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Hello hello lovelies….

It’s been such a long time since I’ve posted and I’ve really just stopped by to say that I think about the blog almost every day and miss blogging so much, but I’m also so busy that I can’t commit to it right now. Maybe when I get myself settled a bit more I can get back to it, but as readership really drops without content, I don’t want to lay out any rigid schedules for posting.

So, I may be posting here and there, and I will most certainly be working on improving the design and functionality of the blog.

I hope you’re all doing super!!

xo

2012 is shaping up to be a busy year! I am hoping to push forward with the shop and I think that if I can manage some decent promotion I will do pretty well (I’ve already sold 4 prints!). I really don’t know why I am insisting on the shop, as my work is plenty creative. But I still enjoy doing something just for myself.

Lots of travel for the new year is brewing–Todd booked our flight to Italy in September, I go to NSS for work in May. I am thinking of maybe flying up to Toronto to visit a friend who moved there over a year ago. Todd and I are going to NYC after Italy so I can visit with friends then. Aside from that, probably just long weekend trips. Possibly PDX. Our 6th year (!!) anniversary is in February and I’d love to go to Bodega Bay for the weekend; it’s the first place we traveled overnight when we started dating :-) We’re spending NYE in Monterey with Todd’s family. I’m really excited to take Tate (and his cousin) to the aquarium. Todd’s mom and I have purchased a lot of yummy prosecco for midnight toasting!

I miss blogging, I really do :-( Work is insanely busy. Insane. But I’m still loving it. I am sooooo excited for next weekend. I am going into the city Friday night because the other art directors and myself are going to Renegade on Saturday. So, I asked my friend Kaitlin, who I never ever see and who I figured needed a bit of a break (she has two kiddos) if she wanted to come in for the night for a sleepover. We’re going out to eat–cheese at One Market followed by Prospect for dinner. Then we can sleep in our OWN DOUBLE BEDS. And sleep in! I can’t wait. Todd, Tate and his parents are coming into SF that afternoon and we will stay another night–we have a family party in the bay on Sunday. It’s Todd’s dad’s birthday, so on the way in on Saturday they are stopping in Berkeley to have lunch at Chez Panisse. I can’t believe I am missing out–Tate gets to eat there before I’ve had a chance!

I love being busy, but I also feel like I have aged 10 years in the past 15 months. I also need to commit to being more physically active in the new year as everything is starting to……head south, shall we say. I knew my blessed metabolism wouldn’t last forever, but I’m not happy about it.

I’d love to hear about your holiday plans–have you done any shopping? NYE plans? What are you thinking about for 2012? I suppose we can talk resolutions later ;-)

I am hoping I can pull together a last minute gift guide post tomorrow. Luckily I don’t have to buy much. We “adopted” a family and I shopped for the 6 year old girl who loves Hello Kitty and ballet. I bought her tons of clothes at H&M and I had so much damn fun pretending that I had a little girl!

xo

Well hellooooooo strangers :-) Life has been beyond insane for the past few weeks, whew! Work is intense but I still love it. I’ve been doing considerably more art directing than I was anticipating–in fact, that’s about all I do–which is great fun. I’m starting to see some of my design proofs come in which is really cool.

Halloween came and went fast; I had nothing planned for Tate so I gave him the kitty ears I’ve been wearing for the past few years and attempted to draw a cat nose and whiskers on his face with eyeliner (didn’t get too far, of course). We took him out around the neighborhood so he could see the other kids, but not before he gave Sierra a big Tate kiss. A Tate kiss involves a face dive into either animal with a wide open mouth.

I had a birthday a few weeks ago–no time for anything super special, but Todd made me dinner. Last weekend we went to Santa Cruz with my parents–a belated birthday trip for my mom–and it was so much fun. We rented a nice place right across from the beach (and the boardwalk), Todd bought some new board games and we bought fresh crab and shrimp and petrale sole for dinner…..yum. I will post some photos soon. I’ve managed to get a few more things up into the Etsy shop. It’s a work in progress, but I’m enjoying moving slowly on the project. I’ve been taking my time ordering paper samples and trying to find the best stock for prints.

Tate has not adjusted well to the time change and is waking up in the middle of the night, which means lots of Red Bull for mom. Tonight Todd and I are having dinner with some friends and staying in SF. We’re going to Foreign Cinema, and I am super excited. I’ve been for lunch but never at night when they show films! I’m taking the day to do some market research in the city for work, and I’m hoping to finally make it to a few shops I’ve been eying, like Urban Nest and BellJar. Then, of course, there are the old standbys–Britax Fabrics, Gumps, Flax…..I LOVE FLAX.

It’s going to be raining today and I can’t wait to get into a bath at the hotel with a glass of wine (and maybe watch Breaking Bad on my laptop) and wait for Todd to get in from his conference. I’ve started thinking about some fall shopping, and I’ve been gathering some things I like on Pinterest. I haven’t done any proper shopping in such a long time, and I am so excited. Have you made any purchases yet? Loving any trends?

Hope you’re all well, miss you bunches!

xo

He started off apprehensive, but soon got naked and smiled. I think I took 200 photos. But, I love you so I will spare you :-)

Tonight Todd is out with friends, Tate is sleeping and I am going to eat some dinner, try my best to watch the last Harry Potter movie (my dad and I are seeing the final one tomorrow), take a big old muscle relaxer or a handful of Melatonin and SLEEP. I am exhausted.

I received a comment a few weeks ago about our kitchen remodel:

I discovered your blog because of your kitchen remodel (we are in the process of a kitchen makeover using white Ikea cabinetry and I was looking for inspiration). I have enjoyed your blog very much since then, and I am sooooo looking forward to seeing some pictures of the completed kitchen project!

Unfortunately, the kitchen is still a work in progress and there are some loose ends to tie up–Todd and I have decided to hire someone to complete the small but time-consuming tasks, like touch-up painting. I can tell you that it’s gotten quite a lot of use and that I love it to pieces. My favorite element, by far, is our double-oven.

When we do finally wrap things up, I will take a bunch of photos and share :-) To refresh your memory:

• Kitchen Remodel Inspiration
• Kitchen Teaser

In the meantime, some things I am currently loving…

The Vision Test poster from Random Objects.

Bianca Brandolini’s super chic style (via Coco + Kelley). That getup on the left? Right up my alley. And waaaaay out of my budget.

Totally adorable wool knit necktie by Oeuf and comfy PJ’s from Tea….(for Tate, of course!).

Completely amazing farmhouse…I think I could manage living here, you?

Spruced up IKEA courtesy of the brilliant idea-makers at O’verlays.

Amazing design freebies offered by Lindsay of Besotted Blog (also, some free fonts)

Hunting for kitchen art…I’ve been eying Sandra Juto’s Moka print for years now, so I might as well buy it for our little coffee area. My mom had a vintage Grape Nuts poster hanging in our kitchen while I was growing up and I’ve always wanted to have my own–this beat up print is only 2 bucks! I totally love Grape Nuts! I don’t like art to be too themed and obvious, so I’d like to throw in some non-food/kitchen pieces. Laura Amiss is an artist I recently collaborated with at work and I love her style. Her city living print is my favorite. And…I bet you didn’t know that I’ve always had a thing for whales!

Eat Your Greens poster from the Keep Calm Gallery, Peaches letterpress postcard from YeeHaw.

Peaches + Beth. I’m finally dragging my ass out to some live shows. Portishead at the Greek Theater…sometime in the fall, I can’t recall the date off the top of my head. Peaches released her North American DJ tour and she’s stopping at my favorite club in SF. I’m trying to get my friend and dancing partner Charley on board.

Collected , a great new online magazine.

Thinking about a teeny tiny tattoo in honor of Tate…a halfpence (or, half penny).

I’ve only ever considered getting a tattoo in a few places–the nape of my neck, behind my left ear, on the underside of my wrist and the top of my foot. Todd just got another tattoo (his fourth), which is what got me thinking about it.

For this particular tattoo, I’ve narrowed it down to the underside of the wrist or nape of neck. I’ve looked to Freja (my most favorite model in the whole wide world) as she has…what, like 14 tattoos? She’s most famous for her “float” ink but she also happens to have tattoos in the two spots I am considering. Not too surprising as they are both popular areas. So……I am hemming and hawing, but it would be very small and black.

Photo lettering from House Industries. I love House, they don’t have tons of fonts but every one is fabulous. With their new site, you can order lettering for personal or even commercial, it’s a great idea.

The ethereal hair from the Valentino F/W 2011 couture show. And, if you like the hair, you will DIE over the collection. It was stunning.

Via here and here.

Enjoying of-the-season nectarines and heirloom tomatoes (I will share my favorite recipes soon). I am generally not a huge tomato person, but come this time of the year, when the heirlooms are at their peak, I am all over them. My favorites are the smaller, slightly tart green tomatoes.

Recipes inspired by art, such a clever and well-executed idea!

Pretty much anything from the Design Wall Tumblr. It started with the Comic Sans poster, and then I was addicted.

Hedi Slimane’s diary….you should check out his amazing photos of Amy Winehouse…

A hamburger bicycle bell on Shayla’s bike.

Zara finally launching e-commerce in the states

Tutorials for the maintenance-challenged (me) at The Beauty Department, a blog started by, of all people, Lauren Conrad.

Alexander McQueen 2012 resort collection. Sarah Burton is on fire. This collection was ridiculously beautiful. I am officially in love with her! Genius.

Here’s to the weekend…..and sleep….and maybe even blogging!

xo

Hope you had a fantastic weekend :-) As I mentioned last week, Todd and I had our first night away from Tate and it was great. As much as we love him, and miss him when he’s not around, it was an amazing feeling to just hang out with each other, talk and talk and talk, have drinks or a meal….SLEEP IN!

We went into SF for a night; on Saturday we went to a Giants game then had dinner. We slept in Sunday, watched the end of that AMAZING World Cup game and then had a super yummy lunch at Slanted Door. We had great weather, and it was very relaxing.

I didn’t take our camera, but snapped some photos with my phone.

Harper, pre-departure.

Train wine.

First thing I do when I arrive at hotels? Take a bath. I love hotel baths.

Game time, we had beautiful mild weather!

Slanted Door makes the best mojitos.

Oysters. My cure for hangovers.

Cowgirl in the Ferry Building.

Wowwwwwwwwwwwww y’all I’m tired.

Things have been very hectic. I tried my best to plan absolutely nothing last weekend and still managed to get very little done around the house. Except sleep in until 11:30 on Sunday…I haven’t done that since college. My body hates me a little bit at the moment.

Saturday Todd and Tate went to Oakland for a family thing, and I took advantage to engage in one of my favorite activities–lunch at the bar of a neighborhood restaurant. I drink wine, I chat with the staff, I work and I read magazines. It’s the best. On Sunday I had a movie date with my dad, we saw Super 8…and it was super good. Our friends Charley and Steve came over that night for take out and catching up, and I fell asleep on the floor. On Monday Todd and I watched Just Go With It, with very low expectations, and…you know, it really wasn’t that bad. We decided that we got enough laughs out of it to justify the two hours.

The week absolutely flew by, and I feel exhausted! I think I’ve said, “I am so brain dead” 10 times in the last 24 hours. Last night I met up with my friend Sara for dinner. She was in town with her girls (they live in Portland) and we managed to hook up, it was lovely :-) Todd and I are heading into SF tomorrow for a Giants game (belated birthday present for him). We had planned on dinner at Zuni but they moved the game from 1pm to 6pm–boo! It’s our first night away from Tate…it’ll be weird.

In the meantime, I thought I’d share a few of my recent loves/obsessions/etc.

• Hello, there’s a new documentary out about Tribe Called Quest. Can’t wait.
• I started designing some business and calling cards a few weeks ago, on a spastic mini-tangent, and while I haven’t had any samples printed or gotten very far with designs, one set was picked up by Babble.com.
• Check out this vintage bag–it’s totally Chanel, and only $45.
• Can it be fall again so I can get back to wearing hats? I just packed them all away and it gave me the sads.
• Because I live on the east side of Sac.
• Tate has a new toy. He can’t really use it for awhile, but Todd and I couldn’t resist.
• What Is A Shooting Star? is my JAM. I can’t get the stupid song out of my head.
• We’re currently reading Tate Danny the Champion of the World, which just happens to be my favorite Dahl book and possibly my favorite children’s book. PS: Todd is NOT naked in this photo, they’re both in their shorts!
• I have a new treasury list you can check out on Etsy. Orchards!
• On my wish list. The entire set, please.
• My friend who works at Google invited me to Google+, and it seems pretty cool. Have any of you tried it out? I know I’ve seen a few of you! It will take me approximately 10 years to figure it out, I’m sure.

Damn, well, this is a post that was started a few days ago. I just finished it up and I really have no idea if any of it makes sense. The photos above share a few things from the past few weeks…the other night I climbed into Tate’s crib. I had a craving for a long time and I finally gave in. Todd, of course, found me, woke me and took photos. Cribs are not comfortable for adults. Also, we decided to get Tate a little play kitchen for our (real) kitchen. He can’t really use it all that much at the moment (although we think he’ll be walking within a few weeks), but since we spend soooo much time in the kitchen cooking and hanging out, it seemed appropriate :-)

I so wish I could dedicate more time to writing…I’ve started lots of posts and never finished them, it’s just insanely busy :-( I do thank those of you who continue to stick around!

xo

Work has, admittedly, been kicking my ass a bit. I never imagined it would be so difficult to work full time, commute 2 hours a day and raise a baby. Although, just typing it out makes it sound really hard! Luckily, my work is very fulfilling, and I am enjoying having Todd staying home as the house hubby. He is a far better housekeeper.

Tate has his 9 month this morning and he’s doing A-OK. In the 97th percentile for height/head and 73rd for weight. He’s a big one. We’re trying to incorporate more variety into his diet–he loves the basics like peas and bananas, but we’ve got to work on that palette. I went on a cooking frenzy last night and made him some new purees–roasted pears + spinach, roasted carrots + cumin & yogurt, roasted squash and potatoes with olive oil, avocado + banana + blackberries and roasted apples with cinnamon. He gobbled them all up, although he definitely had his favorites :-) Our next challenge will be meats. Especially for me, because I am a little paranoid about purchasing meat because it’s all processed so horribly and filled with hormones and crap. It doesn’t matter what Todd and I eat, but I don’t really want my kid to eat chicken filled with hormones. Ick. I’ll have to either get over it or find some kind of solution, because I do want him to have meat.

This weekend I have to work. On….wait for it…holiday. It’s really, really hard to get your head into the holidays when it’s five million degrees out. Tomorrow morning, though, we have to go to Napa and meet up with my aunt Kim and her partner Ezio. They are visiting from Vancouver and they haven’t met Tate. We’re going to meet them for breakfast and then Ezio wants to check out the Coppola winery. Once back home, Todd wants to take Tate for his first swim!

I hope you all have a lovely and cool weekend!

Purchased items from Good Grace. And, if you do want to browse through my Etsy finds of the week, I have gathered them in this treasury. Skinny minnie rings! Love!

Thanks all for your entries, and keep your eyes peeled for another giveaway soon.

xo

These are the things I ponder at 5:18 in the morning. Anyhow, I’ve always been into the fact that the males have the lug around the eggs and seahorse babies in their belly pouches.

Quick and dirty today, dearhearts–below are some of my favorite finds, but you can find more in the treasury.

I love super-soft AA tri-blend–a perfect tank to throw over your bikini or layer.

Seahorse-Unicorns. ‘Nuff said.

I am really into brooches lately, but because I have to deal with so many gems and cabochons and shiny things at work, I am enjoying enamel treatments.

By the by, Domino Radio now has their archives up and running. I wasn’t able to listen to most of it, so I am super happy. Currently listening to this show.

I apologize for the silence yesterday, I have multiple projects at work that are eating my brain (involving researching nail polish trends for 2012, trying to find my favorite summer palettes and….Dora the Explorer).Here are a few iPhone snaps from the week:

Clockwise from upper left: shopping at my favorite produce stand, bored in the heat while filling my tank, out for din-din at our neighborhood Mexican restaurant, trend meeting at work.

Trend Studies & Diffusions will be back next week. This weekend we have a memorial (Todd’s amazing and beloved grandfather, Forbes, died last week) and Father’s Day, so it’ll be busy. I hope you enjoy your weekend! What are you up to?

Don’t forget to enter the Nest Candle giveaway. And, spread the word! Reblog on Tumblr, share on Facebook, or retweet!

xo

I don’t care how stressful my day becomes, I will never tire of Pantone chips and cutting up fashion photos. Never.