{happy friday}

How was your week? Mine seemed long, but having family in town has been the best. Here are my favorites from this week on the world wide web...

Favorite links:

#8 would have been really helpful for my gallery wall. I did a technique called "eye-balling it".

Beautiful places.

Such a simple, pretty room. Love the wallpaper.

Favorite blog posts: 

I can't wait to see the final pics of Young House Love's ShowHouse. It already looks beautiful.

All white ensembles are my favorite.

What a fun spring project.

Favorite videos:

Louis C.K. is hosting SNL this weekend! {Remember this gem from last time?}

This movie looks really funny. {It's Red Band, so it's NSFW}.

From a while ago, but the Stump Stand in Las Vegas.

PS: I'll be working at MacWorld this weekend! If you live in San Francisco, come stop by! I'll be the girl in that green Stump costume from the video.  Not lying.

No favorite photo this week, but I wanted to end the post by sending the gals in my family some fast running vibes! They'll be running the LOVE Run in Philly on Sunday & I SO wish I could be there cheering them on at the finish line! But the Stump costume is calling my name ;) I'll run it next year with them. NGR! xoxo.

{lively interiors: my gallery wall}

I'm so excited to show you my gallery wall today!  It's not at ALL finished, but it's a good start. I've collected frames, prints, & paintings for about two years now, so I had quite the selection to choose from. It was hard to decide what to hang!

Since I had so many frames, I had to first figure out a layout. My room looked like this many nights:

After about five different layouts, I felt like the wall looked too crowded. It was also totally unbalanced, {aka the left side}, so I shifted everything over & eliminated a few small photos. In the end, I was totally over-thinking it & making myself crazy, so I just grabbed a hammer, some nails, & started hanging.

Here's the wall before:

And now the after!

I decided to do all white & tan frames, since they would pop against the gray, & not do black frames. {The idea of black frames with all that dark brown trim in the room had me feeling stressed.} I also hung two hangers that brought in more wood tones. The calendar already came with the frame, so I mimicked the look with just a regular pants hanger I had in the closet. I love that it matches one another in a quirky way, while not making the wall too frame-heavy. The best part? You can change up the art whenever you want! 

^^"be happy" painting by me

1. calendar from a local SF store

2. childhood photo

3. childhood photo

4. paint-by-numbers by Dylan & I

5. childhood photo

6. section of my watercolor sketch book…just my practice doodles

7. IKEA print

8. IKEA print

I'm going to hang some additional frames/mirrors on the thin slab of wall to the right of my bed, as well as add one more photo {or two?} below the butterfly print. But I'm not in a rush. I'm very happy with how it looks for now. It makes the room feel so much more homey! 

If you're curious about the other side of my room, here's one corner. Since I was hanging everything else, I finally got around to putting up a mirror.

^^vogue painting by me, framed shells are by my aunt

Thanks for looking & reading! If you have any more questions about where I got anything or how I decided to hang them, leave a comment! 

{the weekend}

via my iPhone...

My dad was here on Friday! We had the most random, fun night.

I first showed him my apartment, which I was happy to show off, 

then we went to my favorite Sunday spot for some coffee.

We sat outside & just caught up. It was so nice.

{& if you know my dad, you know seeing my dad in the Haight is even better. 

I blend in a little more than him, but we both stuck out. }

Then we went to one of my favorites: Ruth's Chris.

& even though I felt guilty for not taking him to a classic SF spot,

I was more excited to eat a good filet. 

{...on a Friday. Such a good Catholic, I am.}

^^it was dark in there, sorry for all the grain

Then we went next door & checked out some piano keyboards.

As my dad sat there & strummed a guitar, I confessed that I really missed singing. A lot.

Last Monday, on St. Patrick's Day, Dylan & I were talking on the phone & said,

"Four years ago, on St. Patrick's Day, we sang in front of an audience 

of 1,000 people & 3 million on TV. Did that really happen?"

Sometimes our performances feels like it happened in a different life.

So my dad said, "Then let's go do karaoke."

So we did!

^^neither of those people are me or my dad

Only my dad could get me to do that.

I was terrible, but it felt amazing to have a mic in my hand.

After that we went to get some ice cream & watched a few of the basketball games.

We also tried this iPad app called Loopy.

Jimmy Fallon makes it look really easy. 

My dad & I could.not.do.it.

But it made us laugh trying.

I wish he was stayed the whole weekend, but he was off to his next business trip. 

Hopefully he'll be back soon...& for longer!

.

.

On Saturday I went to see Divergent. 

I thought the book-to-movie representation 

was pretty good, but let's be honest...

Theo James is not tough to look at for 2.5 hours.

Afterwards I hopped next door & tried a cute burger place for dinner: Split Bread. 

I was disappointed in my burger {mainly because of the crumbly GF bread},

but the fries, Arnold Palmer, & atmosphere made up for it.

^^the place was empty because I ate dinner at 4pm on a Saturday

I was sooooo lazy the rest of the weekend. 

I did manage to do all my laundry & take photos of my gallery wall though, 

so that should be up tomorrow or Wednesday.

Work is going to be super busy the next few days, but some of my family is in town!

My schedule will be packed, but it'll be a good week.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend too! :)

This post was written in the early morning & with no coffee or breakfast, 

so thanks for hanging in there until the end.

Riveting stuff, I know.

Happy Monday!

^^today

{happy friday}

Favorite links:

Beautiful people.

I may know a certain someone quoted in this article. Wish I could go! {Philly peeps...check it out!}

I loved every single point. Find joy!

Favorite styles:

Perfect beachy pants.

And summer sandals.

Okay I want everything on the site. Boden, you always do this to me!

Favorite videos:

If you know me, you know I LOVE Snoopy. Can't wait for this.

My fave TV show is finally coming back!

How in the world did he solve this?

Favorite photo:

^^love turning corners & seeing this beauty

Have a great weekend!

**banner from Pinterest, text by me

{the little things}

^^my morning view

Yesterday was a...day.

It began to feel like a Monday & it wasn't even 8 am on Wednesday. Catch my drift?

My day started off at 6:15am, where I drowsily woke up to turn off my alarm {which is my phone, on the ground} & promptly SMACKED! my head on the corner of my desk. Not a fun way to wake up. I gave myself permission to press snooze & try to doze off the pain, but let's be real. There's no easy way to come back from something like that that early.

Then I checked my phone & thought...Wow, not one email came in overnight. A miracle!  But then dozens came through within seconds, with their receiving times as early as 8pm the night before. {And I'm not talking spam or daily store specials, I'm talking a lot of important ones from work.} Not good.

Already in a mood, I pulled on my ripped boyfriend jeans, a pretty shirt, threw my hair up in a bun, & as I looked in the mirror, I hoped the day would turn around.

It did.

I remembered I had sweet, amazing blackberries in the fridge, so I had them for breakfast.

I walked outside, threw on my sunglasses--it's beautiful here--walked up to the bus stop as the express bus rolled up, & scored a seat.

My dad called & told me he was flying into San Francisco & is here until the weekend! I got my dates mixed up, & thought he was coming in next week.

The rest of the day was okay, but I still came home feeling stressed & needing something to do. So I did what I've never done before never do. I laced up my sneaks, grabbed my iPod, & took off.

For the first time, running helped! I ran the longest distance I've run in years without stopping, & found a good path around my neighborhood that is safe & challenging. I didn't stop when I was feeling tired, but instead pushed through until the end. {The end being my apartment at the top of a verrrrrry long hill, of course, but I did it.} I came home feeling awesome. 

Last week---Sunday to Sunday---was a great week. I felt like I was on my game at work, came home feeling productive & confident, really embracing the weather & new friends. This week is so far from that I am risking whiplash. I'm not crossing things off ever-growing to-do list, I feel like I keep making stupid, silly mistakes in all areas of my life, & I'm just tired.

But little things like blackberries, running, & fun coworkers make these kind of weeks way more bearable.

This morning was much better. I still have a giant welt on the side of my head & my list is still long, but I've got a fun two weeks ahead, so I'm going at it with a giant smile on my face.

^^my cool-down view from my deck

{weekend recap + lots of photos}

I didn't want this weekend to end! 

I spent most of Saturday outside, hanging in Golden Gate park with some friends. The guys grilled & played cards, while the girls read magazines & suntanned. The weather was just unreal & it was the perfect afternoon. 

Yesterday I met up with another friend who had a few hours left on her Zipcar. {When you live in the city & don't own a car, you take advantage of every minute you have when one is in your procession.} Up for an adventure, we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, drove into Mill Valley, & walked around for a few hours. It was so nice to get out of the city for a little while & fill up on some suburbia :) We didn't have time to make it to all of the shops or try any of the restaurants, but we've already made plans to go back soon. The town is a gem. 

I had my camera on me at all times, so here are some snapshots from the weekend…

hey there, Zac^^

thanks to the meat we were grilling, random dogs were pretty big fans of ours^^

^^I ate those berries right outside the market…why wait? :)

^^Karl the Fog meets Alcatraz, the Bay Bridge, & the city

^^I'll never not love this red beauty

As if this weekend wasn't good enough, I ended it at Costco, where the roommates & I stocked up on paper products & bought a new vacuum. That new purchase seriously made my year. I mean, is there anything better than a good vacuum? :)

How was your weekend? I hope it was a good one!

Happy Monday!

{happy friday}

Who else is glad it's Friday? I'm so happy to see this week say goodbye. When I ended up in Urgent Care on Monday night, I hoped the days that followed would be better...& they were! Sort of. I'm slowly on the mend, but man oh man I'm thrilled it's the weekend. It's going to be in the 70s both tomorrow & Sunday, so I'll probably be spending a lot of time outside. Can't wait.

Favorite links:

These are very very cute.

Lily Allen's new song is on repeat. {Sorry, Grandma…the lyrics are pretty bad.}

More reasons to love Lupita.

Favorite reads:

Have you watched Brooklyn Nine-Nine yet? You should. {It's hilarious!}

All the single ladies should read this.

Bootcamp exercises you can do at home---that work. {Thanks mom!}

Favorite videos:

Backstage SNL shenanigans. I really love the girls this season.

Singing Yahoo Answers.

I hadn't seen this movie in years & was so excited it was on this week. When Elle gets side-tracked about her sorority sister who'd once gotten a perm I die. every. time. {"But thankfully…"}

Favorite photo:

I sat with the windows & doors open all night after work---it stayed like this until 7pm!

.
.
Have an amazing weekend!

**banner print from Pinterest, text by me

{favorites from one king's lane}

I've been going crazy for One King's Lane lately. 

Everything they have has been so so beautiful. 

Here are my favorites lately...

.

Jogini Pompom Dhurrie, Green

This oriental is gorgeous. Perfect entryway carpet...or even under a coffee table?

The fringe is beyond.

{via}

.

Carryall Tote, Navy

The perfect beach bag.

{via}

.

Bamboo Salt & Pepper Set

Totally the "summer" s&p set. 

{via}

.

Freeform Sterling Silver Bangles

Simple accessories like this go a long way.

{via}

.

Ginny Marble Accent Table

My love affair with marble continues!
Such a chic little table for any room.

{via}

.

Spencer Dresser

Soooo pricey, but oh my goodness. 

The handles, the wood, the rod iron...

{via}

.

Do you have any One King's Lane favorites lately?

I could go on & on...

...

**This is not a sponsored or paid post, but One King's Lane is indeed an affiliate of Lively Liv. This was just a good excuse for me to spend a few minutes on their site & browse!

{vintage lamp makeover}

Since my room only has one window & a tiny light fixture, I needed more light! Specifically one by my bed. I almost ran to Target & bought one for $40, but I decided to mosey over to Goodwill to see if they had anything. 

They did!

$10 of beaded, dated, ugly goodness. Get rid of the shade & this thing is a gem.

{BTW…I totally carried this lamp on the bus ride home. Sans bag {because SF is anti-plastic/paper bag & I never remember to carry an eco-friendly one} & I got LOTS of fun stares.} 

^^just a few cracks, but nothing a little paint can't fix

The next day I braved the rain & stopped by a flea market I'd heard great things about. 30 steps in I found this pink, vintage beauty. It's over 20 years old, allows an abundance of light {obviously} & is oh so gorgeous. The pink? I die.

I came home, rolled up my sleeves, & spray painted the heck out of the stand. Good as new. But when I pulled the painting tape off of the base, I accidentally ripped off the felt bottom. I was mad at myself for 5 seconds, but then I saw this:

A happy mistake. I just so happened to have some sturdy black felt, so I traced the base & stuck it right back on.

Perfect!

For $20 total, I'm so happy with this little makeover. It not only allows ample light, but it looks amazing too.

obsessed with those curves^^

Fits right in!

^^notice anything else? :)