Treasure Hunting

I am passionate about a good treasure hunt and as a result, I have been obsessed with my local flea markets. Yes, this topic is reminiscent of this and this. In the past week I have been to both the Long Beach and the Santa Monica flea markets. Yes, I am absolutely obsessed.

I am so amused by the quirky finds at these places:

Honestly, who doesn't need a creepy doll or a once-live pet furry animal?  I'd like to meet the people who purchase these items.


I was looking for a rocking chair but instead managed to find two wall shelves (they need some TLC),

 Some awesome old doors (care of Michelle - xoxo),

An old ladder - seriously, such a necessity,

And my absolute favorite purchase is this adorable vintage baby scale.  Baby B is going to take the most darling photos on this piece!

Because of baby B on the way, I am more aware of fun toys.  How awesome is this little boat rocker?

Love this quirky, grumpy owl.

Such a fun little baby tub!

Seriously? Maybe the coolest truck ever.

Happy treasure hunting friends.

Just Because...

Maybe the funniest pic ever:

daddytypes.com

Happy Thursday!

Ahh Romance

I love this so much...

I Dream Of ...

Cute and Pregnant Doesn't Have to be a Misnomer

I have been struggling with looking cute while being pregnant for some time now.  I am in that awesome in between stage where I look, well, chubby. Not awesome. After some serious searching for fashionable threads I am almost convinced (not completely convinced at this point) that just because you are pregnant doesn't mean you must look frumpy, chubby, homely, barefoot, matronly, disheveled, or ______ {enter choice adjective here}.

Exhibit A:

The Daybook Blog

Perfect for a Saturday excursion:

The Daybook Blog

Ideal for a picnic:

The Daybook Blog

This look simply makes me happy:

The Daybook Blog

She seriously mastered the mumu here, somehow it still looks feminine!

The Daybook Blog

Thank you The Daybook Blog for inspiring me!  What is your favorite pregnant attire?

If Your House Was Burning, What Would You save?

After spending a weekend at a FEMA training, I have had the notion of natural disasters on my mind lately.  Which made me think, if my house were burning, what is so important in my life that I would feel compelled and maybe even more importantly would remember to save. 

Obviously, my darling kitty loves.

Next in line would be Alma Dixie.  My bestie from my childhood.  She and I shared everything from play dates, to slumber parties, to swim lessons.  No joke.

I would swing by the office and grab the Bible that belonged to my great grandmother.  It is in Spanish and is complete with all of her notes and highlighting. Priceless.

I would be sure to grab my wedding ring because nothing in the world has more sentimental value.  Hubbs picked it out on his own - amazing! 

And for purely practical reasons, I would grab my glasses.  I think I would be pretty annoyed if my house burned down AND I couldn't see anything.

 What would you grab?

Weekend Blues

How was your weekend my lovelies? My weekend was spent preparing for fall, biking to the farmers market, and painting my living room a stunning teal blue! I am so impulsive and got it into my head that my living room needed an update. Much to hubbs' surprise (don't you just LOVE surprises??), I bribed my girlfriend with a martini and dinner and we set to painting on Friday night. 

Because nothing in my life is easy, I decided that it could not be a flat blue but the wall should probably be textured like linen.  So beachy and casual.  Perfect for my living room.

The walls were sand colored before so I painted directly over the sand color with a teal paint mixed with glaze.  Even though the nice worker's at Home Depot swore that the glaze would not change the color of the teal, it turns out that it did mute it just a tad.

Can you see the martini sparkling in Goldie's eyes?

After Goldie painted the wall teal, I set to wiping the walls with a hand broom. First vertically and then horizontally.

The result was a nice weathered look with a very faint linen texture.  The messier the better.  This is not a look that would look good perfect so perfectionists stay away or drink heavily before painting!

What do you think? Do you love it as much as I do?

 Photos courtesy of hubbs.

My Dear Fall Has Finally Returned

Other than summer, fall is my favorite time of year.  I love the crispness in the air, the romantic foggy mornings, the anticipation for the holidays, decorating for the seasons, baking, cooking, crock pot creations, football (only sometimes though), the scent of cinnamon, hot coffee (decaf for now - boo!), sweaters and boots, and candles candles everywhere! Okay, maybe I like fall more than summer. But just a smidge.

What fabulous plans do you have for this holiday?

Decorating officially begins in my home this weekend and I cannot wait! Hubbs thought I was crazy for wanting to start the decorating last month.  Maybe a tad excessive. When are you going to start decorating?

Any scrumptious new recipes?

Happy, happy best time of the year!

Make Beer

I Spy The Last Day of Summer

On this fabulous last day of summer, I wish you a refreshing cocktail,

Food and Recipes

A relaxing bike ride,

Trellis Creative

And a satisfying bbq!

Fat Wallet

Enjoy your last few moments of dear ol' summer!

Mini is Supreme

I love animals, particular little tiny baby animals that fit so perfectly into pockets and handbags.

Seriously, a little piglet in rain boots? Particularly love the violated look in this poor little buddy's eyes.

Daily Booth

Happy Wednesday!

Obsession with Dishware

Eating is my favorite pastime.  And presentation of the food is almost (okay not even close but still) as important as the meal itself.  Therefore, its so important to have wonderful dishes.  While I love the dishes I received for my wedding, so Italian countryside chic, they are not aging nearly as well as my marriage.  Somehow we have less than 1/3 of the dishes left. Odd.  Obviously finding replacement dishes is at the top of my to-do list. 

My current obsession is to mismatch various antique and anthropologie dishes.  That way each dish will tell a story. Love, love, love.

 Links and prices can be found here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Staycation

The worst part of traveling is returning home.  I always jam pack my vacations so by the time I return home, I am exhausted and in desperate need of a vacation.  I think this is the reason for the new "staycation" trend.

How brilliant does it sound to put a stop on the mail, turn off your phone ringers (yes, plural), notify family and friends that you will be out of town (its just a white lie), include an automatic out-of-the office reply on your work email and truly relax.

10 Ways to Truly Enjoy Your Staycation:

1. Make reservations at that fabulous new restaurant you have been wanting to try.
2. Sleep in every single day.
3. Have a drink with lunch at that swanky new rooftop bar.
4. Read at least one book.
5. Buy a souvenir from any local tourist shop.
6. Have dinner delivered.
7. Hire a housekeeper.
8. Order dessert.
9.Bring a camera and record even the most trivial aspects of your day.
10. Have a massage.

I am so relaxed just thinking about it!

Wouldn't you just love to cozy up in this bed?

Anthropologie

You may remember the bed frame from here.

Breakfast in Paradise

I LOVE Kauai for so many reasons but I think these two pics pretty much sum it up.

Exotic, healthy and vibrant breakfast:

Freshly picked dragon fruit from Yoshii Farm

And aromatic beauty:

Plumerias from Yoshii Farm

What do you love about Kauai?

Color Inspiration

There is nothing more exciting to me than a nice, vibrant pop of color.  Check out this lovely outdoor room:

Better Homes & Gardens

Even with so many pink accents it does not feel overly feminine to me.  It is so bohemian chic its yummy.  Wouldn't you love to sip on some chai tea in this room?

Happy 4th of July!

As a special tribute to the holiday, I thought it would be a wonderful idea to take my adorable blue star out from its hiding spot (hubbs loathes it) and much to hubbs' dismay hang it in a place of honor - my front door.

Hubbs hates it so much that he took it down. Grrrrr. But I think it looks adorable against the orange door and the striped concrete slab. Sure it might not be as suave as these entryways, but I sort of love it.  What do you think?