NYE prep.

we are treating new year's eve 2010

as if it is prom.

{ example a, our kitchen : }

that right there is an airbrush tanning booth, larger than our fridge. my roommate has taken this up as a hobby and decided to bring the business home for our friends. slightly insane.

{ example b, new year's gifts : }

this is partially because i was lazy on the christmas gift giving, but i made some festive little surprises for people.

{ example c, spanx : }

pretty sure if christmas is about feasting, NYE is about spanx.

we have researched, tried on, and experimented with every variety.

our dresses thank us.

hope you have a safe and festive new year! we will be ringing it in at ana mandara and have 10 people sleeping in our teeny city apartment. cheers!

piggy.

something about this month's real simple seemed familiar to me.
couldn't place it...and then:

{left: photo by me for a class studio lighting assignment. right: real simple.}

famous little pig!

the happiest time of year.

a handful of pictures from the past few days:

{reading the night before christmas with the little cousins

before bed on christmas eve- a tradition!}

it's almost here!

this picture from bakerella makes my heart sing:

merry christmas eve!

renegade crafts.

when i attended this fantastic craft fair,

i came away with some very special goodies.

ex libris anonymous takes vintage books and turns them into journals, with some of the original pages scattered throughout the blank ones. they were all so beautiful and different, and still had dedications and inscriptions on the inside covers. isn't that such a lovely idea?

elsie q is a shop of knitwear, clothing, tea towels, and all kinds of fun things. it also happens to be owned by a good friend of misha's! i walked away with this lovely knit piece that can be worn as a neck warmer, or as a headband/ear warmer. love it.

i could have spent so much more time there, but was on a mission to get groceries and clean. next year i hope to explore some of the amazing jewelry and letterpress that they had. such heaven!

office secret santa.

i feel like i came out on top here...
i got an eco-cup!
{i've been coveting it at paper source for weeks.}

good job to my secret santa.

and yay for the holiday break!

london christmas.

in 2005, my family came to visit me in london for christmas. i think london is magical any time of year, but add some chilly temps and twinkly lights and it's even better.

{we went to midnight mass at westminster abbey.
this was the view down the road at big ben...see the teeny tree at the base?}

{every year since 1947, norway has given a huge tree to britain to display in trafalgar square.
i went to the lighting of the tree that year!}

{you may recognize this tree from love actually...
this is the mall that was down the street from my flat in princes square.}

ready for the big day.

this weekend was SO productive.

my roomie and i shopped in union square...

cleaned our apartment from top to bottom...

re-organized shelves and the fridge...

grocery shopped...

and wrapped ALL of our gifts!

and now my parents are in town for a good 2+ weeks.

can christmas come tomorrow, please?

renegade craft fair.

i'll be attending this in my neighborhood this weekend - can't wait!

i would like to be here.

{ snow in paris }
a lovely series of pictures over on sacres coeurs.

christmas {via iphone}

{ presents all wrapped up, ready to ship to texas }

{ the view of the trees in my building when i get home from work. we're the top right. }

{ our stockings hung on the mantle.

hard to see, but the "j" is naughty and the "k" is nice. clearly. }

the faces of love.

during my weekend in sacramento, i took some pictures of my lovely best friend and her hubby-to-be for their save-the-date cards.

we crafted a mini studio in their dining room and had quite the ridiculous time. brent makes the most amazing faces.

i figured i could safely post this one since it {hopefully!} will not be the winner. after danelle chooses the best one and gets those cards out the door, i'll post some more good ones. there were FAR too many amazing shots to pick from.

bells.

if you need a dose of christmas cheer

{today was the day where i desperately did!}

please look at colormekatie's post right here

and watch the video below.

her improv group surprised a salvation army bell ringer

with a chorus of pros playing joy to the world.

so beautiful!

i need to spend some time with photoshop.

love these pics, hate the crazies all over the background.
seriously girl, we didn't need your miniature smiling face in the middle.

it's been a happy day.

so how about some happy cupcake pics?

{leftover from this cute shoot}

meeting for breakfast...

is the new happy hour. just slightly colder and nearly as dark.

i met rosalie at the hotel vitale for a delicious morning at their americano restaurant. my walk down the embarcadero involved this gorgeous view of sunrise over the bay bridge.

last christmas...

we wore santa hats and reindeer ears on the beach.

and lauren became the karate kid.

holiday gift list.

what's better than making a christmas list?
i am always browsing and bookmarking cute little things.
here are some faves that i'd love to see under my tree:

oversized gold watch by Armitron.
it looks just like its more expensive cousin by michael kors.
{find it here, on sale on amazon for $52.50}

UO fingerless gloves in cream.
perfect for iphone usage on the bus.
{find them here, at urban outfitters for $18}

the Up dvd set.
haven't seen it yet, and i blame Cody, who avoided it like the plague (ha).
{find it here, on sale at amazon for $18.99}

faux fur throw in white.
i know this is maybe a little insane..
but perfect with my room makeover that is taking place.
{find it here, on sale at west elm for $79}


lip venom by duwop.
tingly and lip-plumping- woo!
{find it here, at sephora.com for $16}




sequin trim cardigan.
i saw this in an urban outfitters in houston and fell in love.
just the right amount of sparkly.
{find it here, at urban outfitters for $42}

cable knit slipper booties in pink.
don't they look cozy to wear by the fireplace in a cold SF apartment?
{find them here, on sale for $15 at old navy.}

frommer's guide to greece.
so i can start planning my big trip of 2010 - so exciting!
{find it here, on sale at amazon for $14.29}

i'm sure in the next few weeks i'll find 42 more things that could go on this list - oh the joys of holiday shopping and sales! my favorite time of year.

things i did in texas, no. 3

cuddled my sisters ginormous lab, bella.
she thinks she's a lap dog and i adore her.

things i did in texas, no. 2

took pictures of my darling niece while she played in her tutu:

something about this explosion of girliness is so cute...especially the diaper butt. haha.