hi.

hi.

{sheepish lopesided grin}

sooooo.  it's been awhile. it's totally my fault i know.  i'm sorry.  there's just been a lot of stuff going on in my life and you know how time has a way of getting away from you.

but i've thought about you every day.  i hope you know that.

so what's new?

oh me?

i quit my job, started my own biz and now i'm moving to LA.  yeah that dreamy place in the sky that we've always talked about moving to but never mustered up the strength to actually go?  well, we're going.  like in two weeks.  we have a house...an amazing house with hardwood floors and stairs...STAIRS!...like a real home and citrus trees and a loft.  things are going to be totally different and i think i'm gonna love it. 

it's so crazy how when you make a decision about how you want your life to be and then you just leap.  like just make the biggest change in your life ever.  how it all ends up working out so much better than you ever imagined it.  like this is what you were supposed to do the entire time and you just let your silly worries and fears hold you back.  when in fact there was this net to like save you.  and it all ends up working out somehow in the end. 

i'll be back. i promise.

xo.

Melinda and Clyde

Melinda and Clyde, Episode 1 - watch more funny videos

 

On a happier note...my amazing, super talented husband co-wrote and co-directed a web show - Melinda and Clyde - and the first episode is up!  Please check it out on Funny or Die and vote (funny, I hope)!  Thank you loves!!!

Presley Love

This is our baby Presley.  She is like my child.  Seriously...I love her more than I have ever loved anything else (except for maybe my husband).  She sleeps next to me with her head on a pillow and she is just the cutest thing in the whole world.  Last night she got sick and we had to take her into the hospital.  Over $1500 and 17 hours later she is still there with pneumonia.  The doctors say she is looking and acting better which is a good sign but they still want to monitor her until tonight or possibly tomorrow.  It was such a good week and it stinks that something crappy like this always has to happen to balance things out.  Now our moving fund is pretty defunct and we may still lose our baby when this is all over.  Presley and I are a tad co-dependent and I don't know what I would do if I lost her so if you guys could send out some good thoughts her way that would be awesome.  Thank you!!! 

UPDATE: Presley is finally home and doing much better.  She is not 100% but she is getting there, I hope.  Thank you so much for your sweet comments. 

I did it!

{image via Miss Moss}

I gave my notice this morning! It was scary and sad but exciting at the same time. My colleagues here have always been like my little California family and it will be heartbreaking to leave them after all these years but taking a leap in a new and thrilling direction is pretty rad. AND I booked a client today that I was really, really crossing my fingers for! So far 2011 rocks. I'm over the moon!

I'm off to design and write full time now! Woohoo! Thank you all so much for your kind words and support. You guys are the best! xoxo.

A New Year and A New Adventure

I started writing this post weeks ago so it might be a little schizo.  I have a lot on my mind!  It is a little bit rant/ramble and a little bit New Years' resolution. 

I've hinted here + there about changes a-brewing...changes in location and changes in life and we are approaching the deadline for the major transition period.  I've been gathering information, inspiration and slowly been preparing myself for the next phase of my life over the past couple of years.  But...

I've never dealt well with transition.  I've been a panicky mess the past few weeks.  Dropping me off at summer camp for the first time was a nightmare.  Of course, two days later I would be frolicking in the woods and making paper mache masks but the hours leading up to the event were always absolute torture.  I know I'll be fine and everything will turn out OK but I still always manage to worry myself into a frizzy in anticipation.  Also, in order to live the life I want I have had to force myself to act in a way that is slightly uncomfortable and out of my nature.  I definitely have crazy, hermit, cat-lady tendencies.  If it weren't for this whole ambition/follow your dreams kick I've been on I would be more than content holing myself up in my apartment and speaking to no one but my husband and my dog for days at a time.  I have chosen a path, however, that involves a lot of face time with other human beings.  I love these people dearly but I've had to really condition myself over the years to come out of my shell and be a braver, bolder person.

So...next week when everyone gets back into the office I am giving my notice.  Eek!  I have worked as a coordinator for a non-profit arts organization for the past 4 years.  I applied for the position while I was the Admin Asst though I thought I might be completely unqualified.  Part of me, the part that is afraid of rejection and would prefer to take the easy way out, almost didn't hand in my resume.  But I got the job and I proved to myself that I was in fact qualified and developed the position into something so much more than it was when I started.   I really found myself in this little office and learned so much about what I am capable of and what I really love to do.  As comfortable as it would be to stay here forever I wouldn't be the brave, bold person I want to be...the person who takes risks and doesn't take the easy way out...if I didn't leave now and start on the new adventure.

I have no idea what this new year will hold...the last year was jam-packed with new beginnings and surprises...but I know that I want to continue on this path.  This New Year's I resolve to...

1. Keep on being bold n' brave.

2. Keep on taking risks and avoiding the easy way out.

3. Take all those beginnings and surprises from 2010 and make them even bigger and better.

I am closing in on my three year anniversary with Auburn + Ivory. It is so weird to go back through all the posts and see how much has changed. Not necessarily my tastes (I still love Beach House + Miranda July) but my life would be totally different if I hadn't got up the nerve to write that first post. I shudder to think what I would be doing right now. I probably never would have met really rad people that I consider good friends and I definitely wouldn't be on the same adventure.

And it is a crazy, busy adventure right now. I've neglected this little space recently and I've been struggling with whether or not I want to keep updating it or to just remember it fondly and get on with the next chapter. I haven't been putting as much effort into writing unique posts and that just doesn't cut it. I don't want to just regurgitate things I like in my google reader.

I'm not ready to say goodbye yet but there may be some changes a-coming. I may get a little more personal here which is cussing scary. Up until this point I've been careful not to get too intimate and instead have chosen to just share pretty things and the occasional plea for advice. In the past, some of you have requested more talk about my life and I'm going to try and deliver that from here on out.

Stay tuned...

Fate + The Floral Lab

{photo by the Youngrens}

The universe can be a funny place. I don't always know if I'm fully convinced that there is such a thing as fate or destiny but then something totally kooky and amazing happens and I have to wonder. Sometimes it's a subtle sign and sometimes it's a big ol' slap in the face...in the best possible way. That's how I feel about meeting Leigh Anne of The Floral Lab.

The day before my wedding I got an email from Paige and Kelly asking me to be a part of Hitched. First, I was filled with joy and excitement but then I remembered that my schedule was absolutely chaotic and wondered how would I ever pull it off. With deep regrets, I had to decline their offer. Two weeks went by and I received another email basically telling me that no was not an option and I was going to be at Hitched one way or another. They paired me up with The Floral Lab since we were both in San Diego and it would be easier to meet. I truly believe that the match up was fate. Working with Leigh Anne was totally awesome. We have very similar working methods and similar aesthetics and just get along famously so when she told me that she had to pack up and move to New York City I was sad that I was going to lose a new friend. Then she totally floored me by asking me to manage and design for The Floral Lab here while she worked on building The Floral Lab part 2 to the east coast! I couldn't deny the universe any longer so I jumped at the chance. We have worked on four gorgeous weddings together over the past month and I have already learned so much from Leigh Anne. She is so talented and I am honored to be a part of The Floral Lab team.

We love designing for events all over Southern California and New York City will not be deprived of The Floral Lab talent any longer! Keep us in mind no matter what coast your planning from!

{via designlovefest}

Gahgahgahgah. I.have.no.words. That is a giant Anna Karina head over pretty painted stairs. Can I live inside this Kate Spade pop up shop, please?

Grunstein Halloween

These are some totally creepy images from Denise Grunstein. Possible Halloween costumes??? I have no clue what to be this year and I have a rad party to go to! Help!

{via Wisteria}

I would trade in all my other furniture and possessions for this sofa.

Lonny Magazine

Lonny Mag has a new website and it's purtty little categories speak to both the design lover and the organizer in me. Each room has it's own chic little section so you can find exactly what you're looking for and with insane interiors like these I have a feeling that won't be hard.

{via}

I'm obsessed with this photograph from Marc Jacobs' first apartment in Paris. I just keep going back to it. Sure, it's a bit 90s-tastic but so am I so we make a swell pair.

The Brass Petal {Part II}

OK I couldn't resist posting more pictures of Emily Henderson's - the WINNER of HGTV's Design Star - apartment by Terilyn Fisher. I can NOT wait for her show to air on Sunday. She just kills me with her perfect styling.

The Brass Petal

I watched one episode of HGTV's Design Star, wasn't exactly thrilled with it and haven't seen an episode since. BUT the clear favorite for me just from watching that first one was Emily. Her room design was exactly my style and her outfit was just too adorable. She actually ended up in the bottom two, I think, that week so I was happy to hear today that she is one of the top two to win it! I was also REALLY happy to hear that she has a little blog of her own - The Brass Petal. She is an insane stylist with shoots for Domino under her belt. I actually saw the living room above somewhere else recently and it turns out this is HER living room (by the way, Emily, I agree with your husband)! I still want you to style my house when I move to LA, though! OK, off to start reading The Brass Petal from the beginning!

{photo by Kawashi Makotori via Scout Holiday}

I can't get over this little face!

{via}

I know, I know. I don't blog for a month and this is all I have to say?

My friend is selling her condo in San Diego and it is seriously stunning. She has an amazing eye and is always super chic. Oh and it doesn't hurt to have a fabulous architect as a husband. I'm trying to get her to redo my apartment (on a shoestring budget, natch).

I have caught a serious nesting bug, folks. Gosh, I feel like such a cliche but I moved directly from wedding mags to home decor mags in a matter of two days. It's sick, I know. I'm looking forward to rearranging the apartment this weekend and dreaming about the possible places our itty bitty nest egg fund could get us. Why of why did Domino have to go away??? What are your favorite decorating mags now?

I kind of want to just paint everything we own black and white.

I'm pretty sure I would never get out of bed if this were mine.

{via housebeautiful}

Today is my half birthday. Which gives a certain someone 6 months to plan my 30th birthday. Here is a little inspiration to get him started.

{so many more Ophelias here via hannahkristina}

I am obsessed with this image. Growing up, I had a thick collection of plays by Shakespeare and never, ever, did I want to play Juliet. No, no. I only recited the lines of Ophelia... specifically her final scene (what can I say, I was a morbid kid)...over and over.