Hi friends! So I’ve just arrived back from a wonderful weekend on the west coast. One of my boo’s best friends got married this weekend which warranted a quick trip to San Francisco.

I arrived with two of my bf’s good friends and we drove top down about 2 hours away to Healdsburg, CA. P.S- Rent convertibles!!! They are awesomely fun . P.P.S-Go to Healdsburg it is beautiful…I wish I had more pictures but sadly my phone was also GPS.

The beautiful drive to the wedding destination was a perfect indication of how goooooorgeous the wedding was going to be.

The wedding was held at Thunderbird Ranch, it’s the kind of place where you can really make it your own and this crazy, kooky, adorable couple definitely took every opportunity to do just that.

(L-R: the happy couple #merwin615; photo booth fun; personal chalkboards for table placing (obvi nicknames); reception area; NYers w/ bride and groom; groomsmen cuties; me and my boo’s sisters; me w/ some NY ladies)

The wedding was soooooo much fun. I’m sparing you all some aggressive dancing and over drinking imagery…but we’ll just say we all had an amazing time.

The next day a handful of the New Yorkers, including me and the bf hung around to spend a couple of nights extra in San Francisco.

Those beautiful views are from our hotel room in the Hilton Union Square. Pretty gorgeous.

Some high recommendations on the list of things to do in San Francisco: have Mexican food(!)- we have some great places in NY but Cali Mexican is it’s own category of food in my opinion, Haight Street is practically door to door vintage shopping-go scavenger there, and lastly drive fast down at least one hill…it’s so much fun .

So remember how me and the BF are mad geeks over The Voice!? Well his friends are too! My dude saw this sign and we had to strike The Voice pose .

I have to say I’m super duper lucky because I really do like my dude’s friends and his sisters so much and he seems to fit in with my friends pretty seamlessly too. I definitely feel lucky to be able to feel at home with his friends and hopefully he feels at home with mine. Funny, now that I think about it we have now officially went away with both set of friends and no drama!

Wheeew me and the bf have gone to 3 weddings in the past 2 months!!! Finally we get a break till October when one of my dearest ties the knot and then more fun!

(source: Design Sponge)

Hi friends! So my daddy happens to be in town for Father’s Day, quite rare occurrence for me since he lives an ocean away. He’s not a man of many things, so it’s always a challenge to get him something.

Thank you Design Sponge for the brilliant idea of natural room spritz! Since my daddy lives quite far from me and smell is such a powerful sense for memory, I thought it would be nice to give my daddy 3 room fragrances that could remind him of me, my brother and him.

I happen to already have most of the ingredients needed for the fragrance, but most if not all of these things are really super easy to get your hands on.

(distilled/spring water not shown-sorry! I totally forgot to put it in the shot)

I pretty much followed the Design Sponge instructions except I lowered the vodka amount to about 1/2 a cup instead of the 3/4 cup. To me it smelled very vodka like with the 3/4 cup, even though vodka is suppose to be odorless, I have a bit of a keen nose for vodka because it is my liquor of choice.

The other thing I did was make my own funnel with a scrap of plastic packaging. This is totally a trick from my boo, who McGyvered a funnel once for me. Totally easy to make your own funnel!

Having the funnel makes it much easier to get your ingredients into the bottle, so I would highly recommend you either using one you have or make a handy DIY funnel like mine. Here are some other tips I would add to the great Design Sponge tutorial.

• Mix your oils and vodka in a bowl, then put in spray bottle and top off with distilled or spring water. I found whisking the essential oils and vodka first worked way better than putting the oils and the vodka in the bottle directly.
• Play with the scents! Some scents like Rosemary are energetic others like Neroli are calming. So pick a mood, see what you like and don’t be afraid to create. I combined scents to my own liking.
• Be sure to wash anything you used for essential oils thoroughly! Most essential oils are not meant to be ingested so be sure to clean! clean! clean! the items you use. I am actually super paranoid about this so have decided to just dedicate the bowl I used for essential oils only.

P.S. I don’t know if recipes is the right word for fragrances (tee hee), but I couldn’t think of a more apt word!

Here are the 3 different scents I made for Father’s Day: one that represents my brother, me and my daddy.

My Fragrance: zesty, energetic, citrusy, with sweet finish-essential oils used: neroli * lemon * tangerine * bergamot

My Brother’s Fragrance: woody, masculine, energetic-essential oils used: neroli * pine * rosemary * bergamot

Daddy’s Fragrance: masculine, piny, earthy, with zesty finish-essential oils used: neroli * pine * rosemary * bergamot * lemon

You’ll notice that almost all of the essential oils repeat themselves. Since we’re all related and similar in a lot of ways I wanted our scents to have notes that are related, but then have very strong characteristics on their own, much like how we are in real life .

So what are you guys doing for your dad on Father’s Day?

Hello friends! New week, new Monday! I have a hectic 2 weeks coming up so to keep you guys a little busy, here are some of the reads that made me heart the internet last week. Enjoy!

• Above image is from this fun style quiz! It is really hard for me to resist these guys!

• Adore this post on 10 steps to start achieving your dreams.

• Shaking my head at 15 major retailers still not signing the Bangladesh safety accord.

• I just found this wonderful blog Henry Happened, it’s making me so happy right now. Love this super comprehensive guide to kitchen beauty ingredients and this BRILLIANT method to temporarily embellish your jeans.

• So interesting! This is the perfect pinterest picture….according to science.

• My gawsh, I totally want to try to rock a sweatshirt as a skirt now.

• There are a million beauty tips and tricks online but I really really love this list! Especially these little tips to on how to backcomb your hair so you don’t look like a 80′s tragedy.

Have a wonderful week, friends!

I don’t know about you friends but summer into fall marks the wedding season for me. I’m definitely at that age where your friends are getting married and having awesomely fun wonderful beautiful weddings! Seeing two people promise to be there for each other for the rest of their lives is something that always touches me…I am so a crier at weddings!

But I’m not a girl who likes to buy a one occasion dress. I like wedding guest dresses that can have a life after a wedding. I’ve managed to choose and love my wedding guest wear so much that I totally work them in real life too (proof and proof). And you can totally do this too! Here are some perfectly suitable ethical wedding guest gear that can totally transition to your real life after the festivites!

Top Row (L-R): Samantha Coral Maxi-$49; Silk Crepe Dress by Covet-$250 $106.95; Tie Front Dress by Edun-$98 / Bottom Row (L-R): ASOS Africa Peplum Dress-$101.82 $50.91; Striped Panel Tank Dress-$64; Chevron Flare Dress by 4 All Humanity-$84; Bow Back Dress in Peach-$45

So friends, are you attending any weddings soon? I certainly feel like it’s that happy time of year!

P.S- Going to weddings are my favorite .

P.P.S-No reason to do one dress wonders! Totally okay to wear the same dress as a guest at another wedding.

Ain’t that the truth! If you’re looking at your life, your body, the money you make, the college you get in to, your job, or any successes compared to someone else’s you will never feel the joy of having what you have.

I’ve had to learn and relearn this, but I think it’s finally stuck! Other people’s successes have nothing to do with your own…so enjoy you!…appreciate you! And enjoy all that YOU do.

Quote found on swiss miss here, Image courtesy of Marcus74id at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Father’s Day is just around the corner here in the U.S, so definitely time to get on something special for the daddies out there!

Here are some wonderful ethical gifts for the dads in your life .

1. Cedar Wood Bottle Opener Set-$57.95
2. Handmade Silk Tie-$26.00
3. Fair Trade Sudoku Game-$32.00 $24.00
4. Upcycled Tent Travel Kit-$38.00
5. Beer Making Kits-$40.00
6. Hammock-$82.00 $74.69
7. Actual Game Baseball Bat Bottle Openers-$85.00-$125.00
8. Herbal Men’s Shaving Set-$90.00
9. Pops You’re the Tops Card-$5.00

I became fixated on getting an over-sized denim jacket for the in between weather that comes with Spring when I saw this version by Band of Outsiders on It’s a Brad Brad World’s Hannah here.

My version is vintage bought from Etsy and it has the dolman sleeves like the Band of Outsiders version which really was my fave part.

(sunglasses-vintage gifted; scarf- work +  shelter via the green festival; jacket-from etsy here; bag-c/o first world trash available here; boots-goodwill ny)

I wore my new denim jacket on my all day date with my parents last month. One of the greatest things about living in NY and working in media is there are a million wonderful events to attend and I get to share that with my parents. My mama and dad have both spent their lives in public service so these things are so glamorous to them and it makes me so happy to make them feel special!

Thanks to my amazing bf, who surprised me with day passes to Tribeca Film Festival for me and my parents from his job. You are just the cat’s meow, buddy. I am so grateful.

How cute is my mama?!? She was so in love with her press pass! My parents are divorced so I had to split my time with them, taking my mama to the early showings of GBF and McConkey and taking my dad to Powerless and In God We Trust in the evening. It was a really full but super fun day.

Here’s what’s going on under my coat….

(necklace-bobo wince via green festival; tunic-don’t shop here!; sweater-meg; ring-nissa jewelry; other jewelry-gifted)

I have to mention that besides my denim jacket there are 2 new guys in this post. The brown fair trade scarf by Work Shelter and the necklace by Bobo Wince (no site provided ). I bought both items at the Green Festival in NY just the day before. Big thank you to the wonderful Nihmet for the invite, I had a great time!

Have you treated your parents to anything special recently? Isn’t it just the best!

Happy Monday friends! I haven’t done a link round up in a while, but there are plenty of great reasons to heart the internet! Please enjoy some of my recently hearted links.

• Above-Cutest thing ever. A video of first tastes including anchovy and pickled onion…eep!

• I’m pretty fascinated with ballerinas, their beauty and strength and love for their craft is kind of amazing to me. So I loved this video on the discipline they have in just prepping their toe shoes.

• Hmmm, I wonder if this is true-8 essential oils to help you feel amazing naked.

• Ew, Ambercrobmie & Fitch-totally rude.

• So interesting…ginger may be better than some over the counter pain-killers. Also some great tricks to integrate ginger in your diet.

• A fantastic list of ethical brands making their goods in sunny California.

• Some smart smart tips on making vintage clothes work for you!

• Have you played this geography game by Google yet?!? Challenge your friends!

• Pretty brilliant! Netflix for textbooks.

• Lastly holy mackerel! Urban Outfitters gets in some fair trade and sustainable fashion in their stores. . Yipppeeee!

I hope you’re enjoying a long Memorial Day weekend! While it’s dreary, pretty chilly, and even a tad rainy in New York, Memorial Day has always been the unofficial start of summer here and a great time to start on your ethical wardrobe for the (crossing fingers) warmer sunnier summer months! Here are some great ethical Memorial Day Sales to get you on your way!

ASOS Green Room is FULL of fair trade and sustainable ethical options! And since ASOS is having a #Happy (almost) Summer Sale, you can get some of the amazing new ethical things they have in for the warmer weather. One of my faves– these printed pants from ASOS Africa.

Closet Dash is a great place to shop and swap cothing! They have a lovely curated boutique where you can purchase items that are already at great prices but with their Memorial Day special taking 30% off their goods it is a super steal! Favorite is this faux leather skirt!!! My gawsh I might nab this guy!

Of a KIND is a really special way to shop. Each item in this boutique has a limited run so you’re sure to be getting something super unique, your purchase will come with a little tag that says your item is 22 of 50 made. So take this opportunity to get a gem that is truly unique for yourself at 30% off. I die die die(!) for these earring duets.

Lydali is a gorgeous store full of beautiful accessories for you and your home all made by ethical designers. Something about Lydalli feels warm and sweet and I am head over heels for this black and gold agate ring.

Hearts is a great place for ethical accessories. The aesthetic is really young, fun, urban and trendy. The items on sale are marked down an additional 15% for Memorial Day. I really dig the brilliance of this bike bag.

Curator SF is a sustainable brand made in San Francisco. I think their dresses can be really versatile, by changing a shoe and some accessories these items can go from day to night. My fave here is the Lola tie dye dress.

GreenHeart Shop is no stranger to Made-to-Travel! I love this Chicago based ethical store full of everything from fab jewelry to space saving wine racks. To celebrate the unofficial start of summer GreenHeart Shop wants you to get outdoors! My fave pick is this lime printed apron, feels like summer to me .

Enjoy! Enjoy! Enjoy! Friends .

Friends, I have to tell you I am AMAZED at this! I found a post on regrowing green onions on Rosy Blu Handmade and then shortly after I read a post on regrowing celery on Housing a Forest and since these 2 lovely greens happen to be frequent flyers on my grocery list, I thought what the heck–let’s try!

And voilá they are regrowing and literally all it took was a little water. The tallest stalks/blades of green onions are new guys that I’ve grown(!), they’re about  2 weeks old. The little itty bitty center leafy guy will be my new celery, it’s only 3 days old!!! Amazed I tell you!