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If there’s one bit of wisdom I can impart on all you work-from-homers, it’s this: leave the house.

I don’t know why it’s taken me this long to figure out the beauty of a change of workspace scenery, but boy, does it ever make a difference. By going to a coffee shop for a few hours, I get so much work done, I get my caffeine fix, and did I mention that I leave the freaking house? Yes. It’s amazing. Coffee shops are amazing. Checking things off my list in an awesome atmosphere is – you guessed it – amazing. Better late than never, right?

Which coffee shop is your favorite? I need something other than the old standby! (;

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topanga vintage market | woodland hills, ca

By annmarielovespaper on May 7, 2013

There’s really nothing in this world that I love more than a good treasure hunting excursion (obviously). I mean, what could possibly be more fun than digging through others’ discarded junk and giving it new life?! (Uh, just about EVERYTHING is more fun than that, my mom would say – ha!) Thrift stores, flea markets, garage sales – bring it on! So on the fourth Sunday of every month, I love to attend the Topanga Vintage Market in the San Fernando Valley. This market hosts a wide variety of vendors + vintage products in all different price ranges. Of course I’m always on the lookout for unique glass + tableware, but even if I don’t buy anything, it’s worth it for the visual inspiration alone! Here are a few of the awesome items I spotted the last time I attended:

One of these days, I want to purchase a giant sign like this and work it into a lush outdoor landscape. I love when urban + natural aesthetics collide, a la my beloved Grow.

The wooden crate! The orange tackle box! The yellow lawn chair! Everything about this photo makes me want to dig in.

If I had a few kids + a few hundred spare dollars, I would definitely snatch these chairs up and put them in a playroom or on a patio for outdoor dining. You could even use one as a place to stack books or blankets! Aren’t the colors just perfection?

These handcrafted glass beaded necklaces are amazing. Not only would they be great for wearing, but they would also look fantastic if they were tied into a loose knot and displayed on a dresser or coffee table. So many possibilities in so many beautiful colors!

P.S. If you make it to the market, be sure to stop by booth F-20 and say hello to my lovely future in-laws! (:

What are your favorite things to look for when you go treasure hunting?

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good reads.

By annmarielovespaper on May 6, 2013

It pains me to think that bookstores are a dying breed, so whenever I’m near a B+N (RIP Borders), I absolutely have to visit.

It goes a little something like this…First stop: Magazines! Second stop: Coffee! Third stop: Design / Crafts / Home Decor section where I grab a fat stack of inspiring books! Fourth stop: Find one of those step-stools and park it for an hour or more! HEAVEN, I tell you.

Here are two of my recent finds that I am in love with:

STYLE ME PRETTY WEDDINGS | Obvious choice, much? YES. But I don’t care. This book will stay with me long after I say “I do” since it’s chock-full of beautiful photos, plenty of party inspiration, and a ton of DIY’s that can apply to so many things other than weddings! It’s funny because I always associate the Style Me Pretty blog with high-end, super extravagant weddings that quite honestly, never really appeal to me. So to pick this book up and be genuinely inspired by all the real-life (read: potentially low budget) ideas was such a wonderful surprise! I can’t recommend it enough!

(Both books pass the very important well-designed spine test.)

100 WAYS TO HAPPY CHIC YOUR LIFE | This book is part design inspiration / part self-help and I LOVE IT. My favorite little nugget of wisdom from the book is the one you see above, but really, all of Jonathan Adler’s ideas are sheer genius (obviously). However, the best part of all is the little fold-out pages that feature DIY projects to make for your home. Crafts? Home Design? Life tips? Yeah, I’m in.

What books are you loving these days?

P.S. Remember how I was telling you about being a contributor to Everyday Storyteller Vol. 2? It’s now available for purchase! Get your copy here! (:

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weekend day trip | ojai, ca.

By annmarielovespaper on May 2, 2013

A few weekends ago, John and I decided to venture up north and take a little day trip to Ojai. Can you believe that in the twenty-plus years I’ve lived in Southern California, I had never visited this amazing town before? That’s just crazy to me now that I’ve experienced the wonder that it truly is. Everything about Ojai (well, except maybe the overuse of Papyrus…I’ll try to look past that – ha!), is perfection. We spent the first part of the day exploring the main street, dining at an awesome Mexican food joint, and strolling through the park. As the sun began to set, I knew we had to head up to Meditation Mount (after reading this post!) and take in all the soft colors and citrusy smells from the top of the city. My instincts proved correct…it was spectacular.

Ojai, you’ve won us over. Well done.

P.S. Hey locals! Any ideas for adorable SoCal towns that I need to visit? I would love to hear your suggestions! xo

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workspace wednesday | time’s up

By annmarielovespaper on May 1, 2013

You guys, I think I may have found the secret to getting things done: a timer! Yesterday as my to-do list continued to grow and my productivity began to plummet, I decided to break down each task into 15 minute increments and focus, focus, focus. Before I knew it, I was checking items off my list and wondering why the heck I hadn’t tried this sooner! There’s something about a ticking timer that makes any task feel more like an exciting game than a monotonous job. And I like it.

What do you do to trick yourself into getting things done?

P.S. Today on the BG blog, you can see my super (not) glamorous styling + photography set-up!

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everyday storyteller vol. 2 blog hop.

By annmarielovespaper on April 30, 2013

Welcome to the Everyday Storyteller Vol. 2 blog hop! I can’t believe we are just a few short days away from the big reveal – so exciting! I’m still feeling incredibly honored to have my projects featured alongside such a talented and diverse group of women! In case you’re just getting up to speed, Everyday Storyteller Vol. 2 is a brand new idea book offering more than 100 tips, tricks and techniques for scrapbooking. Go behind the scenes with 33 of your favorite memory keepers to see how they capture moments, tell stories and document their best memories. Sign up for the VIP list right here to be the first to know when the book is released and receive an exclusive discount!

Each book contributor participating in the blog hop is giving away an eBook copy of Everyday Storyteller Vol. 2. Use this entry link to complete your entry form. You must enter by 11:59pm PDT on April 30, 2013 to be eligible. You may enter from each stop. Winners will be contacted directly as well as posted at everydaystoryteller.com on May 1, 2013. Good luck!

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blueprint.

By annmarielovespaper on April 29, 2013

Lately I’ve been going through a major “interneting” phase. You know, the kind of phase where you all you want to do is catch up on all your favorite blogs, pin a million images, and discover new places to get inspired? I love when this happens. It makes me feel like the time I am already going to spend on the internet is actually being put to good use! (At least that’s what I tell myself.) Sometimes just looking at my pins is enough to get my creative juices flowing, but other times, I want to put my visual finds to work…

Hence: Blueprints! Every Friday on the BasicGrey blog, I (or a talented guest designer) interpret a non-scrapbook related image through paper and glue. It’s very similar to traditional scrapbook sketches, but with a modern, real-world application that will help you to think outside the proverbial box. And the best part of all? You can download each Blueprint as a PDF to reference when you sit down to create! (Ugh, I love technology way too much.)

So as it turns out, I now have to dedicate a little extra time on Pinterest each week to gathering inspiration…geez, just twist my arm already (;

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workspace wednesday | so fresh + so clean.

By annmarielovespaper on April 24, 2013

Last week I was so inspired by all the beautiful photos of Bri Emery’s new workspace that I decided to clean up my own. I’ll be honest. It looks like this for maybe four and a half minutes and after that…all bets are off. But that’s okay. I think it’s good to periodically move things around and reevaluate what stays on my desk and what goes. A change of scenery, not matter how small, is always a welcome thing.

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crafts + cocktails.

By annmarielovespaper on April 22, 2013

This past Saturday, Elise and I attended Elsie + Emma’s “Crafts + Cocktails” party hosted by Ruche and Zooey Magazine at the Seychelles’ showroom in LA. In three words? IT. WAS. AMAZING. I must have have done 50 laps around the place in an effort to take in every last detail!

True to the party’s name, there were crafts, cocktails, cupcakes, and so many stylish people in one beautiful space. It was such a treat to meet Elsie and Emma in real life and see just how friendly and down-to-earth they are (I love when that happens!). And! I even had a conversation with Joy the Baker! (I live for her podcast, you guys.) All of the details that went into this party were beyond inspiring, you can bet your bottom dollar I will be swiping them for my own future celebrations. But really, the time spent with this impossibly cute little mama was the highlight of the whole trip. She’s such a gem.

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taking inventory.

By annmarielovespaper on April 20, 2013

The thing about thrifting several times a week and then immediately banishing my treasures to boxes in the garage is that I have no freaking clue what I own. So the other day, something possessed me to break out all those boxes and open each and every carefully-wrapped item so I could take inventory. I knew the minute I started, I would immediately regret this hare-brained scheme, but, like most stupid decisions, I was in too deep to quit. Before I knew it, glassware covered every square inch of the dining room table.

Seeing everything all laid out together made me so happy-slash-confirmed my suspicions that I am a hoarder. The best (worst?) part of all is that in the middle of this inventory-taking madness, I went to the gym and stopped by – where else? – the Goodwill on my way back home. I AM ADDICTED. But I promise I have a master plan! Once this whole wedding extravaganza wraps up, I have grand plans of starting a rentals biz so I can share the glassware love with others. Ahem…and have an excuse to keep hoarding.

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workspace wednesday | leave the house

topanga vintage market | woodland hills, ca

good reads.

weekend day trip | ojai, ca.

workspace wednesday | time’s up

everyday storyteller vol. 2 blog hop.

blueprint.

workspace wednesday | so fresh + so clean.

crafts + cocktails.

taking inventory.

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