MaxxSilly Loves: My Parents Were Awesome

Going back to the real world after a nice holiday with your family kind of stinks. Especially when you are 20 pounds heavier from all of the pie you ate. Well we here at MaxxSilly are going to help ease you into this week with some funny.

Did you ever find pictures of your parents from before you came into the picture? Ever shocked at how awesome they were? Well, your not alone. Check out My parents were awesome, a not so new blog where you can upload pics of your parents and share them with others. There are some great pics on there and surfing the site will get you out of at least two hours work. Yeah, your welcome!

I'm sharing the above photo of yours truly with my parents circa none of your beeswax. As you can see awesome-ness is genetic. WINK!

Stella McCartney for GAP Kids

I am really, really not liking those new GAP holiday ads. I'm not trying to be a Scrooge, I am all for holiday spirit but those jumpy people in plaid screaming "Go Solstice" really annoy me.

However, in the spirit of the season I will forgive GAP because of the adorable Stella McCartney line that has been created for GAP Kids. So cute! I love the little Sgt. Pepper style jackets and the pink tutu's! I wish I could afford a $98 sweater for my two-year-old but her coordination with apple juice is not really at that level quite yet. I'm in luck though - it was announced today that plans are in place for a second line next year!

Image courtesy of GAP

Let the countdown begin!

Turkey Day is almost here. The bird is thawing in the fridge. Apples are ready to be baked into a pie. Pants have been purchased one size too big for wearing the day after. Yup, we are good to go!

Here are some last minute fun ideas for you. You know, just in case!

Turkey Hat from Parents Magazine

Paper Squirrels (seriously?) from Martha

Organize Thanksgiving from Curbly

Chocolate Chip Maple Walnut Cookies from Everybody likes Sandwiches

How to fry a turkey from Instructables

Image courtesy of Parents Magazine

So sorry!

So sorry! We have had major technical difficulties this week at Casa de MaxxSilly but it seems all might be fixed now!

I know you will forgive me because I am sharing this super dreamy picture of Robert Pattinson with you. Yeah. We're good now.

We will be back up and running on Monday!
Image courtesy of Vanity Fair

Designer Home: Olivia

As you can imagine, with a two-year-old in the house we watch quite a bit of Nick Jr. Yes, we know the theme songs and even have a few favorite episodes but we never thought we would fall in love with a characters bedroom!

Olivia is a sassy piglet. Her brother Ian is introduced as her "bother" and she has quite the imagination. What do you expect from a girl with a steamer trunk full of art supplies? We love her pink and white striped wallpaper, which we never would have thought to match with a black and white striped rug and red standing mirror. Plus, and we are not sure about this, are those IKEA Lack shelves hanging in her room?

You can learn more about Olivia here.

Image courtesy of Nick Jr.

Museum Love: Tim Burton at MOMA

The Museum of Modern Art (or MOMA for you hipsters) is celebrating the art of Tim Burton starting on November 22. I have always been fascinated by Burton's work, he reminds me of a modern Edward Gorey.

The exhibit consist of illustrations, storyboards, puppets, video and of course a film retrospective of his work. The two opening night gallery tours are already sold out. There is a Burton book signing on the 18th and lots of other events planned during the exhibits five month run. No mention of lunch with Johnny Depp, but a girl can dream...

I'm hoping to get to NYC to see it myself but not sure if I will. So, what do you think - should museums do more hip, fun stuff like this to get non-museum goers in the door or is it all a ploy to get you to cough up 20 bucks and hope you will hit the gift shop?

Image courtesy of MOMA

Fun Weekend Project

The weekend already? This week flew by! Have you guys got fun plans for this weekend? The leaves are falling fast here in New England so it looks like there maybe a rake in my future!

I am hoping to try the project above. Jessica over at How About Orange posted a tutorial on how to make stencils with freezer paper. The tutorial is pretty easy and I think this could lead to some fun holiday gifts. Scary that the holidays are so close - my neighbor has Christmas lights up already!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Image courtesy of How About Orange

Crayon Rings

I would like to put on these crayon rings and then run around rubbing them on every wall I can find. This is ironic because it is exactly what I tell my daughter NOT to do.

Image courtesy of Timothy Liles

*Sorry for the lack of posting lately. We are having some technical difficulties at Casa de Silly. Hopefully they will be fixed soon!

Hanging on the Weekend

The weekend is here again! Here at MaxxSilly we will be celebrating Mr. MaxxSilly's birthday!

Got any fun plans for the weekend? Well, in between stuffing our faces with cake (mmmm cake...) and catching up on laundry I am going to hang some art on the walls. I have had frames sitting, ready to hang since we moved in 2 years ago. Since I work in a museum and hang pictures almost everyday, it's not something I look forward to doing on the weekend.

Need to hang some art? Check out this guide for getting just the right arrangement for your space.

Some quick professional tips:

Using a level as your spacer between images will help to give you that exact distance every time - the average level is about 2 inches wide.

If you are using a nail have some needle nose pliers handy. Use them to hold the nail in place. This will lead to a lot less cursing.

Have a great weekend!

Dear Santa...

Dear Santa,
I have been really, really, really good this year. Could you please bring me a shoe closet like Christina Aguilera's? If you want you could fill it with these:

Kate Spade

and these, Kate Spade

and these, Payless.

Thanks Santa, your the best!

Hugs and Kisses,
MaxxSilly

PS - I could use some low top Chuck Taylor's in every color, you know, since I have the space and all.

PPS - I promise to give one shelf to Mr. MaxxSilly.