Do you geek out over a cool shaped leaf you find on the ground or admire each sunset as if it were your first? Yeah, me too. There's so much beauty and awe in even the smallest or most ordinary of things so I love that this quote reminds me to live with enchantment. Are there any everyday miracles that you celebrate?
(design by me)
Happy March everyone!
To get us through the last stretch of winter I thought I'd put together some of my favorite mellow-ish, upbeat tunes. It's already coming in handy for me since I woke up feeling under the weather today. Good beats = good mood and hopefully that makes for a healthy me tomorrow.
Click here, the image above, or the sidebar player to tune in. Enjoy!
1 - Collarbone Fujiya & Miyagi 2 - The 15th Fischerspooner 3 - Freedom Jurassic 5 4 - Animal (Mark Ronson Remix) Miike Snow 5 - Airwalker Jeremy Jay 6 - I'm Good, I'm Gone Lykke Li 7 - Evident Utensil Chairlift 8 - Edge of Extremes Clubfeet 9 - Disco Friends Just Jack 10 - Fair-Weather Friend (Ninja Tune's Mix by Mr Scruff)
(image: taken in the east end, london)
Hola, how was your weekend?
Ours was all about traveling and settling back into our flat; man does it feel good to be home!!! One of the things that I love about London is that the architectural details are so different from everything that I grew up with in LA. When we moved here I became obsessed with noting the tiny details of building facades and period characteristics of the 1600's onwards.
Los Angeles is obviously much newer so going back for a visit after being away for a while proved to be super inspiring. Everything from the Mexican and Spanish Colonial details around El Pueblo/Olvera Street, the Art Deco facades in Old Pasadena, to the simple retro lines of the beach communities ... they all hint to the diversity of design in the City of Angels. I admire and respect the ornate and elaborate styles of traditional European design but when push comes to shove, simplicity and basic geometry always captures my heart. It wasn't until this trip that I realized how much my hometown had influenced my personal design tendencies. I guess sometimes you really don't know what you've got until it's gone...or at least leave it then go back :)
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)
I've been on total vacation mode for nearly two weeks and I just realized that I never picked a winner for the Marrakech souvenir giveaway! Please excuse me, I haven't been my internet-self as of late but thanks to this handy site I was able to pick the lucky winner in a flash (thanks for the tip, Marianne!). I really enjoyed reading about your favorite travel souvenirs and I wish that I had a little something to give each of you but alas, the tassel will find a new happy home with.....drum roll please.....Leah! I can't wait to see what you do with it. Be sure to check your inbox for an email from me :)
I also realized that I better enjoy the rest of the time off (and the excuse for missing to-do tasks) because March is going to be one busy month. Two and a half more days of palm trees, sunshine, drinks with friends, and whatever else we want... LA, I'm going to relish you like there is no tomorrow!
I'm guilty of having an old soul but I don't let my nostalgic tendencies get in the way of being present and charging ahead. I purposefully posted this quote on my birthday to remind myself that every age and new year brings its own set of opportunities and delight. That being said, this one goes out to all of my fellow Pisces and zodiac brothas and sistas alike. However old or young you may be in 2012, enjoy, have fun, and take this year by the reins!
(design by me)
Before I say anything else can we please take a moment to acknowledge Joe's Flock of Seagulls tribute? Yeah, that hair would have made the ladies swoon in the 80's.
Hair aside, we did go back in time a bit while at his folks' house. I looked through his childhood photos and smarty-pants school report cards while he played with his dad's old Polaroid cameras. Pat and Ed have some great antiques but I really fell for his grandma's Singer sewing machine table. I've always wanted one so when his mom asked if we wanted to take it with us it broke my heart to have to say "some other time". It's moments like that when I wish we were settled in one place rather than living in a temporary state with a storage unit on standby. The thought doesn't creep up often but since I do dream of decorating our own home one day something as special as the Singer table is bound to make me long for a more permanent space. I know it'll eventually happen and that in the meantime the table isn't going anywhere. We'll continue to have our adventures and then at some point we'll settle down, sit back, and enjoy our family treasures. They're worth the wait.
Hello from Anchorage, Alaska! We're here visiting Joe's parents for a few days and so far I'm loving it. It's such a different world from LA or London but it definitely has its own charm...snow sculpture competition, walking across a huge frozen pond, spotting a moose, and pretending to be a figure skater - yes, please! It was crazy to get back into our boots and coats when just the day before we were in our flip flops getting instant tans simply walking around town. The wonders of air travel, right?
It was my birthday weekend and I felt totally spoiled by spending tons of time with my dearest friends, indulging in yummy donuts, sharing some great wine and views at Perch, and celebrating the big 27 with my favorite gals at my favorite vintage clothing store, Shareen. I got everything I wanted and more this year - I love you, friends!!!
Now....off to look for more moose, I'm totally obsessed ;)
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!
While not nearly as robust and extensive as public transportation options in other cities and countries, LA does have its very own subway and rail system. I love riding the Metro and even though it has its faults, one of the pleasures of forgoing a car is getting to pass through Union Station in Downtown. I was so happy to have the excuse to take the Gold Line there yesterday for a lunch date with my girlfriend Erin. It's such a special place.
Audrey Hepburn was one smart cookie. My nieces will definitely know this one.
(design by me)
This is Juliana. She's two years old and is full of sass, wit, and sweetness. She can dance like it's nobody's business, recite the alphabet like a champ, and clean up after playtime like the responsible big-girl she knows she is. She's proud of her Dora The Explorer underwear, says "mom" like a teenager, and best of all, she melts my heart every time her tiny voice says "come-ere Tia Mu, lemme show you some-ting." Juliana, you are beautiful.
Hello everyone! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Our time in LA has gotten off to a great start: I'm my nieces new best friend and climbing pole, I saw my shoulders for the first time in months (yay tank tops!), and we celebrated our engagement with some dear friends at the bar where Joe and I met five years ago. I didn't take too many photos but I did manage to capture some scenes around Pasadena while we walked around, ran errands, and ate our hearts out. It's so great to be home!
photos from top to bottom/left to right:
1. watching the sun rise over the San Bernandino Mountains made our jet lag worth it.
2. our hotel was near the gorgeous Pasadena City Hall. there's nothing else like it in LA.
3. i miss the backdrop of these mountains so much.
4. caught a half-marathon passing through Old Pasadena. i'd love to run one someday.
5. a hearty American breakfast at one of my faves, Russell's. finally....reealll bacon (sorry England)!
6. dinner at Joe's favorite taco truck on Fair Oaks Avenue. this spot is legit. period.
7. palm tree-lined streets...you are so cool.
I'm so excited for this week. I'm staying with my sister and her family in South Pasadena (my hometown) while Joe is in Colorado skiing with his brother. Let the family fun time begin!
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!!!
I've been thinking of what to pack for our visit to LA and I'm pretty sure I've forgotten how to dress for 60/70 degree weather - it's going to feel like summertime to me but just how much??? I do know, however, that I'll be taking a few souvenirs from Morocco for family and friends. Weeks after our trip to Marrakech, I still find myself totally inspired by the city's colors, patterns, and textures. Thankfully we brought back a few things to keep the design love going and boy am I enjoying them.
It's hard to pick a favorite but if I base it on what I use the most, the leather slippers are it. After seeing tons of traditional pointy-toe or heel-less styles, these caught my attention with their modern silhouette and ultra bright colors. On closer inspection, you can see the handmade details in the contrast stitching and pen outlines on the sole. It's details like these that reeeaaaaally make my heart sing.
We did find a rug after all and I cannot wait to get it cleaned, roll it out, and enjoy it - such a tease having it just sit there. It's a vintage Berber rug and we spent a good amount of time choosing it while sitting amongst hundreds of colorful woven beauties and drinking sweet mint tea. I totally envision styling it something like this in our future house...it's a lifetime souvenir for sure.
Two other exciting finds were a solid brass antique camel with the coolest designs ever and a hand-carved aluminum mirror that now helps keep the feng shui flowing in my office/guest room/closet. Apparently your back should never face the door but you can correct it with a mirror. I think it's a nice complement to the diy wall display, too.
And those rad leather tassels? Those were a gift from the rug merchant and now I will give one of them to you! Put it on your purse, car rearview mirror, door handle, use as a (very large) key chain, or even jazz up a curtain tie with it - there are so many ways you can have fun with it.
If you'd like a shot at winning the tassel simply comment below with your favorite souvenir of all time; truck stop convenience store finds totally count too. I'll pick a winner at random next Thursday and ship it to you asap!
Yay free stuff!
On Monday I mentioned the launch of my new blog project, Howdy Day!, so today I thought I'd give it a proper introduction via a new weekly post, words worth repeating.
I love inspirational and motivational quotes, I think many people do. So one day when I got really tired of my web browser opening up to the latest (and saddest) news of the day I thought man, I just really want to see something positive first thing in the morning. I searched for sites that focused on positive news but only found wonky pages with even wonkier stories (local firemen saving a cat can only be so interesting). I then turned my attention to inspirational quote sites and ugh...there are so many with too too much clutter. Design-wise, most of them seem to be stuck in the eras of many of the quotes they reference. I wanted to be inspired by words, not be turned off by bad websites at 7am. I wanted something simple, clean, and to the point.
Howdy Day! is just that: one daily quote on a page, quick and simple. I have it set as my browser's homepage and it makes a world of difference to see something positive or personally thought provoking as soon as I get online. I eventually read the news but it no longer sets the tone for my morning and I've said goodbye to the default Google homepage. Google always wanted something from me right away (search me! click today's theme logo for a video!). A simple daily quote just says "welcome to your day, make it a good one"... at least it does for me and I hope it does the same for you. I will bring some of the wise words shared on Howdy Day! to this blog once per week in a designed format. This post and design has been very popular so I'm thinking you may not hate seeing a bit more of its kind around here :)
I'd love for Howdy Day! to be a collaborative blog so if you have any favorite quotes that you'd like to share, you can submit them here. To get your daily dose you can subscribe via email, RSS, or do as I do and set Howdy Day! as your default homepage. Okay, now go get inspired and motivated for a great day...
(design: by me)
If I could only eat two things in this world it would be bread and butter...I can never get enough. Even when I'm full from the main course you can guarantee that I'll be the person to finish off the bread basket.
I gave this card to Joe earlier this month to say Happy Valen-Birth-Sary and he loved it. Food = Love. Always.
Happy Valentine's Day!
(card by Therese Sennerholt )
Hi everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend. As you can see, I've moved over to a new domain and have put some TLC into this little blog 'o mine - I hope you like! The bare bones are set but there are still minor adjustments I'd like to make as well as fixing some bugs...all in due time. After all, I did have to pick up my engagement ring and rock out at the Alexandra Palace this weekend, too!
I'm really excited to have a new space to share my world as well as "officially" launch my new blog for daily doses of inspiration, howdy day!.
A new photography gallery/shop and portfolio page are coming soon but in the meantime you can browse the featured categories in the new menu bar, jam to the new monthly mixtape, or peek at my instagram snaps.
If you subscribed to anamublog.wordpress.com (the old site) via rss or email, be sure to re-subscribe with this new URL. I'll eventually forward the old domain but in case that doesn't automate the feed, re-subscribing it is. Sorry and thank you!
Have a great start to your week!
image: what i see when i lay on our couch. cool, huh?
Last night we watched the snow fall while sitting inside a cozy pub; it was such a special London moment. On our walk home I was literally skipping down the street like a little five-year old trying to taste snow flakes on my tongue. Why wasn't everyone else doing the same thing?!? Joe was totally surprised by my reaction for obvious reasons but I couldn't help myself. Snow-fall is so magical, so pretty, so delicate...there's absolutely nothing like it. It felt like a dream.
I hope this weekend brings you some magic. Have a good one, guys!
This week's three rad links: • simple (and free) printable action sheets from creature comforts. we can all use a little extra motivation, right? • fries i won't feel guilty about eating - an awesome recipe for baked asparagus fries + dips from spoon fork bacon. • my friend matt nall shares one INCREDIBLE photo per day. this man has serious talent for capturing detail. do take a look.
photo: taken at Riad Zaouia 44 in Marrakech
February has gotten off to a great start so I thought I'd make a mini-mixtape to keep the good vibes going. I made the mix on 8tracks, a (new to me) service that lets you create playlists from your own personal music library. The thing that I love most about it is that you can't preview the tracks - it's actually like a real mixtape when you just go with it. I've found some great mixes from other users and I really do enjoy the element of surprise.
Anyhow, I think that moving forward I'll create one mix every month instead of posting weekly brilliant beats. I always intend to make playlists for myself but never get around to it so this will be good motivation. If you dig what you hear - awesome. If you hate my taste in tunes, well, it will only be once per month so hopefully I don't scare you away ;)
Here's the track list for Feel Good February. You'll notice that most of the titles have a love, relationship, or celebration theme but I promise that they're not mushy songs. They're more likely to make you tap your toes to the beat or force you into a shoulder dance if anything.
1 - Baby I'm Yours (feat. Irfane) Breakbot 2 - Henny & Gingerale Mayer Hawthorne 3 - Silver Screen Beat Connection 4- Jealous of Roses Bibio 5 - When They Fight, They Fight The Generationals 6 - Little Secrets Passion Pit 7 - Do You Believe? (Original) Poolside 8 - Walking On a Dream Empire of the Sun 9 - Think I'm In Love Beck 10 - I Want You Back Discovery
Click the image above or here to listen. Enjoy!