her outfit alone is worth a post: whitney pozgay

there's the fact that she's a fashion designer, a favourite of anthropologie. no surprise considering her incredible style. now, the joyful designs she's used in her clothes can be seen upholstering beautiful furniture, exclusive to anthro.

images courtesy of the anthro blog

you can get a snapshot of her life from the anthro blog post. I enjoyed the questions they posed to her so much that I included them below and chimed in with my own answers, too, just for kicks. (hers are in italics; mine are in normal text.)

a great day begins with the snooze button.
the fog horn sounding off in the distance and a few clouds keeping the sun at bay, at least for a little while.
 
the last song I listened to on repeat was Devo’s cover of “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction.”
amason's cover of "California Dreamin'."
 
I never leave home without red lipstick and something to write on.
my phone, lip balm, a snack, and my sunglasses.
 
I’m proud of my partnership with my husband, Parker. We’ve managed to live and work together happily. 
how well my husband and I have partnered to edit our one-bedroom apartment to fit our growing family -- 2 adults, a teenager, a baby on the way, and a kitty cat. while looking for a larger space is on the horizon, the idea of moving saddens me because of the beautiful effort and the way we've come together in maximizing the space of our san francisco apartment.
 
I’ve always wanted to go to Kenya.
ride in a cattle drive.

my dream dinner party guests include Tina Fey, Wes Anderson, David Bowie, David Hockney, Maya Angelou, Jon Stewart and Grace Coddington.
lebron james, mr. and mrs. obama, princess kate, ellen degeneres, and tom brokaw, with ella fitzgerald and louis armstrong providing the music.

my most prized possession is a box of old letters and photographs.

my self-designed lace wedding dress. 

 
if I wasn’t an artist I’d be a candy maker.

if I wasn’t a startup recruiting operations professional I’d be on a marine research boat, focusing on orcas, sharks, or narwhals. 
or I'd be in my old farmhouse in the midwest proofreading and editing manuscripts and other writings, breaking to collect eggs from the hens in the barn.

 
the next place I want to travel is Mexico City.

paris. I've been once and I want to return and go deeper into exploring neighbourhoods, the countryside, and historical sites.

weekends are for trying new things.

rest, errands, baking, and making out with my husband.

 
happiness is the beach.

eating grilled cheese sandwiches in the kitchen with my husband and laughing well beyond bedtime. 

ballet pink tulle for Halloween.

I'm an observer when Halloween comes around, an admirer of the creativity of others, like Lauren Conrad, for example. She created vintage-inspired circus performer costumes and amped them with ballet pink tulle and white tights. Adorable and totally swoon-worthy -- a fun and cheerful addition to the Halloween costume repertoire. 

images courtesy of refinery29

a weekend of the arts.

this past weekend gave me everything i needed, and it was exceptional.

time to myself

• i visited the oscar de la renta exhibit at the de young museum solo. it was also my first time at the museum and while i only bought a pass for the retrospective exhibit, i perused the museum bookstore and came away with the battle of versailles to add to my ever-growing bedside table stack of memoirs. there is something magical that i can only find at museums -- the awe of being in the presence of something that was created by someone with such a magnanimous reputation within the art society. incredible. 
• monday morning, before hustling off to the sfmoma for its opening post-renovation, i whipped up two almond cakes and homemade whipped cream -- such goodness! one cake was orange and blood orange and the second was raspberry lemon. tasty. 
• the sfmoma had been under construction for renovations for the past handful of years. as part of birthday celebrations, we gathered some friends together and explored the extensive space. with my husband being the host, and realizing there was no way we could all stick together, we split off into pairs and singles. i again took the solo route and perused at my own pace, reading as many of the info cards as possible and stopping at every piece of art -- i wanted to make the most of my visit and my alone time. during the 3.5 hours, i covered floors six and seven and part of five. some of the art i just didn't get -- which i suppose is part of its success is if it bewilders or shocks or confuses its viewer -- and other pieces i could have stared at all day or imagined them in my someday home. i can't wait to return and see the floors i missed. 
• after what has felt like a drag, i was finally able to turn some pages in the boys in the boat. it's now a book i'm looking forward to reading. and when i needed a break, i turned on the second season of the netflix original documentary series the chef's table -- hearing from the chef's themselves as they talk about their culinary vision. superb stuff.

time with family and friends

• the weekend of culture and the arts kicked off with the above and beyond acoustic concert at the greek theatre in berkeley. it was a lovely evening for an outdoor concert and the music soared above my expectations. 
• sunday we had a nice and quiet time at home. we had a spicy roast, salad, and potatoes while watching africa and then naps. 
• monday, after adventuring through the sfmoma, we made our way back to our neighbourhood for a friends dinner at helmand palace. we caught up with friends we hadn't seen in ages, toyed with the only toddler at the table, and filled our bellies full of delicious afghan food. the after party moved to our apartment for the final half of the warriors game against the oklahoma city thunder and almond cake. 

pictures my own taken of art pieces at the sfmoma; other pictures of the weekend's events on my instagram

a case of the mondays--

it's difficult returning to a structured workday after such a relaxing and blissful weekend. it was a saturday of rest and togetherness -- mr. brooks and i were in desperate need. to battle the monday blues, i'm scrolling through other pretty blogs, preparing myself for what is promised to be my next tear-jerking page-turner, and reading up on how to have manners like princess kate. how do you guys cope with the pains of monday, besides the obvious -- mini pink ballerinas? 

images courtesy of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

don't you just love the smell of bread baking?

you guys, i made this seeded soda bread on sunday and, not only did it make my apartment smell incredible but, whoa, it's super delicious. it takes a bit of time and i became quite familiar with the bulk section at whole foods but it was totally worth it. the bread is hearty and light with an airy middle texture and crunchy crust.

and now, a few pretty things for a wednesday afternoon. 

images courtesy of gthegent.com

whoa.

that's what you call clean lines. wow. gorgeous. and truly spectacular.

images courtesy of dwell.com

imagine the sound of a summer rain tapping all of those slats or sleeping with the windows and the fresh summer night air breezing through or watching the moonlight dance along the hallway. i wish this was my summer vacation home.

learn more about the florida residence here. 

let's make it a pretty tuesday--

with pretty people, fresh faces, a handsome blazer, and fancy earrings that make me wanna party. because monday was yesterday, and we just wanna forget it.

images courtesy of jcrew.com

yosemite: america the beautiful.

it had been a long day. and an even longer week. i was ready for the weekend but i was still many emails and tasks away from relaxing and enjoying that much earned weekend. then my husband called to ask where i was -- i was overdue for being home. and then he asked me what he should pack in a bag for me. he was taking me to yosemite and he was going to pick me up from work on our way out of town. out of romantic spontaneity and boredom, he booked a room at the royal carriage inn in jamestown. i was thrilled! i grabbed a goat hill pizza and a bag of other pilfered goodies from work and rushed out of the office door, happy for a reason to escape.

after a restful and comfortable sleep, and some pizza for breakfast, we made our way through the foggy farmland -- dotted with cows and sheep -- into the park, evidence of the forest fires ejecting from the ground like charred matchsticks. it was a beautiful sight -- sobering.

and then, what seemed like minutes later, there was half dome, shaped like an eagle's head reaching for the sky; and el capitan, a solid, massive wall of granite; and yosemite falls -- water gushing over the cliff edges was a welcome sight and sound after seeing the falls dried up during the summer. i was awestruck, dazzled by their majesty and grandeur. like i am every time i visit this magical place.

  my iphone 5 takes pretty good pictures

we hiked up to a cave beside lower yosemite falls. there wasn't a trail, just rocks to climb over and conquer. i felt a little silly for feeling so adventurous but it was super fun.

super tiny. super cute.

can you even believe these little guys? they're all under an inch in size and some are even tinier! i adore the four below -- the rhino, the pegasus unicorn, the goat, and the pink narwhal -- and the owl and sock monkey. and the swans. and the skunk. oooh, too much cute!

images courtesy of etsy.com

they're all hand-crocheted and made-to-order by su ami in vietnam. amazing.

her work has graced shop windows worldwide--

i missed my chance to snatch this lust-worthy scarf by uk-born-and-raised-and-now-brooklyn-based designer helen dealtry. total bummer. i was worried about missing it for christmas and planned to purchase today and tuck it away until the big c-day but, alas, it was sold out! that got me to thinking and investigating to see if i could find it somewhere else. sadly, no, but i did join the waitlist in the cross-my-fingers-and-toes case dealtry releases the scarf again. whilst on her site, i found these other beautiful scarves and watercolor images. 

images courtesy of wokinggirldesigns.com

light races, $225  /   iris, $225  /  satet, $225  /  moon journey, $225

i am obsessed now with getting my hands on one of her giant and gorgeous scarves. i'm intrigued by their size -- they're nearly blankets! 

now the trick is deciding which one... however, if the etched geo scarf returns to in stock, that's my first choice. 

i wonder if the parisians would approve of this scarf--

because i am drooling over u.k. born and raised designer's, helen dealtry, etched geo scarf. i love the lines and colours that make up its pattern and it's humongous size. so pretty. i'd like to pair it with a simple white tee and my reviewed j.crew. epic rinse blue jeans, with these booties finishing the look.

images courtesy of ofakind.com

i think the scarf is going on my christmas wishlist. correction: it's ON my wishlist.

giselle bundchen--she's just so pretty.

as shown in her most memorable vogue photo shoots. her form in the yoga pose, dive, and karate kick are beautiful.

images courtesy of vogue.com; specific photographers listed on vogue.com

bodega bay for a day.

we had a great weekend driving north toward bodega bay. along the way, we found ourselves to be hungry and came across estuary cafe in the tiny, blink-and-you'll-miss-it town of valley ford. the food was delicious and sitting outside in the shade was delightful. after lunch, we continued on our journey toward bodega bay, constantly ooo-ing and awww-ing over the scenery. 

the ocean was especially surf-full on saturday and there were a few brave surfers fighting the current to make the most of the incredible conditions. i never tire of the rocky seashore coastline of northern california. the surf crashing across the short beach and over godzilla-like rock formations in the water takes my breath away.  if i could stand the wind and cold, i could lose myself in a good book for the better part of a day on the beach.