a blog of sorts...

On The Golden Globes...

2012-01-16T14:11:00.000-08:00

It's no secret that I love award shows. Sometimes I have thoughts on how things go down. Sometimes they are not polite or politically correct. I've decided to share my thoughts. My apologies if you worship Paula Patton and/or Madonna and/or Lea Michelle.

Read on if you feel so inclined...

Paula Patton was ridiculous all night. You could see her clapping in the front row. She was way impressed with all of the presenters.

Madonna? Bitch. Seriously. I said out loud "Your song won, not your film, babe!"

Angelina...I find you phoney, uninteresting and boring, but I really liked your dress.

Did you see Ashton's face when he came out after Ricky insulted his ended marriage? WHUPS!!

I thought Michelle Williams' speech about being a mom was very sweet

Natalie walking to the wrong podium cracked me up. Sweet little thing.

I really wanted Viola to win, and I think Meryl did too. Incidentally, I LOVE the name Meryl. Also, she cracks me up. I hope she got her glasses back, lol. Did you see the smooch she left on her hubby? Epic.

George + Brad = <3 Bromance fo' life!!

Downton Abbey. The End.

There were some really funny Ricky moments. I thought he was fine and I mostly think he got panned because we were expecting too much. Let's just give him props for that smart red tux, yeah? Furthermore, all hail Billy at the Oscars! YAY!!!

Did you hear Kelsey Grammer's wife is pregnant? Again I ask: BIRTH CONTROL, CELEBS? USE IT.

Martin Scorsesse has a 12 year old?? Whoa. Hugo was fantastic though. Bravo to him.

Tin Tin FTW!! I really really didn't want Cars 2 to win. Tin Tin deserved it, hands down.

I'm so sad I haven't seen The Artist yet. That actor is delicious.

Claire Danes. Babe. Pasties. They're seriously like a dollar. It gets cold in those big rooms, especially when you're nervous and/or thinking about your husband.

Paula Patton. I still can't get over her. I think she started taking Tom Cruise's drugs.

How the heck does Nicole Kidman keep getting invited to these things? On another note, her dress was stunning. Did she get a boob job?

Octavia Spencer, you looked beautiful and I love that you won SO much.

I thought Uggie on the stage was silly, frankly. This is a peoples' award show.

Let's talk about how Angelina's film was nominated under foreign film with the country listed (and announced) as USA. Fairness, in its truest form.

Fassbender's you-know-what got a shout out by George Clooney. Do you need anything else in life as a man? He might as well retire a happy man now. (After that, I looked it up. Can't find a clear pic. Damn.)

Emma Stone's dress was FABOOSH! Why wasn't SHE a presenter? She's so funny.

Oh oh!! Did you see Tina Fey photobomb Amy?? So funny.

Queen Latifah and Mary J Blidge. *makes obscene finger/tongue gesture* You know the one. Get over it.

I was SO ETERNALLY PLEASED that Lea Michelle didn't get ANY screen time. I can't handle her bullshit. (Seriously though...who poses like that?)

Seth Rogan concealing his "massive erection." One of the best moments of the night.

Colin Firth. Best. Swagger. Ever. Also, holy moly he's tall! And sexy. So sooooo sexy.

So Missi Pyle was in The Artist and all I can see her as, is Lalari...or whatever in Galaxy Quest. And when she was on screen I made a loud noise and then said, "Her translator is broken."

My new hair looks like Jodi Foster's hair. Also, she looked wonderful.

Dame Helen. Freaking class, man. Seriously. That woman? Astounds me.

So there you go. My musings on the best party in Hollywood. I'm sorry if I offended but let's be honest. These actors are full of themselves. I shall not feel bad for them. Onto the Oscars!!

Love,
Marina

2011 - The Year of Friends...

2012-01-01T15:41:00.000-08:00

It seems that the thing to do around this time of year is write a blog post about the previous year. Best meal, best trip, best piece of music...so on and so forth. While I do have those things, I spent a lot of time thinking about what 2011 really meant to me.

I don't think I'm alone in feeling that 2011 was sort of an "interesting" year. It was full of many ups and downs. High ups, low downs. Don't get me wrong, there was plenty of amazing, lovely things to outweigh the bad, but I feel like remembering all of those instances isn't what's important.

I spent this year single and on my own. I feel like I grew a lot as a person. I took risks and tried to realize who I was becoming as a young woman. More than anything, I've come to realize that your life can be great if you surround yourself with great people.

Out of anything and everything that has happened this year, I feel like that is the most meaningful thing I've taken from 2011.

People.

So many wonderful, special people.

Old friends and new friends. Friends who will go to concerts with you even when people stretch an unreasonable amount. Friends who you can always count on to tell you what shirt to wear on a date or make you laugh when you're sad.

Friends that you've known since you were small and can still have fun, even after 20 years.

Friends who live half a world away and seem to know you better than your own brain. (And who also have fantastic taste in music)

Friends who you met through Twitter that are even more amazing in person. Friends who took a risk with you and camped for days on the street with the same goal in mind. :)

Friends from other countries that you can still call friends even after years and years.

Friends who keep you sane and strong when it seems like reality is too much to deal with.

Friends who are actually family but so much more than that.

So my friends, I'd like to dedicate my 2011 to you. I've met so many new people and done so many new things, but they would be nothing without people to share them with. I never thought I would be so blessed to have so many wonderful people that I can call my friends.

I hope with all of my heart that your 2012 is a fantastic, prosperous and healthy year and that we can make even more memories together.

Love love love,

Marina

P.S. Okay. If we really are going to get all "Best of..." for New Years blogs... I'd have to say this was pretty awesome. ;)

And So I'm Offering This Simple Phrase...

2011-12-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

To you!!

It's Christmas time again (I can't believe it) and one of my favorite things about the season is the music. I'm sort of a snob when it comes to Christmas music in that I love my classics. A lot. As you can tell my the title of this post, The Christmas Song by Mr. Nat King Cole is my favorite Christmas song ever. I also love a little Andy Williams, Ella Fitzgerald and Bing Crosby but there are plenty of new songs that have been catching my attention.

Here is a playlist of my favorite Christmas songs for 2011. It has all my favorite classics like It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year, Sleigh Ride, Rockin Around The Christmas Tree, and Holly Jolly Christmas. I've also spent some time gathering some new songs. Sufjan Stevens is one of my favorite artists right now and he has some great songs that aren't covers. They're original lyrics! The fabulous She And Him have a new Christmas album out this year and I've included one of their songs. I've also put in some fun covers from Rogue Wave (another fav), Jimmy Eat World and Sleeping at Last (new fav).

I hope you enjoy the songs and maybe find some new favorites! You can download my playlist here!

Is everyone gearing up for a busy holiday season yet? I haven't decorated yet (or even tried) but I have plans to do so tomorrow. I expect I'll be taking lots of photos and will try to post them here at some point. Until then, Enjoy your holidays with your families and friends.

All my warmest holiday wishes!

With love,
Marina

A Breaking Dawn Soundtrack Education...

2011-09-26T17:02:00.000-07:00

Hi there!

Long time no chat! There's been a lot going on around here lately but I wanted to share some new music with you by way of the Breaking Dawn Soundtrack. The track list was released today and I was happy to see that I didn't know many (if any) of the artists. One of the things I enjoy most about the Twilight films is how they integrate little-known music artists into their soundtracks.

Take Florence + The Machine for example. She had a following, sure, but after the soundtrack? HUGE. Had you heard of Bon Iver before? (I had, but I won't judge ;) ) How about Beach House, Sea Wolf, St. Vincent or Sia? I LOVE getting to know the artists before the soundtrack is released and the Breaking Dawn soundtrack is no different.

There are quite a few artists on here who are new to me and a little different style than we've seen before. The original Twilight soundtrack was pretty "rock and roll," New Moon was relatively "indie" and Eclipse had more of a "pop" feel. I can't quite place Breaking Dawn but I like it.

I put together a playlist that you can download at the bottom of this post, but if you want to check out some of the individual artists, I've posted some soundcloud links below. I hope you guys enjoy the music!

Angus & Julia Stone - Big Jet Plane by nettwerkmusicgroup

Angus & Julia Stone - Yellow Brick Road by nettwerkmusicgroup

Angus and Julia Stone - And The Boys by theinsound

Aqualung - Brighter Than Sunshine by user6316939

The Belle Brigade - Losers by MMMusic

Bruno Mars - Just The Way You Are by bananacakes

Fire In The House by Hard Fi

Good For Nothing by Hard Fi

iron & wine - naked as we came by vagabondgirl

The Joy Formidable - The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Shade by battlevan

The Joy Formidable - Austere by rslblog.com

Lucy Schwartz - Gone Away by nettwerksync

Rain City (from Life in Letters) by lucyschwartz

Noisettes - Don't Upset The Rhythm by invisiblemen

Land or Sea by Sleeping At Last by sleepingatlast

Download of my "A Breaking Dawn Soundtrack Education" for you enjoyment and learning purposes. I hope you like it! Download here

What I've Been Up To...

2011-08-20T09:06:00.000-07:00

It's become very apparent that I don't really blog much anymore. That doesn't mean I don't want to, it just means that I forget most of the time.

I have been up to lots of fun things this summer that I want to share with you to give you a summary of June-August. (Is August really almost over?) I've even knocked out a couple of things on my list!

My recent Pleasanton discovery. How have I lived here a year and not known there was a local dairy that sells soft serve from 8am to 8pm??

#2 Host a dinner party. Done and done. :) Happy Birthday Eleanor!

Impenetrable Lego fortress with booby-traps.

New TOMS shoes :)

Pre Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 premiere. :) So bittersweet. Also, HP marathon sort of happened. Whatever, I'm checking it off the list.

Meet a friend from far away? Does Australia count :) <3<3 my "mindsistah" from the other hemisphere!

I was here.

Oh man, I wish these weren't $200.

On my way to reading 10 books thanks to Eugene, my Nook. So far we're at 4!

Made a new animal friend. Angel also enjoys watching the Giants :) (No, she's not my pup.)

Authentic gumbo. So amazing. Thanks Eleanor!

My boys <3<3

The Weepies and Florence + The Machine. Parts 1 and 2 of our summer concert series. Both amazing. And by amazing, I mean WAYMAZING. Next up? Ray LaMontagne and Bon Iver. So. Excited.

And me. And Fernando.

Things are good. Things are busy. More than ever I know how blessed I am to have the people around me that I do.

In unrelated news, I've been working with two other lovely ladies on a blog for David Cronenberg's upcoming film Cosmopolis (based on the book by Don DeLillo). Check it out!

If I'm blogging anywhere lately...that's where it is. We have some fun stuff going on so take a look! :)

I'm spending the day in San Francisco with an old friend. What are YOU doing today? Happy Saturday all!

Love,
Marina

26 While 26...

2011-06-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

1. go to 5 new wineries
2. host a dinner party
3. make an article of clothing
4. finish my cross stitch and start a new one
5. buy a piece of art

6. exercise once a week
7. travel somewhere new
8. adopt a cat
9. meet Buster Posey
10. attend a horse race across the street
11. go on a date

12. hang all my art
13. attend a midnight premiere of a movie
14. find a new band
15. go to the Ferry Building farmer's market
16. bake Christmas cookies
17. cook something from each continent
18. see 10 live shows
19. spend a day in San Francisco

20. have a Harry Potter movie marathon
21. sew a duvet cover
22. meet a friend from far away
23. go to a spring training game
24. make an investment
25. buy a camera and take pictures
26. read 10 books

Here's to 26! Wish me luck!!

Love,
Me

15 While 25... (updated!)

2011-06-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

Last year around this time I made my 25 While 25 list. While I'm still working on my 26 While 26 list, I thought I'd take the time to go through my existing to-do's and see how well I did.

Turns out, not bad! There's a few I might be able to squeak in the next couple of weeks, but for now we're going with 14 out of 25. I'll take it!

To recap:

1. Bake a cake - Cake. Baked. Fear not, I only made half a cake, hehe. I made my favorite, yellow cake with chocolate frosting.

2. Sew a duvet cover - Found lots of fabric I liked...all too expensive. I'm going to carry this over to my 26 list :)

3. Go away for a weekend - Winter Wineland in Sonoma county, CA. Such a WONDERFUL weekend with friends. Unfortunately all my purchases from that weekend have been consumed. Let's go next year!!

4. Plant herbs out back - Yeah, that never happened.

5. Make a desktop background - Needless to say, I've made many. ;)

6. Go to the new library - When I wrote this I was living at my old house where they had just built a brand new library. Here the library is right down the street and I have STILL not visited. Hoping to rectify this within the next couple of weeks!

7. Apply for a fantasy job - During my job hunt last summer, I applied for a position with DeviantArt where I've been posting my art for the past 6 years. It didn't work out but I was proud of myself for accepting the challenge.

8. Invent a cocktail - I still have 2 weeks!

9. Read a Jane Austen novel - When I wrote this list I semi cheated because I had Emma already started. Would you believe my bookmark has not moved all year? Me neither...

10. Get something professionally printed - For Christmas this year I made my Dad a poster to commemorate one of the most exciting moments of our year.

11. Coin a catch phrase - Waymazing. Get on board. It's waymazing. ;)

12. Draw and complete a picture - Finished! As of 6/27...just in time! It's Merida from the new Pixar movie Brave. Check out the trailer here!

13. Go to Disneyland - Epic family vacation!! Was a total blast to go away with my 3 favorite people and have the most amazing time. I'm so blessed to be able to spend this time with my family and I treasure every moment.

14. Make my Christmas cards - Notice I said make not send. So...sorry about that.

15. Have a Harry Potter marathon [with Eleanor] - Do you know how hard it is to find the time to watch 7 movies? Also moving to 26 list.

16. Update my website - I did at one point...but I should probably do that again soon.

17. Buy a fish or keep mine alive - Had a fish. Loved my fish. Miss my fish. RIP Molson.

18. Bake a peach pie - Well, it is peach season now, isn't it? We'll put this on the 26 list.

19. Buy a new sofa - I'm sitting on it right now. It's quite possibly one of my favorite things.

20. Self-host my blog - This was actually a really good goal, but seeing as my blogging sort of faded away after I moved, I didn't feel the need. This is something I really should do and I'd like to this year. Hopefully...

21. Make coq au vin - Delicious.

22. Take a nice photo... - It happened. That's enough.

23. Buy a new font - Man, fonts are expensive. But, pending a good deal, this could be remedied by the 27th!!

24. Write thank you notes for all gifts - Honorable goal and I failed miserably.

25. Move - YES!! One of my first goals that I completed :) It's been a fanTASTic year because of that. I love Pleasanton to pieces.

So there you have it. Roughly 14 out of 25. I'm proud of myself for doing this list, for hanging this list in my home and for trying new things because of it. This year has been all sorts of crazy but so many WONDERFUL things have happened. I've met friends of all sorts, found a new job, traveled and grown a lot. Although my birthday has crept up on me once again, I feel ready for it this time. I feel like I've aged a year and I mean that in the best way.

Bring it 26!!

26 list coming soon!

Sending lots and lots of love to you all! Thank you for reading my little blog!

Love,
Marina

Pretty Links...

2011-01-03T10:07:00.000-08:00

As promised, I have QUITE a few links to share with you that I've been hoarding over the holiday season. Some of these will be finding their way to me very soon....:}

First off, House of Harlow has recently updated their shop with the new spring pieces. I've always been a fan of the "not too expensive" jewelry, but this season's items are stunning. Right now my favorite is this set of Art Decco inspired earrings. Yummy.

I was looking for a poster for my brother for Christmas on Threadless and I came across this GORGEOUS poster. I have a thing for red foxes and I adore the color palette of this piece. DO WANT.

I found this brooch in an Etsy showcase a while back. I love jewelry that has both silver and gold in it and this pin is no exception. The delicate etching is lovely as well.

I saw this artist in a Storque article a couple of months ago and fell in love with her edgy designs. Her shop is currently closed for vacation but you can view her past work in her sold section. This is my favorite that she's done.

I have plenty of purses, but I'm always on the lookout for more. I LOVE silk dupioni and this clutch makes perfect use of it. This is a custom listing but i LOVE the color combo in the photo.

I have no idea where I could ever wear a necklace like this one but I think it's stunning. 'Nuff said.

My pal Eleanor decided that I need to have this skirt. I agree too. It's even cool from the back! LUUUUHVE!

Well that's all I got for you his time! I'm always bookmarking pretty things so I'll have more soon. Have a super week!

Love,
Marina

Slam Bang Finish...

2011-01-01T14:34:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time I had a blog...

And I updated frequently...

Then life got hard (in the best way) and I stopped for a while...

Now I'm back to show you some pictures of what I've been up to!

I practiced my paparazzi skills on the race horses across the street.

I stocked up on Christmas supplies at Trader Joe's.

I decorated for Christmas.

Pleasanton got foggy. :}

I dressed up for Christmas.

Twice.

My brother gave me the best Christmas present EVAR.

I got some new shoes.

I made some new friends, quite literally.

There was wine tasting.

Sassy outfits.

And this. Quite possibly the MOST important thing of 2010. :) Giants winning the world series and all...

Sending all my love and best wishes to your 2011! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! I've missed all of you and I hope to be back regularly soon. I've got a lot of fun Etsy finds to show you and will be posting those VERY soon.

With Love,
Marina

Of Giants, Pilots and San Francisco...

2010-11-02T18:51:00.000-07:00

Well, we did it. I know I haven't really advertised just HOW big of a San Francisco Giants fan I am [on this blog], but let me tell you...

I'm a big fan.

Like larger font type of fan.

Last night after 52 years of waiting, my beloved team finally won the World Series. I have never been so proud!

I happened to be IN the city last night for the win, even though my boys were playing in Texas. Let's just say San Fran was CRAZY! But it was a little magic. :) I was in town to see Stone Temple Pilots perform at the Warfield. Here is my journey:

Pleasanton BART station.

Skipping over the pizza and TV we were all huddled around to watch the last pitch. I was too excited to take pictures, but this is what happened:

Still get goosebumps... Anyway, onward!

The marquis needed an update, OBVIOUSLY.

Before the show.

Mmm, 90's rock guitarist....yes please!

Riding back in silence on BART at the end of an eventful night.

It was a magic night to be in the city. A magic night to be a Giants fan. A magic night for the Stone Temple Pilots! All around good times.

Hope all of you are well! Sending some fall love your way!!

Always,
Marina

Keeping On Keeping On...

2010-10-23T13:30:00.001-07:00

Oof, there's been a lot going on. Last weekend was busy busy and this week was busy busy, so this weekend I decided to take it easy.

I'm declaring it Craft Weekend 2010. What does that entail, you ask?

Making more of these.

Trying this out (with my own pattern and supplies)

"Live Love Helvetica." Because really...what more do you need than Helvetica? I rest my case.

Crocheting these for a friend :)

And continuing working on this.

Also this weekend? GIANTS. We're making it this time...let's all chant together. GO GIANTS!!

Today I marched to the farmers market while shaking my bum to this.

This week a delightful package arrived from my dear talented silversmith friend. :) Have been wearing them with pride all week.

Going to get back to my crafting now that I'm hyped off on coffee and the delightful chill blowing through my window. Is anyone else as thrilled about fall being here as I am?? I've been wearing sweaters with pride for the past few days. I'm so excited!!

I'm hoping all of you lovelies have fantastic weeks ahead of you and a delightful weekend. Thinking of you always.

Love,

Marina

Some of my favorite links...

2010-10-11T10:00:00.000-07:00

Well, even though I haven't been blogging much I've been hoarding some fantastic links for you all. So without further ado...here they are!

I found this print on Etsy a while ago and fell in love with it. Simple vector prints really make my day.

I absolutely love this clutch. Currently I am on a mission to try it myself and make one. Not sure if it'll work out, but this is a great source of inspiration.

By now you all know my weakness for typography, great wall art, and Star Wars. So here's this.

I think this vintage ring is faboosh, don't you?

Such cute, adorable, and simple silver earrings. I need, methinks....

I saw this adorable pin on the front page a few weeks ago. Look how cute this is!!

Do these shoes really need an introduction? I want. I want badly...

Well there's my list for the week. Here's hoping I'll be back next week with some more blogs...fingers crossed! Have a great week all of you!

Love,

Marina

Oh...Hello!

2010-10-10T10:47:00.000-07:00

Well well well...as it turns out, I do still exist. Sorry for making you think otherwise. It has been, how shall I say this, an interesting couple of months. A lot of getting used to my new place, getting used to being alone (even more so now that Molson has joined the big fishbowl in the sky), and getting accustomed to my new life here.

It's been a big adjustment period and I feel like I have finally settled down. I think it was symbolized by the arrival of my sofa a few weeks ago. It's rare that you'll find me somewhere else besides my sofa or my desk lately. I'll spare you the griddy details of my emotional journey (and bloody setbacks) of the past month, but know that I feel older, wiser and much better about myself. I'm looking forward to seeing where this journey takes me. :)

I'm still sans official camera, but I've snapped a few photos of my life with my phone that I want to share with you. So here's a little flip book update on my life.

Still loving my new town. So much.

Checked out the Scottish Fair across the street a few weeks ago. Lots of bagpipes...lots of kilts...

Really really gooooood cookies!

Sushi date for one?

Back in the kitchen, finally :)

Went to a few Giants games. Did I mention they won the National League West? Exciting business!

First fall craft! Make one, they're easy peasy!

Fall-time = boot-time

Fall farmer's market love. Look at all the colors!!

Trying to look cool and pretend I have legs for days...

Dinner last night. Tomato hand pies, polenta and broccoli! mmm :)

I have a TON of links to share with you, that I'll put together for tomorrow. I hope all of you are well, I've missed you so much. I'm so sorry I haven't updated more, but I feel like I needed this time to become happy and comfortable again, before blogging about it. I hope you understand and that I haven't lost all of you in the process! Big kisses and hugs to you all! Happy Fall!

Love always,

Marina

Wow. What a week...

2010-08-17T21:04:00.000-07:00

It's been a little crazy.

Emotionally, mentally and physically. But then again, how else do we grow?

The best news is...I'M MOVED IN!

This is my new hometown and I'm SO excited!

My fish is happy.

*wiggle wiggle wiggle*

And Jesse Holland and I had our little photoshoot session in Berkeley last week. It was the terrific topper to a truly horrific day. So thanks Jesse, for making my day end on a positive note!

I'm still camera-less so as soon as I get that remedied/clean up the mess that is my new condo I'll share more pictures with you guys!

Right now my clean desktop is floating my boat and making this new workspace the best place ever! I hope you've all had a fantastic week so far and are enjoying the [finally] sunny weather!

Love,

Marina

A Few Do-Dads...

2010-08-08T11:00:00.000-07:00

Since I've been gone from the blog for so long I have some awesome finds to share with you all!

First up, a necklace I found this morning in an Etsy showcase. I love that little piece of periwinkle fabric in the middle, and the paisley shape of it. Beautiful.

I saw this GORGEOUS clutch on Oh Joy! this week. Look at the colors...and the sequins...so pretty. If I wasn't saving up for a sofa...

I saw this yummy colored blackberry lip stain on Etsy a couple of weeks ago. Look at that pretty berry color...

I've been seeing these necklaces on various blogs all over the interwebs, but this is my current favorite. Such an interesting idea, and I love the color combos.

I'm a little hesitant to try hand-made shoes, especially a pair of go-to flats, but these black flats are adorable, and look really comfortable. Plus, I'm all for supporting hand-made...

These earrings were in a showcase last week. I love the concept, and I love how they sit on your ears. Really cute.

Lastly, I may or may not have just bought this pattern so that I can crochet a humpback whale to sit on my couch. Like I said, 50/50 chance I just bought it...:) Oh come on, who wouldn't want to hug a whale?!

Well, that's all my finds for today, readers. I hope you found something that could inspire you on this lazy Sunday. Have a great week, and I'll check in with you at my new place!

<3
Marina

It Has Been A While, Hasnt It?

2010-08-07T16:32:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to lie. I've been avoiding my blog. Mostly because I don't know how to write about what's going on in my life right now.

I guess the most important thing that's happening is that I'm moving next week! :) That's number 25 on my 25 List, but I'm taking care of it first. Ran into a great opportunity, and starting next Saturday I will be living in a condo 3 blocks from the fabulous and adorable down town Pleasanton. I'm very very excited to make this change in my life and to live in a place I can be proud of and really LIVE in.

This rather large life-changing event brings my to my next important change in my life. I will be, unfortunately, making this move alone. Sans KN, sans Kitten Kat. I shouldn't use this place to share the how and the why, but just know that this is the right decision for me, and while I am sad, I'm also really excited to start living this new stage in my life.

Currently my lonely apartment is sort of a mid-moving mess. Boxes galore, clothes in bags, cleaning supplies out in the open, empty rooms and no couch. But it gives me a chance to really think about my new place and what sort of personality I will bring the space.

Like this really rad, retro sofa, for instance. Complete with espresso brown matching chair? Would be nice :)

Of course, being on my own in my apartment for the first time in 2 years has really given me the chance to sit down and do what I used to to all the time; be creative. Not that living with someone took that away, I guess I just didn't sit and force myself to do it. Lately I've been listening to a lot of really great music and trying to create as much as I can. (Great music being Florence + The Machine, Bon Iver, St. Vincent, The Sundays, Keane, Iron and Wine, and Beach House). Right now my desk smells of colored pencil wax, and I love it :)

Next weekend marks the big move, and I'll be sure to show as much as I can. My digital camera status is still in limbo, but right now I'm leaning towards this guy. Anyone have any point and shoot digital camera recommendations?

And speaking of cameras, I have my contest-winning photoshoot with the fabulous and talented Jesse Holland on Monday. I'm VERY excited, and I may or may not have had a mini fashion show in my bedroom today. I've settled on my outfits, so I think we're good to go.

Thank you so much for your understanding in my absence. I look forward to showing my moving progress on my blog. Can't wait for everyone to see! Have a fantastic weekend!

Love,

Marina

5 Days, 5 Shoes...

2010-07-17T09:25:00.001-07:00

I decided to take a picture of my shoes that I wore to work each day this week. Turned out, it forced me to wear 5 different pairs!

Monday. (fav shoes, you may have seen them here from The O.C.)

Tuesday.

Wednesday. From this creative etsy seller!

Thursday.

Friday! TOM's day!

Currently my feet are being warmed by this creature:

Who has since fallen asleep.

I'm having a "Me Day" today and trying to think of things to do. Most of them revolve around sewing and an O.C. revival day. But plans may change. Hope all of you have a great weekend!

With Love,

Marina

A Few Things That Are True...

2010-07-13T21:01:00.000-07:00

I got new glasses. They're purple. I feel like a sexy librarian.

Tonight I just made the best dinner I've had all summer. (You should too it's super easy)

Last week was really hard. And a lot of things are different now, but mostly the same.

I have really amazing friends and family. I also have a really amazing Eleanor that lives nearby. :)

My Betta fish is mad at me because I blocked his view of my desk with my computer screen.

I think I'm going to have a dinner party. And drink this.

I worked about a million hours last week, and to celebrate my determination, I bought a couple of things for myself. Mostly revolving around 2 prints that will look awesome on...new condo walls. #imjustsaying

My camera is broken because of the ocean. I guess if anything had to break my camera, I'm glad it was the ocean. (wait what am I saying?) Serves me right. Taking poor Joey, my camera, to the UPS store tomorrow.

I didn't realize my camera was broken until today, and it got barely splashed on the 4th of July. I'm a bad camera mother...

I need to finish Sara's pillow ASAP. It's almost July 19th!!

Also, you should look at these beautiful things:

This chair is swoon worthy.

I say this out loud every time I get new shoes. Most of the time I follow through.

Skeleton keys are romantic. Skeleton key rings are sexy.

These make me think of Daisy Buchanan.

Floppy clutches are the best. Especially when they have bright leather bows.

I want to crochet this for someone. Or my cat.

I'm pretty sure these are rad or something.

I want this outfit. Mostly the pants. Or maybe the purple shoes. No wait, the Chanel purse. Darn it all.

Also these shorts. They have blue cats on them. Too bad their Miu Miu...

This inspires me so much. And will soon be inspiring my living room.

Is it hot where you are? Not so hot here. Mostly foggy and windy. I shouldn't complain in light of the heat, but I feel like June gloom is hanging on a bit too long this year.

Wishing all of you guys the very best week, July, summer etc! Thinking of you all!

Love,

Marina

25 While 25...

2010-06-28T21:22:00.000-07:00

1. Bake a cake
2. Sew a duvet cover
3. Go away for a weekend
4. Plant parsley, basil, thyme, and oregano
5. Make a desktop background

6. Apply for a fantasy job
7. Go to the new library
8. Invent a cocktail
9. Read a Jane Austen Novel
10. Get something professionally printed
11. Coin a catch phrase
12. Draw, color, and complete a picture
13. Go to Disneyland
14. Make my Christmas cards
15. Watch all the HP Movies in one day

16. Update my website
17. Buy a fish (or keep Molson alive!)
18. Bake a peach pie
19. Buy a new sofa
20. Self-Host my blog

21. Make Coq Au Vin
22. Take a nice photo with Kyle
23. Buy a new font
24. Write thank you notes for all gifts
25. Move

To Be A Quarter Of A Century...

2010-06-28T20:31:00.000-07:00

Well folks, it's official. I'm 25 now, and I must say, after spending exactly one day in my new age, 25 is treating me quite well. I had a sweet outfit today, a good hair day, lunch out, and spent a quiet evening outside with KN, a cocktail, and some work on the patio. It was quite a lovely day indeed.

This weekend, Kyle and I were lucky enough to spend two days in the beautiful Napa Valley. I've only been a couple of times, and only to 2 wineries, so I was very excited to try some of my own and drive around the countryside. It was [finally] a sunny, warm weekend and we had a great time being outside in the fresh air. We went to 3 wineries on Saturday, all great: Elizabeth Spencer, Piña, and Goosecross. On Sunday we toured the unreal Castello Di Amorosa, a full size, Tuscan-inspired castle nestled into the hills of Napa Valley. (Totally go if you're in the area. It's super cool!!)

Kees!

Posin' on the moat.

Castle cellar!

The weekend wrapped up with dinner with my favorite trio, Mom, Dad and my bro, David. It's hard to spend a birthday without them. My Mom even made me half a cake :) (Yellow cake with chocolate frosting, my fav!)

It was a lovely, wonderful grown-up weekend that we were so lucky to have. Truly a fantastic birthday for a milestone year. I'm not one for being sentimental about age, but I'm really looking forward to see what 25 brings this year. For the first time ever, I compiled a "25 While 25" list to work through for the year. I'll post about that next. I had a BLAST putting it together, and hanging it on my wall. I've got Elise Blaha and her fantastic tradition to thank for the idea!

Thanks to everyone for all their well wishes this weekend! So nice to hear from so many old friends! Thanks to my family for driving to see me and to Kyle for sharing a great birthday weekend with me :)

Have a fantastic week all!

Pretty Things For You And Me...

2010-06-13T11:03:00.000-07:00

I've been hoarding quite a few online finds for you all, and I would love to share!

I found this poster today on FPO (For Print Only). I love the concept. How to choose a font. And it's true, it is awful difficult to pick the right one. I spend a lot of time scrolling through Font Book trying to decide myself. It's made by the same people that made the Periodic Table to Typefaces, that I've been lusting after since last year.

Next, some really pretty, rustic enamel bracelets I saw on the front page of Etsy yesterday morning. Totally gorgeous.

I saw this tutorial on Design*Sponge on Thursday. I'm really anxious to try it, even though I don't really have an ideal window for roller blinds. Would still be a fun project! (Update: Kyle and I are going to the fabric store today :) Going to attempt his office window)

Two beautiful headbands I found. I LOVE wearing headbands to spruce up an outfit with a little off-the-wall color or in the place of bold jewelry.

These Kate Spade bangles, first brought to my attention through Elise's blog. I managed to snag a purple one that says "Sing your own tune" on the inside. It's currently out of stock but there are TONS of idiom bangles with lots of fun lines to choose from. Since I got it I have worn it nearly every day!

Speaking of Elise! I am in love with her most recent poster in her shop. Good rules to live by, that's for sure. And I'm sure rules she will apply to her new, fantastic home in San Diego!

Lastly, the fantastic TOMs shoes has finally come out with their wedge that they'd been flaunting in my email for a couple of months. Currently they're sold out in my size (huge bummer), but I'm planning on snagging some as soon as they are restocked. If they are anywhere as comfortable as regular TOMs shoes, I'd be happy to wear them on a daily basis!

That's all I have for you today, I'm afraid. But wow, 2 posts in one day! What a good weekend indeed!

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, readers!

Love,

Marina

Oh hi!

2010-06-13T10:02:00.000-07:00

So I guess you could say it's been a while. I have no excuse aside from not being disciplined enough to write, while also dealing with the whirlwind this late-spring/early-summer has been. I have another shot-by-shot photo post of what I've been up to.

Lots of crafting, traveling and good times. The weather has not been as cooperative, but today it is gorgeous, and frankly, that's all that matters.

In the past month I have:

Gone to a Giants game. (we won!)

Then to dinner.

Gone to Oregon.

Posed for a photo in Oregon. (and bought a hat)

Seen a puffin in Oregon!

Made two of these:

Pretty asian-inspired fabrics. One with an angry/awkward dragon.

(currently sitting on both. Quite comfortable, actually)

And most recently, met with an old friend and spent the day in the sunshine.

Coming up in the next couple of weeks is Father's Day and my birthday! Kyle and I are headed to Napa, CA for a fun grown-up weekend with a fancy dinner and wine tasting. I'm excited, and now that the weather is 80 degrees and beautiful, I'm even MORE excited. I hope you all are enjoying the start to your summer.

I'll try to be back soon with more [frequent] updates!

With love,

Marina

I Have The Best Mom In The World...

2010-05-09T23:03:00.000-07:00

I know everyone says that.

But I really do.

Also, I love laughing pictures. Hope you all shared some special time with your mom's today. :)

Love,

Mo

Another weekend goes by...

2010-05-03T19:52:00.000-07:00

How does the time go by so quickly?

It's been another busy couple of weekends over here in San Le, my friends. Lots of activities and cooking and such. I don't have pictures of the cooking, but I do have pictures of the activities!

Two weekends ago we went to go see the very funny Conan O'Brian in San Francisco. What a fun show! I'm still excited that I got to see Conan live before he gets back to television. My brother drove down to visit for the weekend and we all went to the city for some sushi and some laughs (aka Coco).

Sushi + Brother

Before the show!

Conaaaaaan OOOO'Briiiiiaaaaaaaaaan!

Stage 5 of the "7 Stages of Losing Your Talk Show"

This weekend myself and some fellow LeapFishers attended the first ever SF Giants Tweetup! Aside from the free shirt and eyeblack stickers, we got to listen to an interesting panel about Twitter, its goals, where it came from, and how local organizations are using it to not only spread the word, but also spread awareness about causes around the world.

After the panel, we got to walk on the field (!!!) and watch the game from the always-exciting bleacher seats. The game was exciting and WE WON! All in all, awesome night!

You'd think we were players or something...

Lena and Biz!

Gorgeous...

In the bleachers. :)

One of my favorite places on earth...

The rest of the weekend was spent doing some cleaning and cooking. Made some delicious salmon burgers on Saturday night, and an even more delicious mushroom strogonoff on Sunday night. I forgot to take pictures, but I doubt the strogonoff would photograph that well (if you think about it), and the salmon burgers turned into a mess on the grill. Nonetheless they tasted fantastic!

I also revisited my afghan project that I've been working on slowly. I never dreamed how long 86 granny squares would actually take! To break up the monotony, I started stitching together the squares that I've already made. For some reason having a half-made (more like sixth-made) blanket makes me feel much more accomplished. I'll post pictures as it gets more substantial. :)

Next weekend it's Mother's day, where I will be spending a delightful weekend with my family in the (hopefully) beautiful spring weather. We've been waiting so long for you sunshine! Don't leave us now!

I hope all you readers have a great week and Happy Mother's Day!

With love,

Marina

You Could Say I've Had Some Weekends...

2010-04-18T19:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday everyone! I'm back with a shot by shot update of what's been going on the last few weeks. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of your patience. It's been so nice blogging this weekend.

Currently I am plopped on the couch with a glass of wine in my newly-re-configured living room, with my cat, and my brand new tv looming ahead. It's been a very productive day indeed. The weather is absolutely beautiful, and KN and I were lucky enough to be able to enjoy our lunch on the patio for the first time this year. Happy days indeed.

Here starts the series of events:

I found a shirt with this pattern at Anthropologie on sale. It is now hanging in my closet.

I traveled to Napa and back with KN to visit with his family. While we were there we had an amazing dinner at Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen. The weather was cold, cloudy and miserable, but the food and wine were never better! Not to mention the budding trees and grass were lovely.

The light was perfect when we first sat down.

And we had one of the most amazing cocktails I've ever had. The Thai-Gin-Tini. That's cayenne pepper on the rim!

Here we are all dressed up.

Followed by what Napa does best.

This weekend has been our first weekend home in 3 weeks! Weekend trips sound good one by one, but suddenly you haven't been able to sit on your couch and drink coffee on a Saturday morning forever and chores keep piling up... no good. So this weekend we decided to take it easy and get some things done around the house like cleaning and cookies and dinner.

Tonight I made this:

Accompanied by this:

And had these for dessert!

All in all it has been a wonderful weekend and I'm so happy we finally got to relax. Thanks for checking out my talented cat on Friday. Currently I'm teaching him how to "play dead" which mostly involves me saying "Bang!" pushing him over, and then giving him a treat. I'll tell you if it works, but I have a feeling he may just be putting up with it for the free food.

I'm wishing you all a fantastic week. Let's hope the sunshine lasts for at least a few days!

Love,

Marina

Goodies Galore....

2010-04-17T10:01:00.000-07:00

Hi friends!!

Thank you for checking out my trick-doing cat yesterday. I'd say he's being very modest with all the attention he's getting, but that would be lying.

Today I have a TON of pretty links I've been saving for all of you. Tomorrow hopefully a personal update.

First is a poster I saw on KeepCalmGallery.com. I'm thinking of getting this for my dad for Father's day...and also for me. (or make one...?) Tis a true statement though!

I saw this artist on Etsy last week and I just love the concept of drawing updos. It's really hard to draw hair but this artist has taken so much time in illustrating every strand. I'm impressed.

Next is one of my newest acquisitions, I haven't though of a name for him yet but I love him very much. It's nice to carry around a whale with me all day :) Except a lot of people think I'm carrying around a stuffed animal from Sea World, and that just won't do...

I saw this necklace in a treasury on Etsy the other day. I love these simple necklaces, especially with faceted beads. Truly lovely. This would make a lovely birthday present *coughs* Kyle *coughs*. :)

This skirt is a fantastic color and has a really cool gathering detail on the front. Now that I'm a seamstress in training, I suppose that I should learn how to make something like this...but until then, at least I can lust over this one!

This skirt is really out there, but it's super cool! I probably wouldn't ever have a good place to wear it, but I love how unique it is. It's very Herve Leger...and there's nothing wrong with that. Especially when it's $800 dollars cheaper!!

I love the color of this adorable jacket. The detail on the back with the wood buttons is fantastic. I'd like to be caught in the rain in this...

Future TOMS purchase. Mmmm...TOMS

Cute and AFFORDABLE canvas tote from Anthro. This is so summery, I can't stand it. When will the rain stop, already??

Finally, the link I've been keeping forEVER in hopes of the price dropping even more. I am in love with these Nine West shoes and I can't stop looking at them. What do you think? Do I need them? I'm pretty sure I do...

Well that should be enough links to tide you over for a little bit. Thanks so much for stopping by. It's a little overcast this morning, but the sun should be out any moment. I feel like wandering the green hills today.

Menu for tonight includes Turkey Meatballs, homemade tomato sauce, and peas with lemon juice and chives. Mmmm...

Happy Saturday!

Cat Tricks...

2010-04-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

More in depth post this weekend, including links, some catch up photos and more.

But until then...look what we taught the cat to do...:)

Enjoy and I'll see you guys this weekend.

<3<3

Yes. Yes I'm still here...

2010-03-28T21:25:00.000-07:00

We're still here.

Just a little busy.
A little short on time.
And maybe a little unmotivated (to blog).

I know that some time soon I'll have something fantastic to blog about. Like a craft, or something exciting, or some cool finds.

Until then stick around, won't you please? I'll be back soon.

Love you all!

Marina

Progress...

2010-02-28T22:48:00.000-08:00

12 squares done. 68 to go!

We're getting to know each other quite well. I already have a few favorites.
As you can see they coordinate with my living room space (rug).

Brought out the daffodils.

Bidkat likes to sneef the flowers. And the outside.

Made the macaroons. They were runny, and sticky and not quite a lovely as I intended. But still very tasty.

Pillow = done. My 4th sewing project is completed! I had to do a zipper this time and everything. I would show pictures but i forgot to take snapshots while it was light outside.

Oh and don't worry...I passed on the housework this weekend. Unless you count laundry.

All in all, pretty productive for a little weekend. Still super excited about my afghan and I can't wait to see it when it's finished! At this rate it'll be about a month...let's see how I stick to it!

I hope all of you had many splendid weekends! Make sure to have a great week!

Love,

Marina

Big Plans For A Little Weekend...

2010-02-27T10:00:00.001-08:00

Only 2 days, but I think I can do it. There's going to be a lot of crafting, cooking, and cleaning around here this weekend.

Today I'm planning on sneaking out of the house and having a nice me-morning out and about. Me and my R2-D2 shirt are planning on grabbing a coffee, stopping at the bank, then heading to the fabric and craft stores for a few supplies.

This weekend I want to make a pillow cover for an out-seasoned snowman pillow cover, and also this absolutely gorgeous afghan. It will take a lot of work...but I think that would look fantastic over the back of my couch. Right now I'm on Kuler trying to figure out which colors to get.

I'm also thinking of renting a movie while I sit and crochet all afternoon. The September Issue is out and I'm thinking of grabbing that to watch today. Anyone seen it? Is it good? I heart Vogue.

If I get bored of crocheting, I think I'll make some macaroooooons. I found a really simple recipe online and I do happen to like coconut very much.

Sounds like a good day so far. I'll save the cleaning for tomorrow. I'll try to check in on Sunday with progress piccies! :) Have a great weekend all!

My Thoughts on Valentine's Day...

2010-02-14T10:10:00.000-08:00

While I'm a sucker for all things romance, I'm not a huge sucker for Valentine's day. Not in the candy and flower and chocolate kind of way. I think the most important thing about Valentine's Day is making sure you say "I love you." Sometimes we forget when we're so busy and stressed to take time out and be together and have that be the simple point. Being together.

Today Kyle and I area celebrating V-day by going for a walk around the lake (hopefully a brisk walk, we're feeling kind of tubby) and a yummy romantic dinner tonight. I'm planning on making Coq au Vin and chocolate souffles. Mmm. :)

Kyle surprised me yesterday with an early and unexpected Valentine's present. Hand drawn and colored by my one and only. I'm planning on getting this framed pronto.

In return, since I've been making everyone (mostly my cat) things out of yarn and fabric and sugar, I decided to make KN something in return. Loungy PJ pants! While at the fabric store I found some really pretty purple fabric, so I made myself some as well.

Don't mind the ironing board in the background....I was ironing seams! :)

I hope you enjoy your Valentine's day and the rest of your Sunday. I know I'll be sending a little love your way!

Marina

Results of A Weekend Well Spent

2010-02-08T19:12:00.000-08:00

Happeh Kitteh on his new bed.

Happy Kitten paws

Sushi date-night.

The "Oh My God" roll. No really.

The Feast. (There's only 2 of us, no need for TOO much food. Plus there were homemade mozzarella balls and quesadillas to come)

Ready for the big game!

The Kind of Weekend I Dream About...

2010-02-06T17:05:00.000-08:00

The kind after a long (REALLY long) week at work.
The kind where you have no plans but tons to do.
The kind where errands can take up half your day and that's okay.
The kind where I have time to cook and craft.
The kind where I get to go out with my boy.

That's a good weekend, if you ask me.

This week was a trying week, to put it lightly, but I feel even stronger for it. Even more passionate about where I work and what I do. It makes me excited and fires me up.

That doesn't mean I wasn't looking forward to the weekend, however.

Since my man was working today, I took some time to go out and do things I've been wanting to do all week. Go to the bank, go to the fabric store and get supplies, and go to the grocery store. I have grand plans to make my cat a fluffy bed to sleep on. It's easy to sew for animals because they still love you if it doesn't look perfect. Good cat.

Also, I'm planning on making a bunch of yummy tidbits for the big Game tomorrow. Last weekend at my family's house I saw some really good recipes on Food TV. I'm going to make fried mozzarella balls, black bean dip with lettuce (for the dipping), and open faced quesadillas. All that along with some store bought goodies that I'm too lazy to make. I plan on eating a steady stream of noms from 4pm until the game is over. No need for dinner! I'm really excited!

Tonight the boy and I are trying a new sushi place. I'm a little skeptical, but willing to try. (Not the sushi, just the new place). I made banana bread for an afternoon snack and possibly dessert and the house smells divine.

Unfortunately I don't have any photos to share with you. I do have a few online finds I've been hoarding for the past few weeks.

Here's a bag I saw on the front page a while ago. I'm a big fan of durable canvas totes. This one is a lovely color and has just the right amount of detail. Plus it looks really well made. Love it!

These shoes excite me greatly, but that's only because I'm a huge nerd. I love Star Wars and I love Leia and here are those two things crammed into a pair of shoes! Weird sounding, but fun to look at! A little expensive for some sneakers, but the concept thrills me.

Finally, here is a pair of shoes I got in the mail the other day! :) They're supremely adorable and I love how they look. I can pretty much guarantee I'll never see anyone wearing those shoes. Be sure to check out her other work. If you love the movie Marie Antoinette like I do, I'm sure you'll find some fun tidbits in her shop!

Well that's about all I have for today. I'm going to start getting cleaned up and ready for our sushi date. The clothes just came out of the dryer and now the cat is laying on them. I should go shoo him away.

Have a great weekend all!

With love,

Marina

It's times like these when I love San Francisco...

2010-01-26T18:38:00.000-08:00

I'm lucky in a lot of ways, but living so close to one of the greatest cities in the states is definitely something I'm thankful for. Sure, during the day it can be more than a little daunting. Parking is atrocious, the bridges are maddening, and it's not necessarily the cleanest of cities...but at night time, on a Sunday night when no one's around, and you can see the dark gray sky above the skyscrapers, and maybe just maybe you can get a smell of the water from the Bay that doesn't smell gross...it's pretty darn cool.

On Sunday night Kyle and I ventured into the city to try a new restaurant, Thirsty Bear Brewing Company. We had never been there, had no expectations, but were pleased that it was only three blocks from the closest BART station. No driving? Sounds like a plus! Let's go!

We were pleasantly surprised with not only amazing tapas, and an great table, but live music and flamenco dancing! Awesome!

On the way back to the station, while thoroughly in love with the City, I was hoping to snap a shot of the skyscrapers against the sky, but instead I got this:

Not exactly a bad thing...

BART was deserted, as you can see.

Isn't there many a-scary movies that start out just like this? Ah well, we made it home safely.

It was a truly great outing, a superb date, and I'm really happy we took the time to go. I urge all of you in the local area to give it a try. That is, if you're not doing anything on a Sunday night and like live music and tapas. :)

Thanks for reading my little check-in. I hope all of you have a great week!

Love,

Marina

Playing a Little Catch-Up...

2010-01-23T15:08:00.000-08:00

Over the past few weeks I have...

Gotten dressed up to attend the LeapFish Awards Banquet. Had some fun.

Learned how to crochet. So far I have made a hat, fingerless gloves, started a blanket, and am currently making legwarmers. Sometimes I ponder my sanity, but it puts my mind at ease.

Found the most amazing shoes that I try to work into every outfit. I feel hip when they're nearby.

Dressed up like Peggy Olson for an office "spirit day." (and also mastered the "Berry Lipstick")

Cooked this, this, and this. Without pictures, of course. Sorry. :(

This weekend I am planning on taking it easy. I want to make this for dinner tonight. I also am going to try to make a wall calendar for myself. We'll see how that goes. Tomorrow night, I plan on taking Kyle to the Thirsty Bear Brewery in the city. We get to ride BART, and always makes me excited. (No need to worry about parking! Squee!)

Today, however, me, my new shirt, and my fancy new Necklush scarf are going to take it easy behind the computer screen and jam to some new tunes.

I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend (with a little sunshine mayhaps?) and some delicious food.

Sending love your way!

~Marina H.

I figure I'll go 4 for 4...

2010-01-03T17:16:00.000-08:00

Four days off, four days blogged. I hope to keep this up...

It has been a lovely, relaxing weekend to help get over the let down of the holidays. I feel like I have accomplished so much in the past few days.

Already this weekend I have:

Taken down all of the Christmas decorations
Completed my first sewing project (pictures further down)
Helped Eleanor build some furniture
Made scones
Gone on a nature walk
Made cider
And in half an hour's time, will be making dinner

It has been immensely wonderful to have some eventing time with KN. Lately our jobs have been keeping our together time to a minimum so this weekend was a welcome chance to be together.

Here's a few glimpses of some of the goings-on from this weekend.

Said sewing project. Kitten-face likes to sit on the corner of my desk and I'm tired of cleaning up dirty pawprints. Alas! The kitten butt-pad! Keeps my desk clean and can be easily washed to remove unwanted pawprints.

Speaking of the kitten:

It was sleeping so I took advantage. Look at that kitten schnozzle!

Results of our nature walk. Nothing beats some sun and crisp winter air on your skin.

Here's to a great week everyone!

Love,

Marina

I've got some links to show you...

2010-01-02T10:05:00.000-08:00

ately I've had a lot of time on my hands to post blogs this weekend, so I figure why stop now. Four day weekends are meant for blogging, right? I could have posted five entries yesterday sitting around and recuperating from New Years. Shame I didn't. Anyway, I haven't had a chance to post many Etsy links for a while, so I'm going to share some this morning.

First up we have a beautiful pair of earrings by the talented Rosie Revolver on etsy. I recently discovered her on Nancy's blog. These earrings are so detailed and lovely and they're 100% silver. Check out her shop for more amazing pieces.

Next up we have a fun necklace I found on the storque a while back. By this point, I'm sure you're all aware that I'm a graphic/typography nut/nerd so this necklace shouldn't come as a surprise to you. CMYK = Love

Here are some cool letterpress coasters. Cute little record coasters to be exact. I'd worry about bleeding ink, but I think these are too cute. Especially the packaging that says, "Spin some cheer." :)

I found this bag through a blog somewhere, but I forgot to note down which one. Speaking of being a typography nerd...I think this beautiful bag fits the bill. Leather book bag embossed with Didot numbers. Yes, indeed. If I was rich and/or it didn't cost as much, this bag would be on my shoulder right now. Beautiful...

Last link I have for you, is an entry I found on FPO, a lovely showcase of high profile print work and a great source of inspiration. This particular entry is Facebook's Christmas present package. Not only did they make an intricate foiled poster, but they included a custom printed token to donate to a charity of your choice, a couple of note cards, and even the poster tube is custom! Really beautiful package and the post talks about how they produced the poster. Check it out! I'm sure I won't be the only one who's jealous :)

Here's something else I wanted to share. For Christmas, I made my brother a poser for his favorite (and my favorite) baseball team, the San Francisco Giants. My brother takes great interest in the evolution of sports team's logos, so I decided to throw together a little montage of the Giants' logos.

If you or anyone you know loves the Giants like I do, let me know. I'm thinking of selling these posters, and I'd be happy to send one your way.

Well that's all for now, bloggies. I hope you enjoy the rest of this blissful weekend. I know I will!

With love,

Marina

P.S. Super cool drop cap at the beginning of this post brought to you by Daily Drop Cap! New drop caps added daily, so check it out!

Twenty-Ten...

2010-01-01T16:27:00.000-08:00

I decided that's the oh-nine equivalent to 2010.

Here's a few snapshots from a lovely night.

Calamari

Good Wine (+ Plume Ring in the BG ;] )

Seared Ahi...my favorite

Super friends

<3

Hope you all had a great new years!
Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Love,

Marina

And So 2009 Goes Out With A Bang...

2009-12-31T10:00:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Happy New Year (well, almost)! I'm sorry I've been MIA for the past few weeks. It turns out this Christmas was much more stressful than I thought. Good news is, I finished all my presents, sent out my holiday cards, and had a great time with my family. Bad news is I turned into a negative stress ball for the last 2 weeks. But all is better now, I'm taking deep breaths, and getting excited about what's in store for 2010!

To help ring in the new year, I've put together a little list of my "Bests" in 2009. I've got pictures, music, links and everything. So read on, and please tell me some of your favorites too!

Best Photos of '09

Best Trip of '09 - Our day trip to Monterey, CA. After weeks of stress and activity it felt so good to soak up the sun on Carmel's white beach, commune with my marine friends, and of course see a dolphin!

Best Surprise of '09 - Eleanor moving back to Cali!

Best News of '09 - I got a job!

Best Family Outing of '09 - My parents taking us to Napa for the first time.

Best Music of '09 (for me) -

Heartbreak Warfare, by Mr. John Mayer.
1901, by Phoenix (my power song of choice)
Heavy Water, I'd Rather Be Sleeping, by Grouper (fav chill song)
Two Weeks, by Grizzly Bear (one of the best new artist finds of '09)
English House, by Fleet Foxes (one of my favorite artists)
Love Story, by Taylor Swift (aw come on, I had to!)
People Got A Lotta Nerve, by Nekko Case (great album)
The Great Salt Lake, by Band of Horses
Collect Call, by Metric
When U Love Somebody, by Fruit Bat (cute song)

Best Movie of '09 - Sorry to be cliche, but Avatar was an amazing film...amazing music, animation, action, love story...maybe I'm the only one that actually liked the plot, but I loved this movie. Honorable mentions to Harry Potter, Where The Wild Things Are, The Princess And The Frog, and Star Trek.

Best Purchase of '09 - Military Sweater from Banana. This was my reward for getting my job. :]

Best Etsy Purchase of '09 - My "Make a Spectacle of Yourself" necklace, by the talented EmeliaRo. Love love LOVE this necklace and how it represents me and my glasses.

Second favorite and most worn is my Greenfinch felt Brooch by Lady Lupin and all her fantastic felt goods.

Most Comfortable Shoes of '09 - My Natrualizer flats I got for work that ended up being my go to pair of shoes. So. Comfortable.

Best Font of '09 - It wasn't created in '09 but my favorite font at the close of the year is the lovely Burbank, By House Industries. Some how I managed to get it for free...that was a lucky day indeed.

Well that's about as far as I can stretch this list out. Right now I need to go finish cleaning my house and put together a grocery list for my little new years shindig tonight. What are you all doing for the celebrations? Please be safe and enjoy yourselves and I'll talk to you all in the new year!

Much Love from 2009!

Marina

Oh Christmas Tree...

2009-12-06T13:53:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Happy December, and Merry Christmastime!

I hope you all had a great weekend. I know it's snowing lots of places, and cold in others. Perfect winter weather. It's about 43 here right now, and that's pretty chilly for the Bay.

This weekend I ventured back to Sacramento (where it was even COLDER!) to help my family put up the Christmas tree. This tradition is something I hold very near and dear to my heart. I don't know what it is about decorating the tree, but I put time aside (or take time off) every year to come home and take part in the event with my family. Maybe it's the Christmas music playing from the other room, the munchy food we eat whilst decorating, the jokes we make about my Dad hanging the ornaments in all the wrong spots, or looking over all of the ornaments we've gathered over the years. But if you ask me, I'm pretty sure it's the amazing time we always have together no matter what we're doing. Isn't that what traditions are all about? Having fun doing the same thing year after year? At least, that's what makes all of the best traditions.

Anyway, it was a weekend full of Christmas decorating and a very large tree.

As you can see, from the mini forest we have in the living room.

After we propped the tree up, I unwrapped our huge box of ornaments from storage. In our family we don't have a theme-y tree, we have a tree covered in ornaments from different places, people, times in life, etc. We are fortunate enough to have space for a huge tree, therefore we have TONS of ornaments. I managed to snap a few or my favorites as I laid them out on the table.

Here is my favorite ornament at my parents house. No, not the one of my brother when he was 'lil. The ballerina. I always hang her front and center.

Speaking of my brother, here's a few handmade ornaments by the two of us. Left to right we have my first ornament I ever made from preschool, a candycane I made with pipecleaner, lace and those beads that you only use for these (haha), and lastly a firework...explosion ball made my brother when HE was in preschool. Neat!

Lastly, another pair of my favorites. Little candy houses that we've had forever. I want to live in a candy house...don't you?

As the pile on the table grew and grew, I decided to take a photo and play a little game.

Ever play I Spy? Ever read those I Spy books with those huge pictures and lots of little things to find? Well, I made my own version of I Spy, which you can check out here. If it's too hard for you I suppose you could beg for answers. ;)

Of course, here's the finished product. I had to leave this afternoon before it got dark, so unfortunately I don't have a moody night shot for you, but I'm sure I'll get one come Christmas.

Once I got home, I set up my own tree in preparation for my house guest who's coming on Tuesday. One of my best pal's is coming not only to visit, but also to stay in the Bay! Like for a long time! I'm so excited to have my buddy back! Did I meantion we're seeing New Moon first thing on Tuesday? I've been holding out until her arrival. I can't wait! You'd better get here quick, bestie!

I also got too swamped to post about Kyle and my guided trip through Napa with my family. Here's the best picture from that roll.

To be sent out with our Christmas cards, which I've designed all special-like. I figured, since I'm a graphic designer I should probably create my own graphics for my Christmas cards. Would you like one? If you would, send word! You can leave me a comment here with your e-mail, or e-mail me directly at rinabina123@gmail.com to send me your address. I'd be happy to send you a little Christmas greeting!

Well, I suppose that's it for the time being. I plan to document plenty of things coming up as the holidays pick up pace. Let's hope that I have time to blog about them! I hope you all have a fantastic week!

Love,

Marina

Giving thanks...

2009-11-29T21:46:00.000-08:00

I know I said I was going to blog on Wednesday or Thursday about all the things I'm thankful for, but it was so very busy and I was still under the weather and well...it just didn't happen.

Looking back, it was a truly wonderful Thanksgiving with lots of family gathered together laughing, joking, and remembering. I had a great long visit with my folks, which is much needed after 7 weeks of practically no break.

My life is finally settling down into a routine that should last for a while. I'm looking forward to falling in sync.

I feel like I have so much to tell you all, but I think for this post I'll stick to my original plan...

This year I am very thankful for the friendship and love that's kept me positive and happy through all these stressful times. Without the constant support of my family I wouldn't be the stronger person I am today. I am eternally thankful and blessed by Kyle's freckly presence in my daily life. Without his calming words and gentle spirit, home wouldn't be the same, and of course neither would I. I'm thankful for all the people in my life that I can call friends, new and old. It's hard to feel good about yourself when you can't share the good parts of your life with anyone. I have a lot of really great people surrounding me, and it truly makes my life a better place.

More recently, I am so thankful for the new path my life has taken. Namely, my new job, which I get excited about every time I think about it. I can't wait to see where this road goes, and I'm looking forward to the journey.

2010 is going to be a great year, and I can't wait to see what it brings!

Here are a few images from my Thanksgiving.

The most delicious turkey ever. Look at the color of that skin...

The best kind of pie in the world...

My family. Dad, David, Mom, and me. Best family EVAR.

Hail storm the day after Thanks-G. Looks like snow in Sac-town! It was hailing like crazy!

Hail the size of marbles...

I hope you all had a fantastic Turkey Day with your family and loved ones. Up next...pics from my day in Napa with Kyle and my folks, a new gadget of mine that rhymes with piephone, a Christmas craft/gift project, and a Christmas bow I fashioned for my kitten cat. Can't wait to share!

Have a great week, all!

Love,

Marina

Preparing to Give Thanks...

2009-11-25T00:06:00.001-08:00

Excuse me as I tumble into bed. But before I do, I wanted to say a quick hello, and tell you that I will be back tomorrow or Thursday with a few thanks, in honor of Thanksgiving.

Tonight let me leave you with these:

One bottle of Pino Noir to take to the feast at my Grandma's house.

3 loaves of cranberry pumpkin bread for my family and Kyle's.

A flurry of packing. Psssst...did you notice my new quilt? ;)

To do list for after work. Kyle's sick. I made soup and cornbread.

Oh, and this thing. He was very lonely so he decided to follow me everywhere begging for noms. He's already too fat. *kisses the cat*

Well, now I'm off to bed. The house smells like pumpkin bread and that makes me happy. Work tomorrow, then the very (very) long drive to Sacramento after that. I'll be back in a couple of days. Have a bunch of safe trips home, all of you!

Love,

Marina

And then there were 100...

2009-11-14T12:42:00.000-08:00

Well I made it everyone! 100 posts, I can't believe it! Crazy-ness.

To celebrate, how about I get a job!

:) As of Monday, November 16th, I will officially be the Graphic Designer for DotNext Inc. creators of Leapfish. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. In fact I've been fidgety all day. I think I'm going to bounce to Anthropologie later today to let out some energy (and hopefully NOT spend any money).

As a blog celebration, I'm going to overload you with all of the links I've been hoarding for the past few weeks. I've got some really fine stuff that I've found via blogs and Etsy lately. I hope you like it!

First up, I always get caught browsing the shop of Miss Lupin and all her felt goodies. Lately I've been lingering on this little fella. Merry Christmas indeed! I seem to have a fascination with brooches recently...

I stumbled upon this adorable dress the other day. So cute, I can hardly stand it. I think I like polar bears nearly as much as I like whales and birdies...

I love cocktail rings and I found this via the front page of Etsy a couple of days ago. How pretty and shiny and over sized. Yummy. Also on sale. :)

I found this necklace via the Storque last week. I'm adoring my itsy bitsy necklace from Miss Plume, and I feel like this would be a great companion piece. What say you?

I think cardinals are a beautiful symbol of winter, don't you?

This was my present to myself the other day. I've been lusting after a piece of her jewelry for ages. Now the time is mine! Bwuahahahaha!

My bestie Eleanor showed me this shop the other day. Oooh...there's some lovelies there. Like this dress. Which I think would make me look fantastic at my new job...

Here are a couple of beautiful links from Oh Joy! A beautiful necklace that I can't get over, and an even lovelier dress from Hunter Dixon's Spring collection. Purple dresses make me swoon, as well as gold buttons and flowy sleeves. So pretty...

The typography nerd in me is geeking over this and I have been for years now...

And finally the Christmas present I'm debating asking for. Pantone book? Yes or no? Necessity or overrated? Anyone have one?

Well, that's about all the linking I can take for today, haha. Right now I'm off to get all dressed up for Anthropologie. I may even straighten my hair today. It's lovely and cold outside. The tip of my nose and ears are cold and that makes me excited. The season is coming up fast, and Thanksgiving is only a couple of weeks away! Excited for Turkey like I am? :)

Please enjoy a lovely Fall weekend, and I'll be back with tales from my new job. Thanks for reading and thanks even more for sticking with me this long! I love hearing what you have to say, and just knowing that you're here. Take care, all!

With much love,

Marina

Tales of delicious conquests and sparkly ones...

2009-11-07T09:33:00.000-08:00

Because we all know sushi is delicious, and things from Pottery Barn are sparkly. Quite literally, I'm afraid.

Behold my new "initial ornaments." I brought them home from work a couple of days ago, and plan to hang them on my bulletin board until I put up my Christmas tree.

I know, I know. You're all saying, "But Marina, surely you could make those!" Yes, they are quite simple and plain, but I have no glitter on hand, nor ribbon, or heavy off-white cardstock. So, you see, by the time I gathered all of those things, they would have been much more than a buck fifty a piece.

Bought or made, I think they're pretty cute. You should go check them out if you can, or, for those of you that actually have glitter on hand, make them!

Now on to the delicious part of my blog post. Kyle and I went out for a spontaneous sushi date the other night. We haven't had any sushi in 6 months or so (!!!) and we needed a sushi high. So we went to our favorite place in Emeryville and got all of our favorite rolls.

49'er Roll. (Yes SF for the win!)

Poke Tuna Roll with Seaweed salad on top. Nom.

My favorite, Godzilla roll. <3 Sarachi.

The sushi was nearly as amazing as the company, but not quite. :) Not as handsome either. Kyle was not feeling very open to photos across the table from me, so unfortunately I can't support that case with photo evidence. *shrugs* Oh well.

As for today, I don't have work until 5pm! Finally! A morning to myself, where I can drink a cup of coffee, read blogs, and perhaps crack into my book if the fates allow. I have a strong urge to go to Anthropologie before work...but I'm not sure that's such a good idea. We'll see how it goes. Until then I feel like sitting here and getting some of my Christmas creative projects started. We all know those will get pushed back until Christmas eve if I don't get a head start.

I'll leave you with three upcoming milestones.

1. My 100th blog post is coming up next! I'll make some art to go with it.
2. Kyle and I have almost been dating for 2 years. Exciting stuff.
3. New Moon comes out in 13 days...

You all have a fantastic weekend! Sending chilly fall smooches your way!

~ Marina

A candy bag's load of Halloween Pictures...

2009-11-04T16:59:00.000-08:00

Because I don't have many interesting things to say at the moment, I'll overload you with pictures to describe a lovely Halloween (aka my Brother's birthday!) weekend spent with my family.

Visited Squeeze Inn, my brother's favorite burger joint. A teeny tiny hamburger shack in Sacramento, CA that will have you questioning the normal size of a burger. I forgot to take a picture of the actual burger and decided to show you the after picture. Hah.

Then we carved teh pumpkins. Methinks you've seen these guys before.

Carving...

Results! I think mine looks like Chewbacca. Kyle has snot coming out the nose of his pumpkin, and my brother's has devil hons. Also, I should note for his benefit, that Kyle's pumpkin had an 1/4 of an inch pretty much SOLID green layer right under the skin. My man works hard to carve his pumpkin.

Here's the night shot. oooooOOOOOooooo....spooky.

Dinner noms. David's favorite dinner is "snack-dinner," as we used to call it when we were kids. Buncha small plates and appetizers. Very delicious.

Birthday boy! :)

Drive home. <3 Cali scenery.

I'm off on a sushi date with my man. I have a plan for a post later...here's hoping I go through with it :) Night!

Love,
Marina

Weekend Happiness...

2009-10-24T11:49:00.000-07:00

Happy weekend before Halloween, all! I hope you have many a-wonderful fall plans. Tomorrow I have a full day off (due to serendipity) and I'm hoping we can venture back to Livermore for some wine tasting/buying.

Anyway, I've put together some of my favorite etsy links from the past coupla weeks. All of which I'm coming to terms with when/if I can buy along with my Pottery Barn christmas purchases coming up. Oh...money...I hate you.

Etsy first.

Here we have a lovely and unique sweatshirt that looks oh so soft and edgy. I like it when sweatshirts aren't baggy and this one is just the right amount of long. I really really like this.

I found this brooch the other day and I am in extreme love with it. In fact I may just go click "add to cart" as soon as I'm done with this... I'm a sucker for brooches and I think this fall/winter they're gonna be huuuuuge.

You all know I love birds. I saw this little fella on the front page the other day. Not to be confused with a hacky sack.

I think I found this jewelry maker in a gift guide or something, but she has some really lovely, delicate silver pieces in her shop. I especially love these tiny twig earrings and this necklace with a glass and silver bauble. Really, truly, love these.

I missed out on the whole fingerless gloves/wristwarmers last winter. I think this year I need to jump on board. Especially since I still have my black chenille gloves from high school...:[ Anyway, these are especially adorable and I really like the buttons on the wrist.

After admiring her posters for a very long time, I finally decided to invest in JHill's beautiful wall calendar for next year. June FINALLY has a good picture in this calendar. (I usually feel shafted when it comes to June's calendar picture.) The colors and print patterns are just lovely and I can't wait to hang this on my wall!

We're starting to get the new holiday merch in at the PB store. We may or may not be setting up holiday next week. I find myself getting much too excited about the upcoming holidays, then I get very depressed because I realize that it's not even Halloween yet! Yikes! Anyway, this quilt caught my eye in the catalog first. I need a new red-themed cover for the bed, and I love the look of this quilt. Plus plaid on the back? I'll keep my fingers crossed and see how it looks in the store.

We got this pillow in the other day and I carried it around with me for a few minutes. Small little lumbar pillow with bells on the corners. Oh gosh, it's cute. I think it shall rest on my couch this year. :)

On the other side of my couch shall be this pillow. I love this over sized mistletoe pattern. It's beautiful and the colors, in person, are very vibrant and...Christmas-y. (Hmmm, imagine that)

I won't even get started on all the ornaments I want, or the live Christmas tree I want that probably isn't a very good idea. For now I'm going to look at my pumpkins outside my window and remember that it's still October. Enjoy your weekends everyone, and I'll hopefully have some more to share next week.

Love always,

Marina

P.S. I'm about to go click "add to cart." Are youuuu going to make any shameless purchases today?

So Many Fall Lovelies...

2009-10-21T19:16:00.000-07:00

After having a somewhat rough-and-tumble start to my day, it ended up quite well if you ask me. I feel like I'm finally in the mood for fall, gourds, colors and all. I was very excited for the possibility of getting to the pumpkin patch today, and was pleased when we actually DID get a chance to go. I conveniently forgot to take my camera out of my purse, but worry not, there are plenty of photos later.

Kyle wanted a warty, weathered pumpkin, and I wanted a classic shaped pumpkin. Unfortunately for this little pumpkin patch, neither of those existed for us. I settled (unwise) for a very lovely gourd with deep folds and a lovely shade of orange and Kyle waited until we stopped at the grocery store where he remembered seeing some pumpkins to his liking. Warty indeed, let me tell you. Also, right on top of the pile, was a perfectly pumpkin-y shaped pumpkin. I started feeling bad for my poor purchased pumpkin in the car and am now quite smitten with him.

Anyway, while walking outside to photograph our new friends, I fell in love with the colors of fall and got a little trigger happy.

So beautiful.

Even when, in truth, the outside looks like this. It's nice to know that there's a little smidgen of beauty even in the strangest of places.

I was, of course, greeted at the door by our little monster. I think He's going to attackz me.

I have also been quite busy with a little craft idea of mine. Saturday I had about 2 hours to myself in between scheduled work, so I stopped at the fabric store. I've been seeing these beautiful fabric necklaces all over. I'm sure you remember this necklace I posted a while back, and I was again reminded by the Urban Outfitters catalog that popped in my mailbox last week.

I've been braiding lanyards, Barbie hair, pony tails and fabric scraps for years, what's the worst that could happen? Leftover fabric scraps? Bring it on! So I braided and twisted and came up with this necklace which I'm quite fond of.

I found this lovely stretchy fabric that comes in these great muted desaturated colors and I'm thinking about making this a gift for Christmas. Am I the only one who thinks this is kind of cool looking? Maybe I just look like a hobo...no offense to hobos.

Anyway. Aside from the mountains of work that I have piling up, that's about what I've been up to. I promised I have a few more photos from the Treasure Island Music Festival. Quite a fun day that was. A perfect blend of my favorite kind of music and the eclectic San Francisco style. I was very surprised how cool and hip the crowd was. I didn't feel out of league at all (as I sometimes do at hipster rock shows). In fact the only thing I regret, was wearing my Toms instead of my boots. Turns out boots are the new flats this season and EVERYONE was wearing them.

Grizzly Bear

The Decemberists

Aside from the ambiance, the whole campaign for the show was quite impressive. Beautiful type treatments, lovely merch, and of course a great new graphic poster I managed to find. Of course I'd be gaga over the TYPOGRAPHY at a MUSIC festival.

That's all for today. Still building up some more Etsy faves. I'll try and do another post this week. Happy fall everyone!

Love,

Marina

We're here...

2009-10-19T21:45:00.000-07:00

Alive and well.

Just busy. 18 days of work in a row busy. But together and all the more happier.

I've got deets about a fantastic show we went to this weekend with lots of pictures.

For now here's a video of what we saw.

Photos to follow.

Hugs and kisses. Thanks for still following me, if you do!

Also, I made enchiladas tonight, and they were fantastic.

<3<3

Yeah, I still exist...

2009-09-29T16:10:00.000-07:00

But I've been busy, what can I say? And not even with exciting stuff. Just boring stuff.

Although, I must admit, I'm excited about the last few months of the year. I'm excited about the cold air I'm starting to breathe in every time I go outside, or the leaves I step on when I walk to my car. I'm excited about the spicy scented candles that we've received at Pottery Barn because they remind me of fall. I see the turkeys and the pumpkins and I can't wait for Thanksgiving.

And then of course there's that wondrous, cold, icy, evergreen-y, red and green-y holiday we all know is coming up soon. I won't say its name (especially since we're getting all of our "winter product" in for the season in a few weeks! Eek!) Needless to say, I'm looking forward to figuring out gifts, and wrappings, and decorations...

But alas, it's not even October yet. :) Which I why I have plenty of non-holiday-themed finds for you today! Although if you were inspired for gifts...lol. Kidding!

So, first up I have my new scarf lust. Although I'm fairly sure that if I tried hard enough I could make something "close" to this. (How rude of me to say that before I even show it) Anyway, here is a lovely Necklush Scarf in a pretty charcoal gray. I love how intricate these scarves are.

Have I ever mentioned that I secretly like leg warmers? I picture myself wearing these with ballet flats and leggings...dunno if I really would but it sounds hip and cool. And, if I DID decided to wear leg warmers, I'd want to wear these. Pretty blue, affordable, and handmade. All my favorite things.

I saw this beautiful necklace on the front page of etsy just a bit ago. Silver plated movable type? On a chain? With initials of my choosing? Whaaaat? I'll take one please. Will you please tell my boyfriend about this? Because I think this would make a really reeeeeallly nice holiday-that-shall-not-be-named present. Kyle...don't you think? :) Completely beautiful.

Also in the same post, I saw these YSL zipper pull earrings. The designer savvy girl inside me is purring. Also, if I did get these, it'd probably been the only Yves Saint Laurent I'd ever own.

Oh Joy! posted about these adorable leggings the other day. Inspired by art from the new Where the Wild Things Are movie. I really really love these. Ask Eleanor, and she'll tell you I almost bought them. In fact, I almost bought five of these things, but I chickened out. I suppose that isn't a bad thing when you're trying to save money.

On Design*Sponge (I think) they mentioned this artist on Etsy who is making state flower/bird letterpress prints. I LOVE bird etsy products (I don't know why) and I love letterpress. What an inspired combination! I like the Cali one best, of course.

My love, For Print Only, had this amazzzzzzing poster called the Periodic Table of Type. Mmmmm...type. Mmmmm....poster. Mmmmmmkay!

Also on the front page of etsy, I saw this really unique plastic bracelet. It has a picture on the back to alter the color of it. I'm not sure how it would look on your wrist, but it looks really cool on that white background...

Lastly, here's the source of my inspiration for the week. I've been seeing some really beautiful whale posters and prints on etsy. As you may know, I love whales and all things involving marine life. I decided that after seeing these inspiring works of art, that I would try my own attempt and feature some of my favorite whale friends. This is what I have so far...I'm trying to figure out how to finish it off with some details, but we'll see how it goes.

Well that's about it for today. There's a lot in this post, sheesh. Hopefully you'll find some things that inspire you too! Enjoy this week and let's hope the heat dies down so FALLLLL can actually start.

Sending much love and fall leaves!

Marina

Calling all Readers...

2009-09-17T19:27:00.001-07:00

I'm writing a quick post before I go make a breakfast-dinner and sit down to watch 3 hours of, Survivor, Office, and Project runway, so excuse the short post!

I'm looking for a book. A good book, with a good love story. Not and over-sexed romance novel (unless you know of a good one, I'm not as innocent as I look), but any love story that makes you sigh. The kind you keep thinking about or day dream about. Edward Cullen, Mr. Darcy, Ron Weasley (yes I love me some Ron Weasley) kind of love. Know any good ones?

Asides from the romance novel bit, I am very un-picky when it comes to genres. Historical fiction, sci-fi, fantasy, thriller/mystery, "young adult." I like it all and would try anything. So, if you are so inclined, I'd love to hear your suggestions! Lately I've been re-reading old favorite books just to get lost in them because I haven't read a good book in a long while. And as much as I love the stories, I want something new. After all, you can only take so much of the Cullens, and the Weasley's and the Jane Austen peeps. But that's just me. :)

I hope you have a very fantastic Friday/weekend and let's all welcome fall with open arms, shall we?

*opens arms*

<3

Marina

What's the opposite of an "Ode?"...

2009-09-14T12:55:00.000-07:00

Because that's what I want to write right now.

About today. This Monday. Because it's bugging me right now.

Currently I have resigned to a comfy pair of jeans and one of my favorite old shirts. The one with three big buttons, pockets, and an always wrinkly collar. The one I wore the first time I saw my college and the same one I wore the day after I pierced my belly button. Its worn best with a pair of low jeans, and shows just a little bit too much tummy for professional attire.

So I'm wearing it today because I have nowhere professional to be, and nothing very important to do.

I'm going to chose to ignore the fact that I've worn my hair up for the past six days because I haven't been inspired to do anything else with it. (Also it has been VERY disagreeable, but I don't think this punishment is helping my unruly curls anyway...)

I'm going to pretend that I don't feel lonely because my boy is out making teh monies and I'm here with nothing to do.

Perhaps I'll swallow all of this self pitty by this evening and make a nice dinner for us to share with a bottle of wine and an episode of Mad Men, or Anthony Bordain. And then we can talk about our expectations for this season of Survivor and The Amazing Race, and how we should start watching Glee now that it's finally on, and then I can tell him that he should watch the whole episode of Project Runway, because you get a better sense of the clothes that way.

Hmm...maybe today won't be so bad. Not after a while, anyway.

In fact, at the moment my heartstrings are currently being tugged by this:

And that's kind of making me feel lame, but not quite enough. So today I've decided to spend some time reading the books...or at least reading my favorite parts..and fantasizing about the movie.

So shoot me.

Also, yesterday I spent a fantastic, wonderful day with my family in San Francisco, with our boys, the Giants.

Here's my bro, excited.

100% absolutely too much blue and too many Dodgers fans. *bafs* Too bad we wonnnnnn! >:P

Obligatory "lower-half" shot. I don't know why I like these.

Mmmm...baseball butts. Minus the ump, of course.

So I have the good memories to keep me afloat today. And the outlook of dinner and good television. I think it's going to be okay. Until then, I'm going to retreat back to my favorite chair, with my favorite cat, read a book, and listen to Death Cab for Cutie.

Sending love to you all!

Marina

Link-a-licious...

2009-09-09T09:09:00.000-07:00

I'm afraid to say I have no exciting stories OR photos for you today. Live is strictly boring...filled with work and cleaning and little time for much else. I will however, take the time on this nine-filled day to share some of blog links I've been hoarding the past few weeks.

I have a list of blogs in my bookmarks that I go down every day in the same order. Second on my list is Orange Beauiful's the SCOOP. Today they had the most fantastic mash up of links that inspired me completely. You should head over and check it out. I'm loving the Ampersand necklace and that reversible square bracelet.

I found this skirt today on the Storque over at Etsy. Any skirt with pockets is a friend of mine. Any skirt that's high waisted and able to be worn multiple ways? BFF. I'm liking this one, what do you think?

Over the weekend I was browsing the weekend deals on Etsy and ran across this beautiful purse. My friend has one of Coach's hobo bags and I've been lusting after it forever. This one is suede (my love), hobo-licious, and I dare say, quite a big more unique than Coach. While I missed the amazing deal over the long weekend, I'll be admiring this bag from here on out...waiting for the day when I actually need a new purse.

Also on the list of "Weekend Deals" on Etsy, was a shop that makes adorable zodiac medallions. I don't know about you, but I have very extreme zodiac pride and I love jewelry and prints and such of my little cancer crab. This delicate medallion is perfect, and, like the purse, I will be watching this Etsy listing for a while too.

Venturing away from Etsy and into the retail world...here's my new favorite sweater I found over at Anthropologie. I have a gift card that's burning a hole in my wallet and even taking that much off this sweater will still make it doubly out of my price range. Drat. Anyway, it's very retro-looking and I love the colors. It would look so good with my boots... Oh Fall...are you here yet?

This font from Veer has been making the blog rounds lately. Anyone else want it? Raise your mouse hand!

Lastly, a link I found on Oh Joy! the other day. Cute little animal calendars for 2009. Unique, non? Just wish I could see what all the animals are...or what June is, mostly. I seem to get shafted on calendar pictures.

Well friends, that's what I have for now. See anything you like too? For now it's off to work with Gingersnaps in tow. We're setting up the Halloween tables at Pottery Barn tonight. Just dreading the October day when we start setting up the Christmas tables. *gulps*

I hope you get through this 9.9.09 with the best of luck! Wish on your eyelashes and dandelions and hold your breath in tunnels! It's going to be a lucky day!

Love love love,

Marina

Because sometimes you just need to wear a miniskirt...

2009-09-01T15:44:00.000-07:00

Or, mini-dress in this case.

It's lovely out, and my pale white legs need some sunshine...which they won't get by sitting here working on Penelope, but I did have a lovely lunch of leftover chicken soup and cornbread out on the patio.

I don't really have anything exciting to blog about today. But I do have an interesting thought that crossed my mind...that hopefully isn't crossing the line but it makes me wonder...

Yesterday I used the public restroom the the office where I was working. I noticed both times that I ventured down the hall, I used the same stall and the same sink. The stall in the middle and the sink closest to the door. What does your choice of bathroom stall/sink say about you?

Do you pick the stall that's most under the overhead lights? (I do) Or the cleanest looking one? Or the one furthest away from other people? And how about the sink? I usually pick the one with the least amount of water splashed all over the counter, and also the one closest to the paper towels, so I don't drip everywhere. Do you use the same one every time? Or do you switch it up?

Does it say anything about your personality, your phobias, or your instincts? Who knows. I was just wondering.

I know this is perhaps a personal subject, but I'm merely referring to the architecture, if you will. The mentality.

Maybe mini-dresses make me silly, I'm not sure. It's September, I can't believe it. Will you be wearing white after Labor Day? I know I will. It's silly not to, isn't it?

Enjoy your days, and please, don't waste another thought on public restrooms. I know I won't :-P

Love,

Marina

P.S. My cat fell asleep on me last night like this:

Any amount of room is good enough for him, even if it's 4 inches between my leg and the back of the sofa.

Puss in Boots and some Wine...

2009-08-25T15:26:00.001-07:00

Not in those exact words, because my cat doesn't wear boots, nor does he have anything to do with wine. But, I do have some boots to show you, a cat to exploit, and an adventure to blog about. So let's get started, shall we?

Thanks for all of your input on my boot decision. I took all of your opinions to heart and finally decided to mosey down to Urban Outfitters to test a few out. The need for instant gratification ruled out the dELiA*s boots, so it was between these two. Boot 2 was much to high for my short little legs, so it was down to the last pair, my secret favorite, which ended up being the big winner. :) So now, I am a very happy owner of a pair of boots. I'm much too critical about the plethora of outfits I can wear them with, (it's just the way I am) but I can't wait until winter when I can wear them with leggings and jeans.

In other news, Kyle and I ventured to Livermore, CA (20 minutes from our house) for an afternoon of wine tasting in the warm Cali sun. Boy was it warm out...but still lovely. Our first stop was Mitchell Katz, a beautiful plot of land, with lovely brick buildings. I fell in love with their Sangiovese and now have it resting safely on my kitchen table. After a few wines, we stepped outside to peruse the grounds.

And pose for a photo. :)

Next stop was Ruby Hill Winery, where we had a great pour-er and a much more descriptive list of wines. "With aromas of cherry and blackberry, and hints of fruit and chocolate with a warm finish." Kyle took home their "Grapeful Red" and we drove home much happier, and feeling like adults.

Other than that it's been more or less work work work. I've been feeling very overwhelmed lately with my lack of professional work and overabundance of retail work. Working at Pottery Barn is great, but the artist and professional in me is begging for something to do. Something with full time hours and benefits, if possible. *sighs* Anyway...

On that note I was feeling a little down in the dumps the other day so I turned to my cute cat to pet it a little bit, and hear some purrs.

It started out okay.

Got some itches taken care of.

Felt loved.

Then it changed for the worst.

And I got nommed instead.

It's okay though, it cheered me up greatly.

I hope all of you are getting through the rest of the summer smoothly. I can't believe that August is almost over. It's taking my breath away. I'm not quite ready for summer to be over yet, are you? Enjoy what's left, and take care as best you can!

With Love,

Marina

Yes, yes I know...

2009-08-13T20:23:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time.

And I'm sorry.

But there's really nothing I can do about it. Apparently Pottery Barn needs me around and I apparently need money too, so it's been a mutually beneficial relationship. Symbiotic, one would say, except we're not two organisms, so whatever.

Apart from the business of my life, and the business of Kyle's new job (yay!), it's been pretty boring here. A few more silly Pottery Barn purchases (not helping with the lack of cashola), and a little trip home for a visit with my wonderful family.

This blog post I'm going to devote to my recent fetish with shoes (mostly from Urban Outfitters) and a few other do-dads.

I'm going to poll all of you readers for my boot choice. You see, I've been craving boots for about five years now, but have resisted for a few reasons. a) they're awfully expensive b) I've been lusting over an elusive pair seen in an ancient episode of the O.C. and haven't been able to find them c) i'm picky about how they look. They MUST be flat. No heels here. Odd that I'm so attached to flat shoes when I'm to miniature. Basically I'm treating this as an investment that's going to last me a long time. So I want to make sure I pick the right pair. So here's my picks so far:

Boot One. Seen in my new catalog from dELiA*s (yes, I did have fun typing that correctly). They come in three colors, three heights, are well priced, suede, and FLAAAAT. My only worry is the suede-ness. Suede doesn't have the longevity that leather does...

Boot Two. A pick from Urban Outfitters. Flat, leather, and plain. I like it. My concern is the height, but we'll see what you think first.

Boot Three. This was my first choice from Urban Outfitters, but the catalog said they only came in tan and brown. Internet says differently, AND they're marked down. Sweeeeet. I like the little buttons on the top.

So those are the boot choices. All other suggestions are welcome! Here's a few other shoe goodies I found that I wanted to share. I have been lusting after these for months now. Look...they're turquoise. Swoon.

I saw these in the catalog. They look mighty cute and unique. Complete with a zipper in the back. Seksi.

A few Etsy links, since I've severely slacked as of late. Here are some cute whale cards. Because we all know that if anyone deserves cards with whales on them, it's me. *pets whales*

On the same note. An adorable print. With a bird on it. Big surprise. :]

I saw these buttons on the front page the other day. I have no clue what I'd use them for. But the black silk and the little heart is just so adorable.

And lastly a lovely metal bracelet that looks like it would make the best tinkly noise. Also, it's purple in honor of Dementia awareness. Half of the money made from the bracelet will go to the care of the seller's grandfather, who is battling the disease.

Lastly a shout out to my blog-friend Elise who posted her much anticipated engagement photos yesterday. For anyone that wants to see what love looks like, what two happy people look like, fantastic photography, and a link to a good place to buy paper goodies...check out her blog. :) You won't be disappointed. Congrats and love to E and P.

That's all I have for tonight peeps. I'll try to blog as soon as I can. I hope the last bits of summer are treating you well.

Much, much love!

Marina

A silly realization...

2009-08-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

The other day I was sitting at my computer, browsing through Etsy and lusting after, well...EVERYTHING, when I realized...

I've got a whole tree on my dresser full of fantastic, beautiful wonderful jewelry passed down from my grandmother, grandfather, great grandmother, mother, friends, etc, and I never talk about them! I want new new new, more more more, and I forget what I have have have. Anyone that knows me, will tell you that I ALWAYS wear jewelry, and it's rare that I wear the same pieces two days in a row. I like to match my jewelry, shoes, bag with my outfit. Maybe I'm old fashioned, OCD, or just plain silly, but it's a lot of fun for me. :)

So, jewelry of mine, this post is for you. To give you proper credit for being lovely, and perfect, and special.

First I'd like to introduce my new octopus plate, courtesy of Pottery Barn. He was so cute and bubbly I couldn't resist. Anyway, onwards!

These are my every day earrings, the earrings that go with EVERYTHING and you'll usually find me wearing them to work. In the back is a pair of earrings my Dad got me on a trip when I was a little girl. Still have them, still love them.

Here's my charm bracelet. It's a nice hodge podge of charms from my mom, my grandma, and myself. It's so fun looking over all of the charms and pulling different memories from them. I've seen full charm bracelets in stores and it makes my jaw drop. What fun is a charm bracelet if you don't build it up yourself!?

These are two of my oldest necklaces that I wear. The one on the left is a necklace I bought on the street in Bizeeerkeley (Berkeley) CA. It has my name on a piece of rice inside.

I know it's a silly thing, but I've had it since 1997! And the rice is still whole, haha! I wear it a lot, and I think out of the three of us that bought them, I'm the only one with mine left.

The necklace on the right is a coral and filigree necklace my Mom got from Yugoslavia when she took a trip after High School. She gave it to me a long time ago, and I've kept it on my jewelry tree for years now. I love the heart at the top of the pendant.

These earrings were given to me by a lady I worked with a few years ago. I barely knew her, but she saw all of the colorful earrings I wore and decided I would get better use out of them than she would. They're huge, heavy, and I love them. Plus they make fun clinky sounds all day.

Here's my stack of rings. Rings from my mom, and my grandma, from me, and even one from Plume in the back there. ;) The one facing the camera, the turquoise ring, was given to me by my grandparents when they lived in Arizona long ago. I'd been lusting for a "big girl" ring for ages. It's one of my favorites, and really special.

This one facing the camera, my mom just gave me a few months ago. I don't know what stone it is (ladies?) but it fits great on my pinkie. I think my grandpa brought it back for her on one of his business trips when she was young.

My grandma brought this necklace over when I was visiting a year ago. She found it in a drawer in her house and decided to give it a home. It belonged to my great grandma, who came to the the United States from Russia. During WWI she lived in China with relatives until it was safe for her to travel overseas. This is something she brought with her, and something that was passed on to me. It's amazingly heavy, but I treasure it so much. If this piece of Plumage is the Prairie Rosary necklace, than I suppose this is my Russian Descendant Rosary Necklace. :)

Last is one of my favorites pieces of jewelry that I own. It was given to me by my grandfather who passed away last summer. He got it in Italy a long time ago on one of his many travels. I remember when he gave it to me a few years ago. I wear it whenever I think of him, and hope that somehow he knows that I do.

Well I guess that's a little (random) peek into my jewelry box. Times like these make me realize how many beautiful things I have already, and how many memories I carry with them. I hope you guys will do the same thing, and take shelter in all of the beauty to keep around you each day.

Happy Saturday, and enjoy the weekend!!

Much Love,

Marina

Beer+Dinner+Peanut butter Cups....

2009-07-31T21:05:00.000-07:00

Equals happiness.

:]

I'm sitting here rather content at the moment. (Does anyone else realize the wonder of Trader Joe's Peanut butter cups??) There have been quite a few good things going on lately, including:

The sassy little outfit I put together for work today, that probably wasn't corporate appropriate...but I don't care.

How I'm coming to peace with the wild semi-curliness of my hair and LOVING it. Also I figured out that the less I mess with it, the better it looks at the end of the day.

My cat and my special computer time in the morning. It's the only time he gets all cuddly with me and I like it.

That my boy and I are finally on the same page again and things are going GREAT!

The Plumetastic newsletter I got in the mail today. A piece of art, really. Love it.

Leftover Thai chicken and rice soup from last night. Sarachi is my friend, thx.

This duvet cover that keeps taunting me at work...not to mention EVERYTHING else in the store. Including a porcelain sea urchin lamp that's hiding in the back that I really want. Where does one put a sea urchin lamp? Suggestions?

Point being, life is good at the moment. Stressful, and trying, but at the heart of it, there's a lot of good. I'm going to take as much as I can get.

I've got another post in the works. Look for it tomorrow. :)

Love,

Marina

Because I can't seem to get enough Harry Potter...

2009-07-28T17:29:00.000-07:00

I decided to waste an entire day making graphics to share with you. I needed a mental break...this is what happened. Hah.

I don't know about any of you, but I wish sometimes that I really could go to Hogwarts. Judge me if you like, but I know I'm not alone. If I were to go to Hogwarts, I know I'd want to be in Ravenclaw. I'd probably be keeper on their Quidditch team too. Favorite subject Transfiguration. Do you know what House you'd be in? The brave Gryffindors, witty Ravenclaws, loyal Hufflepuffs, and the cunning Slytherins.

Well pick one, because I've made some desktop wallpapers so you can support your favorite house!

I hope you enjoy :) I didn't put my logo on them and I'm too lazy to now so...don't do anything inappropriate...you hear? I'm trusting you guys. Just leave me a comment here if you decide to use one. I'd love to know who's in what house...or if you like my art. I made 2 sizes, one for wide-screens and one for standard. Basically mac and pc versions.

I don't really have much else to say except I'm neglecting doing EVERYTHING else I wanted to do today. Bad me. Ah well, at least I got something creative done.

I'll be back later in the week with some links for you. Happy Tuesday!

Love,

Marina

A happy Saturday to all...

2009-07-25T22:04:00.000-07:00

It seems as though Saturday has been very well received on multiple accounts. I hope it's true! :) Mine has been lovely.

I met my dear friend half way between our homes to see the new Harry Potter movie. For those of you who don't already know, I'm a HUGE Harry Potter nut. One might say I'm a nerd. I may, or may not have a wand, may, or may not know that I'd be in Ravenclaw house, and I may, or may not have quite a bit of "fanart" devoted to Harry Potter.

I suppose there are worse things. :D (yeah yeah...I very much have been rooting for Ron and Hermione since DAY ONE)

If you haven't seen the newest movie, I highly recommend it. It's a beautiful film with lovely effects, great music, and wonderful acting by everyone this time. Of course, I could preach that everyone should READ the Harry Potter books too...but I won't. Not this time.

Upon my return home, I got a few things done on the computer, and spent a great deal chatting with another dear friend. Now it's late and I'm completely relaxed and ready for the day tomorrow. (Which will be spent selling home furnishings. Need any new drapes or bed linens?)

A bit ago I looked over and saw a very large cat sleeping in my underwear drawer. I'm going to swallow my pride and show you, seeing as most of the contents of the drawer are hidden by my fat feline.

Yes, that is very cute, yes that is my Wand on my desk, and yes that is an original printing of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland also on my desk. I keep strange things there apparently.

Anyway, I think that's all my relaxing Saturday will entail. Please enjoy the rest of your weekend, and I'll chat with all of you soon!

Love,

Marina

No clever title...

2009-07-23T20:48:00.000-07:00

I'd be lying if I said these past few days have been the best of my life...but I have seen worse.

Work is very...demanding...but present, which is the best thing right now. In fact, today I finished my first contracted site. Woo! It works on Firefox, Safari, AND lame-ness in a box; Internet Explorer. (I'm sorry if you still use that...) Anyway, a small achievement in my fledgling career, and I've learned quite a bit. So that's good.

Also, I made an excellent soup last night, thanks to my Mine Magazine...which I've actually been ignoring in my inbox. Anyway, it's from Food + Wine magazine and it's called Columbian Chicken Soup. Quite delicious and a good "fridge clean-out" recipe. As soups usually are.

A couple of days ago, on one of my days off, Kyle and I took a much needed walk at the lake, which we haven't done in ages. We climbed atop my favorite hill that overlooks the water and the surrounding hills. It's amazing how dry and golden they are now. Quite a different picture than it was a few months ago, don't you think?

Along the way we met some new friends. The little one bounded off a few minutes later, knobby knees held high. I wanted to smooch him.

Speaking of smooches; I gave my little kitten one before setting him out in the wild yonder, known as my junky apartment property. We've been keeping him indoors for a while on account of the out of control flea infestation (I'm embarrassed to say). Anyway, we just decided to throw it out to the wind and let our little boy go and enjoy the sunshine.

He looks rather happy, don't you think? He was completely adorable hanging out in front of our patio all day. Never far away. What a good little watch-kitteh.

Anyway, just wanted to give you a few updates and a few pictures, in case you were wondering where I've been. At the moment I'm tuning into the 1ooth Episode of So You Think You Can Dance, which is one of my all time favorite shows. What these young people can do with their bodies and music amazes me and moves me. You should really check it out. This season is nearly over, but a new one is starting in the fall!

Take care, friends. Enjoy the rest of your week!

A plethora of links for you...

2009-07-18T18:01:00.000-07:00

Hi guys! Hope you're having a stupendous Saturday. Mine has been so productive it's not even funny. After over a week of having too little time to do ANYTHING, I decided to go all out today and get EVERYTHING done.

I:

Went to the farmer's market
Went to Joe's and Safeway
Cleaned my house
Moved some furniture around
Finished some commission work
Made cookies
am currently blogging
and WILL be making tex-mex mac and cheese for dinner.

Who knows what the evening will hold! I guess that's what happens when you wake up at 9am. The only thing I haven't done yet is shower, but KN hasn't either, so he can't complain.

Anyhoo, here's quite a few Etsy/internetz links for you all. I'll go non-Etsy to Etsy.

First here's a cool notebook designed by the folks at Brand New, a cool blog/discussion board about corporate logo re-designs. If you're a type/graphics nerd like me, you'll love this site. It's part of Under Consideration, which has plenty of other faboosh sites as well. Check them out!

Next we have the ever internet-popular eco-friendly bag sensation, BAGGU! I've read about them all over the place. From their pouches, to their grocery bags, to using the bags as purses, etc. I went to the website after reading, "OMG stripes!" on about three different blogs and was floored with the wall of color that met my eyes! I think I'm in love. Although, I walked by a section in Trader Joe's today with $1.99 reusable bags...so...

I heard about this lovely, LOVELY clutch from Elise today, and I fell in love with all the colors. Maybe it's just the photo, who knows how it looks in person, but the combination of all of those jewel tones makes me want one of those clutches really really bad.

I can't remember where I got this link from, it's been a few weeks, but I want to say it was from Fawn's blog. Anyway, I adore this poster. Mostly for the coffee + blog part. It's really what we do isn't it? Park in our chair and surf our blogs in the morning before getting started on our day? I'm relatively certain I could make something to this effect on my own, but I love this poster just the same.

OrangeBeautiful has been doing a wonderful Chicago "to-do" mash up from a bunch of Chicago locals. I've been drooling over the wonderful coffee shops, goodie shops, and tourist sites the contributors have been listing. Have I mentioned my love of Chicago yet? The city I've never been to...yet still love. Quite strange, really. Anyway, at the start of the Chicago-themed post, this fun card was shown and I couldn't help but admire the typography can lovely city scape.

Sunnyrising Leather has been a constant fave of Mrs. Plume over at thenoisyplume, and I finally went over to her Etsy shop to check her out. Wowzers. What beautiful leather goodies! This one is my favorite right now. The vibrant colors floor me. What a pretty bluebird!

Speaking of Plume, she posted this innovative brooch the other day and I think I dropped my mouse off the desk. If my current work place wasn't so...rigid...I would have quite enjoyed wearing this every day. I love the simplistic rendering of a pistol and that little orange stone popped in there. Quite pretty. I shall miss you Hola Pistola!

Lastly, while browsing the massive jewelry section on Etsy, I came across this unique brooch. Although I'm not quite sure how I feel about wearing a huge scarab on my collar all day, I love the gold, the white, and the size of this thing. Quite unique if you ask me!

Well folks, that's all for today. It's been quite a lovely two days off and I'm rearing to get back to work. Next week won't be quite as busy as last week, but I wouldn't complain if it was. I hope you enjoy your Sundays!

With Love,

Marina

To Monterey and Back...

2009-07-17T19:45:00.000-07:00

Today I earned my right to relax. 12 full days of work in a row, and I decided to take a day to empty all my stress right out my ears, and leave it far away from home. KN and I traveled down the coast to Monterey, CA for a little R&R. We checked out the aquarium first and then took the short drive to one of my favorite spots on Earth. Carmel. *sighs*

We took off our shoes and let the sand fill between our toes. The sun was out, the water was smooth and it was a lovely, perfect temperature out. We spent a while laying on the sand, looking down at the water and watching the people walking by. I was praying to the sea gods and begging them to FINALLY let my dolphin friends come near enough for me to see. I've never seen a dolphin/whale in their natural habitat, you see, and I ache for it. So I concentrated on the little bit of horizon I could see, and without fail, a black, shiny fin popped out of the water, then another, and another, and ANOTHER. Low and behold!! Four beautiful dolphin friends swimming around in the water before me, saying hi and moving on. It was a magical experience, and I'm expecting that the sea gods decided today was my day. I'm so thankful.

After that, I was perfectly happy to settle back down in the sand smiling like an idiot.

A little while later we decided (rather I pointedly suggested) we check out the tide pools down at the end of the beach. I'll just say now; GREAT DECISION.

(Otter!! ------^)

I can safely say that if I wasn't a graphic designer, I'd be a marine biologist. I can't tell you how nerdy I get around marine life. Anyway...at one point I broke away on my own, and climbed over a huge shale rock scattered with tide pools. When I reached the point closest to the water I was stuck breathless. Stretched as far as I could see, engulfed by the approaching fog, was miles of flat ocean. It rose and fell and I felt like breathing with it. I felt more at peace than I have in weeks. I dropped all of the uncertainties and doubts and merely existed at the edge of everything. I was alone. I felt tiny and insignificant in the best, most stress-free way. On my little (actually, it was rather large) rock I felt completely at peace with the world and nature.

So I guess you could say that I'm thankful for today. I'm thankful for the peace and beauty I witnessed, the company I brought with me, the Mocha Chip ice cream from the shop down the street, and also the delicious home made pretzel across the street from the ice cream shop. Hehe.

Tomorrow I have another free day, and I have my Etsy links already lined up. Be there or be square friends. I hope you are well, and I hope sincerely that you can find peace and serenity in your lives this weekend.

Love,

Marina

Came home from work and...

2009-07-09T20:43:00.000-07:00

felt like making a cake! A Tiger Cake, to be exact. I got it out of my new cookbook and it looked quite pretty in the pictures. They reccomended using a bundt pan, but I don't have one (:( ) so I had to get by with a sheet cake.

It just came out of the oven and I'm giddy with excitement. It smells divine.

Now I'm on my way to pick up pre-cake Chinese take-out from the best Chinese restaurant ever. When I return it's time for the So You Think You Can Dance results show *bites nails* and after that a new episode of Royal Pains.

I'm quite excited. Good end to a long day.

Love, love, LOVE...

Marina

Distracted to the max...

2009-07-08T19:37:00.000-07:00

I am here to inform you that I AM indeed still alive, and merely out of anything interesting or creative to report.

My return to Pottery Barn has proven to be more efficient than I originally thought (as far as having a job goes), and am now looking at a 12 day work week. (Not unusual, I know, but quite different from my past unemployed, abundance of free time for blogging, state) I refuse to complain, in fact I have little to complain about, except that I don't have any time to do laundry. I've been busy setting up the new fall merchandise at the store, finishing off some commissions at home, and doing a little freelance work on the side. All in all, I feel quite satisfied, busy, and proud of myself again.

Anyway, I haven't taken any fancy pictures asides from the last Giants game I went to. They won 8 to nothing...although the Astros did put up a solid fight...right Eleanor? :D

The above made for my friend Eleanorrrr, in honor of the massive height that is Hunter Pence's socks. Haha.

I haven't really had any time to dig up good etsy finds, so I'll try to get you some later in the week. I've very much enjoyed working on my most recent commissions, and I've been getting a lot of encouragement to open up an Etsy shop with graphic things. However I have no idea where to start...what to sell...and how to go about doing it. What I want to know from you is, a) would you, or someone you know, be interested in the graphic creations I would post on Etsy, and b) do you have any ideas?

This possibility intrigues and inspires me. Although lately, I doubt I'd have much time to do very many pieces. Anyway, something to look forward to I suppose.

I hope everyone is well, and enjoying the summer in full swing. Thanks for stopping buy and I hope to have a much "meatier" post soon.

With Love,

Marina

P.S. I nearly forgot! I got a spiffy new rug yesterday at Pottery Barn. The downside to working at a store that sells pretty things, is that you're constantly coming home with pretty things. In this case it was very much on sale, and i get a discount ;) Presenting my Living Room's new Tracy Kilim Rug!

Badddd scratchy boy.

Sooo comfurbuhlzzzzz. *Purrrrr*

The view from 24 is pretty good...

2009-07-03T11:39:00.000-07:00

Here's to another year!

Love,

Marina

P.S. Check out the cool partnership between Kanna Glass Studios and myself during her Southwestern Soul themed month over at her blog! There are western graphics du jour and beautiful glass beads to go along with it! Take a look!

My last post as a 23 year old...

2009-06-26T12:28:00.000-07:00

I'm not usually one to be sentimental about time passing or years going by, but as I start creeping closer to my "mid-20s" I'm getting more and more excited. While many people I know stress and moan about growing older (even in their 20's), I welcome it. I look forward to being 30, older and wiser, and hopefully more experienced. Maybe I just want to move past this whole looking-for-a-job thing and skip to the part where I've had one for a year or two.

Anyway, to celebrate my day of birth, KN and I are driving down to the Central Coast of Cali for a little beach time, a little marine life (echinoderms here I come!), and some much needed R&R. I'll take a million pictures (hopefully) and share them when I get back.

I started reading The Time Traveler's Wife last night and I think I'm falling in love with Henry. Has anyone else read that book? It's fantastic!

Okay, on to the goods. I've got a diverse group of links today. I'll start with the customary Etsy links first.

I've shared a few of Lupin's felt pieces before (including my little birdie) and this is my new favorite. Eco felt (which isn't a make or break for me, but still cool) and I love the look of the flower. The best part is, none of these brooches are alike. They all have different buttons and colors.

I saw this brooch on the front page yesterday and fell in love with the color composition of the photograph. I'm not sure I could match that brooch with anything I have, but I'd be happy to buy that gray shirt from them too and have an amazing outfit. mmmm...navy and salmon and pink oh my!

Last Etsy find is a cool print shop I discovered the other day. I'm quite sure I could make these myself with my trade skills and typography collection, but I do like the messages. I think this one is my favorite message right now. However, I like Elise's GOventure composition even more. (hooray for serifs!) How about a lil' song and dance, yo??

I saw these shoes on Oh Joy! this morning and nearly had a heart attack. Why must pretty things tempt me on a daily basis. It's not fair. Look at the blue suede...and the linen bow...and the blue suede??? Thank god I can't wear open toed shoes at Pottery Barn, or else my tiny budget would be in trouble.

Also on Oh Joy! I saw a link to this fantastic headband shop. Thank god bright colors and jewel tones are in right now. I have a weakness for jewel tone color accents. This one is my favorite (hence the magenta feather) and I love the silver detail too.

OrangeBeautiful had a cool clothing shop on one of their posts the other day. I looked through ALL of their clothes and liked this one the best. I like the buttons on the top and the dusty lavender color. Plus it's in canvas, what a great summer fabric.

Okay, well those are all my Etsy links for the week (or is it 2 weeks?) I'll close with another sneak peak of a project I've been working on this week.

Can't wait to see it all in action! I hope all of you have a fantastic weekend. It's supposed to be sunny and beautiful here, how about where you live?

With Love,

Marina

Staying focused...

2009-06-24T00:08:00.000-07:00

It's all I'm trying to do.

Whilst one has a plethora of free time (aka is unemployed) sometimes it's hard to stay on task and achieve all your goals at the end of the day. To assist me in staying on track, I've pulled out my handy-dandy to-do goals list mouse pad. A lovely gift from my friend. As you can see...

This week is jam packed so far. I managed to complete all of Monday's goals, but got a bit side tracked today with a trip to the Apple store on KN's behalf. (He had to pick up his computer from the doctors) Needless to say, I think avoiding the "cleaning bathroom" and "put clothes away" task is okay with me. :D

Also, pay no need to the whole "calling out sick" because of a Giants game thing. ;)

I looked up at my OrangeBeautiful calendar and realized, by gosh, June is nearly over!

My favorite month, my birth month, one of the months with the shortest names...is almost over. I feel like I haven't been aware enough to enjoy it! This stress has consumed me and spat me out all twisted and confused. Being unemployed with little experience in the field is quite a difficult hurdle to overcome. I'm trying my best (it's all I can do) and fighting for a job that I know is out there. Meanwhile, I'm also trying to control my personal life, and making sure I put my values in order. Recently that's become a challenge, but with a little hard work and a lot of support from my partner in crime (and living space), I think I'm on the right track.

This post is mostly a personal entry (in case you hadn't noticed), and I hope you don't mind. My curbed spending habits have severely decreased the amount of bookmarked "Etsy finds," so I'll try to do a post with a few tomorrow or Thursday. I did mention in my last post, however, that I went to spend my birthday discount card at Anthropologie? I went in with a price limit, and was therefore pleased when the 10 items I took into the dressing room ALL looked bad on my body type. Woo hoo! So I spent a lot of time in the accessory department. Here's what I came home with.

Floofy headband that's fun and a little unusual. I like it :)

Well I suppose that's about all for today...er...yesterday. Goodness look at the time. I hope all of you are busy bees too!

With love to all my bloggy friends!

~Marina

P.S. Here's a little sneaky peaky at some of my commissioned work. Fun fun. :}

P.S.S. Interview went well. I'll cross my fingers. Thanks for all of the luck last time!

I know I said I was going to post yesterday...

2009-06-19T11:06:00.001-07:00

But trust me when I tell you it was just...NOT...a good day to blog. Just one of those days where you doubt a lot of things.

Ironically, I did manage to get a lot of things done. Probably because I didn't have anything else to do. But no matter. Today I am here, blogging, and I'm happy about it.

I'll start with sharing a few pictures of my Wednesday trip into the City for a Giants game! It turned into a beautiful day, and started out as a great baseball game. But, as it usually goes with my Giants, they lost it in the 8th, and it was all down hill from there. Anyway, there was good times to be had with my brother, kyle, and all of the other crazies out in the bleachers that day.

Also, I failed to put sunscreen on the bit of my knee that poked through my favorite worn jeans. Oops. How about I have a scarlet patch on my knee now. Stupid. Remember: Always put sunscreen on the skin that shows through the holes in your jeans!

Yesterday my dahlia started its second bloom. This is the first blossom, but as you can see in the corner, there's another one coming. I'm excited. :)

Finally, probably the BEST part about yesterday was that my custom made journal from Elise came in the mail! Yaay! All I had to do was pick 24 photos and the color for the binding! She does the rest and boy is it a cool little journal. Well made, great details, and it's got ME all over it! What's not to like? Be sure to check it out!

Well I think I'm going to head out and about today. I have a strong desire NOT to hang around the house today. Plus, it's Friday, and it's sunny out. Perfect weather to get out of the house. Right now, I feel like reading all of the fashion magazines at Barnes and Noble. Hmm...sounds like a good idea. Plus, I have a 15% coupon at Anthropologie for my birthday. Should use it :) Enjoy your Friday and your weekend, everyone!

Love,

Marina

This...

2009-06-15T17:43:00.000-07:00

Is the face you see before you get eaten by a panther.

I'm lucky I made it out of the hallway alive.

:)

<3

I'm amazed...

2009-06-15T17:17:00.001-07:00

By kindness, mother nature, and surprises.

What an interesting weekend and Monday, to be sure.

What's the breakdown, let's see...

Well, Plume-a-la-Palooza was a success. It was so much fun and I made some new blogger friends in the process. :) Thank you so much, all of you, for sharing some of your favorite things about our friend. Thank you Nancy, for coming up with the inspired and lovely idea. And thank you to all the ladies that dropped me a line yesterday and today. I'm touched to have met all of you!

First weekend back at Pottery Barn was also a success. To be honest, it was a lot of fun talking to customers and being part of a team again. Working from home really takes the humility out of doing your job. I didn't realize how much I missed actually interacting with the client. Hmmm. And of course, I found quite a few things that I can lust after with my 40% discount...

Fell in love with this on a desk in the store.

And these were on display on a side table. Lovely, right?

Did I ever mention I have a Pottery Barn lamp fetish? Strange? Probably.

I made some new interesting dishes this weekend for dinner, as well as some yummy almond cookies from the latest Goop newsletter. While cooking, I decided to return my pretty shoes. :( They're quite a squeeze and frankly, I could use the money elsewhere. Like rent. And food. And Plumage. Haha.

Last news of the day...I got an interview! Won't tell where or when, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Full-time job would be a good thing.

I hope this is a good start of the week for the whole lot of you. I'm attending a Giants game on Wednesday as an early birthday present, so that should keep my week bright and sunny until Thursday, at least. :) Talk to you all soon!

Love,

Marina

Plume-a-la-Palooza!

2009-06-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

In honor of my favorite Plume, on her big day!

Our dear friend Jillian is at the Missoula MADE Fair in Montana, and today, the Plume Community of bloggers have decided to gather together and send our love! We can thank Ms Nancy*McKay for bringing us all together. What a fun and wonderful idea!!

Perhaps I went a little above and beyond on this one, but I was inspired and wanted to put my long-dormant typography skills to use. Download your own Plume-a-la-Palooza poster here!

So, while her shop may be closed, her blog is always full of inspiration, poetry, pictures of cute dogs, beautiful jewelry, and kind words. Take a look, make a friend, and join the Plume Community! It's such a friendly buncha gals! Oh, and don't forget to send some love and support to our hard working lady-friend, Jillian.

Here's a picture of some of my "support" for Jillian. (yes I've got all three pairs of my earrings linked together some how) I'm going to be soooo green with envy when I see some of the other ladies and all of their jewels.

I hope everyone's Sunday goes swimmingly! I'll post back on Monday or Tuesday with the happenings of this weekend and my first weekend back at Pottery Barn. Actually, I think "exciting" is the wrong word.

Enjoy your day!

Love,

Marina