I’m a big Banana Republic fan and have been for years, ever since they were a small store in Mill Valley that sold safari gear and very cool t-shirts. 
Now of course the brand is something very different since Gap Inc. bought the store back in the 80′s. Banana has seemed to fit both my body and my style throughout the years, being one of the few cool places that had a sizes larger than a six, it’s been one of my go to places for work clothes and special occasion dresses.
While I’ve been a loyal customer for some time, I’ve been really impressed with the collections since Marissa Webb joined BR. I’ve been loving the new edge. This along with some great sales have really helped me infuse some new life into my closet for the fall. Here are a few of my favorite new pieces I’m sure I’ll be wearing to death the next few months.
Images: Banana Republic
Last week I needed to take a week off of most everything to spend some time with me and focus on the home front. Home and those in it are to me the gold in my heart. Never one to pass up an obvious transition, here are some beautiful gold accents in the home.
“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.”
-J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
Do you ever feel like you are killing it and life is good. Then, without warning, your perspective changes and things don’t seem too rosey after all. That’s how yesterday was for me.
It’s funny how you can put on blinders to reality. While looking at things differently and examining life from different eyes can be hard sometimes, I’m happy to be able to take that look and make adjustments to get myself where I want to go.
“One person’s craziness is another person’s reality.” -Tim Burton
Photo credit. Photo by Drew Kelly, California Home Design
This weekend we went to our friends house for a BBQ. It’s always a treat to go down there because they are not only great cooks, but they live in a remodeled Eichler home.
If you’re not familiar with Eichler, he was an architect in the 50’s that was popular for the style of “California Modern” architecture. His houses typically feature glass walls, post-and-beam construction and open floor plans that pay tribute to Frank Lloyd Wright and Mies van der Rohe. Eichler Homes exteriors featured flat and/or low-sloping A-Framed roofs, vertical 2-inch pattern wood siding, and spartan facades with clean geometric lines. One of Eichler’s signature concepts was to “Bring the Outside In,” achieved via skylights and floor-to-ceiling glass windows with glass transoms looking out on protected and private outdoor rooms, patios, atriums, gardens, and swimming pools. Most Eichler homes feature few, if any, front-facing (that is, street-facing) windows, with those that do exist being either small ceiling level windows or small rectangular windows with frosted glass which is contrary to most other architectural designs which have almost all front rooms featuring large windows.
I was too shy to ask my friends to photograph their house, maybe when I’m there next time, but here are some photos of similar homes. The all white home is amazing!
Enjoy
Photo: youhavebrokentheinternet.blogspot.com
Photo: Metropolitan Magazine
Photo: EastBay Modern
Photo: To the Web
Photo: Toerge Photography
Photo: Toerge Photography
I’ve been loving seeing all my friends kids going back to school photos on Facebook. I remember those days. The nervous energy of starting school again. Wearing new shoes and a new outfit, a backpack full of folders and binders.
While summer is my favorite season, mainly because I love the sun and hot weather, as an adult the beginnings of fall is a new beginning of sorts. Pulling out the boots, sweaters and cozy socks.
Luckily here in the bay area, we get a push of hot weather in September and October called Indian Summer. While the sun sits lower in the sky, and it’s a tad cooler, it’s what us city dwellers look forward too from June – August while we live in fog.
I was thinking of getting together some friends and doing an end of summer hootanany on the beach the next few weekends? Bon fire, marshmallows, music. Anyone in?
Love seems to be something I think of often. Being in love, loving someone, what love really is? Is love passion? Dedication? Friendship? or something more?
I say it to my partner every day. I always mean it, but the meaning behind it changes. Sometimes I say it out of habit. Sometimes I say it because he says something funny, or does something nice. Other times I say it when he’s having a hard time, or he’s celebrating an accomplishment. Sometimes it said with deep meaning where I know he feels it too.
Often with us it’s just said by a smile or a look. A laugh or just something silly. Even just when he grabs my hand before we go to sleep.
I love this article about Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward’s Lifetime of Love. They definitely had it right.
I’ve mentioned before that I love, love, love notebooks! I usually drag about ten around with me at a time, all with just a few pages filled out on various subjects. In the age where we don’t seem to write anymore with pen and paper, there is something comforting in having a notebook close by to capture a thought or keep track of something that isn’t dependent on a power cord.
Handmademodern is a shop by Elizabeth Rosemond in Washington state. She’s not only a very cool mother with a great eye for design, but a friend of mine from high school. She makes the cutest notebooks, art journals and supplies.
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