Birthdays, weddings, barbecues—’tis the season for a party, and shopping at local boutiques has become my new favorite outlet for gifts that are equal parts thoughtful, unique, and often locally made. Here are my eight favorite spots in San Diego for something special:

Pigment: As far as home and gift boutiques, Pigment is the cream of San Diego’s crop. The selection of home decor, jewelry, furniture, kitchen products, and stationery is outstanding, and the DIY succulent station, complete with plants, planters, and colorful sand, is a great way to put a personal touch on a gift. The universally loved store is a constant barrage of eye candy, from florescent glass water bottles to $120 watering cans you never knew you needed.They also host craft workshops, and sweetie-pie shop dog Cash is often splayed out on the cement floor.

Hi Sweetheart: Owner Molly Rossettie has quite an eye. The Orange County native, who lived on the East Coast for seven years before moving back West, has filled her La Jolla shop with endless giftables, most notably colorful kitchenware from big names like Fishs Eddy and California-specific items in the form of totes, pillows, and mugs. Walking in her store feels like a shot of sunshine. (Photo via)

Progress: The charming South Park boutique stocks stationery, kitchen items, accessories, and beauty products, but it’s their lustworthy line of custom sofas that has everyone gaga. The mid-century-style pieces feel very West Elm without the West Elm price tag.

Maven: San Diego newbie Maven is perched on a corner in Normal Heights and boasts a slightly different business model. Owner Alexandra Hall is all about finding non-local products—like MCMC Fragrances and Charlotte Stone Sandals—that San Diegans would be hard-pressed to find. It feels earthy, bohemian, and straight out of Ojai.

Teeter: A dose of Kinfolk Magazine in the hippie beach ‘hood of Ocean Beach. Teeter carries home furnishings, plants, and beauty products that fall under the rustic-homemade category. It’s a perfect spot for the minimalist. (Photo via)
Make Good: This South Park store is my go-to for gifts because every item—clothing, accessories, beer glasses, these awesome cards, and more—is made by a San Diego or Tijuana artisan. It’s often hard to think of a San Diego-specific gift to give friends and family, but I love that this boutique helps tell a bit of our region’s story. The store was also the recent recipient of a makeover courtesy of American Express, Shop Small, and Etsy Wholesale, and designed by the editors of Rue Magazine. (Photo via)

Casa Artelexia: What’s San Diego without a little South of the Border flavor? This Little Italy shop specializes in handcrafted Mexican decor, gifts, and home products, especially those with a Day of the Dead flair. Owned by a father-daughter duo, Artelexia is stocked with hand-picked items from all over Mexico, has an in-house art gallery, and offers craft workshops. It’s a beautiful, magical Technicolor explosion in there. (Photo via)

The Work/Shop Collective: The beautiful thing about San Diego’s small business community is its collaborative nature. That’s most evident at The Work/Shop Collective, a trio of locally owned brands housed in one space in Del Mar’s Flower Hill Promenade. There are handbags by Rais Case, natural candles and soaps by Mr. B’s Luminaries, and minimalist planters by 5ing. (Photo via)

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In New York I was inspired by fashion, but in California I’ve been completely enamored with homes—the living rooms, the backyards, the back patios, and even the entryways. From what I’ve seen in these last two years, people take a lot of pride in their living spaces (even when renting!) and use those spaces to reflect a distinct lifestyle, one that brings the outside in with a mix of bright colors, Spanish-style architecture, and inviting layouts.

Here are 6 looks I’m currently crushing on and for more inspiration, come follow me on Pinterest.

(above) Radiant bougainvillea with warm natural hues in Sarah Yates‘ Palm Springs home (via A House in the Hills)

Sarah Sherman Samuel’s enviable back patio—even more enviable because so much of it was DIY! (via Smitten Studio)

Spanish-style entrance in L.A.’s Los Feliz neighborhood (via Design *Sponge)

An eclectic, travel-inspired home with this kind of outdoor shower? A home after my own heart. (via Apartment Therapy)

 Bright colors paired with bright whites paired with a bright rug, and I want that light fixture. (via Domaine Home)

Entryway envy in Brentwood (via High Street Market)

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What a pleasant surprise to wake up Monday morning and see that our apartment was featured on Apartment Therapy! My friends Jenny and Becca of Found Creative Studio had come over last month right before my family visited—so the apartment would be in the best possible shape—and snapped a bunch of photos for us. Now looking at this post, it’s so satisfying to share the progress we’ve made in two years. As one reader so flatly commented on Apartment Therapy, it looks like a “first apartment,” and I’m OK with that. It’s the first time we’ve cared about, curated, and collected pieces that are important to us, and I’m excited to see where we go from here.

And the timing couldn’t have been better. Seeing our wee abode on a site I love so much was a treat during an otherwise weird, anxious, bummed-out spell I’m currently experiencing. I blame Mercury retrograde! (If you seem extra loopy, incoherent, irritable, and altogether lost, blame the planet of Mercury, which is in retrograde starting today until February 11.) Why bring this up? So you know that even though these pictures make everything look perfect, rest assured that things are not always perfect, a disclaimer that I think most bloggers don’t say enough. (For instance, we cleaned for nearly a whole day to get our apartment to look this clean.)

Astrological mood shifts aside, you can read the full feature on Apartment Therapy. Plus, I’ve got more photos after the jump:

All photos by Found Creative Studio

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Everything I’ve learned about photography, I learned through a combination of Eaman teaching me (after he studied the Canon manual) and blog posts of tips. I generally understand the lingo—F-stop, aperture, rule of thirds, bokeh—but have never been confident enough to shoot in Manual mode. But yesterday I attended a very cool donation-based photo workshop, hosted by Erin and Chris of Honest Films and the Leichtag Foundation, where I picked up some really valuable tips, met a group of fantastic women and literally ate dinner next to horses on a farm while the blazing red sun set.

At the Foundation’s dreamy 67-acre farm in Encinitas, we spent the afternoon learning about composition, light manipulation and more before experimenting with both indoor and outdoor settings. Like I said, I do know a little from practice, but that’s always been in aperture mode. Once Chris showed me how to shoot in manual, my mind was blown! It really does pay to be in control of all the elements. (No, I’m not going to post a tutorial. I’m not an expert yet!)

And once we finished our outdoor shoot during that beautiful golden hour, we all sat down to a vegetarian feast in a lush green field. We basically belonged in Kinfolk. The co-organizers, Gabi and my friend, Anabelle, arranged quite the spread: fresh pesto, cheese, wheat bread, dried fruit, olives and nuts not to mention all the desserts from our indoor shoot. It was one of my more awesome Sundays as of late. And in case you’re interested, this Thursday the Jewish Food Justice Fellowship is hosting a dinner and screening of the food documentary Fed Up at the property. These organizations are all about focusing on quality, seasonal, organic food, and how it can bring a community together.

Here are a few snaps of my snaps from the workshop:

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We traveled. We saw. We photographed.

We have about 15,000 photos from our 13-month backpacking trip, and we always knew we would enlarge and frame some of our favorites. We just didn’t know it would take us so long.

Last August we bought six large IKEA frames and this past weekend we finally assembled our second gallery wall. Huzzah! I’m really thrilled with the results. (I’m also thrilled that we enlarged the photos at Sam’s Club for about $6 each.) It’s a nice contrast—both in frame shape and arrangements—to the more freestyle gallery we have in the living room and has a huge impact when you walk through the front door.

That said, picking the photos was like choosing a favorite child (or dog), and that was really what prolonged the process. We just weren’t ready to commit! In the end, we covered a different country in each—not all of the ones we traveled to, but at least ones that meant a lot to us.

Here’s more info on each:

(Clockwise from top left; all except the selfie taken by Eaman)

Man in Yazd, Iran. The sand-colored city of Yazd is filled with mud-brick houses and narrow, ancient streets, where Eaman met this local man.

Motorbiking in Laos. Laos was my favorite of the 14 countries we visited, thanks in part to our adventurous motorbike trip in the Bolaven Plateau region. That photo is actually a selfie! I’m amazed it turned out so well.

Patagonia. I’m fortunate to have traveled quite a bit, and Patagonia is still the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. This glacier is in Argentina’s famed Los Glaciares National Park in El Calafate.

Peruvian abuela. Our travel blog has the story behind this one. It’s a good one.

Cleaning women in Jaipur. I thought Jaipur, India would be a mind-numbing tourist trap. It turned out to be a beautiful, history-filled city with a magical, colorful charm. This shot was taken at Amber Fort, a mammoth-sized fort in the nearby town of Amber.

Vietnamese rice husking. In Mai Chau, Eaman captured this woman’s fragility and strength. You see her crouched over doing hard manual labor, and at the same time —and upon closer inspection—you see just how frail and vein-ridden her hands from years of farming. The people in that town were some of the friendliest we ever met.

Here’s another look:

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Near our apartment is a gorgeous canyon that leads to an even more gorgeous solitary street lined with lush greenery, charming Sapnish colonial architecture, and interesting details, like a mini library and some sort of Asian script etched on a huge stone. It’s one of my favorite places to walk in the evenings when the whole area is bathed in yellow light. Here are some snaps from yesterday’s stroll:

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Thanks to A Pair of Pears, I recently discovered the awesome work of South African artist Lorraine Loots, and I just had to share. For every day of 2013, Lorraine decided to make a tiny painting (“for ants”)—everything from dogs to surfers to landscapes. Going into the new year, she’s continued the practice, and it’s a good thing she did—her miniature portraits are detailed, beautiful and a testament to creativity. Here are some of my favorites:

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Just a few (super cool) things that have caught my eye on Pinterest lately… (Follow me on Pinterest for more goodies!)

Little Matches Bobby Pin set (Urban Outfitters, $8 for set of 10)

Magic Carpet Yoga Mat (Anthropologie, $98)

Inch by Inch bracelet (Red in Fred, $75)

iPad stand (OneFortyThree, $50)

Personalized initial doormat (Etsy, $28)

Modern feather quill pen (Hattan Home, $22.50 each)

And hooray for Summar G. who won my SoCal’d life’s blogiversary giveaway featuring The Cravory’s Classics cookie mix and Odd Daughter Paper Co.’s Eat These Things print. Congratulations, Summar, and thanks to everyone who entered!

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But recently I was looking at my Future Home board, where I pour all my hopes and dreams and Thonet chair wishes, and started to see patterns. Even though there were months between bookmarked images, I’ve been gravitating towards very specific ideas. I just don’t know about them yet. A pink sofa? Apparently I want one.

Here are four decor schemes my subconscious has been (apparently) contemplating:

yellow chairs 1/2/3; pink sofa: 1/2; floor pillows: 1/2/3; copper accents: 1/2

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In exactly three weeks, I’ll be forcing Eaman out of bed at 4 a.m. to take me to the airport — because I’ll be going to India! I’m headed to Bangalore for 6 days and Singapore for 2.5 days with my parents, and we’ll be eating, visiting family, eating, shopping, eating and eating. Get the idea? (Why Sing Sing? My parents lived in Singapore right after they got married and are using this visit to see some old friends.)

I was in India in September of last year as part of our ’round-the-world trip, but this visit will be a bit different for a few reasons. 1.) I don’t need any new Indian outfits and that will save a significant amount of time, 2.) I’m much more keen to buy some home goods (a sign I’m getting old?) so I can dedicate the aforementioned saved time to this, and 3.) I will probably get a stomach bug because last year when I went I had an iron gut thanks to a year of traveling on my side. (Hopefully I’m wrong on that last one, but knowing me…)

Anyway, since this past weekend was Diwali (Indian new year) and with my trip coming up, here are some visuals I’ve got on my mind:

Photos 1/2/3/4/5/6/7

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