Oh Joy!

love these... 2 Aug 2012

...such a great take on city prints {I love the patterns and use of negative space} by J.Hill Design... — Joy

{sponsor} splendid... 2 Aug 2012

{oh joy eats} duff's cakemix in west hollywood... 1 Aug 2012

I don't know about you, but I was a total Ace of Cakes fan back in the day when the show was on. I loved how real and quirky everyone was...not what you'd typically imagine of cake decorators. So, when I heard that Duff Goldman had opened a new shop in LA, called Duff's CakeMix—where you can decorate your own cake—I was there in a heartbeat. And this time, I had to bring Bonnie's daughter, Venise, because what 8-year-old wouldn't love this {you might remember Venise from our Sprinkles ATM adventure}. When you walk into CakeMix, it feels like a open air workshop with tables and stations all set up for decorating either cupcakes or a cake.

Venise wanted to decorate 4 cupcakes, while I opted for a mini cake. You can choose your cake flavor, filling flavor, icing colors, and even create your own colors of fondant with food coloring. I was in a blue/green mood that day...

this & that... 31 Jul 2012

...wear this J.Crew sweater, decorate with that Hello Milky cushion...

—Bekka

currently snacking on... 31 Jul 2012

...a mango, graham cracker, and vanilla ice cream bon bon. Ruby's been eating mangoes by the spoonful these days, so I've always got diced up mangoes on hand. I wanted to make myself a little tropical treat and concocted these ice cream bon bons that taste just like a mango creamsicle...

Simply fill half of a mini ice cream scoop with ice cream, add some diced mangoes, and fill the rest of the scoop. Then roll the ice cream balls in crushed graham cracker crumbs. Wrap each one in plastic wrap and store in freezer for little bite-sized snack you can pull out at a moment's notice... — Joy

{photo by Oh Joy}

dressing like summer... 30 Jul 2012

Someone once told me that I'm always dressed like summer. It was such a sweet and simple statement, but I love thinking about that when getting dressed because wearing lots of color really does make my day sunnier no matter what the season... — Joy

{Instagram photos by Oh Joy} 

happy friday + a whole new world... 27 Jul 2012

A couple weeks ago, our lives changed forever...Ruby started crawling. For a couple months prior, she had thoughts about crawling and scooted backwards or maneuvered around inch-worm style, but now it's full-force, let-me-get-at-that-thing-you-don't-want-me-to-touch crawling. It's pretty amazing viewing the world from her new eyes as she discovers a new room for the first time or an object that she previously could never reach {I'm also getting my daily workout by chasing her around}. Needless to say, we've got lots of things to move around and baby-proofing has officially commenced. Once we're done, I'll be sharing with you how we're going to try and keep some of the style of our home while making the changes needed for Ruby's safety. I'll end today short and sweet and wish you a weekend full of little adventures and discovering things right under your nose in a whole new light... — Joy

{Instagram photo by Oh Joy}

{outside/inside} a quirky cloud... 26 Jul 2012

OUTSIDE / The Cloud House sits besides an inviting pool, proving that the architects at McBride Charles Ryan can balance playfulness and modernity. This house inspires...

...an INSIDE that's all fun and games, but in a very grown-up way. What could be more exciting than an overstuffed gingham chair, colorblocked rugs, and striped candles, all with hints of whimsy? I picture a budding photographer lives here; someone with a real eye for color and a passion for seeing life through the viewfinder... — Joanna 

{left to right, top to bottom: striped taper candles from Leif, colorblocked wool rug from A+R Store, ceramic clock from Woonwinkel, shuffle table from Horne, piazza gingham chair from CB2, mineral birdhouse from Terrain, blackbird fly twin lens reflex camera from Poketo, cord table lamp from The Future Perfect.} 

{Cloud House image from Arch Daily}

the juggle... 26 Jul 2012

Some of you fellow moms or moms-to-be {or future moms thinking ahead} have asked about my schedule, how I attempt to balance work and baby time, and how I prepped or planned for all the change before Ruby came into our lives. Now, I have to say I fully believe that "balance" isn't the right word to use because balance implies that it all works out perfectly somehow. Rather, as mentioned in this quote, it really is about the juggle...how can we make it work within our own situations. It's not always pretty or perfect, but in the end it works. I've hesitated writing this post until I felt like I had experienced a little bit more of my new life as a mom. I'm sure my methods will continue to change, but now that I am at a pretty good place with it all {and believe me, there were many tears before I got to this place}, I thought I'd share some of my experience with you and how the juggle works for me. So here are a few of my tips for you {and also how I personally handled things} for those of you out there who are interested. Now, just a note—because I am self-employed, my way of handling things is a little different than if I worked for someone else and had to go back to a 9-5 job. But hopefully some of these things still apply to those of you who are not self-employed...