happy friday + a field of dreams...

If you follow me on Instagram, you may know that we had quite a week last week as my husband was in the hospital after I had to rush him to the ER last Sunday night. It's a long story, but he had a health condition we didn't know about that is now thankfully being treated. He is back home with us and recovering and getting stronger and stronger every day.

After a week of going back and forth to the hospital and the agony of not knowing what fate had in store for our family and once Bob was home with us safe and sound with his parents in town to help us, I took the girls out to get their mind off of things for a few hours. We went on a mini adventure to the wild flower fields at Lake Elsinore...about an hour and a half outside of Los Angeles. Our friend and photographer, Bonnie Tsang, captured these photos that I wanted to share with you. They'll always remind us of the time that our family became even stronger and more grateful that we are here together to live this wonderful thing called life.

{Photos by Bonnie Tsang}

color adventures: oh joy wears blue and green!

This month's Color Adventures challenge seemed easy in theory, but as much as I love these two colors, I rarely wear them together! Here are four outfits I put together in green and blue from dressy to casual...

10 of my favorite (little) kids books right now...

Every night, my girls take turns picking a book to read for bedtime. Now that Ruby is reading, it's been fun to have her read bedtime books to Coco. You guys have been asking me about books you've seen on my Instagram Stories, so I wanted to share some of my favorites right now that are good for both older and younger toddlers and for new readers as well.

1. Pantone Colors — This is a great one for two different ages of kids. The older one can read the various color swatches on the left while the younger one works on color identification on the right.

2. Where's Walrus — This picture book is fun for younger toddlers as they search for the walrus throughout. You can engage older toddlers about where certain details are in the photos or ask questions that require them to count how many of something they can find on the page.

3. Mix It Up — A great, interactive book about color for little kids of all ages. Older toddlers and younger kids can read the book while the younger ones work on color identification and basic color theory.

4. Hug You, Kiss You, Love You — This is a short and sweet book great for new readers to practice reading. It's also a good, short book for when you want to make bedtime a little quicker on any given night ;)

5. A Good Day for a Hat — A super cute, silly story that kids of all ages will enjoy and is simple enough, yet has a variety of words, making it great for new readers.

6. Today — This very visual book give options of choices the child can make during any given day. It allows kids to think of and pick different answers and is especially fun with siblings who can talk about their different choices for the day.

7. Beautiful, Oops! — A classic, interactive story about why making mistakes is a good thing and good practice for a new reader.

8. Destination: Space — For older toddlers who ask a lot of questions, this one goes into detail about various aspects of space. The facts are divided up by page and with call-outs so it makes it easier to digest and to focus on just a few pages at a time.

9. Henry's Bright Idea — A playful and beautifully illustrated book that follows a character in search of his next idea. This one has a fuller story and is great for when the kids just want to sit back and let the parents do the reading.

10. What Do Grownups Do All Day? — This book breaks down all sorts of jobs and is a fun read for older toddlers who are beginning to talk about what they want to do when they grow up.

{Photo by Casey Brodley, styling by Julia Wester}

how to make a party bouquet!

Nothing cheers up someone more than a bouquet of flowers. We love adding our own twist to any traditional gift and turned this bouquet into a party bouquet with a few additional accents. Here's how!

You'll need:

- Ban.do party straw

- bamboo skewers

- mini honeycomb balls

- glitter paper

- hot glue gun (for gold glitter circles)

- vintage pins

- flowers (we used: eucalyptus, ranunculus, protea, blue thistle, lisianthus, brunia)

Here's how:

Start with greenery to add texture and fullness to your bouquet. Then, add secondary flowers which are usually smaller than your main flower. Finally, add one to three focal flowers—these are the bigger and more special flowers and the stars of the show. Finally, add the "party" with honey combs on skewers, a party straw, and gold circles on skewers. While you assemble, make sure you stagger the heights of the pieces so that they can all be seen from the front, then trim the stems evenly at the bottom before wrapping them in fabric and adding a vintage brooch to finish.

{Photos by Casey Brodley, styling by Julia Wester, and crafting by Jess Hong.}

color adventures: a green and blue office!

As we close into the end of the month, here's another look at this month's Color Adventures and how to use green and blue...this time in an office area!

In this case, the beautiful blue rug was our starting point for the room. If you fall in love with a piece, you can build a room around it. Because the blue is really bright and pops, we focused on pairing it with a lighter green using mint green accents from the chair and lamp, and keeping the desk a neutral white. Gold metal works with almost every color combination and adds a warm texture so we used it as additional accents throughout. Finally, for a touch of contrast, try adding a warm color to cool colors or vice versa. We added a light pink (warm) with the rug and basket as a finishing touch to the cool green and blue room.

Items shown: Aelfie rug, Target faux fur rug, Arro Home round pillow (past season), Ikea navy pillow (past season), Anthropologie striped pillow, Justina Blakeney blue & green pillow, Senegal woven basket, CB2 chair, Target desk, Oliver Bonas espresso set, Target wooden boxes (past season), Target gold geo (past season), Ban.do round glass containers, Justina Blakeney mirror, Bonnie Tsang print, Poketo calendar, Urban Outfitters lamp, Urban Outfitters gold planter, Eric Trine plant stand, Pehr bin, Zara shoes (past season).

{Photos by Casey Brodley, styling by Julia Wester, styling assistance by Jess Hong} 

play with your food!

I've always admired those moms who make fun faces or shapes out of food for snack time—there' something so charming about it, but it also seems like it takes a TON of time. So rather than write it off and assume it would take too much time, we challenged ourselves to create a fun, healthy, and delicious afternoon snack for your little ones. Today, we've partnered with Wonderful Halos mandarins, who we've loved as a family snack for years, to bring some playful snacks to life!

1. Blow Fish — Snack time can be hard when your kids are need a boost of energy before dinner and you don't want them to fill up on heavy snacks that will spoil their meal. By turning a Wonderful Halos mandarin into this super cute blow fish, it provides just the right bit of sweetness they crave but in a healthy way. With half of a Halo, we added in carrot sticks to make the spikes, cucumber peels for the seaweed and fish's mouth, and blueberries for the bubbles! Finally, use sprinkles, rice, or sesame seeds for the eyes.

2. Palm Tree — For the summer or as an ode to an upcoming vacation, try making a Halos palm tree! This scene is a fun one that the whole family can nibble at. Use segments of the Halos to create the tree fronds, then add celery for the base, grapes as coconuts, and cucumbers and cucumber peel for the grass. This one is quick and easy and could be created in five minutes!

3. Happy Face — I love this sweet little face! Start by cutting off the very top of the Halo and then add in curled pieces of the rind. Add a sprig of celery leaf and cut eyes and a mouth from the cucumber peel. This one could be customized in so many ways to make the hair as crazy and outlandish as you want. It's also a fun one for kids to take part in help making snack time extra fun.

4. Pattern Play — If you want to get a little more serious, try using Wonderful Halos and some other fruit friends to make a pattern. This is a fun option if you're having a group of kids over after school to make something that feels special. Additionally, it won't take too long for multiple kids to create this one. Simply arrange segments of Halos along with blueberries and sliced kiwis in a pattern on a plate!

5. Puppy — How sweet is this little guy?! This one is guaranteed to bring a smile to your babe's face and award you the Best Parent Ever trophy for making snack time epic. Combined sliced Halos, segmented Halos, and slices of the rind to create the body of the pup with small grapes for the paw, blueberries for the nose, and sprinkles or rice to make the eyes.

When kids enjoy what they are eating, it makes a healthy snack more fun. We promise it will be as fun for you as it is for them!

*This post is brought to you in partnership with Wonderful Halos. All words are my own.

{Photos by Casey Brodley, styling by Julia Wester, and food art by Jess Hong.}

3 ways to style a bench!

An often overlooked—but very versatile—piece in home decor is a bench. It's basically a long seat/narrow table/three-sided piece of furniture that can be used in so many ways. Here are a few ways that show you how much use you can get out of it and give you inspiration for changing up it's use as needed!

1. Plant Bench. Because it's not as deep and bulky as a table, a bench works great as a plant stand for a row of plants. You can fill the entire piece with a variety of types and sizes of plants to make a statement. Or, mix it up with other objects like books and decorative boxes.

Items shown: Vintage rug, Moroccan pouf (similar), Modernica bench, HAY grid box (similar), Arro Home pink pillow, Anthropologie shag pillow, Target wooden boxes (past season), Urban Outfitters gold planter, The Animal Print Shop giraffe print, Sunbeam vintage chair, Dwell Magazine for Target throw blanket.

2. Entryway Bench. In this location, a bench can be used for it's originally intended function—to sit on! Have a seat to put on your shoes before heading out. Also, use it as a place to keep your bag and other items you need to grab on your way out the door in the morning. 

Items shown: eSale Rugs rug, Moroccan sequin tote (similar), Perverse sunglasses, Modernica Props bench, Bally white purse (past season), Target hat, Justina Blakeney mirror, J. Otto Seibold house print with Framebridge frame, Kristi Kohut stripe print, Urban Outfitters pillows, Blu Dot coat rack, DesignLoveFest backpack.

3. Coffee Table Bench. For a smaller space, a bench can be used as a coffee table because it's more narrow than most tables. It also doubles as extra seating should you need it when you have guests over!

Items shown: Lorena Canals rug, Justina Blakeney stool, Target planter, Kingdom print, Target couch, Ikea navy pillow (past season), Justina Blakeney tropical pillow, Justina Blakeney blue & green pillow, Target bench, The Container Store pink box, Leah Reena Goren tray, Pehr napkin (past season), Anthropologie plate, Anthropologie glasses (past season), Anne and Kate stir sticks, Urban Outfitters lamp.

{Photos by Casey Brodley, styling by Julia Wester, styling assistance by Jess Hong} 

{Photos by Casey Brodley, styling by Julia Wester, styling assistance by Jess Hong} 

Oh Joy Day Trip: Silverlake (Part 1)

For our newest Oh Joy Day Trip, we're heading to one of my favorite streets of Los Angeles—Sunset Blvd. Sunset runs across most of Los Angeles, so we're focusing on a few of our favorite spots on the East end of Sunset, running from Silver Lake to Echo Park. Come see!

Matchabar — Start your morning off with a little kick of...tea! I'm a big tea drinker and matcha is a favorite when done in fun ways. Matchbar just opened on Sunset in Silver Lake and makes fun versions of lattes using matcha instead of espresso (the drinks are also VERY pretty). We loved the Coconut Chai Latte and the Harmless Matcha Latte. Then, get either a small bite of Matcha Mochi or eat a savory and delicious breakfast of Purple Egg Pot.

The Social Type — This beautiful shop makes for a great place to pick up cards, stationery, and small giftable items. They often have pop-ups and events, so it's a cool space to know about.

Ali Golden — For a mix of indie clothing and handmade accessories, Ali Golden carries a chic and cool array of pieces in their own label and others they adore.

Ohana Poke Co. — Take a lunch break for some fresh poke and fried chicken! We love the mix of options available in the poke and love how healthy it feels. On the flip side, the fried chicken wings (available in hot and mild) have a light, crispy texture that makes you want more and more.

The Now — If you want to add to your day trippin' with a little R&R, The Now offers a place to get inexpensive massage treatments without planning too far ahead. Starting at just 25 minutes, you can get a little pick me up in this serene and beautiful space.

It was really hard to narrow this list down to just five as you are likely to see twenty more cool spots along the way. Our picks are all day time spots, but if you're looking for any dinner recommendations in this area, ask me! And, if you live here and have other favorites, please feel free to share them with us below!

{Photos by Casey Brodley, styling by Julia Wester}

color adventures: a green and blue living room!

For this month's Color Adventures, we're focusing on blue and green! The nice thing about these two colors is that most people feel a bit more comfortable with green and blue and rarely consider them hard colors to wear or decorate with. In this pairing, we played up the analogous tones that green and blue have and worked with all the shades between them. Here's how to create a green and blue living room!

happy friday + barcelona/mallorca suggestions!

Happy Friday all! This spring is seriously flying by, and I just realized that in a month and a half, my family and I are heading to Spain! We have been planning this trip for over a year, and I'm getting excited (and nervous) to go on a far away trip with both kids for the first time. I tell people all the time..."Just go for it! Your kids will be fine!" But now that it's my turn, of course, I am thinking about the long flight, jet lag, and trying to get around in a country we have never been to. If any of you have been to Barcelona and/or Mallorca, I would LOVE your suggestions of things to do, eat, see...anything! We already have places to stay but I need to start figuring out what we should do while we're there.

Thank you, thank you in advance! And have a spectacular weekend!

{Barcelona beach print by Gray Malin}