Look of the Week: Oscar worthy.

Photos found here.

I always tell Stone that I wish there was a function one time a year that I could go to and wear a fancy gown and get dolled up. Now that prom is WAY over and all of our college formals are past I feel like I will not have an excuse to wear fancy dresses anymore. So, I will live vicariously through these beautiful famous ladies...

What were your favorites? Cate Blanchet, Michelle Williams, Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis win my vote for best dressed. I love, love the nudes and purples.

Weekend wrap up : Fun with family.

We had a whirlwind of a weekend.

Stone's parents were in town from Colorado, and we spent the weekend enjoying the beautiful California sunshine :) We took them to some of our favorite spots around town, "hiked" at Torrey Pines (nothing like actual Colorado hiking, but still...) and even made our famous homemade pizza (okay, so really it isn't famous, but it is so good that is should be!). Having guests is one thing that makes me dream about the day when we own a home with more than one bedroom and bathroom. I will be so thankful when that happens. Also, I will totally use this as an example to our children... "Your dad and I used to live in a house as big as our living room and you are complaining about sharing a bathroom with your sister, you should be thankful"... you know those stories that are so annoying to you when you were a kid, but you will most definitely use when you are a parent yourself.

Anyway, did you watch the Oscars? Not my favorite year of movies, except for Toy Story 3 of course. Also, I could definitely do without Anne Hathaway hosting... not my fav! Stone and I have not seen The King's Speech, but are definitely wanting to catch it while it is still in the theaters because of all of it's wins! Plus, I think Colin Firth is pretty great, but after 'Bridget Jones's Diary', what girl does not like him?

Happy Monday everyone, xo.

Have an adventurous weekend.

Photo taken by my sweet, sweet husband.

Happy Friday!

My in-laws came into town last night from Colorado, and even though this weekend the high is only in the 60s (brrr) they feel like they are getting a break from the cold. So far we have had breakfast at our favorite spot and gone to Bull Taco right on the ocean for some burritos with a view! We love to have visitors and Encinitas is definitely a fun town to play host. I also like when people come visit because you get to do things you may normally not, and are a bit more adventurous :) Last year for our anniversary Stone and I went to Denver and stayed at a hotel then kind of played visitor in our own home town. Have you ever done that?

Anyway... in other news, the Oscars are this weekend! I have to say that I am mostly looking forward to the red carpet... but, aren't we all? We don't have cable so I am hoping to find somewhere online that is streaming it live. Honestly, I am not too up on my movie watching so I have not seen a lot of the nominees, but these awards always give me a good idea of what I need to rent. If you have not seen the nominations you can go here to check them out.

Here are some links to keep you busy this weekend. xo!

A trendy bracelet... DIY!

Pizza essentials, yes please!

The dream closet! So much style inspiration... I am loving this.

Sunday brunch, anyone?

Some beautiful jewelry to add to your lust list.

Not sure how I feel about this. No scratch that, I am sure and I think it is gross.

Food to Love: Pulled Pork Tacos

This is my go-to recipe. I know it is always delicious, it requires very little hands on time and makes enough for us to have left overs for a few days after. All good things! I also make it for friends a lot and have recently had a few people email me for the recipe, so I thought I would go ahead and share it with you all. You will need a crock pot for this one, so if you don't have one it is an investment worth getting. Trust me, the return on that purchase is a good one :)

Pulled Pork Tacos

2 - 2.5 lb pork tenderloin

1/2 white onion slices thin

1 c BBQ sauce

1tsp minced garlic

salt & pepper

Sprinkle tenderloin liberally with pepper and sparingly with salt. Place tenderloins in a slow cooker. Combine onions, BBQ sauce and garlic then pour over tenderloin. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8-9 hours.

Using two forks shred the meat and place in a large bowl with remaining liquid. Toss to combine.

I usually slice some avocado, add some corn and squeeze a lime on top. SO delicious!

Now, let me tell you about the special tortillas featured above. This is a little trick we just learned from a friend and I think it takes this meal to an entire new level. Heat 1/3 cup of olive oil in a skillet on high, place your flour tortilla in the skillet for 30 seconds then flip. 30 seconds on the other side. Pull the tortilla out and it will be a bit crunchier, but still moldable and make them into little shells. It's the best :)

Enjoy! xo.

PATTERN and POP!

Decorate your table with this PATTERNED dinner plate and spice it up with a POP of color and fun like that salad plate.

She + He = We : Our engagement story.

3 years ago today Stone proposed to me... and I said yes.

I had written the story of our engagement down in a moleskin journal a few days after the proposal. I pulled out the journal this morning and read what I had written... and it was lovely, but I had left our all of the great details that made the engagement humorous, and unique to us.

So here goes...

Stone and I got engaged on Town Lake in Austin, Texas. He had just recently moved to Texas and employed a few of my friends to help him pull the whole thing off (and we are still to this day so grateful for their help and support on that day!). Stone was insistent to me that we leave to head to Austin at 8, which when you are in college you never really greet the sun so early, so I knew something had to be up. I am a classic girl (meaning I read into everything) and had already decided he was going to propose, I had decided that he was so amped up to leave early because we were actually catching a flight to somewhere really awesome (like California or Colorado). The week leading up my friends could not keep a straight face to save their lives. They were giving it away left and right... even taking me to get my nails done and insisting that I get a French Manicure (cough, cough... Kirbie).

So, there I sat on Saturday morning, bright and early with beautiful nails waiting to be picked up by my soon to be fiance.

When he got there I felt like it was a first date all over again, the expectations of the day were almost unbearable. The drive to Austin was great, we just sang, talked and laughed together. Then, about 30 minutes outside of the city the butterflies came back. My mind was racing as to when he would tell me we were actually headed to the airport. But, instead Stone slipped a new CD into the changer and a Tristan Prettyman song came on (one of my favorites) and he then announced that the big surprise was that he got us tickets to the concert that night.

When I heard this my mood quickly changed from great to awful. I was expecting a trip and an engagement, but just realized that I was getting neither! So the rest of the morning I spent quite annoyed, and that annoyance was only escalated when we got into town and decided to go to brunch, but Stone had made zero plans for the day. I thought that I woke up at 7 and got dressed up for nothing.

After some food and shopping we headed to a park to enjoy the day and hopefully brighten my mood too. As soon as we stepped out of the car Stone grabbed my hand and raced me across the park lawn, explaining he was just trying to find a good spot to sit. He was so in the zone he actually walked us right through a soccer game that was going on. We ended up walking along the lake getting big smiles and thumbs up from everyone we passed. This seemed weird. What was happening though, was that all of these people were passing the proposal spot and then seeing us, putting two and two together, and doing a terrible job at keeping it all a secret.

We walked up to a little white row boat complete with flower petals and a basket of goodies and I knew. This was it. Stone rowed us out to the middle of Town Lake and what you can't see from the photos is that there were actually tons of people on the lake rowing by, laying out, listening to music and basically interrupting OUR moment. Stone proposed with a lengthy spiel which I can remember none of and handed me the most beautiful ring I have ever seen... ever. The rest of the day was kind of a beautiful blur. Our friends surprised us for dinner at Shady Grove and we all enjoyed the concert together. The end.

Love you more than ever husband.

Inspiration board : Contain yourself.

There is nothing I like more then a nicely organized space.

Now that Stone and I have decided to live in a closet (I mean... a 500 sq ft apartment) we have a lot of containing to do. Well, before that we had a lot of purging that had to be done. I was happy to do it too. If you ever need someone to help you get rid of things I am your girl! I would so rather live simply then live in clutter. Do you agree? That show about hoarders literally makes my skin crawl. Still, when you live in a space as small as mine it is crucial to be organized and keep everything in their own little homes. Offices, bathrooms, and kitchens are the main places that I love organize. I am still working on my bathroom. We have very long narrow drawers, so I am trying to find the right containers for my make-up and jewels. If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear :)

So, I did some looking around and found some fun and cute ways to keep your things contained. I hope it inspires you to stay organized and maybe even get rid of a few things ;)

1 - The perfect bag for newspapers, magazines, remote controls. Or I thought you could keep your re-usable grocery bags in it and use it at the farmer's market. Love it!

2 - Mmmm, I am in love with these pouches by Rennes. And ladies, you need these pouches if you are like me and have purses the size of a travel carry-on. Maybe organize your things into different colored pouches (lip gloss in pink, hair ties & bobby pins in green, money in black)! This could get expensive...

3 - Storage for your coffee... also, will help keep it fresh!

4 - I have been eyeing these ceramic berry baskets for a long time now. They are pretty great and would be a pretty way to keep your berries!

5 - A beautiful way to keep your jewelry. I have a few jewelry boxes and keep all of my really special things in them on my nightstand.

6 - This is my weakness. For some reason I love keeping magazines. We get Dwell, Real Simple and In Style and I cannot bring myself to throw them away after reading. I have this funny idea that my kids are really going to enjoy flipping through them, which is probably so false. Oh well, if this sound like you, you might need one (or two, or three) of these!

7 - Just plain cute. Ideally it would hold things like fresh flowers and fruit from the market. In reality, I would probably keep a rain poncho, towel and my bike light in it :)

8 - Pantone tin boxes for all of your office supply nick-nacks. Another way to organize by color...

Tuesday tunes : Brought to you by us.

Stone and I spent a little time this weekend making a video for our photo site. It was fun and hopefully it will help our clients get a little idea of who we are or what we are like. We think we are going to try to make a new one every so often, just because we had such a great time doing it, and Stone got to use his film skillzzz again, which he so enjoyed. This season of weddings coming up is a bit strange for us because we are traveling to so many weddings all over and will not meet our bride and grooms until their big day! Anyway, we thought this might be a good way to introduce ourselves. So, in lieu of music today here it is... enjoy! xo.

Look of the week : Slouchy with style.

Have you heard the news?

The "Boyfriend Jean" is back.

I am still totally on the fence with this one. Yes, on a tiny little frame this style jean looks so great! But, when you have hips, I feel they are a little questionable. I like the ones above because they are not too baggy or loose looking, but still have the comfy and relaxed vibe. Unfortunately the price tag on those babies is not too friendly. That always happens though, right? I always think it is funny how fashion magazines have sections in them called "Deals & Steals" when what they really mean is that it is under $1,000 so us normal girls can have something a little more reasonable to dream about :)

Anyway, I thought this look would be great for a weekend lunch with friends! Hope you like it as much as I do.

P.S. I want those wedges in every color, they seem like the perfect shoe!

Sunglasses - Banana Republic

Top - Calypso

Bangles - Madewell

Jeans - AG

Bag - Madewell

Shoes - Urban Outfitters

Weekend wrap up : Sweet treats.

Happy President's Day!

But, let's be serious... we are mostly happy today because it means that we all have an extended weekend. So lovely. I hope you are doing something fun today and enjoying it. I have to tell you that Stone and I spent over 6 hours this weekend tracking down new iPhones. Seriously! And it is not like we are even tech lovers and were obsessed with the idea of owning a new iPhone. Quite the opposite, we almost actually gave up! All we wanted was a simple upgrade, but all AT&T stores in the San Diego area had run out of iPhone 4s, the Apple store completely screwed up our lines and made it impossible for us to be eligible for an upgrade, and in the end Best Buy came through for us. Phew! Not how we want to spend our weekend. So we (really meaning just I...) had to to treat ourselves to some cupcakes from Sprinkles! Have you ever had cupcakes from them? They are so delicious! A store just opened near us and has a line around the building at all hours... crazy, right? But, we were up for waiting and ended up with four different yummy flavors... dark chocolate, red velvet, carrot and black&white!

So to wrap things up, we may have run into some unfortunate roadblocks this weekend, but all in all we ended up with some pretty sweet treats! xo.

Photos above taken on my NEW iPhone... woohoooo!

Have a cozy weekend.

Good morning. I woke up to the sound of rain, which never makes me eager to get out of bed. But, the good news is that it is Friday and if I am feeling that way tomorrow when I wake up, then I can choose to turn over and keep on snoozing. A lovely feeling. I have to say I am welcoming this weekend of rain here with open arms because I was getting a little worried that every day in Southern California is sunny and 72. Not that that is anything to really complain about, it was just starting to feel a little Truman Show-esque.

So... any big plans this weekend? Tonight Stone and I are hosting a couple friends for dinner, we are making shish-kabobs and I am SO excited. Then, fingers crossed, we can convince our friends to play a few games. We are gamers (as in the board variation... not video) ... especially on rainy Friday nights! Our favorites have to be dominoes, SkipBo, and Taboo. Anyway, enough about that. Tomorrow we may be headed up to LA to see Stone's sister and sister-in-law... they took a little weekend trip from Colorado. I would LOVE to see them both, however, I would not love to drive to LA. The freeways here actually scare me, and that is crazy because I am from Dallas!

Lastly Stone and I may be making a big upgrade to these this weekend! Do you have one? Do you like it? For the past year or so my phone has stopped even ringing (literally, it will only vibrate) so I think it is time and I am pumped. I have never been able to check email or get internet on any phone I have owned so this could be huge. I may actually even start to Tweet more :)

Here are some lovely links! xo.

Someone, PLEASE come over and make my hair look like this!

Who says your iPad can't have some style too?

I love this... is that shameful?

We were featured this week here! Check it out.

These ribbon collection bags are pretty fantastic!

PATTERN and POP!

Replace your old worn out sofa with this patterned one, and add a pop to the room by decorating with a statement mirror.

SHE + HE : Valentine's date.

Stone and I love a good meal... especially when that meal involves pizza. So, we thought for Valentine's day that we would try out this local pizza place that just opened. All of the ingredients come from local farms and is organic. Needless to say the pizza was incredible! The entire evening we were serenaded with classic 80s rock, which made for a pretty great atmosphere too :) By the way, have you ever had burrata? It is this creamy cheese that you spread on bread and it is oh so tasty! Stone and I think it totally trumps fresh mozzarella, and that is big time.

We had made plans after to watch a classic love movie (like An Affair to Remember or Breakfast at Tiffany's), but when we got home both realized we would both fall asleep to that sort of movie so chose to watch 'A Good Year' instead. If you have not seen it you should, it is pretty great!

xo.

Food to Love : Acai Bowl

Since moving here, Stone and I have found a new love. And it is served in a bowl. A big delicious bowl.

There are a couple restaurants that have different versions of this Acai Bowl, but we have found Swami's to be our favorite. I think it has to do with the huge patio outside where you eat, good atmosphere always makes food taste better! Either way, we know we find ourselves there about once a week just to enjoy one of these incredible creations. So, I have resolved to learn how to make it myself and save a buck or two. I did some investigation, found the recipe, and thought I would share with you! It is the perfect lunch and super filling. Enjoy!

Swami's Acai Bowl

this recipe goes in layers, starting from the bottom...

1 cup homemade granola

2 cups Acai Smoothie

(blend frozen blueberries, boysenberries, bananas and strawberries)

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

1/2 cup frozen boysenberries

handful of strawberries

1 banana

2 tbs bee pollen

1/4 cup coconut

Inspiration board : Sweet and soft.

I am hoping that this inspiration board is truly inspiring for you this week as most of them are things that I have just recently discovered and fell in love with. Isn't that just the best? Especially when you find out about really incredible desserts, candles or bed sheets... nothing beats that really :) What is your favorite thing to discover? I just asked husband (who is sitting next to me booking flights for upcoming weddings we are shooting) and he says it is the best when you discover you can do something that you had never tried before. Perhaps he is talking about our recent adventures in hot yoga. Maybe he was not sure that he could actually touch his toes. I am not going to confirm this as he is so deep into his thoughts right now that he is talking to himself. Oh, husband, I love you and I especially love that you have come to yoga with me even if you think it is lame.

Hope you feel inspired today.

1 : I had never seen a photo of the other Olsen sister, Elizabeth. And, I think this one is just stunning, really, such a beautiful black+white portrait. Kind of makes me want a floppy black hat too.

2 : Three things that are great about these lockets. They are made in France (so you can tell people it is just a French design... no biggie), they are long, and they have a lacquered pop of color! Love them.

3 : Mochi ice cream balls are husband and my dessert of choice as of late. Lucky for us, Trader Joe's sells them in a multitude of flavors :)

4 : Kobo candles are the best, take it from someone who has tried them all. My favorite thing about them is that they are soy and burn clean. We recently burned a candle in our house and had a layer of black soot on everything afterward!

5 : My favorite pring by Casey Ohngren is the hot pink hand holding. Love the hot pink!

6 : I think this house is pretty fantastic. Especially the wallpaper and printed tiles in the kitchen. Definitely going into my folder for home inspiration (when we do actually buy a home... one day...).

7 : Anthropologie just launched it's wedding collection. This could be reason enough for us to renew our vows!

8 : A small secret... Stone and I still sleep on his bed sheets from college. Eww, right? I am ordering a set of these from West Elm and just cannot wait to get them.

xo.

Tuesday tunes : Who knows who cares.

Stone and I had so much fun going to listen to live music this past weekend. Oddly enough, we have not been to a concert in forever. We used to spend our weekends in college chasing concerts all over Texas (mostly in Austin and mostly folk-ish music, I just love folk music). My all time favorite concert was The Weepies. It was just very small and cozy, it felt like they were my parents singing me to sleep or something! So lovely. The best part of last weekends' concert was that each member in the band could play about 4 instruments and they incorporated all of them into their music. I love the piano and strings mostly, and I really want to start taking piano lessons again. Or join a choir. Either one.

By the way, the photo above was taken by husband on our trip to San Francisco! If you have not seen these photos you should check them out here, I just love them.

Enjoy! xo.

Look of the week : Cinched with a belt.

A good friend of mine came over last week for lunch and was wearing something similar to the look above. It was perfect and I would have never of thought to do it! Basically you throw the denim shirt over your dress, do not button it, but cinch it with a skinny belt. Viola! You have the look. I like it most because it has a bit of Texas flare, all you need is a bouffant hair-do and some red finger nails :)

By the way, I am in love with those boots above. I think the color is pretty perfect to wear with just about anything. They are definitely high up on my wish list!

Necklace - Madewell

Shirt - JCrew

Dress - Rebecca Taylor

Belt - Gap

Tights - John Lewis

Boots - Frye

Weekend wrap up : Happy Valentine's Day.

Hello.

How was your weekend? Like I said we started our weekend without plans, and learned quickly that when you make no plans for your weekend it soon becomes filled anyway. We cannot complain though, because we had a fantastic two days. Saturday was spent on the beach with friends (it was 75 and sunny all weekend!), then we headed into San Diego that night for a concert and then dinner after. It reminded me of college again, eating dinner at 11 PM, it is good to do that every once in a while I suppose. My favorite part of the weekend was walking down to the end of our street to watch the sunset. This is one of the things I love about where we live, everyone in our neighborhood seems to meet on weekend nights at the end our our street to watch the sun go down over the ocean. I feel so lucky to have lived now in two beautiful towns. Boulder was right at the base of the Rocky Mountains and now living right by the ocean. Sometimes I forget to appreciate it, so this weekend to sit and watch the ocean in all it's glory was pretty great.

Now, I have to tell you a secret...

Yesterday we released the balloons you see above into the sky. Right after I let go I had a bit of a panic attack. I immediately checked to see if it was illegal and it was not, whew! But then I spent the next couple of hours worrying if a plane was going to crash because it hit them, or if they would would pop and fall onto someones car that was driving on the freeway and cause them to get into a wreck. Terrible, terrible thoughts. I checked the news this morning though, no plane crashes or car wrecks were caused by 12 red heart balloons yesterday... thank goodness, I can rest easy.

So happy Valentin's day to you. Do you remember way back when we were in elementary school and this day was so huge for us? We had tons of little handmade cards to divide into our classmates' decorated shoeboxes. That is what it is all about, and we knew it as kids, today is about calling the people you love and telling them just that. I hope you have a wonderful day and eat a few extra chocolates in celebration! xo.

SHE + HE : Making some weekend plans.

Happy Friday! Stone and I are a little happy to say we have absolutely zero plans this weekend. This maybe happens just once or twice a year so we will take full advantage and do whatever we want. It almost makes me a little giddy inside to say those words. I put together an ideal day date for the two of us. Of course, this would start out on our bikes because we rarely ride them but love it so much. Preferably it would be some sweet bikes like these from PUBLIC, but because we forgot to plant the money tree in our backyard we will stick to our old rusted cruisers instead. Next, we would spend some time at a little coffee spot having breakfast and reading at a leisurely pace (I love doing things at a leisurely pace on the weekends, don't you?). Also, it is rare that there is time in the week to read for fun, so any chance I get I take it :) After that we would head to the Farmers' Market to pick up some veggies, flowers and maybe a few of my favorite dips. I have been wondering if these outdoor markets are just going on in California right now and since the rest of you all are freezing, if you have them at all at this time of the year? Maybe they have them going on indoors somewhere...

Anyway, back to the date. One of our favorite things to do is grill pizzas. We always were big fans of making homemade pizzas, but when you grill them it takes it to a whole new level. So, we would spend the evening making pizza, chatting and of course ending on a sweet note. That sweet note hopefully would be cookies from here, because I have been dying to try them ever since we moved here!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Relax and enjoy a couple of days off!

xo.

Feeling crafty : Heart headband

A long while ago I saved a link to this post from a blog called KatieDid. Unfortunately she stopped blogging, but she had some really great craft ideas and always inspired me to sew... I still don't sew though, but really would love to learn! My dream would be able to make cute dresses for our kids (assuming we have a couple girls) and even be able to modify some of the things in my closet. I feel like I have a handful of dresses I don't wear anymore because they are too long, too big, or just could use some updating. Perhaps I should add this to my growing list of resolutions... learn to sew... and get a sewing machine I suppose.

Anyway, because it is almost Valentine's day I decided to modify her heart headband and make my own. I actually like hers more, but again, I do not sew. So, I did the best I could and think it came out pretty great! All you need are some felt heart cut-outs (Michaels has them already cut), needle and thread, and grosgrain ribbon. I matched the hearts on either side of the ribbon, then using a needle and thread secured them :) Pretty simple and a fun accessory for Vday.

xo.

That's a wrap : Courtney + Laren

Even more awesome than Laren and Courtney's stunning good looks is their incredible love story and passion for people. Laren is the founder of a non-profit based in San Diego called Invisible Children. Through the use of film, creativity and social action Invisible Children is actively contributing to the restoration of peace and prosperity in Northern Uganda. Courtney actually met Laren when she spent a semester in college volunteering on a team whose mission was to spread the word about Invisible Children. Laren and Courtney have been married two years now, and both Stone and myself feel so fortunate to call them friends. We had an incredible time shooting with them amongst a Eucalyptus tree grove and ending with a walk on the beach. Hope you enjoy a few of our favorites ...

PS. You should definitely go check out Laren's proposal film here (It's full of classic cinema goodness).

Go HERE to see more of this shoot!

Inspiration board : Boom Boom Pow.

Valentine's day is oh so soon, which means it is time for me to get a little bit mushy on you. Just a bit. Meaning this week my inspiration board includes things such as chocolate bars, lingerie and flowers, because that is what this day is all about. And really, if you are honest with yourself, who does not like those things? Stone and I actually do not make much of a big deal on Valentine's day except, like I have mentioned before, I love gift giving (and receiving too, I suppose!) so we usually get each other a little something, order take-out and watch a couple classic love movies. My favorites are Sleepless in Seattle and When Harry Met Sally, clearly I am a fan of Meg Ryan. I also remember when I was not married and the thought of making plans on Valentine's day made me wish I could just blink my eyes and February would just jump from the 13th to the 15th. But, have you seen the movie Valentine's Day? The singles party that they throw complete with a heart pinata is the best idea ever. If I were single, that is what I would be doing, throwing a party and perhaps even decorating with those great pink poms above! So whether or not you are excited about Valentine's day, I hope you found some inspiration from this post. xo.

1 : We can just admit every party looks better with a bunch of pom poms hanging from the ceiling. Am I right? Well, if Martha agrees (and she should because these are designed by her), then I suppose that I am!

2 : If you have not seen Valentine's Day, you should. I love everything in it except Ann Hathaway's role... yikes!

3&5 : It is always nice to wear something fancy to sleep every now and again. The turqoise one looks pretty comfy and I love the little jumper except it is not quite conducive to a middle of the night bathroom run...

4 : I am still wanting to try out red lipstick, this shade looks just about right!

6 : These macarons look delicious, and the colors make for a fun little gift. Have you ever tried to make these homemade? I would like to one day, but it is almost like one of those things you should just enjoy as a treat now and again and never have to work for...

7 : Pink peonies = Perfection

8 : A bow that you can clip onto anything. I would probably find a way to wear it every day!

9 : I have been hearing about these chocolates for a while now and I must try them. Chocolate is my weakness and it is a good one to have :)

Tuesday tunes : Love languages

Good morning! Today instead of music I have posted two incredible videos that were made to advertise EF Language Schools. Not only do these videos make me want to travel, they also make me want to learn a new language, which is probably exactly what their marketing team wants to hear. I always have a running list of places I want to visit and Paris (as well as Greece and Italy) are on the top right now. There are a lot of reasons why I want to go to Paris. I have always idealized it a bit, and any video or film I have seen that is set there has only made it look more amazing. My roommate from college has also moved there and loves it, so when we go (which I am hoping is this year) we have a built in tour guide!

Anyway, these videos are beautifully made and tell great stories. They have also made one for Beijing and London! So go here to check them out.

Look of the week : Bold and beautiful.

I don't really have a "color". A few years ago I noticed that there was too much black going on in my closet and since then have made a genuine effort to by colorful clothing. But, when it comes to what color I choose there is no rhyme or reason. For example, if I am at a store and a specific top comes in three colors, I will most likely choose which ever color I think I have least of in my closet. Good plan, right? That is unless it is red. For some reason I cannot bring myself to choose red. Maybe it is because the color is so bold. Either way I am adding onto my resolutions this year to wear more red. And try red lipstick too! I always envy girls with beautiful red lips so I think I need to try it out myself :)

Above is a beautiful Valentine's get-up and I hope you find some inspiration for whatever you plan on wearing this coming Monday. I think the look is fun and flirty, and anything with a ruffle is good in my book!

Earrings - JCrew

Dress - Shoshanna

Bracelet - Pergolina

Clutch - Kate Spade

Lip Color - Sephora

Shoes - JCrew

Weekend wrap up : Number one fan.

How was your weekend? We had one of those weekends where it feels like the only time we were actually at our own house was to sleep. Needless to say, all of that cleaning that I had planned to do did not get done this weekend... oh well.

I cannot complain really because we were having dinners with friends, attending Super Bowl parties and shooting some incredible photos of a beautiful couple in a Eucalyptus tree grove (I cannot wait to show you)! We also made time to stop by my favorite stand at the Farmer's Market. It has the most amazing hummus, dips and tapas. I always get a couple things for my lunches... my favorite is a basil, sundried tomato and feta dip. Absolutely delicious!

So, did you all watch the Super Bowl? Really, we mostly hung out with friends with it playing along in the background :) I do remember way back when I was in elementary school and our team (Dallas Cowboys) was playing in the Super Bowl. It was a huge deal for Dallas and my school made an entire week out of celebrating it. I was so bummed, though, because I had no Cowboy gear to wear to school. My parent's are hockey fans, so if we were celebrating the Stars I would have had plenty of paraphernalia for that. Anyway, I begged my mom to go get me a Cowboys outfit and I remember her telling me I could wear blue, silver and white and it would be just as good. I went to bed that night pretty upset, but when I woke up there was an entire Cowboys outfit complete with buttons and a hat waiting for me. It was like the football fairy came to visit over night. The best thing ever.

And that was the first and last time that I actually cared about the Super Bowl, or at least what I was wearing for it. xo.

Have a warm friday.

Good morning! As you can probably tell I have been re-vamping the site this week and I hope you like it. Again, this blog for me is a creative outlet and just simply fun. Husband and I are going to try our best to start bringing our camera out more, so hopefully it will start to include a lot more of our photography and lives. This morning when I woke up, my brain simply forgot to get up along with me. Hopefully this will not last all day. But, I am at a loss of what I want to start doing to fill up my Fridays on this blog. Each day of the week is going to be dedicated to specific posts, I am just not sure about Friday yet. Any suggestions feel free to send my way.

Until then, can we talk about the snow?! Crazy.

So, while the rest of you in America are curled up in your robe with some hot cocoa, think of me here in sunny California and know that I am jealous. I want some of that weather, just for a week. It really is the coziest thing so enjoy it. Stone and I have a photo shoot outside this weekend so I guess it is better that we have sun and 70 degree weather right now.

Have a great weekend y'all, here are some links to love! xo.

The Earth at night. Pretty incredible.

Valentine's gift ideas for your man!

Something tasty to warm you up...

Lovely looks for Spring, I cannot wait!

A fun baby nursery.

Global warming protest!

Food to Love : Homemade Ice Cream

So usually my routine after work goes as follows:

> Sit in traffic for 45 minutes (thank you California).

> Come home.

> Kiss husband.

> Immediately change into my PJs.

We recently watched an episode of some sitcom, where the newly married husband was complaining that his hot wife immediately de-hottens herself when she walks in the door after work. Make-up off, hair up, and comfys on. I get that men may be a little surprised by this, perhaps the husbands of the world were expecting Betty Francis (from Mad Men) to be waiting at the door in pearls. I am not sure. All I know is that I compensate for my PJ attire when I get home with yummy treats... like homemade ice cream.

And it makes him smile, and forget that I am in a pair of torn up boxers ;)

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

This does require a bit of an investment. You will need one of these, but it is so worth it!

1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup granulated sugar

pinch salt

2 cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, whisk to combine milk, sugar and salt until sugar is dissolved.

Stir in heavy cream and vanilla.

Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours.

Turn on your ice cream maker and pour the mixture into the frozen freezer bowl.

Let mix until thickened, about 20 minutes.

If you are planning on adding any extra treats (ie. peanut butter cups, strawberries, or oreos) do so after 15 minutes of mixing.

The ice cream will be soft, so usually, we stick it in the freezer for another 30 minutes or so.

Enjoy!

Inspiration board : Color & Style.

Hello lovies. Depending on where you are living right now, you are quite possibly freezing, and those cold smoothies definitely do not look like something you would want to partake in at the moment. Sorry about that, you must remember that I wore flip-flops on the beach today and a cool drink sounds just perfect :) I am sad, however, to have missed the snow day that everyone I know seems to be enjoying today. Stone did say this morning, what if we decide to have kids here and they never know what a snow day off of school is like? Well, that would be a bummer... but, the perfect weather in exchange is nothing to scoff at. So if you are one that got to stay home today, then grab a warm drink and get cozy (maybe even turn on that incredible music mix right below) because you are about to be inspired!

1 : It is everything about this look, really. From the tuxedo jacket to the tailored jean shorts. I am in love with EmersonMade's design and how stinkin' cute she is... but, you know that by now.

2 : Quite a fitting poster for these times. I have not gotten into tweeting just yet. Yes, I do have a Twitter name and if you want to follow me it is @shelbycrandall. I promise I am going to try to be better at it so you can follow me in hopes that I do :)

3 : Mmmm, love Anthropologie's wallpaper. It is pretty perfect. When I own a house (fingers crossed in the next 5 years) I may just wallpaper every room... and the ceilings. I just may.

4 : V cards for your lover.

5 : I would like one, in every design, in every color.

6 : If only I could crochet then my lame felt heart garland would be way more cooler. Someone teach me please!

7 : I imagine this room to be in the attic of a barn, one that has lots of sweet animals, beautiful rows of herbs and veggies and maybe a few kids playing on the tire swing. Seems about right!

8 : Oh my, oh my, oh my! I am not one for replacing meals with smoothies or juices, but with ingredients like these it sounds delightful.

9 : This is my newest hair style love. I have attempted it a couple times and failed, but, will press on until I get it right! Have you tried it?

xo.

Tuesday tunes.

Welcome to February, and in honor of the month, here are a few songs about love (not too mushy though... I realize we get enough of that this month as it is!). So, sit back and enjoy! xo.