glass trinkets to beautify your home, or give as a lovely gift.

i stumbled upon this stained glass shop while perusing Etsy.
i just love it all. how great are the mini pyramids? so chic empty or filled with your treasures.
back in his grade school days, d used to be quite the geo collector. perhaps we put an old favorite stone on display?
and that lamp? so pretty. the floor terrariums? bring a little of the outside in. all beautiful. do you agree?

career congrats package.

during my first week on the new job, i came home to find the sweetest and most unexpected package on my doorstep.

thoughtful and crafty rachel put together this "congrats on your next chapter" pack just for me. take a look. 

pens & notebook: "she's a dreamer, a doer & thinker. she sees possibilities everywhere." 

complete with a handwritten note: for all those big ideas.

natural bath treats: to relax after a long and hectic first week.

a sweet card & bottle of bubbly.

it came at the perfect time - the end of my good, but totally overwhelming, first week. as it is, advertising/public relations is fast-paced, and this was baptism by fire. i'm in a new role with a whole new set of responsibilities. there are new names to learn. different protocols. unfamiliar clients and businesses to learn about. hours of meetings and reading strategy documents and plans. and the thing that threw me for the biggest loop was working professionally on a Mac operating system. i've an Apple girl at home, but iMail, iCal, iContacts, etc... i kinda wanted to pull my hair out a few times, but now just two weeks in, i'm loving it and totally off to the races (phew!

you're a great friend, rachel. 

thanks so much for your support and thoughtful gesture.

---

p.s. if you're ever looking for an awesome event planner - rachel's your gal.
check her out here.

my (new to me) 1970's french mixte.

with a big red bow and everything! 

on sunday, december 9th we hosted danny's family's christmas brunch (early, we know. but it was the only weekend that worked for everyone) and i got a big christmas surprise from ting!

he found an old 1970's french mixte bike, ordered all kinds of parts and then spent hours resorting and modifying it to make it perfect for moi. i'm beyond obsessed with the double basket on the back. how great is that? 

i feel like i should have a fresh bouquet of flowers, a bottle of wine and baguette in the back at all times.

 checking things out while hunter & makaela check each other out.
let's be real, this bike is way cooler than i am. 

babe, i love it. 

and i know how much time you've been spending in the back house working on 

mysterious things (i was really starting to wonder). merci! merci! merci!

je t'aime
(i love you en frances)

family heirloom loot.

each time i go home, i come back with a few new things. this time i was on a mission for afghans. my grandma eileen and mom used to crochet all the time and i was anxious to get my hands on a few of their blankets. i use a blanket every night on the couch - even in the middle of the summer. i'm just more comfortable like that.

while we were in oregon, my mom pulled out a dozen or so handmade afghans and quilts and told me the background on each one - who crocheted it. when it was crocheted. the story behind the colors and patterns. danny limited me to two (and that's all we really could stuff in our carry-on luggage), so we came home with these.

{both crocheted by my grandma eileen. we totally love them.}

plus i may have snagged another milkglass vase...

...and this awesome crocheted lace / oversized doily for the sitting room couch :) 

thanks, mom!

how does your garden grow?

my mom's garden grows peonies like this...



and this....

gorgeous, huh?

way to go mom!

i haven't been as dedicated to my front garden bed as i was last year - not at all.

but you better believe my house will be filled with peonies their whole season (just like last year).

like my mom, i love them.

but seriously what woman doesn't? they're perfect.

coming up daffodils.

trader joe's currently has bunches of ten daffodils for $1.29. 

go get yourself a few bunches to brighten your home and office.

 we're loving them. 

hope you had a beautiful spring weekend.

bracelet making machine.

this time last year i started making friendship bracelets again (again, as in since i used to in the sixth grade). i made bunches of them to wear and give out to friends, but the only problem was that sometimes adults just shouldn't have a wrist full of knotted thread... like in the client's boardroom, at a job interview or as a bridesmaid in your friend's wedding. 

so, i got inspired and creative and over the past few months i've been making them with chains and clasps. a chicer, more adult version of the wonderful friendship bracelet we all know and love from our past. 

it's super simple as long as you have the right tools*. for some of the bracelets, i followed this diy tutorial that i found on pinterest (you can follow me here) and used this tutorial as a refresher on how to weave the chevron print.

*nerd alert: i recently bought this tool kit and i'm obsessed with it. i've been using it for all kinds of craft creations.

fresh flowers for the soul.

earlier this week, i was feeling blue and decided fresh flowers all around the house would help brighten my day. 

so i went a little crazy at trader joe's and now our house is filled with fresh florals.

{our window-sill plants are thriving... time to do something with all that basil}

insta-art.

about a month ago i decided to turn art inspiration into a reality. remember this post? well, i loved the personal photo collage piece so much that i did a little research and found prinstagram, a company that turns your iPhone Instagram prints into a poster for you. all you have to do is log-in, select which of your photos (50 - 400 depending on how big/small you want the photos), and they do the rest - to the tune of only $25.

i went with 200 images and got my awesome 20"x40" poster within a week. and thennnn, i went to have it framed. newsflash: 20x40 is not a standard poster frame size. therefore, my $25 print turned into a $155 piece of art when i had to pay $130 (with a 60% off coupon) to get a custom frame made. and i went with the most inexpensive metal frame and glass combo i could. whoops. but, i do love it.

if you're considering making one, an idea for you - perhaps get two posters with different photos and have them laid side-by-side and framed to create one big 40"x80" piece of art or one really tall & skinny floor frame (of course the custom frame will be spendy).  

here's the finished product. i do love how each photo is something personal just to us. 

a pinterest party.

over the weekend i joined some other DIY lovin' ladies for a "pinterest party" at a friend's house.  being the first one, the concept was fuzzy but ultimately each of us were told to bring a DIY project and then we'd swap ideas, share supplies and keep each other company as we crafted. with the holidays right around the corner, most of us opted for Christmas decor or gifts. such a fun idea! and not only did a get a few gifts made, but i walked away with some fun new ideas. oh, and yes. ting thinks i'm a huge nerd.

in my crafting furry i didn't snap any photos, but luckily emily captured a few crafts on her blog here and below.

{probably my favorite idea - the glitter is inside the ornaments using floor wax. instructions here}

{totally amazing wreath}

{an awesome yarn wreath}

{friendship bracelets with chain for easy on-and-off}

frames aren't just for photos.

have you ever bought a frame and realized you like it so much more without the photo in it? that sometimes, the photo kinda kills the feel of the frame? no? well, it happens to me and i decided to get creative during last weekend's redecorating spree.

we have a big grooved wood frame but i haven't found a photo that suits the frame, so i decided to frame a piece of lace and let the wood remain the star of the show. who says the photo has to be the focal point of a frame?

i love it now.

some other non-photo ideas for frames are scrapbook paper, a piece of awesome fabric, woven ribbons, old newspaper clipping, a ticket stub... the list is endless. plus, some of these are a super easy, inexpensive and low-commitment way to play with new colors and patterns around the house. you could do some really fun stuff with a bunch of white/black/wood frames plus some scrapbook paper or fabric swatches - instant color, texture & pattern. i love the idea of have a few designated "fabric" frames that rotate seasonally.

little treasures.

during a recent lunch break i hit up the melrose district to browse some vintage shops and found this silver footed tray with three glass dishes on top. for $29 i snatched it up and was on my way back to the office.

i can think of a 101 ways to use my newest vintage find.
-filled with different sized pillar candles during the holidays.
-to hold bottles of wine while entertaining.
-to sit on my dresser with perfumes, jewelry and girly things.
-on the bathroom sink filled with toiletry items.
-with the glass trays in for olives, nuts & appetizers.
...the list could go on and on. i love my little tray.

it's currently on the island with a candle, vase & apothecary jar filled for fall. holy moly it's november.

labor of love.

this wedding was a labor of love. so many people came together to make it special for colby and jake.

the timing of mine and ting's arrival in san diego was spot on. as we were checking-in to the hotel, colby and jake pulled up with a car stuffed full of wedding stuff. along with her family, i got to greet the bride the second she arrived for her wedding weekend! from that point forward, there was never a dull moment.

lisa and lauren took charge of the flowers - everything from finding a wholesale florist, calculating the order and then helping me and jenny channel our inner florists. on friday, a group of us took over the bridal condo (thank goodness we had so much space and multiple sinks) and worked on flowers nonstop from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. we made 15 centerpieces, 1 bridal bouquet, 7 bridesmaid bouquets, 13 boutonnieres and 6 wrist corsages! it was lots of work, but seriously so much fun. we had the music going, room service snacks and we were all together as the bride got settled in and greeted family and guests as they arrived for the festivities.

on top of the flowers, we assembled the welcome bags for hotel guests, stuffed 120 favor boxes with "N & B" chocolates, wrapped water bottles with custom labels and made buttons for the seating board.

 {hundreds of flowers to be unwrapped, de-leafed, trimmed and put into water}

 {we got resourceful and used champagne buckets to keep our flowers in water}

 {centerpiece making time}

{the florists}

{i may be bias, but absolutely gorgeous!}

 {bridesmaid bouquets with chocolate cosmos - so pretty! stored in the shower, duh}

 {colby with her little brother eric. such an awesome view from suite 1805}

 {before the bomb went off in the condo - cart after cart arriving filled with wedding things}

 {ting and colbs taking in the view}

 {love them}

 {our first photo of the weekend! we're here!}

 {colbs greeting family as they arrived. this is betty jo}

 {our view from the other direction - looking out towards balboa park}

 {jake holding one of our wrapped water bottles for the welcome bags}

 {the welcome bags getting stuffed! remember when we made them this DIY weekend?}

{colby's grandma joan took the diamonds from her mother's wedding ring and had them put into this bracelet for colby. so special.}

 {joan and colby after she gifted her the bracelet}

Oh, and in case you're wondering what the boys were up to while we were working on wedding things...

biking riding to balboa park

having brunches

lawn bowling lessons with an 85-year-old man named tom

checking out the local bar scene

laying out by the pool

{reed & ting biking around san diego}