risk.

walk on the wild side today. just because you can.

love it.

i saw this on the front page of etsy this morning and i'm completely in love.

minus the odd facial piercing, of course. not really my style.

found on etsy.

i scream you scream.

my next summer adventure?

this cute little ice cream shop called Ici Ice Cream in Berkeley.

i'm sure it won't take much convincing to get some travel companions.

found on ici ice cream.

forever young.

after spending the weekend at my parents' house this weekend, i remembered how much i love all of the "kid art" on the walls of the house. after three kids and many "i want to be an artist when i grow up" phases, the walls feature beautifully, and uniformly framed pastel drawings, embellished handprints, wood block sculpture and 100th Day of School projects.

i love my mommy. and the fact there her Art History degree from UC Berkeley has resulted in the framed fabulousness of the early-90's to mid-00's period of our family. and beyond, i'm sure.

amelia earhart day

one of the first biographies i read was one of miss earhart. 

a truly inspirational woman, she has inspired more than just ladies in the air.

ruffle.

my dear KM went on vacation this past week and brought me home a bag i've been 

pining for over the past year. 

i am honored to say that i am the new owner of the adorable green version, 

though mine is in the more practical tote bag size. 

thank you!

found on india rose.

must have.

this is really cute. 

i wish i could guesstimate my size. 

found on fred flare.

pretty pitchers.

these hot summer months call for proper hydration. 

i have found some beautiful pitchers lately, and i'm really digging the white.

found on pottery barn.

found on west elm.

found on macys.

found on gumps.

woody

inspired by a potential camping trip this weekend, i think it is more than appropiate the share one of my latest obsessions:

wood grain.

i bought this great packaging tape today, and i can't wait to get some more designs. i'll have to find more excuses to send packages now. (not that i'm complaining.)

found on tapeswell.

love. love. love.

found on miniot.

as usual, pottery barn hits the mark. i wish that i could find a good spot for this in my apartment:

found on pottery barn.

keeping squeaky clean never looked this good.

found on gianna rose atelier.

and it's (k)not wood just fuels my fire.

national nude day

and in honor of that, i would like to share this great commercial. 

which just happens to feature my dear [and naked] friend MG.

final verdict.

i love chicago.

i can not wait to go back and i have about a million more things i will love to do.

what was accomplished?

deep dish pizza. architecture river cruise. navy pier. millennium park. el train. wrigley. white sox. humidity. magnificent mile. american girl place. cubs. hot dogs. art institute. grant park. buckingham fountain. field museum. university of chicago. hyde park. more deep dish pizza. john hancock observatory. oak park. frank llyod wright. o'hare.

it's not about the bike.

bright side.

and if you're lucky, you'll learn from each and every one of them.

national cheer up the lonely day

it may be easier said than done, but i sure can try.

turn up the music.

start a gratitude journal.

accept compliments.

send yourself flowers.

put on your best outfit and work on your catwalk.

call a long-lost friend.

sing in the shower 

go outside. take a deep breath.

forgive and forget.

list goals you'll accomplish by the end of this year.

make brownies.

and most importantly:

fingerpaint.

hopefully these will help:

The Way You Make Me Feel - Michael Jackson

That's the Way (I Like It) - KC & the Sunshine Band

I've Got the World on a String - Frank Sinatra

Dancing in the Street - Martha Reeves & the Vandells

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah - Louis Armstrong

Come On Get Happy - The Partridge Family

That's the Way (I Like It) - KC & the Sunshine Band

Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond

Life Is a Highway - Tom Cochrane

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life - Monty Python

ilya bolotowsky.

visited the chicago institute of art today. 

saw some classic. monet, van gogh, hopper, wood, o'keeffe. 

saw some new. russian/american artist ilya bolotowsky. kind of love this one.

grey diamond, 1955

oil on canvas, mounted on panel

grey diamond, detail one

grey diamond, detail two

bistro 110.

chicken pot pie.

chicago, il.

second city

currently visiting chicago for my first time.

after 18 hours, i'm pretty much in love.

more to follow.

the el train.

chicago, il

technicolor pillow fight.

these ikat pillows on etsy are absolutely adorable.

the ikat thing wasn't my thing at first, but after seeing such different renditions of it the past few seasons, and plus the added bonus for being a sucker for color and prints, it's kind of growing on me.

and for $40, they are a great pop of color on some summery, crisp white sheets without being a huge overbearing statement.

found on etsy.

take note.

these new moleskin volant mini ruled notebooks are my new favorite thing.

perfectly sized, wonderfully blank and amazingly durable.

i'll take one in every color.

found on moleskin.

boxtastic.

i found these adorable boxes at borders today. they were shockingly less expensive than the plain brown boxes they had. these bold, flowery boxes will be fantastic for wrapping some much belated birthday presents.

now only if i could find a way to line my drawer with that pattern.

found on paperchase.

my 4th.

nobody does it better than sonoma does.

parade. carnival. fireworks.

and damn proud of it.

happy 4th of july.

hello lucky.

i literally can not find a single thing that i dislike about this wedding invitation collected.

aside from the fact that i'm not getting married any time soon.

found on hello lucky.

here we go.

and with that, i've entered the blogosphere.

greetings.