tis the season

This week one of my very favorite local shops (Frances!) shared my holiday flair with their readers. 

It's my first Christmas in my first home (!!!), and so it was pretty fun to start from scratch with my holiday decorations and really go for it. 

I went with white + gold, and happily scored most of my favorite items at the Frances holiday shop (if you're in Phx, go! now! I'll wait!) and supplemented with some solid staples from Target and loads of homemade pom poms. I'm sort of in love with how it turned out. If you need me between now and the new year you can find me in my dimly lit downtown place gazing up at my twinkly tree! 

Check out their blog post and more photos here! 

books I love (steinbeck).

This book. 

I'm a sucker for "travel lit". Anything with adventure, journey, travel or pilgrimage in the title and you can bet I'm reading it. 

I had seen a quote from this book in one of my favorite magazines, Kinfolk. 

I knew I had to give it a chance. 

It was really, really good. Six years before his death, John Steinbeck packed up a camper and headed out for a slow, quiet journey to discover a country he'd lived in all his life, but didn't know, with Charley, his sassy poodle. 

I hope we all have the same spirit of adventure later in life. 

Here, the opening page (which pulled me right in): 

"When I was very young and the urge to be someplace else was on me, I was assured by mature people that maturity would cure this itch. When years described me as mature, the remedy prescribed was middle age. In middle age I was assured that greater age would calm my fever and now that I am fifty-eight perhaps senility will do the job. Nothing has worked. Four hoarse blasts of a ship's whistle still raise the hair on my neck and set my feet to tapping. The sound of a jet, an engine warming up, even the clopping of shod hooves on pavement brings on the ancient shudder, the dry mouth and vacant eye, the hot palms and the churn of stomach high up under the rib cage. In other words, I don't improve; in further words, once a bum, always a bum. I fear the disease is incurable...

When the virus of restlessness begins to take possession of a wayward man, and the road away from Here seems broad and straight and sweet, the victim must first find in himself a good and sufficient reason for going. This to the practical bum is not difficult. He has a built-in garden of reasons to choose from...

We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us." 

John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley in Search of America 

shops I love (phx).

The holidays snuck up on me. Like they do every year. 

In an effort to get my act together (and hopefully share something new with you!), here are a few of my go-to Phoenix-area shops for gifts and treats. Enjoy! 

Frances

Smeeks

Urban Cookies

UNION

Stinkweeds

Changing Hands Bookstore

MADE

Butter Toast Boutique

GROWop Boutique

Elaine Todd (for those East Valley folks)  

Where are your favorite places to shop!?

love.lauren

a drive in any direction is gorgeous and epic.

I don't remember how I heard about Marfa, TX. Probably some hip blog that made me insanely jealous.

I do remember that it was love at first sight. I have wanted to take a trip there every moment since then.

Three days before my sister moved to Hawaii, we packed our bags for one last adventure.

It was epic.



Marfa.
It started with a map of sorts.
Not a big one, just a scrap piece of paper and a pen.
Where to start?
We had dreamt of you for so long.
It almost didn't feel real to finally cross over the dusty town limits.

Mysterious lights, gemstones and pizza.
Artists take up residence.
And give the town it's life.

We found our "people" at El Cosmico.
Slept in a safari tent.
Took baths. Outside.

I thought visiting you would finally cure my urge.
Instead, it lit a fire to return that no number of visits will extinguish.

places I love (paris & london).

She asked if I would meet her in Europe.

It took 3 seconds for me to say yes.

And with that, a quick 5 day trip across the pond was in the works.

With of one the best gals I know.



and we loved it.

music for wandering.

Lauren here. 

One thing you should know about me. 

I'm a ridiculous music fan. Passionate. Unapologetic. Deep rooted.  

I would spend all my money on new vinyl & iTunes if I could. 

I can't leave a record store without buying something. 

I would rather go hear a live band than just about anything else. 

and lastly, I lose myself spending hours and hours perfecting playlists. For parties, for exploring, for new adventures. 

Here are some of my favorites.  

"Man on Fire" by Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros. One of my favorite bands on this earth. 

"Furr" by Blitzen Trapper. This band has quickly become one of my favorites. 

"I'll Find a Way" - Spirit Family Reunion. I recently discovered this band at the best music festival ever. They had so much love for what they were doing. And now, so do I. 

love.lauren

this summer I will.

Put my toes in the sand. 

See really, really good music every chance I get. 

MOVE. 

...and try to decorate a home. 

Celebrate! 

Explore. 

Visit the mountains. 

Camp. 

Laugh. A lot.