Manhattan Beach

How was your holiday weekend?  Mine was great!  I had the fortunate opportunity to see one of my besties from Texas who flew in to visit a friend in San Diego.  On Saturday, I drove from SF to LA for a girls' afternoon/night at Manhattan Beach.  I'm starting to think I'm meant to be a SoCal girl....this cool or shall I say cold weather in NorCal is not sitting well with me in May!  I was definitely the only person in jeans (yes, JEANS!) and the palest person in sight while walking around Manhattan Beach.  Who have I turned into? Haha

This was a cute store....I took a picture of the store front because my pup's name is Bella. :)

I love how this seagull popped his foot....such a poser.

The girls....aren't they so pretty and trendy in their sundresses?  Again, notice me in my jeans on the beach...haha.

Picture perfect SoCal.

This was another cute beach shop we walked into.  I love sea turtles and took a photo of this pretty mural on the wall.

My purchase for the day....these super cute espadrilles from Katwalk.

What do you think?  Pretty cute, huh?

Katwalk was also selling this shirt.  It says "Je suis l'ocean" which mean "I am the ocean" in French.  This shirt was meant for me!

My weekend continued with a visit to another bestie who lives in Bakersfield.  She just had a baby boy and I was so lucky to meet the lil' guy and hang out with my friend.  The baby was so tiny and precious!  And today, I drove back to SF and spent the afternoon driving around Berkeley with Mr. H.....the sun was shining and we had the top down on the car....great Memorial Day afternoon!

View of the Bay Area from the top of the Berkeley Hills.

View of the Golden Gate...so pretty.

Tropical Thursday

This is a picture of my sister and I on Wrightsville Beach when she lived in Wilmington, NC.  It's one of my favorite beaches!!  ( May 2007)

Our Lil' Living Room

Well, we don't have much space to work with in our tiny apartment, but I've made the most of it and attempted to decorate our living room with a coastal vibe.  I'm a devoted reader of Coastal Living and love scouring their magazines and website for inspiration.  I'll have to post at another time some of my favorite living spaces from Coastal Living.  Anyhow, I shop on a budget....I love finding bargains and pretty much everything you see in the photos was purchased inexpensively.  Let me know what you think of our cool and casual living room.  p.s. Don't you just love how one of my pups, lil' Bella, has posed herself in some of the photos?  She's such a diva!

The picture above the fireplace was purchased from Target years ago, the side chair was purchased from TJ Maxx, and the pillow on the side chair was purchased from Ross.  The silly lil' puppy on the couch was not purchased....she was rescued from an animal shelter. :)



The mirror was purchased at Ikea and all of the pillow covers were purchased at Pottery Barn...on sale!



The curtains and pillow cover were purchased at Pottery Barn.  The leopard throw was purchased at TJ Maxx several years ago.

The vase and shells were purchased at Michael's craft stores and the sand was purchased at Pottery Barn.

These vases and fillers were purchased at Michael's crafts stores, except for the rhinestoned starfish.  My mom gave that to me over Easter...I love how it sparkles in the vase!

I purchased this in Key West a couple of days before I got married (yes, we were married barefoot in the sand in Key West!)

I purchased two of these shades and lamp bases at Lowe's Home Improvement.

Please join me for A Beach Cottage's Good Life Wednesday!  You'll be sure to find some wonderful new blogs to follow!

Sold Out - Oh No!

I spotted these amazing shell chargers at Pottery Barn a month ago.  They would match my china so well (Lenox British Colonial).  I debated buying the goods to make my own, but decided I should save up and purchase the real deal later this summer.  Well, I went to the Pottery Barn website to discover they're sold out....already!!  My fingers are crossed these oh-so-tropical chargers will become available again, otherwise, I'll be attempting a new craft project.  Any tips on how I should make these myself'?

A Flamingo Kind Of Day

Flamingos are so magestic and beautiful.  Plus, they're pink....the color of summer fun!  Here are a few photos I took while vacationing in Aruba five years ago.  These beautiful flamingos wandered the beach and weren't afraid of humans. 

This is one of my all-time favorite photos I've ever taken on vacation.  I would live in this photo if I could!

And I couldn't help, but to include this new Kate Spade handbag in today's post.  How cute is this bag? 

Kate Spade Tropica Jezibel Handbag; $275.00

Please join me for Pink Saturday today!

Tropical Thursday

I took this photo last Sunday when my husband and I decided to take an afternoon drive on the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway).  This photo almost looks like a painting to me! 

Pigeon Point Lighthouse
May 2011

And here's a quick video I took when we stopped at Pescadero Beach along the PCH.  Listening to the waves is one of my favorite sounds...so soothing and relaxing.

Tropical Thursday

Happy Friday the 13th!  So, I'm a bit behind on my Tropical Thursday post...but better late than never!  This is one of my absolute favorite photos that I've ever taken on a tropical getaway.  My husband and I visited Costa Rica two years ago and it was a fabulous vacation!  I'll be sure to post about that adventure soon, but doesn't this photo make you want to hop on a plane and jet off to the tropics?!  I'm ready...if only I could fly to Tahiti right now. :)

Tamarindo Beach in Costa Rica
May 2009

I Love Paper

I love stationery....really, I LOVE colorful, tropical notecards and invitations.  And it's the perfect time of year to stock up on some beach-inspired paper.  Here are a few of my favs I've come across recently.  


Papyrus; "Seahorse Gem"; Single Notecard; $5.95

 

Paper Source; "Goldfish"; Set of 10 Notecards; $9.00

Kate Spade; "Bon Voyage"; Set of 15 Note Cards; $30.00

Martha Stewart; "Sea Life"; Set of 10 Notecards; On Sale for $9.60!

Crane & Co.; "Palm Trees"; Set of 10 Notecards; $15.00

Papyrus; "Graphic Sea Life"; Set of 20 Notecards; $16.95

Cavallini; "San Francisco"; Set of 18 Postcards; $13.95

Maybe if I'm brave enough one day, I'll share with you some notecards I've designed. :)

Be sure to stop by A Beach Cottage for her Wednesday linky party!

Happy Mother's Day!

I wanted to post a few pictures of the wonderful moms in my life....my mom and my grandmother (and we all share the same middle name!). Happy Mother's Day!

My sister and I pictured with my mom on Easter 2011 in Texas.

Me and my pretty grandmother who lives all the way out in Florida.  This was taken during Christmas 2009 in Texas.

Mother's Day 2010 at the Botanical Gardens in Ft. Worth, Texas.  I had been a part of organizing a large gala (1,800 guests!!) down in Houston and did not get home until 2am.  I woke up at 6am and drove home to DFW to surprise my mom and grandmother for Mother's Day. 

My mom comes to visit me in San Francisco in October 2010!

Wine tasting in Napa....October 2010.

My grandmother pictured with my my sister, brother and myself during Christmas 2010 in Texas.