Happy New Year!

Happy new years everybody! May your new year be full of joy and courage and hope!

(f.scott fitzgerald book covers; ivy and aster; jonathan adler seder plate; confetti system ; pretty light's flickr; mini velvet; twirl by kate spade; gold clutch (no idea where this is from); wedding invitation suite via inspiredbythis)

2:34 pm

i've never seen my home with these pair of eyes.

work party

a look into my life on monday, at 7:00pm:



UE work party.

alex roman

Jaw-dropping. Wow.



Alex Roman promotes Silestone countertops with amazing CGI.... yes, CGI. I know, i'm posting a lot of videos lately. But you really can't miss this one.

first haircut

Jordan Ferney from Oh Happy Day recently posted the cutest documentation of her son Moses' first real haircut. She took him to a classic barber shop!

















I feel inspired to document more of life's milestones:

- bad hair days
- new shoes
- burnt pasta
- first emergency room visit

I don't know why my list seems to be all negative things. How about you?

thursday snapshots: my space

After almost 5 months, I'm still unpacking and moving things around, so excuse the clutter. Actually, I'm such a pack rat that I'm sure it will always be this cluttered. Don't judge.



Excuse the tipped mug too, that was my cat.







I love my yellow lamp :).

paris je t’aime

"By acting like a man in love, he became a man in love again."

This is seriously one of the sweetest things I've ever seen, and one of the most accurate representations of what love is that I've seen in a movie. Any fool can be in love (what he felt for the stewardess), but to love someone, that takes courage.

Love is a serious of choices you make every day. :)

pretty light

since you know i'm a sucker for pretty food photos...











and can't forget about elena's "things i love thursdays" as well:





check out elena's blog here and her flickr here. so lovely.

happy haul-idays!

um, just saw this on jen's blog...seriously too good to be true:



what better way to celebrate the holidays than with chronicle book's awesome giveaway!

1. make a list of Chronicle Books valued at up to $500
2. put it on your blog
3. you're entered (well, you have to go enter yourself on their giveaway page) to win your list of books! AWESOME. (and, a reader who comments on your post also wins your list! )

deadline is december 10th, winners announced december 13th! hurry and post your list! (sorry, US residents only)

now on to my list *drum roll*...




1. 100 years of fashion illustration by cally blackman
2. decorate by holly becker and joanna copestick
3. open studios with lotta jansdotter by lotta jansdotter
4. paper craft by minhee and truman cho
5. family by lauren dukoff
6. reprodepot pattern book: folk: 225 vintage-inspired textile designs by djerba goldfinger
7. little book of letterpress by charlotte rivers
8. how to be a graphic designer without losing your soul by adrian shaughnessy
9. photobooth by babbette hines
10. the printmaking bible by ann d'arcy hughes and hebe vernon-morris
11. lotta's printing studio by lotta jansdotter
12. craft inc. business planner by meg mateo ilasco
13. lettering & type by bruce willen and nolen strals
14. the exquisite book by julia rothman, jenny volvovski, and matt lamothe
15. the commonsense kitchen By tom hudgens
16. tartine by elizabeth prueitt and chad robertson

cart total: $496.50 :)

what are on your lists?!

for your ears

totally enamoured with this song...puts me in a place i haven't felt in a long time.

Fiona Apple - "Why Try To Change Me Now" on Vimeo.

j.crew spring 2011 lookbook

oh j.crew.

does your loveliness know no bounds? the messy side-parts, bright red lipstick, and layering... love love love.

today is a beautiful day

Moleskin (kraft) journal I watercolored yesterday and put on my etsy but it already sold! Sorries. Will try to get more up though!

like a lion's mane

I know, my hair is absolutely ridiculous. I'm embracing this today.

What are you embracing today, dear reader?

spaces

totally in love with these spaces shot by olga bennet...

seasons of (solitude)

(from here)


"He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. " (Ps. 1:3)


I like the idea of people as trees... each of us have seasons, seasons that cause us to look differently, seasons of growing, seasons of barrenness, seasons of growth, pruning seasons (which hurt but are necessary).

Had lunch today with shannon today; totally awesome meeting her and seeing what the lady behind the lens is like! She asked me what transitioning back home was like, and i'm sure I talked her ear off with vague descriptions of what i'm feeling in this stage of life. Thanks for being so encouraging shan :)

Basically really realizing that I'm in a season of waiting... a season of solitude and just trusting in God and not needing immediate answers. There are so many emotions that we think are not worth experiencing...we think we should experience them for as short a time as possible, and we don't see value in them at all. For instance, when I ended my relationship last year, people told me not to feel sad. But I thought, why is that a bad thing? To grieve? In the same way, I've been placed in a season of waiting that the world tells me will go away soon and is like waiting in line at the bank -- something to be disliked. Of course I'd still prefer to be in a different season, but I know that it is perfectly normal (and best) that I'm in this season now.

We don't look at the trees in winter and go into shock because there are no leaves. Instead, we see it as nature running its course -- and it's beautiful.

Here's to a new, sparkling and beautiful year,
Connie

day "14": adelaide

day "14" of my make something everyday project.

I’m sorry this has turned into a make something every week project :( I am too busy/unmotivated to do this. This one’s a little different, I decided to make something with my hands instead! I've named her "Adelaide".

Go to my tumblr to look at the rest!

grapefruit cupcakes!

(floral tape from pugly pixel!)

Look at these lovely grapefruit cupcakes with honeyed italian meringue buttercream seen on whisk kid....to die for! Two of my favorite things: cupcakes and grapefruit! I love it when people use fruit to make sweets. Has anyone tried pomegranate cupcakes or know if that would even be a good idea?

Here's the recipe for these cupcakes (please make them and send them over to me), hopefully I will be able to try this one day!

violetjulia and minihorses

First off, beautiful beautiful polaroid photography from violetjulia. She injects such tranquil, peaceful beauty into her images... i'm in love! Most of her scenes are natural: landscapes, leafs, animals (but you still don't get bored by the 20th tree!).

I've been thinking about horses because my boyfriend recently told me he wanted to take me to see some "mystical creatures" in Santa Barbara. He couldn't believe that these "creatures" existed and that we could see them there. He refused to tell me what they were, so I went on an investigative search. I googled everything from "mystical creatures santa barbara" to "reindeer santa barbara".

Finally, I googled "petting zoo" and make a wild guess from their animal list: mini horses. To which my boyfriend responded: "WHY WOULD YOU EVER RUIN MY OUR LIFE DATE?? HOW DID YOU GUESS??" What a funny man.

my neighborhood

i got new shoes today... so i took a walk around the neighborhood!







cute yellow house...

rebecca thuss

Okay. Why have I discovered you so late Rebecca Thuss!? You are BRILLIANT.

From her website:

"Rebecca Thuss is an award winning photo-stylist, a creative director, wedding designer and crafter. She delights in throwing parties, has a passion for packaging, a weakness for fanciful candy and confections, and an infatuation with vintage paper items. Currently Rebecca and her husband Patrick Farrell are partners in a multidisciplinary photography and graphic design firm—ThussFarrell. In addition to still life, lifestyle, travel, and portrait photography, the firm offers graphic and web design, branding and identity design, and creative direction."

And if you didn't know, she was the style director in 2003 for Martha Stewart Weddings (during her 1996-2006 tenure there). Check out her breathtaking and inspiring work (which you've probably seen before):

back to school!

I know it's October and I'm probably not "going back to school" for a while... but I couldn't resist:



1. cooperative corduroy suspender skirt from urban. hello, i'm in love with you!
2. Milk. Design by Barbara de Wilde. i love the type!
3. pen + nibs from billet
4. pencil-me-in cards by rifle design at anthro
5. langford wool high-heel oxfords from j.crew


Happy Saturday everyone!

smoked salmon & cream cheese on rye.

yesterday's breakfast... :)

angie cao

i absolutely love these spaces photographed by angie cao.



i love the little bedside table + photos hanging by the bed.


LOVE THE side-by-side table stands, all the frames + abundance of color!


maybe i'm obsessed with the combination of white + wood + natural light.