Goooo Green!

Let's travel to Ireland today... how gorgeous are these sites?  Someday I'd love to visit in person and explore the country!  St. Patrick's day to me means corned beef!  How about you?  Do you have any rituals?

Cards Galore

Anybody who knows me knows that I love paper products!  Especially cards, invitations, and journals.  Recently I've been making a lot of my own cards and invitations - including my wedding rehearsal invitations, wedding thank-you cards, and other various birthday cards and notes.  Below is a birthday card I made for a good friend.

My favorite tools are my Paper Source stamps, Paper Source card stock (which I buy locally at Pulp Papery), fine-tip permanent pens, and my gold gel pens.

Paper inspires me to no end!  I have so many ideas stocked up for cards and invitations that I've been toying with the idea of opening an Etsy shop.  Maybe soon!

Tuesday Tune

I stumbled upon this song a few years ago and have loved it ever since.  Priscilla Ahn's voice and lyrics combined make this song sound so peaceful.  I know you'll love it, too!

"...I asked God who I'm supposed to be, the stars smiled down on me..."

Hot Italian

Over the weekend a friend and I tried Hot Italian, a midtown eatery specializing in pizzas, calzones, paninis, salads, and Italian cocktails and beers.

We split a Rossi salad (crisp romaine lettuce, blood orange slices, and freshly grated ricotta salata cheese) and the Citerrio pizza (mozzarella, spinach, prosciutto, and parmigiano).  I also tried the prosecco blood orange cocktail.  Absolutely delicious!  It was a perfect break from my crazy tax-season schedule.

Joie de Vivre

Ah, the ever-fabulous weekend getaway.  No, I won't be off on an adventure this weekend but a girl can daydream, right?  I love the Joie de Vivre hotels and I've stayed at a handful now ever since I discovered them a few years ago.  They are a group of boutique hotels throughout California and the newest location (among others) on my MUST-STAY list is the Waters Edge property in Tiburon.  Simply gorgeous!

I'm thinking this will be the PERFECT escape for an after tax season breather.  I mean, look at the picture below - could it be more my style?  I can't wait!!! 

Joie de Vivre also has a blog I like to puruse - joie of life.  I will admit I'm a hotel snob.  The hunt for the most unique hotel is thrilling and I totally appreciate fun, non-corporate, details.  Afterall, staying in a hotel should be an escape in itself - make it somewhere fun!

Happy Friday!

Little Lambs

"For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness."    [Ralph Waldo Emerson]

I love seeing these lambs (and sheep, and rams, oh my!) every time I visit my parents.  They live in the fields surrounding their house and over the weekend I snapped some photos of the little ones just before it started to rain.  Animals have such a calming effect on me and I just LOVE hearing the lambs bah-ing in the distance.  When they get excited and playful they jump straight in the air and take off running!  I'd love to catch a photo of them in action!

The lamb below has the cutest white tipped tail and back leg - so sweet. 

Venice, Italy [Honeymoon Part Ten]

Venice was our last stop on our honeymoon and I can't even begin to describe how amazing it was in autumn.  The fog was rolling in at all angles, the air was crisp and fresh against our faces, the narrow streets were tourist-free, the sun trying to break through the mist creating a glow, and the colorful leaves on the trees in all their glory.  It sounds cliche to have Venice at the top of my "favorite places" list - especially considering all we saw on our honeymoon - but we really felt nothing but love and excitement for this city.  Maybe it was because we had beeen here before a few years prior on a backpacking trip through Europe.  This time we weren't feeling the pressure to see "everything" and so I enjoyed it ALL, every detail, every sound, every delight!

We had time to meander the streets, window shop, and relax at cafes.  Our only goal:  get lost!  I loved EVERY SECOND.