happy friday

We've taken a long weekend and snuck away to Vietnam! With our one year anniversary of living in Malaysia and my upcoming launch of Ring Cozy, there is much to celebrate (and reason to have some fun before a lot of serious work kicks in!).

Monday will bring an exciting announcement but until then, I've set Ring Cozy up on twitter, facebook, and instagram so if you're keen, please do "like" and follow!

As for the Pic & Pin - today you get a GIF of me "jumping feet first" instead. I felt it perfect for reflecting on all the risks in life that can be so rewarding in the end. Oh what the heck, here's a Pin, too :)

Have a good one!

happy friday

I'm totally late in posting this today but if you follow me on instagram then you know that I've been busy playing catch up with family and friends. It's also nearly impossible to get any work done with little hands clamoring to see what I'm doing and their sticky fingers pressing on the screen as if my laptop were an iPad. This morning I found a love scribble from the youngest, Isabella, all over the hard case and thankfully she used washable crayons. I guess the coloring books I brought from Malaysia were only so interesting!

We'll see what else she gets into over the weekend. I hope you have a great one!

happy friday

We made it through the week - hurrah! While my pre-LA to-do list is still much longer than I'd hope it would be, I'm committed to spending some quality time with this guy before I leave on Monday. I know that three weeks will fly by but I miss him even when we're apart for a few hours! It won't be just about us though as we're also getting together with some new friends for dinner and drinks. It'll be the perfect way to say goodbye to my new home for a bit while I reconnect with my favorite people in my old one. I can't wait.

Have a great weekend!

Oh and thank you for the sweet and supportive comments on my portfolio launch - means so much!

happy friday {and week to come}!

Wow - thank you so much for the awesome dose of love, enthusiasm and support for yesterday's news! I seriously can't wait to continue sharing, learning, and growing with you all. As a work-from-home expat I'm so thankful to have this online community of fellow bloggers, readers, travelers, best-life seekers, and all around sweet and inspiring people. I may never get to meet many of you in person but do know that connecting with you here, on twitter, or via instagram is such a treat.

To answer some of your questions from yesterday's news on the move ... Joe works for a multinational engineering firm so there are offices and projects all over the world. Most aren't in very exciting places so we've been lucky so far! As far as the process of moving to another country goes, we've been living light so moving this time around will be much easier - we've already pawned off some furniture, we'll donate what's left, and our essentials will be shipped courtesy of his company. I think the biggest pain will be calling all of our accounts to close them out but it'll get done with a nice cup of coffee in hand. In retrospect, leaving LA was the hardest part. The career job, my own apartment, a life's worth of "stuff", saying goodbye to family and friends. A year later, I didn't even bat an eyelash when Joe came home with the offer to move again; I was totally in and ready. Facetime and Skype is the same from anywhere in the world anyway and now my friends and family have a bigger incentive to visit us since most have never been there but were already familiar with London and Europe. We'll see how it goes!

Right now, I've got some work to wrap up before we spend the weekend in Brussels and as mentioned, I'll be off the blog next week while visiting KL. I'll be on twitter and instagram if you'd like to join me there but until I get back with details and stories to share, check out this video my friend John sent me when he heard the news. It'll definitely spur the wanderlust in you!

And last but not least, I couldn't get to mid-month without a new mixtape! This one is a departure from my first two mixes that were a groovy and mellow but I had to show some love to the more rebellious side of my music library. I love my rock'n'roll with a little metal, rough-around-the-edges vocals, and bits of punk and grass-roots honky tonk. How about you?

Click here or the sidebar player to tune in. See you in a week, enjoy!

1  - Light of the Morning   Band of Skulls 2 –  Lonely Boy  The Black Keys 3 – God Killed the Queen  Louis XIV 4 - 1st Things 1st   Phantom Planet 5 – Taper Jean Girl  Kings of Leon 6 – Ball & Biscuit   The White Stripes 7 – White Unicorn  Wolfmother 8 – Hair Down  Cold War Kids 9 – Hold On  Alabama Shakes 10 – Rumble  Link Wray

 (image: in Windsor, England)

happy friday!

We're off to Florence and Chianti today and if the forecast is true, we'll be exploring both in the rain. Any tips and can't miss sights, rain or shine? I was hoping to debut two new vintage dresses under the Tuscan sun (had to go there) but at least cobblestone and old buildings look beautifully dramatic when they're all wet. Wish I could say the same for me and my frizzy hair...

Have a wonderful Easter weekend. Eat lots of chocolate and if you're down with Peeps, eat a box or two for me ;)

Arrivederci! See you back here on Tuesday.

(image: cobblestone in Brugge, Belgium) 

happy friday!

I hope you all had a good week and are ready for a few days of fun and rest. I'm going to check out the Bermondsey Antiques Market today (though I'm already late since it opens at 5am!) but the rest of the weekend I hope to relax, meet with friends, and do whatever suits my mood.

One thing this week that was an instant mood booster was receiving a silk cushion cover that I screen printed at designer Clarissa Hulse's studio with the gals of Dalani, a new premium home decor sales site. I was so excited when Lynne invited me to join her since I've always wanted to get my hands dirty with screen printing. I went bold and bright and it turned out to be just what our neutral sofa needed! Just in time to complement the rays of sunshine coming through the windows, too.

Whether you stay in to enjoy your home, hit the town to explore, or do a little of both, I hope you have a great weekend. See you on Monday!

This week's three rad links: • Easter egg brilliance - a new way to dye using old neckties!!! via Put This On • Go ahead, be a quitter, a multipotentialite, or a renaissance dude/dudette. This article really resonated with me, especially after having shared this. via Life After College • BIG thanks and much love to Jessica for having me on Eco Salon this week as a "Reader We Heart". Click on over for my thoughts on living in London, inspirations, and favorite flea markets!

happy friday!

Spring is officially here and this playful window sill gracing our street couldn't be any more perfect. Is this a spring tradition in a certain culture? Or is our neighbor just really fun and creative? Either way I'm glad it's there to jump-start the season and perk things up around here!

This weekend should be a nice combo of play and work...hopefully the sunshine joins the fun.

Have a wonderful weekend...enjoy the new blooms!

This week's three rad links: • incredible sand art done with nothing more than a rake and a vision via Travelettes • i know i'm late to the HATCH party but this line of baby-bump clothing for before/during/after is rocking my world. i think i could even do this style as a wedding dress. • handmade type - literally! this is way beyond cool via Go Pantone

happy friday!

I hope you had a good week and got a taste of Spring like we did here in London (it's so close!). We're thinking of doing a day trip to Oxford tomorrow so if you have any tips or suggestions I'd love to hear them - especially if there are any antique markets ;) I just updated the shop with several items but I (and you, I'm sure) can't ever get enough.

Here's to a fun weekend filled with new treasures and adventures!

This week's three rad links: • Celebrate St. Patrick's day with Leah's Irish Stout Brownies recipe. I may try it but I'll need all of the luck in the world to pull it off (baker in training). • "Creativity is not magic, and there's no such thing as a creative type." I loved this article on the simple science of creativity via the Wall Street Journal •  In case you missed it, my first DIY contributor post for Poppytalk is up. Happy making!

(image: vintage pair of espresso cups via The Pond Market)

happy friday!

The greatest thing happened this week: I felt totally over-dressed (and hot) in my now default down-feather jacket. This is a big deal because for the past several months I've done nothing but thank my lucky stars every time I stepped outside and felt the cold on my face but nada on my upper body. It's a pretty amazing jacket but I may not need it much longer since...ta da...spring is just around the corner! For the first time in my life I can legitimately feel the excitement of a new season. A warmer and brighter season. I know that it's not saying much being in London but I do recall some incredible days last year when I first arrived. Can't wait to welcome them back with open arms...and open toed shoes ;)

Have a great (and hopefully warm) weekend!

This week's three rad links:

• i left the states with a major craving for cinnabons. i just might need to give this yummy recipe a shot via joy the baker • love chupa chups? you may also love reading about salvador dali's greatest masterpiece, the chupa chup logo/wrapper via codesign • the march issue of standard magazine is out and guess what - a goodie from the pond market is featured! can you spot it in this glitzy spread?

(image: wellies along a public footpath in tavistock, england)

happy friday!

From LA to Anchorage and then back again, it's been an incredible two weeks visiting  friends, family and re-connecting with my beloved hometown. It's now time to go back to London and I actually can't wait...I miss our flat! After sleeping on six different beds (seven for Joe) I am definitely ready to not be a nomad for a bit and just be home. It has been strange to refer to London as our home but that's what it is right now and I wouldn't have it any other way. LA will always be my number one but fortunately this world is big and awesome enough to spread the love around.

Catch you on the other side! Have a wonderful weekend!

(images: top- hillside, anchorage, bottom - manhattan beach, los angeles)

happy friday!

Wow, what a great week with family, friends, and the sunshine! I'm definitely getting spoiled with this gorgeous Spring (even Summer?) weather but come Sunday I'll have a cold reality check when we fly up to Anchorage Alaska to visit Joe's parents. I can't wait to meet them face-to-face and see a new part of the States; it'll be quite the contrast from LA!

I haven't been on the internet much so I don't have a list of links for you this week. However, there is one awesome discovery that is worth sharing and it is the pilot issue of Wayfare Magazine. Wayfare is the travel magazine I've always wanted...perfect for letting the wanderer in you get lost in its pages. Do check it out!

Have a great weekend!

happy friday! + see you in a bit palm trees

The weekend is finally here and for us it means one thing: LA! We fly out this afternoon and I cannot WAIT to see this view again. It'll be evening by the time we arrive but we have every intention to head straight to In-n-Out to stuff our faces for a proper "welcome back" dinner. Mmmmmmm...I'm drooling just thinking about it!

I will blog while away but I may keep posts to a single photo per day. I'm hoping that I'll be too busy chasing after my little nieces to do anything else, really.

Off the blog you can join me on twitter and instagram for tidbits of my hometown adventures and probably lots of photos of Mexican food and two little munchkins named Juliana and Isabella. Oh, and I'll be celebrating my birthday with some serious style so you won't want to miss that.

Have a fantastic weekend!

P.S. i absolutely love reading your favorite souvenir comments for the marrakech souvenir giveaway - keep 'em coming!!!