Rooftop gardens.

Ever since we came back from San Francisco, I have been thinking about rooftop gardens. We had a pretty great view from our hotel room and I could spot tons of them throughout the city. I love how urban they are and how they are for an entire community of people rather than in most places secluded to your own personal backyard. Our church has a community garden in the Summer time, which is kind of fun, everyone has plots of land and can share and go and work together in them. Perhaps we should start rooftop/community gardens all over... I personally would love to have one a top our little apartment here.

Vintage swimsuit edition.

First of all, I love all of the images from Vogue... the red lips, red fingernails, straw hats and that pose. Oh, so great! Funny how things have come totally full circle.

I am still trying to figure out how flattering I think these really are. The only true test will be for me to try one on (but, I wont go try on swimsuits until I am tan, those fitting room lights can be harsh!) yet even on the stick thin models I am not so impressed, I actually think they may look better on girls with curves. So, maybe I am in luck with this style of swimsuit, only time will tell! Until then, check them all out here, thanks Anthro for always staying up on the vintage trend.

September Issue.

Stone and I just finished watching September Issue (we got it on Netflix today). It was pretty enjoyable. Really, the documentary was very interesting. Just to see how a magazine is put together and each shoot is designed is so impressive. Anna Wintour is not quite Devil Wears Prada, however, she is pretty cut throat at times. All in all it was good and I do recommend it.

xo.

Saltine toffee.

This is the easiest recipe, and perfect to make if you have to bring a dessert somewhere and are in a crunch for time. I also give them a lot as little treats to friends. They are simple and delicious!

Ingredients:

2c brown sugar

2 sticks of butter

12 oz bag of chocolate chips

A couple handfuls of chopped pecans

oh, and saltine crackers of course (oops forgot to actually document that one!)

Set oven to 400 degrees.

Melt butter and sugar together in a skillet on medium until it looks like caramel. Stir continuously so that you do not burn. (yup that is A LOT of butter and A LOT of sugar... probably not a good recipe for you dieters)

Arrange saltines on a nonstick pan (you can spray the pan too just in case). Pour mixture on top spreading it evenly over all of the saltine crackers with a spatula. Stick the mixture into the oven for about 4 minutes (but watch it so it does not burn, you just want it to start to bubble).

Take the crackers out and immediately pour the chocolate chips on top allowing them to melt. If they need extra help melting, pop them back into the oven for a few seconds then again use a spatula to spread the chocolate evenly across the crackers.

Keep spreading : )

Finally add your pecans and stick the pan in the freezer for about 20 minutes to harden. When that is done you should be able to easily break apart toffee pieces. For a photo of end result look here.

Enjoy!

The weekend and wall design.

I hope you had a great weekend! Stone and I ended up taking engagement shots on Saturday in this beautiful location in the middle of nowhere (which is always the best). And the rest of our Saturday was spent watching movies and editing photos. Our movie list included Ratatouille, 27 Dresses, and one really corny teenage movie that was on tv... all classics really : )

Above are some wall stickers that I actually think are really neat. I usually am not a huge fan of wall stickers, but these truly are art, the one on the left would be perfect for our big orange wall in our house. Designed by Fabien Barral... check out more of his work here.

Have a relaxing weekend.

Whew! This week has been a whirlwind, I think this weekend Stone and I will be laying low. Possibly renting a movie and making homemade pizza. We actually have an engagement photo shoot scheduled for tomorrow but the weather looks pretty grim, so we will keep our fingers crossed for some sunshine!

Below are some links to love.

xo.

A mobile that can be decor for a living room or babies room!

Beautiful recipe cards.

Mmmm Blue Cheese burger recipe.

The rules and regulations of the French Press!

A fun braided hair-do.

I am loving this print of America.

Two years and counting... anniversary photo shoot in wine country!

Papa and the Jeep Willy's.

Stone took these photos about a month ago when he went down to Fort Collins for the day to spend time with his grandpa and dad working on an old Jeep Willys that is the new project. Here is what he wrote about it, and you can also see more photos from the day here.

'In this world we all have our home. Not necessarily our house, the place we grew up, or where our parents live, but rather the particular places, people, and situations where we feel alive and whole.

Recently my grandpa (Papa) has been having some health issues and expressed to my dad his desire to simply let life take it's course. Of course this was really hard for my dad to hear, and was followed by my dad asking why he wouldn't want to try to extend his time. My grandma passed away years ago, and the doctors office where Papa did maintenance has closed down. Although Papa has been retired as long as I can remember he has always been working, and he has always had a project. You see my Papa is at home in his hands. The past few years, as he has lost more and more mobility, his projects have become fewer and fewer. He told my dad he has lived a full life and has simply grown bored. Hearing this broke my dads heart. My dad began to pray for the Lord to provide a project or something to change Papa's mind and engage his heart. Sure enough about a week later, just outside of our neighborhood, a man was selling his 1947 Willy's Jeep. My dad instantly thought back to the countless hours Papa has spent telling us stories of his time as a diesel mechanic in the Navy, and the fun he and his buddies had goofing around and working on the war era Willy's Jeep. This was it. My dad bought it and drove it to Papa's garage. Papa's face lit up.

So, this is the new project. Possibly the final project. And for now, this is my grandpa at home ...'

La Mer watches.

I am in LOVE with these watches from La Mer. They come in a lot of different colors and textures and you can even custom design your own by picking the watch face and band. I already picked the one out that I would like and sent it along to Stone just in case he needs any hints for a gift for our next anniversary (even though it is many months away)!

I'm 24!

Yesterday was my 24th birthday. I just wanted to say thank you so much to my husband, friends and family for making it so special! Stone and I had a small celebration with just the two of us, he gave me the most perfect gifts (even though he had already told me about most of them... he cant keep a secret) and best of all he got some delicious cupcakes for us from Tee&Cakes!

Most of all thanks to mom and dad for having me 24 years ago, I love you both.

SanFran iPhone photos.

Like I said we spent some time in San Francisco too! My top ten favorite things that we did here were:

1. SFMOMA

2. Riding the cable car.

3. The Ferry Building.

4. Taking the ferry over to Sausalito (the cutest town ever, I was in LOVE!).

5. The view from our hotel room.

6. Eating at Gott's Roadside (amazing burgers, shakes and fries!).

7. Going to the three story Anthropologie, they had incredible furniture.

8. Buying olive oil from Stonehouse.

9. Having pizza at A16.

10. Getting a latte from Blue Bottle Coffee everyday!

Sonoma iPhone photos.

So I have been a little MIA this past week! Stone and I took a much needed vacation to San Francisco and Sonoma with our friends Lacey and Patrick. The trip was perfect (for lack of better words). It was so nice to spend some time in a new city and then head to Sonoma and enjoy some peace, quiet and wine : )

Here are some photos from our phone that we took in Sonoma. Stone also brought his camera so there will be many more to come!

My top ten favorite things about Sonoma:

1. Staying at the El Dorado hotel.

2. Farmer's market in the square.

3. Our amazing meal at The Girl & The Fig.

4. The spicy pecans and view at Gloria Ferrer.

5. Our tasting at B.R. Cohn winery.

6. Seeing the caves at the Kunde Family winery.

7. Playing bocce ball at Landmark winery.

8. The pastries at Basque Boulangerie.

9. Creating a perfect picnic with Lacey for our wine tasting day.

10. Playing Skipbo with the Dodds (even though Lace won FOUR games in a row!).

xo.

Design inspiration: Kitchen renovation

I love this renovation. Well first of all the people who did this must have had such a good eye for potential in a space. This kitchen is small, but makes great a use of space and the design is a great mix of country and modern, which is my favorite of course.