It’s no secret that I’ve recently become addicted to the show Nashville. Not only am I loving the plot + characters (hello, cliffhanger season finale!) but the soundtrack is amazing as well. Even if you’re not a country music fan, there’s bound to be a song or two you will fall in love with. They’re not all *radio* country songs. There’s even a seriously talented cover of Ho, Hey by the Lumineers. I compiled a mini playlist of my favorite tracks; have a listen and I hope you enjoy!

♫ Listen on Spotify

Ps; Speaking of Nashville, by this time tomorrow I will be in the air en-route to there! After months of planning and waiting, I’m so excited vacation is finally here. See ya soon, Tennessee.

You know those moments in life when you find yourself in a new place and it just makes the rest of the world fall away? New roads beneath the tires and sand between your toes; you’re immersed in fresh surroundings having the time of your life. I guess some people call that a vacation.

This past weekend I suppose I had a little mini vacation with my love. We had our friends’ wedding in Ben Lomond near Santa Cruz on Sunday and decided to take advantage of the trip and three-day weekend by staying in a hotel, going out to dinner and driving along the coast on Highway 1 back to San Francisco on Monday. It was spontaneous and a little expensive so last minute but it was completely worth it.

The wedding was absolutely gorgeous (congrats Shereen + Josh!) and the scenic drive up the coast was exactly what I needed. I don’t know if it was not seeing each other for a week or the brewery beers we shared at one of our stops but Glenn and I were more giggly than usual. We couldn’t stop laughing, touching and being silly with one another. I love that. There’s been a lot of talk from our family + friends lately about when we’re going to settle down together and tie the knot. It’s very endearing and we definitely talk about it. I think our love is a lot like this trip: we know where we’re going but we’re choosing to take the scenic route ;)

Now it’s Tuesday morning and its back to reality. Fortunately, I only have five more days of work before next vacation to Nashville in a week! I’m getting really, really excited. Surely I’ll be sweltering in that Southern summer heat but that’s what whiskey on the rocks is for, right?

As I promised earlier in the week, I’m back today with a super exciting giveaway for you guys. My friend Abby (sister to Chelseablanket) is curator of Prospect Goods, a shop full of wondrous things including amazing handmade piñatas. As Abby puts it:

“It can’t get much more fun than a diamond disco pinata! This pinata is perfect hanging as a permanent pendant in your living room or use it to spice up a party. The reflective silver mirrors the colors around it, so it matches neutral palates and bright colors alike. If you’d want to take a whack at it, there’s a hidden door so you can add candy or small gifts, and make sure to add the confetti!”

You want one for yourself now, don’t you? To enter to win simply leave a comment on this post. For additional entries you may:
▴ Like Prospect Goods on Facebook
▴ Tweet about the giveaway. You can copy + paste this for quick-use (Enter to win a fancy diamond pinata! http://ow.ly/lkYMc #prospectgoods)
▴ Instagram the giveaway and include the hashtag #prospectgoods

Make sure you leave a separate comment here for each additional entry. I’ll randomly select a winner next Friday–leave your email so I know where to find you. Good luck!

▲ I miss my boyfriend. In case you haven’t already witnessed me whining about it across other social media sites, Glenn is living in San Francisco during the next month. He’s working full-time for one of the companies he contracts with and they need him in the office every day right now. He is absolutely loving it; I’m so proud of him. But, it has been a little rough going from seeing him everyday to not at all. I’m looking forward to making a trip up there this weekend to visit and also attend our friends’ wedding in Ben Lomond. Plus, I have Monday off so I get a whole extra day of adventuring! Let’s just hope my car doesn’t decide to break down on the Golden Gate Bridge again. Fingers crossed.

▲ Fresh bedding + sheets do wonders for the bedroom (and soul). To preempt the sadness of being relegated to sleeping solo for awhile, I decided to spruce up my sanctuary aka Cal King bed with some new sheets, comforter and pillows. As an avid nap enthusiast I consider this a good move. There’s just something about sleeping in a *new* bed that is calming. I also picked up a surprisingly soft shag rug which I’ve been on the hunt for, forever. Target never fails me.

▲ I’ve got to get better about saying no to things. It’s for my sanity, really. Sometime I get so excited about an opportunity and say yes immediately, only to realize I really don’t have the time and then it just becomes a disappointment–for them and for me. Note to self: you don’t have to do All! Of! The! Things!

How’s everyone’s week going?

* photo

I’m not even going to apologize for the sporadic posting around here. All I can chalk it up to is lack of inspiration lately; a funk of sorts. I’m tired of seeing the same things everywhere both on and offline. I need some variety in my life! I was going through my archives the other day and it made me miss using this space for my writing. In the 5+ years this blog has been around, it has taken on many forms–from fashion blog to design blog to photo blog. I suppose my life consists of my passion for all of those things but for one reason or another this space hasn’t felt like me lately. So, I’m working on it. I know I’ve just lumped myself into that somewhat annoying category of blogger who gets all existential on their internet presence, but nonetheless I want to refine why and what I share here whether that be a personal essay, photos from my week, links and giveaways supporting things + people I admire, etc.

Speaking of which, the photo above is that of my dear friend Chelsea. It’s taken by the amazing photographer Parker Fitzgerald and is one of my all-time favorite shots of her. Chelsea’s equally rad sister Abby runs an online shop selling some super fun things…you may want to check back here on Friday (hint, hint).

1. What a great idea + beautiful website.

2. I’m certain I’ve found the perfect printable Mother’s Day card.

3. This man went an entire year without the Internet.

4. This pineapple salsa recipe looks simple to make but I imagine the taste is anything but!

5. Has anyone seen this movie? I really want to.

OFFLINE LOVE / periwinkle blue nails; gold everythang; drinking my weight in water; my new kate spade phone case; cheetah flats; the seven layer bean dip i made for work get rave reviews; tj’s instant coffee; slowly but surely losing weight; making a conscience effort to not procrastinate; yoga in the AM and listening to alj-j radio in the shower.

Often times I find myself drawn to a specific color or palette over an extended period of times. For example, my blog colors? Yeah, at one point my manicures were a combination of peach and seafoam for about two weeks straight. This week however, I’m totally into blue.

My friends Ashley + Ashlee hosted a clothing swap as a fundraiser for their upcoming trip to Africa where I was able to score that chambray skirt. I have been wearing it non-stop but I can’t help it; it literally goes with everything and is a lightweight material during this 90 degree heat wave {hi, summer}. My roomamate Nikki recently came home with a lovely perriwinkle-esque Essie nail color and so of course I had to try it. I paired it with a gold accent nail and its pretty darn lovely. Upon doing dishes the other night I realized that between Nikki and I we have amassed quite the mason jar collection. I love the blue hue of these and the fact that they have handles on them. I’m picturing frozen margaritas filling them up this summer during our backyard bocce parties.

* Hex #8A96B5

WATCHING / Game of Thrones + Mad Men, religiously. I feel like GOT’s last episode was insanely good. Lots went down and **SPOILER ALERT** can we talk about John Snow and Ygritte?! Holler. I also think its very clever of the writer’s to pronounce her name the same as the bird ‘egret.’ Mad Men has made me think about when Don + Betty Draper were together, lately. Does anyone else miss them as a couple sometimes? I do.

THINKING ABOUT / The future. A lot. With some of the people closest to me going through some hard times, it has really made me appreciative of the support of family and friends. Maybe its being Mexican and growing up in a huge family but I know that I want to be surrounded by my children and grandchildren when I’m older. Glenn and I talk about marriage + kids and its something we definitely both want someday.

READING / I downloaded Where’d You Go, Bernadette? to my Kindle on Diana‘s recommendation and I started it last night. I’m only a few pages (percentage?) in but I’m enjoying it so far! I want to pick up The Fault in our Stars next, I’ve heard good things.

LOOKING FORWARD TO / Finishing my tattoo this weekend! I can’t believe I started it almost 3 years ago. The anniversary of my grandfather’s passing is this month so its fitting that it will finally be completed. I’m also looking forward to a trip to wine country on Saturday night to visit my BFF Dane with some of the gals. Delicious food, wine + music are in store for us; so pumped!

MAKING ME HAPPY / Positive client feedback. Landing gigs collaborating with companies I love {more on that later}. Evening walks around the block with my two dudes. Replicating a recipe I loved from a restaurant. Drinking lots of water w/ lemon. Vacation in a little over 30 days!

As always, thanks to the lovely lady Danielle for the inspiration behind these posts.

* photo + type by me

Sometimes, no matter how many walks you take, things you read or pictures you see, there is just no inspiration. This week was one of those times hence no Link Bytes today. And you know what? It’s okay. I had dinner with a different friend every night this week instead of coming home and gluing myself to another screen–something I haven’t done in a long while. It was so nice to catch up and be outside in a social setting enjoying good food + conversation. Last weekend Glenn asked me out on a date (yes, we still do that) and I was sort of taken aback because I had to think back on when our last date night was because we’ve both been so wrapped up in work + freelance lately. That, is not okay. It’s nice, necessary even, to unplug and take a week off every now and then to spend quality time with people you love. My date + friend nights were much needed and fulfilling; this week has left me feeling recharged and ready to get back on the work grind this weekend. It can be tough, but I want to get better at balancing work + play.

* photo

My roommate owns the house we live in and while she did a stellar job of painting every single room, we are still slowly decorating the walls with art + prints that strike our fancy. And what better way to customize your space than by creating pieces on your own? We tried out a fun project using vinyl letters, canvases and a little bit of paint to spell out fun sayings. Mine says, In Wine We Trust which, if you know me, is quite fitting. I even used actual red wine to make rings atop my canvas after all the paint dried. I’ve written out directions and materials needed below in case you want to make some of your own.

YOU WILL NEED /
▴ canvas
▴ vinyl letter stickers
▴ paint + paint brush
▴ pencil
▴ ruler

STEPS TO CREATE /
Use your ruler to draw straight lines to use as a guide for positioning your letters. Arrange and apply your letters. Don’t worry if they are not *exactly* straight–I think it give the piece character :)

Once you are happy with the letter arrangement, paint over the entire canvas, using outward strokes around the letters. If you paint inward on the letters you run the risk of paint seeping under them and the outlines won’t be as clean. Allow to completely dry; we left ours out overnight.

Once dry, gently remove stickers. You can use your fingers to prod the back of the canvas behind each sticker to aid in lifting. Just be careful not to poke too hard (TWSS) or you’ll stretch the canvas out.

That’s it! It’s pretty simple, really. If you want, you can add on embellishments or perhaps paint the edges of your canvas a different color. Possibilities are endless with these guys. I’d love to see what you come up with if you try this DIY out.