Weekend links

Happy Friday everyone! It's Super Bowl weekend and usually we'd be having a party or at least watching the game, but this year Hank is in the studio with his newest  band so we're skipping it. I honestly don't mind one bit, although I might flip it on now and again to catch the commercials (my favorite!).

Here are some links to start your weekend off! Whatever you do, have a good one. xo

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Lisa Khoury wrote a response to her "Why Put a Bumper Sticker on a Ferrari?" piece. What are your thoughts on it? Check out her managing editor's piece too- "Tattoo This, Haters."

Super fascinating interview with Hank's friends- a husband and wife design team. Great people and I loved what they both had to say.

My favorite Girl Scout cookie is the Samoa is it makes up 19% of sales. How does your favorite do?

Up for a photo challenge? Try Chelsey's self-portrait challenge this week.

Salt and vinegar roasted chickpeas. I'm going to try making these tonight.

Isn't this peter pan collar manicure adorable? 

Loving this simple round up of baby boy nursery art over on the Collected blog.

Have you ever heard of Ink Butter? They're one of my newest sponsors and I'm so excited about their product- if you get tattooed or have plans to get tattooed, check this stuff out.

What a great, simple reminder from Kaelah.

Don's giving us a behind-the-scenes look at his design process. Awesome!

Cameron Garland created one of my favorite things in our home, and it was neat to see it up on his website! Have a look.

Loving Max's "Dear Baby" series over on Katie's Pencil Box.

How neat are these igloos?!

Like Boston Terriers? I do! If so check out Jess' free Boston printable.

Need help feeding your Super Bowl watchers? Have no fear- Shutterbean has it covered.

A couple blogs I'm loving right now: one and two.

One of my sweet readers' husbands sent me his band to check out and I thought they were great!

A baby iPhone case. Need I say more?

Carbs are killing us, apparently! Interesting infographic.

Big news from Jess! This has me smiling from ear to ear.

And finally, congratulations to Eden, who was the winner of the Unicorn Parade custom banner giveaway! I'll be emailing you later today about claiming your prize. Thanks again to all who entered!

Why Yes, I Will Put a Bumper Sticker on this Ferrari: An Open Letter to Lisa Khoury

***before reading, please check out Lisa Khoury's "Why Put a Bumper Sticker on a Ferrari?"

Dear Lisa Khoury,

First of all, I have to congratulate you on breaking down the female role so simply- we are here to make men drool! To turn heads! We hold some serious power in our hands! So thankful you let me in on this, because frankly, while typing this I was looking down at my tattooed arms feeling lost...and now I understand why I'm happily married, raising an intelligent child, hold two degrees, and live a wonderful life. Oh, wait...

I think the biggest, most glaring problem in your article is that you are saying that women should not get tattoos. Not men. And with that comes a laundry list of things that are wrong with your argument. You say that tattooed women are lacking class, yet I find it interesting that the person who is making such a broad and judgmental statement is the same woman who is calling "wearing high heels" and "getting your nails done" a productive and good use of time. Your ignorance is almost shocking to me, and I kept holding out for the "just kidding, guys! I'm really not this crazy!" all the way to the end. To put it simply, I just can't find the logic in any of your argument.

Ms. Khoury, I get it. You don't like tattoos. And that's okay- we're all entitled to our own opinion. But objectifying and cutting down your own gender is absolutely the wrong way to go about it. You've painted a portrait of the ideal woman in your article- she's someone who enjoys the finer things in life and flaunts her body. If she's unhappy with herself she wears trendy clothes and goes to the mall with her girlfriends. Maybe she'll try out a new hairstyle, or perhaps get a new gym membership. But this elegant woman would never, ever get a tattoo because she finds deep meaning and purpose in the aforementioned "genuine, satisfying" things; no need to do something as unmeaningful and classless as get a tattoo. Makes perfect sense.

So congratulations, you've managed to perpetuate the stereotype that all women are put on this Earth to look pretty. Not once in your list of "productive activities" did you mention anything really worthwhile. You've degraded all women down to a common purpose; to "work hard" at looking good. This archaic way of thinking is not just stupid, it's downright harmful. I hope that if you ever have a daughter, you somehow gain enough knowledge between now and then to be able to teach her that women are worth so much more than their appearance, tattooed or not.

Lucky for you this article will live on just as long as the tattoos all over my body. And one day, when we're each "in the middle of giving our grandkids a life lesson on the importance of values and morals," at least I won't ever have to explain that one time I single-handedly set my own gender back a hundred steps and humiliated myself on the internet via my own small-minded, judgmental mindset. And to answer your question, "what's more attractive than a girl with a nice body?" A girl with a brain, Lisa Khoury. A girl with a brain who uses it and who knows that all women don't belong in a box, especially a box drawn by someone using sexism and ignorance to make their point. That's attractive.

My hope for you is that you continue to educate yourself, and stop trying to hand out "life's secrets" until you gain a little more life experience yourself.

Sincerely,
Danielle Hampton

Ferrari image via