I pretty much say it every year, but Spring is just so darn…optimistic.  It’s like the heavy, dark, (I gained 8 pounds) slate from winter is wiped clean and everything is literally coming up roses.  As the seasons change I’ve vowed to get out in the garden this year and plant my little slice of heaven.

Having never really ‘gardened’ before, and as I have a notorious black thumb, I’m naturally curious to see the results. 

If you’re “green-thumb-challenged” like me perhaps planting a wee tiny garden inside  - or even at your desk - with these Gardenseed Matchbooks, might be an easier goal to achieve. 

And Spring will look just as promising.

via Shelterrific 

Jasmine’s blooming all around my neighborhood right now, which means every time I step outside it’s like the world’s been doused in some lovely perfume that you want to smell forever. For those lacking such sweet evidence of spring in their own lives, jasmine can be sipped up with blends like the new Jasmine Blossom Green Tea from Tea District. It’s China green infused with jasmine blossoms, a botanical that aromatherapists use to ease depression, lift exhaustion, and even help women deal with labor pain.

Other fantastically fragrant jasmine teas: Dragon Pearl Jasmine Tea (a pick from GregWA, who swears that the “first smells lifts you onto a cloud and every sip takes you closer to heaven”) and the Silver Jasmine found in Stash’s Exotica Tea Sampler (which John and Rose consider “absolutely the best tea in the world”).

“Spring is sneaking into our bones,” sings the Rosebuds’ Ivan Howard on the band’s new song “Get Up Get Out.” And you believe him, because the track’s so carefree and bright and bouncy - with lots of disco-y synth layered over the dancey drumbeats. “Get Up Get Out” is one of the many perfect pieces of pop found on the Rosebuds’ new Night of the Furies, the North Carolina indie trio’s third full-length release. Out today, the record’s “got a little Motown, and a little Kinks, and a little Zombies, and a little Buddy Holly, and a whole lotta ‘yeah yeah yeah’ and ‘la la la’ and ‘ba da da’ and ‘oh, whoa’ all over the joint,” according to See You In The Pit. The blog shares mp3s of three numbers off Night of the Furies, and we highly recommend downloading if you too want to be whipped into a “sugary hazy of happiness with classy sweaters and rollerskates and the kids up at the Point on a Saturday night.”

You wouldn’t think twice about dropping a few clams on boutique spring water or using high-end booze in your cocktails, but when you use common tap-water ice cubes in the mix, it kinds of defeats the purpose, no? VittlesVamp pointed us to these Icerocks spring water ice cubes. Just freeze, peel and serve for the perfect, pure refreshment.

File that under: Why didn’t we think of that?