Flatlays and Features

This weekend was Solstice in Santa Barbara. Normally, I'd be out partaking in the insanity but this year I worked on Saturday and once Sunday rolled around I just wanted to take things easy. I've been meaning to shoot little flatlays of our prints for a while so I opted to do that instead. 

As I was crawling around on the literal ground putting these together I had a thought. I realized I've been doing this on and off professionally for over 6 years. I've somehow made a career out of fussing over vignettes. Right...

Below are the finished products. By the way, these baby prints are smaller than our usual 8x10 size. If you'd be into purchasing a smaller size you can always place a custom order with us. Or, let me know if you think we should add that size to our Etsy shop!

(Top to Bottom: Rincon Classic, Cotton Candy Skies, Sun, Salt, Dusk)

(Above: Rincon Classic Print)

(Left to Right: Sun, Salt, Dusk and Cotton Candy Skies)

(Above: Sun, Salt, Dusk Print)

I also wanted to express a giant THANK YOU to two of my favorite local Instagram accounts. Both @exploresantabarbara and @thefunkzone were gracious enough to regram two of our photos. I'm feelin' the love and it was genuinely flattering to see that these two big accounts liked our images.

Cushnie et Ochs Denim Jumpsuit

 (Cushnie et Ochs Denim Jumpsuit, Alexander Wang Sandals, Gucci Soho Disco Bag)

First and foremost, credit goes to Julianne boutique for this amazing jumpsuit. They're sold out of this style but you can shop the rest of their items HERE on Farfetch. (Support small businesses!)

I've been adding some more unusual items (like this jumpsuit) to my wardrobe as I get older. Honestly, I feel like it's a combination of not giving a shit what people think anymore and knowing that I'm only going to get older... So I might as well wear it while I can.

What really sold me on this piece was the bow. It's girly but sexy and unlike anything I have in my closet. This isn't a wear-it-once-a-week piece, but it is something I plan on holding on to and hopefully wearing for years to come.

Santa Barbara Summer 2016 To-Do List

Cotton Candy Skies Print - Available in our Etsy Shop

It's officially the first day of summer! Last summer I was working six days a week. When I had a day off it was spent cleaning my house, running errands and catching up on sleep. (Kill me.) It's what I had to do at the time so I don't begrudge it, but you best believe I'm making up for it this year. I don't have anything epic planned at the moment, I'm just hoping to check some of my old favorites and a couple new things off the list...

1. Visit a flea market or check out an estate sale. I'm over my shitty furniture and in addition I'm over the shitty furniture that's within my budget. Both LA and Ventura have fantastic flea markets and Santa Barbara is infamous for its estate sales. I have a feeling I'll luck out. 

2. Add more prints to our Etsy shop. This one is a no-brainer. Summer is the perfect time to capture California's beauty.

3. Eat a burger from The Burger Bus while cruising SB's Funk Zone. Have you had their Chipotle Burger? Have you followed it up with at least 2-3 glasses of wine? Then you haven't lived. I plan on living.

4. Visit Lotus Land. Lotus Land is an estate in Montecito that has some truly incredible gardens filled with every kind of cactus/native CA flower under the sun. I've never been and I think it's finally time. I'll for sure be bringing my camera along.

5. Visit the LA Arts District. When I was living near downtown LA about six years ago they were just beginning to gentrify that area. I visited briefly again last summer and stumbled into the brand new Arts District. I've been meaning to go back and devote an entire day to exploring the area.

6. Take evening walks after dinner. I love, love, love our neighborhood. It's gorgeous and quiet and prime for peaceful walks after work/dinner. This is something I usually do during the summer but I'm making a strong commitment to it this year. 

7. Hit up some old and new happy hours. My forever favorite in town is the Santa Barbara FisHouse. It is unbeatable in terms of price/variety. I used to work right next door to it so it's also a little nostalgic for me. This year I'm looking to expand and see what else is out there.

8. Blog on the regular. I've been blogging on and off since 2009. It brings me great joy to dump my thoughts out somewhere and maybe even have someone read them. So, I'm gonna keep doing it.

9. Go shopping/do lunch in LA. Between working for an amazing boutique with literal off-the-runway pieces and living in a fairly isolated area I tend to blow my shopping money locally. It's a habit I need to change, just a little.

10. Go to a polo match. We have a local polo field here in SB that I've only been to once. We had one where I grew up as well and I have great childhood memories of watching the games, stomping the divots at halftime and picnicking. 

Things I've Eaten, Worn & Done Lately

It's that time again where I dump the contents of my iPhone on to this blog in an attempt to show you what I've been up to. Aside from these photos I have two other big updates:

1) We officially launched a Squarespace site for WCP. (Visit it HERE.) I built the thing in a day and I'm actually really pleased with the results. I plan on adding an e-commerce component to it as well. This way, you'll have the option to shop with us via Etsy or directly through our site.

2) I've added new prints to the Etsy shop. Yes, FINALLY! You can check those out here. They were either snapped at Rincon or in Santa Barbara and feature all sorts of ocean, sunset, palm tree goodness.

Now on to the rest...

(Zara Striped Top, Gap Jeans, Gucci Soho Disco Bag, Alexander Wang Sandals)

Apparently there is a Zara in Thousand Oaks I never knew existed. (WHAT?!) After a rather stressful day spent in LA this week I stopped off at the Thousand Oaks mall and scooped up this top. I got my retail therapy fix and now have my 4th of July outfit covered. Two birds, one stone. Also these Alexander Wang sandals have been giving me life. They're an entirely new shape for me (I usually wear ankle boots) and the block heel is comfortable enough for work days.

(Donut Peaches & Fresh Berries from the Santa Barbara Farmer's Market)

(Rick Owens Top (from @julianneboutique), Topshop Sock Boots, Free People Jeans, Moschino Belt, Vintage Necklace)

If I remember correctly this photo was taken on Memorial Day. Clearly I wasn't feeling the "official start of summer" vibes that day. Rick Owens and his weird, drapey, androgynous designs have been making themselves right at home in my closet lately. There's something really subtle yet unusual about his stuff that I love. The Topshop boots are by far my favorite bargain of the year. After seeing the Gucci and Dior versions all over Instagram (and deciding I'd rather pay rent than buy them) I opted for these and am totally pleased. Btw, pretty sure the belt is a knockoff as it was found in a thrift store a long time ago. 

(Los Agaves Steak Nachos from the De la Vina location)

Feeding two people for under $40 in this town is... difficult. A while back I discovered the nachos at Los Agaves are A) Gargantuan and B) Under $20. They're currently Ryan and I's go-to lunch item. The Milpas Street location is forever my fave but I sometimes opt for De la Vina since they have an outdoor patio/it's in our neighborhood. 

(Lanvin Sneakers (from @julianneboutique), Forever 21 Denim Romper, Gucci Soho Disco Bag)

Now that my entire wardrobe isn't comprised from Forever 21 out of necessity, I actually enjoy shopping there for trendier pieces. You know, things I'd never drop serious change on but want to try out. This denim playsuit thing cost less than a meal and I've actually been getting some serious wear out of it. Also I think I captioned this photo on Instagram with "when you're so pale you're reflective". Time for some self tanner!

(Photo-op during one of our evening walks through the neighborhood)

(Fresh Lavender from the Santa Barbara Farmer's Market -- Can't wait to dry it!)

(Kenzo Sweatshirt, Wildfox Sunglasses, Gucci Soho Disco Bag, Free People Jeans, Lanvin Sneakers (from @julianneboutique)

Photo credit to my friend Char who snapped this during a Sunday in LA. We walked around Abbott Kinney, Melrose and ate seriously the most amazing baby quiche at Fig & Olive. As you can see I've gotten major use out of this little Gucci bag. 10/10 would recommend. I usually carry something larger during the week so I can jam all my random work/life stuff in there, but I love this little dude for the weekends.