybe we don't have to try and explain
Sometimes all we can do is say goodbye
A love lost, it's such a shame
But through the tears I'll try to smile
Even though...

I saw you walk by and I muttered hi
On my way to getting over you
And I'm tripping and falling, you're looking, I'm stalling
On my way to getting over you
Maybe I could pretend that you'd never haunt my dreams again
Could I really get myself believing
That I'm getting over you?

I saw you there in the moonlight
It always brings me back to that first time we met, ooooh
Try to stop myself from falling
Try to stop myself from falling for you...

I saw you walk by and I muttered hi
On my way to getting over you
And I'm tripping and falling, you're looking, I'm stalling
On my way to getting over you
Maybe I could pretend that you'd never haunt my dreams again
Could I really get myself believing
That I'm getting over you?

I saw you walk by and I muttered hi
On my way to getting over you
And I'm tripping and falling, you're looking, I'm stalling
On my way to getting over you
Maybe I could pretend that you'd never haunt my dreams again
Could I really get myself believing
That I'm getting over you?

I saw you walk by and I muttered hi
Turns out I'm not really over you...

[Photo via Audrey Hepburn Complex]

Women In Bubbles.

How awesome are these photos? Photographer Melvin Sokolsky snapped these shots of women in a bubble for Harper's in 1963. I'm loving the vintage vibe to them, aren't you, friends? And the message is a great one too: Just as the Women's Liberation Movement was forming, women still felt trapped. Genius. xoxo

Man Candy Monday

Good morning, friends! I thought it was only time we featured a class act (remember Paul Newman and James Dean?), so this morning, I bring you just that. This guy was the Brad Pitt of his generation. He oozed that rugged charm all the ladies swooned over. He was incredibly talented (sexy alert!). His eyes told a story. And he probably made husbands across America insanely jealous...

MARLON BRANDO!!!!!!!!!!

Have An Adorable Weekend.

Happy Friday, friends! Did you have a good week? Any exciting plans for the weekend? After a rather stressful week, I'm laying low this weekend and of course getting some quality Yahtzee time in!

While I'm shaking those dice (and winning!), here are some of my favorite posts from the Web...

Baby bump love

Awesome ideas for mason jars

I want to go to a state fair now!

More state fair love!

Quite possibly the most perfect purse!

We'll miss you, Mrs. Cleaver

A white Halloween?

Genius: Lego letterpress

Food love: Apple crisp

Bookends

Cute jam labels

Purple haze

Wouldn't it be cool to be a graceful ballerina for a day?

What a cute tea set

Loving this Southwest style...

Don't you love this wedding necklace?

Matthew, the cute assistant!

Genius: A chair made out of a suitcase!

What are you waiting for?

I need bins on my walls!

Dream Vacation: Lake Placid

How much fighting is too much?

A zebra-striped framed mirror

Yes, the fanny pack is baaaack!

Awesome wrapping paper designs!

Isn't baby Lucas adorable?

And, here are a few So about what I said posts from the archives:
*Decade Love: The '50s
*MEMO TO MEN: I want to tell you
*Splash of color
*Romantic dresses + ruby shoes
*What makes you smile?

Until next week, my friends! xoxo

[Photo by Michelle Dupont]

Food Friday: All-American Dining.

Genius: A map of the United States according to each state's scrumptious specialty. I think I'm in love. You know I'm partial to the corn, pudding and cheese section! Wouldn't it be cool to just print out this map and make a giant dream vacation out of the whole thing?

What's your favorite part of the country food-wise, friends? xoxo

Halloween Decorations.

I used to be like a kid in a candy store during Halloween - both literally and figuratively. I loved walking around the entire neighborhood and filling up my bag with so much candy that my dad would have to carry it home for me. It's sort of bittersweet because since my dad died, we've been going the minimalist route when it comes to decorations. A few weeks ago, my mother came home from the apple orchard with a few pumpkins, and we put them on our front stoop and patio.

Maybe that's why I'm loving these decorations. Aren't they neat?

What about you? Do you go all-out with decorations, friends? xoxo

Letters To My Future Husband: Letter #114

Dear Mr. Melissa Blake:
Oh, our relationship. How much did we actually talk about it as we were experiencing it, Sweetpea? You know, what we want, what we don't want. what we'll breakout into hives over, if we have any diseases from a past relationship (both literally and metaphorically) that the other person should know about. I like to think I have it all worked out in my head, but I'm sure things will change. Now, don't hate me for saying this, but here's what I've been thinking lately: I don't want perfect.

Yes, Sweetpea. You did in fact read that correctly. I, Melissa Blake, hereby do solemnly swear that I do not want a perfect relationship. I'm starting to hate perfect and normal and average. I'll never ask you to be perfect, but what I will ask of you is that you're always real. Ahh, real. One of my favorite words in the English language. I don't want perfect. I want real. Real is the kind of relationship that give us stories to tell our grandchildren. Real is the kind of relationship that lets us get to know each other inside and out. Real is just so much more exciting.
I've had perfect. I had the perfect childhood, and look where it got me. My father's suicide and me being virtually unable to handle it when things get the least bit rocky. I need to build up some reserves or something. Nothing in life is perfect or a sure-thing, and if we keep that in mind going into the relationship, we'll be all the better for it. Don't you agree, Sweetpea?

That's why I want things to be messy sometimes. I want us to have to work at our relationship and really work with each other to make it last. Because really, I'm starting to think that's the only way it's ever going to last. Nothing that comes too easy in life (read: things you don't have to work for) is ever really truly, utterly appreciated. And I want us to appreciate each other every single day.

And speaking of being together, I'm not all too sure how I feel about the term other half. I know it sounds weird seeing as I believe in soulmates, but can you have one without the other? I think so. I don't really like the idea that as of right now in October 2010, I am only half of the person I'm meant to be. I don't like to think that for my entire 29 years, I haven't been complete, that I've been only a sliver of myself. With soulmates, you can still be whole even before you meet your mate, you know, Sweetpea?
The bottom line, though: I'll always believe in love. It's something that will always pump through me. It's something that will always give me shivers and starry eyes and a lump in my stomach - the good kind of lump, though. The kind that makes me want to write about you. And the kind that make me say, "Yes, you, Sweetpea, are my soulmate. Even if I'm a whole person, don't think I won't attach myself to you." In the most loving way, of course. Until we meet... xoxo

P.S. You should probably put this letter in a special place. That way, every time I say, "Grrr, why can't things just be perfect?" you can whip out this letter and tell me, "Because you never wanted perfect, remember?" Consider it your Get Out Of Jail Free card. :)

[Photos via Le Love]

Dream Home: Built-In Bookcases.

As it stands right now, my bookcases are in pretty bad shape. I tend to just throw books and magazines haphazardly all over the place without any sort of real order. I'm loving the variety in Maggie's round-up on built-in bookcases. It's such a genius way to visually organize your books; I admit that when I go to people's houses, I am a total bookshelf snoop. You can tell a lot about a person by their books, can't you, friends?

Do you (or would you...) ever try this in your home? xoxo

Letters To My Future Husband: Letter #113

Dear Mr. Melissa Blake:
It may seem like I'm sort of scared by the entire prospect of dating. Well, maybe a part of me is, but in October 2010, something tells me I'm looking at things in all the wrong ways. Does it have to be scary? Is it as horrendous as people say it is? I sure hope not, or it's going to seem like an eternity between here and the end of that wedding aisle, Sweetpea.

And I don't want our dating and courtship to seem like a chore. I don't want it to be just another item I have to check off my to-do list. Because sooner rather than later, that's going to make everything boring and repetitive, almost as if I'm just going through the motions on the way to forever. What kind of life is that? No, no. I want to enjoy our getting-to-know-each-other time. The time while we're dating should be a time of discovery (and probably self-discovery, too, right?). I know our quirks and annoyances are going to shine through; they say the honeymoon period of dating doesn't last forever. I'll probably annoy you. You'll probably annoy me. That's OK, though, because there are so many other things I can't wait to learn about when it comes to the wonder that is you. I've been thinking a lot about this lately for some reason.
Right now, I know virtually nothing about you. Nothing at all. Doesn't that sort of boggle your mind, Sweetpea? The fact that you're sitting with me right now, knowing my life as if it were all an open book (which it is), and I have no idea about something as simple as what your favorite food is. I must say, I'm sort of jealous of our future selves right now. So, to that end, there are some things that I can't wait to learn about you. The top 4 on the list?

Your hopes and dreams
I can't wait to learn all about your passions in life. I think there's nothing sexier than a man with dreams and goals and "wants" in life. I know those things will probably change over the years, and of course that's OK. I actually feel like I'm changing a little myself. I don't want anything to hold me back, and I just want to be myself. Does that make any sense, Sweetpea?

What you were like as a kid
Yes, I know it's cheesy, but I want to have that romantic comedy moment with your mom where she hauls out all the photo albums of you as a kid. That's a whole chapter of your life I missed out on. Were you a rebel? Were you a mama's boy? I want to know it all. I just picture you being this cute little boy in elementary school with your lunchbox, running and hopping on the playground. As for me? Well, I suppose I should have you know I was a bit shy as a kid; hard to believe, I know. I also had a mad crush on Luke Skywalker. I actually thought I was going to marry him. Him, or the brother from Adventures In Babysitting. Man, that dude was hot. You might say I was a bit of an odd child, but I hope you'll eventually replace the word odd with endearing.

Your sense of humor
I know I said it thousands of times, but the way to my heart is most definitely through my funny bone. If you make me laugh, I'll fall in love with you. I can't wait to be sitting across the table from you on one of our many dates and almost spitting my tall glass of root beer across the room because of something you just said. That would seal the date for me. Now me, I think I'm pretty funny. I can be sarcastic, but that's just part of my humor charm.

Your most embarrasssing moment
Did you trip during your high school graduation ceremony? Did you have a pie thrown in your face? My most embarrassing moment? Fifth grade, hands down. I had just had surgery, and it was one of my first days back at school. We were in class (science or social studies, I think...), and it started to happen. I began to feel that unsettled sensation in the pit of my stomach. Maybe you know the feeling. Well, it wasn't long before I was vomiting right in front of the entire class. It was seriously bad, Sweetpea.
My head is starting to spin just thinking about all this, so I'll just leave it at that for now. After all, we have a lifetime to learn all about each other, don't we, Sweetpea. Until we meet... xoxo

[Photos via We Heart It]