Cali Cool

Whether it's interior design, fashion, art or pretty much anything creative, I appreciate a variety of styles. However, my eye is always drawn to clean lines and simple designs.

So this amazing Los Angeles home jumped out at me on LivingEtc. What's more, it's eco-friendly and is made up of natural woods, soothing colors and lots of light.

Consider these photos a visual retreat for a few minutes:

What a cool, angular exterior. And I like how the reflective glass planes are echoed in the pool.

The tidy couch, bold purple chair, cool-hued wall tiles -- love it, love it, love it!

Doesn't a room like this make you breathe a little easier?

You gotta love a sunny bedroom.

Photos from here.

Winter Meets Summer

Each summer as a child, the day would arrive when I'd crave winter.

Instead of swimming or playing outside, I'd eat a bowl of ice cream and watch a holiday movie.

I'm reminded of my little Christmas-in-July tradition lately when I see white objects drifting slowly through a blue sky. The cottonwood trees have gone crazy the past few weeks and their fluff is flying everywhere.

It really does look like falling snow. So now I get a dose of winter in the summer—minus the cold and snow.

Photo from here.

Paper Trail

I love the transformative power paint and color can have on a room. It is so satisfying to find just the right color for just the right mood for just the right space.

That said, I've always been a bit weary of wallpaper. I know, I know, wallpaper has changed. It's cool now. Still, I haven't tried any in my home. I'll stick with paint for the time being.

But looking at these inspiring photos posted on the beautiful blog My Favorite and My Best, I must admit, it would be fun to try out some bold-patterned paper!

This deep pink floral pattern is perfectly peppy with white floors and furniture.

An ornate motif works great as an accent wall of a long bedroom.

A slightly retro yellow print make for a cheery powder room -- why not make a bathroom this much fun?

I want to rock out a hallway like this!

Photos from this My Favorite and My Best post.

Lazy Days

Do you ever have a weekend that goes just how you'd hoped it would? Well, that's what happened to me this weekend.

With my husband out of town, the pup and I took the opportunity to spend the weekend at my parents' house. And it was blissful!

Maybe it's because my parents' house will probably always feel more like home to me than anywhere else on earth. Or because my mom and dad spoil me with good food and great conversation whenever I'm there.

But it was more this weekend, too. We enjoyed gorgeous weather, which I took as a cue to do absolutely nothing. I lounged outside, swam, read magazines and napped.

And I took in the beautiful forests and fields that spread out behind my parents' backyard. Not a bad spot to spend a few days, eh?

Photo by me.

Bon Voyage

My fella is out of town this weekend.

I'm so excited for him. He gets to spend a weekend with his three best friends, guys he's known since his childhood. I hope they have the best time!

But I am going to miss him. I always sort of hate saying goodbye to him. My sister makes fun of the long goodbyes we have, even when it's just one of us running out to the store or heading in to work. But I like this little tradition of ours.

I love photos like this one—found on the lovely blog Wide Open Spaces—because there's so much emotion in them. And don't you just feel the emotions right along with them?

Photo from ffffound! via Wide Open Spaces.

Thankful Thursday

My heart is fuzzy, white and weighs eight pounds.

That's because my dog is one of the major loves of my life. Seriously, I cannot get enough of her.

I'm so thankful that she's been part of our family for three years now. She's opened my heart in ways I never knew had been closed.

She can be a bit of a stinker (we're still working on her barking and listening skills, but who's perfect, right?) but truth be told I dig her spunk and personality.

Photo by me.

Latte Lusting

It is a dark, chilly day. I sometimes crave days like this in the summer. I like a moody break from the sunshine every now and then. 

However, this also means I'd like to spend the day holed up in a cozy coffee shop getting lost in a book and a frothy vanilla latte. 

Unfortunately, this scenario is unlikely to happen today. So I'm going to get my latte fix via these lovely Flickr photographs. 

I always like these simple white mugs at cafes. 

What's better than one latte? Two, of course!

This reminds me of my favorite coffee-sipping mug at home. 

Photos from here, here and here.

Backyard Bliss

I just found some backyard inspiration photos that I downloaded from Domino before the website was dismantled. Gosh I miss that magazine and website. But I'm glad to see these pics again!

I love our backyard in large part because it is essentially a blank slate. It's a big fenced-in rectangle with grass in the middle and some trees, bushes and flowers along the edges. And we have a simple wood deck above.

Gardening and landscaping intimidates me a bit, so it's fun to look at photos of people who really do their yards up well.

I love the geometric planes and right angles -- not to mention the crisp white -- in this modern yard.

Isn't this deck sexy? It's perfectly bohemian and messy.

Maybe a yard needn't be more complicated than this. The simple, natural and utterly beautiful color palette is great.

I bet this patio is fantastic for outdoor parties.

Photos from dominomag.com.

Rise and Shine

I often have a difficult time getting out of bed in the morning. The combination of my husband, our dog, cozy covers and warmth are just too hard to give up!

So I'm proud of myself this morning because I got up early and went for a run. It wasn't a particularly long or good-looking burst of exercise, but I'm glad I did it. The air was cool, the early sun was shining and it was neat to see my neighborhood while it was still mostly asleep. 

My old high school cross country coach once shared a quote about the greatest accomplishment in going running is the simple -- but often very difficult -- act of putting on the running shoes and stepping out the door. I agree with that sentiment this morning!

Just as I was getting tired, I heard the cruel sound of an alarm clock blaring out through a neighbor's window. And I felt so fortunate to have already gotten over the getting out of bed hurdle and to be out enjoying a beautiful morning. 

But I'm hoping this whole getting up early and running thing gets easier as I do it more often!

Photo from here.

Summer is Here

The weather this weekend was gor-ge-ous! It set the stage for a fun day of grilling, sipping beer and hanging out with friends.

I hope many weekends to come are just as perfectly summery.

Photo from here.

A Natural

It may sound strange, but I have really been digging those television commercials for cotton featuring Zooey Deschanel.  

I love her ladylike, slightly offbeat, softly vintage style and the fact that she always looks original -- but also very much like herself. 

And natural materials like cotton, linen and silk are what I've been craving as the weather has warmed. 

Here are a few pics from cotton's "Fabric of My Life" campaign. Cute, no?

All photos from here. 

Simply Gorgeous

A few years ago, I lived in an area that was home to a lot of Eichler houses. I liked the simplicity of the streamlined, straightforward designs found in these post-war developments. 

So I was quite excited that the beautiful Alkemie blog devoted a "Real Estate Stalking" post to an Eichler home. 

I personally never saw such an exquisite Eichler, but I loved drooling over these photos. Enjoy!

Photos from here. 

Pretty in Pink

I had a simple bliss moment this afternoon.


My boss let me take home a bouquet of peonies from the office. They look gorgeous and smell divine. I might have discovered my new favorite flower!

I have to say, I might just have the best boss in the world. No, not just because she gives me flowers. But because it is so great -- and really quite rare, I think -- to work for someone you respect and admire both in and out of work. A person you can consider both a friend and a mentor.

She's taught me, shown me and given me so much. And now I can add beautiful pink flowers to that list!

Photo from here.

Four-Ever

There are three special girls in my life whom I've been friends with since the third grade.

The four of us have seen each other through ups and downs, phases, fashion choices good and bad, and many accomplishments. As we've spread out and moved around we've had as many girls' weekends around the country as we've been able to hold. And one amazing get-together took place yesterday and will continue this weekend.

I am so fortunate to have these smart, funny, beautiful, successful, kind and encouraging women in my life -- and I am confident that I always will.

Here's to great girlfriends!

Photo from here.

Monday Musing

Oh, I wasn't ready for this weekend to be over! 

So when I saw this great print by Shaun Sundholm on the fantastic site 20x200, I thought, "yes, let's do!" 

I want to run outside and enjoy this sunny day! And getting lost in this gorgeous day would be absolutely wonderful. 

Photo from here.