love at first sight at la tour eiffel

 

two nights ago, i saw the eiffel tower. 

first in the early evening light, when the sun was just starting to go down. then again in the dark after dinner, when it was lit up and sparkling.

so amazing.

the year of "core" // perfectionism

art on the ramp of a local parking structure. love these. and that imperfect splatter? makes 'em!

last week i read, "the gifts of imperfection" by brene brown and these two passages resonated strongly with me:

"perfectionism is not the same thing as striving to be your best. perfectionism is not about healthy achievement and growth. perfectionism is the belief that if we live perfect, look perfect and act perfect, we can minimize or avoid the pain of blame, judgement and shame. it's a shield. perfectionism is a twenty-ton shield that we lug around thinking it will protect us when, in fact, it's the thing that's really preventing us from taking flight."

"research shows that perfectionism hampers success. in fact, it's often the path to depression, anxiety, addiction and life-paralysis. life-paralysis refers to all of the opportunities we miss because we're too afraid to put anything out in the world that could be imperfect. it's also all of the dream that we don't follow because of our deep fear of failing, making mistakes and disappointing others. it's terrifying to risk when you're a perfectionist; your self-worth is on the line.... perfectionism is a self-destructive and addictive belief system that fuels this primary thought: 'if I look perfect, live perfectly and do everything perfectly, i can avoid or minimize the painful feelings of shame, judgement, and blame.'"

i'm a rehabbing perfectionist i suppose.
any others out there?

honeymoon in paris, part 1

bonjour from paris!

scott & i are currently on the first leg of our five-city belated honeymoon in paris, from which we'll head to italy for the remainder of our time in europe. i have dreamt of visiting paris since i was a little girl and that is no exaggeration. a combination of love for the city of lights and being a major teacher's pet led me, in sixth grade (wherein you don't even receive letter grades!) to ask if i could do an "extra credit" report on paris. this trip has been a long time coming in many ways!

i didn't plan to blog while away, but as i have great hotel wi-fi and as scott naps beside me after a long day of sightseeing, i figured i'd pop in to share a few photos:

banana nutella crepe. basically i had dessert for breakfast and lunch.

 

outside notre dame. paris water makes my hair super soft but frizzy. quelle horreur!

 

notre dame, the starting point to our historic paris walking tour.

 

"love locks" bridge

i like the idea of sharing as i go, but until my next post, you can follow along daily on my instagram feed! my user name is jessohbee.

recently pinned: simple chic

recently pinned:

from a classic bob featuring choppy ends and styled with waves to organic forms in jewelry and housewares, i'm loving simple, unfussy pieces with a chic and modern edge. it may be that as you read this, i'm en route to paris for vacation, but over the past few weeks, everything in my closet has just felt... fussy. overdone.

i've been looking for how to simplify - neutrals, solids, no hardware, sleek shapes - without losing edge or style. these do the trick!

sources: 1. 2. 3a. 3b. 4. 5a. 5b. 6.

a year of monthly recaps

every month, for a year now, i have been doing a "monthly recap" post, sharing 5 images and a short list of what i did that month or new findings, hobbies, obsessions and thoughts from the past 30 days.

the scrapbooker in me is so glad i started posting these on a whim. looking back i see i already forgot so many of those small details i captured. and to me, those small details are the golden nuggets of blogging or otherwise documenting one's life.

when i hit may of this year, i decided i didn't want to stop, but it was time for something slightly new which will begin next month. until then, here's the links back to my previous months if you want to take a look:

• may 2011
• june 2011
• july 2011
• august 2011
• september 2011
• october 2011
• november 2011
• december 2011
• january 2012
• february 2012
• march 2012 
• april 2012

or, click here to view the entire series.

the year of "core" // extinguishing yourself

let me tell ya, the inspiration for my one little word, core, just keeps on coming. sometimes it's profound and sometimes it's a simple kick in the ass for me to stay on track.

the indexed.com card above? let me just say it wouldn't have been a bad idea for me to copy it a few times, taping one to my mirror, another to my nightstand, and several to my computer monitor at work last week. simple words, but oh so good words they are.

april 2012

:: documented in april ::
finally broke my dry spell at the long beach flea market with julia. obsessed over the personal style videos on vogue italia's website, developing about 7 new solid girl crushes. sampled all the vegan offerings at four season los angeles' windows lounge.

:: leftover bits pieces of april ::
saw scott's band, the junk, play in orange county. had a rough time with positive thinking and sticking with my emphasis on "core". i guess it'll always be a work in progress, but i too need to be stronger in my resolve to avoid toxic behavior of others, which is what starts to unravel my focus. spent a weekend alone while scott headed to miami with his other band, smut peddlers, to play two shows. he came home with cuban coffee, pictures of alligators in the everglades and many, many hilarious stories. decided to stop drinking alcohol and switch my coffee to half-caff, half-decaf. so far so good! on the alcohol, its been just under a month and i don't sense i'll ever go back. for coffee, i may segue into totally non-caffeinated, but only if the taste isn't too compromised. because what's life without a really yummy cup of coffee? finally embraced maxi dresses! at first i bucked the trend (for reasons not remembered) then it took me forever to find some versions long enough for my frame. i hear short girls saying they don't think they're tall enough to pull 'em off, but ladies, let me tell you, very few i pull off the rack are long enough for someone over 5'4", so the world obviously feels otherwise. took less pictures (from a "real" camera) in the month than i have any other time in years. i blame the iphone. decided i must master a top knot. it hasn't happened yet, but i'm on my way thanks to these two tutorials. became addicted to coconut sorbet. unlike berry sorbets, it isn't too sweet. it has the iciness of sorbet, but the creaminess of ice cream thanks to the coconut milk. ciao bella makes a great one you can find at most whole foods and grocery stores.

better late than never, right? i was going to scrap this one as i'm weeks behind, but is the 12th installment in a year-long series, so i couldn't bring myself to skip it!

an accidental hiatus

in between review time at work (always gunning for that corner office!), planning our honeymoon (yes, i am calling it our honeymoon. i don't care that we're taking it 2.5 years late, i'm still counting it as such!) and general life craziness, i haven't posted in just about a month now.

and that's just the nature of personal blogging. i have a full time job i'm very dedicated to, completely separate from this site and as long as i don't make money off this blog or plan to use it as a marketing tool for my own personal brand or personal business, it has to sometimes take a back seat. that said, i've missed posting! missed it oh so much. glad to carve out some time today with a mug of coffee and hours of photo editing, to get caught back up.

until then, the prettiest of all lazy blog posts: instagram pictures! here's what i've been up to, per my instagram feed, since my last blog post:

you're not equipped for espionage

i went to the long beach flea market last weekend ready to buy! i didn't score real big, but i did finally break my dry spell. good thing because julia started threatening not to go with me anymore...

this rad hammered copper obelisk immediately caught my eye. i love sculptural items to flush out a bookshelf or help style up a little vignette. though lightweight, it's big so i expected a big price tag to match. nope - just $5. boom, done!

i love collar necklaces and find vintage versions in all gold or silver perfect for work, often over a round neck sheath dress. this cross-hatch, gold necklace was just $8! happy to come home and search for it on etsy to see the exact same one listed a few times, both over $20 plus shipping. somehow that always makes the flea market find that much sweeter.

flea market // long beach antique market

another weekend, another flea market!

i returned to long beach with julia with a list of things to look for (silver tribal cuff, cross body purses, a hanging lamp & something woven) and a list of things to avoid (vases, regular lamps & the lady-like clip-on earrings i'm always drawn to). it was a good one!

my hands are in basically every single picture. let's just pretend i did that on purpose for size reference... without further ado, here's what caught my eye:

super unique clip-on earrings. in person they seemed guady, but now they feel very artisan and cool, even marni-esque to me. paired with a low, loose bun and simple summer dress they could be a major statement piece. or i'm over-thinking and they are guady? then, there's always great glassware at long beach. i loved these ombre glasses because they had a great wave texture, plus indents for your fingers. the color was more saturated - like a sunset - than you can see here:

gold planter with hammered texture and little feet. i still need a planter for my living room's fiddle leaf fig tree. julia talked me out of this one, but i think she's wrong. keeping my eyes out next time! mid-century serving utensils always make me stop. these rock but no need so i passed:
cast iron ant! no clue why, but i loved these. what does one do with a cast iron ant family? all my dinnerware at home is very simple - white plates and clear glasses. the only exception is a collection of smokey glassware. i like to use these for dinner parties or special cocktails. smokey glass is easy to find but the shapes vary so greatly that i like to pick ones with especially cool lines:
a little dose of animal print was tempting... this was about 4 feet tall:
i have a weak spot for brass animals. ducks, dolphin, owls are too common. koi fish, lobster and bugs are way cooler. lay this guy on top of a stack of books or use as a paperweight. on the right is a big, bronze platter. surprisingly lightweight, i thought it would be a great wall hanging:
and of course, half of the fun of going to long beach with julia is that she buys the oddest things.

neither of these went home with her, but were major contenders. the lamp (huge, with chunky plastic rocks) was one of the ugliest things i saw all day. julia's take: "it's my style!"

she was on a hunt for a cow creamer. it's always fun to have something very specific to look for as it turns the flea market into a scavenger hunt of sorts. this was close:
but THEN she discovered the wonder that is moose creamers!
a furry doll and a painting of an old, asian man also made the cut, but i'll let her blog show off all her finds. i went home with two pieces you'll see later this week!

long beach antique market
4901 east conant street
long beach, ca 90808
longbeachantiquemarket.com | @longbeachmarket