wood & cork
I am like a proud mama bursting at the seams over my friend’s wooden & cork wood-turned goodness sale on One Kings Lane. May I introduce the bubbly, ever fun Melanie Abrantes. She never ceases to have a smile on her face, a new colorful vintage dress or lack of energy. So happy to have a genuine creative woman in my life making high quality goods that are simply beautiful!
Honestly, isn’t she the cutest? {photo via her instagram @prancingllamas}
cork cake stand, lovely wooden, bowl & lid, bud vase, apron
Outfit Obsessed: white chuck taylors
Normally, I am a ballet flat & boot type of girl. Sometimes I will throw in a pair of heels but when you already have the height (being 5’8″) comfort beats out inches and any sort of sneaker hasn’t made its my way into my wardrobe in years. But this spring I felt a change was in order and went with classic white chucks.
They make every outfit so effortlessly chic with a great mixture of preppy-ness & grunge. Granted converse come in every color imaginable but there is something so fresh about white.
Wearing them really bring me back to my high school days. Hats are really making a big appearance in my daily style lately.
ain’t nobody got time for that!
In times of transition it’s hard find time to make a schedule/routine. Since the New Year I have gone into full-time freelancing for prop styling/interior design/ wallet making and I could not be happier. Allowing myself to get lost in creative thought while walking around, reading magazine or meeting new friends. Days filled with overlapping projects that I jump into with no looking back to the mess I have made, ha. I’ve decided that ‘when I’ve made it big’ I will hire a cleaning service to come, maybe twice a month, to tie up the loose ends of dusty shelves & smeared windows. Maybe some of you think I should dream bigger to that I say I would hire a chef as well. But when it comes down to it I would rather put energy into my creative pursuits & relationships then do the dishes. What do you just don’t have time for? What would be your ‘WIMIB’ wish?
ART found via The Artful Desperado
a book daze
January 6th I assured myself would be the day 2014 would kick off. My routine would be set: coffee, exercise, emails, crafting, walk, nap, general creative collaboration, work, etc. I had a plan. It was a good one. Well- that idea went down in a tunnel of tissues and honey tea. I got sick. Stayed in bed. Watched everything I could imagine. Where do you turn then? Reading. Truthfully I am not a reader by nature. If the story doesn’t hook me right away I’ll pass out book in hand, glasses still on before the first chapter is over. BUT on the rare occasion I do dive into the plot it’s the only thing I want to do. Currently I am deep into the world of ‘Little Women’ a first time read for me. The Winona Ryderr/Kristen Dunst/Claire Danes movie of the 90’s is a personal Christmas favorite and being a thoughtful boyfriend he gifted me a used copy of the book as a spring-board for a new years goal. A struggle for me is feeling lazy indulging in this very exclusionary hobby. Do you ever feel that way? Should I just get past it?
Other books that have held my attention include: ‘The 19th wife‘, ‘Loving Frank‘ and The Little House series that I read in completion last summer in about 8 weeks. Any suggestions? I really love books that have some historical fact mixed with fiction.
the holiday silence is over
Well, the holiday craze is over & I am back to the normal grind. To say I cherished every waking moment of my hermit induced holiday is an understatement. December was filled with so much prep, winding down of the year and general festivities my introverted self needed to reassess and find my happy place. Christmas my man and I went all out- got fancy cheese, a dozen or so oysters and lots of wine. Mainly the exact opposite of what my family traditions are. Sometimes it just makes it easier to create new traditions.
My favorite memory is that we dragged out mattress out to our living room on christmas eve with the fire lite we opened gifts and played with the kittens. Real quality time with my love and cheesy holiday movies. A great way to end 2013. A year of trials and growth. More on that later because quite honestly have not processed it all yet.
give me more than white
White, white, white. On the walls, over brick, all the furniture – even over beautiful natural wooden floors. It seems to be the majority of what I’ve been seeing recently on the cyber world. Don’t get me wrong, there is a charm to it. A clean slate where you can transform the space drastically with different patterned throws or bold statement pieces. Sometimes I am left wanting more; more warmth, more character. These romantic, moody spaces really struck a chord with me today. The massive door ornate door molding standing out against the muted colors; white tile with dark grout, bright flowers mixed in with the vase collection. Also, the lighting fixtures play such a strong role. Each could stand by alone but marry themselves so effortlessly, taking these spaces contemporary. I could honestly just sit in these spaces for hours sketching & thinking.
click image for source
festive sofa
After arriving home from my weekend trip to Big Sur smelling of camp fire, filled with wonder and awe of the amazing-ness of nature I wanted to bring some aspect of it into my apartment. So I pulled out some potatoes that were on the brink, took out my trusty pocket knife, carved out some pine trees and foxes paws and went to town on some linen. And what holiday forest is complete without a little bit of snow covering the branches.
To complete my christmas inspired couch scenes a sleeping fox from Uncommon Goods. His name is Freddie. Isn’t he so cute?!? All snuggled up in his hand drawn goodness. I’ve found my kittens curled up next to him on more than one occasion. For some reason the combo of my tree pillow and sleepy fox makes my apartment feel more festive. It’s going to be crazy when the tree is put up. If you’re looking for some great gifts make sure to check out Uncommon Goods gifts for woman here.
This post is a collaboration with Uncommon Goods, but words and opinions are my own.
thanksgiving camping
Thanksgiving is tomorrow & I feel greatly under prepared. Mainly because I am embarking on a weekend camping adventure in Big Sur with a few of my closest friends. Yes, we have food. Plenty of water, whisky & wine but the rest is all still a mystery. My last camping experience was with the girl scouts in 7th grade. Will my scout knowledge come back? Will it rain? My feelings are a perfect mix of pure excitement & overwhelming anxiousness.
Hope you all have a wonderful holiday filled with your nearest & dearest and plenty of laughs.
leather wallets
If you didn’t know by now; I like making things. Be it a last-minute skirt, changing up my throw pillows or just helping someone else out I need to keep my hands busy! One night just before Halloween I was watching my man (helping from afar; trying not to take over his project) put together his skeleton felt halloween costume when I decided at that moment I needed to make a wallet out of some blue leather that was around forever. Why make a wallet a few glasses of wine in at midnight? Who knows why inspiration hits when it does. Anyways, a few trys later I had a functional/snazzy new wallet that I was quite proud of. In the following days my new accessory got some compliments I wondered if I could make a new little side business around something I loved doing. With some wise words/encouragement from my man I set a goal, took a leap, bought the materials, bruised my hand from all the hole punching, enlisted friends for photos & got them all up on etsy. Whew. It was a whirl wind of a project but am proud of myself for seeing it through.
Gold paint made an appearance one night. Hours went by as let myself go buzzing all the way (I buzz when I am deeply focused on a project). Doodles on one. A cross pattern on another. I was really pleased at the way they turned out. When gifting for my own family and friends I always love telling the story of where it came from or what the artist was inspired by. It makes the exchange more memorable.
So go check them out! Please! They are great little gifts for your moms boyfriend or bestie. Thanks for your support! Bee of Design Etsy shop
the pefect day… what’s yours?
‘What is your perfect day?’ was a question purposed to me the other day that stop & made me ponder. Right off the top of my head I rattled off lavish dinners, long walks, exploring new cities… the usual. But those activities, while grand, are not for the everyday. They would become mundane, no longer special. But what is my perfect everyday is becomes a little more complex. There needs to be the right mixtures of creativity, socializing, alone time – sprinkled with boring chores & mandatory kitten cuddle with kisses from boyfriends. Is that really so hard to ask for? Sometimes it really seems to be impossible. But when those rare days happen, the perfect storm for the perfect day, it is magical. I hold it dear.
A couple of days stick out in my mind that are going to be hard to beat. One was a few months ago when I helped style a look book for Barrington Blue with Kate Miss as the photog. (Speaking of Kate Miss, she just launched her Winter/Spring Jewelry line & it’s amazing). The highlights of this shoot include: the gloomy weather, getting to meet vintage textile lover Carrie, snoop into her magical house located in the hills, work with pillows/home decor, make friends with the local cat & generally bounce ideas, laugh and enjoy these talented ladies company. Plus the photos turned out beautifully.
Another happened just the other day. Again, I lent a hand to Jessica of Bramble Workshop set up her sun print DIY for DesignLoveFest and had a first peak at The Unique Space DTLA. More so then the shoot my day was a great balance of seeing my man, working on my own site & listening to the Charlie Brown Christmas vinyl about 12 times (it’s my day! I’ll do what I want!). Yes, those days are farther apart then I wish at the current moment, I know that it is there. Something to strive for. Not that my current life/work is bad in the slightest – why not strive for perfection?
An artist or maker? Let’s do your look book! photographer let’s shoot something!
Photos by Kate Miss
Pillows & Stools by Barrington Blue
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