if only i were this brave...

I Believe I can Fly ( flight of the frenchies). Trailer from sebastien montaz-rosset on Vimeo.

imagine seeing the world through this lens... amazing! are you this brave?

sundays are for swap meets x{2}

the first sunday of every month is the alameda swap meet. usually {while my dad and little brother would go to church} my mom, sisters, and i would play hookie to drive out and peruse the vendors across the bay from the great san francisco. however, since i have moved down to los angeles, my swap meet days have been few and far between. this month i got to go to not 1 swap meet but... {2}! last weekend while up in the bay area, my mom and i woke up at the wee hours in the morning and drove to my dear old friend, the alameda swap meet. i scored a few pieces. one being a fireplace mantel made of old ceiling tile from the late 1800's. {or so i'm told...} my mom became the proud owner of the cutest pair of vintage silver deer. here are a few more pictures of pieces we cam across on our excursion.

if alameda was cake, then what came this weekend was definitely the icing on top! the second weekend of every month pasadena hosts the rosebowl swap meet. with my sister by my side, we hunted for items on my list for my new apartment's decor and any fabulous {and warm} vintage clothing treasures that would be the perfect ensemble on my trip to croatia. my sister found some goodies. one being a fabulous set of scotch glasses that i selflessly let her purchase. {i'm debating on whether i regret this decision or not...} i discovered some brass dragonflies that i'm planning on using as bookends, and an angora sweater that i will parade up and down the streets of zagreb. here's some bits and pieces from our excursion.

here's to many more swap meets to come... happy hunting!

how cute are they {rosie & sophia}

i know you've probably seen them, and i think i've included more videos than one blog post should ever have. but i can't help it... i love them! sophia grace and her magnificent back-up dancer/lip-singer rosie :)

i can't wait to hear their interviews at the ama's! 

{3} strikes and you're...

my little bro's a stud... Just thought you all should know :)

he must get it from my dad... i visited my old stomping grounds this last weekend. my brother had a baseball tournament. it began raining cats and dogs, but the ump refused to call the game. i guess he must be a stud, too. we still managed to have a good time. {and somehow stayed semi-dry in the process} the little munchkin at the end {a little sister of one of my brother's teammates} took cover under her daddy's jacket while we shared a hot dog. my dad was very chivalrous and sacrificed being dry for me by giving me his coat. dads are pretty great... especially mine!

{1}st abode

i can't believe it's been almost 4 years since i moved down to los angeles... time flies!! i just moved into a sweet little cottage with my lovely roommates, hana and kiki. we've been discussing design styles as we scramble to get our place decorated in time for our christmas party. this had me reminiscing about my first little apartment...

the {love one another} print was my great-grandmothers. she got it as a wedding present.

that same great-grandmother made this {frame included!} in high school.

most of these pieces i've said goodbye to. {with the exception of my great-grandmother's treasures and my little paris book} i most recently parted ways with my beloved sofa. i had so many hopes and dreams for her. i had the perfect upholstery and refinishing in mind that would have truly made her a stunner. sadly, she heard hollywood calling and left me to star in a {kim kardashian} commercial.

my taste has definitely changed a bit, but at the time i was really proud of my little shenandoah apartment!

...i promise to post before and afters of the new place as the roommates and i work our magic, so... stay tuned! ;)

"When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money." -Susan Heller

has anyone been watching pan-am? my roommate kiki and I have been tuning in religiously. watching them jet set to a different country every week makes me want to give up my ambitions and become a flight attendant... i've been able to suppress this rash and romantic notion within me, however last weeks episode mentioned zagreb. i couldn't help it... my ears perked up, and that jet setting urge within became a little bit stronger. then i talked to karen. the woman with the fabulous red coat. i did it... i let the allure of life as a pan-am stewardess get the better of me.

don't worry. there has been no two-weeks-notice given. i did, however, purchase a round-trip ticket. it's official... i'll be spending thanksgiving in croatia!

now on my desktop lies the picture of this utterly chic parisian woman with a deliciously layered ensemble on that i discovered on the sartorialist almost 2 years ago...

i went to see if he had any stylish packing insight for me posted of croatian woman, but i was disappointed... but not for long! i did a quick little search and discovered a blog entirely devoted to zagreb street style... introducing styletonezagreb! here's some of my favorite inspirations for my trip... just enough to transfer some of that pan-am stewardess stylish glamour onto myself.

top photo is from flickr.

fall decor: repurposing leftover halloween pumpkins... easy as {1.2.3}!

fall is my favorite season. i love everything about it. the colors, the air slowing becoming crisper, my birthday, halloween, the kick start of the holiday season, but my favorite part of fall is... pumpkins! they overtake everything from bagels, lattes, and ice cream to decor. they make the perfect halloween accessory to the home, but how can you transition them into the perfect thanksgiving decoration.... by turning them into little works of art!

i love the missoni one and the sketched leaves! they'd be perfect grouped together on a coffee table or a bunch with some vintage candlesticks as a centerpiece on a dining room table, or as a welcoming sight for thanksgiving guests on a fronch porch... 

...oh the possibilities!

next stop... thanksgiving!

i'm thinking of packing up my bags and heading to croatia for thanksgiving. thanksgiving in zagreb... it's the best.

isn't my friend krista's smile contagious... :)

the fall colors.

the possibility of snow.

the best hot chocolate i've ever tasted (and i've had hot chocolate in 6 different countries) from a little place called tolkien's house.

the suspended queen of zagreb. (that's for another post.)

sooo chic in her red coat!

but the best thing about thanksgiving in zabreb is knowledgeable karen. i miss her terribly. yes... 

i think a croatian thanksgiving sounds lovely!

p.s. all photos in this post are by the very talented and lovely sara of one love photography.