addicted to twitter

Let's not even talk about how much more productive I used to be at work before twitter. So what do I tweet about? I made my own little Tweet Cloud and you can see what words I tweet most often. My top three words are: love, polaroid and happy. Do you tweet?

You can follow me here.

Tweet tweet.

remember Paris?

Remember how I was totally obsessed with the idea of moving to Paris? I still am, I just try not to talk about it every second of the day so as not to appear totally nuts. But I cannot lie. My heart is out there roaming the streets of Paris while I sit at my desk in California.

Today I visited Haven in Paris and this little one bedroom flat made my heart pitter patter. So I decided to take my own little imaginary trip of Paris.

First how lovely to have a Truffled lunch.

And maybe have Sunday dinner with Jim. I've read about his dinners before and I love the idea.

Since apparently all I will want to do in Paris is eat I will stop at Du Pain et Des Idées and load up on baguettes and apple pastries and chocolate snails. (why not? it's Paris!)

I've wanted to checked out St Ouen Flea Market ever since I read about it on a blog two years ago.

I also found this great guide to Paris flea markets. Amazing!

I always come back to Alicia's beautiful photography when I need a Paris fix.

But I think Jen's Paris polaroids are my favorites.

Ahhh there are so many things I want to do in Paris but I'll save it for another post. I don't want to appear too nuts. How did I do?

Maybe you should tell me what you love about Paris if you've been or why you want to go if you haven't. I'd love to hear!

I guess for now I'll settle for seeing Coco Before Chanel tonight.


photo credit.

Have a lovely weekend

This week has been wonderful and hetic. That's really the best kind of week if you ask me. I had lots of family in town. My cousin Jennifer came to visit. She's 1 month and 3 days older than me and we grew up together. It's always so fun to see her. And aunts and uncles and grandmothers and great grandmothers and puppies everywhere. I also got a chance to catch up with some friends from elementary school and high school. It was SO good to catch up a bit and eat good food and laugh. We laughed a lot.

And of course I took not one single picture. *sigh*

But I promise it was good and everyone looked beautiful.

Here's some good stuff from around the web:

My good friend Alyssa (aka Andie Mills) has 1,000 YouTube subscribers. Check her out!

I was lucky enough to snag not one, but TWO gorgeous Taza headbands which sold out in literally minutes. I can't wait to get them.

Cutest stocking stuffer

Film users heaven - film is not dead!

Cutest handmade Polaroid - I'd be so proud.

A great under $50 gift guide over at Daydream Lily.

This video almost makes me want a kitty!

A collection of Audrey Hepburn's dresses are being auctioned off at Sotheby's on Dec 8th. Can you imagine?

I really, really want an excuse to order these mini Moo buisness cards...

This weekend I'll be cracking down on the Christmas shopping and watching Coco Before Chanel and catching up on my reading. What are you doing this weekend? Well whatever you're dong I hope you have a wonderful weekend!


photo credit

chloe aftel

How great are these Polaroids by Chloe Aftel? Pretty great right? I love the shots she took for Ban.do.

all photos belong to Chloe Aftel

grateful me

Last week in Primary I was talking to the kids about gratitude and we talked about different things we were all thankful for. One of the girls (age 5) said, "I maybe don't have everything that I want but I have a lot." So do I.

I have so much to be thankful for:

for my family
for good friends who make me laugh, inspire me and challenge me to be better
for a puppy who lets me obsess over her
for blooming flowers and fall leaves
for a million shortcomings that give me a chance to laugh at myself
for my faith
for shooting stars
for the freedom to dream big and pursue happiness
for it never being too late to discover new passions
for a fluffy pillow to rest my head on each night
for good food and a warm home
for cozy sweaters to wear in the winter
for flip flops to wear in the summer
for old friends
for new friends
for music
for my health
for my education
for good books to read
for the opportunity to travel
For the sweet smell of clean laundry
For people to hug
For eye contact with strangers
For random people who smile back
For the ocean to dip my toes in
For cupcakes and goldfish crackers
For a Heavenly Father who loves me even when I'm not so loveable
For Eucalyptus trees
For clean water to drink
For the Primary kids I get to teach every week
For challenges that teach me to grow
For a million different blessing...

I am so thankful!

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.
John F. Kennedy



Happy Thanksgiving! xo

photo credit

grazia

My friend brought me back this week's issue of Grazia from her trip to the UK.
It doesn't take much to make me homesick for England.

feeling good again

So here are some tunes for your listening pleasure. There's no real theme to these picks - just some songs that I never get sick of hearing.

Cuddle Fuddle

Just Dance

Red Cape

Sugar Magnolia

In the Ayer

Kung Fu Fighting

Tout Doucement

Crazy Girls

Shine

Drink your fluids, wash your hands and enjoy!

xoxo Vanessa

I'm happy to share these with you but as always if you like them please support the artist by purchasing them.


photo credit

getting back to normal

I swear that is the last time I am getting sick. I'm still not 100% over it but I'm getting there. Being sick has made me realize some things that I need in my life.

1. Husband
(for chicken soup making/orange juice providing purposes)
2. Snuggie
(so I can play with my phone and stay warm)
3. Dog walker/entertainer
(because it only takes one look at Harlow to see she's bored silly)
4. TV in my room
(because I haven't left it in a week)

Okay, so these are all things I'd probably only want on a temporary basis (well, besides the husband) but I really needed them this last week. I've never been very good at being sick. I'm pretty much a baby. I came across this journal entry from when I was living in England and was feeling pretty miserable. It sort of makes me laugh:

I must be really and truly ill because I walked into the chemists to buy medicine today and burst into tears. Who DOES that? I have been sick for the past month - first it was a sinus infection, then inflamed tonsils, then stomach flu, and now whatever I have. My throat is on fire and I can't swallow but I'm not coughing. And then I was standing in front of a shelf full of medicine for things I've never heard of. I mean honestly...what is "catarrh"??? None of this means anything except I'm tired of being sick. I want to feel like a normal person again.

Okay so I looked up this catarrh business and this is what I get:

What is catarrh?
Catarrh can be a frustrating condition, since it has no real definition. It seems to cover a whole spectrum of conditions, from rhinitis and nose allergy, to snoring, bad breath and tonsil problems... Other symptoms associated with catarrh include: snoring, sleep apnoea, bad breath, tonsilloliths, sore throats, tonsillitis, dry cough, choking attacks, blocked nose, thick nose secretions, sneezing, allergy, rhinitis, headache, facial pain, loss of smell, nausea and lethargy.

helpful... very helpful...

If you ever want to see my cry just come up to me while I'm sick and say "catarrh". You'll get your wish.

I promise to appreciate how good normal feels if I can just get back there. And maybe Harlow will stop looking for a new family to live with.

calling in sick

photo credit

puppy love

It's in the air!

I'm not getting a puppy. I'm still completely smitten with the one I have. But it seems like everyone else I know is thinking about getting one and has asked my opinion. My response? DO IT!

Of course it is a responsibility but one with lots and lots of benefits. Take Harlow for example. She keeps me warm when she snuggles on my lap and looks ridiculously sweet when she sleeps. She is always happy to see me and she gets really excited about silly things like twigs and dryer sheets. I am proud when she eats her dinner and drinks lots of water and learns a new trick like "shake" or "roll over". She is proud of me when I leave a sock on the floor or take her on an extra long walk or give her a tiny bit of cottage cheese with her puppy food.

When it comes to puppies I vote yes.

rockstar diaries

I decided to sponsor one of my very favorite blogs: The Rockstar Diaries. Yay! I even made my own little ad. That part took way longer than it should have but you can take a look at the finished product if you like.

Why do I love The Rockstar Diaries so much? Okay, I'll tell you.

They love Polaroids
They love each other
They like to paint things
They go to the temple
They wear silly hats
She wears red lipstick
They love Utah
They love love happy lists

Honestly, Naomi and Josh's blog makes me very happy. I love reading their little adventures. I dare you not to become addicted.

Photo property of The Rockstar Diaries of course.

Have a wonderful weekend

I haven't had much time for blogging this week... I must still be exhausted from my lipstick search. It really is not for the faint of heart.

One of my co-workers is leaving today for 2 weeks in England & Wales and I am doing my best impression of a not-at-all-jealous person and so I am going to have a very, very good weekend. Too bad Chelsea's not around.

I love this site full of attractive office supplies. (found by Suann)

You Are My Fave is still one of my fave blogs to read.

You have until the 16th to enter Cassie's first giveaway

Joanna has been roaming the country in search of all things all things Parisienne.

Tina of The English Muse led me to Emilie79's Flickr site - full beautiful Polaroids of Paris.

Susannah wrote a beautiful piece called Allowing Dreams that everyone should definitely read.

photo from lolita.se

Picture perfect skyline

Steven Wiltshire was diagnosed as autistic at age 3 and was 5 years old before he started speaking but today at the age of 35 his art sells for thousands of dollars.

Most recently he has drawn a 20-ft panoramic view of the New York skyline after a ride over the city that lasted only minutes. Drawn completely from memory every building and street is correct and drawn completely to scale. The New York panorama follows those done in Tokyo, Rome, Hong Kong, Frankfurt, Madrid, Dubai, Jerusalem and London. Stephen Wiltshire was awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2006 for services to art. In September 2006 Stephen opened his permanent gallery in the Royal Opera Arcade, Pall Mall, London.

You can read more about Stephen and his art here.

The perfect red lipstick

Feeling inpired by a few magazines, a few friends and a few blog friends - I set out on a quest to find a red lipstick. I'm pretty sure the girls in the Nordstrom's cosmetics department are sick of seeing me. To be honest, as nice and helpful as they are, I hope I don't see them for awhile either.

I started searching for the perfect red about two weeks ago. I just wanted a fun red that could be casual and not look scary or trashy. I've seen plenty of examples of great red lipstick. Just look at Naomi's blog - she is often rocking a red lip. Emily totally found the perfect red. And Joanna keeps blogging about red lipstick.

I'll spare you the details but the last two weeks have involved several trips to Nordstrom's, Sephora, and Long's drugs. Here are some of the ones I tried:

Lady Bug, Ruby Woo and Lady Dager (Mac)
Cruella, Rouge d’Enfer, Fire Down Below and Spanish Red (Nars)
Red, Burnt Red, and Slopes (Bobbi Brown)
British Red and True Red (L'Oreal)
Red-y to Wear (Clinique)

They were all certainly red but either too bright, too orange-y,or too purple-y for my skin tone and my liking.

I'm not the most patient person and I was ready to call it quits last night when the super-patient girl at the Nars counter (I love Nars, p.s.) pulled out a color that wasn't with the testers: Forbidden Red. The heavens opens, choirs of angels sang, and I finally went home with my perfect red. Whew! I also picked up a Clinique lipliner in Chili that I love.

Mission accomplished.

I love my new lipstick.



1st image and 2nd image

Notes Left Behind

I found this in The Daily Mail and was incredibly touched by this little girl's story.

When Elena was only 5 years old she was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer. During the 9 months that she fought the cancer she hid notes, hundreds of them, throught her parents home in Wyoming. She left them in cupboards, between the pages of books, in drawers, bags ... everywhere.

Elena passed away in the summer of 2007, but her parents and her little sister Gracie have been finding the notes she left for them ever since. They currently have 3 large boxes full of them. She even left love notes for her favorite dog, Sally.

Some of the notes simply say, "I love you" and some have pictures. Many of the notes are for her little sister, Gracie, one of them reads, "I love you Gracie, Go Go."

Her parents said that they don't ever want to find the last note and so they each carry one unopened note from Elena in their briefcases.



I couldn't read this story all the way through without my eyes filling with tears. Maybe because my own little sister is named Elena. Maybe just because no 5 year old (or anyone) should have to die from cancer.

Her parents have compiled a book, Notes Left Behind which is available at Amazon and all of the proceeds are going to the Cure Starts Now Cancer Foundation.



You can read more about Elena and her family at Notes Left Behind



all photos credited to Keith & Brooke Desserich

Dear Future Husband

Dear Future Husband (in case you're reading this),

I just thought I should let you know in advance that I really, really hate making beds. This probably doesn't seem like a big deal but it is to me. But I really, really love clean sheets. So, the chances are you will hear me complaining about making beds a lot. I'm sorry. I hope can forgive me in advance and that we'll still be friends.

Also I hope you love Polaroids, because I really, really do. Oh, and macarons. I love macarons too.

Love,


Your future wife

photo credit

{Pola}roid Week Faves

I wanted to show you my faves from this week's {Pola}roid week but there are just too many. So here are a few and I'll post some more later.

I really, really love this first one. Cupcakes + Polaroids = LOVE


Rebecca Pepperell


Tony Soko


Keksofant


Polaroid Mandy


Erin


Lilie Melo


P.J. Taylor


Instant Satisfaction


Mironabside

Okay, so maybe that was more than a few.

do you ever feel this way?

Didi: Stu, what are you doing?

Stu: Making chocolate pudding.

Didi: It’s four o’clock in the morning! Why on earth are you making chocolate pudding?

Stu: Because I’ve lost control of my life.

The last few days have been stressful and a little silly. But I haven't reached the making-chocolate-pudding-at-4am stage.

TGIF!

shake it like a polaroid picture

Ghostly witches taken at Gardner Village in Utah


Sunny evening in Los Olivos


Palm tree starburst in Santa Barbara

Sleeping Beauty

Lately I am obsessed with any and all dance shows. I'm not going to lie - I've got a thing for male dancers. They all looks so manly and strong and graceful. Okay, so maybe they don't all look manly but still. Anyway I was watching DWTS the other night and I think Derek Hough was dancing and all of sudden I realized why I was so obsessed with dancing boys. When I was little I love (and I mean loved Disney's Sleeping Beauty... and now I realize that it was because Aurora's prince (Prince Phillip) could dance!



Okay, I think Cinderella danced with her prince too but I'm pretty positive there was more dancing in Sleeping Beauty.

Hmm I need to find my own dancing prince.

i like ike too!

One of the best things I've seen in the last few days is little Ike's 3rd birthday party by the lovely Suann Song. Be prepared for some major cuteness.



Ike is one lucky little boy to have such a sweet, fun, and thoughtful Momma to create such a special day for him. You can read about (and see more photos) over at Real Simple. What I really want to know is how she got Ike to keep the bow tie on.

All photos from Simple Song and Real Simple

Anne Frank: the only existing film

I posted this on one of my Friday posts but I thought it was worthy of a post of its own.



"July 22 1941. The girl next door is getting married. Anne Frank is leaning out of the window of her house in Amsterdam to get a good look at the bride and groom. It is the only time Anne Frank has ever been captured on film. At the time of her wedding, the bride lived on the second floor at Merwedeplein 39. The Frank family lived at number 37, also on the second floor. The Anne Frank House can offer you this film footage thanks to the cooperation of the couple."

get happy

“Many people think that if they were only in some other place, or had some other job, they would be happy. Well, that is doubtful. So get as much happiness out of what you are doing as you can and don’t put off being happy until some future date.”
Dale Carnegie



photo credit

The Invisible Man - Liu Bolin

Liu Bolin paints himself and disappears. No fancy photography, no photoshop. Just paint.
The last photo is pretty amazing. I had a hard time seeing him.












Wow, right?

spotted on Mark Sudack's twitterfeed