ashinine

bonjour italia

ashley — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:15:57 +0000

I’ve made it to Italy, finally. We started planning this trip about three years ago, so it’s amazing to see it finally come to pass. I don’t know how much I’ll be able to blog or how often or if I’ll be writing up everything + sharing pictures when I return, so I thought I’d post a little teaser here, for now.

So far, this trip has been full of the following: oodles of eating, truckloads of walking, tons of coffee drinking (yes, me!), and gargantuan amounts of picture-taking. Random bits of shopping and market exploration top it all off, including today where I gleefully bought two new earthy perfumes only to find that they’re actually room sprays — maybe my boyfriend will never notice that I’m wearing a scent designed for a hallway entrance? My Italian is limited to saying “ciao,” asking “how much?” and requesting a bottle of still water, but I’m getting by. (sidenote: there’s far too much sparkling water in Italy. I wish I was cultured enough to enjoy it, but alas. No chance.)

The picture above is our first apartment in Rome. It. Was. A. Dream. Leaving there was one of the most difficult departures I’ve ever had, without a doubt. Big score for airbnb! I’ll be adding more pictures later of the trip at large, but here are some more snaps of the incredible apartment:

I mean, seriously. I could happily live there for the rest of my life. More pictures will (hopefully) be coming soon — I underestimated how much time would be spent away from the computer and out exploring! Unfortunately this results in little time at the computer and hundreds upon hundreds of photos to cull through for a blog post, it’s really quite a good problem to have. More soon!

traveling tips.

ashley — Sat, 04 May 2013 02:45:33 +0000

It’s coming. It’s almost here. Whether or not I choose to believe it, my trip to Italy is only a few days away. Everyone keeps asking me if I’m excited; I am, of course, but it still seems like the reality hasn’t yet set in. ITALY. For TWO WEEKS. This will be my first vacation in over a year and a half, and the first time I’ll have more than three days in a row off from work. Come to me, my beautiful Roman respite.

Thanks to a mother who loves traveling more than she loves, I don’t know, CSI: Miami reruns or YouTube clips of babies laughing (she loves those a lot, you see), I caught the travel bug at an early age. I haven’t been out of the country in about 4 years, so I feel a bit starved for new culture and a little overzealous about planning and packing. This time around I’ve come across some new tips and helpful hints, so I thought I’d share them in the hopes that they help out anyone else thinking of taking a trip, a weekend off, or someone who just likes packing suitcases for the hell of it. So, here are some of my not-so-secret best-kept-secrets:

Whether I have a trip coming up or not, air bnb has become a favorite site of mine. I get to pore through endless photos of beautiful homes — some bohemian, some spacious, some cozy, some modern, some funky — and the sheer prospect of one day just MAYBE getting to stay there is enough to make me teem with giddiness. We used this site to book both of our apartments in Rome, so I’m ecstatic to try out the experience firsthand!

I have a major, major crush on Lisa Eldridge. She’s the hip Queen Mother of beauty advice, so it comes as little surprise that I’ve turned to her long haul flight beauty regime video countless number of times as I’ve thought about what products to bring with me in my carryon. And really, anyone who can make me feel more comfortable with the idea of putting on face cream and an eye mask before snoozing away on a 10-hour flight is a new best friend in my book.

I’m usually pretty good when it comes to packing exactly what I’ll need for a trip, but just to be on the safe side I whipped up a checklist. When I was searching around for some loose guidelines of what to bring on a 2-week jaunt to Europe, everything I found seemed to have been written by either Rick Steves or a 50-year-old woman who lives in Birkenstocks and quick-dry nylon shorts (not that I’m knocking them or anything — do your thing, ladies). It was tough to find anything that a younger woman might like to pack in order to feel well-prepared but not over-burdened with too many options, so here’s my downloadable pdf packing checklist for anyone who might care to use it for her own travels.

And that’s about it! Just some cursory tips, really, but ones that I’ve found helpful over the past couple of weeks. Stay tuned for pictures (very soon, I hope), and happy travels!

air bnb homes, clockwise from top right: netherlands designers apartment, chicago loft apartment, bohemian san francisco loft

etsy finds | two

ashley — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 03:57:32 +0000

This past week. Oh my god, this past week. Never have I been so desperate for a new week to begin. I’m still pretty low on the creativity scale / the ability-to-focus scale, so I’ve been filling this evening with Stevie Wonder and munching on saltines (it doesn’t get any more glamorous than this, folks) while I peruse more ridiculously cute offerings on etsy. I’m pretty certain you’ll love each of these lovingly handcrafted beauties as much as I do:

1. Set of 3 wooden mini bowls via Wind and Willow Home / 2. Reading fox bookends via Design Atelier Article / 3. Set of skinny bangles via VOZ Collective / 4. Dancers tea tray via Depeapa / 5. Paper gem neon tags via Jemima Green P

weekend traveler.

ashley — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 14:35:52 +0000

In less than 3 weeks (!!!), I’ll be packing up my bags and heading across the great Atlantic to return to Rome for the second time — the anticipation is killing me! Naturally, the trip has my mind reeling with planning visits to ruins, shops, markets, cafes, and galleries, but I’m also busily throwing together as many/as few lightweight outfits as I possibly can so I’ll have plenty of room for souvenirs and apricot jam. That’s still a work in progress, but in the meantime I’ve arranged my ideal plane traveling wear. Side note: I do own the Cuyana weekend bag, brought it with me to New York last August, and it easily passed the test for a full three-day trip. It may not cut the mustard for a 2-week sojourn to Italy, but I can’t recommend it enough for a weekend bag!

sweater: helmut lang / glasses: warby parker “winston” / weekender bag: cuyana / pants: j brand / loafers: MICHAEL michael kors / stud earrings: forever 21

31 bits.

ashley — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 03:59:16 +0000

Recently I had the pleasure of trying out a few pieces from 31 Bits. I’ve come across their work before, and have always been impressed with their mission — the company helps to sell jewelry made by impoverished women in Uganda, helping them along the way with vocational training, English literacy, and health education and shuttling them along the path to female empowerment. As if that wasn’t rad enough, the jewelry they make is OUTSTANDING.

I picked up the Happy Night necklace in electric green (seen in the top image) and the Twinkle Bangles — and next on my list is definitely The Lavalliere necklace. I’m already dreaming of the endless number of outfits it’ll jazz up!

Pieces clockwise from top left: The Westerley clutch, Petunia necklace, The Lavalliere necklace, The Sweetheart bracelet, Happy Night necklace, Sunburst bracelet

mysticism.

ashley — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 00:49:02 +0000

It’s now been 11 days since my wisdom teeth extraction, and the pain only seems to worsen as the days go on. 25 whole years I’ve spent dreading this procedure, and it’s magically 25 times worse than I expected it would be. What’s up with that? Since I’m still mildly blinded from the pain and incapable of thinking through the logistics of a full post at this time, here’s an inspiration board to tide us all over: (sidebar: keep your wisdom teeth, kids. –signed, someone who is not a dentist)

images clockwise from top left: Abigail Ahern / Chris Court / Fashion Gone Rogue / You, the Night, and the Music

silver lake bungalow.

ashley — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 13:52:59 +0000

I’ve got to say, I’ve been crushing pretty hard on the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles lately. It seems to be a haven for creative types and stylish folk alike, which is easily evidenced by the home of Veronica Valencia. Not only did Veronica work her magic on ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, she’s also an endlessly talented floral artist, home stylist, and graphic/web designer. Her home is a quick study in the art of carefully curated pieces alongside bright and cheery colors, and emphasizes that there’s truly no such thing as too many flowers. All images by the stupendous Ala Cortez of Love Ala:

See more from this shoot here.

Images by Love Ala // Clothing by A.L.C. // Hair and makeup by Lauren Partida // styling by Alex Basch

pillow talk.

ashley — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 13:35:54 +0000

For about 24 years of my life, I never gave much thought to pillows. When I moved into my first place, the majority of my throw pillows were either gifted to me or picked up at discount home goods stores, where the least offensive design won out. The result, to the surprise of no one, was dull and utterly uninspiring. Lately I’ve been preoccupied with looking through different designs and switching out the pillows in my living room, and I’m consistently awed by how much life the right pillows can bring to any room. I only recently learned about the greatest website ever — society6 — where artists can submit their work and have it turned into art prints, pillows, t-shirts, bags, and iPhone covers. I’ve got Bianca Green’s chevron flora ii pillow on its way to me, and can’t wait to see it add the perfect pop to my room! Here are some more options on which I’m crushing hard:

pillows, top to bottom and left to right: Stockinette Orange, Lines pillow, Chevron Flora II, Kuba Sequined Pillow Cover, Indian baby elephants, Sparkle Stripe, Zig Zag pillow

etsy finds | one

ashley — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 01:51:25 +0000

This past Thursday, I had four wisdom teeth out. Four. To say I’ve been dreading this for 25 years is no exaggeration, so I’ve been babying myself by filling the past few days with applesauce, mashed potatoes, ice cream, Friends, The Golden Girls, and online browsing. If I can’t be creative myself (or form a coherent sentence, or work on new blog content, or move things around in my home…), the least I can do is scour etsy for some lovelies. Some of these I’ve already got coming my way, and I can’t wait to get everything in home-tour-shape:

1. triangular ceramic coasters from Tilissimo / 2. Harold and Maude movie poster by The Art of Adam Juresko / 3. aqua and gold desk lamp from ARTificialLights / 4. brass himmeli plant holder by HRUSKAA / 5. just start print by Charm and Gumption / 6. Breathless movie poster by The Art of Adam Juresko / 7. heck yeah correspondence card by ThePaperCub / 8. gold glitter drinking glasses from GoldPlus

long-sleeved beauty.

ashley — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 04:41:11 +0000

Lately I can’t seem to get the idea of a long-sleeve wedding gown out of my mind. There’s something so gracious and European about them, and the pleated sleeves on the bride from this wedding shot by Cinzia Bruschini is no exception (and might just be an all-time favorite):