friday finds : books!

i love fridays... not only is it the last day of the work week, but it's also the kick-off-the-weekend day AND i get to go estate sailing! yippee! which brings me to today's finds - old books! not just any old books... i managed to find: an awesome copy of "pride & prejudice" by the wonderful jane austen, a 1950's french course book, and {my favorite find} a first edition of "miracles" by the brilliant c.s. lewis... be still my heart!! now, i know that the gentleman at mystery pier books would tell me that all the "real" value lies in the dust jacket, but i'm still so excited that i have a first-edition-anything from my fave author. maybe it's just me, but i think there's value in that. :) oh, and did i mention it only cost me a dollar?!

p.s. mystery pier books is worth a stop if you're heading to west hollywood anytime soon or if you're looking for a unique gift for an avid reader... it's right behind book soup {another great hollywood haunt} on sunset blvd {just click on 'directions' to find the easiest route from your current location :)}.


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...heading out to an estate sale in costa mesa... wish me luck!

happy friday to all!

monday pick-me-up: color!!

color (noun): a phenomenon of light or visual perception that enables one to differentiate otherwise identical objects; the aspect of the appearance of objects and light sources that may be described in terms of hue, lightness, and saturation for objects and hue, brightness, and saturation for light sources. (thank you merriam-webster)

i love that first phrase: "a phenomenon of light"....... color is a phenomenon and i take it for granted sometimes... so on this semi-gloomy day, i thought i would share some cool, colorful items that will hopefully pick you right up. :)

....ok, so it's actually tuesday now so i guess this could be considered a tuesday pick-me-up... either way, hope you're inspired for the week!

goodnight... and good morning. :)

a pretty journal deserves a pretty pen

since i featured those awesome journals yesterday, i thought i would follow up with a feature on my favorite pens... because every writer needs one of those. :) working at an architecture firm, i was introduced to so many amazing products which, of course, included pens... pigma micron pens to be exact. once i used them i knew i would never want to write with a boring ball-point again... they're perfect! obviously, i still use boring ball-points for bills, checks, etc. but i use these little treasures for all things creative... personally, i prefer the smaller points (01, 02) for most things but 05 is great too.
you can find them at art suppliers as well as online (they're a tad pricey but so-ho-ho worth it!!).

again, happy journaling! :)

field notes

i feel the need to apologize for not keeping you in the loop for the last two weeks but it has seriously been crazy madness over here... and where's here? currently, huntington beach. three days ago, costa mesa. six weeks from now, the north. :) i'll fill you in on our travel adventures a little later but today i wanted to feature these cute little ditties i found on our record player last night:

whenever the husband trots the globe sans his wife, he always brings back some sort of goody... and i have to say that these are among the faves! aren't they just beckoning you to document your daily adventures?! well, if these aren't, then i'm sure something on the {field notes site} will inspire you to journal. i think i might order a couple more states... california, oregon, montana.... just to name a few. :))

happy journaling!

friday finds : nekter!

didn't get a chance to hit up any estate sales this morn, but we did however find our new favorite acai bowl place:: nekter juice bar!! we had been wanting to try it out for awhile {since it's only a bike ride away} and finally had the chance today..... and let me tell you - it was amazing!! worth every dollar!!

the husband and i both ordered their "'grenie bowl" which has acai, kale, spinach, banana, blueberries, topped w/yummy granola and berries. mmm! p.s. the portions are huge, so i will be enjoying the second half of my bowl tomorrow morn. :)

oh, and they have a slew of GF treats in their pastry case - chocolate macaroons, oatmeal cookies, peanut butter pie, key lime pie, donut holes... yep, all GF! most of the stuff is vegan too, if you're into that. :)

if you're in the neighborhood, check it out... you won't regret it!!

peace.

good friday

"for God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."
{john 3:17}

i absolutely love that verse... condemnation never ever comes from Jesus - He loves all and desires to save all. what a gracious God! He came, He lived and led by example, He died a torturous death for our disgusting sins, He rose from the dead, and has been preparing/designing/building a place for us to call home ever since. seriously, what a gracious God.

i'm pumped on that truth. hope you are too....

it is a good friday, isn't it? :)

monday pick-me-up: bryan adams

i decided to kill two posts with one stone and combine my friday finds {which was actually a saturday find} and monday pick-me-up because my find has seriously made my week!!
when i showed up on the last day of an anaheim estate sale, i had zero expectations because this place had been practically cleared out. i took a gander through the house and found 3 boxes of records... so i started flipping through the old LPs and to my utter astonishment and excitement, there lay a bryan adams record. for those of you that don't know {which is probably most if not all} - i have always looooved bryan adams. and i am not ashamed. he's awesome. everything i do, i do it for you? heaven? summer of '69? please! he's awesome. aaaand since it was the final day, everything was half off! so, i purchased the record for $.50! woohoo!

happy monday :)

friday finds!

ok, i didn't actually find anything today... i didn't get to treasure hunt this morning because i had to be at work at 7am. it has been a loooong day.
so excited for sleep tonight and estate sale-ing tomorrow.
stay tuned. :)
happy friday <3

stop motion amazingness!!

this lego stop motion video is awwwwesome!!! watch it...you'll love it... and you'll thank me later. :)




p.s. this was created by a couple of kids - seriously, how creative/talented are they?! super jealous.


good night!

monday pick-me-up: feeling french!

for some reason, the french culture has always inspired me and usually helps me get out of my creative lulls... so for today's pick-me-up, i thought i would share a few of my favorite frenchy fixes to fuel some inspiration for the week - 

1} nothing transports me quicker than the lovely sounds of carla bruni

2} this is my favorite candle and just so happens to have a french name :) - caprice de la mode

3} soft, breezy scarves always make me think of the french & this one is insanely inexpensive but feels super luxurious {$4.50 @ forever 21}

4} observing art is always a good pick-me-up and i especially love the work of french artist, edgar degas

5} a good cup of espresso {love this stovetop espresso maker!} paired with a chocolate croissant always reminds me of those quaint french cafes... 

6} i absolutely adore the work of french photog, robert doisneau... doesn't he just capture the essence of romantic paris? 

7} and how could i not include julia child's amazing french cookbook?! she has been a culinary inspiration to me since i was in high school- when my sister and i would watch her tv show on the weekdays and try to get as many cooking/baking tips as we could!

8} but if you'd rather just watch someone else cook up those amazing french recipes, then i suggest watching julie & julia - so many great elements set in the heart of today's destination :)

happy monday!

friday finds : vintage goodies!

had an impromptu day off today {woo hoo!!} so the husband and i ventured over to garden grove for an estate sale and i'm so glad we did - it was a treasure trove! i wanted to buy the whole place up but the husband reigned in my vintage-hungry-eyes and i ended up walking away with a couple of boxes of vintage christmas ornaments and these travel inspiring envelopes... they reminded me of a letter i once got from some friends in france {except it said "par avion"} so these immediately conjured up lovely thoughts of france and international travel - i had to get them! best dollar i've spent all month. :)

happy friday to all! :)

monday pick-me-up: movie recs

the husband and i were both home sick yesterday - so we both camped out on the couch in our sweats and decided to watch a couple of our faves:




....great characters, doubly great music, iconic elements - a restaurant in the heart of paris and, let's be honest, we've all wanted to travel through time in that awesome delorean - and seriously fun stories. love it!

if you're needing a pick-me-up, i highly recommend watching either (or both!) of these movies tonight. i'm sure you've already seen these but they are so good even the tenth time around. :)

...good morning...

this morning, the husband and i read mark ch. 9... and something that really stood out to me was Jesus' dialogue with people...
he asks questions - even though he's God and already knows the answer; he's interested in us and what concerns us. {verses 16, 21, 33}
he answers questions - he answers every question that he's asked; might not always be the answer we're hoping for, but he will answer us. {verses 12, 23, 29, 35}

he wants to have a conversation with us! yay! such a simple truth but all too easily forgotten:

"But they {the disciples} did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him."
{v.32}

this verse gave me a little wake-up call ::: am i missing out on a dialogue w/Christ because i'm afraid of asking or afraid of the answer? either way, i'm missing out.
thankfully, Jesus doesn't give up easily and will engage us a million times over........

"Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, "What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?" But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."
{v.33-36}

i seriously love this. the disciples were not going to engage in this convo... they were too embarrassed, or ashamed, or afraid, of what Jesus was going to think. Jesus gave them an insightful answer anyways. :)
be reminded that Jesus cares about you and everything that is concerning you today... so tell him about it! {hope that doesn't sound too cheesy :) }

create: easy/cheap/yummy dinner & dessert for 2

ok, i can't take all the credit for this meal - i saw a salmon dish in this month's martha stewart living mag and was inspired to create something similar with different ingredients. this meal was surprisingly quick, super inexpensive (under $10), and delish (my husband's reaction was: "can this be the new staple?")! depending on your own ingredients, the prep for this meal literally took me 10 minutes and my oven did the rest! 

here's what you'll need:

 - parchment paper

 - 2 tilapia filets (or salmon)

 - 2 sweet potatoes (your dessert!)

 - baby broccoli (or asparagus)

 - 1 lemon

 - 1 garlic clove

 - olive oil

 - spices (i used "everyday seasoning" {paprika, mustard seed, chili pepper, onion, etc.} from trader joe's)

 - salt & pepper

here's what you'll do:
 - preheat oven to 400 degrees, line baking sheet w/ foil
 - rinse fish & broccoli, pat dry, arrange on parchment paper (leave enough room on paper to cover and fold shut), drizzle with olive oil
 - cut 4 slices of lemon (more if desired) and finely chop garlic, season fish & broccoli with spices and salt & pepper, top with chopped garlic and slices of lemon
 - fold paper over then, starting from the top, fold the edges over with sharp creases to get a nice half moon packet  :)
 - arrange packets and sweet potatoes on foiled baking sheet (be sure to puncture the potatoes with your fork to get a few good holes) and stick them in the oven for 15 minutes
 - once finished, serve packets on plates as is and put the sweet potatoes back in the oven for 30 more minutes

 - open your packets and enjoy!

 the baked sweet potatoes will be done by the time you're finished with dinner so you'll be perfectly ready for this healthy dessert! cut potatoes in half and add your favorite toppings - i added a few drops of agave nectar and sprinkled cinnamon. mmmm they were so good!

i actually had fun making this meal and was not stressed one bit! plus, the cleanup was super low-maintenance too! this will definitely be a new staple for us. :)

{enjoy}

found!

one of my favorite things is going to estate sales and flea markets and finding awesome deals. i decided to share a photo of my night stand because 1) it makes me smile and 2) i wanted to show you how inexpensive it is to get this look...
ok, it actually all started with that clock that i found at an estate sale, which inspired me to redo my bedside nook on a super-slim budget. i didn't want to spend more than $50 total, so i went to estate sales, flea markets, and antique shops, in search of a new table (to replace my drawer-less one), a reading lamp, a little vase for flowers, and anything else that might look cute. :)
it took a few weeks to complete the vintage look i wanted but it was worth the wait... here's a break down of the cost:

clock: $5 (estate sale)
table (w/ drawer!): $10 (flea market)
orange lamp: $12 (antique depot)
glass bottle: $1 (estate sale)
books: $3 ($1 ea.) (estate sale)

grand total: $31 !!!!!
(nearly $20 less than my original budget!!)

i was sooooo excited to find everything i needed for less than what i budgeted... since my budget seemed a little too extreme. so, for all of you that are on tight budgets but would like to redecorate (like me!) be encouraged - there are amaaaazing deals out there!!

back to the drawing board

i decided to try out tumblr awhile back and it never really clicked for my little blog so i'm back to blogspot. feels like home. :)

what the.........

has it really been 6 months since i last blogged?! by jove, it has. guess that means i've been really busy... and trust me, it's been a crazy few months. i'm only starting my own company. yep. you heard me. MY. OWN. COMPANY.
my dear friend, amber, and i are starting an invitation business. so far so good. i'll keep you posted. i promise.

in the words of jon foreman...

we were meant to live for so much more. seriously.
i get these spiritual reminders every so often, but for some reason the most recent reminder is leaving its mark - the ink is darker and deeper than times before. and i have no idea why... which i guess i don't need to know why but rather how - how to keep this reminder in the forefront of my mind.
today at work, when a small situation emerged, i watched in awe as people reacted as if the end of the world was upon us. no joke. i had no words... i just kept thinking "am i the only person that knows how small this problem is in the grand scheme of things?" apparently, i was. at least 10 people were all out of sorts because of this one thing. it's like "hello people, we serve the God that parted the red sea, that brought giant brick walls down with the sound of a trumpet, that killed a giant with a tiny pebble.... seriously guys, i'm pretty sure He can solve this problem."
i went about my day in a fog of emotion and frustration... but then realized, if this happened even a few days ago - i probably would have reacted the same way.
God, help me stay in this state of spiritual awareness... i never want to get caught up in the insignificant "problems" that are just meant to distract and derail us from the highway of holiness.

happy friday to me

ive decided that i'm going to leave early today (thanks to all my friends convincing me that leaving early would be much better than working till 5 - how did i not figure that out on my own?). i'm going to jet outta here when the clock strikes 1 or 1:30 (depending on how i feel)... then hang out with the travelin' husband.
i'm really parenthesis happy today (and lots of other days). :)

:)