Category Archives: my life

HAPPY CAMPERS

BEACH CAMPING | JAYADORESBEACH CAMPING | JAYADORESBEACH CAMPING | JAYADORESBEACH CAMPING | JAYADORES BEACH CAMPING | JAYADORES BEACH CAMPING | JAYADORES BEACH CAMPING | JAYADORES BEACH CAMPING | JAYADORES BEACH CAMPING | JAYADORESBEACH CAMPING | JAYADORESBEACH CAMPING | JAYADORESBEACH CAMPING | JAYADORES

over the three day weekend i went beach camping with my family. i haven’t been camping in years and it was a total blast! i was in auntie heaven with the two little ones – they bring me more joy than i could have ever imagined. and even though sleep was sparse, the upside of waking up at sunrise was being able to snap some photos of that gorgeous cotton candy sky :) lots of relaxing happened, many naps were had, s’mores were consumed, and besides reis having to work all weekend, it was pretty much perfect. hope you all had a happy labor day!

THE MAGICAL DREAMLAND THAT IS KORAKIA PENSIONE

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whenever reis has time off of work, we try to take full advantage of every single day and go on as many adventures as we possibly can. he recently had a two week break and we were fortunate enough to visit palm springs, hawaii, and new york! three very, very different places (and very, very different vibes).

palm springs was a last minute, spontaneous decision and i am so glad we went! reis has never been out to the desert before and i honestly wasn’t sure if he would be into it. there isn’t much to do other than lay poolside in dry heat and that’s not really his thing if you know him…boy needs an ocean. but he loved it! since it was a thursday and weekday rates are significantly cheaper than weekend rates, we booked a room at korakia pensione. MY GOODNESS. it is by far one of the most incredible places we’ve ever stayed at and one we plan on visiting again and again! it’s serene and beautiful and relaxing, the rooms are gorgeous, and i’m pretty sure we had the place all to ourselves. we saw maybe a total of 5 other people during our stay. the weather was perfect and not too hot and we camped out by the pool until the sun went down. for dinner, we rode the complimentary hotel bikes into the town and enjoyed mexican food at las casuelas (great atmosphere, okay food). after we ate and explored the town a bit, we rode back to the hotel and relaxed on the back deck where they show old movies every night  (hello gorgeous rugs and pillows galore!). the pools are open 24/7, so after the movie we couldn’t resist going for a late night swim. DREAMLAND, I TELL YOU. the next morning we woke up early and rode bikes to the ace hotel for some stumptown coffee before booking it back in the morning heat to korakia for breakfast! they include a delicious homemade breakfast in your stay and they serve it al fresco in their moroccan courtyard. you really feel like you’re in another country while you’re there. it’s amazing. we had to check out by noon, so we enjoyed a few more hours of pool time and were relaxed and refreshed by the time we had to leave. we had the best time and cannot wait to return! hopefully soon (but not in august because the staff said the heat is absolutely unbearable then). yay for spontaneous, romantic getaways with my man. love him so much.

GOOD BRANDING IS THE WAY TO MY CART | NO.2 (FOOD FINDS)

BrandingNo2

 

fancy grocery/kitchen/food stores always seem to have the most appealing food products with beautiful packaging. here are some discoveries that caught my eye!

1) i talk plenty about mcconnell’s ice cream on this blog…but i didn’t realize they sold the pints at whole foods until a few months ago! they rebranded a few years ago and i love their new packaging.

2) i recently came across seaworth coffee co. and tried their single fin sludge cold brew. it’s some good stuff. reminds me a bit of stumptown. the company was started by a few surfers in costa mesa that couldn’t find a decent cold brew in southern california so they set out to make their own. it’s always nice to support local!

3) yet another coffee product with good packaging. califia coffee products are definitely more of a sweet treat than straight iced coffee, but a glass for an afternoon pick me up does the trick.

4) i have yet to try this pizza crust from williams sonoma but that box calls my name every time i visit the store. reis and i eat/make pizza at least once a week and i would like to bring this crust into the rotation.

 

check out the first “good branding is the way to my cart” post here!

THE YELLOW CONFERENCE

The Yellow Conference

i’m so excited to share with you all about the yellow conference going down in LA this summer! my friend joanna is organizing this event and i love her vision and her passion behind it all. she is truly inspiring! here’s a little summary of the event from the website:

“Taking place August 28th and 29th in Los Angeles, CA, The Yellow Conference is a gathering for creative women who desire to ignite passion and bring goodness to the world through everyday living.“

an amazing group of speakers has been rounded up and i cannot wait to hear their talks. a few of them include: sarah dubbledam, the creator of darling magazine, promise tangeman, the incredible designer and founder of sitehouse designs, and dale partridge, the founder of sevenly…and those are just three of them! i’m so intrigued to hear their stories and how they got to where they are pursuing what they love! as a small business owner, i’m constantly evaluating the work i’m creating, the work i want to create, and how to go about achieving my goals while thinking about more than just myself + making a living. i’m looking forward to feeling very inspired by the end of the conference.

joanna is kindly offering a 10% discount off for you guys if you sign up this week! (enter the code BLOOMJAY at checkout) i’m so excited for august and i hope to see you there! for more information or to sign up, visit the website here.

The Yellow Conference

STUFF FOR YOUR HOME $20 AND UNDER

Home Goods Under $20 | JayAdores

i’m a sucker for a deal. i rarely buy anything full price and i love a good sale rack. buying little things for around the house is one of my favorite things to do and these are a few things i brought home with me recently that didn’t break the bank.

west elm copper cook’s tools | our kitchenware is quite the hodgepodge of a collection that i already had from living on my own before we got married. nothing matches and and most of it is looking a bit aged. when i saw these tools were only $7 each (and free shipping!), i got one of each.

world market marble utensil holder | okay, so this isn’t on sale, but if you sign up for their explorer rewards program, they send you 10% off coupons a lot and hey, that helps. it sits pretty on the counter and now my copper tools have a nice little home.

west elm throw | our house is freezing in the morning and nights and i sit with a blanket around me all day while i work. for $10, i love this throw a lot. funny how things get cuter as they get cheaper.

gold scissors | these aren’t the OG ginghers, but they are a really great pair of scissors (and pretty too) for only 10 bucks!

 happy shopping!

 

THE CALIFORNIA COAST MAKES FOR A REAL GOOD ROAD TRIP

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my brother and sister-in-law recently moved to santa cruz (and gave birth to their beautiful baby girl on monday night!) so this means lots of road trips up the coast are in my future and i am very excited about this. i love road trips – especially up the coast of california. my love for this state continues to grow as i see more and do more and create memories with all of the different experiences it has to offer. california is so vast and diverse and unique and there are countless little nooks and crannies that i am dying to explore!

a few weekends ago on taylor’s due date, we drove up to santa cruz in hopes that we would get to meet our sweet little niece! parker babe was cozy in mama’s belly and didn’t make an appearance all weekend, but we had so much fun hanging out with the parents-to-be, seeing their life up there, and visiting their adorable cottage. we also got to spend time with laura, who lives only a few blocks away from my brother and taylor. this makes me really happy because 3 of my favorite people in the world now live within walking distance from each other! another perk of the weekend was driving into san francisco on saturday night to surprise one of my best friends and her fiancé at their engagement party. i’m so glad we got to be there for the special celebration and having a reunion with all of my college roommates was the best ever! love those girls so much. sidenote: i am completely fascinated by the fog situation in sf; seeing it roll in like a blanket on our drive into the city had me snapping a million and one photos. we cruised around the city in the morning and couldn’t leave without stuffing ourselves with burritos from la taqueria that are ohmygosh so good. we made our way back down the coast late sunday afternoon and stopped in beautiful big sur just as the sun was setting. we hadn’t been back since this trip and goodness gracious, that place is breathtaking! it’s definitely worth the extra driving time in my opinion! this weekend was one for the books for sureee and i’m thankful for many more trips up there real soon!