Lauren Moffatt

I first read about this designer here and have just fallen in love with her beautiful collections. Her clothes are so whimsical and fun... I would want to wear everything in her collection from the 70s inspired dresses to the motorcycle jackets, it is all perfect! Below are just a few of my favorites for Fall, but you can go here to see all of her looks... AND she is having a sample sale today in NYC so if you live there, you are in luck :)

Going to sample sales in NYC (which I have never been to) remind me of that scene in Shopaholic where there are hundreds of woman tumbling over each other and fighting over boots... yikes!

Also, she has another beautiful line (below) that is called the 'Honeymooner' collection! Love it.

Nestrest.

Good morning. Are these not the coolest reading nooks you have ever seen? It is a beautiful day here in California and I wish so badly that I A. owned one of these and B. did not have work so I could spend all day reading in it!

Seriously, these have been added to my 'list' of awesome things that I would love to have in my future home. Everyone needs a Nestrest :)

Tuesday tunes.

I love this cover of Elton John's 'Your Song'. I think this British singer, Ellie Goulding, has a very fresh and unique voice. I feel like I could listen to forever and hope to hear more!

I first heard about her here.

A to Z

I am in a rut.

I have about 20 recipes (if that) in my repertoire and that is about it for our options when it comes to dinner. That is why I was so excited to read about this new cooking guide called A to Z! But, even more then recipes, it has a full list of ingredients that you may or may not use on a regular bases. For instance, I have always wanted to make dishes with artichokes, but, it is not something I ever have on hand or that any of my recipes call for. So, you can go to the menu, choose artichokes, read all about them and then see recipes that include that ingredient.

AND, one other thing I have to tell you about! Real Simple has put a section on this site to find fresh ingredients in your area, just enter your zip code and you will be sent a list of great areas near you to buy organically.

Are you Christmas shopping yet?

When do you start shopping for Christmas gifts? I usually am pretty slow to get started, but I know some people who are constantly thinking about what to get others for Christmas and will shop year round! If you are like me, and secretly do not like the whole Christmas shopping experience (long lines and crowded parking lots) then you are probably happy, too, with the emergence of so many great online 'one stop' shops! I found this one called Twine, this morning and feel like it is the perfect site to find gifts for all of the girls on my list. Above are just some of the great things, go here to see more.

There are also sites like Etsy and Terrain that you can explore for Christmas, too!

Enjoy! xo.

Weekend wrap up.

Well, our weekend flew past us, as it alway seems to do! I have a habit of making lists, and always seem make a rather extensive one for the weekends... mostly errands to run, people to call or see, and chores that need to get done around our home. More often than not these lists are so long that even if I did dedicate my entire weekend to completing everything on them, I would still not have enough time. This weekend I feel like I got nothing done from my lists other than the loads of laundry that just had to be washed because the pile was taking up our entire bedroom! But, on to a new week and an entire different set of lists... of course :)

Our weekend was spent hanging out with friends, however, which was way better than doing chores around the house. We spent yesterday watching two of our friends run the Silver Strand Half Marathon on Coronado Island... they did an amazing job and smiled throughout the entire run, seriously, I have never seen two people so smiley while running 13 miles! It was awesome and we were so happy to be there to cheer them on. We then went to a really popular restaurant here in Encinitas called Swami's, it was so delicious and such a fun atmosphere, and definitely lived up to the hype.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Hope you have had a fabulous Saturday so far! Stone and I have just caught up on sleep last night and this morning made the most delicious breakfast. Other than that our plans are to meet up with friends tonight for dinner, then tomorrow we are waking up at the crack of dawn to go cheer on two of my girlfriends who are running a half marathon on Coronado Island. Maybe they will inspire me to train for one.... maybe.

Here are some great websites referred by the staff in this month's InStyle mag that you may want to add to your weekly read!

Go to Smitten Kitchen for delicious recipes, like the ones pictured above.

Find free downloads of new music at Rcrdlbl.

For fun tidbits and news information you can visit Reddit.

My Milk Toof, is a witty blog about two baby teeth and their adventures.

Need some gardening tips? A Way To Garden has the answers.

Going to Lenscratch makes you feel like you just stepped into a modern photo museum exhibit!

xo.

Pesto Sandwich.

I have to share this lunch idea with you all. I have had this for lunch the past couple days and it is absolutely delicious! I am not a big lunch person... I love breakfast and dinner the most, but could even skip lunch entirely if it did not make me lose energy. Anyway it is simple to make and I know you will enjoy it.

2 slices of sourdough bread toasted

hummus

homemade spinach pesto

goat cheese with herbs

Spread a thin layer of hummus on the toasted bread, then a pretty thick layer of pesto. Lastly sprinkling with goat cheese. Try it today, you will not be disappointed! xo.

Design Inspiration: Mountain living.

In spirit of the upcoming winter season I wanted to share this incredible Norwegian mountain home (Just in case any of you were struggling with decorating your own Norwegian mountain home... of course). It looks like it jumped right out of an Anthropologie catalogue, with the eclectic charm and attention to detail. One of my favorite parts about this home is the lighting, each one is different and completely awesome. I also would love a huge unfinished wood farm table like that, although, not quite practical for our 500 square foot apartment, it would take up half of our space!

Would you not want to spend the entire winter season cozied up in this warm nook reading book after book? Yes please.

And lastly, I love all of the restored furniture in this house (like the bedroom door, or the guest room bed footboard). It is funny to me that items like these will sell for outrageous amounts at furniture stores these days when really it will take a little maintenance and time wondering through flea markets, but you can find them for bargain prices.

Stone and his grandpa recently rebuilt the top to an old steel desk (I will show you photos soon!) that we bought for $25 at a surplus store and have seen multiple times since selling for up to $500 at vintage home stores... so crazy!

Photos found here.

I have a plan.

You can purchase these calendars here on Etsy!

I read about this a long time ago in a Real Simple magazine and since then have wanted to try to do it myself. Now, since moving to California it seems more vital than ever to my friendships to make a genuine effort each day to stay connected. The idea is that you would purchase a calendar and on each day write the name of a friend of family member, then on that day send that person an email, handwritten note or give them a call. So that is my plan! I am very excited about this, as I am not the best at staying in contact and now with friends and family living all over the world it makes it harder than ever. I thought I would share the idea just in case any of you are like me and need some help in this department :)

xo.

Sneak Peek: Carly & Marshall Engaged!

We had such a fun time with these two... they were super relaxed and up for anything!

Go here to see more of their photoshoot.

Capturing color.

Okay, so there are probably only a small handful of people who think that this is cool... I happen to be one of them. Pantone has developed a product that you can use on any type of surface, fabric, or material. I love decorating, so this type of tool is right up my alley. I mean, have you ever stayed in a hotel room or eaten in a restaurant and thought I love the color on these walls (okay, probably not many of you have)? But, it is handy for matching a specific color in your pillows to paint for the wall. Unfortunately it will cost a pretty penny.

So, as you can guess, it is iPhone to the rescue. Instead of spending a ton on a device (even though it is way cool) that you wont use that often. You can download this app, then when you take a photo the app will give you Pantone paint colors to match! Brilliant.