Bloggin' Ladies Series

{screen grab from Femmena Mala}

Stephanie, over at Femmena Mala, was kind enough to include me in her Bloggin' Ladies series, a weekly column featuring Q&As with inspirational female bloggers. *Totally blushing that she thought of me* At any rate, you can check out my interview here.

My Life is an Open Book...

I kind of love be giving writing assignments. It forces me out of my comfort zone and pushes me to be more creative...and having a deadline helps me actually get it done. So, when Beth Dotolo (of Hello, Splendor) invited me to participate in her Blog Crawl, I was thrilled. The theme was "My Life is an Open Book" and, after some serious brainstorming sessions with my uber-creative friend Darcey, I decided on a concept. But before we get to my life, be sure to read about Justina's over at Compai, and tune in tomorrow to read Suzie's piece over on Cupcake Monkey. Ok, without further adieu, here is my interpretation of the theme at hand. I hope you enjoy it!

1. Donyale Round-Frame Sunglasses by Oliver Peoples 2. Marcie Small Leather Bag by Chloe 3. NW3 Beaumont Leather Belt 4. Ted Baker All-Over Stud Clutch 5. Kate Spade Twirl Bow Cuff 6. Holden Bent Plywood Double Feeder

1. Salt.Optics Parker Glasses 2. The Poppy by EmersonMade 3. Elastic Flower Bracelet from Forever 21 4. Moleskine Sketchbook 5. Anthropologie Recollect Travel Bag

1. Skagen Chrome and Black Leather Steel Watch 2. Filson + Apolis Philanthropist Briefcase 3. Ray-Bay Original Wayfarer 4. Ignite Nylon Trapper Hat from ASOS

1. Picked A Peck Necklace by Elva Fields 2. Marc by Marc Jacobs' Petal to the Metal Clutch 3. Kate Spade Summerville Small Natia 4. F6491 Sunglasses 5. Apple iPhone 4 6. Stella & Dot Clover Single Wrap Leather Bracelets

1. Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture 2. Victoria Beckham Sunglasses 3. Horn-Strap Suede Tote by Miu Miu 4. Sirtom White Hemp Purse with Bird and Cage 5. Aveda Wooden Paddle Brush

Polish Me Off

You can check out the actual Mrs. Nails winner over on the Mrs. Lilien blog. 

Indian Springs Fever!

{Indian Springs Resort & Spa - spa entrance}

My sister-in-law and I share the same birthday (July 8th) and we usually end up having a joint birthday party of sorts, but this year we ended up doing our own things. So, my mom decided to take us both to Calistoga for a post-birthday ladies' retreat. We spent the day at Indian Springs Resort & Spa in Calistoga, which has been in operation since 1862. We started the day off with a relaxing volcanic ash mudbath, followed by a soak in mineral water and finally a cool down wrapped in blankets with slices of cold cucumber placed over our eyes. Then, we each enjoyed a 25-minute massage - hello, amazing! Finally, we headed out to the Olympic-sized mineral pool, which is heated by the nearby geysers, were we lounged for a couple hours - reading magazines, soaking in the pool and eating snacks. All-in-all it was an amazingly relaxing day - just what I needed. I took a couple photos of our day, here they are:

{the outdoor waiting area at the spa}

{mom & Lisa enjoying some refreshing cucumber water}

{the resort grounds feature a bocce ball court, croquet , shuffle board, giant checkers and more}

{the entrance to the Mission Revival-style pool, built in 1913}

{the Olympic-sized mineral pool is a comfortable 92 degrees - like a giant, relaxing bath}

{the obligatory self portrait - poolside}

Bows & Sparrows visits Modern Bird Studios

{image from Modern Bird Studios}

I'm the featured "Weekly Blogger Interview" over at Modern Bird Studios. Check it out if you like Starship, Nate Berkus, Britney Spears or the best '80s movie ever, Mannequin. Special thanks to Megan and Gregg for thinking of me.

Up in the Air

{the view from 1,500 feet}

As a kid, I remember spending my weekends counting the hot air balloons that speckled the morning sky. Some mornings there would just be a few in the air, while on other occasions the sky was chock-full of the brightly colored balloons. It was so magical.

I'm not sure why it took me so long to decide to actually go up in a hot air balloon myself, but for my 33rd birthday I finally decided that instead of counting them from the ground, I was going to count them from the sky! I got online, found what appeared to be a reputable company and booked my flight, enlisting my friend Darcey and my mom to come along with me - after all, no one wants to die alone!

{view of a balloon from the ground}

We decided to spend the night in Napa, since check-in was scheduled for 5:30am - ouch! I woke that morning a ball of nerves and excitement. What was the likelihood of death by hot air balloon? I mean, I'd never heard of such a thing, but that didn't mean it hadn't happened in the past.

Once we got to the check-in site, we learned that our pilot's name was Gabe and that he'd be flying SunKiss. We also learned that it was to be the first time in over a week that the crew would be able to take off from Yountville. Apparently, when the fog rolls in from the bay, the balloons aren't able to fly over the Napa Valley - instead heading further inland to Winters. Well, we totally lucked out - yay!

At any rate, we were slated to be the second balloon to take off, which was cool because we got to watch from the ground as Juliet, the first balloon took off. It also meant that once we were airborne, we got to watch from the air as the other balloons prepared for take off.

{view of a balloon from the air}

As the balloon lifted from the ground, my nerves were replaced with pure excitement and wonder. The only time my nerves returned was when I took a step in the basket for the first time and felt the floor give way a little. Not that there was any actual danger of the basket breaking, but the thought did cross my mind for a split second - one very terrifying split second.

{me up in the air - scratch that one off the bucket list!}

In no time at all, we were at 1,500 feet and cruising through the air - and let me tell you the view was breathtaking. We spent a little over an hour in the air and it was even more magical than I ever could have imagined.

{Gabe adjusting the burner}

{releasing the hot air from the balloon}

Once we landed, Gabe pulled a chord which opened up the top of the balloon to release the hot air. As the air escaped, the balloon began to collapse - its movements reminding me of a jellyfish making its way through the water. It was beautiful.

{Darcey & me - back on solid ground}

{some balloons landing in the distance}

{posing outside of Domaine Chandon}

When the flight was over, we all headed to the Etolie Restaurant at Domaine Chandon for a post-flight champagne brunch. Over fabulous food and bottomless mimosas, we chatted with pilots, other guests and vineyard owners - enjoying our post-flight highs. Special shout out to our pilot Gabe and to the rest of the folks at Napa Valley Balloons for being so wonderful - we had a blast!!!

Happy Birthday to Me!

{Rosemary, Darcey, me, Kate & Jeff}

Last Thursday was my 33rd birthday and, aside from not being carded at Safeway while buying champagne, the day was fabulous! My friend Rosemary treated me to lunch, I treated myself to a mani/pedi and then my friends joined me for a fabulous backyard celebration. Special thanks to my mom and Rosemary for helping me set up the backyard. It looked lovely decked out in a white lights, fresh-cut flowers, antique dishes, the summer bunting I won from ACME and six yards burlap. Of course, what made the backyard even more lovely was all of my wonderful friends. Thanks to everyone who helped me celebrate! Here are just a couple of photos from the evening.

{the scene is set}

{lovely flower centerpiece}

{my adorable mom who went out of her way to make my day special}

{Sarah & Patti}

{Jasmine & me}

{i love this shot - it feels magical.}

{me & my delicious cake, which was chocolate with raspberry filling - yum}

{Jasmine, me, Julie & Maddie getting a little silly}

Happy Mom's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the fabulous moms out there...especially my mom, Arlene. She's a pretty awesome lady. Here we are back in 1977 at the Honolulu Zoo. Love you, mom!

Small & Cool? No Way!

{Walter kicks it on the rug}

{where the magic does (or doesn't) happen - haha!!}

{I like to think of the gun-range target as a burglar deterrent - look closely & you can see I got him where it counts!}

Somehow, and I'm not exactly sure how it happened, my apartment made it to the next round of Apartment Therapy's Small, Cool Contest. I don't expect to get to much further than this, given that the first apartment I'm up against is pretty spectacular. That said, I'm going to do my best to drum up support from family and friends (virtual and local alike). If you feel like voting for me, you can do so here. Thanks again to everyone who voted for me during the first round - you guys rock! Wish me luck!

{You know you love my awesome linoleum!}

15 Minutes of Fame

When SN&R writer Rachel Leibrock approached me for the rag's 15 Minutes column, I was super flattered and, truth be told, more than a tad nervous. I mean, at one time I was an SN&R staffer. During my five years with the publication (I left in 2008), I worked in the front office, editorial and finally in the design department. I was used to being the one asking the questions, not the one answering them. So, armed with a little liquid courage, I took Leibrock's call and did my best to answer her questions in an somewhat intelligent manner. Well, the time has come, the paper hit the stands today. Onliners and out-of-towners can check out this digital copy of my 15 minutes of fame. Oh, and a special thanks to Leibrock for thinking me worthy of being featured in the column!