The month of August sucked for me. With the exception of my birthday, the past thirty days have been super challenging in many ways and I.Need.A.Break. I know I always do this to myself but the reality of it is, I am just one person. Just some of the things I’ve been dealing with;

• Remember when I got hit by a car on my bike? Well, long story short the lady’s insurance company is trying to get me to pay for her vehicle damage. Oof. So now I’m in the midsts of legal proceedings and dealing with all of that b.s. Not fun.
• I’ve been furiously working on preparing to launch my baby, Little Gray Suitcase by my self-imposed deadline of some time in September. From building the e-store to shopping to photo shoots. I’m please to say I am very close! It’s a lot of work but I’m hoping it will be worth it.
• Just around the corner is September Stitch Swap so that has also taken up a big chunk of time. Luckily I have the help of some amazing women to help so I don’t go insane. Also, if you haven’t RSVP’d yet, you can do so here.
• Focusing more on family & friends. I love you guys, I really do. But I can’t let my face-to-face relationships take a backseat. It’s super easy to get caught up in The Blogosphere and lose sight of other personal aspects. I want to go out & spend more time with my loved ones and catch up on what they’re up to. Sidenote: In an effort to take part in something with my mom & sisters, I joined them in an all-girl’s Fantasy Football league. I am actually extremely excited seeing as how I love football. I’m a nerd, I know.

Just so we’re clear, this isn’t intended to be a ‘woe is me’ sympathy post. I’m just not going to sit here & give the facade that my life is perfect & that I don’t have bad days. We all do. Even pleasant, upbeat bloggers who take pretty pictures have crappy days. So, as my dear Ashlee so eloquently stated, I am taking a time out. So there you have it. I’m taking a much needed breather. If you really can’t stand to live without me you can always follow my tweets in the meantime ;) I promise I’ll be back soon.

Care to join other fellow amazing bloggers & advertise your business, blog or shoppe? Email me for affordable sponsorship rates/more info & any questions you may have, for the month of September. XO

• Learn how to draw an owl. Hilarious.

• I am enraptured by the photography by Richard Renaldi. Specifically his Strangers Touching project.
• Do you like entering giveaways? Then this site is for you.
• I am aware they’re completely ridiculous but I want some carlashes for Ariel {my chevy aveo}. You’ve got to admit they’re cute!
• Clever & interesting design–corazon vessel.
• Lady Gaga’s Telephone, office edition.

Offline Love; hot coffee w/ extra cream {weakness}; netflix instant; double date nights; the roast of david hasselhoff; thrifted vintage finds; happy clients; night owl coworking with my babe; new aveeno facewash; morning cuddles; soft skin; walter being ridiculously cute & human-like; having one color hair again; best friend time & inside jokes; carlos rossi sangria; family beer pong tourneys & joining an all girl fantasy football league.

Today’s Sponsor Spotlight is on Sacramento’s most delectable food blog, Delicious Noise run by the equally amazing miss Monica Pierini. She is also 1/2 of the brains behind our crafty group of gals, Scraps & Sh!t.

Monica not only whips up the most fantastic recipes but takes mouth-watering photos to accompany them. Pop on over to Delicious Nosie for yummy treats!

{click to view bigger}

They are mostly all taken in Maui except for a couple of Glenn & Ashley. It was my first time shooting with film since high school & I really like how Holga prints look. Next I want to try just black & white film. Til then…<3

When mom & dad are at work Walter goes to puppy jail aka his crate. Don’t let the sad look fool you, he actually really loves his crate its like his own little man cave. Sometimes when we’re in a different room in the house we go to look for him and there he is, napping in the crate.
{Sorry for the craptastic photo, the lighting today in the house was no bueno & I was too tired to care}.

I’m so excited to announce one of many projects I’ve been working on–Sacramento Stitch Swap! Some of you may remember reading about past swap events & this next one marks the 4th one. So excited!

Please meet my two amazing co-hostesses Ashlee & Shawni. The three of us have been working super hard to plan the best swap yet. If you’ve attended Stitch Swap before, you know what a great time it is. We’ve got so many ideas in the works for cute displays, better organization & just an all around super fun time. We’ve rounded up some delicious sponsors that include an awesome venue, wine, vintage fashion, girly energy drinks, pretty pictures & of course, cupcakes. Are you excited yet?

So how the heck does it work, you ask? Simply put, you bring in previously loved clothing, shoes & accessories to swap amongst the items other women bring in. All the while socializing and enjoying yummy treats. All proceeds and whatever doesn’t get swapped we donate to a local charity. See flyer for additional details. You can also RSVP to the event on Facebook.

Hope to see you all there!

srsly yours,

If you’re a fan of Incubus, chances are you’re a fan of Brandon Boyd as well. Which is why I was super stoked when I heard he was recording a solo album. The Wild Trapeze dropped earlier this summer and I had a chance to check out some of the tracks.

Above is the official video for the single, “Runaway Train.” I’m into it. Are you?

Since my birthday fell on a Tuesday and is also shared with another friend in our circle, I decided to hold off on celebrating with the bunch until this weekend; we’re going camping! I’m over the moon about it because I haven’t been *real* camping {in a tent} in who knows how long. Glenn and I went a little crazy at REI last year when we made a trip to Yosemite so we have a bunch of really nice gear that we can take with us.

We’ll be staying Saturday/night & part of Sunday at Collins Lake which isn’t too far away from home. My family and I grew up camping there and it turns out so did Glenn & his family which means we probably played together on the beach when we were kids, unbeknownst to us that years later we’d fall in love & be back where we started at the lake {awhhh}.

A bunch of family & friends are joining us & I’m super stoked to swim, camp out under the stars, sit around the fire, eat lots of yummy food & DEFINITELY a lot of these;

{via weheartit}

Do you like camping? What are your weekend plans?

I woke up to Glenn whispering “good morning birthday girl” and showering me with kisses before parting ways to work. He was working a deadline through lunch so mom, step-dad & sister took me to lunch at my favorite local Mexican spot. So much fun & laughter.

At lunch, mom & Mike presented me with a lovely card, a bottle of my favorite chardonnay + a gift certificate to a aocal fabric/crafts store. SCORE!

After work the boy and I napped & then got ready for dinner at my favorite restaurant, Tuli Bistro. It was delicious & magical.

He also wins some major points for my fabulous gift…

a sewing machine! I have been wanting one so bad & even listed learning how to sew as one of my 4 simple goals so this couldn’t have come at a better time. Good job, babe.

Last but certainly not least, my blogging bff Diana was sweet enough to send me a gift as well. She mailed it a whole MONTH early. Do you know how hard it is to wait a whole month to open a present?? There it sat, in all its cupcake-print-wrapped glory & teased me for 30 days. But it was worth it.

Isn’t he the cutest lunch pack you ever saw? Love.

Here’s to another year of new experiences and lots more love. So far, twenty-five feels good. ♥