Summer Storms
My kids and I love watching storms roll over the lake (from the safety and comfort of our apartment!). There is something so calming about being close to the water, and seeing how the wind, rain and clouds completely change the view from second to second. We have a number of dramatic images of the sea and sky in our home, and if you take a peek at my Instagram account, you'll see that I am drawn to try to capture their beauty with my amateur photography skills.
Here are some photos of a breathtaking storm, snapped from my living room window last summer...
CATEGORIES: Kids and family, Beautiful things
Reclaimed By Mark
When I heard that my childhood friend, Regina, had met the man of her dreams, I couldn't wait to meet him. Regina is an actress, writer and producer who is also one of the most charismatic, charming and talented people I have ever met. I knew that whomever she chose to spend her life with would be amazing as well. Although I met Regina's fiance, Mark, over a year ago, I was able to spend more time with him at Regina's LA bridal shower last month. He is not only an actor, artist, award winning writer (an original sitcom he co-created won the NBC Comedy Short Festival), he also recently finished his first novel, and has created several television pilots. To top it all off, he also makes beautiful furniture and home accessories from reclaimed materials, using tools he inherited from his grandfather.
I admired a beautiful headboard in their Venice home, and learned that Mark created it from a discarded wooden pallet. He also designed and created a desk for Regina around a piece of butcher block he found, and then personalized it by stenciling the date of their anniversary on top as a surprise. I appreciate things that have a history, and every piece that Mark creates has an interesting story. He manages to breathe new life into everything he touches. Wouldn't it be great to have a hidden talent like that??!!
Check out more of Mark's work at Reclaimed by Mark.
The original Volvo pallet
The headboard taking shape
The finished product, complete with antique hooks
R + M's anniversary date stenciled on the desk
Mark created a removable bench for additional seating in their terrace courtyard
The finished bench, that also masks a nonfunctional fountain
The picture frame and orchid box are two of many accessories that Mark created for their home
CATEGORIES: Beautiful things
An LA visit
I snuck away for a long weekend in LA a few weeks ago to attend a bridal shower for one of my dearest friends from childhood (we met in 5th grade!). Guests were asked to bring their favorite beauty products for the bride-to-be, and I loved seeing all of the can't-live-without products that she ended up with. She won't have to buy make up and beauty products for a few years! I brought Benefit's Benetint and They're Real Mascara, Josie Maran Argan Oil and Bert's Bee's Tinted Chap Stick, and tucked it all inside the monogrammed toiletry bag/travel pouch I made for her honeymoon.
It was an incredible visit filled with quaility time with the girls from home (with lots of late night reminiscing), a visit with a friend I met in Chicago who moved to Redondo Beach (I wrote about our last visit here), shopping on Abbot Kinney, visits with family in Santa Monica, and a stop at NEWBEAUTY at Fred Segal, where my perfumes are carried. The trip couldn't have been more amazing.
Here are a few shots from the visit...
A tiny selection of the loot the bride-to-be received
Our detox snack at Feed the morning after the festivities
I love cake stands, so was drawn to this stack at Bountiful
A vignette at Tumbleweed and Dandelion
Succulents and stripes outside
Handmade pottery by Samantha Robinson at Flannel
NEWBEAUTY at Fred Segal
The perfume room at NEWBEAUTY
The lovely Redondo Beach lunch that my friend managed to pull together for the two of us, despite having her three kids in tow
CATEGORIES: Places, Beautiful things
