Huzzah!

I've been oh-so-anxiously awaiting the arrival of the next issue of Kinfolk magazine. If you've never heard of it, please do yourself a GIGANTIC favor and go check it out. Hurry!

image via kinfolk

This Weekend

Suki+Couch+Me= This weekend. Hope you all had a good one!

Mep...

Howdy folks! Here's a cute little video to distract you from the fact that I haven't posted any new looks lately. I'm still a sickly child and will post something as soon as I'm all better! Enjoy the sweetness!

A tribute to our fuzzy friends

Isn't that little guy getting snuggled just the cutest thing you've seen?
found via wit + delight

Il Vecchio

My favorite restaurant and my new fave blog (Brooklyn to West) have something in common-- the fabulous Ariele.  This blogger and artist extraordinaire designed the gorgeous interiors of Il Vecchio, and her blog has actually inspired me to do some interior decorating myself! My friend and I went to our local junk store and found a lovely little coffee table (for $10!) that we will be refurbishing in the next couple of weeks. I'll be sure to share the before and after photos!

images via brooklyn to west

The Silent Comedy

I saw these guys last weekend-- incredible show. Enjoy!

Turkey!

This picture makes me so excited about Thanksgiving I could just pee my pants. Food+Football+Friends=AWESOME. This year, I decided to stay in Monterey for the holiday so I'm missing Family from this equation, which would make it absolute perfection. Happy Thanksgiving all!

image via etymologie

LOTW- Miss S

I've been feeling under the weather all week, so our star this week is little Miss Suki-- the most wonderful, cuddly, couch potato partner a girl could ever ask for. Isn't she the cutest thing EVER?

image by me

Sparkles

 

These Oliphant lovelies are at the top of my X-mas Wishlist this year.  

Sweater Weather

Yes folks, there actually are penguins running around in sweaters. In New Zealand. The reason is not as cute as the result. There was an oil spill and the clean-up that ensued left a lot of little penguins wet and cold. Enter the local knitting shop with a brilliant solution-- penguin sweaters. So locals took to their knitting needles and donated a bunch of mini-sweaters to keep these guys nice and toasty. Head on over to Oceana for the full story and to take some action and help stop the nastiness that is offshore drilling.

image via oceana

Music!

Such a fun song, and I want to just live in the video.

LOTW- Napa Valley

Went wine tasting in Napa Valley a couple of weeks ago. This was taken at the Chateau Montelena which was absolutely gorgeous! Happy weekend! (Shirt from Anthropologie; skirt, JCrew; shoes, Steve Madden)

image taken by roberto b.

Sea Turtle R & R

Take a tour of a sea turtle hospital! Some of these stories are a little sad- turtles getting caught in fishing gear, swallowing trash, or getting injured by a boat propeller- but it's good to know there's a place (and lots of people) dedicated to helping them recover and hopefully getting them back out into the wild where they belong. Hands down my dream job.

video via oceana.org

Cuteness

I've already got Christmas on the brain (yay!), and I'm loving these Honeycup prints for gifts. They're just so darn cute!

images via honeycup

LOTW- Halloween Edition

Yup, I did it. Pregnant Rachel Zoe for Halloween. Buh-nanas!

photo taken by the lovely Daisy

Meghalaya Bridges

What a cool picture huh? These are actual bridges that locals (sorta) built about 500 years ago in the Cherrapunji region of India. They guided the roots and vines across the rivers with hollow bamboo until they rooted on the other side. Bonus question: Who can guess what that creature is at the bottom of the picture? It looks like a dirty polar bear to me.

image via the telegraph

Photos from San Rafael & Bioneers

Fine Dining in Napa Valley

Crazy Cool Chandeliers at Rotisserie & Wine Restaurant

Seriously delicious grub

Creepy Cow Feet at a Bodega in Downtown San Rafael

Candles at the Bodega

Hula Hoops at Bioneers

Imogen Heap at Bioneers!

Word! We ran into a few Occupy Wallstreet protests.

LOTW

This weekend, little S went to work with me at Anthro. She totally stole the show from my cute Emersonmade shirt. (Jeans and shoes from Anthropologie; belt from Banana Republic).

picture of me taken by the gorgeous lisa (and I took the shot of suki)

S'il vous plait

paris honeymoon from rachelchew on Vimeo.

Rachel's video of her vacay in Paris makes me want to go back there oh-so-badly! I remember standing in front of the Mona Lisa with all the pushing and shoving all around me and just being taken completely aback by how amazing it was to actually be standing in front of the Mona Lisa, in the Louvre, in Paris! I seriously need to get my patooty back there soon.

go and visit her gorgeous blog and shop here

Victoria Water Lily

This picture reminded me of the water lilies back at Fairchild. I would always ask my students if anyone would be willing to stand on one (the rowdy little boy in the back always volunteered  by jumping up and down ecstatically). I'm glad to know that a kid can actually stand on one of these puppies after all! Way cool.

image found here

Matilde

Claire Cottrell on Vimeo.

Cake, clothes, bunnies, and bubbles-- exactly what I imagine heaven would be like.

found via sweet thing

LOTW

This shot was taken at Bioneers this weekend, in between amazingly inspirational speakers and totally awesome workshops. I haven't been to too many conferences, but I must say that this was definitely my favorite thus far. Some highlights: I bought the lovely scarf I'm wearing in the picture from Rksa Soul (who partner with NGO's and Indian artisans themselves), I got to watch Philipe Cousteau speak (twice), and Imogen Heap performed an awesome impromptu song for us! Sweetness all around.

image taken by the lovely sandra, anthropologie shirt and earrings and rksa soul scarf. 

No Chicken Wings!

Well, ballet class is back in full swing and I'm loving it more than ever! We had to switch class times and teachers to accomodate everyone's schedules but I'm loving our new teacher, Gloria, more and more each week. She's everything a ballet teacher should be-- she's always telling me to "tuck in my tootsie," and she constantly warns us about our "chicken wings" (which result from being so focused on what your feet are trying to do that your arms take the non-ballerina shape of poultry). All of us in the class are total beginners, so each lesson is a new adventure where we try not to trip over ourselves (or each other) and die. Seriously fantastic.

image by arthur elgort via

Music for your Monday

This video is so sweet I think it gave me a cavity. Seriously though, Sara rocks.

Look of the Week

After reading (and loving) so many fashion blogs, I've finally been inspired to post some of my own looks. I'll post my favorite Look of the Week just to start with, and hopefully I can keep up! I was working at Anthro today so I wore something comfy, but the teal pants are one of my faves. I'm a bit camera shy, that's why the giggling in the picture. Hope you like!

image taken by the lovely Olyvia
top and necklace: Jcrew; pants and boots: Anthropologie

Funny for your Friday

These illustrations made me giggle.

p.s. how do you like the new look? i felt like the blog needed an update-- a little face-lift if you will.

found via wit +delight

A Travel Journal with Oomph

I may have to add this little gem to my library! Wouldn't it be great to just make a travel journal for the city that you live in? I find that sometimes we get caught up in our routines at home and don't really enjoy our very own home-base. It'll be like a mini-vacation (without the expensive plane ticket, of course).

The Reality Side

My absolute favorite scene from 500 Days of Summer. It's been playing in my mind quite a bit lately, actually. And that's so completely what it feels like! It's as if you're on the wrong side, and you can feel it but there's no way to get back onto the other side- the one where you'd be happy. What makes it even harder is that the reality side can also be quite lonely at times. At first everyone has plenty of encouraging words- You deserve so much better; oh, it's totally his loss. And then the sympathy subsides and slowly turns into impatience- You need to get over it; just move on! And then you're trapped on the reality side, where you can't talk to the person that you loved because they've decided that they don't want you anymore, and you can't talk to the people around you because they've decided that they don't want to hear about him anymore. What a great scene. If you still haven't seen 500 Days of Summer, stop what you're doing this very moment and go watch it. And thanks for letting me rant a bit. ;)

Happy First Day of Autumn!

I'm so excited for this new fall season! Some of my favorite things happen in the fall- watching lots of football, planning for my Halloween costume, eating lots of candy in my awesome Halloween costume, and eating lots of everything for Thanksgiving! So much yumminess to look forward to, I can hardly wait.


image via the amazing danielle kroll

John & Mary

Dreaming about this lovely bag. It wants me too.

North Cackalacky!

This weekend I made a short trip out to Wilmington, NC for a friend's wedding. The wedding itself was gorgeous and I must say that Wilmington is now one of my favorite places in NC. The weather was deliciously warm! Wilmington is a great mix of quirky, artsy and crazy college town. There was lots of dancing, plenty of eating and too much drinking. All together, it made for an awesome weekend. Hope you all had a lovely one too!


bird image via here; key image via here (I loved this fence that had tons of keys just hanging all over it...coolness)

Inspiration

Bee, my newest style guru. How spectacular is her blog? If only I had the financial resources I would definitely dress like this gorgeous lady everyday. Buh-na-nas!

image via atlantic-pacific

My New Crush

As of last week we have an exciting new visitor at the Aquarium! That's right, there's a great white shark in our midst! He's not too big (4'7" and about 50 lbs.) but he's definitely spectacular, and I must confess to stopping by and visiting him quite a bit already. Our previous white sharks have only stayed for a few months before being released back into the ocean, so let's hope Kevin (my unofficial name for him) sticks around for a good while!

image via monterey bay aquarium and see if you can spot him on the web cam!

In an old house in Paris...

...lived twelve little girls...the smallest one was Madeline! I stumbled onto these little beauties on Katie's fantastic blog and luckily nobody had swipped them yet; so I did! Can't wait to get them in the mail (and send them in the mail too!).

images via leaseguin

I heart Zooey!

Who else is totally stoked about Zooey Deschanel's new show? It's about a girl who catches her boyfriend with another woman, ends the relationship and moves in with three goofy guys who make it their job to re-introduce her to the dating world. All I'm missing is Zooey's fantabulous wardrobe and the three goofy roomates! Any takers?

i forgot where i found this video, but she is seriously the cutest thing EVER

Pretty views

Last week I went hiking with a friend at Garrapata State Park. Now, as you know, I'm from Miami. And as you'll also know, there are no hills or mountains in Miami. So it's no surprise that at about three-quarters of the way up-hill I almost lost it (you know how kids do that thing where they just sit fling themselves on the ground and start sobbing?), but despite the near meltdown, I made it! Yes, I literally left a lung behind on this "hill" but the views were spectacular and totally worth it.

image by me taken via instagram

Butter beer!

A few posts ago, I was bragging about an exciting adventure. Well, here it is finally. At the beginning of the summer I went to the most magical place on Earth. Nope, Disney doesn't even hold a candle to this place-- it was Harry Potter World. If you're a fan of Harry then I insist that you stop what you're doing right this second and plan a trip to Florida! Seriously, it's heaven and I'm still considering a career change so that I can walk through Hogwarts in robes all day, every day. So. friggin. AWESOME.

image of me drinking butter beer in my official gryffindor scarf via instagram (my new obsession) 

Word to your mom, C.S.

image via the lovely ellemenoh (she had a bunch of great ones) and quote by C.S. Lewis

Mind is here. Come on heart, pick up the pace!

So I was browsing through ellemenoh (something I haven't done in much too long), and I found the picture above, and this quote:
Why don't you tell me that if the girl had been worth having she'd have waited for you? No, sir, the girl really worth having won't wait for anybody.

image via ellmenoh and quote by F. Scott Fitzgerald

This summer

Pardon my absence folks, but it's just been this crappy of a summer. I'll try to pick myself up and be back to my old, chipper self as soon as I can. In the meantime, please pardon me as I mope. Hope you are all well.

Lay like broccoli

Sorry I've been missing in action for so very long! I've been stuck in bed feeling completely crumby with a nasty case of bronchitis. Apparently a little known symptom of bronchitis causes you to shun computers for extended periods of time. This evening I've been catching up on blog reading, writing and some not as fun bill-paying. Hope you've all been well! I've got some great plans for the upcoming weekend that I'll reveal with pictures that will most definitely make many of you oh-so-jealous. See you then!

image of little S vegging out

I do love thee, Emerson

So instead of Rosetta Stone (holy expensive Batman!), I used my income tax cash to buy this gorgeous-ness from EmersonMade (all time fave). I've been eagerly awaiting it's arrival ever since I hit the "submit" button on my computer. If you have been living under a rock and don't know about Emerson, (?!) her beautiful clothes, accessories, home goods, and every other gorgeous thing she makes, please be sure to stop by her shop (and be prepared to swoon).

image via emersonmade

i Heart Tart

I sent these yummy treats to my girls (mom, g-ma and little sis) in Miami for Mother's Day and they were absolutely flabbergasted by the oh-so-delicious-ness. I'd definitely recommend them if you're looking to send someone a sweet something! My little sis said that the packaging was just as nice as the surprise inside. Two thumbs up for the folks at Tart Bakery!

image via ihearttart

Free & Pretty

I love this woodsy number set. Download them for free on Amy's lovely blog and be sure to check out the DIY instructions on how to use them for pretty table numbers.

My future home

I love, love, love this guesthouse in the Bahamas. I wish I had the financial resources to decorate my own little nest like this. I'll definitely be using it for inspiration though and possibly planning a future getaway. So gorgeous!

found via oh joy