wicked

Got a text message from my best friend yesterday afternoon to ask me if I wanted to go see WICKED with her that night, as she was given a pair of tickets last minute.

This made all of my dreams come true!

For the past five...literally FIVE years, Wicked has been the show I've wanted to see the most. Ever since I lived back east and this hit the stage in NYC I've been dying to see it! It sells out every show I've ever attempted to get tickets for. This was destiny.

And it was more than magical...

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!

fresh air fund

From their site:

THE FRESH AIR FUND, an independent, not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer vacations to more than 1.7 million New York City children from low-income communities since 1877. Nearly 10,000 New York City children enjoy free Fresh Air Fund programs annually. In 2008, close to 5,000 children visited volunteer host families in suburbs and small town communities across 13 states from Virginia to Maine and Canada. 3,000 children also attended five Fresh Air camps on a 2,300-acre site in Fishkill, New York. The Fund’s year-round camping program serves an additional 2,000 young people each year.

I would want to host a couple kids for this...take 'em hiking, camping, berry picking and down hill rolling. Except I live in Phoenix where the summer activities are more like: scorpion hunting, cactus poking and air conditioner fixing.

thrifting in sun city

This past week I worked in a neurology research clinic in Sun City, Arizona. Quite a drive from my downtown digs. A lil information about Sun City = it's more or less a retirement community, with a population that nearly triples in size during the winter months with Snow Birds (our term for people escaping the snow in their homestates!).

During lunch I went thrifting. You would not believe the NUMBER of thrift stores out there. Seriously. There were four within three minutes of my clinic!! So I went in a couple. I spent $7 and bought 11 Disney classic VHS tapes, and a few other lil goodies. The stuff that really blew my mind was the incredible assortment of rad vintage china plates! I like the idea of doing something quirky like this using funky vintage pieces.

sharp n' shiny

While doing a lil vintage shop browsing, I came across this. Surprisingly pretty. In a dark yet shiny sorta way. I'll have to go back to that shop (Unique Thrift on Indian School)...it had some FUN stuff...but my camera broke after this first pic...damn (they had some AMAZING beaded necklaces I wanted to picture so stinkin' bad)

lisa rupp

I think this is rather fantastic. Check out the blog of Lisa Rupp Design. She's giving away monthly calendar downloads *for free* = awesomeness.

(she's a local Arizonan = more awesomeness)

Check out these pretty prints for purchase...

je t'aime chihuly

Dear Mr. Chihuly - Master Manipulator of Glass,

Your installations in the desert are beautiful beyond description. They way the sparkle in the Arizona sun is magic. They are bold, and delicate. Whimsical, and elegant. An awe-inspiring display of loveliness that heightens the intricacies of our southwestern landscape.

I've been three times.

Thanks for providing such perfect Sunday afternoon adventures.

Love. Always.

Blue Reeds, Marlins, and Floats

Desert Wildflower Towers

strawberry hedgehog

strawberry hedgehod's soap club delivers a tantalizing bar to your door monthly!

The more you and I get to be friends, the more you will understand my absolute devotion to the handcrafted arts. Seriously. I find it to be crazy luxurious to use, own, consume products that were created by an impassioned individual.

Hence, my love and adoration for strawberry hedgehog, a local handmade vegan soap shop. No really, have you ever fallen in love with soap before? The owner, Tracy (totally rad chicka btw), has a booth at the Farmer's Market I frequent and now I'm hooked. HOOKED I tell you.

Soap for Hope Collection donates 50% of each sale to various Cancer charities = amazing.

Her packaging is beautiful, the soaps are lovely to look at and their heavenly aromas are to die for. Check out her shop...and her blog (hello yummy-looking vegan recipes)

*side note - they sell LOADS of handmade pleasures on their site: pretty jewelry, face products, yada yada..check it out.

rose garden

The weather in Phoenix this week has been heavenly which leads to my addiction of being in the fresh air. During an exploratory walk to find a little cafe for lunch today, I came across a lovely find - a quaint neighborhood rose garden! In Phoenix!? I had never heard of such a thing. It was tucked into a corner along a rather busy road, and I'm very surprised that I had never noticed it before. I ate my lunch under the ivy laden gazebo, and inhaled the intoxicating aroma of the luscious roses that surrounded me. The huge blooms made me think that a few of those stems would be the most beautiful bridal bouquet - elegant and fuss free.

Some inspiration:

This was found at Good Housekeeping, and I love that it uses so many of the large voluptuous flowers I am so attracted to.


The delicate nature of the large roses in the bouquet on the right caught my eye...a bit frilly for me, but lovely just the same. Don't they just scream exquisite garden party!? Photo found at Artfool via Fiance Meeting You Here .


Better yet. How I adore this!! So smart! So classy! So romantic! By Amelia Lyon.


I'll leave you with one more beautifully simple and elegant bouquet, from the amazing and inspiring blog of everything charming, Peonies & Polaroids.