grateful for greiner garland...

i love parties. i love decorations. i love decorating...but (and i'm only admitting this here) it is sometimes hard, really hard, for me to have the patience for long projects with lots of details.

it's something i'm working on and promise to perfect in my next life, but for now... i am just SUPER grateful for those crafty goddesses that have the ability to focus and pump out pure magic.

crafty goddess of the moment is miss kate greiner. kate is a paper decorations whiz! she (most likely with the help of a million miniature elves) produces yards upon yards of the cutest decorative garlands, cake buntings, & paper flags that you've ever seen. they come in all shapes and colors and would be the perfect decorating detail to any festive occasion you've got coming up.

i'm sure you'll agree... her attention to detail & patience are to be commended, so let's buy up and have a party! yay!!!

thanks kate...your goods are goooooooooooood.

listen up 'yo!... encore for yellow owl

i know i JUST did a post on yellow owl workshop, but i'm so freakin' obsessed with this activity set from them that i had to give it it's own post.... ready, go!

i can't tell you how much i L-O-V-E-D mix tapes...the sound they'd make popping into the cassette player. the labor of love it was to put together the a and b sides of a mix...the anticipation of making your way through a playlist that was made just.for.you...memorizing the lyrics, the order & listening to each tape over, and over, and over again.

it was special...real special.

...and i think that little yellow owl feels the same way.

this, along with inspiration from my new day job, makes me want to create and send very special personalized mixes to all of my most favorite people.

so, keep an eye out. there just might be music headed for your ears!

house of shields...

the crew over at yellow owl workshop is crafty, clever & full of creative genius...

this little workshop was born here in san francisco out of a love for hand printed paper goods, and it has been wonderful to watch their little treasures pop up more & more around town.

i loved them first for their eco-friendly graphic print cards and super sweet stamp sets, but now they've branched out from paper and are making wearable pendants that i've got my eye on.

...i've got a feeling my neck is about to get lucky! hoot!hoot! yellow owl!

isn't she lovely...

meet lovely.

yes... that IS her name. well actually marc has dubbed her the day to night XL, but i think she's more than that.

hot. pink. AND gold... it really doesn't get any better.

she is everything that i try not to be, but i think that's why i'm captivated & obsessed with her.

she's indulgent, high maintenance, screaming for attention, and always looking drop dead beautiful.

basically, she's the yin to my yang. i can't get enough of her.

thanks tooks for bringing her into my life. i thought she and I would never be friends.

a little reminder... from your artist within

i recently did a little fingerpainting project with my 1.5 year old and it reminded me of the mass amounts of creative juices that we all have flowing within us.

to watch my little man, hesitant at first, eventually just dive in and get messy... spreading paint...slapping the canvas...asking for more paint...completely consumed until he decided that his masterpiece was complete... it was awesome and inspirational.

we are all creative, we just sometimes forget to let it ooze out of us... but when we do it feels damn good.

so on this fantastic first of day summer, let's all be sure to do something to let our creative essence shine... doodle...paint...cook without a recipe...sing out loud...write a poem...dance in your living room...the world will be better for it & so will you!!!

a very dear friend sent this quote to me & i have it plastered in many places to serve as a reminder to the creator within me...

"The first step- especially for young people with energy and drive and talent, but no money- the first step to controlling your world is to control your culture. to model and demonstrate the kind of world you live in. to write the books. make the music. shoot the films. paint the art." - chuck palahniuk

happy as a handbag...

i love it when ideas blossom into reality...

collina strada owner, hillary taymour, started her line by first making purses as presents for her girlfriends. these thoughtful little gifts made her friends happy and she figured that if they made her friends happy, then they'd probably make other people happy as well.

hillary was right... i just bought her alea trio crossbody and couldn't be happier. it's big enough to fit my necessities (wallet, gum, phone & chapstick) yet small enough to not weigh me down.

it's a nice little addition to my personal handbag collection...and every time i wear it, it will serve as a reminder that my ideas/hopes/dreams can come true & make people happy, too!

more moorea!!!

i'm always on the look out for unique accessories to help tie together a look or help add something eye-catching to a basic outfit.

i recently fell in love and immediate purchased the no.328 triple chevron necklace from seattle local moorea seal. this young lass has quite a broad collection of pieces that incorporate her love for nature and geometric shapes like chevrons and triangles.

each piece has an organic, homemade beauty that is sure to catch some attention around town... and for those of you headed to a summer music festival, be sure to check out her no.365 california headdress. it's not something you'd wear everyday, but it might be just the thing you need to bring out the festival prowess in you!

scout and about...

traveling for business has its perks... especially when you're lucky enough to cover the pacific northwest and get to spend time roaming around wildly wonderful cities like seattle & portland.

on this trip to seattle, i happened to be walking distance from capitol hill & spent pretty much every minute of my free time walking up and down the streets peeking into storefronts, ooo-ing & ahhh-ing over all the treasures that lied within.

one of the gems i came across was scout apparel. the store has a great vibe...super mellow and simply decorated with hints of rustic charm. the clothes are displayed so that each piece warrents attention...grouped together and evenly spaced on the rack rather than crammed in and lost.

the stylish & sweet shop owner, helen, recently opened scout and has done an excellent job of filling her racks with some of the most comfortable, laid back brands around.

she does a bang up job at executing that fashionable yet basic, at- ease look that i love... and she's got mix A-MAZING accessories to boot!

if you live in seattle or are planning a trip soon, please be sure to drop by. you're checking account might take a hit, but i promise you'll walk out with a smile on your face and a few treasures in hand.

wave it around!

while surfing the ol' world wide web today, i came across these "HOORAY" pennants and now i want to make a bunch of them for any and every occasion that i can think of!

they look super simple to make and can be easily personalized to fit just about any occasion.

Hooray! can easily turn into...
- Happy Birthday!
- It's a girl/boy
- Congratulations!!
- Yippee!
- Yay!!
- Hip! Hip!
- BEAT the Giants!

... the list goes on and on. or heck, these pretty pennants would be just as perfect in an array of different colors sans words.

photos by: the super rad max wanger

inspiration icon... zooey deschanel

i've got a few girl crushes... we all do, right?

these are the girls that you are part jealous of, part inspired by, part in awe of, and part preeetttty sure that if you had the chance to hang out with them for an afternoon that the two of you would become inseparable b.f.f's from now until forever?

well yeah, that's how i feel about zd. this kitten never ceases to amaze me.

let's count the reasons why...

1. she owns her personal style.

2. she was in elf.

3. she can act.

4. she can sing.

5. she just got her own tv show.

6. she's crafty & in the know.

7. she blogs.

8. she's married to a musician.

...but i think the most amazing thing about her is that her sweetly coy, girly, quirky, whimsical flirty-ness manifests itself in all that she does. i love that. she oozes herself in everything she touches and that is rad.

now if only we could just happen to bump into each other, say some witty remark that gets us both giggling...and then chatting...and then shopping...sharing a glass or two of bubbles...going to a show together...then karaokeing and dancing together... and eventually splitting a best friends charm together...that would be awesome.

wouldn't it?