you are so very special

Such lovely things to be found over at Enormous Champion!


Boat Cards (pack of 6)


Here to Stay


So Very Special


A Cetaecean Study

on repeat: teenagers

Department of Eagles

the cuteness is killing me

Retro Star footies


Rainbow footies

*love*

I *love* this drawing by Samantha Hahn.
I hope you feel the love today.

i seriously heart TOAST

Today I found two new additions to my pregnancy uniform wardrobe!


Lazy Day Dress

Ikat Print Tunic Dress

Shayna has her eye on this dress too. I'm trying to convince her to get it so we can be twins.

TOAST

getting dressed at nearly 17 weeks

I'm trying to stay stylish as my belly gets bigger and not buy actual maternity clothes, which for the most part are pretty ugly and generic.

At this point, I've established somewhat of a uniform: AG white jean shorts + a tunic or 3 quarter sleeve t-shirt dress + tan oxfords. Here I am at nearly 17 weeks, taken yesterday, in my uniform.



The amazing tunic is Steven Allen from my local consignment shop, Maribel. It's billowy enough to wear through the rest of the pregnancy and super cute belted.

we've moved!

Here we are in front of our house, on our porch (where I plan to spend many an afternoon).



I've never lived in a two-story house. This morning as I was eating breakfast downstairs, Jordan came down and told me that I felt so far away when he was getting ready for work upstairs. I told him that maybe we should get an intercom system.

We're going to be spending the next few weeks unpacking and settling in. Until we get wireless in our house, blog posts will be somewhat sporadic.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

(thanks to Bree and Daniel et al for the photo, and for the tamales and treats yesterday!)

coppola's somewhere

Have you seen this trailer for the new Sofia Coppola movie?
I pretty much love it already. And how cute is the littlest Fanning?



And, hello new Phoenix song! I love you too.

[via Coudal]

criterion art

More examples of awesome Criterion Collection box art are over on Unstage.

(via Kottke)

jen corace's "down, down, down"

I found this ever so lovely Jen Corace print, "Down, down, down," over on Tiny Showcase. It measures 7" x 10" and is only $30. $15 of which go to a very good cause. Get the print now if you like it because it'll only be available for a limited time.

This unsigned edition will be available June 8th through June 18th, 2010. It will no longer be available for purchase after that date. $15 dollars from each print sold will be donated to the Gulf Restoration Network.

amazing sisters: farm city + these days in french life

Last year when I read the fantastic book Farm City about Novella Carpenter's urban farming experiences on an empty lot in Oakland, I was inspired to follow in her footsteps: start a vegetable garden, eat what I had planted and grown, raise chickens, start canning... I probably won't raise pigs any time soon (Novella raises two over the course of the book), but all of those other items are potentially doable in the back yard and kitchen of the house we've bought and are moving into very soon.

After reading Novella's book I googled her. Naturally. I visited her site, Ghost Town Farm, and looked at the Farm City photos on flickr. From here, I found her sister's photos: These Days in French Life. I've been following Riana's similar experiences living off the land for a year now, and I am enamored. And humbled. Here's the list of how she and her husband and daughter "live slow":

A little bit about what we are doing and have changed in our lives over the past two slow years
Gardening and raising animals on borrowed land in the city

Freegans- Dumpster diving
Foraging in season and in harmony of nature
No consumer shopping for the last 2 years
Rebuilding a stone house from the 1700’s
All Eco and/or recycled materials
Growing 25 % of our produce
Freegan and Foraging the other 75 %
Bartering and trading

Food Preservation/Storage:
-canning
-drying
-freezing
-fermenting
-pickling
-root cellar

In the Kitchen:
- cooking from scratch on an antique wood burning stove
- yogurt making
- bread making
- cheese making
- sprouting

-kombucha and Kefir drinks
- cast iron cookware
- no dishwasher, refrigerator or microwave

Our Limited Food Choices:
- buying in bulk organic: meat, local honey, raw milk and flour
- local roasted coffee beans

Raising Animals:
- chickens (eggs/meat)
- rabbits (meat/manure)
- dwarf/pygmy goats (milk/manure) coming in spring

Composting Methods:
- vermicomposting
- composting food, garden and green waste

Energy Conservation:
- "powering down"
- cut energy usage to 1/3 of before

200kWh per month for three people
- rechargeable batteries
-no AC or central heat
-no ironing or hairdryer
-wood burning heat with recuperated wood
-water heater off for three days a week
-line drying clothes
-washing machine: 30 minute Eco wash
-deep freezer A rating
-LED lighting through out house

Homemade Non-toxic Beauty Care Products
- toothpaste
-shampoo
-vegan deodorant and soaps through trades

Biodegrable/Non-toxic Cleaning Products:
- vinegar
- baking soda
- lemon juice
-olive oil
-beeswax
-homemade washing detergent

Natural Health Practices:
- homeopathy
- herbal remedies
- prevention
-Universal health care helps

Water Conservation Efforts:
- low flush toilets
- reusing bath water to flush toilets wash floors
- baths together
- limit toilet flushings
- limit baths/showers – twice a week
-greywater to water plants

Living Simply:
- making use or do without
- bartering and trading goods and services
- 3 annual shopping trips for organic meat
- recycling, recreating, or redistribution
- repairing, fixing, sewing and remaking
-making food for others and giving to charities

Heating:
- no central heat
- woodstove that uses scrap wood
-and pipes heat into the bedrooms

Home Projects:
-mud cob wall
-hemp insulation
-recuperated wood ceiling

Amazing (these sisters), right?

Riana posts mouth-watering photos of amazing meals, shots of their farm house in various stages of renovation, and pictures of their lovely growing girl. So take a look.

Happy Saturday to you!

summer sandal dilemma: petras or wishbones?

I'm trying to decide on my summer sandal purchase. I've been wanting a pair of light tan sandals for awhile, so the choice is now between these two:


The Camper Petras that I blogged about last week.

And...

These Michael Kors Wishbone sandals that I blogged about here, and that are now on sale.

What do you think?! The Petras or the Wishbones?

orla kiely bike

Orla Kiely design + old timey bicycle = yes please!
See it here.

beaver in blue mittens

I can't quite describe why this beaver in blue mittens print makes me as happy as it does. But it does. And it's adorable. And it's only $15.

sunday in the park

Scene from the weekend: lounging and reading in the sun at Tilden Park.

camper crush

I've been living with 5 pairs of shoes for the past two weeks as the rest of my shoes are packed away in boxes to be moved to our new house. It hasn't been too hard getting by with so few choices, considering that I'm essentially wearing versions of the same outfit everyday because most of my clothes aren't fitting the way they used to with my belly getting bigger.

I made the mistake of packing away all of my sandals (it was raining when we boxed up our bedroom), so when I saw these tan Camper sandals (you might not be able to access that link depending on what country you're visiting from; to make it easy, they're Petra Model: 21234-003) I instantly started crushing. They remind me of the brown leather sandals I got in Greece as a kid. Simple, yet fashionable.

connecting the dots

These adorable Connect the Dots Thank You postcards can be found over on Etsy. Cute, right?



(via Black Eiffel)

prêt à voyager + me

I was super excited when Anne over at Prêt à Voyager asked me to be a part of her Boarding Pass series because, I love her blog, I love that she has such a penchant for traveling, and I've been a big fan of her Boarding Pass interviews for awhile now. And following Anne on her many travel adventures via Flickr always gives me a case of wanderlust. Take a look!

You can read my interview here.

long weekend

My parents were in town this weekend to help us move (yes, we're buying a house!)... Though, at the end of last week, we found out that we weren't going to be able to close on our new house on Friday, so we spent the weekend eating good food, navigating around the many boxes stacked in every room of our apartment, walking around warm and sunny Oakland and San Francisco, and enjoying being together. Here are some shots from the weekend:



The inside of the Oakland Cathedral on Lake Merritt.


My mom and me; hello belly!


Lake Merritt from the roof garden of the revamped Oakland Museum.