all around, day two: kumquat love

A bright day, sunny fruit, and a pack of polaroid film. Perfect.

monday music: love mix (all around day one)

I have something a little bit special planned for this week. For each day from now until Valentine's I will be doing a picture post with the theme of love in mind. I know there are plenty of people out there who don't particularly enjoy this day, and I must admit there have been years when I wasn't all that thrilled about it either. But for the most part it's something I really like to have fun with, and this week I wanted to share some images of what it represents for me. But since today is Monday and I usually do a music post, I decided to make a love-themed mix to get things started!

For almost three years now I've had a radio show at the local college station. And for each of those years I've done a special Valentine's Day show. Of course, since love songs are so plentiful, it can be hard to choose which ones I want to play! But there are a few I keep coming back to each year as favorites for one reason or another. I hope you enjoy these sweet songs as much as I do.

(image by Matt?!)

dream home

When I was thirteen, I wanted to live inside a Hobbit hole. I'm completely serious. I even had a book on how to build your own underground home. Of course, I also wanted to learn how to speak elvish and could quote Lord of the Rings poems. Geeky? Well, yes. But honestly, who wouldn't want to live in a house like this?

This lovely family built their own home in Wales and it is exactly the sort of place I still dream of living. You can read more about their amazing project here.

(via A Cup of Jo)

to the beach!

I had the idea for a post all planned out in my head for yesterday. I had a whole bunch of pictures of pretty, pretty clothes for summer ready to go... but instead I went to the beach.


We've been wanting to visit the beach to take pictures and roam around in the salty air for a while now, and yesterday was one of those magical days where everything just worked out perfectly without too much effort. At about noon, acting on our spur of the moment inspiration, we threw some food into a bag and then threw ourselves in the car and got on the road.

Of course, I brought along some other things as well. And by things I mean cameras. Because it's pretty much impossible for me to travel anywhere without at least five different cameras in tow. Most of the film I won't get back for a little while yet, but I did manage to use up one roll that I'll get back today. Of course I had my trusty sx-70 with me as well, so I figured I'd share those images with you today. The cold does funny things to polaroid film, especially when it's as expired as this pack was, but I like the effects.

Even though it was cold and windy and there was snow mixed in with the sand, going to the ocean made February feel so much better.

an indoor life

I hate to admit it, but the cold is getting to me. I made it through the early months of winter in fine form, but now I'm longing for fresh flowers and summer clothes. On the bright side, February is the shortest month and March usually has some pleasant days to tide us over. I suppose half the joy of spring is in the anticipation.

For now, I'm spending most of my time indoors.

eye candy

Have you seen the images from this month's Anthropologie catalog? I'm so in love!

*Swoon*

monday music: beach house

This week's album comes from the dreamy, indie-pop band Beach House. Each song I hear off of Teen Dream just makes me like this album more. Soft, slightly melancholy tunes and ghostly vocals give the whole thing an atmospheric quality that fits well with these late winter months. With their distant, dreamy sound, it's very easy to let your imagination drift while listening to this music. Right now that's exactly what I need to get me through February!

Teen Dream is out now on the Sub Pop label. Norway is one of my favorite tracks.