wordy decoration

The notion of decorating with words and phrases is starting to creep it's way into my heart. Especially when the words echo the Beatles...and especially when they look more stark and old than girly and curly. I like this...via poppytalk.

sketches

Found these illustrations at Decade Diary...what a fantastic sketchbook/blog. Makes me want to ditch med school and pick up a pen and some heavy white paper.

little wooden buildings

Praise you Black*Eiffel. This is the bomb. I grew up with rockin' wood toys and I immediately asked my sister to buy these for my future children (if the occasion ever arises!). And then we decided we HAD to get these for our mom. She would get a huge kick out of this radness. Check out The World In A Bag....or check 'em out by city.

rusty old trucks

Aren't these great images of old cars? Such great lettering, and excellent coloring. Found at Sarah Neal Photography.

endearing

via Lake Jane found at Erin Ever After

Oh. Sometimes it's the simplest prose that really just stop me in my tracks. This makes me happy in my heart. Really happy.

strawberry hedgehog *sale*

Now's your chance to try something fabulous from Strawberry Hedgehog...they are offering 10% off all body products! Now you can try that fun flavor you've had your eye on without guilt!

I live for sales...I really do.

4th grade p.e.

I loved when we played with the circus tarp in P.E. It was always such a magical moment to be under the colorful big top. Made me smile when I found these pictures here.

miércoles memories - costa rica #2

las verduras

las frutas

I loved going to the open-air market for lunch breaks from school. All the sights and smells and COLORS were just so tantalizing. My favorite stands were always those that sold the produce...so pretty and so yummy. There is something so amazing about the fruit in Costa Rica...it was always perfect...perfect amount of juicy, perfect amount of ripeness, perfect color, perfect price (pineapples were less than $1, mangos grew on the tree in the back yard, and bananas were practically free they were so cheap...that's my kinda fruit salad.)

living on sweet tea *contest*

Win this sweet lil thing over at Living on Sweet Tea. This tiny sterling heart was hand made by Etsy artist, One Life Jewelry. Contest ends June 26th!

tina tarnoff papercuts

I'm always on the lookout for lovely depictions that capture my imagination and allow me to get lost in the details. These images are full of incredible details...HAND CUT ARTWORK! My heart started racing a lil bit at their intricacy and at all the possibilities of their loveliness.

Best part? For the next two days (that's June 21 and 22) Tina Tarnoff is hosting a Summer Solstice sale where everything in her Etsy shop is buy one get one free! Can you believe that? I will buy something special and get two something specials...now the hard part is choosing which one???

happy father's day daddy-o

I adore my dad...I really do! He's crazy loud and boisterous and tells stories that make you laugh so hard you pee your pants! In a word, he's jovial...best word in the world to describe him. I wish I could buy him a Corvette...that would be so badass.

This year, instead of a Corvette, I got him some comfy medical grade Crocs for Father's Day. Do you wear Crocs? Wicked comfy guys....wicked comfy...it's the only thing I wear when I'm in the OR. He'll probably think they are funny looking too, until he tries them on and realizes it's like walking on clouds.

way to go sis

I send out a HUGE congratulations to my kid sister who took her Step I medical school boards today. She is brilliant and kind and generous and will be a phenomenal doctor in two years. I'm so immensely proud of her!

Time to celebrate! With balloons! And martinis!

early jewelry

Oh man. New ring addiction might be brewing. Early Jewelry has some wearable unique pieces that I'd feel ohsocool wearing. Gosh it would be fab to be able to afford to wear all the most beautiful things. These rings are made from antique cuff links....creative! found here.

Beautiful paintings by Susy Pilgrim Waters found at housemartin.

what do your hands smell like?

Right now, mine has the hint of Rosewood-Orange from the Soap of the Month Club at Strawberry Hedgehog.

from the blog:

Valencia orange essential oil is a bright and cheerful scent. Steam distilled from the peels of the orange it offers great aromatherapy to uplift and energize. The rosewood is an almost spicy scent. It is steam distilled from the wood of an unfortunately now rare tree in South America so I do not use it lightly....The rosewood oil is traditionally used for everything from acne to wrinkle prevention and treatment to boosting immunity. The scent is intoxicating and has the benefits of being strengthening and soothing. I have also added a hint of rose otto oil for a slightly more floral sweetness and a touch of rosewater.

The floral, woody, and subtly spicy character of the rosewood with the uplifting, green scent of orange makes for a fantastic combination.

Get your own. This bar's mine.

for christine

A dear dear friend of mine, Christine, is in a Golden Girls Club. She LOVES the show! Like, LOVES it. I think I might get her one of these hilarious necklaces for her birthday this year, so she could be the "cool" one at all her parties. This etsy shop has all sorts of random jewelry...very amusing!

my stuff saturday - my turquoise bracelet

I want to take you on a journey, piece by piece, through my treasures...but my camera just doesn't photograph things as beautifully as I'd like. I dunno...I'll do it anyway. Part of my motivation is that I will soon be moving away from my home for the next year and will literally be living out of my suitcase. I'm hoping that the entries on my blog will help me cope when I get a lil homesick.

I've driven across the country a couple times...I always make a point to hit up Sante Fe, New Mexico. Have you been? It's the coolest little town...full of culture, history, distinctive architecture, art markets, beautiful churches, high end galleries, de-lic-ious Mexican food, and friendly friendly faces. I bought my antique turquoise bracelet at the open air art market downtown. The colors in it are mesmerizing, and I love how the chunks vary in color and dimension. It's my favorite.

*ummm....note I'm not married...my friend's photog studio is taking off and she wanted to build her portfolio so I was her "bride for a day!"

i want to rest my head on arizona

Found these at Whispering Pines and had to share! So random...and radical!

There are state pillows, country themed pillows, region pillows, great state park pillows, ski area pillows, and a selection of city themed pillows. I think I love them.

beyond the rockz CONTEST

Remember my post about that ridiculously rad Etsy jewelry shop, Beyond the Rockz, where they use recycled metals and vintage buttons and glass to make crazy beautiful jewelry? They are having a CONTEST! On Facebook. You should go enter.

giraffe manor

The Giraffe Manor is actually a real place. Can you believe it?

The Giraffe Manor is an elegant, personally hosted, small and exclusive hotel, famous for its resident herd of giraffe. The Giraffe Manor offers a rich blend of welcoming accommodation, highly trained and friendly staff, as well as one of Nairobi's finest kitchens.

If I ever make it to Kenya, this goes on the list. Looks enchanting!

miércoles memories - costa rica #1

los frijoles

I love this picture I took of the big sacks of beans at our neighborhood market. My sister and I lived with families in central Costa Rica, a lovely lil town called Heredia.

Anyone who travels to Costa Rica knows about gallo pinto. We ate it everyday and it was awesome! My Mama-Tica made it so yummy I'm salivating just thinking about it. It's a traditional rice and beans dish with delicious spices, cilantro, onions and peppers.

*Mama-Tica is the term referring to my host mother (Tico/Tica is what Costa Ricans refer to themselves as)

Gallo Pinto Recipe
1 lb dried Black beans
8-10 sprigs fresh cilantro
1 medium onion
½ small red or yellow sweet pepper
3 cup chicken broth
2 cups white rice
½ teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1-3 Tablespoon oil to fry the Gallo Pinto

If beans are dried, cover with water and soak overnight. Drain the beans and add fresh water to an inch above the top of the beans, salt, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and reduce heat to very low simmer until beans are soft (~3 hours).

Chop cilantro, onion, and sweet pepper very fine.

Add 1 Tablespoon oil to a large pan and sauté the dry rice for 2 minutes over medium high flame then add half of the chopped onion, sweet pepper and cilantro and sauté another 2 minutes. Add water or chicken broth, bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer until rice is tender (20-35 minutes).

Once the rice and beans are cooked you can refrigerate or freeze them. Keep a significant amount of the “black water” with the beans (½-1 cup 120-240 ml). This is what gives the rice its color and some of its flavor. Sauté the rice, beans reserved chopped onion, sweet pepper and cilantro together in vegetable oil for a few minutes. Sprinkle with a little fresh chopped cilantro just before serving.

Once the rice and beans are cooked you can also refrigerate or freeze them. Make up small batches of Gallo Pinto when you want it by simply sautéing them together.

cutest maturnity pictures

I've been following Pacing The Panic Room for a couple months now...and gawd I enjoy it. It chronicles a family preparing for their second child as captured through the pictures and thoughts of the daddy (who happens to be a photographer/artist and he writes the loveliest things about his wife and their family.) It is the sweetest reflection of baby growing I've ever seen. She makes pregnancy look adorable! Though I'm pretty sure I will never wear spandex as a pregnant woman....or as a non-pregnant woman.

floating down the river

Best summer activity ever = tubing down the Salt River. The river flows through the most beautiful desert...the trip is worth the scenery alone! Went out this Saturday and it was perfection, except when we went over the third set of mini rapids and My Guy got smacked in the hip by a huge rock and our cooler almost tipped over. But yea....other than that it was the greatest afternoon with our huge group of buddies and our huge coolers of beer. Monday's always make me miss Saturdays.

i *heart* phx

Yea. I do too. The first Friday of every month is my favorite with our hip n cool downtown art walk. I live for it!

i dig richard serra

It wasn't until I took a course in Modern & Contemporary Sculpture at the University of Rhode Island that I really thought about big abstract sculpture. And...to my surprise...I loved it. We went on a few class field trips around the north east (which was amazing btw) and my favorite space was the museum Dia: Beacon (read a review here). New Yorkers are so lucky to frequent this place - I'm dying to go back.

I always feel like I'm actually a "part" of the sculpture when they are so large-scale and dominating. Richard Serra did the pieces above and I find his work remarkable (do a google search on him...he is fantastic).

jhill animal alphabet prints

JHill makes these graphic animal alphabet masterpieces. I love love love the bold colors and outstanding patterns! This is what you call "quality visual stimulation."