what's in your gym bag?

Free People cropped pants / Free People sports bra / Missoni Home Striped cotton-gauze pareo / Good Fortune Bag / Emi-Jay 'Tangerine' Hair Ties (3-Pack) / Nike Free TR Fit 2 Women's

With the Olympics in full effect, we are beyond inspired to hit the gym! Lucky for us, Free People introduced a new boho workout line that we swear was made just for us! We love all of the sherbert-y colors and feminine silhouettes that we can't wait to slip our bods into to.  Set your alarm, grab your gym bag, load it up with these little gems, and you will be ready to work it out!  

Every workout needs a soundtrack. We put together a little playlist for your next mountain hike or sunset run. . .

 Free Spirit Mix Tape: 

IT'S ONLY LIFE- THE SHINS

KILL YOUR HEROES- AWOLNATION

HEARTBEATS- THE KNIFE

GO YOUR OWN WAY- FLEETWOOD MAC

JUMP INTO THE FOG- THE WOMBATS

BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAIN- FLEET FOXES

RECKONER- RADIOHEAD

CANONS- YOUTH LAGOON

THIS OLD ROUTINE- FIRST AID KIT

SHE TALKS TO ANGELS- THE BLACK CROWES 

when life hands you a lemon. . .

Pucker up party people! These bite size delights will be a hit with your family and friends, I promise! I brought a batch of them to the shop for our customers and the platter was empty by noon. Success! My husband was really bummed that I didn't save him one, oops. That just means I am going to have to make them again very soon. Plus, the sugary, lemon aroma that fills the house as you are baking them is beyond mouth watering! Enjoy.

Lemon Sugar Cookies

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 tablespoon vanilla

3 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest and mix until combined.

In a separate mixing bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, and salt. Incorporate flour mixture into butter mixture and mix until just combined, don't over mix.

Spoon dough onto your cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are just starting to turn golden brown. Top cooled cookies with lemon glaze and a raspberry.

Lemon Glaze 

1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

juice of 1 lemon

1/4 teaspoon lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl and mix to combine. Add more lemon juice if necessary to achieve glaze consistency. 

recipe provided by Kelsey Nixon

vegan broccoli slaw in the raw

This is SO quick + easy there really is no reason why you wouldn't whip up a batch of this delicious slaw! It is like vitamins in a bowl! I made the ginger dressing out of a few things that I had in my pantry. Don't worry, there will be some left over to save for future veggie dipping. Our broccoli slaw is the perfect snack or meal on the go. . . simple and pure.

GINGER DRESSING

•  3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 cup water

In a mason jar or bowl, combine the garlic, ginger, olive oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, and water. Cover the jar with a tight fitting lid, and shake well. Remove lid, and heat jar in the microwave for 1 minute just to dissolve the honey. Let cool, and shake well before serving. Store covered in the refrigerator. 

BROCCOLI SLAW

• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 bag of broccoli slaw
• 4 tblsp ginger dressing
• 1/2 cup raw slivered almonds

Mix together the bag of broccoli slaw, chopped bell pepper, and slivered almonds in a bowl. Toss with ginger dressing. Best served chilled!

we are SO into. . .

dress: free people // converse: studded by us // crochet blankets: estate sale

catching dreams

she's got a gypsy soul. . .

:: Have a beautifully golden weekend ::

photography by wild{whim} // model: Mary // set design: mystics+mint

recipe // vegan chickpea salad

Step 1 // chop the following organic veggies

romaine lettuce, cucumber, red bell pepper, avocado, tomatoes, chickpeas

Step 2 // layer on crumbled falafel + pita chips

Step 3 // toss with Goddess salad dressing from Trader Joes

Enjoy!!

homemade gift idea :: get well soon

Looking for a charming gift idea? I made this little gem for my soul sister Mary. She is a treasure hunter at heart with a wonderful bohemian way of living.  I wanted to create something to cheer her up for all of the sunny days to come!! I picked up this silver rimmed, cut glass bowl from an estate sale and planted baby succulents in it. Voila!! 

bitter sweet

This past weekend, my beautiful sister, and co-author of this blog was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. According to her doctors, they think that she has had this for years!! Due to her extremely healthy and active lifestyle, she was able to manage it on her own, naturally. But her poor body couldn't keep up and finally broke down. Last night, as our family gathered for a birthday celebration for our older sister Katie, Mary was unpacking and testing her new "swag" as we call it. Of course, my parents were bickering over the instructions, while Mary had snot running out of her nose to my left and Katie was eating her birthday dinner alone to my right.  Meanwhile, I forgot about the birthday cake that was slowly burning in the oven. Needless to say it was a little bit of a stressful celebration!!  

Anyways. It was incredibly heart breaking for me to watch the tears pour down Mary's face as our dad pricked her finger and injected her leg with insulin for the first time. I want to dedicate this post to Mary and all of the strong, beautiful people in the world living with this disease. Mary is the most compassionate, loving, and self-less sister in the world. This girl amazes and inspires me on a daily basis. She will be posting diabetic friendly recipes as well as tips + tricks that she uncovers throughout her exploration into the world of diabetes.

We love you Mimi

photography: wild{whim}photography

illustration: design.love.fest

love birds

Since we are in the heart of wedding season, we thought that we would share some of the magic from my very own special day. I can't believe that this took place almost 7 years ago!! And to make things even more retro. . . all of my wedding pictures were taken on film!! I know, ancient technology here people. I actually find it really special that we have a box of negatives from our wedding!!

Here is a little snapshot on how things went down. . .

the setting, an old flamenco bar in Los Feliz on New Years Eve

a crystal chandelier, hanging votives, and the moon lit the ceremony to perfection

 curly willow and honeysuckle vines spiraled into a magical archway

 black dahlias, red roses, and hydrangeas were dripping throughout

 the flamenco stage was a perfect setting for our home movies

we sprinkled in vintage brooches, red velvet, and peacock feathers

every wedding needs a sexy burlesque show

a photo booth made for amazing entertainment!

and here we are, the love birds.

wedding photography: rikka zimmerman / flowers and decor: moss to moon / 

wedding venue: el cid / event design: mystics and mint

fired up

Happy Birthday America!  Here is a little taste of what we were up to on the fourth. . .

 . sunset boat ride .

 . homemade TWIX bars . seriously magical . recipe here .

.  fire crackers with the kiddos .

 . remembering a very special loved one's birthday .

. homemade red white and blueberry doughnuts .

We hope that you all had a sparkling 4th!!