Daily Dose of Reflecting

I'm sad to see this amazing year go but am truly looking forward to what 2012 has in store for me. Life is what you make of it and with that being said here are some things that made my year: 

Made the front page of the LA Times for Coachella 2011

Got to see these three depart for their new and exiting journeys. (the three on the right)

Finally visited Heath, Massachusetts where J's family has this beautiful home  

Escaped, many times, to my favorite spot in Northern Cal. Make a wish, read a wish spot. 

Had amazing times with these 5 {insert Sara W to the left of Chloe} . Our everlasting bond means the world to me.

Fell even more in love with this boy and moved in together! 

Got to visit these beauties in NYC. Love you both sooo much. 

Wow, I just cried writing all those captions. Happy New Year to all! 

Happiness

source {I'm in love with this artist's work}

Today is a very happy friday indeed. Not only does it set the tone for a fantastic three day weekend but also a brand new year. I love the idea of going into a new year with a somewhat fresh start and celebrating with close friends.

Music that I'm loving right now:

 Shuffle- Bombay Bicycle Club

The Morning- The Weekend

Video Games- Lana Del Rey (Omid 16B Remix)

Turning into Stone- Phantogram 

Antlers... Come to Me!

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I have quite the fetish with antlers right now. There is an empty wall that is just begging for an eye catching wall fixture, but sadly I have yet to find any antlers to fill the void.

Already Counting Down

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I'm beyond excited for what is about to go down on Saturday around 12pm. This fun photo got me even more excited... so cute! What are you New Years plans?

Morning Cup of Tea

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"Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely"

-Rodin (1840-1917)

Wow, I love this quote. 

Boating Through the Bay

These photos are loooong overdue. They were taken while boating around the San Francisco Bay on a clear November afternoon. I really enjoy when the clouds are faint and feather like. It almost looks as if someone painted the whole sky with watercolors.

Back in Action

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Can you believe this is my first time on my computer since departing for Texas last Thursday?! I'm not sure how I managed but in all honesty it felt great to have a technology break. I love traveling {refer to the photo above for evidence} but there is truly nothing like home. I'm sitting in the airport waiting for my departure flight and I absolutely can't wait to get back to my cozy apartment, fuzzy house slippers and J.

Departure Time

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Tomorrow morning, bright and early, I will be making my way to the airport and then onward to Texas where my wonderful mom, and all of my family, lives. I'm loving these prints by Parada Creations and am thinking about purchasing the Texas one for an artsy cousin of mine. I will try and keep up with the blogging while I'm away but total relaxation and bbq might get the best of me. 

Daily Dose of Vintage

I've been meaning to share these beauties that I purchased a few weeks ago. Funny thing is they aren't even my size but I have two wonderful, extremely stylish, best friends that these will fit like a Cinderella slipper.

People Say- Portugal The Man

{this song is so fitting for my mood right now. I'm dancing in my desk chair}

Daily Dose of Pretty Things

source- spent hours on there today

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source- one of my favorite blogs ever

Just enjoying the pretty things in life today. These are just a few. Take a second and absorb all the wonderful things around you.

Crystalfilm- Little Dragon

True Love

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This wedding video portrays true love to the fullest. I have been a Bleu Bird follower for about 3 years now and will gladly admit that I have a girl crush on Miss James {whom is now Mrs. James, incase you couldn't tell from the video}. If you have yet to see her blog, or her little bird, you are really missing out.

Daily Dose of Holiday Cocktails

Spiced Apple Cider Sangria. {source}

Cranberry Ginger Fizz Cocktail. {source}

A Wassail Cocktail, made with Brandy. {source}

Mulled Wine Cocktail. {source}

The holidays are not complete without a festive cocktail {or 3, or 5}. I am planning on making one of these on Christmas for my family and all our guests. The question is... Which one? They all look soooo good, but I'm leaning toward the Spiced Apple Cider Sangria. 

Really liking...

I'm really liking this bag from Make Smith's Desert Collection. Inspired by the late 60's and 70's it features sky blue leather, white goat skin lining and hand spun leather lacing. Ooooh yes please.

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Wishing I was there right now for the anual Christmas party among my unbelievable group of friends {sigh, sad face}. This large glass of Cabernet is definitely helping. On another note isn't this print of LA awesome?!

Fashion Friday

Love love love these photos from Russh magazine {my favorite international magazine}. Check out the full editorial here. 

Photo is of me holding a notorious "flower" and was taken by a friend at the Coachella Music Festival in 2011. Have a wonderful weekend filled with blue skies, flowers and some sweet tunes such as these:

Revival- Beats Antique

Skip Divided- Thom Yorke

Swing Tree- Discovery

Parallel lines- Junior Boys

Daily Dose of Color

This living room from Elle Decor is making me weak in the knees. Everything is perfectly placed from the rounded built in bookcase brightly patterned chairs and the 18th century French mirror above the mantel.

DIY Project To the Rescue

hanging terrarium in my kitchen window

I love the earthy touch they add to any space 

I've been in dire need of some creative rescuing lately. Luckily, I have a wonderful neighborhood spot called Workshop where they host tons of fantastic workshops of all sorts. Last week I did two classes in one week and it was exactly what I needed. The first workshop I took was the Soy Candle Class and I left with 6 different candles and, so far, they are burning perfectly. The second class was Terrariums and let me tell you, I have found a new favorite DIY craft. I will be making many of these in my future for my home and for loved ones. They really do make a perfect gift!

As far as I can see- Phantogram 

Morning Cup of Tea

The quote from my cup of tea this morning is extremely spot on. I've always been a firm believer that you can't love someone else if you don't love yourself and Mr. Twain confirmed just that:

"The worst loneliness is not to be comfortable with yourself"

- Mark Twain 

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These are Things

... I really want

World Map in Aqua 

San Francisco Neighborhood Map. I had to heart my hood. 

This company is called These Are Things and they specialize in these decorative, colorful maps. "These Are Things is a celebration of where we've been, where we're from and where we dream of going". Love their philosophy and really want both the Aqua World Map and, of course, the San Francisco Neighborhood Map.

The Greatest Light is the Greatest Shade- The Joy Formidable 

Daily Dose of Color (or lack thereof)

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I'm a colorful person to the max, but have always enjoyed the elegant simplicity of a white room. All four of these rooms are the perfect hue of white with a pattern and texture mixed in. How awesome is the second room with the bookshelf all the way to the ceiling? Simple details like that can truly make any room more unique and inviting.

Goal for the day

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I'm feeling a bit under the weather {what a funny saying} and decided, for my sake and those whom I work with, that I would have to take a recovery day at home. It's a bit hard for me to just sit and do nothing so I already have a list going of things I need to get done today. One of which is to finally get our Christmas tree and I'm going to make this savory treat! We decided that our tree is  going to be a baby, maxing out at 2-3 feet tall. 

Happy Monday! 

Who's Afraid of Detroit- Claude VonStroke 

Introducing: The First 70

Happy Friday! This is my gift to you... 

This unbelievable documentary was made by a close friend and previous coworker (she quit her job to work on this project). The film documents the journey of her, her boyfriend (a film maker) and their nature loving friend, as they visit 70 California State Parks that are due to close because of not enough {stupid} state funding. I am a huge nature lover and have visited many of these state parks throughout California, a few of which I immediately recognized in the trailer. This subject is very dear to my heart and I hope you will take a moment to visit The First 70 website and possibly make a donation if you are truly passionate about the film. 

And now, I think I will watch it again for the 7th time. 

Totally lusting over these photos by Fabio Bartelt. So many prints. So many animals. So much love.

The Magic Trip

1. 2. 3. 4. 5 & 6. 7

Dear Netflix, I love you. Just finished watching The Magic Trip and was mesmerized. Such a unique story and incredible visual graphics mixed into the old footage from Ken Kesey. If you adore the 60's, like I do, then watch Magic Trip asap!

Daily Dose of San Francisco

I will be the first to admit that I really dislike doing touristy things here in San Francisco, especially on the weekends.  However, The Ferry Building is my one exception. The Ferry Building is located along the Embarcadero and is the dead end of one of the main streets here in the city, Market Street. The Ferry Building first opened in the 1898 as a focal point for anyone traveling from the east by train or boat. Now the massive building is home to some of the best restaurants, food vendors and shopping in all of San Francisco. On Saturdays there is a farmers market, which I claim to be one of the biggest I've ever seen. I would highly suggest visiting this gem but if possible go on a weekday. 

Such a beautiful cutting board. This is definitely on my Christmas Wish List.

Mmmmm Lavender

My Favorites @ The Ferry Building

Cowgirl Creamery

Wide variety of amazing cheeses

Cane Rosso

 Delicious BBQ, Sandwiches and I love their roasted vegetables 

The Gardener

 Adorable gifts. plants and little things for the kitchen

McEvoy Ranch Olive Oil

Every olive oil you could think of and great samples 

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... Just something to think about. It's no secret that I love my bike and use it everyday.

Monday Morning Cup of Tea

I haven't done one of these 'Morning Cup of Tea' posts in awhile; partly because I really haven't been liking/agreeing with the quotes hanging from the end of my tea bags lately. Finally this morning's cup of tea presented an insightful quote from Immanuel Kant. I combined his words with one of my favorite art pieces by Andy Gilmore.