life happens |

we love it here.

By annmarielovespaper on March 26, 2013

When Saturday rolls around and John and I are looking for a fun way to spend the afternoon, Ventura often seems to top our list of places to go. And why not? It’s such an underrated little beach town so close to where we live. The weather is always nice, the parking is always plentiful and FREE (take note, LA!), and there are so many fantastic thrift shops on Main Street that we could spend hours wandering though. Oh, and we’re totally getting married there in October! Needless to say, we love it.

On the way home, we stopped at our wedding venue to see what it looks like at night. Despite my previous concerns that the lighting wouldn’t jive with my vision, I am happy to report, it looks SO GOOD! Warm, cozy, and ready for an all-night fiesta! Am I killing you with the wedding stuff yet? My apologies friends, but we’ve got a loooong (but not that long – ahh!) way to go! And speaking of wedding stuff, lately I’ve been sending e-mails with potential vow material to myself whenever a poignant thought crosses my mind. This includes, but is not limited to, grabbing my phone to write out my thoughts in the middle of the night while still half-dreaming (nightmaring?) about arriving at the ceremony only to realize that I forgot to write any vows…! (P.S. I woke up the next morning to some surprisingly decent work!) I am LITERALLY writing these vows with my eyes closed. If only the rest of the wedding planning could be so easy!

xoxo

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workspace wednesday: spring fever.

By annmarielovespaper on March 20, 2013

Colorful notes to friends. Taking time to smell the roses. Lots of time spent soaking up the sunshine. Clean desk (well, mostly). New maxi dress + cheery yellow bag. Knitting projects galore. New candle making my space smell like a chic boutique. JT on replay, all day, everyday. Lots of planning, organizing and writing in my journal. Setting goals + making things happen. Happy Spring!

xoxo

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venice, ca.

By annmarielovespaper on March 17, 2013

Last week I got a fun e-mail from Urbanic letting me know that I had won their giveaway from The Cream…! I can’t even tell you how excited I was, especially about this wedding planning binder that I’ve had my eye on for quite some time. The truth is, I didn’t even get a good look at the prize while I was at the event, but as a matter of principle, I always throw my name in the hat if Urbanic is hosting a giveaway. Always.

While I was down in Venice, I decided to wander around a bit, pick up a latte from Intelligentsia (even if I do feel entirely uncool while I’m there), stop by Firefly (another great little boutique!), and take a bunch of photos before the braving the 405 at rush hour. Totally worth it.

xoxo

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grammin’ ain’t easy: not ready to give up my beanies just yet.

By annmarielovespaper on March 15, 2013

From left to right:

Knitting a beanie, drinking coffee, catching up on the Rachel Zoe Project, and wearing sweats well into the early afternoon. Self-employment at it’s finest.
Reorganizing all the books + magazines in my nightstand. P.S. I’m looking for new reads…any suggestions?
Clear desk, clear mind.
The most beautiful day EVER. I sat outside far longer than my whiter-than-white skin would have liked, but the warm sunshine felt so good.
Stocking up on new yarn for another knitting project. Can’t. Stop. Knitting.
My wedding attire is coming together quite nicely, thanks to the sale section at Anthro!
I simply refuse to give up my beanies and my winter attire just yet. Even if it is 90 degrees out!
The warmer weather and longer days have made for lots of early evening walks with Wally. I’m really, really loving it.

xoxo

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workspace wednesday: time change madness.

By annmarielovespaper on March 13, 2013

The time change has made for some interesting ebbs and flows in my energy levels this past week, to say the least. On Monday I was FULL SPEED AHEAD and on Tuesday I was…not.

On Monday, I got myself out of bed and straight into a Zumba class with time to spare (a rare occurrence). I then came home and set out to clean my desk so I could get work done in a clean space, but in the process, ended up reorganizing my closet, my shipping supplies, my bookshelf, and my nightstand. I would have kept going (!!!), but I had work that needed to be completed in a time-sensitive manner so I focused on that instead. Of course, I then decided that I should take the dog on a nice long walk to wear him out a little bit. So we did. For an hour and a half. And after that, I jumped right back into work until 3am before I realized that I should probably get some sleep. It should also be noted that I had little appetite the whole entire day and I wasn’t the least bit tired. WHERE DID THIS ENERGY COME FROM?

On Tuesday, I woke up and immediately regretted that decision. My sky-high energy from the day before had OFFICIALLY left the building. So…I spent a good portion of the morning (ahem…and early afternoon) working on my wedding pinning in my pajamas. (That’s somewhat productive, right?) I also made sure to chug as many glasses of water as I possibly could and that definitely seemed to help. Luckily, it was the most beautiful day of all time, so I was eager to sit outside and bask in the glorious California sunshine while answering e-mails from my phone (where would I be without my iPhone?). From that point on, I had a better grip on my energy. I packed and shipped a bunch of orders. I did a little grocery shopping. I took Wally on another long walk. I accomplished only what I needed to accomplish and left it at that.

I am always analyzing, always rethinking, always trying to find new ways to be BETTER, you know? I want everyday to be like Monday, but clearly that is SO not going to happen. Some days are good, some days are great. I just have to roll with it.

How do you maintain your energy levels? I would love to hear your thoughts!

xoxo

8 Comments

workspace wednesday: planner mode.

By annmarielovespaper on March 6, 2013

I sort of abandoned my planner for a few months last year (September / October…who are you?) in favor of the Teux Deux app on my phone. And as much as I loved the convenience of having my agenda everywhere I went, I missed the way it felt to SEE a week at a glance and to physically WRITE out my schedule with different colored pens. There’s nothing quite like the tactile satisfaction that comes from crossing things off and getting it done! This is also the reason I could never be 100% graphic design…I need to use my hands!

That said, recommitting to writing in my planner everyday has been a huge source of joy for me (seriously!). I break down my tasks over the whole week. I write down which days I worked out. I make goals for each week, whether it’s to go to bed by a certain time or try to figure out how to use my camera remote. I keep track of deadlines and hours worked. I make sure to note which days were really awesome. I put check marks next to things I accomplished. I write lists on notepads and then paperclip them into my book. I keep track of my life and it feels so good.

Do you love planners? How do you stay organized?

xoxo

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get organized.

By annmarielovespaper on February 28, 2013

I’ve been struggling with finding the perfect word for this year. There are so many excellent options that would all move me in some way, but not really one in particular that stood out as my WORD, you know? That is, until a week ago.

As I looked around my messy desk, started stressing about putting together all my tax papers, and wondering where the HECK my other shoe was, I realized that I need to dedicate 2013 to GETTING ORGANIZED.

I don’t know why I let things slide. I don’t know why I put things off until the last possible moment. I don’t know why I let giant messes pile up until I absolutely have to confront them. But I do. Not only is this bad habit visually distressing, but it’s mentally, physically and emotionally draining too. And who needs that? It’s time to stop being a self-saboteur. While getting organized and planning out my life might take a little bit more time and energy upfront, it always pays off tenfold in the end.

So yesterday morning when I got back from the gym (always a great way to stay on top of my day), I took out all the clothes in my dresser drawers and closet and reorganized them. I then cleaned off my desk, filed away anything that absolutely did not need to be there, threw away the little scraps of paper I knew I wouldn’t be using, and put all of my February receipts in their designated place. I then answered a bunch of e-mails that I had been putting off and reached out to a few people I had been meaning to contact. Finally, I got down to work. I chipped away at my to-do list and began to feel better and better about myself. Already, this mantra is making a difference!

What are your goals for this year?

xoxo

7 Comments

i’m a hat person.

By annmarielovespaper on February 25, 2013

On any given day, there is a 97% chance that I will be rocking some sort of headwear (not to be confused with head gear…been there, done that, pleasegodneveragain). I’m a major hat person. Fedoras? Oh, yes! Baseball caps? Of course! And beanies? I’ll take one in every color! With a gigantic pom on top, por favor! I’m pretty much living in a beanie 24/7 these glorious cold days.

The beanie obsession can be blamed on a few different, but equally important, factors:

1. Janelle and her super-inspiring knitting skills.
2. Nat the Fat Rat. She is so my new girl crush and beanie-wearing idol.
3. La-zi-ness! I despise spending any longer than three seconds on my hair everyday and a cute hat gives me instant style! <— at least that’s what I tell myself.

The way I see it, the bigger the pom pom and the brighter the color, the better! I bought the blue hat that you see above from Target for less than two dollars on clearance. It was a little too plain for my taste (but who am I to pass up a good deal??), so I whipped up the yarn pom pom using this excellent tutorial and attached it to the hat in less than three minutes. SO SIMPLE, YOU GUYS. I’m never taking it off.

xoxo

4 Comments

what a weekend.

By annmarielovespaper on February 18, 2013

(Photo by the talented Janelle Grodsky)

Our Valentine’s-themed engagement party went off without a hitch this past Saturday, thanks to all the wonderful worker bees who generously helped bring my vision to life. Yesterday I slept for nearly ten hours and then followed it up with a two hour nap! Needless to say, it was exhausting in the very best possible way. I also took hundreds of photos and can’t wait to share them with you soon! In the meantime, I’ll be writing thank you notes, drinking lots of homemade lattes, and getting my taxes squared away (blah!). Looking forward to a brand new week and a chance to start fresh!

xoxo

3 Comments

workspace wednesday: same ol,’ same ol.’

By annmarielovespaper on January 30, 2013

T O D A Y // Making piles, moving piles. Working on a few projects for Amy. Trying to figure out my place on Vine (are you on it? do tell!). E-mailing + g-chatting. Packing stamp orders. Watching Girls. Thinking about when I should leave for the gym. Slowly chipping away at my 2013 Project Life pages (photos to come!). Drinking a spinach / carrot / greek yogurt / almond milk / blueberry / banana smoothie. Trolling the interwebs for party decor inspiration. Reading and re-reading The New-Fashioned Wedding nearly every single day (such a good book). Looking forward to visiting Oh Hello Friend’s new shop. Designing printable Valentine’s. Loving the sunshine. Procrastinating. Still rocking sweatpants at 2 o’clock in the afternoon. Same ol,’ same ol.’ (You know how it goes.)

xoxo

5 Comments

Posts tagged ‘life happens’

we love it here.

workspace wednesday: spring fever.

venice, ca.

grammin’ ain’t easy: not ready to give up my beanies just yet.

workspace wednesday: time change madness.

workspace wednesday: planner mode.

get organized.

i’m a hat person.

what a weekend.

workspace wednesday: same ol,’ same ol.’

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Posts tagged ‘life happens’

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