I Art U, Books Actually

I wish I were in Asia right now.

So I could go over to the AWESOMEST BOOKSTORE EVER, BOOKS ACTUALLY. (The store is called BOOKS ACTUALLY if you are confused. I sure was.) I just saw these photos on i art u of the cutest bookstore I've ever seen in my life.








cameras galore!


it almost looks like a toy store.


vintage typewriters down the steps!








Check out the post for more!



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Also, if you haven't seen i art u's awesome color schemed - object collection pieces (i don't even know what to call them, they are that awesome)... go over to her blog! She seriously has a great eye for color. I've sure exhausted my vocabulary with all these "awesomes" and "awesomests" haven't I?










I don't really want to know why she has a teeth mold though.

Christie + Evan

Totally digging these engagement shots from 26 merton road featured on oncewed. The colors, the props, her hair, her lipstick, the rooftop: to die for.

Mr. Rogers

Fred Rogers was an amazing man.

I love that he was a simple man, wearing the same cardigan sweater, driving an old car, skinny with the same combed hair. He never lost sight of what make his work important - cultivating character in children and imparting the message that we are all unique in a uniquely wonderful way.


Awesome.

hiatus + planning

(here and here)


I need to take a short hiatus (won't be longer than a week I hope) because of the following:

1. visiting relatives: which means food outing + lots of dishes and cups to wash.
2. my room is still pretty much a mess. "i don't think we're in kansas anymore toto"
this means more cleaning and more arranging.
3. roadtrip planning! i'm going to be going to santa barbara and norcal in about a week or so. i'm so excited!
4. more time to work on my summer list.


See you all soon!

deck the walls!

Okay, can I just say something?

I generally think wall decals are really tacky, and while there are many that really are, there are some amazingly cute ones out there!



(no idea where this is from)


(shanna murray)




(lovemaestore)

Aren't they amazing?? I especially love the paper doll ones from lovemaestore on etsy. Too bad she doesn't do custom orders, because it would be a really cute wedding gift for a couple :). (Though technically, I think she makes them for children...).

commence, Summer!

Left: Bird pick, Right: Lush

Still editing photos from the wedding, so stay tuned!

I'm really enjoying home life. So far it's been a lot of unpacking and cleaning, but it's really nice to be at home, cooking with my mom, eating with her, reading with her, and basically being a helper to her. It's also been pretty cathartic to throw out mounds of treasures (trash, basically) from my room. I'm excited to grow a lot this upcoming year, in all the ways that only God can grow me. It might not be pretty, but I welcome it!

Today I went to Old Town Pasadena with some friends. I haven't been there in a long while, and I was reminded of some of the things so dear to Los Angeles: traffic and hot hot heat. It's hard not wishing I was back in San Diego. It was fun though, and I discovered a new store with really fun soaps and lotions and bath bombs: Lush. My friends were laughing at me because I was completely sold after the saleswoman lathered my hands with lotion. This is one of those times when you need that friend who acts as the voice of reason to stop you from thinking your life isn't complete until you have something called "Dream Cream".

Oh well.


With that said, commence summer!

My summer "list":

Being more healthy (ha-ha)
Ice cream and sweet tea
Water + lemon + honey
Renegade Craft Fair ?!
Evening walks
Santa Barbara

Monterey Bay Aquarium

San Francisco

Playing with my cat
Readings, library trips
Swim?
Short Hair
Nap

SD to LA and back to SD

Hello, this is my cat and her name is Cho-Cho. She prefers the touch of random objects (shoes, rulers, etc.) over the human hand. She's sassy frassy.

Anyways, I'm off to san diego for the weekend! I know, I know. It seems like I JUST came back to LA. :)

Hope ya'll have a wonderful blessed Friday!

the start of something new: preparation

I'm done. Finished.

I'm back home in LA now, going back to SD in a few days to shoot a wedding, and then coming back here. I'll be helping a friend with invitation/std stuff, job-searching, and enjoying my new cat who could care less. I'm trying to play hard to get with her, but it doesn't seem to be working.

In the meantime, here are some photos from transition into "adulthood": packing, graduation, and afterward. This is just the preparation part (aka packing up my room and enjoying some last few bits of quality friend time).

Packing up my life:


Like my ghetto masking taping?



My new 50mm lens..pretty much purchased with my last paycheck for a while. You know, now that I'm an unemployed individual with a B.A. in Useless. :)


My $5 subscription to a year's worth of Real Simple. Can you believe it?




Some sketches.


Bare walls.







Wired Bistro:

The morning before my graduation, my friend melody and I went to one of our favorite breakfast spots in SD (not that we know many or anything): Wired Bistro. It's a cute little French cafe/restaurant that has bomb diggity tiramisu. BUT, they happened to run out that day. :(


Got some cheesecake instead. Good, but not as good as the tiramisu! I'm am inconsolable!




They're always featuring work from local artists here.



Coffee bags on the ceiling!


Left: me, Right: Mel


Stay tuned for part two: graduation!

summer is here!

Saw this couple at seaport village yesterday. Don't their attire, that bike and that ice cream cone just scream summer love? I also saw a live robbery and saw the culprit get tackled to the ground in the parking lot. Then, we topped the day off with some good food, ice cream, and window shopping. What a day!

I'm so excited for what summer is bringing! As we speak, there are two bouquets of flowers on my table, one of them.. peonies! I'm lounging about in the living room since I'm moving home in a day, so the couch has officially become my closet.

Stay tuned for more pictures!

something i look foward to

I love the city I've lived in for the past four years. San Diego has beautiful weather, beaches closeby, chill people, and lots of great Mexican food. The one thing I've missed since being away from LA and will quickly seek to get my hands on when I go back?

Chinese food.



Yum.


(left: leigh beisch, right: one little journey's break)

wedding guestbook

This wedding guestbook is amazing. I am amazed. I know that was redundant but, yes, it is that amazing that I have now said amazing three times. It reminds me of Jordan Ferney's awesome birthday surprise for a friend. I want to try this for something! I love that the individual pieces are hand-painted! And that wooden peg board, gorgeous!

"... at the entrance we had a table full of photographs of ourselves with our names spelled out in old wooden printing letters and other rustic knick knacks to try and set the mood for the day. Alongside the table was our custom made guest book which was an art piece I commissioned my good friend to make. She took one of Jessica’s photos of us from our engagement shoot and had it blown up. She then hand painted it and attached it to small hole-punched linoleum chips so the entire photo was spread over 150+ pieces. The pieces were all placed in a bag near a wooden board with nails attached. As guests drew a chip and filled it out with their names + wishes for us, they hung the pieces on the board. Over the evening the board took shape and presented the image of us. It is now hanging in our living room and a great piece of art"

(via ruffledblog.)

last finals week

I'm two days away from concluding my college career! This is officially the last finals week I will ever have to endure... and I'm already checked out. Anyways, just some shots from my day today! I finished my last photo project for my last photography class ever. Woah.







Left to right, top to bottom:

1. balloons I purchased for my project
2. my apartmentmate's desk, and yes, that is bread from 85 degree bakery. yum!
3. a lovely calendar in our apartment!
4. my other apartmentmate put together this beauty-and-the-beast-esque rose! so fun :)
5. the bear in my car that dances when you pull his string...but is now handicapped because i pulled a little too hard.
6. one of the photos from my project (the apartmentmate with the rose).


There are so many transitions going on in my life now... it's really scary and surreal and exciting! God is good :)

flickr of the day

i'm in love with ta's flickr. He catches the quiet moments with such intimacy and character. I especially love the ones of his cat and baby; who do doesn't love japanese cats and babies?!

10 days of chr..birthday!

I can't seem to focus on finishing my paper for finals so I'm taking a study break! Just wanted to share something really sweet that my apartment-mate did for my birthday this year. She planned a "10 days of Connie's birthday" and left sweet little gifts for me each day!

Some of what she gave me: a little mermaid book (my favorite disney movie!), alice in wonderland tea from disneyland, a cute mug from anthropologie, a peach scarf to replace one that i lost, etc.

What's the most thoughtful gift you've ever received for your birthday?

chandeliers

Whenever I see weddings with chandeliers, I'm always enamored. Especially when it's in an unlikely place for chandeliers to be: trees, warehouses, etc.


1. Beth Helmsetter Events: Liz and Chris


Look! I wonder if they were afraid that the chandeliers would fall!

Some other pictures from the wedding:






2. Jose Villa: Ainjil and Chris


this space + chandeliers = transformed!


(isn't that ribbon wall amazing too?)


look at that chandelier on the tree!


What's something you like seeing in weddings?