this is philly. it's pretty wonderful here. even though it's starting to get a little cold.
-- love YAYA --
map at best made company (i should have bought it, they sold out!)
-- tourists and locals --
maps from eric fischer's gorgeous geotagging study, "tourists and locals". blue dots represent photos in each city taken by long-term (local) residents; red dots are short-term (tourists); yellow are uncategorized. from top, the cities shown here are london, new york, paris, and san francisco.
-- love YAYA --
view the entire set on flickr
-- pin it forward (home) --
you may remember a few months ago when i participated in the Blog it Forward project and shared a little bit of my California inspiration. Today is round two- a special post as part of Victoria's "pin it forward" project in conjunction with pinterest. Joy (love her style!) kicked it all off yesterday over on Oh Joy.
in putting together my pinboard on our topic, "what home means to me", i realized that home is not necessarily a physical, enclosed space for me. that might be surprising, given the happiness i get out of decorating, designing, and dreaming about houses!
home is an feeling, a sensibility of peace, contentment, and love. so, today i'm going to share with you some the places where i feel most "at home".
and there you are, just a little slice of home for me :)
be sure to check out the rest of my inspiration on my pinboard, and tomorrow, head on over to visit Isabelle of Hello Stranger, next up on the list!
-- love YAYA --
"tree", "backroads" and "philadelphia" photos by yaya
los angeles and santa barbara image sources on pinterest
"friends and family" photos by my dear friend janelle stephanie
-- a love letter for you --
i'm obviously a little late in posting this (notice the snow), but wanted to share :)
matt and i took a saturday morning in late feb and went on a SEPTA tour to view the "A Love Letter For You" project. the premise behind the project of Steven Powers and the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program- short love letters from a guy to his girl, painted on buildings along the El tracks in West Philadelphia. 40 artists contributed to the 30 murals along the route. It was such a colorful, unique way to view West Philly.
-- love YAYA --
view all the murals here
-- a neighborhood walk --
matt and i took a short little sunday walk around our neighborhood before brunch. with all these trees suddenly in bloom, i think it must be the most beautiful spring i've seen since moving to philly. i love how all these colors soften the hard edges of the city- it feels so welcoming. i'm still on the hunt for a magnolia tree to photograph- they are my absolute favorite!
-- love YAYA --
more photos on flickr
-- blog it forward (california inspiration) --
today, i am super excited to be sharing a post about "what inspires me". i'm participating in the blog it forward project organized by victoria of sfgirlbybay- 300 bloggers are posting on this topic over the course of six weeks!
i'm going to admit, this was a tough one to put together. i see inspiration as a work in progress for myself. i've continuously been engaged with design since i was just a kid, whether through art, architecture, fashion, or photography; together these passions and inspirations are building together to drive me creatively forward. starting this blog just a few months ago has really given me a personal outlet for all this energy, and i am having such an awesome experience with it as i learn the ins and outs of this new world!
one thing i know for sure- i am a tried and true california girl. nothing else inspires me like the beautiful scenery of my home state and the innovative, progressive spirit of the california people.
so here you go, my "california-inspired" inspiration:
i love the delicacy of this. design and fabrication by design firm ball-nogues
kite aerial photography by charles benton. shown here, the point reyes national seashore, one of the most incredible places i've been in california.
these gentlemen and ladies do some really innovative work and have their fingers in a little bit of everything. ace hotel palm springs by los angeles collective commune design
jose villa photography.
jose is from my hometown and an incredibly esteemed wedding
photographer. to me, so many of his pictures really capture the
california lifestyle. these images happen to be of one of my favorite
places, enjoy cupcakes. also, check out sarloos and sons.
in california, roses still bloom in december, which i always forget until i go back, and i find it so amazing now! (more images)
anything ideo has ever come up with. brilliant, revolutionary company. i was in their offices once and all i can say is that they seriously rock. (image via)
urban ore salvage yard in berkeley. i can't begin to tell you how many hours i've spent here getting inspired, or how many "treasures" my family has driven five hours back home to southern california. if anyone out there knows of a place like somewhere between washington dc and new york, please tell me where...
the u.s. federal building in san francisco by morphosis. the software behind this design is really spectacular and i think the level of visual detailing is incredible. i could get lost in this for hours. (photo via)
photo via i heart napa. i love her blog and photography.
gorgeous gardens by flora grubb. turns out, she was the mastermind behind the design i posted about here.
kelly malone, who is doing very awesome things over at workshop in sf. i'd love to take some of these classes.
empty la by matt longue (image via).
my grandfather was a civil engineer for caltrans and helped design freeways in socal. i've always been slightly obsessed with
them. isn't this an amazing sight?
interior design at the avalon hotel by kelly wearstler. her work just epitomizes the perfect mix of casual glamour for me. via lonny mag.
i love how this looks like waves. cnc-milled headboard cabinet by min | day
california is all about local partnership and collaboration- here, gap teamed up with sfmoma to celebrate the museum's seventy-fifth anniversary. the perfect skater boy meets art student tee.
i love this photo by pretty petal studio. it makes me dream.
the view from the penthouse restaurant at the huntley santa monica.
calmly inspirational, especially at sunset with a glass of wine. also,
the bike path down along the beach there is a lovely place for a
thoughtful morning jog. (image via)
julia morgan's berkeley city club. my great-grandfather was an architect back in the day in the spanish colonial revival era of los angeles, and i've acquired a couple degrees in it too. i think the changing california vernacular is a fascinating study.
there's nothing like a sunday drive down a back country road (more home here)
and i could very well keep going, but it seems like a great stopping point. tomorrow, be sure to check in on the next blogger up, jo of where women create.
-- love YAYA --
ps. dear philadelphia, don't stress, i love you too!!!
-- moda botanica --
back to the philadelphia flower show. all of these images are from an incredible, incredible environment created by moda botanica of philadelphia. they built shipping containers into rooms, and each one was filled with flowers, plants, and accessories that created a different mood. some were mirrored, some were covered in graffiti, some had flowers covering the walls or hanging from the ceiling. it was edgy, thought provoking, and above all, beautiful. fittingly, they won best in show! the purple and silver table set-up is absolutely beyond.
learn more at the moda botanica blog
-- beautiful blooms --
today i went to the philadelphia flower show with some of my favorite friends for the first time ever. we saw so many visually inspiring, beautiful creations! i'll post some of my photos here and on flickr over the next couple of weeks as i start to comprehend the sheer amazingness.
i thought i would start with this display from beautiful blooms, which just happens to be my favorite neighborhood flower store. using thin wire, they suspended hundreds of bud vases filled with tiny blooms and colored water from a dropped ceiling. a simple concept with an incredible effect.
-- love YAYA --
read about the work behind the display on the beautiful blooms blog
-- the high line --
on saturday afternoon in New York, matt and i took an amazing walk along the High Line with our friends sara and ryan. A reclaimed elevated railway, section 1 of the route is open in the West Chelsea neighborhood, and when development is complete, the entire stretch will run one and a half miles through Manhattan. It was a perfect sunny (although windy!) day to view the city, the river, and the beginnings of spring. My friend sara is a photographer, and i can't wait to see what her pictures turn out like!
-- love YAYA --
read more about the high line
-- the volkswagen bus --
via sequin magazine
by the cherry blossom girl
via marianna
these images make me want to take off on an impromptu road trip, with a quick stop first to pick up my best girl friends. the next question is, where should we go?
-- love YAYA --
-- snow day ---
today was the second snowiest day on record in philadelphia- we ended up with over two feet! mom, matt and i went outside to play. i think people thought we were crazy to be out walking around for fun, but it was a pretty unbelievable sight for california girls like us! poor matt was more realistic- he took to shoveling while we wandered. now we're back inside and ready for afternoon naps and tea.
-- love YAYA --
-- from mexico city --
i think i'm on a travel kick right now...these are some pictures i just rediscovered from a trip to mexico city in grad school
i took these with a point and shoot camera and scanned them in, so they're a little fuzzy, but i like it. seems to capture the hazy mood i felt there.
i have a great group of black and white shots, but i am feeling the color today. more on flickr though.
-- love YAYA --
-- j.crew in lisbon --
i've been excited all week about trying out a new portuguese restaurant with some of my foodie friends; we're going tonight!
fittingly, in my inbox this morning was a peek at the new j.crew catalog, shot in portugal. the architectural stage for this shoot looks incredible.
-- love YAYA --
image from jcrew.com
-- stairs at the moma --
some pictures from a visit to the moma back in the fall. i was going through my photos again tonight and it seems like i was very interested by stairs on this particular day. something about this building and the way people animate the space really resonates with me- it's possible to be surrounded by crowds and still have the space for personal solitude.
-- love YAYA --
-- kid's republic --
at the kid's republic bookstore in beijing, this colorful rainbow ribbon guides customers through different zones of the store, and even transforms into stairs. the end result- a striking visual effect and inventive circulation plan. (beautifully designed by sako architects).
-- love YAYA --
images from mybigtopics
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