i heart you. yes, you.

i heart you.

and i heart hearts.

kill 'em with kindness. michelle christina.

simple, but oh so sweet. capow.

and

i heart this english girl's

paper hearts.

she's new to etsy.

she's now in my favorites.

i hearted her.

of course.

love this for a child's room.

love this for my sweetie.

sarah and bendrix.

i heart all my super creative etsy friends,

all my amazingly sweet twitter friends,

all my absolutely beautiful blog friends.

and my new and old facebook friends.

i am grateful for you all.

happy thanksgiving.

may you all find yourselves

surrounded

by lots and lots of hearts

this holiday season.

dreaming of a green christmas.

here's how it starts for me...the dreaming, that is,

when starbucks starts using their holiday cups,

you know, the day you walk in and they hand you

your drink in the pretty red cup,

and you think wow, it's the holiday season. it's here.

well, it's here...so it's time to get ideas, thoughts,

lists and plans into action.

while i wish i could say that we do a 'green' christmas at our home

and tell you all about how your holidays can be more green, too,

i wouldn't be telling the whole truth, so i'll just say that i'm trying.

i plan to buy handmade, vintage and recycled items as much as possible.

i have already purchased many great handmade items from indie sellers and haven't finished my shopping yet...{see my etsy favorites}.

my husband is huge into recycling and energy conservation,

so we will be replacing our holiday lights

with led lights from target this year,

and as always we will be re-using gift wrap,

boxes, tissue and bows from previous years.

we have a few parties to go to {might wear something i already have...or i might get that t-shirt i really want at j.crew}. we have lots of plans to do our traditional holiday events with the kids and friends, boat parades in newport beach and san diego, and long walks on magical neighborhood streets filled with lights and decorations. {we have a 'christmas card lane' close by. 5 blocks of decorated houses, kids selling cocoa and cookies, 5th grade band kids playing holiday songs. we bundle up and walk it several times. the kids skateboard and cars cruise slowly with their lights off. it's fun}.

i plan to make most of my hostess/friends gifts. i love to bake.

and love to get baked goods. {hint: anyone who lives close by,

'anything' chocolate is my favorite}.

i'll be starting with this apple cake.

it doesn't look pretty, but tastes great.

kids are off school this week

and it's been a bit chilly in the morning.

can't wait to have this with chai tea or coffee.

this is an easy, delicious recipe.

{baked goods on vintage

or thrift store plates instead of paper or plastic

makes a sweet, re-useable gift}.

Tamra Davis

Apple Cake

Time: 1 hour approx. including baking time.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease your baking dish.

Mix the sugar, butter, applesauce and egg together with a hand mixer.

Whisk the dry ingredients together.

Blend the wet and dry ingredients

and then add the apples and walnuts. Pour into baking dish and

bake for 30 to 50 minutes (depending on your pan and oven temp)

or until knife or toothpick comes out clean when inserted.

1 cup sugar

½ stick or 2 ounces butter, melted

½ cup applesauce

1 egg

1¼ cup flour

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2½ cups chopped apples (or two large apples)

¾ to 1 cup chopped walnuts

we hope to encourage our kids to want less and give more

{as in be charitable, whether it be holding a door for someone or giving a smile}

and to always keep in our hearts the true spirit of the holidays.

on that note, i found a few things that i think are really sweet.

i hope to support my indie seller friends

and inspire you to get your lists together,

remember to buy handmade, reduce, reuse and recycle when you can.

these little felted acorns made by this amazing girl touched my heart.

not only are they super adorable {you know how much i love this color},

but she is a survivor and true inspiration.

i love the thought of these sprinkled on a holiday table,

attached to gifts or hung as decorations.

truluxe.

i also love this idea for gift wrap.

choose a cool vintage shirt from harlow monroe

and a beautiful brooch from jen's closet

and use this first as gift wrap,

and then as a wearable gift.

this would work with many different

long sleeved shirts and pins.

lay a button-down shirt flat with the back of the shirt facing up.

slide your gift box inside the shirt.

fold the top and bottom of the shirt over the gift.

use a safety pin to secure any excess fabric, if necessary.

cross the sleeves so they wrap

around the back of the box,

then flip the gift right side up.

tie the sleeves into a square knot.

if your gift is narrow,

you may be able to tie the sleeves into a bow.

{adapted from country living magazine}.

many more 'green' holiday ideas to follow.

...for now, it's off to the mall. like i said, i'm trying.

click on photos for credits.

make a wish.

this tiny wishbone charm is a reminder to make a wish

for something that will make you smile,

at the same time say thanks

and know that

being grateful for what you already have

fills the heart with much happiness.

tenthings.

L.A. I love you.

i haven't lived in L.A. since i was a kid,

but a little piece of my heart

will always remain there.

L.A. i love you.

black gas.

tenthings.

wildfox.

amelia p morris.

the love shop.

dust design co.

urban pink photography.

gandolphoto.

little gray pixel.

yes, there really are palm trees everywhere.

urban pink photography.

there's no other place quite like it.

{i was born in hollywood, really.

my parents looked

and acted like movie stars.

beautiful people.

my dad wore sharp gray suits and worked

for warner brothers studios (architect/set designer),

my mom bought her dress up clothes

at second hand stores in beverly hills

(she'd tell me "this used to belong to

ann margaret or elizabeth taylor").

they went to crazy hollywood parties

and drove around in a pretty blue convertible

with white leather interior}.

urban pink photography.

these photos remind me of those days

with my parents

and why when i take my kids shopping on melrose,

and drive around my old neighborhood,

i always have a smile on my face.

zuppaartista.

capow.

L.A. i love you.

delilah.

courtesy of guest

fashion editor, mikaela.

tenthings.

bohemian winter.

after spending

the weekend window shopping

with my daughter,

looking for my 'holiday' outfit

{or how i can just

buy new super sexy shoes

and wear something i already have}

these below from j.crew are way too much,

but i love, love, love beautiful shoes

and my son getting a job {last night}

at a local Christmas tree farm,

i am

in the mood for winter.

love this tree from pottery barn.

woodland with...glitter.

pottery barn.

gilded pine.

silver pine.

woodland. velvet peacock. hair clip.

sarahparrott825.

econica.

photobird.

wanting fingerless mittens {still}, holiday decor,

a beautiful sweater,

biker boots and a peppermint mocha latte

right about now.

what's on your wish list?

{click on photos for source}

glitter crush.

after visiting my favorite stores

{anthropologie and free people}

for a dose of holiday inspiration

yesterday,

i realize that this season,

i have a huge crush on vintage hued-glitter.

i'm still planning to do my usual

nature-inspired theme,

only the sea stars, coral, feathers,

birds and branches

will be kissed with lots of glitter.

{click on photos for source.}

beauty lies within us all.

sweetbellpaper.

stephanie nielsen is often on my mind.

lana kole.

when i'm not speaking kindly to myself,

i think of nie nie.

studio lyon.

when i feel sorry for myself,

i think of nie nie.

dazey chic.

when i'm forgetting to be grateful,

i think of nie nie.

we heart it.

and then i send a little thought

of gratitude her way.

for it's because of stephanie

that i am reminded of

the power of love

and the beauty

that lies within all of us.

if you don't know stephanie's blog,

here's a gentle reminder

to be ever so grateful

for what you have in your life

and to remember this simple,

but ever so true saying,

beauty comes from within.

when you know nie nie's blog,

you will know that this is true.

just throw it in the bag.

i love to give (and get) re-useable bags as gift bags.

so, here are some random, handmade goodies

i found on etsy this morning

and some cool bags to put them in.

i love hearts.

alphabulous.

titanium hip.

toasty knits.

zoe chen.

sugarmarket.

i love hearts.

slide sideways.

Mr PS.

the craft pantry.

sewn natural.

three by sea.

oh, and some gorgeous handmade pillows,

i know, i know, random,

you can't throw 'em in the bag,

but they're pretty

and i wanted to include them

in today's post.

just need a bigger re-useable bag,

i guess.

tractor girl.

alexandra ferguson.

cozyblue.

please feel free to re-tweet this

(support the indie movement)

and follow me on

twitter.

feel like bakin' love.

a friend to knit with's

beautiful fingerless gloves

were featured in a previous post.

a beautiful site filled with love of family

and beautiful knitting patterns.

today, i stumbled upon her flickr

and this lovely collection

of delicious looking cookie photos

with links to easy recipes.

friend to friend.

feathers.

today's inspiration.

{okay, so it's a never ending love affair}.

{click on photos for credits}.

keep moving...

spread the love. it's free.

in 10 short days.

you can make a positive impact

on 10 indie sellers, artists and/or bloggers.

simply by promoting

each at least 10 times.

wanna play?

choose 10 indie sellers, artists, bloggers (write their names down),

for ten days you will tweet something

to promote each indie girl/boy on your list each day,

could be a re-tweet, could be tweeting a listing of theirs,

could be tweeting about their blog, website, #FF, etc.

you may also re-tweet this post to encourage those

that you are supporting to choose ten to promote.

no one is keeping track,

there is no right or wrong way to do this,

it's simply a way to support indie sellers, artists, bloggers

at this time of the year

by encouraging others to

buy handmade and vintage goods

and support the indie movement.

spread the love, it's free.

a few recent shots.

andrewreillyphotography.

what a beautiful mess this is.