To the Road.

photographed by Corrie Bond and styled by Kate Harrowsmith for Marie Claire Australia

If given a wish to do anything right now, it would be to road trip with one of my best girl friends. What would you do if given a wish, and you had to use it right now?

thoughts by natalie. giveaway

One of my favorite blogs, thoughts be natalie, is having a really adorable giveaway! A set of you're such a peach notecards by Lindsay Letters is up for keeps. I love snail mail, how about you? You should go enter this little treasure of a giveaway--over here (and don't forget to tell your friends!). And here are some ways you can use little notecards and other means to stay in touch with your far away friends--over here.

A Little Bit Girly.

// 1 Matt took me to a coffee shop back in November that had the most gorgeous chandelier for being housed in a little off the beaten path shop. I could feel girly for quite some time sitting there under it's dim glow. And the ceiling! Oh how we love a great fabric. // 2 Foam design in my latte is that simple and unexpected beauty that I love. Its the little things in life. // 3 Target has been good to me with its $5 price tags and this little red number, all I need is some lipstick to match. 

Anything make you embrace a little bit of girly-ness lately? Happy weekend!

Argentina Travels: Caminito, La Boca.

It is a sunny 60 plus out today, and so my heart feels full of warmth and color, more so than it has this January. Its almost as though a blast of confetti goes flittering around inside my soul when I stand in the rays of the warm winter sun today. I hope it stays awhile. Wherever you may be, I wanted to bring you some warmth and simple joy from the vibrant streets of La Boca, Argentina. No other place have I been so colorful and jovial. And all consisting of just a few little streets, "caminitos", this little place too, like a warm day amidst winter, makes my soul flitter and flut. To preface, we arrived via subway and trekked a few miles to get to La Boca. You can follow our path and enjoy below.

Postcards & Tips for the Intentional Long Distance Friendship.

I've made it a hobby of sorts to collect postcards during our travels. A lover of snail mail and the art of keeping in touch the old-fashioned way, most of the postcards I buy will be sent off with glimpses into the adventures we had while on our trip to friends all over the states. A few of the postcards end up in a book where I keep other stubs and maps from our travels--all binded up and ready to be flipped through.

Darling Tea Towels

Last week my tips and how to's for Hand Painted Tea Towels was up at Darling Magazine under The Hostess. You can read the article in full over here. I just sent some of these tea towels off to my best friend and her mom--they are the perfect Christmas gift! And they work great a-top a mason jar filled with goodies like peanut brittle, homemade granola, or peppermint bark. YUM! I hope this winter is treating you well! We leave for Argentina and Peru in 6 days! Its going to be a summer-like Christmas this year. Love and cheer from me to you!

 xo, Lauren

Yellow Floral Bedding

This morning started with boxes and Ikea assembly parts. Now, at the end of the day, I am sitting on the new bed in our guest bedroom. No longer just a crafting room, this space can actually be used by friends and family! I love the mix of colors, patterns, and tones. Since the decor was very mix and match in this room to start, with no one piece of furniture even close to the same, I decided to extend the feel with the bedding-- floral yellow, grey stripes, black and white knit. I moved the furniture around so now I have more of a work space in one corner of the room, with the rest of the area a little bit more simple and light feeling. I hope to post more photos  soon, even amidst this blogging sabbatical--but here are some Instagram shots for now! OH and we hung our curtains today in the front room. Quite productive.