a day with kate

KONY2012: have you heard of it?

2012-03-08T09:27:00.000-08:00

Ok, so if you didn't get that, my title was a joke. If you use twitter or facebook, chances are, you've more than likely seen a plethora of posts/tweets about Joseph Kony and Kony 2012. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, let me catch you up...

Kony 2012 is a documentary film and campaign by the non-profit Invisible Children. Their goal is to raise awareness about Joseph Kony, a warlord in Uganda (and now in other African countries) who has enslaved more than 30,000 children over the past 20+ years. If you haven't watched it yet, I think it's definitely worth your time. (You can watch it here).

I should state this from the start: I do not enjoy controversy and I'm very non-confrontational by nature. In fact, the huge buzz around KONY2012 which has created a great deal of controversy and criticism, makes my stomach hurt. BUT, since I feel somewhat close to the issue (my sister works at Invisible Children), I thought I'd share my two cents. I'm certainly not an authority on Joseph Kony or the political climate in Africa.... so I'll steer clear of defending Invisible Children, except to say that I think you should read this (Invisible Children's response to a great deal of misinformation floating around). AND, I will also say during my time in the IC office and interacting with my sister's co-workers, I've learned this: They are an incredible group of people who have worked tirelessly to make a difference and raise awareness about not just Kony, but the issue of JUSTICE. They are NOT a bunch of kids who are pretending to save the world while pocketing lots of $$. Not. Even. Close. **

However, it's not the intention of this post to decide if Invisible Children is a good or bad organization. I want to focus on HOW CRAZY it is that social media has played such a role in making a huge number of people aware of a social justice issue. Of course, what people have learned in a 30 minute video (or by reading random blogs) does not mean they understand the complexities of what is going on and has taken place in Africa. It is an incredibly complex issue and there is no simple answer... but it's an issue that a small minority of people knew about last week, and MILLIONS of people are discussing today. And I think that's mind-blowing.

I'll be the first to admit that I don't know near enough about what's going on in our world. I spend far more time reading design + food related blogs than catching up on world news. And while I don't think there's anything necessarily wrong with that, I think it's super important to be aware of what others are going through. There are SO MANY different issues that need our attention-- causes that need our voice. And while the current hoopla is centered on KONY2012, there are countless social justice issues that deserve to be made known.

More than anything, this has more clearly opened my eyes to the kind of person I want to be. Although I may not be the most knowledgable about world affairs, I want to be someone who desires to learn more...who wants to help even when there isn't a clear answer. I want to watch a relevant documentary for movie night instead of another Ryan Gosling movie (ok... that's a tough one..but you get my drift). I want to be in dialogue with others about injustices that are taking place throughout the world, and in my own neighborhood. There's a ton of CRAP going on in the world... but people really can surprise us. There is tremendous beauty when humanity reaches out to one another. And so I encourage you to be the kind of people that want to talk about these issues... even when they're confusing... and to look for the beauty (of people reaching out to one other) in otherwise ugly situations.

**But, I do think a healthy amount of questions/research is important. People should absolutely learn more about how their money will be used before making donations to any organization/non-profit. I'm not against that at all!

THE GOOD + THE BAD

2012-03-07T12:06:00.000-08:00

So, I'll start with the bad news first. I shouldn't be allowed to cook unsupervised. Yesterday, I decided to make some delicious soup. In order to thicken up the soup, you were supposed to blend some of it after it had simmered for a while. Now, I've done this before. With no problems. However, yesterday, I forgot to hold the lid of the blender on SUPER TIGHT, and the second I pushed the ON button, the top flew off and scalding soup went everywhere. The counter, stove, & floor... not a big deal. All of my exposed skin?! Slightly worse!! I definitely burned a good part of my arm. Annnd true or false: I called my parents to tell them I was probably going to die (more than one time...). Fortunately, I'm still here. And my burns are only first degree (umm, YEAH, I googled that ish). I don't recommend looking at more than a few photos of burned skin, though, in case you're wondering. So, I will live. But I'l think twice about blending hot soup. Not. Even. Worth. It.

But don't worry, there's good news! Though oddly enough, it's heat-related as well. However this is the better kind of heat-- the kind that's caused by the SUN. I coerced my sister into taking Friday off work, so we're heading to Palm Springs on Thursday evening!! I've been dying to stay at the Ace Hotel since I attended Hitched, and since it's significantly cheaper on weekdays, Thursday it is! It's kind of an early birthday present for me (really early- as my birthday's in April)... and I'm so excited!

So I'm packing my bikini and looking forward to some relaxing time in the sun!! (And yes, I'll be bringing sunscreen. I think I learned my lesson re: burned skin).

2012-03-06T12:38:00.000-08:00

Oops, I forgot to let you in on my exciting news yesterday! But as you can see, I GOT A JOB!! I've enjoyed my time in San Diego, sans full-time job, but I seriously need some structure (oh, and $$.. NBD). Next week, I'll start work in the admissions department at Point Loma Nazarene University!! I'll be scheduling all of the campus visits-- prospective students, groups, etc. The position will require lots of coordination and attention to detail, and I think I'll really enjoy it. I'm excited to continue illustrating/being creative, while earning a steady income. YAY!!

2012-03-05T10:03:00.000-08:00

We had absolutely amazing weather this weekend. I feel bad even saying that because it's not like we have bad weather in San Diego... but it was 70-80 degrees all weekend. WIN. So on Saturday evening, we decided to check out El Camino. We figured we couldn't go wrong eating Mexican food on a sunny patio. And oh, how right we were! The food was super good, and atmosphere/style (very "Dia de los Muertos") was really cool. I got one of the specials, crispy mashed potato tacos with spicy soyrizo, and it blew my mind. For real. Needless to say, if you're in the in area and craving Mexican, you should definitely try out El Camino.

I'll be back later today with some very exciting news!! (omg. I'm so mysterious.)

:)

// BALBOA PARK //

2012-02-29T10:02:00.000-08:00

Spent some time at Balboa Park this weekend. I love that there's a huge park in the middle of the city. And more than anything, I love that there's a whole area filled with crazy-cool succulents. The obsession continues. I can't wait to spend more Saturday afternoons laying in the sunshine and exploring this wonderful park!

a questionnaire (longest post e.v.e.r.)

2012-02-26T18:40:00.000-08:00

Hi guys! So my friend Allie tagged me in this fun questionnaire, and since I like learning more about the bloggers I follow, I thought it could be entertaining for you guys if I answered some questions.

(random photo: pumpkin buttermilk scones I was obsessed with making this fall.)

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THE RULES

1. Post these rules

2. Post 11 random things about yourself

3. Answer the questions provided by the one who tagged you

4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag

5. Go to their blog and tell them they've been tagged!

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11 RANDOM THINGS ABOUT ME:

1. One of my favorite things about running cross country in high school was going to Running Camp during the summer. HA, doesn't that sounds like every teenager's dream?! Our team would go to Mammoth Lakes in CA and spend a week running (usually 2x a day) and hanging out. It's hard to explain why I loved it so much... but I think it was a mix between really exerting myself physically (and having major satisfaction from that), and bonding with my teammates. Also, we ate lots of food and got into plenty of shenanigans.

2. My love for food is so all-encompassing that I can remember most events in my life by what I had to eat.

3. When I was younger, I was really into major league baseball. I loved the Seattle Mariners, and the LA Dodgers were a close second. I remember having a photo of Mike Piazza (former Dodger) on the cover of my binder at some point in middle school. TOO FUNNY. Also, I thought I was going to marry Alex Rodriguez (before he sold out and went to the Rangers). I no longer follow baseball as closely.

4. I worked at Hollister my senior year of high school. Yes, I'm embarrassed.

5. Even though I know The Bachelor is the worst show ever created and I'm aware that the couples never work out (come on, Chris Harrison, you know that too), I still watch it. Religiously. It's just so amusing. And the drama... oh the D-R-A-M-A.

6. I'm at that stage in life where I have absolutely no idea where I'll be living and what I'll be doing in 5 years. This is both incredibly exciting and rather terrifying.

7. I love a good rainy afternoon spent in a coffee shop. I've been missing those since leaving Seattle...

8. My dad was my world history teacher in 10th grade. And in that class, I sat next to Armie Hammer (the guy from The Social Network & J. Edgar). He always teased me about the money we raised in class (for kids we supported through World Vision) and said I was just getting new shoes. Clearly, I'm totally not above name dropping.

9. I love getting out and exploring during the day, but at night, I'm a total homebody. Of course, there are exceptions... but most of the time I'm completely content hanging out at home-- watching movies, painting, cooking & baking.

10. I don't read near as much as I used to. During elementary school I would win class contests for reading the most books during the year (COOL KID ALERT!). I still love reading, but I think it's hard for me to focus on one thing at a time. I'd rather be listening to or watching something so that my hands are free to paint/draw/use my computer.

11. I'm really allergic to basically all of the trees, grass, & weeds in CA. Which, I must tell you, is less than stellar. When my allergist performed my skin tests, he was shocked by body's reaction. He and the nurse actually took photos of my back and teased me about sending them into an allergy journal. Yeah... not exactly what you want to be told...

11 QUESTIONS FOR ME (from Allie)

1. What is your favorite memory from your childhood?
I grew up in CA and most of my cousins lived in Seattle. My family would head up to Seattle every summer and we'd spend weeks hanging out with our cousins in the amazing Pacific Northwest. My sister, cousin Amy, and I created a highly sophisticated game called "Mail". Two of us "lived" in different areas of my grandparents farm and would write each other letters, while the third would act as the mailperson and deliver everything. It rocked.

2. What historical figure would you like to go on a date with?
Is Ryan Gosling a historical figure?

3. What do you do when you've had a bad day?
Ha! Sadly, I usually indulge a little too much. This tends to involve popcorn or ice cream & a movie.

4. What is your specialty in the kitchen?
Fortunately, my biggest indulgence is also my specialty. I always make popcorn on the stove. It's DELICIOUS. My family always requests that I make it... even though they can all do it too. Apparently, I'm the best :)

5. If you found $20 on the ground, how would you spend it?
I really want the second volume of Kinfolk, so I'd probably splurge and purchase that. And then buy some coffee. Coffee & Kinfolk would make a perfect match.

6. What did you have for breakfast today? a muesli of sorts: gluten free oats, coconut flakes, walnuts, cinnamon, green apple & almond milk.

7. What is your dream vacation? Sadly, I haven't traveled much at all. My only international trip was to Canada... so. There are a millions places I'd love to visit... it's difficult to even narrow down. Can I give a few answers? Well, this is my survey, so I will. My dream vacation would be a trip to Switzerland. Two other, more realistic, dreams: a trip to San Francisco. I've only been once, and have so many places I want to check out!! I'd also love a relaxing weekend at Palm Springs. I'd stay at the Ace Hotel & go searching for beautiful mid century pieces.

8. Your cocktail of choice?
I love a glass of red wine... but I also enjoy a good gin & tonic. Honestly, I don't drink very much though.

9. What were you into as a teenager?
Umm. Justin Timberlake? Well, he was more during my tweenage (HA!) years. My biggest focus during high school (aside from school) was running. I ran cross-country and track, and dedicated a lot of my time to that. I loved it, but it also provided a lot of heartache (when I didn't run well or dealt with injuries, etc.). I didn't have a boyfriend in high school, so apparently I found my heartache elsewhere.

10. What is your beauty product of choice? Blush is my fave. I've used cream blush from MAC for a couple years and just love it. I recently jumped on the red lipstick bandwagon, though, and I'm a fan.

11. If you could live in any other decade, which would you choose? I think the 1960's would have been really interesting/exciting. Granted, most of what I know, I learned from Mad Men.

11 QUESTIONS FOR YOU:

1. If you could move one food from the "unhealthy list" to the "healthy list", what would it be?
2. What are you most looking forward to in 2012?
3. What was your first job?
4. What's the best vacation you've ever been on?
5. Most watched movie?
6. Describe your perfect Saturday afternoon.
7. What or who inspires you? (can be creatively, or just life in general)
8. Favorite waffle topping(s)?
9. Which season do you enjoy most?
10. If you could only watch historical documentaries or sporting events, which would you choose?
11. Favorite mode of transportation? (walking, biking, driving, flying, etc.)

Ok, I'm totally cheating and not tagging anybody. Did anyone ready this far anyways? BUT, I'm interested in how each of you would answer these questions... so if you complete the questionnaire, link to your blog in the comments!!

2012-02-17T16:34:00.000-08:00

**the sister and I found a few awesome things at the Rose Bowl flea market last Sunday (including our new rug under the coffee table!) // lots of honey/lemon/ginger tea- trying to hard to beat this flu!! (to no avail so far..)

I'm really hoping I start feeling better soon so I can actually leave the apartment within the next few days (as much as I love camping on the couch). Hope you all have a lovely weekend!! Any fun plans?

the spanish flu + downton abbey

2012-02-16T12:22:00.000-08:00

So here's the deal: I think I have the Spanish flu. This idea may have been somewhat influenced by last week's Downton Abbey... but really, I'm probably dying. (OR I'm just suffering from a nasty cold). Either way, I'm experiencing misery at it's finest. Being sick when you're unemployed sounds like a great deal... but really, it's just infinitely more boring! I've exhausted all of my faves on Netflix, and have resorted to some embarrassing instant plays (read: Felicity). And to make matters worse, I couldn't sleep at all last night. My cough kept me wiiiide awake. Torture, I tell you.

Anyways, enough complaining. Mostly, I just wanted to make sure you're all watching Downton Abbey. It's the best show I never thought I'd be remotely interested in. It's a British period drama filled with scandal, humor, and of course, history (it's set during WWI). My dad, a history teacher, would be so proud.

Any Downton Abbey fans out there?

2012-02-10T11:10:00.000-08:00

You guys. I don't know what my deal has been lately with this lack of posting... but here I am! Apologies to anyone who follows me on instagram (my name is: adaywithkate)... because these won't be new. Ok, enough apologizing for a Friday morning...

Life has been good lately-- a mix of sun and rain (literally). I had a job interview (whoohoo! I'll keep you posted if that turns into a job), celebrated my sister's birthday, and have been enjoying the neighborhood. True story: I actually got sunburned yesterday. I know, most of you hate me right now.

A few of you were wondering how I felt about the cleanse, once I was all done. Here are a few thoughts...

Unlike many people who were posting on the Whole Living website, I didn't start to feel "amazing and energized" during the second week. I felt normal... except I wanted dairy and sugar real bad. Disclaimer: I did cheat a few times-- I had decaf soy lattes starting the second week, and had a divine biscuit at my fave coffee shop. But still, I would have expected more earth-shattering benefits. I mean, really-- no sugar, dairy, gluten, caffeine or alcohol!! I was really hoping to unearth some causes of my allergies and clear up my skin, but I didn't notice differences in either of those areas.

BUT, I'm still glad I did it. Having a fridge filled with veggies made me happy, and I tried so many different recipes that I never would have otherwise. Some of which, I'll definitely keep making.. including dried fruit & nut bites, crispy roasted cauliflower & sweet potato, celery, & apple salad. I've also noticed that I'm definitely more selective about the treats I want now. Yes, I did thoroughly enjoy (more than one serving of) flourless chocolate cake for my sister's birthday, but I haven't felt even somewhat tempted to buy croissants/bagels etc. at coffee shops lately.

I know the basics about healthy eating (eat whole, real foods. lots of vegetables, whole grains, nuts- good fats...) but sometimes I feel like there are so many contradicting theories. Is dairy good for you or not? Should I be going completely sugar free (as in, no fruit)? I know that moderation is key, and that my goal should just be to eat healthy overall, and have treats sometimes too. But then I worry, am I missing a way of eating that could make me feel SO MUCH BETTER?! Oh goodness.

For now, I'm just going to drink my decaf latte and think about the fun weekend ahead :)

2012-02-03T11:01:00.000-08:00

// neighborhood walk // love me some succulents // pasta necklace! // this is what I look like when I don't think my face will be in the shot // bridge we walk over to buy groceries! // *hand painted shirt by rachel rose

I'm not sure why things have been so quiet on the blog lately. Maybe it has something to do with the cleanse, which has kept me from trying out new restaurants (not cool, cleanse. not cool.) OR maybe it's because trying find a job sucks the creativity out of you. Anyways, enough with the excuses. HOW COOL IS THIS NECKLACE? I can't take any credit for the idea... many of you probably already saw the DIY pasta necklace on Design*Sponge. Clearly, Evie S. is a genius. Needless to say, I thought it was rad, so I made my own penne necklace. Fun, right? I might make a few more & try out some different colors. I mean, I do have a whole box of penne.

Also, GOOD NEWS. The cleanse is over tonight! So the sister and I shall be celebrating with Mexican food (probably the best way to celebrate anything). I'm making homemade refried beans. Yummm. And tomorrow I think we'll do some San Diego exploring!! Can't wait!

What do you guys have planned for this lovely weekend?

2012-01-23T14:49:00.000-08:00

Yesterday some friends and I and took a little trip to Cabrillo National Park. It was a beautiful reminder of what San Diego has to offer. I really need to get outside more!
//UPDATE//Long story short, I had my first ride in a police car on Wednesday (!!) to pick up my stolen car. Ironically, it was parked about 4 blocks away from our apartment. Pretty sure they just stole the car, stole everything in the car (battery, radio, spare tire, and all of my belongings in the trunk), and took off. At least they weren't committing other crimes in my poor little Honda. So, GOOD NEWS, my car and I have been reunited... and it's never felt so good!! (full disclosure: my car is actually a huge mess, needs to be detailed, and looks quite silly with the radio ripped out. but hey, at least I have it!!). Thank you all for your kind words & sympathy!!

//eat your veggies//

2012-01-19T15:25:00.000-08:00

Here's a look at what I've been eating lately. Aside from one instance of "cheating" (yes, it was popcorn. don't judge.), I've only eaten veggies, fruits, nuts & seeds for the past 6 days. Aside from feeling completely deprived (which is ridiculous, I KNOW), it's been going rather well. Have you ever had roasted cauliflower? It's scary good.

2012-01-18T10:43:00.000-08:00

I want to be Dana Tanamachi when I grow up. Simply amazing.
Garden & Gun from Dana Tanamachi on Vimeo.

// a cleanse + a stolen car //

2012-01-16T12:57:00.000-08:00

I can tell you one thing for certain: When your car gets stolen, you most definitely want to drown your sorrows in ice cream and french fries. Unfortunately, my "wait, my car's not there--OMGAWSHHH" moment coincided with the morning I'd planned to start the Whole Living cleanse. So, determined to not let mean-car-stealers keep my sister and I from perfect health, we pressed on. I've never done a cleanse, detox, or juice fast before... but when I saw that Sarah from My New Roots was heading up the Whole Living cleanse, I was very interested. I figured that this "elimination diet" of sorts may help me figure out what's causing my allergies/constant cough... so I was sold. The first week you eat fruits, vegetables, nuts & seeds. I'm only on day three, so, uh, I'll keep you posted.

And as for my car... it's just a car. But it did have a few things in the trunk that I'd really like back. Namely, my fave pair of boots & an NCAA cross-country award. So, if you see a 96 Honda Accord wandering the streets of San Diego (or...Mexico....), holla atcha girl.

*All photos taken on my iphone, using the cross-process app.

// SAN DIEGO //

2012-01-10T15:52:00.000-08:00

Hello friends! Sorry for the lack of posts lately... I just moved (WHOOHOO!) and didn't have internet for a while. But thanks to Francis from AT&T, I'm now free to roam the world wide web.

Anyways, I'm so excited to be living in San Diego! It took a while to find a place... and my sister and I were getting a bit stressed. But God had it all under control and had the perfect spot for us! If you're familiar with SD, we're smack dab in between University Heights and Hillcrest, which means we can easily walk to both amazing neighborhoods. And we're less than 10 minutes from downtown! I'm still in the midst of unpacking... so I don't have photos of the apartment yet. But, a couple nights ago we took a walk around the neighborhood and fell in love... so of course I snapped some iphone photos. There are so many amazing houses, eclectic yards, and SO. MANY. SUCCULENTS. It kind of rocks my face off. So, fair warning, there will be many photos of succulents in the near future.

proof bakery

2012-01-05T23:15:00.000-08:00

I don't know how I waited so long to visit Proof Bakery, located in Atwater Village. Its walls are the perfect shade of deep gray. One of my ~~secret~~ dreams (obviously not so secret anymore) is to own a tiny stationery store someday... and I'd want to paint one of the walls a matte dark gray. So what I'm saying is.. they had me at gray walls. And then they fill the place with amazing coffee and baked goods?! obviously SOLD.

The chive-gruyere biscuit is life-changing. I dare you to prove me wrong.

2011-12-28T22:26:00.000-08:00

Here are two of my favorite finds from Renegade this year. Since I was sitting behind a booth, I didn't have as much time to explore... but I suppose that saved me some money! I couldn't resist these two, however. (left) a print from pretty little thieves & (right) a card by carolyn suzuki. AH. I'm obsessed with both of them.
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As a follow up to my post about Renegade, I thought it would be cool to share some of what I learned during the two-day fair. Here are some thoughts that may be helpful if some of you are considering or are already selling your work at fairs...

Pricing: make it clear, and include it on all items. No matter what, customers will look for a price. (I had signs that had prices for all cards and all card sets... but sometimes people don't see those and simply want to look at a price on the specific item). Be willing to be flexible, but don't change your prices simply to be competitive. I'm still trying to determine how to approach this effectively. It may be more beneficial tooffer special deals rather than lowering prices altogether. Customers need to know the value of your product! I think it's also important to be open to the idea of giving a customer a good deal to make the sale.

Display: make it interesting, but not too cluttered. My personal style leans towered cluttered (yet beautiful) anthropologie-ish store front, with lots of "props". I realized that I needed to tone things down and focus a little more on my products. I made some changes the second day (removed a few things and tried to create a cleaner presentation) and I think it made a positive difference.

If possible, bring a friend along! This provides you the opportunity to engage with customers without ignoring others. Most importantly, it will allow for food & bathroom breaks!!

Don't take people's comments too seriously. I was fortunate enough to get great feedback and lots of wonderful, encouraging words. But you're bound to hear someone mutter something about being able to make what you're selling, or that it's overpriced. You know how much time and effort went into the amazing items you created...so try not to take their trivial words to heart.

Have fun!! Engage with the vendors around you and don't worry about how many sales you've made. The more you relax, the more fun you'll have!!

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2011-12-28T21:43:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas!! My family didn't do too much in the way of presents, which gave us more time to ~~hang out~~ eat. Ha, I kid. But really, we ate a lot of amazing food. One of my favorite family traditions is eating scrapple on Christmas morning. FYI- scrapple is a Pennsylvania Dutch treat (passed down from my great grandmother). It's basically corn meal mush with bits of sausage (or veggie sausage...) which is fried... and served with syrup! I realize that probably sounds highly unappetizing, but I promise, it's delicious. Do any of you have any favorite holiday traditions?

Also. Isn't my grandma adorable? We gave her a crown of ribbons, ha!

2011-12-24T10:38:00.001-08:00

2011-12-18T22:14:00.000-08:00

My sister dearest, Michelle, just got a job at Invisible Children-- an incredible non-profit in San Diego. If you haven't heard about IC, you should definitely take a look at their website-- they're doing amazing things. Michelle and I had been talking about living together for a while, so when she decided to head south, I figured I'd tag along for the ride. So I'm heading to San Diego!! Whoohoo! Now we're house-hunting, and I'm job-hunting. So. much. hunting. Two things: 1. On Craigslist, the descriptive words "charming", "cozy", and "adorable" generally translate to ugly/small/ghetto. 2. If you know of any amazing job opportunities in San Diego, I'm your girl.

wall calendars + a discount

2011-12-15T21:02:00.000-08:00

This weekend at the Renegade fair, I was surprised by how much people loved my wall calendars! (A fun surprise, that is!) Fortunately, I have a few left, and I wanted to give you guys a special deal. Enter the code "RENEGADE20" at checkout to receive a 20% discount. These would make a great gift for just about anyone! :) **The discount will last through December 20th.

Renegade LA

2011-12-15T10:18:00.000-08:00

So I'm just gonna put it out there: doing your first "big" craft fair is exhausting. Truth: I still haven't cleaned my room from the renegade hurricane that hit. But I'll get to that in good time. I'm still trying to catch up on emails, etsy orders, and clearly, blogging.

But the good news is, I had a fantastic time at Renegade!! I had fun setting up my table display, and was surrounded by other lovely vendors: Milk & Honey Handbags, In-Vita studio, & Amanda K. Lockrow Jewelry. And my wonderful sister helped me at my booth both days!! She. is. the. best.

I was a little disappointed with my sales the first day (am I the only one who has the tendency to dream way too big?! haha). So many "oohs and ahhs" but not near as many actual sales. Fortunately things picked up the second day... and more importantly, I was able to remind myself that I chose to do this to get my name out there and gain some exposure. I met so many awesome creative people, and made some great connections!! I also learned a lot about what works and what doesn't. I made so many little changes from day 1 to day 2 and I'm definitely going to utilize those ideas when I do my next show. So, all in all, a success!! :) Thanks to you all for your kind words + encouragement!

2011-12-09T14:02:00.001-08:00

I'm super busy prepping for this weekend's show!! Below is a little peek at some of my packaging/storage, etc. Basically, there's lots of painting, taping, tying, and stamping going on around here!! If you're in the LA area, I totally recommend that you come check out Renegade. There are always such amazing vendors and there's so much cool stuff to see. If you need to do anymore holiday shopping, this is the perfect place. And you'll be shopping local / handmade!! If you do stop by, please say hello!! I'll be in a shared booth under the large tent. Ok- I need to go. My checklist is way long right now!

Renegade Craft Fair- Los Angeles
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Sat + Sunday, December 10-11
10am - 5pm, LA state historic park (near China Town!!)
**Admission is free!!

Have a lovely weekend, friends!! xo

2011-12-08T11:02:00.001-08:00

Here's one last glimpse at my Seattle trip. In short, good food & beautiful places. It's only been a couple weeks but it feels like my time in Seattle was forever ago! I've been super busy getting ready for my first Renegade Fair (this weekend)!! Whoohoo! There are always so many details for this kind of thing, but I think things are coming together :)

2011-12-04T21:45:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite things about Pasadena is that there are so many trees! These top two photos were taken a little ways down on my street, where the trees create a beautiful arch. I just love it!! On Wednesday, the LA area experienced a serious wind storm, and Pasadena was the hardest hit. It was CRAZY intense, with wind gusts up to 100mph. I mean, I realize many other states have hurricanes and tornadoes that cause a ton of damage, but this was a pretty big deal considering our usually mild weather. Needless to say, I didn't sleep a wink Wednesday night. I was 99% sure all of the windows in our house were going to shatter. (they didn't, by the way). When I looked outside Thursday morning, I couldn't believe my eyes. Trees had fallen down ALL over our street. Branches were everywhere, street signs, and fences were down... and of course the power was out. I'm pretty sure there are still some areas without power-- four full days later!! I read that every street in Pasadena had at least one tree fall. And like I said, Pasadena is known for its abundance of trees. So I guess what I'm getting at is that I'm incredibly grateful there weren't any deaths related to the storm (!!)... but I am sad about all of the fallen trees!! The photos below, of uprooted trees, were taken a few houses down from mine. CA-RAZY, I tell you.

2011-11-30T22:33:00.001-08:00

dear friends since freshman year of college. ohhhh the memories :)When I was in Seattle, of few of my close friends & I ventured over to Vashon Island (well, less of an adventure for me since my grandparents live there... but still) for a night away. It was so wonderful to just relax & catch up with them. We cooked a delish dinner, drank wine, ate chocolate... and talked. And then woke up to the beauty that is Vashon. So perfect.

2011-11-28T23:19:00.001-08:00

I know I've already shown you Seattle leaves, but I just can't help it. Completely gorgeous. The second to last photo is on my college campus. Isn't it puuurdy?! By the way, if you've never been to Seattle, I highly recommend that you visit during the fall. I mean, go ahead and look at the leaves again...

2011-11-26T22:18:00.001-08:00

Above are a few photos of the lovely ladies I had the chance to reunion with in Seattle last weekend. We were all roommates for two years (along with a few of my other dearest friends).. and I lived with Lindsey (top photo-- seriously, how adorable is she?!) for almost 5 years!! It was SO WONDERFUL to hang out with them, even though our time together was so brief. It's crazy to think that we all lived together in Seattle a few years ago, and now we're all spread out-- one teaching in New Orleans, another living the mountain life in Telluride, and another heading off to Panama for the Peace Corps.

Isn't it interesting where life takes you?

THANKFUL (and a discount!!)

2011-11-23T20:30:00.001-08:00

As we're nearing Thanksgiving tomorrow, I realize I have so much to be thankful for!! (including a little piece of news that I'm excited to share with you next week!) Tomorrow I'm looking forward to relaxing, spending time with family, aaand introducing mac and cheese into the Thanksgiving meal. The carnivores won't know what hit them!! I also love watching It's a Wonderful Life each year... it's such an amazing classic. If you haven't seen it, you need to! Jimmy Stewart = timeless.
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As a thank you to all of you (for reading my blog and being wonderfully supportive!!), I'll be offering a 15% discount off anything purchased from my shop this Friday 11/25 - Sunday 11/27. Simply enter the code "THANKS15" at checkout. Hopefully this will also be an encouragement to buy handmade gifts this holiday season!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! Hoping you have a chance to relax and enjoy time with friends + family!!

2011-11-23T17:42:00.001-08:00

Whew! I'm back from my whirlwind Seattle trip, and am excited to share stories, photos, etc. But I've got a lot going on at the moment, so for now, I'll just show you my two fave Seattle purchases. I could have bought these items online, but was happy to support two of my favorite Seattle shops- Lucca in Ballard and Elliott Bay Book Co. I'm so excited about these darling Rifle notebooks, as well as this fantastic book of illustrations, Farm Anatomy, by Julia Rothman. Yipppee!!

ps. Stay tuned for my next post... I'll be sharing a discount code for my shop this weekend!! xx

2011-11-15T20:37:00.001-08:00

I'm so very excited to finally show you my collection of holiday cards!! There are lots of other fun items in the shop as well-- so make sure to take a look :)

** Due to my Seattle trip, items purchased between now & November 21st will ship on NOVEMBER 22nd!!

2011-11-13T22:03:00.001-08:00

A year ago this weekend I took these gorgeous fall photos in my adorable Seattle neighborhood. I mean, look at the second photo. REALLY??? A literal carpet of leaves. I've determined that there are five deciduous trees in LA. Needless to say, I'm seriously pining for fall in Seattle... which is GREAT news because I'm hopping on a plane this week for a super quick little Seattle visit!!! One of my BFFs & her husband (another BFF) are leaving soon to spend 2+ years in Panama for the Peace Corps. So a few close friends are meeting up to say our goodbyes. I haven't seen some of these girls for over a year-- so I'm bursting with excitement!! I'm also hoping that the leaves linger for another week so I can enjoy them. Please, leaves. PLEASE.

Oh, and isn't this house delightful? I swear.. Queen Anne has the cutest houses in the whole wide world.

2011-11-11T12:10:00.001-08:00

If you're wondering where I've been, join the club!! I'm not quite sure why I haven't been blogging much lately. I think I've just been too busy with other creative things, and haven't needed the blog as an outlet. But, I've got lots of stuff to show you all! Here's a little sneak peek of the holiday goodies that will be available in my shop very soon! I just got a huge box of cards/calendars/postcards/etc from my printer.... and they all need to be photographed. Yikes- am I the only one who doesn't love product photography?

Here's a quick update on what I've been up to:
+ Painting/sanding/re-painting lots o' little chalkboard tags.
+ Spending lots of time at the allergist's office... and finding out that I'm allergic to basically every tree, weed, and type of grass in southern California. Neat, huh.
+ Going to cross-country meets! My dad is a high school cross-country coach (he was actually my coach when I was in h.s. Yippee!), and his team is racing at prelims tomorrow. 5am wake up call? ehhh.
+ Watching my fave tv shows online.... parenthood, up all night, bones... oh and I just finished season 5 of dexter (eek! so intense).
+ Lastly, the weather has finally cooled down a bit in LA, so I'm enjoying every little ounce of fall I can get!!

I'll be back soon with a big shop update!! Have a lovely weekend, my friends :)

2011-10-31T11:43:00.000-07:00

I mean, I can't really top this. Pretty, pretty princesses. (I'm the short one on the left).
Are you guys dressing up this year for Halloween? Or did you already this weekend? Please divulge your fun costumes.. I'll live vicariously :)

2011-10-30T23:38:00.000-07:00

While half the country (ok. maybe an exaggeration) was experiencing their first snow of the season, Los Angeles stayed a steady 80+ degrees this weekend. So I did what any girl who desperately wishes she could be experiencing autumn would do-- I made ice cream. Because I suppose if it's hot, I might as well embrace it. Also, I found this recipe for double chocolate ice cream with peanut butter.. SO... that obviously had to happen. There are no words for how delicious this ice cream is... it's so rich and chocolatey that you only need a small scoop. But you kind of want to eat every last bite... in one sitting. Don't worry-- I didn't. But seriously, I wanted to. If you're in the midst of a heat wave (or even if it's snowing), I highly recommend that you make this ASAP. Unless of course you don't like the chocolate-peanut butter combo, in which case, you're not human. (OR not a 20-something female. Either way.) Ok, enough of my crazy rambling-- there's ice cream to be eaten!!

morning snack.

2011-10-26T20:58:00.000-07:00

I'm the kind of person who needs to eat... pretty much constantly. Ok, not constantly. But let's get real, I snack a lot. So, the goal is to eat somewhat healthy snacks. Here's a little treat I gave myself late morning. Don't judge me for eating chocolate in the morning-- dark chocolate is practically a health food (hellooo antioxidants). Just in case you aren't familiar with medjool dates, they are truly amazing. They taste like caramel!!! I'm a dark chocolate/caramel LOVER. I will not allow myself to buy Trader Joe's dark chocolate caramels-- for good reason. So I was super pleased to discover the amazing caramel flavor/texture of medjool dates. Did I mention they're amazing?

Do you guys snack a lot? What are you faves??

*You can read more about medjool dates here. Also, make these brownies. They rock.

2011-10-24T15:14:00.000-07:00

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year. Unfortunately, LA's weather hasn't exactly made me want to snuggle up with with a mug of spiced cider (read: it's hot and sunny). I'm really yearning for some brisk weather and beautifully colored leaves... so in the meantime (the "cold" weather may not arrive until January), I thought it would be fun to dream up the perfect little fall party!! During my junior year of college, I lived with 5 of my very dearest friends in an adorable neighborhood in Seattle. We had a fall housewarming party, and I think it was one of my favorite parties of all times. Maybe because it was during the fall.. or maybe because it was our first house away from home... but I just loved it!! And of course... we had all of the following necessities:

1// spiced cider and/or mulled wine-- makes your house smell so good!!
2// killer tunes - lately I've been loving Vincent James McMorrow and Blind Pilot (but, if you were having a party near Halloween, a spooky playlist would be perfect)
3// fire in the fireplace (or lots of candles if you don't have a fireplace!)
4// yummy treats - I've been wanting to make this raw salted caramel dip, and of course, anything with pumpkin.
5// pumpkins- for carving, of course!
6// board games- I'm a big fan of Settler's. But Telephone Pictionary is a seriously good choice, especially with big groups.

Are any of you having fall parties? And do you love fall as much as me? Lastly, to those of you living in places where the leaves are changing colors, please enjoy it for me :)

farmer's market salad

2011-10-19T13:00:00.000-07:00

I realize that this can hardly be considered a recipe, but it's so good I had to share. One of the vendors at the farmer's market I shop at always has this salad available so people can sample their produce. It's so simple, yet so dang good. You basically just chop up a bunch of peppers (red + yellow are my fave), some tomatoes, and a good amount of cilantro. Then you squeeze the juice of one lemon on top, and sprinkle with sea salt. It's refreshing, healthy, and super easy! Also, I realize these veggies are going out of season in most areas...but they're still in season in CA, so I'll continue to enjoy them :) Have a happy Wednesday, friends!!

2011-10-14T12:39:00.000-07:00

Oh, is it time for a life update? Why not?!? :)

Life transitions usually tend to be both scary and exciting. This was my last week working at MaeMae and I'm definitely experiencing a bit of both feelings at the moment. I'm so grateful for everything that I learned while working with Megan!! She's a fantastic lady, talented designer, and quite the fashionista. Seriously- she's a gem. Needless to say, I'll miss working with her... however I'm also excited to focus more of my energy on my own designs. And when I say excited, I mean, excited and also a bit scared!

While I don't intend to make a living off of my design at this point, I'm definitely planning to focus on my shop, my portfolio, etc. in the coming months. While I was only working part-time at MaeMae, it gave me a bit of structure. And I think I need a lil bit o' that in my life. When I'm working at home, I get so distracted!! There are so many wonderful things to bake (thanks google reader + pinterest), a room to be cleaned, and so many pretty things to look at online. I'm scared that my tendency to get distracted will keep me from being productive. I mean, this is already an issue... but now it will be full-time, ha.

I really liked this post by Moorea about productivity, but I'm very much open to additional suggestions!! Do any of you work from home? How do you stay on task?

Lastly... my new business cards just arrived!! Whoohoo! I feel like such a big kid now... ** My cards were letterpressed by Mandate Press, through their fantastic $95 card deal!!

2011-10-13T13:17:00.000-07:00

So I know that soda is pretty much the most unhealthy drink ever. But sometimes, I just love having an ice-cold coke. It's the truth. I found these vintage soda bottles at a local soda pop & candy shop...Aren't they kind of amazing? I figure these don't really count as regular soda, right?

2011-10-10T21:50:00.000-07:00

Because sometimes, you need pizza.

2011-10-08T16:38:00.000-07:00

YES. I am still alive. And, YES. I have exciting news!! I will be selling my paper goods at the Holiday Renegade Craft fair in LA!! I'm so very excited!! When I went to Renegade in LA this summer, I wanted to buy absolutely everything... and I thought it would be freaking amazing to sell my stuff there, but I had no idea if I'd get accepted. Needless to say, I was. Yippee!

So now my mind has been racing with ideas and holiday inspiration! So exciting! I'm obviously a little biased, but I think those of you in the LA area should all come! It will be an amazing place to buy holiday gifts for your friends + family... or maybe yourself! ;) Details: December 10 + 11, 10am-5pm at Los Angeles State Park.
Hope you're all having a wonderful, relaxing (maybe even exciting!) weekend!xx

morning hike

2011-09-29T11:46:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos from my hike this morning. I used to think LA wasn't all that pretty, especially after living in Seattle. But now I've come to realize that there are all different kinds of beauty. Sure, LA may not be as green, but I saw a lot of beautiful views on my hike this morning. It's all in the way that you look at it....

2011-09-27T15:56:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, I work as a design assistant at MaeMae Paperie. I love getting to work with Megan-- she's so talented, and most importantly, quite funny. For the past two months we've had an intern, Rose, who came all the way from New Zealand. That's commitment, right?! She's so fun and we've loved learning her Kiwi phrases... some of which she later informed us were just her phrases (not specific to New Zealand, haha). Anyways, she's heading off to do a little more traveling and then heading home-- we will miss her greatly! Check out her fantastic holiday card available through Minted. (above: Rose, Megan & I; photo by Megan's husband, Jae)

2011-09-21T20:58:00.000-07:00

I don't know what people did without the internet.I find the very best recipes via the interwebs!! Here are a few I've made lately...

Tomato quiche via Everyday Musings (pictured above-- and so very good).
Veggie Burgers via Oh She Glows
aaand Ginger Roasted Carrots via My New Roots

Thanks internet. You're the best.

desk chaos.

2011-09-18T21:21:00.000-07:00

My desk area is a little crazy right now-- paintings, cards, paint everywhere. When combined with my busy wall, it creates a bit of chaos. But at least it's pretty chaos, right?

The same cannot be said for the rest of my room. It's mostly not-pretty chaos (so there will be no photos...). One of the things I struggle with most is keeping my room organized. Because I'm always working on so many crafts (painting, packaging, drawing, etc..) there's always stuff everywhere.

How do you keep your space clean and organized? Tips welcomed with open arms.

2011-09-16T11:05:00.000-07:00

When my sister was in town a couple weeks ago, we thought it would be fun to visit The Getty (a museum with gorgeous architecture, gardens, and sweeping views). Even though I grew up in the LA area, I'd never been!! It wasn't a clear day (sadly, it rarely is..), but I still enjoyed the lovely views of Los Angeles! The weather was beyond perfect-- sunny and warm, but not too hot. I could have easily sat outside all afternoon. My favorite part was the Cuba photography exhibit- it was fascinating. Overall, it was a morning well spent :)*On an unrelated note, I'm so excited that my chalkboard tags were featured in Kate's Friday Bits this week. If you don't already read For Me, For You, you most definitely should.

Have a fabulous weekend, friends!!

2011-09-08T16:21:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when there's a pretty wall with pretty flowers above it, you just have to take some photos. And sometimes you really should squeeze in a movie, right before taking your sister to the airport (and right after eating lunch 5 ft away from Tim Roth*). And when you do that, you should probably have some good lookin' treats- to match Ryan Gosling's good lookin' face.

Just saying.

*For the record, Tim Roth is kiiind of adorable. And you know how he talks with his hands in Lie to Me? (You haven't seen it? Well... it did get cancelled...). Yeah, he does that in real life too. And no, I don't see celebrities often. Am I that obvious?

kale + spelt berry salad

2011-09-07T16:18:00.000-07:00

This salad from Sprouted Kitchen has become my absolute favorite. A staple, if you will. As in, I'd give Sara a hug if I could. I've added a couple ingredients that I think make it even more amazing, and thought I'd share it with you. I discovered spelt berries (I buy Bob's Red Mill available at Whole Foods) a couple months ago and I think they're just delightful. Have you had them? Seriously. Delightful. They're a perfect addition to this salad because their chewy texture makes the salad quite a bit more hearty. Cherry tomatoes (especially fresh from the garden or farmer's market) are also delicious addition. This salad makes a lovely lunch, or side dish, and I always feel so healthy after eating it!

Salad: (serves 2)
4 cups kale rinsed, dried, and cut
1/3-1/2 cup fresh grated or sliced parmesan (I love parmesan so much I sometimes throw in both)
1 cup cooked spelt berries
cherry tomatoes (use however many you fancy)
red pepper flakes to taste

Dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves
pinch of salt/ground pepper

Mix everything together and enjoy!!

2011-09-05T19:54:00.000-07:00

Three of my dearest friends and I have a nifty little scrapbook that we pass around. It's filled with photos and random stories and life lessons. We decided to start "the book" right after college when one of the friends was moving cross-country. Now, just two years later, all four of us are in different states. This book is a way to keep in touch and feel connected. It's totally Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants... except we're not all trying to fit into one pair of jeans and none of us are making out with gorgeous boys in the waters of Greece (at least that I'm aware of). Anyways, I've had the book in my possession for months now (I'm truly embarrassed. I used to scrapbook like it was my job), but I'm finally ready to pass it on. I love that while we can't hang out (and don't even talk as often as I'd like), we have something tangible to stay in touch. And goodness knows, I love snail mail... so this just makes me happy.

Do any of you have pen pals, or have something you pass around like this? It's so very fun-- I recommend it... :)

2011-09-02T12:07:00.000-07:00

I've been working on new card designs for quite a while and I'm very excited to say that they're finally available in my shop! There are eight different designs-- including birthday wishes, thank yous, and three succulent-themed blank cards. Head on over to my shop to take a closer look!

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend-- especially those with an extra day off!!

two noteworthy things...

2011-08-28T21:05:00.000-07:00

1| I experienced the Grilled Cheese Truck for the first time on Friday.. and it was fantastic.
2| I might just be adding a collection of lovely new cards to my shop very very soon. So excited.

+ Oh and don't forget about the little discount on chalkboard tags I'm offering... ends September 1st!!

2011-08-26T07:49:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been realizing that really simple things bring me a great amount of joy. Take breakfast, for example. It's my favorite meal, and occurs during my favorite time of day. Which reminds me, I loved Kate's post about mornings. Couldn't agree more. Anyways, back to breakfast. I just love it. Even when it's just cold cereal. I could eat grapenuts with fresh fruit on top for the rest of my life and be happy. I love eating breakfast on the front porch with a hot mug of coffee. And now, a few things have made breakfast even better: homemade almond milk + homemade granola. Seriously? I know.
When Sarah from My New Roots posted an adorable video explaining how to make nut milk, I was completely inspired. It's remarkably easy to make-- so don't be intimidated. Then, my sister told me about some amazing granola she made, and I had no choice but to make it immediately. Although I had a rough start (You know those times you go to the grocery store and completely forget to get one of the three things you came for? Yeah.), it turned out delicious. So here I am, starting each morning with homemade granola and fresh almond milk, happy as can be. I realize making these things myself takes more time, but I just get so much more excited about food that I've made from scratch.... and that feeling makes the whole process very worthwhile.

2011-08-24T22:47:00.000-07:00

I've posted photos of these chalkboard tags in the past, but I thought I'd take the opportunity to formally introduce them. My love for chalkboards inspired me to create these little tags that can be used for gifts or even to label things around the house. They're reusable (simply erase!! -- I use a damp cloth, which works amazingly well), which means you're getting even more bang for your buck. I just added a bunch of new designs that I'm rather excited about!! As a thank you to my lovely readers, I'd like to offer you a 15% discount on all of my chalkboard tags. Simply enter the code "CHALKBOARD" at checkout. This little discount will run through the end of the month, ending on September 1st at 12:00 PM PST. Head on over to my shop!

2011-08-21T21:28:00.000-07:00

1 | a delish summer dinner, with fresh veggies from the farmer's market.
2 | we're getting excited for our tomatoes!!
3 | and here's the first ripe one!! so tasty.

2011-08-16T20:34:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I owned a bike...

Here's my first bike...

...aaand my second bike.

Important things to note: floral stretchy pants and oversized tees, my mom's awesome outfit (hellllo early '90s), and what, no helmets??? At least you can see that my schrunchie (haven't used that word in 15 years) coordinates with my shirt. So.. I've got that going for me.

I'm currently waiting for my new helmet (yes, we actually did wear them as kids... but just not in photos?) to arrive. Can't wait to ride my bike around town (or maybe just my street. I've gotta work up to the other stuff, you know?) and use my bell, all the time. I love my bell.

Do you guys bike much? Or live in bike friendly cities? I think that makes all the difference...

2011-08-14T21:36:00.000-07:00

There were lots of fun things this week + weekend: I met this girl for the first time in real life (she rocks), went to several farmer's markets, made falafel (though apparently I need more practice deep-frying things-- it didn't look great, but it tasted amazing!!), and oh yes, bought a bike!!

On Friday night I saw Rodrigo y Gabriela at the Hollywood Bowl. So good! I would love nothing more than to show you photos but, unfortunately, my photography skills (more likely, my camera with a removable lens) posed a serious threat... and my camera was confiscated for the evening. But I will tell you that Rodrigo y Gabriela were insanely good. They are incredibly talented and downright adorable.

I can't believe that summer is starting to wind down. I know that it will continue to feel like summer in LA for quite a while though!! What are you guys doing with your final weekends of summer?

a few lovely things, inspired by the beach.

2011-08-11T22:25:00.000-07:00

I wouldn't mind owning all of these (red hair included). clockwise (L-R): 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8

2011-08-07T22:19:00.000-07:00

This was the kind of weekend that made me feel both really old and really young at the same time. I went to both a wedding and a baby shower for two of my dear friends from high school. It's so odd to feel like I'm in a completely different stage of life (read: weddings and babies are not in my near future) when, just six years ago, we were all in the exact same place. It feels like just yesterday that we were giggly high school girls-- eating insane amounts of potato chips + onion dip (followed closely by funfetti cake), making prank calls, and repeatedly TPing our friend Richie (love you Rich!!). But now some of them are married, and having babies!! Seriously crazy. I'm so very happy for each of them though, and I know we all have our own timeline, right?

Anyways, here are some pre-wedding photos/my card for the newlyweds. My lips are decidedly brighter than they've ever been in my twenty-four years, thanks to Megan's lipstick recommendation the other day.

2011-08-04T16:22:00.000-07:00

I have an ice cream obsession. And it centers around the flavor salted caramel. It's sweet and salty and disturbingly irresistable. In Seattle Molly Moon's is my fave place to feed my addiction, as their ice cream is ridiculously good. But this summer while my fam was in Portland we visited Ruby Jewel, an ice cream shop that offers the flavor "caramel with salted dark chocolate". GAME CHANGER, I tell you. I thought the dark chocolate was going to be hard, but instead it was melt-in-your-mouth-fudgy-amazing. Best ice cream (maybe food?) I've ever had in my life. So if you find yourself in Portland, please try it. You can thank me later.

Enjoying salted caramel and vivace coffee ice cream at Molly Moon's.

This is my dad's cone at Ruby Jewel which I had to borrow for a moment, seeing as it was more photogenic than mine. Unfortunately this photo ended up just as you'd imagine... me rushing it back to my dad just as scoop #1 slid right into his hands. Oops. Love you dad :)

Lastly, I've been trying to make my own ice cream this summer. So far I've made peanut butter, strawberry, and strawberry/lemon sorbet. I posted about my ice cream-making endeavors over at No Small Dreams today-- go check it out!

2011-07-31T21:34:00.000-07:00

It definitely feels like summer in LA... which means popsicles. Homemade coconut popsicles. So good. We bought some tomato plants at the farmer's market on Saturday, and spent this afternoon getting them in pots. Apparently I thought my hands were really dirty afterwards... doesn't show much, ha. I'm excited though-- I can't wait to eat tomatoes from the backyard!!

What did you guys do this weekend?

2011-07-29T16:02:00.000-07:00

Remember how awesome Snap It Pretty was? Wait til you see what we all walked away with...

1. "Smile" card- Friends Make Prints
2. "We just click" card- Dude and Chick
3. Camera tape- Cute Tape
4. Camera stickers + card pack: Petite Paperie
5. Camera strap- Knitty Bitties
6. Wood camera button: The Wanderlust
7. Necklace: Lisa Leonard Designs (I won this in the raffle!!)

My favorite item in the goody bag? This adorable bunting from Cakies. It looks perfect on my chalkboard wall! :)

nectarine galette

2011-07-27T23:00:00.000-07:00

I made this little gem last week. And then again on Sunday. (The second time I added raspberries from the farmer's market, because you know, I like to keep things fresh.) Even though I had to look up the pronunciation of galette, I feel like we've known each other forever. I mean, really, lifelong friends.

2011-07-26T09:22:00.000-07:00

When I was just a youngin', my grandparents moved from Seattle to Vashon Island. Vashon is a lovely little island located in Washington's Puget Sound, and you can only get there by ferry (which I thought was so cool at the time). I was also quite excited that they had a barn (pictured above) and a garden with lots of fruit + vegetables. Their 5-ish acres were the perfect place for my cousins and I to spend our summers. We even made the loft area in the barn into our own little "dorm room". We had a submarine style triple bunk bed and would sleep up there, amidst the mosquitoes and spiders. It rocked. We'd pick mountains of blackberries to make delicious treats, and enjoy my grandpa's amazing cinnamon rolls in the morning followed by his famous "rootbeer freezes" (like a rootbeer float) in the afternoons. Needless to say, I have so many good memories at this wonderful house. I was reminded of this when my family was gathered there this summer and I watched three of my younger cousins hanging out on the hammock. It brought back memories of when we (my cousin Amy, my sis and I) lounged on the hammock (and then I think we broke it... oops!). Anyways, I thought I'd share some photos of this lovely place that I took on my recent trip to Seattle.

snap it pretty.

2011-07-24T22:32:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I attended a little photography workshop called Snap it Pretty, which was hosted by Danni of Hello Friend and Ruby of Cakies. Jen from I Art U was our fabulous teacher, and it was so great to finally meet her in real life! I love photography, but know little to nothing about my camera, so it was the perfect chance to learn the basics of shooting in manual. Danni + Ruby did such an amazing job of styling-- seriously, everything was ridiculously cute. Another plus? Spending the day with a bunch of awesome ladies, who love blogging, photography and crafting as much as me. So great.

I'm excited to practice shooting in manual, because let me tell you, some of my photos were, umm, greatly lacking. Anyways, I not only walked away with basic photography knowledge, but we got amazing little gift bags as well. More on that later, though. Hope your weekends were lovely!!

2011-07-20T09:21:00.000-07:00

A while back (don't ask me how so much time got in between parts one and two of this post...), I mentioned that I've been trying to purchase all of my fruit + vegetables locally. Many of you may already do this, but I've never relied fully on a farmer's market, so it's a new little adventure to me. Yes, I did just refer to purchasing produce as an adventure. I am a complete nerd. Anyways, I thought I'd compile a list of a few things I've learned so far:

1. Buy food first, then plan meals.
Some months there may be such a large variety of produce that you can practically plan meals ahead of time and go to the farmer's market as if you were going to a fully stocked grocery store. But some months, the produce will be more limited. At these times, it makes sense to see what's available, and then plan meals around that. This may require getting creative... but that's half the fun, right? RIGHT.

2. Plan the order of your meals based on how long produce lasts
Obviously, some veggies will last longer than others. I try to use spring mix, mint, cilantro etc. before I get to kale, broccoli, and sweet potatoes. This helps when you're only shopping once/week.

3. Freeze or can produce.
I've never done any canning, but I think I'd love it! One of the challenges of buying local (and therefore seasonally) is that most fruit is available during the summer. In the past I've spoiled myself with fresh or frozen fruit year-round, when I could simply freeze the fruit when it's in season. I've been buying flats of strawberries and freezing them. I cut them into pieces, spread them out on a cookie sheet and put them in the freezer. Freezing them on a cookie sheet keeps them from sticking together. Once they're frozen I store them in a smaller container. This could be done with lots of other fruit as well!

I realize that sometimes it's not feasible to get to a farmer's market, but you can still be conscious of where your produce is coming from. When you're at the supermarket, check labels! Oftentimes there are a variety of options for any given fruit/vegetable. Is one of them grown much closer to where you are? Awareness is key, even if you're only able to make small changes to begin with.

Do you guys have local farmer's markets? If so, do you go? And what are you favorite things to buy?

2011-07-19T10:16:00.000-07:00

Inspiration comes in so many forms. Most recently I've found it through Uppercase Magazine + Kinfolk.
If by chance you haven't seen Kinfolk yet, make yourself a cup of coffee and get comfortable. This magazine embodies the kind of lifestyle I want so badly. It places value on spending time with family + friends, gatherings that last hours yet go by too quickly, and enjoying all of this with the most delicious food. Many of my favorite bloggers were involved in the making of Kinfolk, which makes it that much more wonderful.

I picked up my first issue of Uppercase on Saturday and couldn't love it more. It's filled with interesting articles, gorgeous photos and loads of rad illustration. I usually flip through magazines too quickly and am disappointed when I'm done.. but it's different with Uppercase. I haven't gotten very far yet because I'm trying to take it all in. I'm reading and savoring every single word. It's definitely a pricier subscription, but it's more of a book than a magazine, and I know I'll keep and treasure every issue.

Where do you guys find inspiration? Do you like online magazines, or do you prefer holding a printed publication? Lastly, if you're looking for some inspiration via music, I've been addicted to The Head and the Heart's pandora station. Perfection.

this weekend + the renegade craft fair

2011-07-17T20:35:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I attended my first Renegade Craft Fair and, though I shouldn't say I'm surprised, it was amazing. I had to practice some serious self control to keep from buying every single gorgeous piece of jewelry and all the paper goods in sight. I did buy a few really fun things pictured above: animal cards by small adventure, top (isn't it so cute??) by make it good, and an adorable succulent that I cannot kill. Needless to say, it was really fun to see so much creativity in one place-- inspiring for sure. And, it was quite warm. I've got some interesting tan lines to prove it. Then today I tried out some new recipes: roasted chickpeas, avocado chilled soup, and raw tacos. They were all great, but the raw tacos were especially good! Definitely recommend them.

2011-07-15T20:00:00.000-07:00

The two weeks I spent gallivanting around the pacific northwest pretty much rocked. I drank a delightful amount of coffee (sidenote: I drink lots of coffee in LA too, but it's just not the same, you know?), reunited with some of my best friends, spent time with my wonderful family, drank strawberry basil lemonade in the sun, and soaked in the beauty that is the PNW. Some of my favorite food spots in Portland were: Porque No?, Besaw's, and Violetta's. We hung out on Mississippi Ave a few times, and I simply loved it. Porch Light and Pistils Nursery were among the many amazing spots on this lovely street. Thanks Portland + Seattle for being so darn good to me!

the food illustrator | david meldrum

2011-07-14T15:08:00.000-07:00

Seeing as food and illustration are two of my favorite things in life, this project makes my heart sing. David Meldrum, a talented graphic designer + illustrator, decided to illustrate everything he ate each day for an entire year. The results are absolutely amazing. Meldrum's work is on exhibit in London right now, and if I lived there, I would most definitely check it out. So fascinating!!

stumptown + the ace hotel

2011-07-12T22:51:00.000-07:00

Stumptown is one of my favorite coffee roasters, so every time I've been in Portland I've made it a point to visit one of their shops. As it turns out, good things come in two's: the lobby of the Ace hotel is connected to a Stumptown shop. My sister and I spent a sunny morning hanging out at Stumptown, reading, and sipping delicious coffee. Then we wandered next door to the Ace lobby. This place is so stylish it hurts. I was sorely disappointed that their photo booth was out of paper (what kind of excuse is that?!), but I did enjoy looking around. Someday, I'll stay at the Ace. Someday.

a vacation pie chart, crust included.

2011-07-10T21:47:00.000-07:00

I just arrived home from two glorious weeks of vacation. Now I don't want to be one of those bloggers that goes on and on about how perfect their vacay was... because nothing in life is perfect. So I'll be honest with you. There were allergies... lots of sneezing, itchy eyes (red eyes= super attractive, by the way), and an obnoxious amount of kleenex. Apparently I'm allergic to the Pacific Northwest?? There. I've put it out there. Other than that, my vacation was perfect. I've created a pie chart (with crust included, because how can anything pie-related be fun without crust??) to show you how I spent my time.

I'll be back soon with lots of photos. Until then, I hope you enjoy this little drawing, which unfortunately, doesn't even touch my elementary school art work.

** One other less-than-perfect detail: my parents and I arrived home to a burst pipe under the house and damaged hardwood floor. Now the water is off. Nothing like a warm welcome home, right? ;)

rosegolden

2011-07-05T08:03:00.000-07:00

I absolutely adore these posters, which are a new collaboration between two lovely bloggers: anabela of fieldguided + erin of atlantic treefox. I think one of them would be a perfect addition to my room, don't you? I'm never going to be a minimalist when it comes to what goes on my walls. While I really like the look of blank or nearly blank walls, I just can't do it. There are too many beautiful things to go on them!!

2011-07-03T21:31:00.000-07:00

I've been enjoying a wonderful weekend in Portland with the fam. The weather has been absolutely perfect, the food has been good, and the city is seriously rad. I'll be back later with more photos... but for now, have a lovely 4th of July, friends!!

remember all the strawberries?

2011-06-30T22:07:00.000-07:00

In an effort to ~~use up all~~ make a small dent in the strawberries my sister and I purchased this weekend, we went to town baking this afternoon. In my mind, there was never a lovelier combination than strawberries and rhubarb. Fortunately, we'd thought ahead and purchased some rhubarb at the market as well. We made strawberry-rhubarb crisp (for the gluten intolerant among us), and pie (for the one who loves crust more than life itself- me). We made individual pies and crisps in half pint jars, guided by this lovely post. Those will probably come in handy this weekend!! Anyways, if you have strawberries and rhubarb at your local market I'm urging you to snatch some up because this stuff is good. Dang good. (Somehow we only used 1/5 of our strawberries. SERIOUSLY?!)

2011-06-26T20:20:00.000-07:00

As you can see, there are lots of strawberries. SO many delightful strawberries. My sister and I saw this bucket of berries at the farmer's market today, and simply couldn't resist. I mean, SERIOUSLY?? Those of you who follow me on twitter may have seen that they weighed 20 lbs!! Amazing. Then we spent a good portion of our afternoon cutting them and freezing them. Some form of strawberry rhubarb pie is our near future and that makes me very happy. Oh boy, has Seattle been wonderful already. Just wonderful.

2011-06-24T22:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got to spend the day with one of my very dearest friends, Azlan. She and her hubs live in Oregon, and I hadn't seen her in about 8 months. Needless to say, it was a real treat to meet up with her in Santa Barbara where her parents live. There's just nothing quite like catching up with a close friend who knows you so well.

Azlan is simply wonderful and sent me home with lemons from the garden. Last week I mentioned that I made lavender syrup and some of you were interested in a recipe. Well, it's super, super easy. I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to make some sparkling lavender lemonade-- especially because Azlan loves lavender so much. It just seemed fitting. So this afternoon when I should have been packing (have I mentioned I'm leaving tomorrow morning for Seattle, and then some quality Portland time?!? so excited!!), I made some lemonade. With this type of thing, I'm not real into measurements. You can alter this depending on how sweet/tart you like your lemonade.

Lavender syrup:

1 c water
1 c sugar (I love evaporated cane juice from Trader Joe's)
4 Tb dried/culinary lavender

Bring water to a boil, stir in sugar and add lavender. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Strain. If you have time to make this ahead, pop it in the fridge for a while. However, I had no such patience, and my drink was wonderful.

Finally, for the lemonade...
Forgive me for not having measurements! I mixed equal parts lavender syrup and fresh squeezed lemon juice into a glass of ice cold sparkling water. Simply delicious!!!

++ Lastly, on a completely unrelated note, Meredith over at One Sheepish Girl did a little Q + A with me this week. She's so sweet and I had fun answering her questions! Take a look if you'd like. There's a giveaway involved if you need some incentive-- but tomorrow's your last chance to enter (US + Canada residents only)!

father's day weekend

2011-06-19T21:01:00.000-07:00

My dearest laptop is currently in the loving hands of the geniuses at the apple store, so I wasn't sure I'd be able to post weekend photos. Fortunately, this weekend consisted of many of the same lovely things as last weekend, for which I have photos to show. The weekend in a few words: cloudy mornings, father's day run with my pops, farmer's market, delicious coffee, and grilled salmon tacos (with grilled peaches! found the amazing recipe over at sprouted kitchen). Oh yes-- and I made lavender syrup, which is a perfect addition to lemonade and delicious on vanilla ice cream. Sure tastes like summer!

Lastly, I was lucky enough to spend Father's day with my dad this year. He's an incredibly guy and I look up to him so much. If I were to take one thing away from him as a parent, it's how much he truly cares about other people. Such a good quality to have, right? Hope you all enjoyed father's day as well!

jacaranda season

2011-06-16T21:45:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about living in Southern California is jacaranda season. During late spring/early summer, Jacaranda trees burst with gorgeous purple blossoms, and leave a carpet of purple petals below. They're truly amazing. I love looking for streets lined with them-- and although the second photo doesn't do it justice, this is the #1 Jacaranda street around.

Sidenote: I took these photos while I was trying out my new camera. I've really wanted to shoot film for a while, and was thrilled when I found a good deal on an older camera. Thank you, Amazon. I'm loving it already!!

2011-06-14T14:39:00.000-07:00

I've always been a big fan of food. And I've always been willing to put in the extra time and effort for something delicious. I used to wake up early before school to make bacon to go in my sandwiches for lunch. True story.

I just finished reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (by Barbara Kingsolver) and though it may not seem possible, I'm now even more excited about food. But in a slightly different way. The book, which I very much recommend, is about a family that spends a year eating entirely seasonal and local. They only eat food they grow, or buy at their local farmer's market. While I'm not ready to undertake something so drastic, I'm utterly inspired. Though not a novel idea, eating what's in season, and buying local just makes sense. Of course I'd love to eat fresh blueberries and raspberries year-round, but that's only possible if it's coming from another hemisphere. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle made the point that it's much more satisfying to anticipate produce during it's local season-- i.e. fruits that are fresh during the summer, and pumpkin (in all it's wonderful forms) during the fall. This allows you to support local farmers (if you're not growing your own food) and enjoy produce at it's peak. It also saves a great deal of fossil fuels that aren't being used to bring you peaches in the dead of winter.

A significant part of eating local depends on planning your meals around what's available at any given time. Full disclosure: meal planning has never been a my strength. During college I lived two blocks away from a Trader Joe's which was both a blessing and a curse. I'd wait until 6pm when I was reaching record levels of starvation and stumble around the store in a hunger-induced stupor. I'd usually hear the mac & cheese calling to me from the freezer aisle (seriously. that stuff is dang good), or maybe even buy fresh ingredients to make a healthy dinner... but I'd hardly ever buy ingredients for more than that one night. So, the next day I'd be headed to Trader Joe's again. Don't get me wrong, I love that place. And the cashiers all knew me. But, come on, that's just not economical. Meal planning is key.

On the other hand, I often see recipes online, or get a craving for something that requires 15 ingredients that I don't have. One thing my dear friends and family have learned about me is that once I have a craving, there's no turning back. And lots of times, I'm on the hunt for produce that isn't available locally. Asparagus in the winter? Not unless it's from South America.

Needless to say, I'm inspired to create some new habits. I've always enjoyed going to farmer's markets, but I've never relied on one for all of my produce. I've gone to the Pasadena Saturday farmer's market the past three weeks with that intent, and I couldn't be more excited. (I know. Nerd alert. But really, I can't help it).

I'm on a mission to purchase all of my produce locally. In pt. 2 I'll let you know how I've been doing and give you some thoughts on the process. And sorry for writing an essay. I just can't help it!

2011-06-12T20:32:00.000-07:00

On Friday my sister and I took a little trip to Santa Barbara. Yes, she's visiting again. Yes, it totally rocks :) We spent some time at the Santa Barbara mission, which is incredibly gorgeous. There were really impressive chalk drawings in front of the mission, a rose garden, and so many succulents. We hit up Blenders for some smoothies and had some delicious Mexican food. A very lovely trip it was. The weather has been kind of gross in Southern CA though. What's the deal with this June Gloom nonsense??

scout's honor co.

2011-06-07T22:05:00.000-07:00

If you, like me, have a love for hand-lettering, I have a real treat for you. I was thrilled when I stumbled upon Scout's Honor Co. Annemarie's style is incredible and her her branding is impeccable. Everything (her blog, packaging, etc.) is so cohesive... and, in turn, all amazing. I can't wait until her shop is up and running because I'm sure it will be filled with lovely, lovey things. Oh, and check out Annemarie's studio. Yes, PLEASE.

All photos by Annemarie Buckley, who was gracious enough to let me snag a few for this post. Thank you!

2011-06-05T22:09:00.000-07:00

The weekend:

I had lots of delicious food, thanks to my new-found love for the Saturday farmer's market. I made this recipe for spiced sweet potatoes and chickpeas and it was a-mazing. I'm making it for Thanksgiving this year. No questions asked. I also added a few wooden chalkboard gift tags to my shop. I'm excited about them!! And there was quite a bit of reading, out in the sun. Glorious!

And now, it's raining...in June. Super odd, but it'll be the perfect sound to fall asleep to!

*** By the way, I loved all of your thoughtful responses to this post about photography.You guys are the best. I feel much better about taking photos out in public spaces again. So thank you, thank you!

2011-06-02T14:49:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, at the beginning of the year I moved back in with my parents so I could do a design internship in CA. Growing up I had a nice, big room. (My sister and I shared this nice, big room, until she could no longer stand sharing space with me (ha!) and moved into the tiny room across the hall. Who's laughing now?? Me.) Anyways, I wanted to make a lot of changes to my room to make feel more like me. I posted some inspiration a long time ago, and feel like I did a pretty good job of capturing the feel I was looking for. It's not the perfect space, as it seriously lacks in natural light, but I love sitting at my desk, which I snagged at a flea market.

I know the trend of chalkboard walls is on it's way out, but I absolutely love my wall. I love black, with pops of color, and this wall is the perfect space for that. Like I said, it's not perfect-- I don't want to spend a lot of time/money on a temporary space, but it fees like me. Hope you enjoyed a little peek into my room/studio!

2011-05-29T20:34:00.000-07:00

Although this weekend was nice and relaxing, there wasn't much to photograph. So, lest you be disappointed with no sunday snapshots, I compiled some photos from when my sister was visiting. (blog secret: when you have no new photos, just use old ones. it totally works).

We spent an afternoon wandering around Pasadena and, as you can see, took lots of photos of each other. All photos with me in them are courtesy of my dear sister, Michelle. Hope you've all had a lovely weekend (especially those of you enjoying a 3-day weekend!). I work tomorrow, but since I like my job, that's a-okay :)

dinner of the week | salad + potatoes

2011-05-26T22:23:00.000-07:00

I don't normally pack this many veggies into one meal, but as it turns out, this is a rockin' combination.

This delicious salad + potatoes dinner was composed of the following:
+ broccoli (I love to drizzle olive oil over the broccoli, sprinkle a little salt + pepper, and put it in the oven until the edges get crispy. SO good.)
+ BEST.SALAD.EVER. (cooked red peppers, lima beans, goat cheese, walnuts + home made pesto).
+ 1/2 baked regular potato and 1/2 baked sweet potato
Oh yes. And fresh raspberry lemonade. Because, why not?

After running around the kitchen trying to get everything timed right and ready at the same time, it was wonderful to sit down on the front porch with the family, and enjoy a delicious meal.

2011-05-25T20:52:00.000-07:00

One of the things I miss most about living in Seattle is the coffee. It's hard not to fall in love with the Pacific Northwest approach to coffee, which is that it's a priority. And it's delicious without tons of sugar added. Seattle and Portland take coffee way more seriously than LA... with one exception: Intelligentsia.
While my sister was in town, without planning it, we ended up visiting every Intelligentsia location: Pasadena, Silver Lake, + Venice. Each one has an incredible interior, which is really high on my list. (total coffee snob. I know.) We hung out in the Pasadena shop quite a few times and I really enjoyed just sitting there, reading, and people watching. Good news! It looks like I've found a replacement for Seattle coffee.

Do you guys love coffee/being in coffee shops as much as me? Any favorite places I should know about?

taking photos + a few questions

2011-05-23T20:42:00.000-07:00

I should start out by saying that I truly hate being scolded. I can probably recount every single time I've ever been yelled at by anyone in authority, other than my parents... it's just that traumatizing. I was recently scolded by a man in a floral shop. And I wish this story was funnier. Mostly, it's just awkward.

I take almost all of the photos on my blog, so I'm always taking photos when I'm out and about. I was purchasing some succulents the other day (SEE? I told you I'm obsessed!), and was amazed by the gorgeous flowers in the shop. Without thinking, I snapped a photo of some bunches of flowers that were in buckets. Then I went outside to take a photo of all of flowers out front. And that's when it happened. A gentleman who worked at the floral shop rushed over and explained harshly (unnecessarily harsh. no exaggeration) that I needed to ask permission to take photos. I quickly apologized, but he felt the need to continue and let me know that I should ALWAYS ask permission to take photos anywhere... and some other condescending stuff I don't remember, but it seemed like it went on forever.

I realize I should have asked permission first. I've only taken photos in a few other shops, but I've always asked ahead of time, so I guess I just wasn't thinking. However, this did make me stop and think about all of the photos I'm taking. If I'm in a cafe/restaurant/coffee shop, I'll often take a picture of what I'm eating. It's not like I'm going to ask someone if that's ok (right? or am I way off?). So I guess I'm wondering where to draw the line. Are there unspoken rules about this kind of thing? If you're in a coffee shop and you're going to take photos of anything besides your food/coffee and the people you're with, do you need to ask permission? Is taking a photo of their lovely chalkboard menu inappropriate without asking permission first? I suppose it's better to be safe than sorry, but I don't want to awkwardly be asking permission to take photos everywhere I go.

A few questions for you, my dear readers:

1| Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever been asked to stop taking photos?

2| Do you have rules or general guidelines about where it's appropriate to snap photos, and when you need to ask permission first?

Now that everyone has iphones, I suppose there's a far more discreet way to take photos. Unfortunately... I don't have one, so I'm pretty darn conspicuous when I whip out my DSLR.

Ok. I think that's it. Virtual high five if you actually read this far. Anyways, I'd love to hear your thoughts, friends :)

2011-05-22T19:28:00.000-07:00

This has been an excellent week as my older sister, Michelle, has been in town from Seattle. There has been lots of eating, a great deal of coffee drinking, a bit of exploring, some moments of sun-soaking, and lovely family time in general. Photos include hanging out in Pasadena, Silver Lake + Venice. Oh, and lunch at food lab. So good.

Other notable moments not photographed include: many episodes of Friday Night Lights. (I'm addicted and managed to get Michelle hooked. Win.) And of course, FNL is most often accompanied by popcorn. Lots of it. (Another serious addiction). There was also good family conversation about futures, career paths, etc. over Thai food (there's nothing quite like a Thai iced tea + curry). And there was reading... my sister reads a phenomenal amount-- it puts me to shame. However, I've been following her drift this week and am almost done with Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. It's rocking my world, which is fair warning that you'll probably hear about it in the near future.

I'll be sharing more photos from this past week real soon :)

2011-05-18T16:53:00.000-07:00

I made this lemonade a couple weeks ago on a really hot day and it was simply delicious. Ironically, I'm posting it today, when it's kind of dreary. Anyways, squeezing the lemons was a labor of love, but it was truly worth it. I loved the mix of basil + strawberries, but there are lots of possibilities. Any suggestions for lemonade flavors?

sunday snapshots.

2011-05-15T21:56:00.000-07:00

a few things from the weekend...
1. I'm a vegetarian 99% of the time, but I make a few exceptions. Namely, in'n'out (the #1 reason to live in CA.)
2. My dad ran another marathon this morning. You know, just for kicks. My sis and I were cheering for him around mile 15, when he ran by with two younger guys. He proceeded to introduce all of us to each other while running, ages and relationship statuses included. (As in, "This is Ian. He's 26. But he has a girlfriend.") Thanks dad, for looking out for our romantic endeavors, amidst your run. Ha- it killed me. (Note: introductions are totally taking place in one of the photos above, where he's pointing. Too funny.)
3. The sister I mentioned earlier is visiting from Seattle!! SO happy we get to hang out. (I have the whole week off while Megan is at the National Stationery Show. Aahhhh, can't wait to hear about all that goodness when she's back!!).

Lastly, Theresa + Elias of Orange Juice, Etc. graciously invited me to share my current list of top 10 fave things. Go take a looksie. And while you're at it, keep scrolling because they have a fantastic blog filled with lovely photography. Mostly, they just rock.

lunch of the week | chickpea salad

2011-05-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

No. 6 Chickpea Salad: I used to buy an amazing chickpea salad from PCC (an organic grocery store, for those who aren't familiar) for lunch quite often. I loved it, but always wished it was a bit cheaper. So, uh, too bad I didn't make it myself sooner... but, better late than never, right?

I mixed up a can of chickpeas (rinsed) with diced celery, carrots, red pepper, and onion. Then I mixed in a creamy dill ranch dressing (healthy recipe here). I ate it right away, but it's the kind of thing that tastes better the next day. Also, the version I bought from PCC had wheat berries in it, which I didn't have, but I definitely want to try adding them next time. Anyways, this is a great option for a vegetarian, gluten-free lunch, and has a surprising amount of protein.

Happy Friday, friends!

blog crush.

2011-05-10T22:29:00.000-07:00

Confession: I've developed a serious blog crush. I don't ~~normally~~ ever share my crushes via the interwebs, but this one is too good not to share. Anyways, here's how it went down...

I stumbled upon Harper's Happenings last Friday. And how do I remember the exact date, you might ask? Well, it's easy to remember when you spend an entire evening reading approx 2 years of a blog. True story. I don't read too many "mama blogs" (is that a thing?) because, well, I'm not a mom. But Mandy (blog creator, and mother to Harper) is ha-freaking-larious. And her family is disturbingly cute. Check out her little one eating ice cream. I mean, it's too much, right?

I realize you may already read Mandy's blog (she's winning blog awards and stuff, so clearly I'm not the first to discover her).... but in the off chance that you've never seen it, go now. And start with these two posts.

You can thank me later :)

the things that comfort.

2011-05-09T12:22:00.000-07:00

Recently, both Kyla and Moorea wrote about the things that bring them comfort, including their favorite comfort foods. Last month I found myself dealing with way more anxiety than usual and it was important to find ways to de-stress. Here are some of the foods + activities I crave when I'm in need of a little comfort.

foods:
+ mac n' cheese: any and every kind. I love the homemade baked stuff, and I know I shouldn't admit this, but I love kraft. It just reminds me of being a kid.
+ veggie pot pie: pot pie is my absolute favorite. I remember going through a break-up in college and returning home to my roommates who had chicken pot pie ready for me. True friends, I tell you.
+ popcorn: it can fix almost any bad mood.
+ thai food: this was a big one when I was living in Seattle. Whenever I had a bay day, thai food it was.
+ cookies n' cream shake: most desserts can provide some level of comfort (mmm, warm chocolate chip cookies anyone?), but cookies n' cream is my fave. I always mix the ice cream with a little milk to make it more like a shake. So good, it's untouchable.

activities:
+ going for a walk or run (probably the only really healthy thing on my list, ha!)
+ sitting down and actually thinking about all of the things that I have to be grateful for. Sometimes I even read old journal entries so I can see how things that seemed awful at the time have worked out-- a good reminder that God is taking care of me.
+ lounging on my couch + reading my fave blogs
+ watching Friday Night Lights (my guilty pleasure. I can't say no to Tim Riggins).
+ listening to good music. current faves = the civil wars and fleet foxes.
+ hanging out with my sister (when we're in the same city) and watching any one of our favorites shows. we have the same taste in tv, so that works out quite nicely. when we're not in the same place (like right now), video chats are are a must.
+ retail therapy. I love looking through Madewell + Jcrew sale items online. Sometimes I buy, but more often than not, I add things to my shopping cart, and then have enough self control to x out. Fortunately.
+ painting- I always get the best feeling when I create a new design that I'm excited about.

And this quote, right here, may just be the most comforting thing I've read in some time. so darn comforting, in fact, that I wrote it on my wall (you know. in chalk). And to think I could love Ira more.... every day is full of surprises.

What are your favorite comfort foods, or activities that bring you comfort?

sunday snapshots.

2011-05-08T20:42:00.000-07:00

A few noteworthy things:

+ I have the most wonderful mother in the entire world. Love her to the moon and back.
+ Raw brownies = WIN. I saw a recipe for these brownies on My New Roots. It only has five ingredients: dates, almonds, walnuts, cocao powder, and sea salt. It's also vegan and gluten-free. Mmm, delightful.
+ My sister is coming to visit... (now in less than a week). Cue jumping up and down. So excited!
+ Oh and my car is fixed! Not only did they piece the little guy back together, they also washed it and vacuumed the interior (which, umm... hasn't been done in a while). I told my dad it was totally worth getting rear-ended since it came with a free cleaning. Yeah... I think he probably wanted to smack me. Understandable.

Hope your weekends were grand :)

oh heyyyyyy. (yes, I'm still alive. things just look a little different.)

2011-05-07T12:25:00.000-07:00

If you've visited my blog in the past few days, you've probably noticed it going through ~~a few~~ a lot of lovely changes. I'm so excited to finally unveil my blog's new look! (If you're viewing this in your reader, hop on over to my blog. Seriously. It's worth it.) Moorea from Freckled Nest designed the layout, and did a fantastic job. Ironically, we went to college together, but didn't know each other at the time.. and we actually "met" through blogging. Anyways, it was really fun to work with her on this design. She's a crazy talented lady-- and if you don't already read her blog, you should. I love the new design + I hope you do too!

Here's a little pinterest snapshot that shows some of the inspiration behind the design. In love.

sunday snapshots.

2011-05-01T19:15:00.000-07:00

I had a pretty low-key weekend, but got a lot of stuff done (maybe a much cleaner room?) so that feels good! I potted a few of my succulents, which I'm obsessed with. I also made some ridiculously good lemonade (more to come on that later). Tried these chocolate croissants that Joy recommended-- pretty darn good.

Oh yes, and I got rear-ended on my way home from work on Friday. I mean, I realize my Friday nights are pretty uneventful, but really? I was stopped, waiting to turn left, and BOOM. Awesome. Fortunately, the police showed up immediately. I've never been so grateful for law enforcement in my life. I truly think one of the police officers was heaven-sent. She walked over and said, "I think you dropped something, honey", haha. Anyways, after fitting the large section of my car that FELL OFF back INTO my car, I was on my way home :) In terms of accidents, I think that was the best I could have asked for. Except now I have to get my car fixed. Booo.

What did YOU do this weekend? Hope it was just wonderful!

boston | part two

2011-04-29T08:26:00.000-07:00

In a nutshell: Harvard was very cool (totally imagined Mark Zuckerberg running around creating facebook), a peek at the Atlantic, lobster in Maine, a gorgeous park + amazing row houses. Sigh... I'd love to live in a rowhouse like one of these someday.

boston | part one

2011-04-25T17:40:00.000-07:00

The Boston trip consisted of many things, including: delicious food, lots of subway + train rides, accents (my oh my. love me a Boston accent.), gorgeous brick buildings x 1000, icky rainy weather, maybe a bad attitude because of said weather (ok, that was me. apparently I've lost my mind, because I did not pack proper attire), and Boston marathon jackets (on everyone, everywhere). Oh, and learning that pedestrians do not wait for the walk sign. And cars do not wait for pedestrians. Whew! Bostonians live life on the edge.

Stay tuned for part two: Harvard + maybe, just maybe, a quick stop in Maine.

mother's day | cards in the shop!

2011-04-23T17:13:00.000-07:00

Mother's day is just over two weeks away! You can grab a hand-painted card for your dear mom in my shop!