Au Naturel: Wood Watches by Jord

For years I've loved to work with wood. I love the way it looks and the way it feels. I love sanding it down, staining it, coating on polyurethane, wax, and even keeping it unfinished. I love thinking about where it came from, and what it can become. I love decorating with it -- just take a look at my "Apartment" tab & you can see for yourself! A couple years ago I bought a set of wooden earrings at the City Flea and literally wore them till they broke. All that is to say, when the opportunity to sport a wooden watch came my way... I pounced. 

This JORD wooden watch is everything I imagined in a wooden timepiece. The craftsmanship and styling is impeccable, even down to the beautiful packaging. My one warning is this: perhaps this fragile wooden watch is more suited for a romp around a park in a red floral dress than a day at the office. I use my hands a lot during the workday - to type, to carry boxes, to hold bags of groceries - and sometimes the clasp of my JORD watch gets unintentionally released. Luckily, my JORD timepiece fits like a glove (yours will too, since they are custom made to your wrist size), and does not fall off. It would be a sad crime to lose this beauty.

Anyway, enjoy these pixelated pictures of my wooden watch. I've been aiming for magic hour photo sessions lately and JUST missing it, every time. As a result I give you pixelated and heavily edited pics at dusk.  & to thank you for putting up with my bad sunset timing, I've included one Easter Egg Picture at the bottom of this post for your giggling pleasure.

xox

Wood Watches by JORD

This was a sponsored product review written by me on behalf of Wood Watches by JORD. All the opinions & text are my own. 

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Photography: Jacob Heath, Nikond3200 35mm and zoom lens / Edits: Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop / Location: Lafayette Park / JORD Wooden Watch (c/o)  / Chic Wish Dress / Sam Edelman Booties

So this is 26.

Today is my 26th birthday. In most ways, I feel like not much has changed since my 25th birthday. I still have a solid relationship with my family and all my sweet friends. I'm the same height. I weigh about the same weight (+ a few pounds, thank you Mr. Holmes). I cut my hair, then I grew it out again. From the outside looking in, I'm pretty much identical.

There is one major difference, though. I moved! & not only did I move apartments, I moved to a new coast.
So, I guess everything about my life is different, really.

I remember writing this birthday post on the eve of my 25th birthday from a hotel room in Buffalo, New York. If you had told me at that moment that in a short 365 days I would be living on the opposite coast, with a stitched up hand, 3 emergency room visits, two heartbreaking losses, lots of new friends, countless new experiences, one skiing lesson, one surfing lesson & one tiny tattoo... well, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't believe you. 

I think that's an awesome blessing about living in the unknown, though. Had I seen all those things stampeding down a looking glass toward me, I probably would have crawled into my bed and never left. But I had no idea what was on the way. Instead I had to take it step by baby step, by a few leaps of faith.

I haven't any clue what my 26th year will bring, and I don't want to know.
Every year we have to choose to leap again, right into the unknown. 
& every year, in the middle of a normal day, I expect you take a look at your life and realize all those leaps taught you how to fly.

xox

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Photo: Jacob Heath, Nikond3200 35mm | Edits: Adbobe Lightroom and Photoshop
Past Blog Birthday Posts: 2015, 2014, 2012, 2011 (x2)

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Annie's Studio Tour

Hi, friends! 

I thought today we could take a little tour  of the rest of my studio :D First, a reminder about what the space looked like when I moved in..... Here's the "before" post and you can see a few transitional photos below. 

It's filled with stuuuuuffff!!!! Woohoooo! I had to take a really slow approach to decorating this space due to some financial constraints, but slowly and surely (and 10 months later) this room really came together. You can see the finished product in these detail shots below. I've also put together a list of a few small strategies that made a big impact in this teeny-tiny studio.

• Remove visually solid items: When I first made my kitchen table I had solid desk legs and solid backed kitchen chairs. It didn't take long before I replaced those with the airy hairpin legs and modern style stools. The moment I did there was SO much extra room in my apartment. Being able to see through the legs and stools just makes the room feel bigger. Not to mention, storing the stools under my table when not eating literally does give me more space:)
• Break up the space into "areas." Even though my apartment is basically one big room, I tried to make four distinct areas and visually separate them. My "living room" is defined by the shaggy rug. The "dining room" is the space taken up by my kitchen table. My "office" is the standing desk on the wall, defined by a gallery installation. And the "bedroom" is, well the bed :)
• Headboards are so adult & I finally understand the value. They make a HUGE difference in bringing together a room. I didn't have a headboard for the first nine months I lived here and my apartment really never felt finished until I did.
• DIY!! In a small space, you might need unique pieces to fit a unique layout. Don't be afraid to custom build your own furniture to make it the perfect fit :D 
• Lastly, live in your space. There's no need to decorate your apartment right away. Live in the space, see how you use it and what you really need. It will make the finished product that much more perfect. I really struggled to find a place where I could put a tv, but after a few weeks in my apartment I realized I didn't even need it! I use my laptop to stream Netflix & crash on a friend's couch or plan a trip to a bar if there is something on the actual tv I want to watch. 

Since you saw the finished kitchen a few weeks ago, this concludes my apartment tour. Ringing in at a whopping 275 square feet, this is probably the smallest space I'll ever inhabit. It's been a really fun challenge to design a space that worked for me, and I hope you enjoyed peeking into my life! xox 

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Photos: Diana Lustig | Sources: DIY dining table; Hairpin legs; Amazon Kitchen stools; Stendig Calendar;  DIY standing desk; Restoration Hardware bar stool (Thrifted); Mintwood Photo Co. Cyan-o-matic plant prints; Hickory + Co "Cincinnati" Wood laser cut-out; DIY wooden headboard; Iron Illumination swag lamps; DIY hanging side table; Ikea Floor Lamp; Move Loot Winged arm chair; DIY tree slice side table; DIY floor-length curtains; RUGS USA area rug . 

Hello, summer! & some recent crushes

Memorial Day Weekend!!! Does anyone else think instantly of the neighborhood pool opening when they hear those three words? I mean, it's the official start of summer, right?! 

Speaking of summer, I just have a few things to get out into the blogosphere that I'm really pumped for: this weekend last year, I was on a trip to Nashville to celebrate one lovely Bride. & in few weeks, I'll be making the trip again to celebrate another! In mid June, I'm going on a little weekend flash trip to Half Moon Bay, then jetting off to Nashville for the bachelorette party. In July I'll be traveling again, first to Lake Michigan for some family time, then to Cleveland for my bestie's wedding(!!!!!!!), then heading down to Cincinnati for a few days at home. In August I'm camping for the first time EVER... & I'm starting with a bang! Yosemite National Park, here I come! Later that  month, I'm flying back to Michigan for a quick work trip. In September, my mom is visiting & my sister, mom and I are driving out to Big Sur. Phew. It's going to be a busy but awesome summer!

But I'm bringing it in nice and slow, just the way I like it  :) I'm spending Memorial Day Weekend in San Francisco. Maybe the weather will cooperate & I can head over to a beach & sport my new America Spirit Jersey. 

I hope you have an amazing weekend. & in the meantime, take a read at my recent crushes below (because I know you have too much spring, I mean summer, fever to be focused on the work day). 

xox

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• This lipstick.
• This duffel bag.
• These headphones.
• These towels. 
• This homemade granola.

• This blog. 
• This podcast. 
• These sandals.
• This Beauty & the Beast Trailer.
• This tank.

• This bedding.
• This summer jam.
• This sexy maxi. 
• These linen slip ons.
• This singer.

Photos: Nikond3200 35mm / Edits: Adobe Lightroom 

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Joggers, Heels & Figuring Out Athleisure

Hi friends! How was your weekend? I don't know if you remember, but one of my resolutions this year was to really see the west coast. That has taken the form of mini-one-weekend-vacations, which we've deemed "flash trips." So far I've been to Portland, Tahoe & as of this weekend Reno, Nevada! I ended up crashing a total "guy's weekend" to get there, but it was pretty great. I lost $10 on the penny slots and roulette machines & promptly closed my wallet. Luckily, my friends fared better. Actually, one of them took pity on my poor gambling skills & bought me an awesome AMERICA spirit jersey with his winnings. That's all I really wanted, anyway :D I can't wait to wear it MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, which is coming up so, so soon!

Anywayyyy... I suspect the real reason you're checking in today is this outfit, so let's talk. I love the jogger pant. Always have, always will. In fact, looking back, would you agree that the jogger pant was our first hint of the athleisure trend gripping our country? In case you haven't heard of athleisure, it's basically wearing semi-athletic clothes (sometimes paired with other, nicer pieces) with no intent of actually exercising.

I'm so into it. Athletic clothes are probably the most comfortable clothes in my closet. Naturally I'm on board with dressing them up to wear all the time. Living in San Francisco, where my commute includes a several mile walk everyday, it's so convenient to wear Nike gym shoes with my work clothes & call it a fashion statement. Talk about efficiency!

What do you guys think about athleisure? Do you partake? & if you do, do you have separate athleisure clothes and actual workout clothes? I totally do. My athleisure clothes are way cuter. Although, I am trying to jump back on that exercise train.... maybe some cute workout clothes would help?

Maybe ;D

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Photos: Jacob Heath, Nikond3200 35mm / Edits: Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop / Location: Crissy Fields / Shirt: Lush from Nordstrom Rack / Joggers: Similar / Heels: Similar from Asos / Jacket: JCrew Factory.