Morning Sky

Pretty sweet gradient in the sky this morning during my walk.

photo by angela

Pink Trees

Apparently my tradition of getting sick at the end of summer has decided to continue, ugh. I have been battling a nasty chest cold the past week or so and it seems to have hit the entire Q household, doesn't get more fun than that right? The funny thing is we are in the midst of trying to revamp our eating habits and incorporating more whole foods and less packaged foods, silly me thought this would boost my immune system, or maybe I have sent my system into such a state of shock this is its way of rebelling.

I am trying to step away from the computer a bit and find sources of inspiration elsewhere these days, like those trees. They are my favorite things in the world and they are in full bloom at every turn. That shade of pink combined with the green, how could you not smile and feel inspired?

And It Went A Little Like This

My weekend was sadly not spent being fancy like I had hoped, but it was productive - so still a win in my book.

It went like this...

I am taking an illustration class this semester, which may sound like a blast, but drawing is really hard for me and I have a hard time being able to turn off my brain and just sort of let go (I told you I have some perfectionist issues). I am hoping to conquer that this semester and learn to enjoy the process of drawing rather then be so critical of myself. I have been looking at lots of different illustrators lately, so I am sure I will end up sharing my favs as I navigate through this course.  I ended up being OK with my dog ear (if you were wondering what it was that you are looking at) the rest of the dog well he could use a bit more work.

I also got to draw letters, which was very fun. Give me a ruler and a grid any day, it makes me happy. The assignment was to draw 100 thumbnails of the letter of our last name. By the 75th Q, ideas were short, but it was a good way to push yourself creatively.

And of course we had to get all packed up for 5th grade. Out with the chipped blue glitter nail polish - in with the very strict school dress code.

So was your weekend fancy, productive, or both?

Watch Me.

I have recently been on a bit of a short film kick lately and I wanted to share two of my recent favorites with you. I can't keep from watching them over and over and well you get the point.

First up is a short film that was produced for Kate Spade by King Burza. I am a huge Kate Spade fan and this film only increases my admiration for the brand. They are always spot on (in my opinion) with their copy, design and styling. Bonus: I would love to have those rings she is wearing in this film.

The second short film was made for the EF Language School. They produced one for London, Paris, Bejing and Barcelona. I love the use of type throughout. It also makes me want to pack my bags and hop on a plane. We were suppose to head over to London last year, but our flight was canceled due to the volcano that was going off and shut down most European travel last spring - true story. Maybe this year will be my year to head across the pond.

Here is a pic I snapped last year at the airport, it quickly became one of my favorites simply because our original flight to London was listed directly above our new flight to Hawaii. When life hands you lemons, go to Hawaii!

January Wrap Up.

Well it is that time to check in and see how we did on our 11 things to do for the month. Overall I would give myself a B+, didn't make it to the Tar Pits, but we have it on the schedule for next weekend, but I did take in the sunset (see I have the proof). Also I am planning on celebrating the end of the month this evening with...CHAMPAGNE!

I have been taking my daily photo with my phone and am thinking I will do a weekly wrap up here to share them with you all. (Oh yeah that was why this blog started.) The above photo was taken with my phone using the Camera Bag app and I did not retouch it. The sky was glowing above the water, amazing!

I will post my 11 things for February this week if you would like to join in. If you did follow along how did you do, will you do it again this month?

Taking Flight {Daily Photo}

I had trouble deciding which image I wanted to share with you all for my Daily Photo project (which is back up and running) so I thought I would share them all. 

It is not very often we get clouds like these in sunny Southern California so I had to take a few shots at a view point that I pass by everyday on my way home. I had some models show up as well, props to the seagulls for once! 

I think the first one is my favorite simply because I was able to include the ocean, what do you all think?

Afternoon Addiction.

I recently acquired a small afternoon addiction ...gingerbread latte and chocolate chip cookie.
I will say that I do share the cookie with Punky, but the coffee is all mine.

Take Me Away...

Today I spent the day dreaming of future vacations, blog possibilities and math homework. Reality always has a way of sneaking into my wishful thoughts. 

Glad that we have a mini get away planned for this weekend. I love planning trips nearly as much as I love going on them, I am a type A personality what can I say.  

Safe!!

Today we headed out to Angels Stadium to take in Kid Appreciation Day. Although I have two exams this week to study for, laundry to catch up on and the general Sunday to do list I decided to chuck all that responsibility and spend some quality time with my husband and lovely daughter. I will be paying for it tonight but I wouldn't have missed today for anything.

What I really enjoy about this particular ballpark is that it is clean, family friendly and relatively affordable. They also have great food selections with everything from old fashioned hot dogs and peanuts, to Ruby's Diner and CPK.

Bonus: After the game they let kids 12 and under run the bases!!! It was the first time I have ever been onto any type of professional sports field and I couldn't get over what a cool opportunity it was to walk out and see all the kids run around the bases with huge smiles on their faces.

Photo property of/taken by Angela Quintanar. Taken on the field behind home plate at Angels Stadium.

Dreaming of Fall...

I wandered into one of my favorite stores today...Anthropologie and I left with dreams of cozy fires places, warm cider and falling leaves. Then I left and remembered that I live in Southern California.

I love the visual aspect of not only the stores themselves but also their catalogues. The photos, the location sets, the visual displays and the CLOTHES. It is all great eye candy and I could spend hours taking it all in. Their home furnishing displays entice me with visions of vintage styled couches filled with gorgeous colorful pillows and no dog hair, alas a girl can dream.

What stores do you find your inspiration from?

Photo taken by Angela Quintanar. All rights reserved.

Singing and Dancing.

Photo taken by Angela Quintanar.

Have you ever been in the car belting out a song that you have sung a million times? You know that song that you have in your ipod and when it comes on you smile, turn it up and sing really loud (and then there's a guy in a Honda next to you staring at you like he has never seen someone sing with such enthusiasm, I saw you to Honda guy) cause you LOVE that song. Well there I was singing one of those songs and then I started  listening to words, I mean really listening and I was suddenly struck by how lovely they were:

Love sings

When it transcends the bad things

Have a heart and try me

Cause without love I won't survive...

The purpose of this blog (in addition to keeping track of all the pretty things I come across including random photos of Don Draper) is/was to challenge myself to find the small things in the day to day that we often don't notice. By forcing myself to capture those things, whether they be thoughts or moments, with an image I have found myself paying attention to everything. Inspiration can come from anywhere, even at 8:00 AM on your Friday commute to work.

Finally I would like to share the video below with you, I first came across it on dooce. It made me smile, dance and put me in a "Nobody puts Baby in the corner," kind of mood. Enjoy and until tomorrow...



(The song I was referring to above was Love Hurts by Incubus.)

Yes, PLEASE

Mad Men photo courtesy of AMC, all other additions/photo courtesy and property of yours truly

Don Draper + evening cocktails = Need I say more...

P.S. I thought I would try something a little different with my daily photo just for kicks (see I put it way up there in the corner), also don't mind me if I move things around a bit over the next few weeks. I am trying to get the hang of things around here and come up with a layout I am happy with. Feel free to leave me any suggestions.

Thank you and Good Night!!

I Heart Paperclips.

Hustle, originally uploaded by Angela Q..

Today was one of those days. You know the type that is filled with emails, phone calls, more emails, project deadlines, and then you realize hey wait a minute where did that headache come from?!?!

And finally when it is over and finished you realize how much a girl can love paperclips.

Library Love.

Library Love 9/365, originally uploaded by Angela Q..

I decided to head over to the library between classes this afternoon to pick up my holds and renew our latest finds. As a family of book lovers we are constantly adding to our ever growing collection, but like most people, space inevitably becomes an issue so we head over to the library to get our new book fix. 

My current library list includes:

This book follows Kingsolver and her family as they move from Arizona to a farm where they produce and eat only locally grown food. It is part narrative part a scientific look at how our food has changed over the past generation. It also indulges my idea of chucking it all and moving to a farm.

This is the book that inspired Sofia Coppola's movie of the same name. fascinating stuff if you enjoy historical bio's and tragic figures, which I do.

 

I had to include a cookbook, right?!?! This is actually so good I bought it. The recipes are relatively simple and family friendly. I will definitely be taking some photos of the yummy stuff we are cooking up and include the recipes for you all.

Now it is time to share some library love and let me know what is on your checkout list?

Monday Morning.

8/365, originally uploaded by Angela Q..

Blogging everyday feels almost like a therapy session. In the back of your mind you wonder if you have shared too much or what exactly you are suppose to be saying or have you been a little to honest and open because who knows what that therapist is writing down in that notepad of theirs. And so went my Monday morning.

Sunday Afternoons

Phoebe, originally uploaded by Angela Q..

" Happiness is a warm puppy..." - Charles M. Schulz.

" Happiness is a warm, clean puppy who smells of expensive vanilla dog shampoo because normal shampoo does not have the proper conditioner to tame the curly mess of hair that said puppy was given" - Angela M. Q.

Taking Time.

i

Image uploaded by Angela Q
I spent a majority of the day organizing craft supplies. I enjoy making things, learning from other creative people and with no design classes this semester I am a little afraid that I will not take the time to push myself to be creative. I am trying to challenge myself to see things differently and to reach outside my comfort zone in a variety of ways, this blog being one of them.

I have enrolled in an online blog class and am a bit humbled by all the creative people that I will get the opportunity to learn from over the next few weeks. I am sure that things will grow and transform over here as I become more comfortable and I will begin to share little things that I find lovely and interesting in addition to my photo project for you all.

I appreciate all the support that I have received over the past few days from my family as I begin this journey to try and slow down and enjoy the scenery a little more. After all isn't it the small details that make life worth living?

Guess Who Is Coming To Lunch???

Lunch Date, originally uploaded by Angela Q..

Today I received a handsome visitor in my office for lunch, my husband!
It is not often that Zach is able to come by and surprise me so I was thrilled when he showed up with sandwiches this afternoon. He left me the note above and that kept me smiling for the rest of the afternoon even as I was drowning in web redesign spreadsheets. It is these little gestures that mean so much.

Avocado, Shrimp, and Cilantro, Oh My!!

Eat and Enjoy., originally uploaded by bungalowQ.

Decided to spend a little time in the kitchen between classes this afternoon.

I recently acquired an amazing recipe for Shrimp Ceviche from Lauren and I thought this would be a great snack to have while enjoying a nice cold Pacifico and taking in the Jersey Shore (yep I'm a fan, don't judge me.)

It is chillin in my fridge for a couple more hours, however, considering we all keep sneaking some bites it may not last too long. If anyone is interested in the recipe let me know I would be happy to share the love.

Fresh Strawberries

Snack Time, originally uploaded by bungalowQ.

We stopped off at the Farmers Market on our way home from school this afternoon. The strawberries looked delish and we simply couldn't resist picking some up.