a little of the bubbly for 2010

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/anjiejoon/4231218469/

a tidy little list of my resolutions for 2010:

*drink more champagne
*learn to converse in german
*finish the decor projects for alesia's bedroom
*meditate every week
*tango every week
*practice budo every week
*build the savings account
*go camping
*grow successful container gardens
*win my boyfriend at chess
*launch a fulfilling career
*make decisions from a place of gratitude, not fear
*above all else: love with my heart wide open, learn with my mind wide open, seek truth with my eyes wide open

please, dear friends of the blogiverse, oh please tell me what your resolutions are for 2010 ~ either list them in the comments section or just toss in a link to your own post of resolutions.

{where i really, really want to spend nye! taken by obni in besancon, franche-comte}

may blessings and joys abound for you & your families in the new year!

tis the season

http://www.flickr.com/photos/anjiejoon/4212032953/ 

it's christmas eve and i am unable to sleep due to all the excitement stirring within me. it dawned on me that now was the perfect time to peek in on my blog and play a little catch-up. on one hand, i'm shocked how 2 months have gone by without a word from me on my favorite blog. but on the other hand, it's perfectly clear why: 2 months happens to be the exact length of time since my heart found its long-sought-after desire. on october 10th i officially started dating the love of my life. and it has been an all encompassing love bubble ever since. we now live together and live every day in gratitude together. what a surreal blessing.

alesia is now walking and talking and her personality is in full force. she is as loving and flirty as she is head-strong and feisty. it's a delightful combination. she is full swing into the needing-mommy-every-second mode, but i really don't mind. i know it's only temporary and soon she'll be wanting nothing to do with me, so i'm enjoying all the attention while i can.
my designer dreams remain on hold as i continue to soul search about the next steps in my career. i am clear about wanting to make a difference, wanting to be creative, and wanting to enjoy a wide variety of tasks. but that's about it. sigh. please tell me i'm not the only one who goes through such stagnation, hoping beyond hopes to have a dream-professional-movement just appear out of no where!?!?
as i continue to explore my new community and navigate my internal goals criss-crossing i will try to be a better blogger. i have been so distracted by LOVE that blogging {among many other things} has fallen to the way side.  but, really, can you blame me?

 {this is our chirstmas branch, in lieu of a real tree ~ it's hung by the beam between our living room & kitchen to keep it up and away from alesia. it's so much fun to sit underneath it....we call it our christmas tunnel}

i hope you are enjoying a warm and loving holiday season filled with all the things you enjoy most.
merry christmas to all and to all a good night!

here's to a fairytale fall

happy to share an early autumn collection i gathered to get you in the mood.
so, tell me, who has already bought fairytale pumpkins this year?
i'm on my way this afternoon to find them. . . .

{image by rachel plowman}

p.s. welcome back to san francisco, jenni! you've been massively missed!

mod pod

in downtown corvallis many lovely shops abound, but one of my favorite's is one of the newest: mod pod. the owner, jessica klein, has a great eye for finding chic-contemporary and midcentury, retro-inspired modern furnishings and decor for just about any budget. it's bright & cheery with a great combination of both neutral and colorful furnishings. mod pod is geared towards bringing accessible and affordable modern design in to everything from dorm rooms to offices. and what a blessing ~ especially since it's the only one of its kind in the willamette valley. please enjoy a virtual tour with some of my faves from around the shop. . . .

i heart the flashdance

when some one says they are inspired by "rad style, timeless music, unique design and photography that captures the spirit of the subject", i am more than a little bit intrigued. and after i spent an hour or so playin around on the flashdance i was getting a pretty hard crush. i mean where else can you hope to find sam cooke & leonard cohen,a gangbanger pancacke brunch,
a whole lot of inventive love photography,

plus more coolness than antarticaall in one website??

the flashdance is where it's at, no doubt about it ~ and i'm so wanting to join their party, where ever & whenever they hook it up.
oh, maybe they need a design diva in the pac northwest to round out their team?? finger's crossed.....
until then, i'm gonna be soaking up their fabness from their blog and hoping some of it rubs off.

in the closet

organizing my closets this past week has been so wonderful for my mood ~ yes i have a disease of making order out of chaos, and loving it! when all the things are in order on their shelves, racks, & rods my heart goes pitter-pat. but taking things to the next level is what this post is all about. come explore some amazing cloests with me ~ being in the closet never looked so darn good!
{paint and color-coordination can do wonders in the closet-charm department. so maybe all your clothes & accessories aren't shades of green like the california closets image bottom left, but still you get the idea . . . . more of your fave color = more satisfaction. top left: domino magazine, top right: northern living interiors, both bottoms: california closets}

{ah wallpaper ~ the stylish fix-all for boring spaces. using it on the inside of closets as a vibrant backdrop to your clothing & shoes is delightful; adding it to the outside of a closet door for some spark to a boring room is just plain smart. top left: chez larsson, top right: domino magazine, bottom left: house beautiful, bottom right: janna at wish}

{men need fantastic closets too! and usually they want things more specialized than the ladies do ~ tie racks, power stations for phones/blackberries et al, extra large shoe storage, cuff link/watch display, even gun/weapon storage . . . guys rarely let themselves fantastize about closets but once i get them thinking about it they're usually way more giddy than the ladies about the prospects of such. left & center photos: tomar lampert, right photo: richens designs}

{integrating built-in closets into the architecture of your room has a stunning effect. this is very refreshing and soothing to an organize-aholic like myself. top left: nurit geffen-batim studio, top right: harrell remodleing, bottom left: billinkoff architects, bottom right: hughes construction}

{specialized storage closets for things like shoes and accessories is a nice luxury and a great way to show off and preserve ultra-fabulous collections. left: getty images, center: making it lovely, right: martha stewart}


{if you don't have a closet built in to your room's floor plan, try tranforming a piece of furniture like an armoire or a curio cabinet into the new function. it's fairly easy to install rods and shelves, and customizing with fabulous colors and patterns is very satisfying! top left: martha stewart, top right: peacock feathers, bottom left: zimbio image, bottom right: my sweet savannah. }


{when all else fails ~ find a big branch and hang it from your ceiling and neatly place your shoes in a semi-circle beneath! ok, so it's not exactly realistic for most, but it looks pretty cool in this photo. thanks to desire to inspire for the image}

there is only one peach for me

have you noticed in the last year or so how everything has completely changed ~ as in 100% different than 365 days ago ~ or is it just me?
ok, perhaps the wild ride of my life is doing the flip-flops more than most, but i have absolutely no complaints.
although some things have been the most challenging i've ever faced, others have been the most soulful enlightening and awesome experiences i've ever been blessed with. i'm in complete awe that one year ago today i gave birth to alesia marie. i've been emotionally overwhelmed for the last 24 hours with my thoughts consumed by the incredible memories and delightful realities all around me just because of one little girl.
and so today, as an ode to my beautiful, vivacious, flirtatious, cautiously curious, head strong and very loving daughter, i'd like to show off some delightful peachy goodness.

{super delightful etsy finds ~ peony headband & peony hat by pretty baby bowtique. peachy dress by my sweet chickadee . crocheted hat by sparkle berry crafts. shoes by gracious may. peach clippie by sweet bitty bows. bloomer set by 3 lil muses. burp clothes by buttercup forrest. leggings by mama runs with scissors. }


{up-and-away & retro posies prints by crimson peachy art}


{peach ginger icecream cakes & sorbets by whimsy & spice ~ i'm sure even more yummy to taste than to look at!}



{these lovely table setting photos are from peach is the new pink ~ a design*sponge wedding idea post today, of all days!}

you've come a long way in one year baby, and i'm forever grateful for being there with you. happy first birthday peachy star!
oh and thanks to the ever-amazing jenni for this awesome video tribute to the peachette!

i wish . . . . .

. . . . i could swing on the tire swing in my grandma's backyard like i did as a child. . . . "my village" {closest group of friends i've ever had} lived right next to me still. . . . i could spend at least one year in italy with my daughter. . . . my newest design career dreams would come true {soon}
. . . . i could dance tango all night long. . . . there were fireflies on the west coast
. . . . it were possible to smell roses & freesia growing in my garden year round. . . . for alesia to always know the incredible beautiful gift she is to the world
. . . . to ride in a hot air balloon with my sister for an afternoon. . . . people would respect each other's differences and listen with their hearts more. . . . i could ride a ferris wheel in downtown san francisco. . . . bubbles could float around for hours without popping. . . . siestas were acceptable practice for anyone, any time. . . . everyone could love themselves more

thanks so much to relyn for this idea ~ her incredible wish list inspired me to make mine!



{tire swing by mmgoode. my village by jennib. siena landscape by ahsan. buddha stairs by ramona d'viola. ney and jen tango by houston tango festival. fireflies in park by goldring. roses and freesia by beakee . alesia photo by me. balloon ride by quasebart. circle of friends by lifetime. ferris wheel sunset by calzean. soap bubbles by floridapfe. group siesta by marek barczyk. jump for joy by krish tipirneni. }