Have a happy long weekend.

What are your plans for this Labor Day weekend? I'm excited to come home, scoop Toby up into my arms and cover him with kisses. Oh, that little bunny! Hope you have a great weekend, and here are a few fun posts from around the web...

A song for your weekend. (Dude, acapella!)

Hipster soups.

A most unusual test.

Who wants a pet lamb?

This is what a scientist looks like.

Would you do a mirror fast?

OMG, this gave me a heart attack. (Thanks, Dad.)

Cute cute cute.

12 fantastic recipes for corn.

This awesome blog has now published a book!

Homemade baby wipes.

Cookie dough bites.

Can you believe this is a marble sculpture?

These would be perfect for the beach.

Plus, three past posts you may have missed:
* Touch tours.
* Do you get freaked out at night?
* Photobooth proposal.

Have a good one!

(Photo by Maddie Joyce)

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Pools!

Can you believe we're only one day away from September?! This summer flew by. To keep the summery mood going, here are 8 incredible pools around the world…Have you been to any? Which one would you want to dip into?

From top: Berlin, Victoria Falls on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe (see more insane photos here), Singapore, Portugal, Chile, Sydney, Utah and Bali.

(Photos via and links on Apartment Therapy)

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Our third anniversary

Alex is definitely nicer than I am. Here's why...
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Movie: Sleepwalk with Me

The other day, my mom and I went to see Sleepwalk with Me, the new comedy produced by Ira Glass and written by Mike Birbiglia. The main character is a comedian who gets engaged to his girlfriend but has cold feet. Although it sounds like a typical rom-com, it’s actually hilarious, honest and surprising (with a lot of stand-up comedy) and we both really enjoyed it. Here's the trailer. Will you see it?

P.S. Judd Apatow said, "A funny and insightful movie. I could have watched it for ten hours." High praise!

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Wednesday giveaway!

Today's giveaway is from GwenDelicious, a handmade jewelry shop based in Vancouver. Today the designer is offering one lucky winner a $250 gift certificate. Which pieces would you choose? (I love her letterpress necklaces and alphabet jewelry.)

For a chance to win, please visit GwenDelicious and leave a comment below. A winner will be chosen at random tomorrow. Good luck! Update: Tiff is our lucky winner. Thanks for playing.

Bonus for all readers: Get 10% off with the code CUPOFJO10, good for one week.

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Slate cheese boards

We're big cheese eaters around here (ob-vi-ous-ly), and one of the best purchases we've made was a Brooklyn Slate cheese board. The dark color makes cheeses look bright and beautiful, and you can label them with a soapstone pencil. And the company sells not only cheese boards, but also packages of a campfire kit or a ploughman's satchel. Would make a great gift for a hostess (or just a hungry friend).

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The Best Corn on the Cob You'll Ever Have (With Herb Butter!)

When we were growing up in Michigan, we would eat corn on the cob almost everyday in the late summer and early fall. We'd slather it with butter or shave it into salads, and I even loved to eat cobs raw (have you ever tried that?). But the recipe that tops all others is this incredible one from Rachael of Tokyo Terrace, below...
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Four-day trip to Italy

So Alex and I have decided to take one final short trip this summer. We've been blowing out travel this summer (Amsterdam and Chicago) because we're really hoping to get pregnant this fall (have I mentioned that already?:) and if all goes according to plan, we know next summer will be a wash. With a newborn and a toddler, we won't be traveling much! We figured we'd treat this summer like One Last Hurrah, before what (hopefully) will be a chaotic, noisy, sleepless couple of years ahead:)

We decided to go alone to Italy for the next four days, and my mom is staying with Toby. We're going for just four days to keep it more affordable and also because we didn't want to be away from Toby for too long. We chose Capri because tomorrow is our third anniversary, and we went to nearby Positano for our honeymoon, so this will be like a fun flashback. We're really, really excited, and it seems surreal. (Even while I'm writing this, it still hasn't kicked in that we're actually going.) I'll be posting every day this week and am looking forward to sharing photos next week.

Have you ever been to Capri? Any advice? We would love to hear:) Thank you so much! xoxo

(Sorry this post kept disappearing! Blogging was tricky from our hotel in Italy:) Photo by Giuseppe Greco in National Geographic)

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Travel beauty

Years ago I went on a business trip with a photographer, and she spritzed rosewater on her face during the flight. It was such a lovely (and fancy!) ritual, and after that, I was inspired to come up with my own trusty beauty arsenal when traveling. (I basically pare down my everyday makeup to the essentials.) Here's what I've packed every trip since...

1. Hair powder. Dry shampoo has changed my life, since you can skip showers and still have beautiful bedhead hair. This travel size smells like lavender and clary sage. $10.
2. Supercurl mascara. This mascara curls and thickens lashes so you'll look wide awake when you land. $20.
3. Chloe perfume is a fresh floral fragrance to keep you feeling pretty. $25.
4. Dopp kit. Unison Home has canvas toiletry bags in three different sizes to hold all those lotions and potions. $35.
5. Cucumber towelettes. I use these every night at home to wash my face (the lazy way!), but they're also perfect for traveling. The cucumber scent feels fresh and invigorating, $9.99.
6. Benetint gives your lips and cheeks a rosy glow, so it's my go-to cosmetic for a trip. (My sister actually wears this, and once I was raving about how pretty she looked, so she let me try it, and now I'm hooked:)
7. Muji Travel Pillow. This comfy pillow folds into a pouch and helps you actually sleep on a plane, $9.95.

(Plus, of course, I pack my face powder!)

What beauty products do you pack when you travel? I'd love to hear your tips...

P.S. Plane picnics (pack an orange!), and five best shoes for traveling.

(Post by Joanna. Layout design by Rachel from Elephantine for Cup of Jo. Top photo from Villa Brunella. I mentioned a couple of my travel staples on CNT, as well.)

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Motherhood Mondays: What's the best age gap between siblings?

I've noticed something interesting about people...
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NYC Guide: A rad place to hang out with a kid

Last week I wrote about our seven favorite activities for toddlers in New York. But I forgot one!
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Roald Dahl mugs

For all you superfans out there.

P.S. Stamps, and a letter from Roald Dahl.

(Thanks, Emily)

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Have a relaxing weekend.

What are you up to this weekend? My mom is coming to visit from Michigan, and we're having a ladies night. (We're thinking dinner here followed by this movie). I can't wait to see her. Hope you have a great weekend, and here are a few fun posts from around the web...

A song for your weekend.

Canned air from New York and Paris. That's all.

This perfume sounds fantastic.

This squeaky door sounds like Miles Davis.

Is Bill Murray's party tour for real? That's so weird/awesome!

An outdoor shower in NYC.

Dancing like a 4-year-old.

Perfect.

Vacation placemats.

Pinterest is making me hungry.

People really want the president's beer.

Make your own tote.

Want to be Facebook friends? (P.S. Toby went on a date!)

And finally, on a more serious note, how devastating about the shooting at the Empire State Building today. My heart goes out to the victims and their families.

(Photo by Michael Graydon)

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The Royal Tenenbaums

Criterion recently put together a slideshow of all the books and magazines in The Royal Tenenbaums. Just wish they made prints of these!

(Via Miss Moss)

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Thursday giveaway!

Today's giveaway is from Bario-Neal, a handcrafted jewelry studio in Philadelphia that uses ethically sourced stones and environmentally conscious practices. Today they're giving away this fabulous cocktail ring ($180), which has geometrical facets in brass. Wouldn't you love to wear it with dark red lipstick everyday this fall?

For a chance to win, please visit Bario-Neal's online shop (including beautiful engagement rings and wedding bands), and leave a comment below. A winner will be chosen at random tomorrow. Good luck! Update: Latte Love is our winner. Thanks for playing.

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Have you stayed friends with your exes?

Before I met Alex...
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Fall trend: Dark red lipstick

I usually wear bright red lipstick, but this fall, lips are going dark. Yesterday Toby and I walked over to the NARS store and found the prettiest color: Terre de Feu. Afterward, I felt really sexy, even in jeans and a T-shirt and with a baby on my hip.

The trick is to apply the lipstick, and then kiss it off on a tissue, so it's more of a stain; and then reapply a top coat. That way, it stays on for ages (and won't rub off if you have drinks or dinner).

Will you be wearing dark red lipstick this fall?

P.S. Dark red nails, and fall wedges...

(Photo by Stockholm Street Style)

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Staring contest

Alex and I hosted a staring contest three years ago, and it was one of the funniest parties we've ever had. We've wanted to do another one for ages, so we invited a few friends over last week for the challenge. The rules are simple: People have to gaze into each other's eyes without smiling or laughing.

It's incredibly suspenseful. (Note our friend's face on the left:)

Doesn't our friend look like Ben Stiller here?

As I mentioned years ago, staring contests are surprisingly flirty—because, if you think about it, the only time you quietly gaze into someone's eyes without smiling is when you're about to make out.

Ben Stiller won.

When it was my turn, I was up against one of my best guy friends. I was embarrassingly bad and couldn't stop smiling even to begin the game. I was out literally the second it started.

Advice from the good players: Think of something sad or bite your tongue really hard.

Here are the three different postcard invitations we sent out (featuring photos from three years ago) to get everyone in the mood. We made them using Pinhole Press, of course.

It was such an awesome night! I'd highly recommend hosting one if you want to have a hilarious evening. Thanks for everyone who came.

P.S. A cookie swap and a 1930's party...

(Photos by Alex and me. Pinhole Press is one of my beloved long-term sponsors, and they generously let us order our invitations at no charge. Thank you!)

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The Best Berry Cobbler You'll Ever Have

Whoa, how delicious does this berry cobbler look? Julie of Willow Bird Baking says that her cobbler "makes for a sweet date: two forks, a skillet of cobbler, some ice cream and a warm night on the patio." Here's how to whip one up...
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Funny memoir

We chatted last week about books we love, and I forgot one of my favorites! Garlic and Sapphires is an incredibly entertaining memoir about Ruth Reichl's stint as the New York Times food critic. She would dress up in crazy costumes so restaurateurs wouldn't recognize her. Her costumes transformed her into an old lady, an English teacher from Michigan, a blonde divorcee from the South, a red-haired hippie...the list goes on. Her memoir is hilarious and compelling, and also has beautiful insights about food and relationships. Have you ever read it?

Flashback: I had the book on tape (which Ruth reads herself!)...and actually listened to it on a DISCMAN!

(Cartoon by Roz Chast, via NYCTaughtMe)

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Do or Don't: Magazines in the bathroom

We were at our friends' house the other day when I noticed something funny...
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iPhone cases

How cool are these iPhone cases featuring images images from vintage magazines? The two above are from Vogue (1939) and GQ (1966). See more here.

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