inspiring notes

In the midst of a cluttered schedule, what I desire most is to simply sit and read. Gone are the days when I could devote my attention to a single book, in fact it's nearly been a decade since I've been that disciplined. Now my reading interests gravitate toward the mindsets that I wish to explore; perhaps a cinema legend or cat-lovers. Since the start of the new year I've placed two books near my bed; their words and subject matter excite me the most right now. I've also surrounded myself with some other lovely things in anticipation of Spring.






The first book is something that I had my eye on for months and luckily for me, Donald gave it to me for Christmas! It was printed in 1956 and has the favorite cat stories of James Mason and his wife (with the weathered pages to prove it!) The illustrations are adorable and the stories are so old-fashioned. He also gave me the definitive Stanley Kubrick retrospective that is endlessly fascinating ♥









I've decided to put new flowers in my office each week. These are the purple Irises that I currently have.






Also on my nightstand - is the prettiest glitter notebook that shimmers & the sweetest monthly planner.



I suppose Spring-time would not be complete without some new dresses and ornate collars. I'm loving pastels, blues, yellows and gold tones at the moment. Being surrounded by all this loveliness is necessary, because most days are tedious and many new changes require laborious attention. Quite soon I will have the ultimate new acquisition, something that I've been saving for several years for- a car! This weekend shall be grand & I'll probably celebrate with a nice meal and buying my own bouquet of white pom pom flowers x

vivre pour vivre

I had the wonderful pleasure of experiencing a summer day this weekend. It surprised me- as Spring hasn't even bloomed its true colors yet. Somehow fruitfulness converged onto one day; where I wasn't being swallowed up by deadlines, and could feel the sun's warmth outdoors. Perhaps you might assume that California weather is always immaculate, but it's been as freakish here as everywhere else, although admittedly much more tame. The occasion was celebrating my birthday belatedly, by visiting the Huntington Library.





I could look at ornate vases and tapestries all day- and I nearly did!






I wore a lovely new dress, sent to me by Pepa Loves. It has all of my favorite components of a Spring dress: the coral fabric, the silk bow, and a flowing silhouette perfect for adventures. I also wore my 5 year-old Marc Jacobs mary janes, and a gold bunny purse that I acquired over the holidays. After visiting the Huntington Library art collections, I went toward the few parts of the garden that were bloomed.





Who knew flowers could have such chic names? There were other names too though, like "Rosie O'Donnell" (I'm not joking!) Hehe.







Needless to say, I enjoyed the day immensely and look forward to many more like it in the coming months. I've now entered what will be my last semester of school, which is a grand feeling and yet there's still so much to accomplish! Lately because of this, I've been surrounding myself with inspirational books, songs, and films to be further motivated. Perhaps I can compile a list soon! x

p.s. There's a lovely interview that I had with Moira from Earworm & Plum Pudding here if you ever wondered how I started blogging or what my favorite books and films are! Thanks Moira - your words are much too kind!

twenty five years

A few days ago I turned twenty-five. It's slightly surreal as I've always been the "youngest" of the people I've known, especially since I had an older sister and tagged along with her friends. It's the inevitable progression of life and with it comes wonderful new experiences of course. I love self-made traditions, and keeping them throughout the years for purely nostalgic reasons. When I was a kid, I always had the typical party with pizza, an ice-cream cake, and a game of Mall Madness or Girl Talk (complete with zit stickers). Although I no longer play the latter games, I do take pleasure in the delicious food! Here's some of what my birthday looked like:




Pizza & raspberries. The raspberries were for dessert, but Donald ate both at the same time (ahh) ! Erlend wanted in on the action...




Taking Erlend off of the table. She wanted my Oreo cake!






You can see the lust for dessert in both Erlend and my eyes. In the middle of my cake celebration, Vanessa skyped in to sing Happy Birthday. Although she is all the way in England, we were still able to laugh, cry and enjoy the day together. The happy tears were shed when she gifted me with a vintage polly pocket that I used to own, but lost when we moved from our childhood home. I've been reunited!





I had such a busy January (understatement!) but I hope to visit these parts much more now that I've completed some tasks. One of those was finally getting my driver's license after putting it off for years! I suppose turning twenty-five is a grand thing after all ♥

goodbye two thousand twelve

For my last post of the year, I thought I'd do a little retrospective on how I felt the year went. I also wanted to share a video that I made from my Scandinavian vacation, which I had promised so many months ago. It's almost impossible to convey what you experience on a trip; the panoramic views, peaceful moments and the overall meaningfulness of the adventure. So here is my attempt:





What did you do in 2012 that you'd never done before?
I rode a horse for the first and last time (hah), I started a business while going to school (insane!), went on a cruise even though I always thought they were for grandparents, and many other projects that were challenging but rewarding in the end.

Did you keep your New Years resolutions from the previous year?
I did - somewhat! I wrote in a post nearly a year ago that I wanted to go on a grand trip, develop my old film rolls and continue working on my degree. I'm happy to say that I've done all of that but I still have to work on the remaining goals!

What date from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
June 28, 2012. It was the day that we visited Reykjavík/Iceland which was absolutely otherworldly. So many nice and beautiful events occurred, and I felt so lucky to visit a place that I had dreamt about.




What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Leaving my job (in January 2012) and taking chances to create an interesting day-to-day life. Things may appear effortless, but it takes lots of work to accomplish even the smallest of plans. I'm simply happy to have completed things which I had hoped to experience.

What song will always remind you of 2012?
There are so many! Especially since I listen to the same playlists on spotify. Perhaps "Vivre Pour Vivre" by Francis Lai, "Round and Round" by Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti and "All is Full of Love" by Björk.





What do you wish you'd done more of?
I wish I drove more (I'm still trying to get my license!) and perhaps relaxed more. I'm unfortunately the worrying kind, so I would love to practice more subdued patience. I also wish that I read more books in a quiet corner, which I'll certainly do now that I received lovely books for Christmas!

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?
Oh dear! I think I've worn some of the same things for at least 7 years, so sadly not much has changed! However I welcomed a lot of pretty dresses into my wardrobe, so perhaps my concept was just "more" of the same but with new vintage hats.





Who was the best new person that you met?
My awesome blogger pals of course! I loved reading everyone's comments throughout the year and appreciate the lovely friendships that came of it! Also - my most recent Graphic Design class was full of interesting people, and even my professor was truly inspiring. (Honorable mention goes to Olaf the cat, whom I met in Flam!)

Tell us a valuable life lesson that you learned in 2012.
Even though I've always understood it, this year the idea that you should just do and not over-analyze was certainly palpable. So much time can be wasted making excuses, but just putting yourself out there can accomplish so much!

What are your resolutions for the new year?
Expand horizons, not limit myself, and keep working on new projects (design, shop, etc). I also hope to enjoy my time off with my lovely cats, make more dinners at home, and as always- take pleasure in simple things.




I hope you all have a wonderful new year! x

christmas festivities

Every year (for the past 9 years) I've flown to Appleton, Wisconsin to celebrate the holidays with Donald's family. This time was different however, as we were hit by a blizzard on our way in, and had to stay in a hotel that looked like it was out of the Shining! Needless to say, I was incredibly happy when we made it to our destination safely and spent most of the time indoors; cooking tasty meals and trying to stay warm. When thrust into such cold climates each year, it becomes abundantly clear that I am a California girl!




On Christmas Day I wore my new dress by Dear Creatures, a gift from Donald!




I love the comfortable home that we stay in, which used to be Donald's house before he moved to Los Angeles years ago. There are many reminders of their past, like hand-made ornaments from when they were children and endless family heirlooms in the sitting room.




Lots of cooking took place across the week. One night we had a feast and I made a garlic-bread Christmas tree. Gluttony at its finest!




We chopped fresh basil and rosemary to sprinkle over the tree, and it was delicious. Within minutes it was devoured!



Perhaps my favorite memories from the trip, aside from enjoying the holiday festivities was seeing Tino, the family bunny. I missed my cats terribly so it was nice to have a little furry companion to pet. Now that I'm home in Los Angeles, I look forward to my last days off before a new semester, and the many changes to come. x