i heart alternative apparel

i heart alternative apparel for so many reasons....

first

i adore the lux look to their oh so comfortable glamorized tees

second

their style and glamour goes beyond just tees- their beautiful collections also include skirts, pants, hats, and accessories! oh and even eco friendly YOGA pants?!! hello-right up my alley!

third

their colors are FAB! not just your basic white and black

but also lush greens and deep hues for fall and winter

fourth

hello this cowl neck sweater is reason enough to curl up at a cozy coffee shop and get to reading...

which happens to be one of my favorite chilly weather activities

speaking of coffee- have you been to pearl cup yet? run as fast as you can-it's delish!

and last but not least

so if i haven't convinced you yet- you have to check out alternative apparel.

this is coming from a die hard american apparel girl~i may have just made the switch!

new rug, warm home

yesterday evening taylor and i came home exhausted from crossfit and we found a large package(insert pervert laugh here) on the porch. suddenly i wasn't tired anymore- i felt my designer instinct kick in, my second wind if you will, because i knew that our new FLORA / MALACHITE ANGELA ADAMS RUG had arrived!! it warms up the space of the den so much- it just makes it that much cozier. today especially-i am so grateful to have a space to call my own- a home for my family- me, tay (the handsome husband) and our baby lee lou. i love how adding one element of design breathes fresh air into the space. it comforts me- i don't mean to get all sappy but i just adore good design- it puts the breath in my lungs and fire in my pants...wait that doesn't sound right- but you know what i mean. because i was on a kick- i also did some rearranging of the guest room. taylor helped me hang pics and patiently put up a new shelf. i was on a serious design high last night and although it embarrasses me to admit it i was so excited post house make overs i couldn't sleep. i love my day job as a graphic designer but incorporating interior design into my repertoire is something i could seriously get use to!

lee lou loves the new rug!

sorry so blurry- iphone pic

from left to right- a pic from santa monica beach(fish eye lens cam) when we lived in la, fun shots we took on our honeymoon on our balcony,a vintage brownie camera a friend gave me as a thoughtful bday gift,

a pic from college i took in my first photography class

i loved this hand dyed scarf so much i had it framed

found at western otter

hand made by an extremely talented artist r.landoll(sp?)

lovely lunch

i usually don't have time to take pics of my food my less whip up a pretty salad such as todays but when i do- i've decided it should be celebrated. heres' to not eating over the counter with the fridge door open post workout in all my sweaty glory. hey it happens. this lovely salads' ingredients were simple to throw together- spinach, balsamic dressing, celery, 1/2 green apple, crushed pistachios, 3 dried cherries chopped into tiny goodies, 1 turkish fig sliced thin, red onions- the baby ones not the bigger sharper tasting ones- that's it! easy- peasy- beautiful cover girl salad:)

happy 8 months luke!

this little guy changed our lives when he was born in january and hasn't stopped fascinating us since. happy 8 months of life to you mister!!! your aunt alli loves you!

scared

i'm not gonna lie- the 10k i've decided to run is rapidly approaching and i'm scared. i've even thought about backing out BUT i've made a commitment and i'm going to stick to it even if that means crawling across the finish line. so i've run over 3 miles a couple of times weekly but i have yet to run the full 10k(6.2 miles). this is my next hurdle. taylor has promised to have COLD(that is a must - warm tastes nasty) coconut water for re-hydration on the sidelines. however- i don't even know if that is going to be an issue since it will be 7:30am and the temp outside will still be cool. i mean come on- i do bikram yoga daily- i can run 6 miles - right?! i just need some confidence. originally i was doing this run with a friend but she had something come up and had to back out:( so needless to say- i'm on my own on this one. even the hubby won't do it with me. oh well- i guess it will make me that much more committed. i was talking to an experienced runner friend(she does full marathons people) at yoga this morning and she said ' i always get wasted at that race' meaning after because apparently they have the best beer. who knew the after race drinks are such a motivation to runners?! well i'm more motivated by my after meal race- i'm not gonna lie but a frosty brew might inspire me too. really what i've been craving lately is kombucha but no dice on that one. they are temporarily out of stock. bummer!!! i miss it so much i think i'm addicted. let's keep our fingers crossed- that i make it across the finish line and kombucha gets back in stores asap! toodles for now~

found

hello and happy FRIDAY!

what do you love?

i love yoga, typography,estate sale finds, movie night with the hubby, design and BLOGS/BLOGGING! what do i love even more than blogging? reading other peoples' blogs. and what do i love more than reading other peoples' blogs? finding NEW blogs! here are the brightest and best from this week.

i hope you enjoy my new favs as much as i do!

meet

DESIGN LOVE FEST

where type and images totally make out

i love it

introducing jill of

JILL'S GOOD LIFE FOR LESS

the lovely and stylin' stay at home mom whose mission in blogging is to inspire women of all ages and walks of life to look and feel their best no matter how small your budget is

and last but not least

STERLING STYLE

a girl after my own heart.......highlighting her loves of fashion, fitness and food

probably the best trio ever-right?

scent of a woman

the scent of a woman is a very powerful thing. i remember at my first job out of college as an art director at an advertising agency, i had a major crush on this older creative director. i thought if my wit and charm didn't catch his attention my perfume would. i can't believe i'm admitting this but i would go to the bathroom with my travel size ed de perfum and practically showered in it, spraying it like it was my lifeline. then i would proceed to walk by his office and casually smile as i went by. it was as if the perfume gave me this new found confidence.

well times have changed! don't get me wrong-i still love perfume- i just choose different scents. i use to love musky, amber, sexy tones for day and night. at this point in my life i can't stand to wear anything heavy during the day. occasionally i will use wear stella at night if we are going out but now i prefer light fresh scents. i will leave you will some of my perfume history. my resume scents if you will. my portfolio is looking strong:)

whoo- ah!

quelques fleurs

i wore this in high school freshmen year of college

i actually met my best friend in college walking on campus

because she smelled it on me and asked what perfume i was wearing

we became besties and she convinced me jivago was a much better perfume than quelques fleurs because it was from neimans' and had flecks of 14k gold in it. duh. i made the switch immediately

tom ford, black orchid

skip to after graduation

i began to wear more womanly sexy musky scents.

these were my man hunting days. taylor had broke my heart and i was on the prowl. blame him- it was all his fault

my all time favorite- stella

(confession: this is what i used to catch the creative director :)

i still wear it when i go out

alien by thierry mugler

i got this perfume from my bestie for a christmas gift one year-thanks gabby! when i first saw it i remember thinking the bottle was so strange but the scent intrigued me

tocca- aqua profumata amalfi

enter present day- this is a light scent with hints of jasmine and violet. it makes me feel feminine &

clean- especially in this heat

pure by dkny

i love the bottle and i LOVE the smell! the packaging is organic, it's light and sweet

and it was made in collaboration with CARE.

CARE is a humanitarian organization fighting global poverty- all together it is pretty awesome!

gap grass body mist

i don't know why this last one embarrases me a bit but it does. maybe because in high school i wore the heaven scent and now i'm thirty and wear grass. but honestly i adore the smell. it is so clean i practically perk up when i smell it. added bonus- super affordable and i don't feel bad toting it around at the bottom of my purse. it also helps to get the 'i've been at a coffee shop all day long' expresso/coffee bean smell off you when you leave your second office. oh wait that's just me :)

what about you ladies and men- what is your go to scent?