communal

ever since i saw this thanksgiving shoot on design*sponge, i could not get it out of my head. it was shot at a unique, intimate venue: the carondelet house.

secondly: i love the family-style dinner, the vintage details, the casual and organic yet classic feel to it all. it's actually what i want for my own wedding (minus the mismatched chairs). our idea of tacos for dinner was veto-ed by T's parents, so maybe we can do a family style dinner like this.....maybe.



love those serving utensils!


(photo credit: braedon flynn)

renegade LA

two weeks ago i went with some friends to renegade craft fair in LA! to be honest, i was kind of disappointed. i expected to want to empty out my wallet at every turn, but i only saw 1 or 2 things i really wanted. it was still a good experience nonetheless, and i have some fun pictures from the day to share!





loved these morse code bracelets from coatt!







someone please buy me one of these wall clocks from black forest works.







we also hit up a cute vintage shop in little tokyo after getting full on ramen.



the end!

it's a small world

 i've had terrariums on the mind these past few days. i know they've been done as bunting has been done, but i'm definitely planning to make just one and add my own touch to it for our guestbook table.  hope it works out. *crosses fingers* and when i say that, i mean i'm awkwardly crossing my black thumbs. thank God terrariums are low maintenance.

by the way...  how sweet are these terrarium postcards from quill and fox on etsy?

danielle kroll

i'm utterly obsessed with the charming illustrations of danielle kroll.

autumn in film

T took the one on the left and the one below!

ice cream on state street :)

our surprise ice-skating date.

(another lovely shot by T)

garden of cosmic speculation

how amazing is this garden? and guess what, it's in one of the countries that T and i are going to hit up for our honeymoon......SCOTLAND!

this past week

i ate a lot of pasta this week. a lot. why? because it doesn't require an oven or anything electric of the sort (just gas) and yesterday was my first day of returned power after the 4 day blackout from the santa ana winds!

(on a side note: i know this photo looks horrible, but trust me, this pasta is absolutely delicious. i'm ghetto so i used turkey bacon instead of bacon and balsamic vinegar instead of red wine. i also substituted paprika for the red pepper flakes. i know, i know, did i even follow the recipe at all?)

i live near the pasadena area, so for the past few days the streets have been filled with debris, hundreds of trees were uprooted, and most residents in pasadena and neighboring cities lost their power. i think some folks still don't have their power (!!).

apart from the days living like an amish person, we are completely safe. our house didn't even lose a single tile (many did), and for that i am so thankful. i have to admit i had no idea what to do with myself half the time. i enjoyed some reading and cleaning, but the rest of the time i sat thinking, "WHAT IS THIS MADNESS?" (yes, i am a sad person).

saturday was fun because T came to visit and we had a date in the midst of the madness.

grand slam: over-easy egg, hash browns, thick bacon, all on a hot dog and delicious bun.



my new favorite hot dog place: dog haus in pasadena.

spent the afternoon walking around pasadena (streets still full of trees).

ended with christmas lights in naples, long beach.

i know, i know. i almost wish the lights would go out more often (almost).

holiday gift guide: sister, sister

(pearl bracelet, wish bracelet, triangle stud earrings, fox cup, leather oxford shoes, driving gloves, candle, print)

a gift guide for sisters and best lady friends! i actually want all these things for myself ..i just bought the fox mug today from anthro (it's on sale!).

(note: i wanted to add this gold leather mousepad but couldn't find any great photos)

goldenink collaborative

unique porcelain jewelry from the australian duo of goldenink collaborative (via lushlee)

golden days

i had the most relaxing thanksgiving weekend in santa barbara visiting T and the (future) in-laws and extended family. we hit up solvang for some bomb-azing pancakes as well as los olivos for some tasty cupcakes. most of these are on my photo blog but i thought i'd post a couple more here.

hear hear: paula's pancakes. best dutch pancakes ever.

my love & i.

even the leaves are cute here.

enjoy cupcakes!

*cymbal clang* the end.

hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving!

thanksgiving

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happy thanksgiving everybody!

this morning i am thankful for another year of the quiet moments, the mundane, and the daily portions of common grace given to me...that i awoke each day in good health, living in stability, with a home to call my own, having infinitely more possessions that i need and much more love from those around me than i deserve.

how blessed i am to be a child of God, living in the reality of his mercy and love every hour of my every day.

the Lord is my portion," says my soul, therefore i will hope in him (lamentations 3:24)

viceroy

i had an engagement session yesterday at the wonderful and quite popular: viceroy in santa monica! if you're ever in the area, i suggest just going there to enjoy a drink with a friend and to check out all the cool decor (and then go eat at father's office afterwards). i wish we could've stayed a bit longer but traffic was particularly bad that day and we had other locations to hit up.

darn you, los angeles.

ryo kobo

(via audkawa)