Halloween At Home:

Chanel nail varnishes in traditional spooky colors: Black Satin, Holiday, and Frenzy.

     I have hugely fond memories of Halloween growing up. My father was always a major fan of this particular holiday and my home was honestly so terrifying on Halloween that I REFUSED to trick or treat at my own place! I would attend childhood costume parties and as the party games moved to more hardcore activities like Truth or Dare, I knew someone would be double dog dared to go ask for candy at my house. I dreaded the short neighborhood walk back to my street.... the approach to my house would always fill me with extreme terror and fear. However, while I stood firm in my choice not to beg for candy at my own house I found it very entertaining to watch my dad and his pals dress up as monsters and chase my friends away screaming. My dad doesn't go all out with elaborate costumes or crazy creepy decorations anymore so instead I try to bring a little of the festive flare into my own home with spooky tid bits in every corner:

Bad luck black cats by Charlotte Olympia. Also dying for this vampire kitten pair.

Dark Crystals in rose quarts, beryl, calcite, aquamarine, desert rose, quartz, citrine, and topaz to name a few. (Most stones from Mountain Spirit)

Insect brooches and stripes for my halloween costume, can you guess what I'm going to be?

A creepy candle from Cost Plus that glows in my living room. 

Moonshine (from Bev Mo) to enjoy during a full moon.

Black cats and nightcaps. 

Crystal journey black cat candle and white crystal are from my favorite little store in Felton called Mountain Spirit.

Even my bathroom got a bit of themed decor including blood bath salts (Home Goods) and a mold from my jaw surgeries last year. 

Scary candy to devour that was picked up at Powell's old fashioned candy shop.

     I'd love to know some of your favorite memories or how you are preparing for the upcoming Halloween holiday!?

Yours,
Nico

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Cozy Casa:

A closer look at my growing book collection, I'd love to hear about your
 favorite reads in the comments because I'm always looking for new material!

       As the temperatures cool off my desire to hunker down in my home instantly rises. I have collected a few new items that were essential to fall/winter hibernation to make my space as cozy as possible. A new to me leather couch was inherited after a neighbor moved and I couldn't be more thrilled to settle in for the night with a good book and a cup of spiked coffee. I also welcomed a new fiddle leaf fig tree into my home who I affectionately refer to as Figaro and he keeps the other flowers in the house in good company. The final nessessary items for an ideal hibernation were the fixings for s'mores and I made sure to enjoy those just this past Friday night! 

Nate Berkus' book (and his own home) have been a huge source of inspiration to me. If you love interior design or simply taking a peek into the tender history of people's lives, I would highly recommend The Things That Matter, by Nate Berkus.

Happy sunflowers from my father's garden routinely make appearances on my coffee table. 

The perfect place for reading a book from my library,
why don't you come over and take a seat?

Burning candles is a favorite Fall tradition of mine and this
lavender one takes the cake as far as calming fragrances go! 

     You can find previous installments of "Cozy Casa" posts here as well as here!

Yours,
Nico

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Inspiration: San Francisco Graffiti

      There is something reenergizing about visiting the electric city of San Francisco, which is just a quick 60 minute drive from Santa Cruz. I always find myself slightly out of place amongst the massive towering buildings (I favor more natural atmospheres most of the time) yet there is a sense of creativity that pulls me towards the writhing metropolis as well. Back in high school I was my student council's publicity officer and I was constantly and continually making event posters. I think that after spending so much time learning and practicing new fonts to use on flyers I developed a genuine love for all the exaggerated graffiti in San Francisco. The way street artists' blend colors and bend lines help me see simple words and language from a whole new perspective. I took a day trip to the city a few weeks back and as expected, found myself lost in a sea of inspiring local street art:

      I find that certain cities and places can feel like "creativity hot spots." Where do you go to gather and collect inspiration?

Yours,

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Back To The Mainland:

Moonrise in Maui/ the view from my hotel lanai if you happened to look left.

      After being in Maui for only twenty nine glorious hours, four drool worthy meals, and a few too many tasty cocktails to count, it was time for me to return to the mainland. While enjoying champagne on the plane ride home, I made sure to write in my travel journal that I have been inking in since I was fifteen years old. I wrote of the scent of fresh brewed hawaiian coffee in the warm early morning, seeing fish whose colors mimic those of a rainbow, the taste of crispy maui onion rings battered in beer and jalapenos, even old hawaiian legends that I don't want to slip my mind. I fill my travel journal with sparkling memories that I wish to enjoy over and over even as time pushes me forward and forces me to add more information to my mental hard drive. Like my journal, my camera captures hundreds of cherished images on a single chip of technology, here are the last photos from my short lived tropical vacation:

The view from my hotel balcony if you turned to the right, loved seeing the sunset over these waters the evening this photograph was taken. 

Resort pool that I never indulged in because I was too 
preoccupied snorkeling on the local beach.

The clouds in Maui are utterly luscious and fluffy like whipped cream, they appear so low to the ground that if you climbed the nearest hill you could almost taste them. 

Yet another cherished memory from my trip was beach combing with my friend Bridgett along the shore. We picked up bits of treasure we loved as we walked to the local village. 

While stalking the sand, I picked up cone shells, sea glass, coral, and lava rock! 

Next visit, this is what I will be doing!

My favorite place for snorkeling that I visited while on the island (okay, the only place I snorkeled), Black Rock. 

      Vacations always leave me feeling refreshed and rejuvenated for everyday life. I came home from Maui with a renewed sense of creativity and a resplendent lust for life and all things beautiful. Also perhaps the dire need to save for another vacation, perhaps a road trip next time! What are some of your favorite travel memories and how do you feel when returning home from an amazing vacation?

Yours,
Nico

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A Lucky Ladybug:

Sunglasses- Chloe via Neiman Marcus Last Call, Pineapple
Necklace- Maui Diver Jewelry, Dress- DVF, Lips- Chanel Cambon

      I mentioned in this post that I flew stand by to and from the Maui island. For those not familiar, "flying stand by" means that you don't officially have a seat on the plane you just cross your fingers and hope that there are empty seats available. For someone who is over organized for even small road trips, this was a bit scary for me. As I sat at the airport jealously waiting for every other person to board the plane I anxiously hoped that there would be just one seat left for me so that I could enjoy the Hawaiian sunshine for a few days. A screen displayed the flight's seats on the plane and each seat would turn from white to gray to indicate a passenger settling in. As I woefully watched the entire plane turn to a deep gray, I felt my mood darken to the same shade. Still I was determined and refused to leave the airport until I actually saw the plane in the air. Low and behold, my name was called at the last minute and I felt like the luckiest ladybug ever as I boarded and took off for the Islands! 

      Who knows if I will I ever be this lucky again?

Yours,
Nico

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