We the Free

The other day I was perusing Free People online
and found the most beautiful body jewelry pieces.
It was a Friday and I had no plans, so I went to a
couple local bead stores and picked up what I
needed to be able to make my own.  I liked the
idea of creating my own jewelry, and choosing
my own materials.  I'm happy with the way they
turned out and wanted to share a few pictures.
Such a fun way to spend a Friday night in!

I am a hippy at heart~

I love the way these body pieces make me feel-

creative, romantic, happy and free ~

Autumn Air

Summer has officially melted into the cool air of autumn.  

Get ready for hot tea, cold mornings, pumpkin pie, 

scarves, boots, colorful leaves, and cozy nights by the fire!

Chris and I had the day off together and while he surfed

{the first swell of winter} I took a bike ride along the 

coastline of Pleasure Point, stopping to admire one of my 

favorite wild flowers- poppies.  

Completely enjoying the new season!  xxo P

Interior Projects for the Home

Chris and I have been putting in a ton of time to the 

interior of the house lately, my favorite thing to do 

in our free time.  I was inspired by an image I saw 

on Pinterest, and thus manifested our new 

headboard!  The word  l o v e  has yet to be painted 

on the wood, which will complete it.

This is our new inspiration wall in the dinning room.

All the  photos are taken by Chris, and the frames 

are made by us as well.  The driftwood clock was a fun 

project we did last winter.  I have a few framed 

polaroid shots from  my camera my 

sister got me as a gift for graduation.   

  

Old keys are my favorite things to collect.  

This giant one is from a friend's old woodshed- a found piece of happiness!

Cut-Off Lacies, Just for Fun

Cut-off jeans are such an easy wardrobe boost.  I had an old pair of dark blue jeans from 

a clothing swap a few months back and decided it was time for a pair of comfy 

boho cut-offs.  I sewed lace into the leg openings to add a little something special.  

This was such an easy project, and it was quick.  

I wore these jean shorts all summer long!

The finished product!  Match the shorts with a skinny belt, tucked-in shirt, and wedges- ooh la la!

New Found Love

Oh my, I love love love these sliding doors!  

They are made from reclaimed wood and 

stitched together with old nails.  Subtle and 

earthy paint tones have been sanded down, 

and a three dimensional quality is present 

with the layering effect of wood.  I found 

these beauties at a newly opened store near 

Capitola Village, called Charley & Co.  

Put it on your must-see list, they have some

very unique pieces and a total cohesiveness 

to the shop.  I foresee The Alibi recreating

a pair of these ...!

Catching Dreams~ Happy September 1st !

After being completely inspired by this

image, I decided I would create my 

own dream catcher, just in time for 

autumn dreams.  

It has been incredibly enjoyable 

traversing around Santa Cruz 

finding bits here, pieces there, to 

include in my design. I hope my 

project stimulates your own ideas 

for a dream catcher!  What a 

beautiful moment for the bedroom, 

especially suspended from the 

ceiling, which I plan to do!

Happy September!  

Enjoy this time~ xxo

I was thrilled when I stumbled upon the web of my catcher in an antique store down by the sea in Capitola Village.  I love the thought of incorporating someone else's hand sewn piece, 

loved once a long time ago, into my own creation.

The color of this leather is delicious.  

Not only will I use it as details on my 

dreamcatcher, but also for more leather 

feather earrings- which are currently 

selling at Zen Trading on 41st.  A beautiful 

chestnut color accessory for the fall time.

Yarn, ribbon, leather, shells, sea glass, lace, feathers, hemp, old keys,

sticks from the garden, pebbles... everything that represents me

and the things I love will be designed into the catcher-

I can't wait! Check the blog for the finished product.

In the meantime, originate your own!

The Blackest of Berries

The blackberries are ripe !

I wait for this time all year long- my first 

creation of the season was lemon 

blackberry bread.  

Winner!

Nuggets of gold found in
our backyard.

The lemons came from our trees as well, Myers of course.

Seasonal Calendars by YoungAmerica

Every kitchen in California should have this practical, handmade, piece of art calendar.  

Two San Francisco based architects collaborated their sense of graphic design, art, and their love of food, to feature an in-season produce guide specific to every month of the year.  

YoungAmerica . Creative is owned and operated by friends of mine, Brian Friel and Meghan Dorrian. 

These calendars have a singer sewn binding with a beautiful pressed cover, each month a colorful depiction of the season and its current fruit growing in Northern California.

I've enjoyed and been inspired by these images on the wall of my kitchen for two years, and hope that they continue to be available for 2013 and the years to follow! 

Check out their shop on Etsy:

www.etsy.com/shop/YoungAmerica

A simple list tells you what fruits and 

vegetables are in season.  The bold letters are

indication of that month, in which they are the ripest.

The month shown below is October- autumn, my favorite season of the year.

My favorite month features hot air balloons of fruit in August.

The designers are brilliant with the simplicity of the graphics.

I've fallen in love with the colors of September!

A Deep Breath of Island Air

Ahhhhh, Oahu was a breath of fresh air!  

And the fact that it was so spur of the moment 

made it that much sweeter.  I've posted some of my 

favorite pictures from the trip- keep in mind they are from 

my phone and not the best of quality.  For me they captured color,

light, compliments, patterns, and the simple island lifestyle. 

I'm sure you'll get the idea ... 

xx  P

 

First sunset on island- this was taken at Waimea Bay on the north shore.

The golden sun setting on the left side of the image fades into the blue of the

ocean and sky on the right side.  Compliments!

Pipeline is a flat lake during this time of year

{which, honestly, I prefer}.

 

My little sister, Camille,
caught peeking through
a picket fence to someone's beach front home.  I loved the washed out greens with her salmon colored pareo in this shot.

 I was thrilled to stumble upon this road sign, I thought it was so beautiful.

My pretty island sister who taught herself how to play the guitar.  She was born to harmonize. This image captures everything about the morning time: early light, rumpled sheets, quiet acoustics, untamed curly locks, and the solitude before beginning a new day.

The incredibly scenic Mokuleia islands.  

This shot was taken from a much higher altitude- we hiked to a 

place called Pill Boxes, nestled in the hills far above the sea.  It was truly a perfect day.

My last day was spent alone at four different beaches on the north shore.  I was able to reflect, give my gratitude, and prepare myself for the journey back home.  I had taken one very deep and full breath... and was ready and happy to be 

going home~

Oahu Spontaneity

I decided to take a spontaneous vacation to Oahu {!} - to visit my twin sister Lauren {who lives on island} and to spend time with my little sister, Camille.  I am currently expanding my collection of photos from the island- vivid color schemes, beautiful beaches, details of shells- stay tuned! 
I fly home August 7th, and although I love the slow pace and mellow life style of the islands, I miss my home on Terrace and everything that includes it~

Aloha!
 xx Paige

Good Morning Summer

Peaches are incredible right now, the sweetest juiciest ripest fruits in season!

I baked these little sweets for breakfast this morning... 

Cut them in half, and fill the empty pits with raw oats, cinnamon, and 

a pinch of brown sugar.  Sprinkle them with a little h2o and bake for 

about twenty minutes or so.  They are such a sweet and simple summer treat! 

I'll bake them for dessert too, and with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it's as

good as it gets~

Included in our CSA baskets from Fog Line Farm, have been Eight Ball
zucchinis- bold, round, forest green in color, and with a buttery nutty flavor {in other words:
delicious}.  I grated three of these squash and turned them into two loaves of zucchini bread: one for my family, the other for Chris and I.

Hello Anthro

Los Gatos welcomes the newest
Anthropologie store to it's Old Town, as of last Friday, June 29th.  And Anthropologie welcomes a new harvest of employees, myself included {!}
to collaborate with their exceptionally imaginative, innovative, and brilliant team
of designers.  As part of the opening crew, I was involved with visuals {the interior
design behind the scenes at Anthropologie} and was nothing less than positively thrilled
about it.  I've been so eager and excited to share these images with you {there will be
more... as the seasons change, so do our displays} and will continue to inspire the blog, and everyone who follows, with
photos and more photos.



xx Paige

This dreamland bedroom installation was created in just two days.  

The angular canopy of wood creates a juxtapose of sharp 

and soft, vibrant and subdued, interior and architecture.

Each room in Anthropologie transitions seamlessly into another moment of life. This room is referred to as Upstairs/Downstairs, where the kitchen {think Saturday morning, spatula, plates, apron, timer, coffee, coffee cup} fuses with the dinning room and the food collaborates with the friends,


... and life is enjoyed.

The rug below was hand made in Morocco {one of my favorite pieces}.  

Every mood-setting prop at Anthropologie is hand picked by Keith Johnson, who travels 

the world buying beautiful objects to stock and furnish each shop.  Dream job?!  That's my goal!

.




This display took hours of cutting up old jeans that were
salvaged from a nearby thrift store.  Each square was
individually {and mindfully} pinned to a cardboard circle,
thus originating this denim contained sphere.
Highlighting it is an antique yet operable spotlight..!

The hostess of the party is the grand chandelier in the front entry of the store.

It is constructed entirely of paperclips, some that have been painted to give it a hue 

of violet.  This display might have been the most time consuming- although I personally 

found stringing hundreds of paper clips together to be therapeutic ~

Our beautiful store front!  

The window display on the right reveals apricot blossoms made of paper mache, 

colored with natural dyes we made from beets and turmeric.  Apricots were a major export of 

Santa Clara County during the early 1900's {insider's knowledge on the motive behind the display!}.  

Walking through these french doors will offer an experience of many things, 

each person taking away something unique.  Come be apart of it!  

Visit us at Old Town Center: 50 University Avenue in Los Gatos.

Happy Fourth O' July

Happy Independence Day !

I snapped a few 4th o' July inspired pictures,

mostly of America's red, white, and blue theme colors

that I found around our house.

Left: An old iron door knocker I found at Atillia's Antiques on Soquel- one of my favorite antique shops.  I fell in love with it and now get to enjoy it on our front door everyday.  Right: A pair of cowboy boots I got for my birthday, another item of mine that I adore.

Below: Stars and stripes

Our neighbors gave us a
fourth of July paper weight
that looks more like a funky hand held firework.


Enjoy the holiday! xx

Breakfast and Sweet Peas

I am always looking for color in the natural world-
This morning I made a fruit salad for breakfast, and
the vibrancy of each piece of fruit could not go
unnoticed!  To add a unique quality of taste,
I used small brown turkey figs, bits of mint from
our garden, a big squeeze of a fresh orange, and
a drizzle of local star thistle honey.

Enjoy the week!  x P

My bouquets of choice lately have been

sweet peas- they smell aaamazing and provide a

moment of pastel color to our home.  

They've also been my favorites for graduation gifts:

a lose arrangement in an old mason jar, tied with a ribbon or raffia. 

p.s.- The florist told me the lighter the flower, the sweeter the smell!