cocoa green

saying goodbye

2011-12-07T11:25:00.000-08:00

Margaret Hesseltine

12.25.1922-11.30.2011

grandma, i'm going to miss you deeply. you supported and loved me to the

great depths of the sea. you were the life of the party, though often you were content to sit quietly in your chair and bop your head to the beat of the music.

you had a way with people, and all my friends were jealous that

you were mine to call grandma. everybody loved you, but i think you knew that.

i love you, and i know you knew that.

fall flavors

2011-11-19T23:17:00.000-08:00

pan-fried pumpkin gnocchi with brown butter sage

{via Steamy Kitchen}

butternut squash risotto

{via wit + delight}

pumpkin pie with caramel brandy sauce

{via desserts for breakfast}

happy fall everyone! i am in love with this season...i get to dust off

my boots, pull on a scarf, and cozy up to friends with hot apple cider.

it really doesn't get any better than that.

you know what my absolute favorite part of Fall is? the

FOOD, of course! pumpkin, in particular. what's more comforting

than a bowl of pumpkin soup, pumpkin pasta, or pumpkin bread? that's right...nothing.

i think i'll be busting through the above recipes before Winter takes it hold.

honeymooners: Capri, Italy

2011-11-13T21:03:00.000-08:00

iphone snaps below....

oh capri, you beautiful, fancy-schmancy town, you. you were good to us,

despite your heat and crowds. we were disappointed that we didn't get to see your

famous Blue Grotto, but it didn't really matter in the end. italy, we will continue

to love you no matter what.

honeymooners: Positano, Italy

2011-10-26T13:35:00.000-07:00

our honeymoon was absolute perfection, starting on the Amalfi coast

in Italy and ending on the beautiful Greek island of Santorini.

Here is a peak of the first town we hit on the coast: beautiful, glorious

Positano. We stayed at the Hotel Palazzo Murat, which was perfect (complementary champagne and rose petals in the shape of a heart, anyone?).

After 24 hours of straight TRAVEL (shuttle-multiple planes-taxi-legs), we were

ready for a glass of bubbly and some Italian food.

waiting for the ferry...

perhaps a walk up the steep cliffside was a bad idea under the intense italian sun...

enjoying the beautiful gardens of the Palazzo Murat

in heaven

enter: the best meal we've ever eaten in our entire lives. if you happen

to be in Positano, this is an absolute MUST. half the food we ate was complementary, and everything was out-of-this-world delicious-- Il Ritrovo, i'm still thinking about you.

glad i married someone strong!

off to Capri!

wedding polaroids

2011-10-18T00:29:00.000-07:00

looking at these polaroids from our wedding makes me so happy!

these snaps (and hundreds others) now make up our colorful guestbook! an instax

guestbook is a little more expensive than your standard, but i love looking through

pages of happy people who made our wedding day so special.

the wooden sign was hand-painted by yours truly and cost me a 3 o'clock bedtime a few days before the wedding, but i really liked how it turned out. lastly, looking for a dj? like

a really awesome one who manages to keep the dance floor moving all night long and is

totally not a cheeseball? look no further than the suited cool guy in photo 3, DJP. get. on. it.

hope you're having a great week!

polaroid favorites

2011-10-10T20:22:00.000-07:00

3 months ago...

some treasured memories captured by a good friend.

more polaroid pics to come! hope you are all doing well.

make these cookies!

2011-09-05T12:31:00.000-07:00

so a few weeks ago, j. and i made these cookies from a recipe

found on one of my favorite blogs, for me, for you. the title of the recipe?

"The Only Chocolate Chip Cookie I Will Ever Need to Know How to Make for The

Rest of My Life."

we followed all of the tips and secrets, and without a doubt, found them to be the best

chocolate chip cookies i have ever made/eaten.

i have since made these cookies, umm, maybe 3 times? they're always a big hit and without fail, i always eat WAY more than i should. oops!

click on the link above for the full recipe and list of baking secrets*.

(*although i've since modified the size of the cookies- i've found that using a standard cookie scooper vs an ice cream scooper makes for a more manageable and less coma-inducing cookie!)

thanks, kate, for changing my life.

squash blossoms

2011-09-02T16:43:00.000-07:00

i've been thinking about squash blossoms lately. the best

meal of my entire life (eaten on our recent honeymoon to Positano, Italy)

featured them, stuffed with ricotta and deep fried. then again this past weekend at

Outerlands, they popped up again in Jenn's salad, raw and just as delicious.

i found these at our local farmer's market last night and figured i would try my hand at them!

Here are five ways to eat squash blossoms!

have a great long weekend.

san francisco food/shop tour: part 3

2011-09-01T09:47:00.000-07:00

in Outer Sunset:

i've never spent much time in Outer Sunset, but it's extra foggy, peaceful, and has

a laid-back vibe that other districts in SF lack. and parking is easy to find! hey hey!

only two things to recommend here (because those were the only two recommended to us!):

Outerlands + the General Store.

such a fun shop! especially because i found this beautiful print/calendar by Claire Nereim

that i couldn't resist taking home with me. watch out for the feisty shopkeepers dog, though. he just might get ya...

General Store

4035 Judah St.

after shopping, walk right on up to Outerlands to grab some delicious dinner...

My friend Annie told me about Outerlands over 2 years ago, but we never

could find the time to make it there. This trip, however, we were determined, and we are

so (so) glad we did. Have you ever seen two girls falling off their chairs

over butter?? Honestly, butter? It was heavenly(!).

The cocktails and food were good in a still-thinking-about-it-weeks-later kinda way.

Reasonably priced, rustic-casual, Portland-esque, and cozy!

I don't see why you wouldn't....

Outerlands

4001 Judah St.

san francisco food/shop tour: part 2

2011-08-31T17:36:00.000-07:00

start your day with....

have you been? if you haven't, then this is a must!

it's full of pretty things to look at and delicious things to eat. Start with macarons at Miette, then get yourself a latte at Blue Bottle (my favorite coffee in the city!).

Wander over to Heath Ceramics and load up on Weck jars (this is what we did!),

then peruse your little hearts out. Our intention was to get breakfast at Boulette's Larder, which supposedly has the best breakfast in all of SF. We missed it by 15 minutes. Drat!

Ferry Building Marketplace

1 Ferry Building

if you have enough time, go to this amazing nursery. remember the last time we were there?

more amazing food + shops comin' up!

Flora Grubb Gardens

1634 Jerrold Ave

san francisco food/shop tour: part 1

2011-08-30T12:46:00.000-07:00

this past weekend i enjoyed time in one of my very favorite cities, San Francisco, with one of my very favorite girls. we had an amazing time eating + shopping + eating some more.

we did our foodie research, and it really paid off. we ate an amazing assortment of delicious food that i think we're both still dreaming of! 3 days in the city can afford you a LOT of food and plenty of time for shopping in the meantime. here's a little list of places we highly recommend checking out in the city:

in the mission district:

a given. i always get the croque monsieur. delicious! my fruit-loving

friend always gets the bread pudding.

Tartine

600 Guerrero Street

While you're waiting for your stomach to digest delicious baked goods, fight the urge to walk it off and lay on the grass in Dolores Park instead. But first, stop in the always-packed Bi-Rite Market to get yourself something to drink.

it's a kite! does anyone want to go buy/fly kites with me?

once your stomachs have settled a bit, start standing in line

at the city's most delicious ice cream joint, Bi-Rite Creamery.

i got olive oil + brown sugar! the olive oil was so pleasant and mild....i've always been

curious what it tastes like in ice cream form!

Bi-Rite Creamery

3692 18th St. @ Dolores

My new MUST-GO (at least once) in the Mission is Pizzeria Delfina. OMG-delicious.

We got the pizza to-go, had to walk several blocks back to our car, and inhaled

it (in its semi-cold state) like it was the BEST pizza in the entire world.

i can only imagine what it tastes like hot!!

be prepared to wait in line for quite a while, but my goodness it's worth it!

Pizzeria Delfina

3611 18th St.

see you soon!

hello!

2011-07-28T11:48:00.000-07:00

hellooooo!!! i'm back from the dead, in a much happier and less stressful place than when i last left you. so many wonderful and momentous changes have happened in my life...i graduated, i moved, i got MARRIED, and we just arrived home from a fun and happy honeymoon in Italy and Greece. i have nothing in life to complain about. :)

i think i'm going to slowly start coming back to my humble little blog...and we'll start

with a few pictures from our wedding (Smilebooth style).

with our dear (now Oregon) friends, Becca + Justin

looking over our marriage certificate with pastor josh

aren't my bridesmaids beautiful??

dear friends from high school (where Kenny and i met!)

fab j. and friends

cousins!

love these people

LOVE this guy of mine. xoxo.

happy thursday!

window comfort

2011-05-18T23:32:00.000-07:00

sometimes it doesn't hurt to be reminded...

hope you're having a great May. :)

happy wknd!

2011-05-02T23:08:00.000-07:00

hi! happy monday. :) hope your weekend was great.

mine was full of family + friends + sun + furniture shopping +

a little stress to top it off. here are some snaps from my trusty iphone:

fresh picked flowers from the garden

DIY chalkboard.

Room and Board and H.D. Buttercup-- both amazing places to

window shop!! i wish we could afford such beautiful furniture.

Sweet Rose Creamery - my first time!

i got a fresh mint w/ homemade chocolate chip

and cafe luxxe coffee sundae. OH SO GOOD! i'd recommend it.

spicy ramen from Kabuki- the perfect ending to our weekend.

have a productive and happy week!

wedding inspo

2011-04-26T18:37:00.000-07:00

sooo....ya'll probably know i'm planning a wedding. or trying to, anyway.

the internet is a beautiful thing, what with all the inspirational wedding blogs

out there, but in a sense, i think it makes things harder!

these pics, brought to you by my all-time fave photographers, set the wedding

bar verrry high. good thing one of them is MINE (Sarah Yates!)!!

have a beautiful night!

outdoor livin'

2011-04-24T23:00:00.000-07:00

so we just secured our first home (as renters), and i am SO excited to finally

have a space of my own to decorate! i am also beyond excited that we have

a huge (!) backyard to run around and play in. not only do i

get to obsess over the interior of the house, but i also get to

dress up our backyard!

p.s. you're all invited over for backyard BBQ/movie nights in the near future. :)

tolix A chair

Branch birdfeeder

the perfect dinner party

{via once wed}

west elm

easter cravings

2011-04-21T07:18:00.000-07:00

mmm...i've got delicious Easter treats and pastel colors on my mind...

do you guys have any delicious recipes you're trying out this weekend?

i think i'm going to try these out for starters:

chocolate chocolate chip cookies with candy-coated

sunflower seeds (find the festive seeds @Trader Joe's!)

via joy the baker

p.s. i'm curious how these homemade marshmallow peeps would taste!

cosmic love

2011-04-20T22:37:00.000-07:00

digging this song on a wednesday night....

the previews for water for elephants might have been

a factor in this.

Florence + The Machine - Cosmic Love by UniversalMusicGroup

happy birthday

2011-04-19T23:56:00.000-07:00

wishing my very dear amy williams a happy, happy

happy 25th birthday. i am so proud of your strength, beauty, and

resilience. i LOVE YOU!!

*Nara, Japan, 2005

central coast sunshine

2011-04-18T22:25:00.000-07:00

hello! my blogging has been so sporadic, and i can't explain why, exactly.

life has been crazy, scary, exciting, and BUSY BUSY BUSY.

sometimes little cocoa green gets neglected.

this weekend was JUST what i needed.

thanks to all my amazing friends and family who put together a

beautiful and fun bridal shower for me!!

here are a few pics of the down-time from the weekend....i hope to post

a few pics from my shower soon! it was really quite photo-worthy, if ya ask me!

genius: Instagram!

2011-03-31T23:40:00.000-07:00

hello, cocoa green readers, few and far between. :) a long break has been

had from this humble tiny blog of mine...it may continue

or it may not. depends on how the wind is blowing, i suppose!

on a completely unrelated note, do you guys use Instagram?

its a new obsession of mine, and i love the idea of the Instaprint!! (although i don't

think anything can replace a good ol' fashioned photobooth).

Instaprint from BREAKFAST ny on Vimeo.

check out new ways to use Instagram here!

praying for japan

2011-03-15T08:54:00.000-07:00

via i art u

this week has been heartbreaking. my thoughts and prayers

have been constant for the people of Japan. i've got several friends

whose families live near the epicenter, and thank goodness everyone is ok.

check out jenn's post here to see a great roundup of bloggers who are doing

their part to help.

donate here and find out more ways to help here.

honeymooners

2011-03-09T20:43:00.000-08:00

so i've had a lot on my mind lately (finishing up school, planning a wedding,

finding a home, starting a career, and all of this while doing

the long-distance thing. woe is me.) at night, though, my

thoughts turn to relaxing and enjoying qual time with my main squeeze on our

honeymoon. we've never traveled afar together alone, so i'm excited!

you've all heard of mr. and mrs. globe trot, right?

they are an adorable couple, Julia and Yuriy, who have spent the last 6 months

traveling the world together, snapping pics all along the way

(they're amazing photographers!). see their time in santorini here.

now on to some wishful thinking....i love online window shopping. :)

top: striped skirt, colorblock dress, leather sandals

middle: bikini, chevron bag, scarf

bottom: bobby pins, madewell espadrilles, retro bikini

party time

2011-03-09T12:07:00.000-08:00

oh so beautiful!! via oh happy day

for your walls

2011-03-03T16:51:00.000-08:00

some etsy artwork for your thursday...

dear colleen

going underground

katty bouthier

travel bug

2011-03-02T22:46:00.000-08:00

i'm itching to get away right about now.

i'm thinking somewhere warm, with delicious

crispy thin-crust pizza and refreshing limoncello.

somewhere where we can stay in a room of all windows,

like this one.

lucky for me, we will be here soon!! we

can't wait to stay in the stylish La Minervetta

on the beautiful Amalfi Coast.

Greece + Italy, here we come....the day after

the best day of our lives!! come soon, wedding, come soon!

(ok ok...not TOO soon, i still have a million things to do!)

emerson love!

2011-02-28T22:57:00.000-08:00

pretty much loving everything emersonmade. definitely

a one of a kind company.

happy weekend!

2011-02-26T15:17:00.000-08:00

popping in to say hello! hope your weekend is going swimmingly.

i've been having fun giving cocoa green a little make-over, and working on

my first mini adobe illustrator project (above).

see you next week!

engagement photos!

2011-02-23T09:19:00.000-08:00

i am so excited to share our engagement pictures!

jennifer young is an amazing photographer

and one of my best friends.

we had so much fun being lovey-dovey

in front of a camera all day long. :) thank you so much, j.

here are a few (or a lot) of my favorites.

hello!

2011-02-23T00:20:00.000-08:00

i'm very excited to share with you (very soon!) our engagement pictures taken in

Palm Springs by the lovely j.

for now, though, sleep....

{zzzz}

the week is flying by, ain't it! such joyous news. i love long weekends.

moments of a disney weekend

2011-02-21T10:24:00.000-08:00

happy monday! it feels so nice to have it off, doesn't it? (sorry if you don't!)

yesterday, kenny surprised me with a trip to Disneyland. the last time we went to Disneyland

together was on our 6-month anniversary (in 2003). :)

time flies!

another exciting thing we did this wknd? picked up a new iphone! all photos

below are from my trusty new iphone.

have a great week!

good friday!

2011-02-18T14:57:00.000-08:00

enjoy your long weekend! do you have plans? we've got honeymoon

planning to do and will hopefully decide where we

will be going. any recommendations? our top picks for the

moment are the amalfi coast in italy OR bali.

any tips would be greatly appreciated! :)

remember to hold each other close this weekend.

peace!

moments of a busy weekend

2011-02-16T01:07:00.000-08:00

i know, i know....it's wednesday,

but this weekend was so packed with people and places

i just had to share.

on saturday we hit up Palm Springs and i showed my

visiting fam the spots we like to chill:

the ACE hotel & swim club

the Parker

On Sunday, we checked out brunch at the Eveleigh in West Hollywood.

yum yum SOO delicious. i loved their lemony avocado toast!

then we topped the weekend off with a Magnolia cuppie!

happy mid-week. :)

a gift!

2011-02-15T16:05:00.000-08:00

isn't this just the cutest thing you ever did see?

such a lovely arrangement of succulents and colorful anthro knobs...a gift from my Valentine!

thank you, Valentine! ilu.

feeling: pops of orange

2011-02-15T07:28:00.000-08:00

good morning! i'm digging these shades as of late...

have a beautiful and colorful day.

via color collective

via ladies and gentlemen

one of our engagement pics by our dear friend jennifer young!

a lovely find on pinterest

from jcrew's spring lookbook

this color combo KILLS. spotted on pinterest

pink + red

2011-02-14T21:48:00.000-08:00

one last post, to bid adieu to this delightful day of love!

nothing says i love you like a dozen pink and red donuts. :)

{via droolius}

cheers!

valentine's day

2011-02-14T16:42:00.000-08:00

hello, sweet hearts. happy valentine's day!

have you ever been to Magnolia bakery in LA? if you haven't, you

really should because the cuppies are delicious and the happy hearts

strung about were the perfect addition to our pre-Valentine's day Sunday.

much love!!

love

2011-02-09T22:35:00.000-08:00

i'll just say it...

i'm in a funk.

i haven't really felt much like blogging lately, and inspiration in the

form of beautiful photos, fashion, food, etc. has been wasted

on my tired, computer-screen abused eyes.

we've been dealing with lots of heavy stuff as of late.

the death of a very close family friend (and my best friend's

amazing father) has been a hard pill to swallow and

it's hard to comfort others when there's

nothing to do or say to relieve the pain.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

there is one thing i've been reminded of, though, and that is this:

love those you love, and love them GOOD and WELL.

{via joy the baker}

and always, in any circumstance,

eat baked goods. cookies are good for the soul.

V day video

2011-02-02T12:16:00.000-08:00

how could i not re-post such an adorable video?

diy valentine's cakes from tiger in a jar on Vimeo.

V day fort

2011-02-02T09:26:00.000-08:00

hello! i'm back with some valentine's inspiration from

lovely, lovely design sponge. can you think of anything more fun

than spending v day snuggled up in all this color?

get the low-down on making your own valentine's day fort here!

wedding inspiration!

2011-01-12T10:29:00.000-08:00

beautiful chalkboard artistry by Dana Tanamachi

{via 100LC}

always inspired by the creative ashley meaders

green and sparkly, oh my! {via the inspired bride}

adorable save-the-date {via this pinterest board}

today i woke up feeling wedding-inspired. i pour over wedding blogs

on a daily basis, so often times i feel overwhelmed, uninspired, and

sooo indecisive. i see so many things i like, but do i like it enough to

use in my wedding? hopefully i'll get it together in the next few months. :)

paper inspiration

2011-01-10T22:52:00.000-08:00

how amazing would it be to send your own homemade paper letter in the mail?

the answer, of course, is very.

find this tutorial and more awesome stuff over on dear plastic.

how is your week going? :)

ACE wknd

2011-01-10T09:11:00.000-08:00

HELLO.

{photo by michael young}

this weekend was different than most. we spent it with our amazing

and talented friends at our fave desert location, the Ace Swim Club.

we listened to records, we ate amazing food, we swam, we bonded, and we dressed in fancy clothes and kissed in front of our friends.

this is not typical, you see.

two words:

ENGAGEMENT SHOOT!

we had soooo much fun and can't wait to see what the incredible jennifer young

cooks up.

have a great week!

man behind the camera

2011-01-06T01:25:00.000-08:00

watch and be inspired. what a life!

woman in chinatown via the sartorialist

sf v.2

2011-01-06T00:24:00.000-08:00

this week is flying by, isn't it? 3 cheers for that!

have i told you how much i love the city? SF in particular.

i could take pictures of it all day long. and i did. for 5 whole days!

bye-bye christmas decor. you will be missed!

mmm....Tartine. i'm not usually big on pastries, but

the croque monsieur at Tartine is

to. die. for. and i always love drinking espresso

out of bowls. tre french.

hello, doggie! you are too cute and need a hug.

beautiful sidewalk in the mission district

beautiful things in the Ferry building. would you eat one of those shrooms?

i totally would {watch someone eat one}.

SF v.1

2011-01-05T17:08:00.000-08:00

i love fort mason. we visit every year, and there's just

something magical about the light, the Golden Gate bridge hovering over our heads,

and the happy surfers who ride the rugged waves next to it.

i did a teeny little shoot of my little sis (aka the little deer)

i wish i could be as good of a model as she is.

my new christmas boots!

new years excite me.

2011-01-05T00:56:00.000-08:00

hello! i told you i'd be back. are you excited for the new year?

this is going to be the BEST. YEAR. EVER.

seriously. by this time next year i'll have a hubs and a career.

crazysauce.

i couldn't have had a better NYE.

hor dourves + dancy music + loved ones + a littttle champagne=

perfection.

*photos taken at the lovely inspiring home of j+j.

2011

2011-01-04T00:59:00.000-08:00

can i just tell you that i've missed you?

i have....a whole lot in fact.

did everyone have a good christmas? new year's?

mine was short & rushed, but beautiful in every way.

see you very soon! happy monday.

p.s. loads of snaps comin' up! (taken with my new cam cam)

it's christmas!

2010-12-25T13:20:00.001-08:00

merry christmas, dear friends.

enjoy every little bit of it.

see you soon!

merry christmas!

2010-12-06T21:58:00.000-08:00

by the most talented anna bond of Rifle

hello dear internet and non-internet friends,

merry christmas! you may have noticed (maybe?) i've

been away. i'll probably be away for the rest of the month,

but i wanted to say hello & see you later! have a beautiful december!

holiday printables from West Elm!

2010-11-30T11:06:00.000-08:00

it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!

i love Christmas time, but this year is gonna be a little more stressful than usual

and i'm trying to get all my xmas shopping done AND wrapped now!

i saw this darling DIY download from West Elm

over on amy atlas' blog sweet designs and felt i should pass it along too!

*friends, if you are receiving a present from me this year, you WILL see these again. :)

click here to see them all!

thankful

2010-11-28T23:24:00.000-08:00

i hope you all found things to be grateful for on thanksgiving.

we celebrated with a HUGE group of family and ate lots and lots of delicious

food. i'm so thankful for my beautiful family and friends (and dogs!)!

*my cousin's dear little girl, who really enjoyed frolicking on the beach

in her hello kitty skirt. :)

have a wonderful week!!

happy thanksgiving {food}!

2010-11-24T14:58:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving really snuck up on me this year!! Thank goodness

my mom's got all the cooking under control, but if I were in charge, I

might think about the following recipes...

lemon thyme bruschetta via the kitchn

pumpkin ravioli with brown butter sauce via what katie ate

{gorgeous blog}

squash, quinoa and hazelnut gnocchi with brown butter, sage, and toasted hazelnuts

via cannelle et vanille

mushroom stuffing via sweet paul

chipotle mashed sweet potatoes via matt bites

cast iron cornbread via sprouted kitchen

rustic maple bourbon pecan pie via sweetapolita

*i also want to try bakerella's brownie

pecan pie!!

have an amazing Thanksgiving tomorrow!!

i am thankful for all you inspiring people,

my treasured friends, my dear family, and

my loveable fiance.

WeWOOD

2010-11-22T22:21:00.000-08:00

i've had my eye on these wood watches by wewood

for a while now...

buy a watch, they'll plant a tree!!

wedding inspiration!

2010-11-21T19:41:00.000-08:00

just put together a little inspiration board for our wedding and thought

i would share!

hope you all had a great weekend!

enjoy!

2010-11-19T12:11:00.001-08:00

what are your plans this weekend?

do them well, with gusto!

cheers!

another bug!

2010-11-18T21:43:00.000-08:00

{by the ever-so-amazing stephanie williams}

ok ok ok...i know what you're thinking,

but SERIOUSLY...how coincidental is this?

i was perusing my dark hole of a "wedding inspiration" folder

for cake pictures and LOOK what popped up. i don't even remember saving this, it

must have been months ago!

looks like i like bugs after all. at least to flutter away in.

the perfect get-away!

2010-11-16T21:12:00.000-08:00

{photo by the amazing stephanie williams}

i would adore this for a get-away car. i think it screams, "hey, we just got married and we're

off to go explore foreign lands together!!"

wknd

2010-11-15T23:19:00.000-08:00

pretty fall flowers for your monday night...

did you do anything fun this weekend?

amidst the stress of studying for boards,

i was able to spend quality time with friends and the fiance!

i ate lots and lots of hot apple cider donuts and drank excessive amounts

of apple cider (Oak Glen!). That makes a good weekend to me.

HAUL-IDAYS!

2010-11-14T10:47:00.001-08:00

i love Chronicle books SO much.

every year around the holiday season, we make a trip up to

SF, and I'm always excited to stop by the little blue Chronicle on Union Street.

I guess that's why my bookshelf is chock full of those little glasses!

have the heard the good news?! Chronicle is hosting the most bomb

giveaway, and you can win big time!

The rules are simple:

If you have a blog, post a list of Chronicle Books valued at up to $500 that you'd like to haul in, and you'll be automatically entered into a drawing to WIN your list of books! And, one of

your readers who comments on the post will win the list too!

So....COMMENT on my wish list! And let's both cross our fingers!

(Thanks to i art u for the heads up! Go comment on her list too!)

WINNERS will be announced on December 13th!!

(U.S. citizens only!)

For the wedding planners/newlyweds out there:

1. Handmade Weddings

2. Cooking for Two

3. Bride & Groom Family Tree Album

For the bakers:

1. Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey

2. Tartine

3. Pretty Pantry Gifts

4. Flour

For the graphically inclined/crafty crafters:

5. Reprodepot Pattern Book

Randoms:

1. Garden Anywhere

2. Photobooth Dogs

3. Wanderlust

4. Dinner Parties

5. Seriously Simple Deck

TOTAL= $498.37!

if i could marry a house....

2010-11-11T11:30:00.000-08:00

this one would DEFINITELY be it.

it actually kinda makes me want to just scream it's so awesome.

but then that would be weird...

i think i'll just blog about it instead.

amazing outdoor shower? yes please. i'd love to rinse off that salt water

for all the surfing i [don't] do.

awesome light fixture? check.

oh, hello! this house belongs to eileen (pictured, obvs) and mark, who won the

CB2 "The Selby is in your place" contest.

pretty surfer bedroom.

want more? check out The Selby !!

(Happy Thursday!)

joy the baker

2010-11-10T16:53:00.000-08:00

i love me a good foodie blog, i really, really do.

in my breaks between studying, i tend to hit up all the wedding blogs...

until, that is, i found joy the baker. phenomenal looking food + pics + incredibly

witty writing= the perfect blog. i'm definitely going to try this

toasted marshmallow milkshake very, very soon.

{oh, and did you know you can make your own vanilla extract?}

gold rush

2010-11-09T20:24:00.001-08:00

one of the more enjoyable parts of wedding planning

(for me) has been registering(!) i've been

particularly drawn to GOLD lately. maybe it's the

holiday season, or maybe it's just cuz i really want

our future house to be full of *sparkle*.

one thing i know for sure is that these are lovely.

{top to bottom: canvas, (misplaced!), west elm}

let's go camping

2010-11-07T15:12:00.000-08:00

the cricket trailer.

want one? you can special order yours today!

i'm craving travel, s'mores, and a little bit of time off.

enjoy your week!

paris vs new york

2010-11-03T23:17:00.000-07:00

a cute blog i recently stumbled upon...

paris vs. new york, a tally of two cities:

{via swissmiss}

THREAD

2010-11-03T21:12:00.000-07:00

these thread social dresses excite me! soo beautiful!

cafe fernando

2010-11-03T00:11:00.001-07:00

now this is truly inspiration for a chocoholic's soul!

check out Cenk's blog, Cafe Fernando,

for much, much more culinary goodness.

SNL Special: The Women of SNL as Real Housewives (2010)

2010-11-02T19:17:00.000-07:00

a little entertainment for your tuesday!

(which i've been thinking was a wednesday for the last 5 hours)

*don't forget, we are a fambily.

color, color, color

2010-10-27T18:56:00.000-07:00

i love color collective.

everyone needs a little color in their lives, right?

wedding bands

2010-10-26T20:42:00.000-07:00

look at these kicking rings:

forget wearing your heart on your sleeve...try wearing

your face on your finger!

{via wedding bee found on avie designs}

not keen on wearing your profile? well then, how about your fingerprint?

fabuluster does an amazing job with these.

so sweet.

real vintage love

2010-10-26T00:10:00.000-07:00

much of my weekend was spent pouring over

old photos in order

to make a slideshow of my Grandpa's life.

this picture i found made me think...

{grandpa & grandma kitto on their wedding day.

didn't he look dashing?}

although much of the time, i throw "tradition" to the birds,

there's something beautiful about honoring

traditions that have been cherished for hundreds of years.

looking through their whole wedding album made me so

excited to begin a journey of my own...

have an inspiring week.

a girl's best friend

2010-10-19T00:07:00.001-07:00

there's just something about dogs that

cheers me right up.

{via katie armour- check out her blog, you won't be sorry}

have a great week.

in remembrance

2010-10-15T19:41:00.000-07:00

this post is dedicated to my sweet grandpa Kitto,

who unexpectedly passed away on Wednesday.

one of my fondest memories with him in the past few years was

watching Up together--

he loved that movie, and

funnily enough, i don't think he ever realized that he

looked almost identical to the main character.

this week has been hard, but I find comfort in the fact that one day, we

will see each other again.

peace.

watch your greens

2010-10-12T23:58:00.000-07:00

now this is just straight awesome, gross and beautiful. watch it til the end!

{kinda reminds me of the mold garden my science teacher started in high school, which was slightly less cool and significantly more smelly.

the stench of rotting, furry tuna sandwiches and hot pockets

putrefying in a fish tank made it extremely difficult to focus in class!

that was my excuse, anyway.}

wknd ed.

2010-10-11T22:42:00.000-07:00

hello! after a little break (with probably more breaks to come...),

i wanted to drop in to post some pics from this last wknd.

we had a nice time relaxing on the central coast, (it's always nice

to go home and escape the so cal heat!) enjoying a bonfire/ice cream trip/

fam pizza night/QT time with the BFFs/major dog snuggling/and

last but not least, the wedding of my childhood friend nate.

have a fab week. :)

love don't succ

2010-10-05T18:36:00.001-07:00

the succulent mr. and mrs. are soo amazing!

{via oh joy}

grow a wall

{via modish}

hope everyone's tuesday went well. i should be studying,

but felt i needed some inspiration in the form of green.

enjoy.

two sarahs

2010-10-04T20:46:00.000-07:00

happy monday!

there are tons of cute paper stores in portland, and i wanted to share

my lovely print designed by two sarahs i bought while at Lark Press.

{mine is just like this, but an ostrich!}

hope you guys had an amazing day!

(as amazing as a monday can be?!)

selby film

2010-09-30T22:38:00.000-07:00

watch this. it's inspiring to see how other people work, live,

play, think...

Rockaway Taco, A Selby Film from the selby on Vimeo.

lovely package

2010-09-30T20:49:00.000-07:00

my newest foodie goodness discovery? LOVELY PACKAGE.

there's nothing like beautiful design + food.

yum yum, yes please.

portland food guide {thai}

2010-09-29T17:40:00.000-07:00

must thai: mee sen thai eatery

looking for delicious authentic thai food in portland?

try mee sen! kenny claims it serves the best beef ball noodle soup

he has ever eaten in his whole life. and folks, he means business.

i really liked drinking water out of recycled liquor bottles. darn that fancy glass!

more hitched

2010-09-28T23:13:00.000-07:00

here are a few more shots of our night at the hitched

event. did i mention i lurve michael antonia (aka flashdance?!)

that man is pure genius. even kenny is in love.

got my dancin' tights on!

smilebooth!!

2010-09-27T20:20:00.000-07:00

can i tell you how insanely fun the Hitched event was?!

i've been looking forward to it since they first released the good news of its birth!!

i also really, REALLY love the smilebooth (i've been

a LONG time fan, so this was quite a big treat!)

here's a few photos of us livin' it up, smilebooth stylez.

{p.s. 7.10.11 is our wedding date!! we cannot WAIT to be married}

spotted and hearted

2010-09-27T00:14:00.001-07:00

oh goodness, you artsy, boho-chic, colorfully stark living room, you.

you're killin' me with that mustard couch.

via erin ever after

portland food guide: pt.2

2010-09-22T15:48:00.000-07:00

happy friday!

time for more PDX foodie biznaz.

this time, the good stuff: DESSERT.

have a happy and sugar-filled weekend.

pix patisserie: a must visit for cheap and delicious treats!

pix macarons are far tastier in my opinion than paulette macarons! (sorry, LA)

for deliciously old-school and tasty cups, try Saint cupcake.

{try the PB one! my fave.}

ken's artisan bakery was an amazing little place we stumbled across while

making our trek to Saint cupcake. their macarons were HUGE! the way they should be.

oh, clyde common, you had me at hello. thank you for your delicious

happy hour which allowed us to eat $6 grilled cheese sammies and this amazing dessert.

it was probably the most amazing thing i ate while in portland.

happy eating, lovely people.

portland food guide pt.1

2010-09-21T19:56:00.000-07:00

hello! i'm back in california after a beautiful trip to oregon!!

the wedding was utterly amazing and beautiful, and our trip

to portland afterward was (as kenny would say) b.a.n.a.n.a.s.

portland is a city for foodies, and as a girl who loves to eat, this

was my kinda town.

if you're going to PDX anytime soon {and are on a budget!}, follow our humble

foodie's guide:

for BRUNCH and coffee:

pine state biscuits

chocolate potato donut with creme anglaise

lots of hot stumptown

steak + eggs

tasty and sons (tapas for breakfast?! genius!)

quirky legs on mississippi ave. [fresh pot coffeehouse]

Stumptown

i have SO many food pics (ridiculous, i know.)

i'm gonna have to do multiple posts for this mother.

bon voyage!

2010-09-16T21:54:00.000-07:00

hello! today ended up being a very. good. day.

why, you ask?

#1- i'm in love with a very loving, hilarious, and thoughtful

person (today is our 8-yr "unwedded" anniversary!)

#2- school is out for a week! no more crazy patients for a WHOLE WEEK!

#3- we will soon witness the marriage of our dear, dear friends

Becca + Justin in Oregon!!!! i cannot wait!!

#4- after the wedding, PORTLAND time!!

any recs for Portland? hit me up!

green thumb

2010-09-14T20:06:00.000-07:00

you know when you walk by something so many times you

forget to actually look at it?

well a while back i planted this little vertical succulent garden, and while

at first it brought me great delight, after a bit i kinda forgot about it.

THEN i noticed this

beautiful outgrowth of pink love shooting horizontally

from a very ordinary succulent. yowza!

beautiful! a good reminder that sometimes life needs to slow down

to enjoy the little things.

in other garden news: i found a seedbomb vending machine outside

of umami burger a few weeks ago and was so excited!

now the most delicate little green seedlings are sprouting. hooray!

cookie monster

2010-09-13T19:32:00.000-07:00

man oh man...there is nothing better than a really, really good chocolate chip cookie.

i found the following recipe over on i am baker and cannot wait to try it out.

did i mention it is the new york times favorite choc chip cookie recipe?

i had my mind set to make these tonight, but found we were out of brown sugar.

(yes, i am too lazy to drive to the market. don't judge)

have a happy monday!

The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
*I only used all purpose flour for my recipe.
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds chocolate chips

Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl and set aside.

Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy – about 5 minutes. Add eggs. Stir in vanilla. Reduce to low speed and add dry ingredients slowly, mixing until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough for 24-36 hours. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350.

Drop spoonfuls of dough onto baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

buy a shirt?

2010-09-10T19:26:00.000-07:00

ahhhh....friday. thank you for being you. you give me time to take naps,

eat pho for lunch, and act like a human being. you, might i add,

are the gateway drug to the weekend. hello!

on to more important news....LOOK at these t-shirts. they are so creative

and made with 100% love. emily, the mastermind, is an

awesome and beautiful person. why? because she is trying to

raise enough money to return to Africa to work as a nurse

for a year. the money from

these shirts will hopefully help get her there!

what an admirable thing to put your heart into.

BUY A SHIRT, if you feel so inclined. (i hear they're very soft!

i bought the orange one. :) )

you can find them HERE. good luck emily.

have a great weekend, everyone!

visual inspiration

2010-09-08T21:15:00.000-07:00

for u, j.

tip sheet|tea

happy hump day! have a cup of tea and enjoy your night.

i ban.do!

2010-09-07T22:27:00.000-07:00

happy post labor day!

hope you all had a fun one.

Ban.do Interview from The Girls With Glasses on Vimeo.

i love ban.do. i love funny girls (especially these girls,of "the girls with glasses!).

i love this video.

enough said for a tuesday night. muah!

happy weekend!

2010-09-03T19:20:00.000-07:00

{pops champagne & dessert bar}

hellooooo long weekend! hope you all have a fun weekend planned.

we don't have anything on the agenda, really, and that's just the way i like

it (most of the time!).

have a good one!

a font a day to keep the gloom away

2010-09-01T19:06:00.000-07:00

amen.

{via a lyric a day }

engagement party

2010-08-30T16:50:00.000-07:00

++engagement party++

hosted by my dear parents at the incredible Tavern restaurant

(which i've raved about here and here!), we had an amazing

day with our closest friends and family. here are a few pics!

the amazing arrangement my mom brought! [by Dandelion Ranch]

i've kissed that cheek since high school! :)

cheers!

bob n syl (aka mom and dad)

everyone's favorite grandma

some of my sweet girls

i heart homemade cards from iartu :)

thank you to everyone who drove up, down, and out to LA

for us-- you all made it so special.

good sunday!

2010-08-29T22:00:00.000-07:00

twas an amazing weekend with a group of

sweet, fun, and beautiful girls (one being my dear

becca, the bachelorette!!)!

i'll leave you with this image (a safe one! lol), taken before

the aching feet eventually ended our fun-filled night in Pasadena.

WOOHOO!

2010-08-27T20:31:00.000-07:00

happy happy happy happy weekend.

wishing everyone all the best!

we have a very busy and exciting weekend planned!

see you all on monday.

for the birds

2010-08-25T23:13:00.000-07:00

via urban gardens

today= not rad.

this birdhouse=rad.

i hope its renters are appreciative of their living space

and don't purposely doo-doo on the pretty succulents.

true love is a big deal

2010-08-24T20:02:00.000-07:00

weddings, weddings, weddings!

while it's all so exciting, i've been feeling overwhelmed

by how many OPTIONS and DIRECTIONS

we can make/take in planning our wedding.

{yikes!}

once wed is probably my fave blog in the wwww (world wide wedding web),

and this sweet mountaintop wedding that they've featured (like 17 times)

was a must-[re]post for me. sooo inspirational, and i have a major girl crush on surya.

love love love!

cute shoes!

amazing dress!

{secret: i want to find a make-up artist for my wedding

that has awesome wrist tattoos...they make for such great photos, no? :) }

jonas peterson was their amazing australian photographer, who captured their day

so well. and be sure to check out his blog to listen to the RIDICULOUS song

that the bride's sister wrote and sang for their 1st dance.

have a good night!

clink clink

2010-08-23T21:10:00.000-07:00

{photo by jake}

hello! this weekend was so nice, starting with a very successful venue-hunting day

on friday(!?) and ending with a beautiful engagement party given by my parents

at Tavern. hopefully more pics soon!

supermarket

2010-08-19T19:08:00.000-07:00

hello, cute house things! have you ever heard

of supermarket? i hadn't, before i stumbled across it this

week, and love it! so many amazing goods to browse through.

(especially those gold bowls!) hope you are having a good week.