I’m back with what is intended to be a Friday feature, “Friday I’m In Love”, but as this week doesn’t really have a Friday, I’m posting it now. This isn’t my official ‘what I’m thankful for’ list, but I am planning on having one (what is it they say about the best laid plans?). Without further adieu, the things I love this week:

• Sam Vasfi photography. Turned onto this incredibly talented DC photographer by the art folks at ReadySetDC and have all ready gone through his entire site in one sitting! Especially as I begin to learn more about getting good shots, I’m hugely appreciative of his DC landscapes and unique eye.
• Kris Allen’s track “Live Like We’re Dying”. I can’t express how surprised I am to like this cut as much as I do (especially considering I don’t find the rest of the American Idol winner’s debut, Kris Allen, all that appetizing). When I first heard it (on Pandora as a random choice) I thought it was a new Maroon 5 song and they were trying something different (slightly huskier vocals, little bit more Jason Mraz in their lyric styling), and so I looked at the info available. Nope. It was Kris Allen. I’m not an American Idol fan – I’ve seen it a few times here and there, really like Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, and that’s about it. But this song just got me going, pumped up and smiling and trying to sing along to the slightly scatty chorus (honestly it’s hard to label it as any style… it’s infectious pop with a great beat and staccato delivery). A pleasant surprise, that’s for sure!
• Art and lifestyle blog: Quirky Charm. Quirky Charm is in the midst of a redesign and refocusing right now and so I wanted to highlight it because I love both the old and new incarnations. A great site to visit when you need a pick me up, a new project or hobby idea, a kind word from a tight knit community, or just something to make you smile, I have never been disappointed by the work of the blog’s writer, Erica. To this day I have no clue how Erica and I stumbled upon each other online years ago, but it’s been so great to see her refocus her work and find the joy in working on her blog and growing as a designer, crafter, and writer.