black and white and striped all over

Everyone knows that a dose of bright color in a room can make a bold statement. But black and white can make an equally bold statement, especially in a graphic stripe.

Some examples for your home and wardrobe below:

{1, 2, 3, 4, 5}

weekend dreaming

Happy Friday! I would not mind spending the entire weekend with a good book and a cup of coffee in this bed. What is it about this picture that is so soothing?

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the splatter effect

I am intrigued but on the fence about the new Foley + Corinna arrivals over at Revolve Clothing. Their splatter collection includes handbags, dresses and pants that have a paint splatter effect. Too messy, or a fun way to add color?

{revolve}

turn up the volume

After what seems like ages of the body-con skirt being king, I've been noticing full bodied skirts coming back on the scene. There is something so feminine and classic about them, and they work in a variety of lengths. The lovely ladies below show that it is a look that just as well on the red carpet as it does on the street.

{1, 2, 3, 4}

Some of my favorite examples are below (that neon Tibi skirt is unreal).

{1, 2, 3, 4, 5}

so cal icon: swimming pools

The LA Times printed these great pictures that are up at the Palm Springs Art Museum (who knew Palm Springs had an art museum!). They evoke that breezy but glamorous spirit that is so very Palm Springs - starting off with the most iconic glamor girl, Marilyn Monroe. They definitely put me in the mood for the weekend!

old meets new

If you ask anyone who spends a lot of time in the kitchen, updated appliances are a must for efficient cooking (stainless steel preferred!). But there is something so charming about balancing all that newness with a beautiful antique. The kitchen isn't generally a place with a lot of room for decorative furniture, so the best way to do this is to convert an antique into a functional piece of furniture. The kitchens below have done this successfully with the kitchen island.

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Adding a stainless steel or granite top to one of these tables would make a beautiful island.

{One Kings Lane, Obsolete, Relics}

heat wave

One of my boyfriend's dearest friends celebrated his 30th birthday in Palm Springs this summer.  A group of 10 of us rented a house and cooked, relaxed, and sunned together in the hot desert heat. Renting a house with a group of friends for a long weekend is one of the best ways to get out of town, in my opinion (but more on that in a future post)! That desert sun was H-O-T but we cooled off in the pool with some refreshing adult beverages.

My ideal outfit for our weekend is below.

{free people swimsuit, D&G sunglasses, madewell chambray shirt, dolce vita sandals, lovers+friends shorts, rebecca minkoff tote}

I love the pop of a bright swimsuit, and mixing patterns in the same color family bring visual interest without being too busy. Plus the bag has room to carry everything you need - including sunscreen. Do NOT forget the sunscreen! The chambray shirt is the perfect layering item for cooler nights, or air conditioned rooms.

What do you wear in the hot hot heat to keep cool?

recipe: grilled arugula and fig pizza

One of my favorite parts of summer is outdoor grilling.  I mean, in California we are lucky enough to have good grilling weather pretty much year-round, but there is something about grilling in the summer that is just the best.

Grilled pizza is a great way to mix things up. I try to incorporate whatever is fresh at the farmers market, and whatever we have in the fridge and pantry. Once you get the technique down, you really don't even need a recipe. That's the great thing about homemade pizza - it's an anything goes kind of meal. I usually make the below pizza with pears, but the figs looked too good to pass up!

pictures by alittlebicycle

Recipe - Grilled Arugula and Fig Pizza
1 premade pizza dough (or if you're brave, make it yourself! I stick with Trader Joe's brand)
Scoop of flour (for rolling out the dough)
1/4 c walnut halves
Olive Oil
4 oz. gorgonzola
1 pint fresh figs, halved
1 1/2 c arugula
3-4 slices prosciutto

Heat up a gas grill to medium, or if you are using charcoal, keep the heat low. Roll out the dough according to package instructions. Heat up a pan on medium high heat, and once hot, throw in the walnuts. Shake the pan frequently to keep walnuts from burning. Once fragrant and browning, take them off the heat and set them aside for later.

Brush one side of your dough with olive oil, and place the dough onto the grill, olive oil side down. Leave it on the grill long enough to get it crisped up and some light grill marks, 2-3 minutes. Really depends on how thin you've rolled out the dough. Take the dough off the grill and flip it over (grilled side up). Sprinkle the gorgonzola and figs liberally onto the dough. Throw it back onto the grill, until the dough is cooked through, the cheese is melted, and the figs are soft, another 3-5 minutes.

Off the grill, sprinkle the arugula and the walnuts over the top of the pizza, and rip the prosciutto into bite size pieces, sprinkling that on top as well. Drizzle with olive oil.

This is a tough recipe to measure out - it is best to go by your own taste and judgement. Good luck, and let me know if you try this recipe!

weekend snaps

delish brown butter rice crispy bars, my neighbor's beautiful succulents, some very good news from my fortune cookie, and  amazing clouds at sunset after a crazy summer storm

chicken and waffles for breakfast, strolling through my favorite nursery, squeezing in some sunning time on the deck, and ending a great relaxing weekend by the firepit

eat this poem

I just stumbled across such a beautiful food blog. I think the best food blogs combine genuinely delicious recipes with beautiful pictures of the food they've made. This blog, Eat This Poem, also incorporates the author's love of poetry.  Every post has a recipe, but also a poem or line of prose that inspired it. I love the parallels between the food she cooks and the poems she loves.

I think this Nectarine and Gingersnap crumble might have to be my next kitchen project:

Check out her blog ~ lots more beautiful pictures and recipes where this one came from! What will your next kitchen adventure be?

tea towels

One of my favorite details in a kitchen are the tea towels. They can add a pop of color or a little dose of light-hearted humor to an otherwise serious space. They also make the perfect hostess gift, and they can be a practical and beautiful gift wrap alternative.

A round-up of my favorites below:

{1, 2, 3, 4, 5}

summer hair 101

In most parts of the country, the heat has become sweltering. I am pretty lazy about my hair all year long, but the heat of the summer makes it particularly difficult to put any effort into my hair beyond the basic ponytail.

Luckily, there are some super simple styles that actually take about the same amount of effort and produce much chicer results. The bun, braid, and ponytail are the trifecta of summer styles. Below, some examples of chic and easy styles that will keep you cool.

{1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}

The key to any of these styles is having the right tools. Some hairspray, bobby pins, and a teasing brush will help you easily achieve a chic summer 'do.

paul & joe

I have been a big fan of the resort 2012 shows. One of my favorites is the Paul & Joe collection. I love the soft colors interspersed with pops of bright red and black, and all the prints are fun and casual without being childish.

My favorite looks:

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a note

In this digital age, one of the nicest ways to express friendship and love is to send a handwritten note. There are tons of great handmade notecards out there, and one of my favorites is Set Editions. Their cards are beautiful, and some also have a cheeky sense of humor, for your friends that would appreciate that kind of thing. The charm is in their simplicty. The perfect little note to put a smile on a special someone's face.

{Set Editions}