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TED talk {improv everywhere}

2012-03-10T09:16:00.000-08:00

i really wish this would happen to me every time the spinning beach ball of death appeared on my screen.

i'm a huge fan of the TED talks and a huge fan of the improv everywhere folks so when i saw this video my brain almost exploded. such a great collaboration! you can read the full story here.

Hicksville {sneak peek}

2012-03-06T14:02:00.002-08:00

although, i didn't get to spend as much time in Hicksville as I would've liked, the trip was super fun and i've got about a million and one pictures to prove it. it's going to take me a while to go through them all so, for now, i'll just leave you with this little nugget taken by my sister. stay tuned....

weekend getaway {Hicksville}

2012-03-02T09:55:00.003-08:00

this weekend i'll be at hicksville with a group of our friends for my sister's boyfriend's birthday. not exactly sure how my sister found this little paradise in the middle of the desert but i'm so excited that she did!

sadly, husband will be busy prepping for the big show all weekend so he can't join us. instead, i'll be sharing the girlie trailer with one of my favorite girlfriends. at hicksville each trailer has its own theme. the girlie trailer has wigs, hers and hers vanity and a mini-bar! can that be any more perfect?!

my sister has all sorts of fun activities planned for us this weekend including a pow-wow around this marvelous teepee {appropriate pow-wow attire is required.}

i'm personally excited to post up next to this rockin' bar and of course, i'm looking forward to sleeping under the stars!

all images and additional fun ones can be found on the hicksville facebook

fun with fonts

2012-02-29T22:00:00.000-08:00

these days i seem to spend all my free time admiring all of my favorite bloggers and their design skills. if you're like me, you find yourself constantly getting frustrated because you can't get your pictures to look as professional or your fonts to look as fancy.

so i've decided to take matters into my own hands and i started exploring with some new fonts tonight. it's actually a ton of fun to throw some text on photos.

try it sometime. it really spices things up a bit. next stop.....must stop using the automatic setting on the fancy new camera.

pretty little things {in the kitchen}

2012-02-27T16:38:00.000-08:00

found these little gems on the Mignon Kitchen Co site. i speak from experience when i say that the orange blossom honey on some cheese is pretty awesome stuff (i bought mine at whole foods). that bud vase is too cute for words and the tea towel is "so fresh and so clean clean" lookin'.

i've been recently finding myself buying nothing but cute things to put in my kitchen, which would be great fun however, my kitchen is pretty small and filling up quickly. soon enough i'm going to run out of space and then before you know it i'm going to turn into a hoarder of cute little kitchen trinkets. it's ok to be a hoarder as long as all your stuff is incredibly awesome, right?!

big sur {in big pictures}

2012-02-22T23:00:00.000-08:00

in a loving kind of mood {wedding songs}

2012-02-17T14:52:00.000-08:00

maybe it's because i'm about to embark on a weekend getaway with my love and close friends or maybe it's because we're just ending the most romantic week of the year.....but i'm in a loving kind of mood and whenever i'm in that kind of mood i play our first dance song, by the ridiculously talented Dave Matthews Band (P.S. this moment was hands down the best 3.5 minutes of my entire life), and then i listen to the song that came in as a close second (Amos Lee! I love you!) and then the close third (Ben Harper warms my heart!)

feel the love!

weekend getaway {big sur}

2012-02-17T09:59:00.000-08:00

it's hard to get excited about getting out of town for the weekend when you have dogs. i know my little ones are just miserable when i'm not around {at least that's what they tell me} so making the decision to get away this weekend and bring the pups made me incredibly happy! although, it was a bit of a challenge trying to find a rental that accepted dogs but i pride myself on being super resourceful and i was up for the challenge!

mission accomplished. i found this amazing rental in big sur and we invited a few friends to join us for the weekend. we plan on getting in a good hike, making some yummy home-cooked meals, playing board games, drinking wine by the fire, and lots and lots of cuddling with my little furry babies. oh and the view ain't bad either.

have a great weekend!!!

Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T08:32:00.000-08:00

the mr. and i mutually decided that we weren't going to give gifts this year since we're going to this awesome show tonight and we're going here with a group of friends this weekend. but of course, when i woke up this morning and stumbled my way to the kitchen, i found flowers, wine and chocolates sitting right smack in front of the coffee maker {he knows i make a bee-line straight to the coffee every morning}. i love my handsome man oh so much, now excuse me while I rush to CVS to pick up a last minute card for him since he's much better at the saying he's-not-going-to-get-me-anything-and-actually-get-me-something game.

husband {insane talent alert}

2012-02-12T19:05:00.000-08:00

Reason #487 {why I love my husband}:

because he's an incredibly talented sexy beast.

this is his work. these are his amazing students. and this is his passion.

p.s. that constant beeping you're hearing is called a metronome. it helps the drummers stay on beat.

perseverance

2012-02-08T20:06:00.000-08:00

i hope very many years from now, i look back at this blog post and laugh. i hope i laugh because i have no clue what i was talking about. see, today was not my favorite day. today, was a day of defeat and a day that stalled my mojo in a way its never been stalled before.

i had to sit myself down at the end of the day and say, "so today is certainly not going to be archived in your top 10. you're going to be bummed about it the rest of the day, maybe have a nice glass of wine, blog about it, go to sleep and wake up tomorrow and kick ass!"

so the waking up and kicking ass part may not exactly happen tomorrow (hey, give me a break, i just said my mojo was stalled!) i may even feel sorry for myself and let myself drag my feet around all week, but the one thing i'm certain of is that i will eventually get my mojo back. i will continue to create goals for myself. i will continue to grow. i will continue to stretch and pull and i will try to be a grown up about this situation and learn from it.

p.s. the image really has nothing to do with my shitty day except for maybe i was trying to get artsy and discover that i should quit it all and become a graphic designer this very second.

found the image here and added some meaningless yellow bars because yellow is my happy color and those train tracks signify my continued efforts to keep on keepin' on.

my happy place {Le Kliff}

2012-02-03T12:11:00.000-08:00

there's this little slice of heaven in puerto vallarta called, "Le Kliff." this place is absolutely mandatory to visit every time we go there. in summary, it's my happy place, it's the place that makes me feel like i'm on top of the world and nothing can touch me. all my senses are heightened just by being here. the sound of the ocean hitting the rocks, the sight of the endless water that surrounds us, the smell of the tropics, the feel of the humidity (this is not the best feeling but none-the-less i don't seem to mind the horror of what it does to my hair when i'm here) and the calmness that overcomes me, is all too perfect to try and describe.

i've visited this place many many times and i've taken a few friends along the way. i love sharing my favorite places with my favorite people.

as we all head into the weekend let's channel our happy place and soak it all in!

happy weekend everyone!

life {in little squares}

2012-01-31T09:25:00.000-08:00

From top to bottom:
a couple pics from Sunday Funday {that's Sean's go-to "smile for the camera" face}
a couple pics from a day at the farmers market and a bike ride to get some brunch
a pic of our three dogs camouflaged in the carpet
and a pic from Sean's first drum show of the season.

2012-01-26T09:48:00.000-08:00

today, the NASA family honors our fallen heroes and although it marks a devastating anniversary it also serves as a reminder to continue our pursuit of discovery.

combining passions {design + chemistry}

2012-01-25T09:13:00.000-08:00

this amazing chandelier was featured on designsponge the other day and i can't stop thinking about it. This beautifully designed piece made from chemistry tubes was created by Pani Jurek who was inspried by the Nobel Prize winning Polish scientist, Maria Sklodowska-Curie.

what inspires you? how would you combine your passions?

if i had to combine any two things it would be photography and dance.

must learn to sew

2012-01-23T22:39:00.000-08:00

i dream of long luscious curtains with gorgeous prints, fun floor pillows , custom tufted headboards, etc... etc.... i may have just found my New Year's goal.....

mama needs a new bag!

2012-01-22T15:14:00.000-08:00

one of the things i say sometimes is, "mama's getting a new bag!" anytime I come up on a nice amount of extra cash (i.e. those rare raise moments, tax time, those even rarer bonus moments, when my husband gets a commission check...etc...). the next time i say that annoying little phrase that i seem to find ridiculously hilarious, a thought bubble is going to pop up and it's going to be this little piece of super soft leather loveliness by baggu. especially the black medium. the platinum one looks amazing in theory however, I know myself too well to think that I can keep that bag shiny and clean for any more than a few weeks.....so, i'm going to go with the simple black option.

happy friday {and a beautiful quote}

2012-01-20T09:26:00.000-08:00

image via

Pina {pure inspiration}

2012-01-19T11:34:00.000-08:00

the husband called me some time last week and said, "babe, i know what we're going to do this weekend. we're going to watch this documentary called, 'Pina' that I just heard about on the radio."

he knows me so well.
this documentary is single handedly one of the best dance pieces i've ever seen.
the best part....it's in 3-D!!!
the even better best part....
my husband appreciates this stuff. i love him!

PINA - Dance, dance, otherwise we are lost - International Trailer from neueroadmovies on Vimeo.

in search of clarity {point dume}

2012-01-16T17:56:00.000-08:00

over the weekend i spent some time honoring and celebrating the life of a friend that left us far too soon. after the memorial a few of us headed down to the beach in search of some clarity and fresh air. what we found was absolutely beautiful. the ocean that we have visited many times was perfectly still, the clouds were low and the sun was resting peacefully above them. i was really hoping to see a whale. a sign that life is bigger than we can ever imagine, a sign to make it clear that, beyond the sadness, this life has more happy times than sad, that our world spends more time smiling than crying, more times laughing than gasping for air and more times praising than fighting.

i did not see my whale but i did see a lone dolphin. a very large and beautiful dolphin that leaped across us too fast but none-the-less it passed us, it embraced us with its beauty and then it went off to another place that, i'm sure of it, is just as beautiful as point dume was on this day.

my kitchen is for dancing

2012-01-12T19:58:00.000-08:00

I saw this tea towel today on etsy and it made me laugh because it is so incredibly true. It's pretty safe to say that my entire house is for dancing but my kitchen is the heart and soul of our little cottage and so, as this is where the soul lives, this is obviously where one must dance.

and just to prove to you that my kitchen is clearly where the dance floor belongs at my house, here's a few shots of a little party we had last month where the strobe lights (also known as flashlights) came out and everyone let loose {in the kitchen}.

me and my sister

2012-01-09T21:18:00.000-08:00

if i had to sum up me and my sister into a

single vintage awesome moment, this would be it...

image source unkown. if anyone knows please email me so i can attribute the proper credit {mrspriscillavega [at] gmail [dot] com}

week 1 + a day of 2012 {Jan 1-8}

2012-01-08T20:25:00.001-08:00

in the first week of 2012 we were rebels and lit illegal sparklers to ring in the new year, we watched a movie in a super fancy theatre where the seats recline and pillows and blankets are brought to you by request, we took the bikes out for a spin {more about that here}, hollywood decided to film a movie across the street from our house, we celebrated my mom's birthday with some brunch on the beach, i cuddled tons and tons with my pups and we made some meat pies!

pretty great week if you ask me.

the smiling victorian

2012-01-06T13:47:00.001-08:00

the only thing i don't like about the victorian era is the fact that everyone always looks so sad in pictures. it must've been not "proper" to flash your pearly whites.

so when i stumbled across this flickr group of smiling victorians they almost didn't look real. it's a nice glimpse into this era. I'm guessing these had to be more candid moments since the subjects look so relaxed.

all images via

bike ride to the arboretum

2012-01-04T21:32:00.000-08:00

the mr. and i rode our bikes to the arboretum last week. at first he said, "it's only a 2-mile bike ride," to which i thought, 2 miles isn't bad but any more than that and I would want to drive. well he must know me all too well because in actuality it was a 3.4-mile bike ride.......

at the end of the day....I'm glad we went. i'm also glad that he slightly fibbed about the distance because otherwise i would not have wanted to ride our bikes.

free printable calendar {did i mention that it's free?}

2012-01-03T14:15:00.000-08:00

while there's a few options floating around in the blogosphere for free printable 2012 calendars,

i'm loving this simplistic design brought to you by TomKat Studios

happy new year!

2012-01-01T19:44:00.000-08:00

hope you rang in the new year surrounded by love, happiness and fun fun fun!
it's only day 1 and I'm already kicking butt.

we seized the day today with a six mile (roundtrip) bike ride to the arboretum and a fun photo sess (pics to come).

i'm gonna eat you up twenty twelve!

image via

rose parade {travel through time}

2011-12-30T09:10:00.000-08:00

images via LA Times archives

my favorite time of year in pasadena is without a doubt new years! it's when the streets of colorado blvd are lined with bleachers to hold the spectators that come from far and wide, it's when the rose bowl is preparing for its annual bowl game, it's when the floats are full of color and ready for their moment to shine and it's when the entire world turns on their tvs to look at our beautiful city.

the tournament of roses parade began in 1890 as a way to sell southern california to those freezing their butts off on the east coast. since obviously facebook didn't exist as a way to stir envy, they decided to host a parade and show off all the flowers in bloom while the east coast is covered in snow.

the heart of life

2011-12-29T10:42:00.000-08:00

a few years ago i spent a couple months in nyc during the fall. i will remember this time always and this video does a beautiful job at capturing the city during this magical season.

this video is the trifecta of perfection

song

city

season

happy holidays

2011-12-27T18:16:00.000-08:00

our home was buzzing with holiday cheer all weekend! and even through all the craziness of food comas and gift exchanging, me and the mr. still managed to sneak away for some holiday fun with a day trip up to malibu for a little wine tasting. all in all the Christmas weekend was a huge success!
p.s. that beautiful eames style chair was a gift from my mom. isn't it amazing!?

for the kitchen {pretty prints}

2011-12-23T09:16:00.000-08:00

after the holidays i'm going to go back to my regularly scheduled addiction of decorating the house. i ran across this today and just had to post. for those non-spanish speakers and those that can't find their way to babble fish this says:

a full stomach

a happy heart

this artist's etsy shop is full of these super cute prints for the kitchen.

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personal day

2011-12-21T21:41:00.000-08:00

i took the day off of work today to:

sleep in

make coffee at home

go on a lunch time bike date with my husband

give the doggies baths

exchange gifts with one of my best friends

and

have a glass of wine

all in all...the perfect personal day.

2011-12-19T11:42:00.001-08:00

image via

my heart is heavy

i shall find the strength to pull through these difficult times

i pray that those that i love find this strength as well

this life is too short

be kind

laugh loud

hug tight

give give give

love love love

little treats for the office {holiday gifts}

2011-12-15T10:08:00.000-08:00

i'm going to take my best shot at making these little guys for everyone in the office. they're cute and festive and i believe everyone should have a little glitter close by.

wish me luck!

2011-12-14T14:53:00.001-08:00

i was married into an english family and one of their yearly holiday traditions is to tug on these fun toy-filled "crackers" just before chowing down at the dinner table. this is such a cool tradition that we even incorporated it into our wedding reception -- needless to say, it was a huge hit and it was so exciting to introduce one of the mr.'s family traditions on our special day.

so get in the spirit and crack some crackers! here's a fun diy featured on designsponge today.

beauty

2011-12-13T22:29:00.000-08:00

i'm addicted to pinterest for many reasons. this is just one of them.

via

for the rainy days

2011-12-12T17:17:00.000-08:00

it's been raining here all day so i was inspired to gather some of my favorite umbrellas

1. Raindrops 2. shopbop 3. rdujour 4. modcloth

nutcracker!

2011-12-12T13:03:00.000-08:00

well, I did it! I danced in the nutcracker with the LA Unbound dance co this year and it was nothing short of glitter-tastic!

i can't even begin to tell you how the stage makes me feel. it's the most warming/nerve wrecking/glorious feeling ever. and getting to perform for my husband (who has never seen me dance before), family (who always always always support me) and close friends (who were almost more excited than I was for the show) was absolutely euphoric!

after the show Dad came up to me and said,

"I almost forgot how happy you look when you're on that stage. I love seeing you that happy."

happy friday {and a little about me}

2011-12-09T14:19:00.001-08:00

i just about fell over laughing when i saw this print. someone must've seen me at the last party and decided to document the event.

via.

instagram moments

2011-12-08T15:50:00.001-08:00

ornament party

2011-12-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

over the weekend we had some friends stop by the house for our housewarming (finally!)/holiday/ birthday (it's my birthday!) party.

the theme was, "bring an ornament and help us decorate our tree." this way, in lieu of gifts for us, guests could bring a gift for our tree so it would be full of creative and quirky ornaments hand-selected by our friends and family.

i must say, this is probably my favorite theme party yet. we opened the ornament gifts individually in front of everyone and hung them on the tree. the mr. was in full effect hamming it up for the crowd and each guest got to check out the creativity and energy that everyone else put into their ornaments. after the big ornament unveil everyone voted for their favorite and the most creative ornaments.

it was incredibly fun and now our tree is covered in friends & family love!

holiday shopping

2011-11-27T09:22:00.001-08:00

i successfully marked one of my closest friends off my list today. she's also one of the easiest people to shop for since we have very similar tastes. this shopping thing is terribly difficult when you keep running into things that you'd love for yourself, such as this super awesome print by berkley illustration

thankfulness

2011-11-23T14:57:00.001-08:00

here's the short list of all the wonderful things that i have to be grateful for in this beautiful life i get to call my own:

my sweet home! - we bought it, it's ours! the dogs love it, it's theirs too! i hope i never ever forget the excitement i felt the second we were handed the keys to our first-ever home. shopping for all the special things that fill the spaces is my absolute favorite. this little place we get to call home is so incredibly special to me and i'm unbelievably grateful for the opportunity to be a homeowner!

my babies - go ahead and call me a crazy dog lady. yes, i have three dogs. yes, they're my entire world. yes, they sleep on the bed with us. yes, they make my heart smile. yes, i take about a million pictures of them and post them on my facebook.

my passions - i've got 'em and they give me strength. i mean, what else would i do with all my extra time if i didn't spend it dancing, shooting pics with my new awesome camera, blogging, tweeting here and here, instagraming, pinteresting, crafting, whipping up tasty cocktails, playing WAKA kickball, traveling and spending time laughing with friends.

one could argue a few of these passions fall into the hobby category but I would say that passions are basically hobbies on fire.

my lover - he makes me laugh, he gives me hope, he is what every man should be.

my family - because let's be honest, they're the best. my sister is pretty much a rockstar, my parents are the best examples of living life to the fullest, my grandma is my hero and i'm incredibly close to my aunt and cousins....and my in-laws....i love them! every single one of them (how lucky am i?!) they raised the love of my life...they're what made him who he is today and for that....i love love love them!

basically, my heart is full.

and lastly,

i'm thankful for my smile because without it people wouldn't know that I'm always happy.

breathe.

2011-11-23T11:08:00.001-08:00

the holidays are always madness. right now is super crazy with my dance show creeping up, busy time at the office and of course all the road trips to visit the family (traveling with all three dogs totally stresses me out).

i have to remind myself to breathe.

image via

it's monday!

2011-11-21T07:02:00.001-08:00

i just realized that i always post a happy-go-lucky Friday post because it's a great way to kick off a weekend so i was suddenly inspired today to post something equally as fitting for this monday.

i'm about to do some serious work this week.....i'm almost feeling as exhausted as this horse looks just thinking about it.....and the weather is gloomy right now so this image is pretty perfect.

the image is called white dews

it's friday!

2011-11-18T12:08:00.001-08:00

i feel like celebrating!

image source unknown. if you know please send me an email!

how to wear a scarf

2011-11-17T21:05:00.001-08:00

if you're like me you wrap the thing around and hope it's long enough to not look stupid. fear no more! this amazing video will help you out this winter season!

guest bedroom

2011-11-15T22:11:00.001-08:00

the guest room is finally coming together. i know this mood board may look like a bit of a hot mess, you're probably thinking....why is she mixing modern chic with cottage cozy?? well, as one of my design heroes (*ahem emily henderson) would say...."her style is modern cottage chic" so i'm running with it. i'll let you know how it turns out!

1. wallpaper: designed by joy cho for hygge and west 2. comfy reading chair found on sfgirlbybay 3. blackboard headboard 4. side table found here

frosting

2011-11-15T17:45:00.001-08:00

finally.....18 months after the wedding "frosting" is clean and ready for preservation!
(yes, i named my wedding dress)

i almost cried when i stopped by the french laundry cleaner today and saw her hanging there in all her glory all shiny and sparkly and begging to be worn again.

"look at him, treats and snoozin', snoozin' and treats"

2011-11-15T12:43:00.001-08:00

this little guy is too cute for words. i absolutely adore every bit of it.

here's marcel the shell with shoes on video debut. when this first came out i showed it to a few people and they thought i was crazy. i'm happy to see that people are slowly warming their hearts to his cuteness.

and now there's a book! although, a friend of mine did mention that part of his appeal is his little voice and i must agree. it's still not going to stop me from getting this book :)

dining table

2011-11-12T16:20:00.001-08:00

the first purchase the mr. and i ever made together was this super adorable round dining table from pier 1. the little table made it through three of our homes (we've moved around a lot) and survived those moves without a single dent to show for it. we had lots of great conversations over yummy dinners where we basically mapped out the rest of our future together. it held all the treats and sweets from my bridal shower and it was the main production hub for the wedding save the dates, formal invitations and all the diy projects that I delegated to my sister and friends.

one of my favorite memories in particular was when we received our wedding rings in the mail. we opened the fed ex box, pulled out the ring boxes and set them there on top of the table so we can just stare at them for a moment. it was just me, the mr., those rings and that table.....such a great moment.

well, with the new house we decided to get a new table since the dining room is a bit too large to give our tiny little round table the comfort it deserves. so we ordered a custom reclaimed wood table from a vendor we found at the rose bowl flea market. we were so excited to move in our new table that i don't think we gave our old table the proper goodbye she deserved. we wrapped her up in bubble wrap and tucked her away safely in the garage. we decided to keep her since i think we both knew how much that table meant to us and maybe many many years down the line we'll move into a new house that will have room for her. in the meantime, here's a pic of the new table. the one that will host our first family christmas, the one that will hopefully sit a baby (or two) in the future, the one that will make many more memories for our little family as it continues to grow.

{ Peanut Butter Cup Lovers Rejoice! }

2011-11-08T19:45:00.000-08:00

how amazing is this yummy super-delicious looking drink from day dreamer desserts?!
i mean, who doesn't love reese's peanut butter cup infused vodka?

{ Reading: Marilyn Monroe }

2011-11-06T13:53:00.000-08:00

i have this thing with reading. i can really only get into a book if i knew it was real at some point. i love books based on the royal monarchy, i love books based on a certain monumental moment in time, i love books based on werewolves and vampires (ok, that last one is my one exception...team jacob!)

so when i told a girlfriend that i can really only get into non-fiction she recommended this book based on the life of marilyn monroe. before reading "the secret life of marilyn monroe" i didn't really know much about the sex icon besides the fact that she could pretty much wear white whenever she wanted, she wasn't your typical skinny model and she died from an unfortunate pill cocktail. now, after diving deep into her "secret life," i'm incredibly impressed by the picture that author j.randy taraborelli painted of this sensitive soul that was doomed from the start. i also just found out that there's a marilyn monroe movie coming out on Nov. 23 called, my week with marilyn. needless to say, i plan on rallying all of my favorite girls for a whimsical night honoring the haunted soul that defined glamour.

{ my sister }

2011-11-03T14:31:00.000-07:00

sister sent me the TOMS holiday catalog and there she was!

(p.s. she mentioned me too!

i'm such a proud sister.)

{ Happy Halloween }

2011-10-31T10:36:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: he won the halloween costume contest at work. yay!

me and the hubs worked on this masterpiece yesterday afternoon while listening to christmas tunes -- i love halloween!

{ It's Friday }

2011-10-28T09:46:00.000-07:00

time to be fabulous.

image found here

{ Custom Dining Table }

2011-10-25T16:33:00.000-07:00

we're busy getting ready for the holidays starting with the housewarming/holiday/birthday party and then hosting our first Christmas, which i'm just the tiniest bit excited about (ok, let's be honest, i'm crazy stupid insanely excited about it).

so first thing's first. we need a table fit for kings and queens! we found this local shop that makes custom dining tables from wood shipped in from their family farm in Minnesota.

when you order your table you get the option to customize everything from the length of the tabletop to the width of the wood to the height of the legs and lastly, the final finish on the wood. after giving it lots and lots of thought we finally decided on all the official dimensions and we requested dark wood tabletops (to match the dark wood in the house) with lighter wood legs (to give the room a nice contrast in color).

the shop owner just sent us these pictures as our first sneak peek! we can't wait to get this beauty in the dining room.

weekend getaway {temecula wine tasting}

2011-10-23T15:51:00.000-07:00

it was a gorgeous day for wine tasting in temecula. we started at our favorite winery, Mt. Palomar because the service is exceptional and the wines are always delicious. WARNING: they are completely sold out of the Cloudbreak for the rest of the year.

we then moved on to a spot that is usually fun because they have horses and a few winery dogs (which are my very favorite) but for some reason we didn't have the best time there, i will leave this winery unnamed because i'm hoping they were just having an off day and i don't want to give them a bad review.

then it was lunch time. we stopped by Baily for lunch where i had some sweet potato fries and a yummy spinach salad.

and lastly, we cruised on over to europa village winery. i loved this new little spot. the wines were tasty and the tasting rooms were cute and cozy. we will definitely be going back.

{ Breakfast Scones }

2011-10-20T22:08:00.000-07:00

to celebrate the end of the week i decided to make breakfast scones tonight.

these yummy little bites of raspberry are going to taste like perfection with my morning coffee.

and the best part, the mr. is at rehearsal tonight so when he gets home he's going to be super impressed with the fact that our house smells like heaven!

first thing's first, no cooking excursion is complete without a nice glass of wine.

the second i pulled this out of the oven it smelled sooo good.

i then sliced it into 8 perfect pieces (they're scones so they don't really have to be perfect triangles, in fact, i think the more imperfect they are, the better).

and finally, my secret....don't tell anyone that Cost Plus World Market sells the BEST scone mixture on the planet.....all you have to do is add water and stir. BRILLIANT!

shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

{ it's just luck }

2011-10-18T21:28:00.000-07:00

true story.

"The Luckier I Get," a letterpress poster of a Samuel Goldwyn quotation by Lilco. ($60)

found via design is mine

{ skunked }

2011-10-16T14:14:00.000-07:00

all three dogs got skunked this weekend.

if your pets have ever been skunked, i'm sure you're feeling my pain right now. but if you've never experienced the joy of bathing a skunky animal then let me give you a tiny bit of advice:

1. do NOT let the dogs in the house once they've been skunked -- do absolutely everything in your power to keep them out. i feel like we were moving in slow motion as i saw our tiny chihuahua roll around all over the new rug.

2. get a rag and start trying to dab off the oil as soon as possible -- skunks spray a drippy yellow oil -- this is what carries the stank

3. if your dog gets sprayed in the face (which apparently is the worse place to get sprayed) and starts foaming at the mouth -- your dog does not have rabies -- the vet said the taste is just so bad that it's a normal reaction to slobber a bit.

4. give them lots of love and kisses (after the bath of course), because i can't even imagine how traumatizing this experience must be for them, our poor little pooches were so exhausted after the initial panic, the nose-burning smell and the fire-drill bath

here's the recipe recommended by our vet, we also scrubbed the rug/couch/floors with this after the entire ordeal:

{ Hello! Weekend }

2011-10-14T13:07:00.000-07:00

the weeks have been flying by lately, which is the reason for the routine friday posts and lack of weekday posts. but i promise to get back into this and start blogging again (september was a really good blogging month for me, october, not so much)

either way, it's friday! so get happy!

super rad image found here

{ Hello! Las Vegas }

2011-10-06T22:33:00.000-07:00

me and the mr. are headed to las vegas tomorrow morning. i don't know if this happens to everyone but i always get a little anxious before a trip to sin city.

i always thought it was the energy from all the sins, or i could blame it on the gobs of money i've lost on wheel of fortune, or the boring car rides to our final destination of Circus Circus as a kid, or perhaps it was from my time in corporate event production when i spent a week a month, for a whole year, producing events in the chilling ballrooms of the venetian. once, i went 7 days (that's right, 7 entire days) without seeing daylight.

lets hope this trip to vegas is filled with so much fun that it helps me forget how much i dislike vegas.

i think "old vegas" was much more my style.

{ Hello! Friday }

2011-09-30T14:44:00.000-07:00

it's my sister's birthday this weekend, which means it's going to be equal parts amazing and exhausting. we're kicking off the weekend at grandma's house tonight (i just called her and she's happily cooking away in the kitchen right now prepping for the yummy birthday dinner), then tomorrow night we'll all be going out to dinner with my parents followed by a crazy hat bar hop party and then we'll be wrapping the weekend with brunch on sunday morning. phew. i'm drained just thinking about it.....let's get this party started!!!

oh and i recently came across this video and loved it oh so much.

happy happy weekend!

{ adorable! }

2011-09-27T20:59:00.000-07:00

if you haven't seen this yet you should watch it now. i literally LOL'd.

{ Weekend Wrap: Our Garden }

2011-09-25T15:51:00.000-07:00

we now have:

peppers, tomatoes, basil, cilantro, strawberries and onions!

don't let this photo fool you. my husband is the one with the green thumb and i'm just the one with the camera and cute shoes

now, lets hope our little furry babies don't find a way to eat the garden treats before us.

{ happy fall friday }

2011-09-23T09:18:00.000-07:00

this year, the official start of fall is today! get excited, it's time to get out those cuddle blankets and start filling your house with those orange colored autumn scented candles!

happy fall everyone!

illustration from etsy

{ Sharon Montrose }

2011-09-21T21:15:00.000-07:00

sharon montrose is without a doubt my favorite animal photographer. i've considered quitting everything, knocking on her door and saying, "please, can i please be your assistant."

but then i thought that would be creepy, so instead i'm just going to channel my inner sharon montrose every time i make my pups pose for pics, fill my house with all her prints and drool over her work online.

on that note, this morning is *almost like christmas morning because her work is being featured on fab! if you're not yet a fab member, today would be a good day to become one.

{ Pretty Prints }

2011-09-19T14:26:00.000-07:00

how gorgeous is this work by yelena bryksenkova?!

her etsy shop is full of whimsical treasures. i can't wait to order my first print and hang it on one of my very bare white walls

{ DANCE! }

2011-09-18T10:47:00.000-07:00

dear friends,

i made the dance co. and i will be dancing in three pieces (tap, latin and contemporary) for the upcoming christmas nutcracker performance. my husband will finally get to see me dance!

i'm finally home again!

love,

me (the super elated dancer!)

{ don't stop.....believing! } (you have to sing the headline like Journey, otherwise it won't work)

2011-09-17T09:05:00.001-07:00

anyone who knows me knows that i'm a dancer. even though i haven't danced in years, i still consider myself a dancer. i met some of my closest friends through dance, and i credit some of my biggest smiles and proudest moments to this long-standing passion. the days i danced are the days i will remember most. these days, the only dancing my soul gets is at a wedding, at a live music show or at a tiny dive bar (those dive bar dance scenes can get a little awkward).

as i get older and my dance flame burns out my heart gets heavy. so i've decided to do something about it while i still have some pep in my step.

now don't be scared, i'm about to say something that may sound absolutely ridiculous. i mean, i can't believe i'm about to do this but here it goes...

i'm auditioning for a dance co. today!

i haven't danced in years (have i mentioned this yet?) and my flexibility is pretty much gone but the passion remains, the passion will always remain, so i'm going to give my soul a special treat today.

wish me a broken leg!
(that didn't sound right, but you know what i mean).

{ Happy Friday! }

2011-09-15T23:06:00.000-07:00

photo from here

{ Design*Sponge Golden Ticket }

2011-09-15T17:21:00.001-07:00

to say that i'm super excited about this event would be a huge understatement!

{ Heroes }

2011-09-13T21:26:00.000-07:00

i have a very small handful of heroes in my life. my heroes are people who make me feel like life is just as it should be. these people bring great comfort to my life, which in my opinion, is the best feeling ever. among the small very exclusive group of people that i consider my true heroes is a beautiful, gracious, sweetheart of a lady who has always put family first. my grandma.

as a child i remember thinking that life wasn't fair, that is, until my grandma hugged me. as a teenager i remember thinking that all my friends lived better lives, that is, until my grandma hugged me. as a hopeless romantic i battled heartache and thought i'd never love again, that is, until my grandma hugged me. as a young adult i remember thinking that i'd never make it to the top, that is, until my grandma hugged me. and now as i'm approaching my 30s i sometimes feel that i haven't lived up to everything i was supposed to accomplish by this age, that is, until my grandma hugs me.

my grandma deserves every happiness this world can offer. here she is in all her glory on her super awesome surprise birthday. my grandma.

please observe this hug. nothing and i mean nothing can beat this feeling.

the grandchildren (the white guy is my sister's boyfriend, he's pretty much part of the family).

this reminds me of UP.

{ local finds: charlie's house }

2011-09-11T18:49:00.000-07:00

for me, one of the hardest questions to ever answer is, "what's your style?"

i sort of just throw a bunch of things together and hope it works. sometimes it's a hit and sometimes it's a huge miss. as i was walking through my little downtown today i noticed a new store. the sign outside simply said, "charlie's house."

i instantly fell in love with this sweet little store; not because of the soft color palette, not because it smelled like a yummy candle, not because it was filled with miniatures, but because when i walked in, i couldn't figure out the "style" of the store.

i just thought, this store is MY style!

it's not a garden store, although it's full of terra cotta planters and moss, it's not a seasonal decoration store, although the tiny pumpkins in the beautiful glass vessels totally caught my eye, it's not an antique store, although i spotted a handful of treasures from the local flea markets, and the best part is, that it's not overpriced! and lucky for me, i've been going everywhere with my camera lately, so i was able to take a few shots of the gorgeousness that is, charlie's house:

this white marvel is an old fridge. i think it would make for a great mini-bar!

they have a "make your own mini-garden" bar -- how cute is that?!

and, of course, i couldn't leave without getting something. i purchased these super cute little tin flags. the best thing about these little flags is that you can write on them with chalk so my message will be changing with the season! I can't wait for halloween!

{ Yellow }

2011-09-09T12:01:00.000-07:00

so i'm not going to lie, photoshop is a crazy beast, especially if you're self-taught like me. i've always admired the way my favorite bloggers can gather all of their favorite things and mash them up together to look like a single image. well, i decided to give it a go and about two hours later this is all i could come up with. i need to take one of bri emery's blogshop classes in order to get the hang of this but until i pay off the fancy new camera i got, this will have to do.

now i'm off to make some lunch and pat myself on the back. i'm pretty proud of my first big photoshop project :)

1. Etsy 2. West Elm 3. hoos 4. bauer replacements (I have this bowl and it is my very favorite!)

{ White Wood Kitchen Floors }

2011-09-08T20:29:00.000-07:00

we recently noticed a few cracks in the kitchen floors so we're thinking we're going to need to replace them soon. since we're replacing them we've decided to venture outside of the dark wood floors that cover the entire house and try to do something fun.

lately i've been eyeing the painted white hardwood floors. i tried explaining the idea of white hardwood floors to the hubby and he said he needs me to show him some examples, so this is what i've got:

and lastly, as i was researching the white floors i stumbled across this beauty.

how awesome would this be?

1. designboner (ummm...awesome name BTW) 2. Freckled Citizen

3. Kitchen Clarity 4. Arch Decor 5. Kitchen Remodel Designs

{ Norman Rockwell }

2011-09-02T07:52:00.000-07:00

last night the hubby pulled out a few of his old boy scout Norman Rockwell prints. i instantly fell in love with every single one of them. should we save them to put them all up in a future tiny bambino's room or should we put them up now and add a couple of my favorites to balance the "boy scout" vibe?

either way, i'm so excited that he has these and can't wait to figure out what we're going to do with them!

here are a few of my favorites that he pulled out last night:

and here are a couple of my all time favorites that i need to order asap!

{Bermuda}

2011-08-30T21:49:00.000-07:00

the mr. and i just returned from an amazing trip to bermuda with a quick stop in washington for some sightseeing. this will go down in history as one of my very most favorite trips of all time. washington was one giant adventure and bermuda is an absolute dream. before we jetted off i stopped by Samy's Camera in Pasadena to pick up a special treat. i've been wanting one for so long and i've consulted many friends on their opinions and i finally bit the bullet. i couldn't be happier with my new toy!
(special thanks to Joseph for all the super great advice)

here are just a few of my favorites and don't you worry, i plan on posting an entire review of our trip including some of our favorite tourist spots and restaurants!

{Blackboard Wall}

2011-08-17T21:43:00.000-07:00

so we have this guest room that also doubles up as a place to store our extra large black dresser, which i find to be a bit obnoxious in a room that's full of cream walls. the full-size bed in this room is also missing a headboard and besides our laundry baskets there's nothing else in this room. in other words, we have some serious work to do. the other day i came up with this brilliant idea to play down the large overbearing black dresser and play up the fact that we have a bed with no headboard......we're painting a chalkboard wall and i'm going to draw on a headboard! in addition to drawing on a headboard i want to hang empty wall frames so our guests (since it's the guest bedroom) can show off their artistic skills by sketching something into the frames. and of course if we don't think they're the next Van Gogh or Picasso.....then we'll erase and wait for the next artist to tag up the wall (*ahem Banksy we have a guest bedroom that you can crash in for FREE *ahem)

here are a few images i pulled from the world wide web for some inspiration

before and after pictures will soon follow!

1. my notting hill blog 2. flor's blog on design 3. michelle lunt

{The Making of a Zen Garden}

2011-08-15T20:34:00.000-07:00

this weekend s and i went fountain shopping! it was right up there with couch shopping and rug shopping. i honestly believe that if you have the room in your backyard for a fountain you should absolutely invest in one. as soon as we bought this little beauty we rushed home to set it up. i'm going to be honest, i had to channel every tiny little muscle in my arms to help get the outrageously heavy pieces of stone out of the car but we did it! then we had to level the ground to make sure the water flowed perfectly even and then we had to attach the pump (much easier than I thought it was going to be) and finally we got to enjoy our beautiful new love nest addition. if it wasn't the hottest day on record i think the entire process would've been a little easier but none-the-less we did it together and we succeeded!

now excuse me as i retreat to my backyard happy place....

{Real People Doing Good: The Detroit Empowerment Plan}

2011-08-08T08:09:00.000-07:00

although, i understand the appeal behind some mega-celebritites such as kim kardashian and the people of jersey shore, i can't seem to jump on those bandwagons because i can't bring myself to respect them. they've made boat loads of money off of having killer bodies and crazy antics. now, don't get me wrong, if you make a ton of money without having to rob a bank then more power to you. however, please please please, (i'm honestly begging here), please do something good with your money.

so please forgive me if i ever say something unkind about kim kardashian spending hundreds of thousands on wedding celebrations and millions on her wedding and asking people for more hundreds of thousands worth of gifts.

because there are things in this world that really matter. there are people in this world that are really doing something about it. and those are the people that deserve the fame and the respect.

meet, Detroit design student, veronika scott.

at the age of 21, she created The Detroit Empowerment Plan

she created the element s, a self-heated, waterproof jacket that turns into a blanket at night. veronika recruited homeless women to make these jackets in exchange for food and shelter. the goal in the making of these jackets is to empower, employ, educate and instill pride.

for more on this story and an interview with veronika, go here

thank you, veronika for being awesome, kind and above all else, a true humanitarian.

.

{Dog Diaries: Peanut}

2011-08-02T20:44:00.000-07:00

my little peanut is going to be 10 years old in november. there isn't a single day that goes by that my little man doesn't make me smile. i kiss him at least 20 times before we go to bed and my favorite sound in the entire world is the little sigh that he lets out when he's nestled up against my neck.

{VIP Guest}

2011-07-31T22:58:00.000-07:00

the youngest member of my family paid us a special visit this weekend. we call her Z and she's pretty much the coolest pre-teen around. i admire her instinct from right and wrong at such a young age and she's what we call "good people." she's sweet and kind-hearted and has a smile that can light up any room. this is the absolute best quality to have at any age and i'm so incredibly proud of my baby cousin for being so grounded and exceptional!

i tried to be the coolest cousin all weekend, we made a jewelry tree, we made homemade ice cream, she taught me a few awesome shortcuts on my laptop, and (my favorite part) we went to the street art exhibit in downtown la.

i love my little (she actually towers over me but i still call her little because she'll always be the sweetest baby in my eyes) cousin Z!

{Empty Wall Space}

2011-07-27T21:17:00.000-07:00

one of the things i love the most about our brand new house are the big white walls. they're like an empty canvas waiting for memories and love to take up space. coincidentally, one of the things that drives me crazy about our brand new house are the big white walls. how will i ever fill all this space? whit the dark red room tripped hallways there's no way that i could ever paint these walls or even wallpaper them (wallpaper is still an idea i toy with). so when i saw this awesome idea from ampersand studio it made me have hope. there's so much one can do with all the empty space. i may not go this route but i loved the originality of it. i loved the simplicity and i loved the prints!

{Weekend Wrap-Up}

2011-07-24T20:50:00.000-07:00

after a crazy work week I decided to really make the most of the weekend.

mr. v and i headed to the beach for some fun in the sun. on sunday we explored the new neighborhood a bit and hit up the local farmers market and finally ended the weekend with hanging some more things up on the wall and rearranging the new house a bit. all and all this was a super productive weekend. hope you took charge of your weekend too!

{addicted to flea markets}

2011-07-17T20:39:00.000-07:00

lately i've been hitting up the local flea markets. often times i go and just people watch. you'll find the most interesting people hunting for treasures at these outdoor shopping arenas. here's a brief synopsis of the top flea market personalities:

1. trendy hipsters seeking out the latest trend -- are they hunting for that perfectly stained leather sling or maybe they're looking for those flat laced shoes that look like they're out of the 1920's......

2. antique shop owners looking to buy something for $20 and then sell it at their shop for $80

3. the designers that can pick the best out of the bunch. they're also the ones that go with tons of cash ready to drop it all on that $400 rug that i can't seem to bring myself to buy.

4. old ladies who bust out their shopping cart and shove their way down the lanes (i think they're my favorite because they always look fabulous {the flea market is clearly a special occasion})

5. and then there's me.

i like to think of the flea market as a great big scavenger hunt. i'll jot down the tiny pieces i'd like to find throughout the week and then i go for it! lately i've been addicted to trays and watering cans. i recently purchased an awesome gold tray and then two silver trays and now i just added a bamboo tray to my collection. and then last week i found the most perfect slightly weathered RED watering can. i think i paid too much for it but shhh...don't tell Mr. Vega.

.

{ Pool Party }

2011-07-06T20:01:00.000-07:00

we hosted our first pool party on the fourth of july! what's that? of course we have a pool, in fact, we had three! these fab pools were only $29.99 at toys r us. our awesome new neighbor tossed the pump for the air compressor over the fence and we were in business!

{ Happy 4th of July Weekend }

2011-07-01T23:15:00.000-07:00

the goal was to find some perfect flags to hang on the front porch. i still have three days. i'll let you know if i get lucky, but in the meantime, how cute are these new adirondack chairs?!

we're thinking we need to paint these white.

{ Weekend Wrap }

2011-06-26T11:18:00.000-07:00

we had a handful of weekend visitors. first, parents stopped by to drop off the washer and our new dresser (thanks mom and dad!) then we had a good friend from arizona visit us. we love showing off the new house! we also set up the patio furniture that we got an amazing deal on from cost plus world market (love that store), and i finally put away all my clothes and organized my shoes (yes, it was an entire weekend project). even though it was a short weekend, we still got so much done. can't wait for next weekend!

{ hello! travel: washington dc }

2011-06-21T18:55:00.000-07:00

i'm currently in dc for work but i managed to sneak away and explore a bit since this is my first time in our nation's capitol. i hardly got to see everything i wanted to see but i saved the real real good stuff for my trip back in a couple months with my honey. here's a list of the few things i conquered today (thanks to a few awesome recommendations from a fellow blogger).

1. newseum -- breathtaking and jawdropping. i got lost in this wonderful tribute to photojournalism and traditional journalism.

2. holocaust museum -- i'll be returning to this tribute in a few months but i did get a chance to tour a few of the exhibits, they were equal parts heart wrenching and utterly moving.

3. lincoln memorial -- wow. wow. wow. and i saw it during the day. i hear the night time will completely knock your socks off. i shall wait to see this one under the light of the moon in a couple months with my honey.

4. Navy concert band -- at the U.S. Navy memorial -- this was a chance stumbling as i was walking back to my hotel after dinner (talk about lucky)!

and lastly this day could not have been possible without the help from my friends at tour mobile -- such a great sightseeing tour company. they have stops throughout the city and you can hop off and hop on at your own pace.

{ Happy Fathers Day }

2011-06-18T22:26:00.000-07:00

i love this day.

i love my dad.

{ we have a garden -- the kind with food! }

2011-06-18T11:56:00.000-07:00

i picked these precious juicy tomatoes from our garden yesterday. the freshly planted organic garden is one of the wonderful gifts that we inherited from the previous owners of our fancy new house. these little guys are called "early girl" tomatoes. we also have some heirloom and something else back there as well as carrots, snap peas (not sure what I'm supposed to do with those....do you boil them?), and parsley!

{ Lovely Gift from Real Estate Agent }

2011-06-15T08:58:00.000-07:00

I came home today from a long day at the office to a pretty blue box sitting on the dining room table. Now, if you're a lady there's now way that you can see this blue box and not get the instant giddy-I'm-so-happy feeling. I thought, there's no way we can be buying gifts for each other, we just bought a house!

I ask S where the gift came from and he said it was from our REAL ESTATE AGENT! Have I mentioned yet how much I love that lady? She's pretty awesome and even more awesome now.

I opened up our lovely gift and it was a set of the most beautiful candlestick holders I had ever seen.

Now to find the perfect place for them in our new house.....

{ Today Is A Good Day }

2011-06-13T21:30:00.003-07:00

husband and i both danced barefoot in the kitchen.

that is all.

.

{ Favorite Bits of the New House }

2011-06-12T22:23:00.000-07:00

we finally moved in to the new house! please don't ask me what the old house looks like. i have to go back to the old house every night this week to clean prior to our thursday walk-thru but we're not going to think about that right now. instead i want to share with you all my favorite bits of the new place! my feet are aching and i feel like i didn't have much of a weekend but we're in our new home and i'm beyond excited to fill it with love and laughs!

{ Flea Market Finds }

2011-06-05T21:11:00.000-07:00

When I was younger I used to watch gymnasts on tv and think, "I could do that. A swan leap into an aerial? No problem!" So I went for it. And needless to say, I fell flat on my face but walked away with a very important realization....nothing is as easy as it looks on TV (except for maybe the Corona couple lounging by the beach).

Fast forward 20 years -- I've been watching Secrets from a Stylist lately. Much like my younger days I was disillusioned by the natural talents of the professionals on television, except for this time, the talent on tv was not a gymnast soaring through the sky but rather, a stylist floating through flea markets. Her name is Emily Henderson and she is a total rockstar!

I thought, she makes it look so easy! All I have to do is go to a flea market, find a couple awesome pieces -- perhaps upholster a piece or two -- and viola! I've got myself a secret from a stylist.

Well, as you will find from the image below that my super awesome flea market finds aren't looking so hot in my new living room. The couch completely dwarfs our new danish mid-century modern chairs. I'm hoping that once we get an area rug, coffee table, floor lamp and end table in the space that it'll fill it up a bit and take some of the attention away from the big mid century sized elephant in the room.

P.S. I will gladly accept any suggestions from all my amazing blog friends!!!!

{ We have KEYS! }

2011-06-03T08:54:00.000-07:00

S stopped by the house this morning to water the plants, we were scheduled to get the keys this afternoon but we wanted to make sure the plants weren't getting sad (we were clearly looking for excuses to stop by our perfect little home). When he stopped by the house the sellers were there, they were saying goodbye to the house and they were crying! In a way it makes me feel so good to know that they had a hard time parting with the house and as the new owners it makes me so happy to know that it was well taken care of.

Later that afternoon S stopped by the sellers agent's office to pick up the keys, he also stopped by the store to pick up champagne (have I mentioned how much I love my husband?)

Work has been crazy lately so I didn't get off work until pretty late. As soon as I was able to sneak away from the office, I ran to my car, drove home a little faster than usual, picked up my husband and zipped on over to the new house!

{ Almost there! }

2011-05-30T09:29:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday weekend. S and I stopped by the new house on our way home last night from a delicious dinner with the Vega family. The sellers have officially moved out and the home is now empty waiting patiently for our arrival so of course we took this opportunity to do a bit more stalking. We sign the final paperwork tomorrow then go through the final stage of SIGN, FUND AND RECORD (I think that's what it's called). And then we should be getting our keys by Friday!!!

{ Happy Weekend }

2011-05-27T18:16:00.000-07:00

S and I are getting ready for our moving sale -- I suppose it's not the funnest thing we could be doing on a Friday night but none-the-less -- we're making the most of it! Hope everyone has a rockin' weekend!