I’m so excited to announce that the new Alchemie Spa has finally opened! I have been working with the talented owner of the Santa Monica Spa, Mary, for the past several months designing the spas logo, signs, menu, website, etc.  She has a great sense of style so it was inspiring and fun to work with her on this project and I think everything turned out great! If you are in the Santa Monica area, you should definitely stop by and get pampered!

You can visit the website and get more information at alchemiespa.com

This Mother’s Day I decided to try something new. I always like to make something special for my mom because she is such an important person in my life and she always appreciates the little things I make for her. After thinking for days about what I should make this year, I came across a yummy recipe on the wonderful ‘passionate about baking‘ blog for a fresh Strawberry Vanilla-Bean Jam. One of my mom’s favorite flavors is vanilla and I remembered seeing bundles of strawberries for sale at the market so they must be in season.. so I decided to give it a try. After gathering all the ingredients and jars I set to work. Turns out making jam is a lot easier than I thought! I made it without any ‘jelling’ mixture so I had to let it sit over night two different days and do a lot of ‘simmering’ on the stove but I gotta say that it really turned out delicious (and my mom loved it too!)

You can get the recipe here

This past month has been a complete blur. As soon as I think things are calming down the whirlwind starts up again and I find my head spinning with so much work and so little time! I came across these fun vintage ads today while doing some project research and despite my frantic state, they still made me chuckle. You gotta admire the honesty in these old ads – nowadays, everything is so sugar coated no ones knows what is reality! Hoping to get back to a normal state soon so I can stop neglecting my poor blog :)

source

Putting together my spring wishlist… filled with light, comfort and practicality

1 – Free People // 2 – Featured on Joss & Main // 3 – Fiel //  4 – Ayrika Fouta // 5 – stella & jamie

This little Echo Park neighborhood never ceases to amaze me. One of my new favorite local spots is the somewhat recently opened Cookbook market. I’ve only stopped in a few times but each experience seems to be even better than the last. Although they have a very small store, their selection seems great with local produce, cheeses and delicious fresh prepared foods. I tried the prosciutto and butter baguette for lunch and I could have sworn I was back in Paris! So happy this place is right around the corner!

Photo Source: 3 & 4

I was so excited to see that Shannon Reed Home Candles were featured on Fab.com today! I worked with Shannon over a year ago designing the logo and packaging for her new start-up candle company and its so great to see that her business has flourished and she is now featured on popular sites such as this. The candles will be on sale for the next two days so make sure to stop by fab.com and pick some up while they are still available!

Today was one of those gray, gloomy chilly days- the kind that just makes you want to cuddle up in front of a warm fire and completely relax. With so much busy work today I felt my mind moving at a million miles an hour – not exactly relaxing. At least I can be thankful for the night, knowing I can escape from work for a few hours, with chicken noodle soup on the stove and a nice bottle of napa wine – it’s always important to give yourself a much deserved break!

source: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4

My favorite aspect of our house is that it was built in 1926 and the previous owners lived here since 1940! Which means that most everything in the house was original when we moved in. This was a good and bad thing. We had to do a lot of updating (think of kitchens built and designed in 1926- not as practical today!) but the good part was that the house was filled with so much authentic character. From the hardware to the doors & windows to the light fixtures… everything seemed to add a certain charm to the house that just cant be bought. It’s these simple touches that make the house feel so warm and comfortable to me.