seasonal desires...

[via weheartit]

This summer I want to:

1) Travel to where the water is warm, like bathtub warm. I think I'll get my fix while in South Beach. I leave this Sunday for Florida. There is just something that I get out of warm salty water that I just don't get in the chill-you-to-the-bone cold water that we still have here. My husband surfs, and surfs in the winter, so he thinks the water here has definitely warmed up but not for this girl! 

2) Cook more dinners on the grill and eat them outside! Grilled filets, grilled warm spinach salad, grilled peaches drizzled with balsamic... mmmm. 

3) Learn to do things that I'm not familiar with. I'm NOT good at this. I think it's been my lesson so far in 2011. I don't like doing things that I am not a "natural" at. Hence, I hated golfing in Anza Borrego over New Years. I'm hoping that this summer I may be able to be more patient with myself. Maybe I'll learn to crochet or knit.

4) Finish the projects that I've got around. I know I'm not the only one who does this. From home projects, to making jewelry, there are ideas that have been floating around the office and my pinterest boards. 

5) Do more outside; riding my bike, reading, hiking, maybe even a horse back ride. I've thinking about finding a place and doing this for the last couple of years. This summer might just be that time. 

6) Take day trips to places like Santa Barbara and San Diego. 

7) Master a light signature cocktail. I'm thinking something like a low calorie mojito.

8) Wear big sun hats because, they're adorable AND my face doesn't need the wrinkles.

9) Read the books I've been thinking about for a while. Mostly this one, from this guy.

10) Figure out a new place to make our home. This probably should have been number 1 but it will come when it is meant to. 

first day of summer

[Images of Grace Kelly via weheartit]

Today is the first official day of summer. June 21st is the Summer Solstice which means that it is the longest day of sunlight the whole year. I am hoping that means today will be sunny since we've had full on June gloom thus far. A few days that were warm & sunny in the midday but definitely doesn't feel like summer to me yet. These images of Grace Kelly feel just like what I want my summer to feel like. Clear waters, big sun hats, stripped beach towels, and sun with refuge in the shade.

truth

[photo taken for by way of ney]

a little reminder 

for everyone, 

everywhere, 

that no matter what 

there is always someone, 

somewhere, 

who loves you 

and that life is bigger 

than your day to day worries,

aggravations,

and limitations

how-to: hair turband

I stumbled across this video tutorial about 3 ways to tie a turband on this site. I will definitely be trying this out on my trip to South Beach at the end of the month.

flower arrange

"I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck", Emma Goldman.

Don't get me wrong, most girls do love diamonds. There is simply something about the sparkle that you just get lost in the way you get lost staring into a flame. Great as diamonds are, flowers just do something to lift my spirit. I think it's that every little part of them seems perfectly placed.

They really are one of my favorite things to have in the house and a trip to the farmer's market or Trader Joe's just never seems complete without a bundle of them to bring home. Rather than grab a pre-made bouquet I usually opt for different varieties to take home and assemble into my own little creations.

Here are my usual steps. Pretty quick and easy.

1) Choose your containers

[I like to choose ones that provide a variety]

The 3 on the right I made in a ceramics class, the white one on the bottom left is from Crate & Barrel, and the glass one on top left was a wedding gift from my grandma. 

2) Unwrap your selection in the sink, rinse off, cut off any excess leaves, and trim the bottoms at an angle under running water. 

3) Move to your selection to a place where you have room to work. For me, this was the dining room table. 

[This week's selection of flowers were, from left to right, freesia, daisies, ranuculus, and wax flowers. Usually I would choose 3 types but I like to have something like the sturdy wax flowers to thicken things out. Freesias smell amazing and the rest don't really have a smell.]

After this, start your assembly by cutting each stem down so that you have different heights. Place your sturdy, filler-type, in first and then begin to layer the rest in. 

Hopefully you'll end up with something as colorful and enjoyable as this!

The best part is that flowers are so amazing, pretty much ANYTHING that you do to them will look great. Have fun!

[This photo might have been my favorite of the whole process. The perfect detail of each little lilac wax flower.]

*all photos taken for by way of ney

beauty CULTure

As soon as I heard about this exhibit I knew that I wanted to go. I gathered my mom and sister and went to the Annenberg Space for Photography which is neither a gallery or a museum because it is a nonprofit fully funded by the Annenberg family.  The space is purposefully interactive with a 31-minute long documentary feature, 170 prints, a reading room, and multimedia stations. The exhibit was both amazing and startling. 

As soon as we arrived the documentary feature was beginning so we quickly sat down and were captivated. The images and commentary revolved around how feminine beauty has been defined, the industry that fuels that definition, and the photographers who capture it all. It led us to the point of realization that we have both celebrated and been abused by our understanding, or misunderstanding, of beauty. 

After the documentary was over we walked around the halls filled with images of women. Many of them were images that we've all seen before; from Twiggy to Heidi Klum...

photo credit: unknown, possibly Barry Lategan

photo credit: Gilles Bensimon

 ...but some were images we never hoped to see. Of botched plastic surgery and faces contorted by the undying desire to change what was gifted to us by birth.

photo credit: Lauren Greenfield

photo credit: Lauren Greenfield

Walking through the halls of these prints after seeing the documentary made it extremely hard not to feel conflicted. It was challenging to turn off the part of you that recognizes these images of women, mostly models, that we've all grown to believe as the epitome of beauty. As I looked at image after image is was clear to see why these photographs have had such a profound influence on us. 

The thing that stood out to me most was something that a female photographer, whose name I don't remember, said during the documentary, "The important thing is to not get lost in your own reflection." To me this meant that there is nothing wrong with the recognition of beauty, whether in yourself or someone else, but that we need to remember that what we see in the mirror is not our true identity.  

This exhibit will run until November 27th. Get there!

[06.13]

Happy Birthday Heidi Jo! You're the best mommy a girl could ask for! 

to new beginnings..

Well hello there!

Starting a blog is something that I have thought about for a while now. Not so much because I think I have insight to add to the never ending web, but because more often then not, I go somewhere or do something that I want to share. And not just share with my family and friends but be able to share with you!

My hope for this space is that it would be a place for me to come and post about things that are currently inspiring me and for them to in turn inspire you as well.

So, cheers! Here's to a new beginning!