heart of gold.

i think it's safe to say i never leave the house without wearing a heart. they are my favorite accessory.

here's the latest...

found on society6, a website originally discovered through dearest jo. the concept behind the site is awesome because it allows independent artists to publish their work and get paid for their designs.

i searched loooooong and hard into the wee hours of the night for this gem of a case.

may you never leave home without your heart of gold.

lucky saturday.

so, hypothetically speaking here, if you asked me to close my eyes, click my heels together, and wish to be in any moment, it'd always be a saturday between the hours of eleven a.m. and four p.m.

{it's when i am at my happiest}.

the morning would have been filled with yoga and friends and a delicious orange. the sun is shining. it's time to go on an adventure.

no matter where i was in all the world, i'd choose this time of the week. agenda-less. just the rest of the whole, entire afternoon ahead of us.

i realized that some of my best memories in san francisco happen in this window of time. there's an effortless, free-spirited, comfort that happens in which it's beyond easy to just enjoy life. to soak it in. be my blank canvas and i'll bring more colors and brushes than you could possibly imagine.

one particular favorite adventure happens to be the farmer's market at the classic ferry building. coffee. good company. brunch. flowers. fruit samples. fresh air. walks. freedom. people watching. music. love.

how lucky to be alive saturday afternoons make me feel. may you find your absolute luckiest time as well. xo.

lollygag.

i am a lollygagger. a dillydally-er. self proclaimed.

these are funny words, don't you think? but, dolls, these are real words. like in the english dictionary!

lollygag (v): to spend time idly, aimlessly, or foolishly; dawdle
dillydally (v): to waste time, especially by indecision

the lolly's and the dilly's only happen in the morning, and at night. i take my sweeeeet time and saunter right on through at my own content pace. the sense of urgency comes as the day progresses, and winds down again in the eve.

i used to think this was a character flaw, but now i'm chalking it up to enjoying the moment {it's all about how we spin things, yes? an important lesson i learned in my professional life}.

so, i guess i am documenting this pointless piece of information because i realized i should be thankful for doing things at my own pace instead of rush rush rushing through each and every task. i might be late for a thing or two, or not maximize every waking moment, but sometimes slow and steady is nice. and, i'm grateful for it among the stress that is all-consuming at times.

so lollygag for a day or two with me, will you? see how it fits.

*swinging bliss found here.

slow dance.

i know! i know! what you're thinking. another song, really?

oh, but this one... this one will get you at your core. it'll make you want to close your eyes and slow dance forever and ever with the one you heart the most. you'll want it to be late one night, after a bottle of wine, circling the living room. just the two of you. hand in hand. chest to chest. cheek to ear.

this song will make you want to be in that very moment when you realize that just maybe - just maybe - you don't need anyone else in the whole wide world to make you as happy as this person does.

this is it you think to yourself. the one i could play and adventure with for the rest of eternity. be my partner in crime, won't you?

i surrender myself to your presence and peace of mind.

heard in shavasana on this fine eve.

divine.

i really love to chant, it's a well-known fact.

my favorite yoga teacher ever-so-kindly sent over the meaning to one of my most cherished chants. on several occasions i attempted googling what i thought was the correct spelling, but it turns out i couldn't have been more incorrect. sanskrit and i, we're not super acquainted yet. someday...

saturday morning i was secretly hoping the entire practice that anna would sing in that angelic voice of hers. sure enough, i was pleasantly surprised.

sachara chara para purna

shivoham shivoham

nityananda svaroopa

shivoham shivoham

anandoham, anandoham

anandoham, anandoham

 and here is an interpretation.

"this sutra is a powerful declaration of our own oneness with the divine.  we sing to the ultimate connection with god and the experience of truly being joyous in this moment of coming home. we are no longer isolated or alone. ever."

literal word translations.

sachara - belong to, be united to
para - another, other/ greatest, highest, supreme
purna - complete, full, fulfilled, filled with
nitya - constant, eternal, everlasting
ananda - delight, happiness, joy, pleasure, bliss
svaroopa -  consistency, kind, nature, quality
ham - i am that, i myself

this chant is so comforting, isn't it? it makes you feel as if you are never alone. and in a world where many people's greatest fear is that they will be alone {me sometimes included} this chant wipes that all away. there is something bigger. may you discover that unity.

*pinning like a mad woman here and here.

merci.

a dear friend gifted me this keepsake from none other than paris! a few months ago. i decided to wait adorning it to my wrist until a time i needed a little extra reminder to be grateful.

well, now's the time.

a bronze medallion attached to a simple red string reads merci. thank you. en français.

i absolutely love it. thank you. whenever i look down i'm reminded to give thanks.

friday scarf tying.

 happy friday, my loves!

i don't know about you, but it's been a loooooong week. particularly long. i'm leaving you with a fun, light tutorial i thought was a-dor-able. shared with me by a dear co-worker.



a little twenty-five-ways-to-tie-a-scarf-in-four-point-five-minutes for your friday afternoon. i'm currently rocking the waterfall. i've been looking for new ways to spice up my scarf routine because, i do wear my fair share of them. hope you find one you fancy. toss toss!

have a sweet {long} weekend!

*video from fashion blogger extraordinaire!

the reverse graffiti project.

recently, in my professional life, we received an rfp for clorox green works. at first glance i thought to myself, didn't this brand go under? it really is one of my favorite cleaning products... gets the job done in the kitchen, and is environmentally friendly {yes i'm actually discussing household products on it's all happening. i promise there's a point}.

i also secretly love this brand because of the subtle ad campaign that exists in the broadway tunnel here in san francisco. have you seen it? oh, you must check it out.

i learned about it a few years ago when s and i were minding our business driving through the tunnel in the prius {i was car sick, per usual}. she pointed out the graffiti-but-not-graffiti on the walls upon exiting. i love that greenworks ad, she exclaimed.

well, i recently connected the dots when i read about the reverse graffiti project. what a great story.



this short documentary explains the awesome concept behind the art project supported by green works. the artist uses cleaning as a work of art. how novel!

this is the type of advertising i love... highly relevant integration. as a consumer, i believe this product is safe on our earth, and i now associate it with a creative piece of art in my very own city. i'm buying!

that's all. i hope you are as fascinated as i am! xo.

candy hearts.

every valentine's day, without fail, sissy pie and i text each other: "happy valentine's day chandler bing!"

we are slightly obsessed with friends and consequently own every single episode on dvd.

feast your eyes on one of our favorite clips of all time.

you want me!
you need me!
you can't live without me!

happy love day.

happy love day, my sweetnesses.

be mine, oh will you please? {there's something about belonging to someone that i adore}.

hug a little longer today. you deserve it. kisses!

bon iver.

often times i'm late in the game when it comes to new tunes. staying up on the the latest music... not my forté {i always tell sis, you need to keep me young!}. it's okay, though. i accept that this is not one of my talents. at least i have others like finding quotes and being grateful and nail art. sure, that works.

anyhow, i was pleased to see the folky bon iver win for best new artist last night at the grammy's. i love when an unexpected, yet well-deserved award is won.

so, in spirit of the grammy, i'm leaving you with my favorite song by one of my new favorite bands.

skinny love.



better late than never.

be mine.

it's pretty apparent that valentine's day is my favorite holiday. any excuse to celebrate love, right?

i'm not entirely sure how i developed this notable obsession seeing as though i've never had an exclusive be-mine-because-you're-already-mine-valentine-kind-of-thing. maybe it's the hoping that gets me.

i also enjoy the deeper meaning behind what could just be another ordinary day in february. instead, it serves as an annual reminder to make us think for an extra second about our favorites that we love so much.

so, most appropriately {starting last year}, i decided to host an annual valentine's day soirée.

the first year upon entering my home sweet home, guests had to fill out a card which was then attached to a hanging heart. it read, i love you more than _______. inspiration from a website i was once entranced by, and also this tote bag.

i got some fun "_______ 's" that were left hanging long after the fourteenth. 

this year's more intimate gathering didn't include a special craft, just an impromptu game that always spices up the evening with some extra laughter. i had to document the scene because it's one of my favorite in all the world.

 

it may not look special, but i feel so lucky to have so many of my bests gathered around my "living room." how blessed i am to have them all as sweet valentines. 

extra hugs and kisses to you this week!

kiehl's me.

kiehl's is one of my all time favorite skin care lines. simple, natural, and fresh.

i am quite picky about body lotion to say the least. in fact, i didn't wear the stuff for years. if i can feel it on my skin, no thank you. it has to be light, light, light {as a feather} and it has to smell heavenly.

the kiehl's gardenia lotion is, in my opinion, the best on the market {slight caveat here... they are discontinuing it. gasp! you better believe i ordered in bulk before they r.i.p.'ed forever!}

another new favorite find is the kiehl's original musk perfume oil.

i wandered into the store on fillmore street the other day with the high hopes of finding a new perfume and - voila! - i present to you... musk!

how boyish! you must be thinking.

but, my darlings, it really accents the skin quite nicely. it's warm, subtle, charming and sexy {much like a boyfriend should be!}. i apply it to my inner wrists and neck and i love when i get a surprise whiff with the turn of my head or the flip of my hair. yum!

blend it.

ever since i did clean, i've been having smoothies for breakfast. there's something about a liquid meal i always crave on a weekday morning, especially after exercise. i purchased a blender back in april, but now i just use this magical contraption that i may or may not have stolen from mom and dad {oops! hope they don't miss it too much}.

my go-to recipe combination:

banana

apple

blueberries

spinach

almond butter

almond milk

chia seeds

flax: seeds + ground

cinnamon

raw cacao powder

agave nectar

now, the color doesn't turn out to be the prettiest in the world, but i promise the taste is delightful. drink with a straw {pink, of course}.

... enjoy!

today is a gift.

sometimes i consider myself a runner. sometimes i don't. lately i'm more of a treadmill girl due to the shorter hours of morning light and the chilly weather. in due time i'll be back outside {with my running buddy}, but i really do miss it.

oh a whim this morning i decided to change it up. even though i'm not fully recovered, i needed to move. and i needed it be in the fresh air.

i forgot how different putting one foot in front of the other is on a dirt path rather than on faux rubber. not only is it harder, but it uses more muscles. today was more of a jog... a very slow run, if you will, so as not to overexert myself.

i was blessed with this scene...

it reminded me that today is a gift. don't take it for granted. feel lucky to be able to experience this moment. you are exactly where you are supposed to be.

spirit.

i decided this week that a positive spirit is one of the most redeeming qualities a human being can have. i think i've known this all along, but lessons learned as of late have brought me to this new found conclusion.

and, that's why i'm thinking twice about your spirit. and mine.

this quote comes to mind. spotted on one of my quotable calendars from years ago.

it occurred to me mid yoga pose {of course} on saturday morning {my absolute favorite time of the week}. it was likely during high lunge, arms up, pinky fingers in, palms facing the back wall. something about this gesture really makes you want to reach for something more.

to dig a little deeper.

to offer it all away.

i think at that moment anna reminded me of the word spirit.  

don't just do it, do it with a positive spirit, she said.

because no one likes holding a pose that long. legs burning, heart pounding. but, in that moment if we make a conscious effort to change our attitudes and find our inner spirit, things just might calm down a little bit.

this applies to life, too {are you seeing the parallel?}. we will cross many-a-difficult situation in our lifetimes {just like a burning high lunge} and if we learn to consciously shift our minds to look on the bright side, to channel our deepest and sincerest good spirits, we'll get through it. life becomes a little bit sweeter.

rusty said something similar today. it was about embodying a beginner's spirit. it is wise to approach every new situation, every new relationship with an open heart, as a beginner because this ensures that we don't set ourselves up to fail. every relationship is new. we don't know what works for us and what doesn't work for us until we cross that bridge. figure it out as you go along... that's the beauty of beginnings. open hearts, my sweethearts, to let the potential for something really really good to enter our lives.

in essence, we control our outlooks on life. may we approach it with a positive spirit, always.

i will if you will. let's do it together. ready, go. namaste.

{found here and here}.

health.

i've been a bit under the weather lately, friends. and, while this is no space to discuss negative happenings, i'm admittedly a bit frustrated because, well, i'd really like to kick this cold to the curb, to say the least.

i feel that this is a good time to reflect on what we can be grateful for even in a weakened state of health. i am grateful for mothers who take care of us. and, for homemade chicken noodle soup.

chicken soup for the sick soul. being down and out also makes me thankful for the times i am in optimum, perfect health. never do i ever want to take that thriving state for granted. for two healthy legs and two strong arms and a good set of lungs.

i haven't been able to take my usual deep, deep breaths these days without coughing. and, i miss them. how lucky are we to be able to do something as simple as breathe? do you ever reflect on that? well, i hope that my sick state can serve as a pleasant little reminder for you to tune into your gratitude for being alive and kickin'.

here's to healthy and healing energy. putting it out there in this darn, amazing universe!

xoxo.

it's my favorite month, dolls! and guess who started to decorate? i have a thing for garlands. so thankful for papersource around special holidays.

love me some x's and o's. two of the best letters in the alphabet {when paired together, of course}.

we go together like an x and an o.

a very special shout out to my one and only sissy pie as she turns lucky number twenty three today. oh those early twenties... such a time of growth and learning and figuring out who you are. i couldn't be more proud of the young woman you are becoming. 

hugs and kisses!