TGIF: Brew Me a Cup...

Sometimes weekends are used up for fun escapades or late nights dancing the night away... And other times all I want from the weekend is peace, quiet and some much needed solitude.

This video brings me to a happy, restful place. Thank you Kinfolk.

Cheers to a wonderful, peaceful weekend!

xoxo,

Ring in the New...

Happy 2012 everyone!

After a hiatus from blogging, I thought my first post of the new year should be about sharing some inspirational words to start off the year in a positive way.

Here are my favorite verses from the poem "Ring Out, Wild Bells" by Alfred Lord Tennyson. 

And the best new year's resolution list ever, thanks to the amazing Woody Guthrie

My favorite? # 18: Stay glad.

So cheers to 2012, hope it's a wonderful year for all you out there.

xoxo,

Pilar

Nothing is Permanent ...

Last week I traveled home to California, although the last minute trip was due to a sad event- my grandma's passing- the trip did include some very necessary family time and lovely moments with some of my closest friends. Instead of packing in a million things and going out, I did a lot of relaxing, thinking and sharing meals with loved ones... after just a few days in the golden state I truly felt a new surge of positive energy. So here are some beautiful images and wise words to keep in mind and inspire you through the week.

So take a moment to breath in, relax, and let the troubles fade away....

PS: in the coming days this little blog will be having some of its "first" moments with a guest post by  some inspiring ladies and a few other surprises.

xoxo,
Pilar

(images #1 & 3 here, #2 here)

Words of Wisdom: Albert Camus

On a very tough Friday afternoon, these words help me stay strong.

xoxo,
Pilar

(image unknown source)

100 & Inspiring People: Alice Waters

Well, this will be my 100 post in this little corner of the internet and I wanted to make it special by dedicating it to a inspiring person (this little series started here). And who better than a woman that single handedly changed the way we look at food and restaurants, Ms. Alice Waters. 

- A young Alice Waters at her iconic restaurant-

As a Berkeley graduate, I am so proud that this community is the home of Chez Panisse, one of the first restaurants to advocate for seasonal and locally grown ingredients. The restaurant is celebrating its 40th year anniversary and Water's commitment to food education and social responsibility is shinning more than ever through the Chez Panisse foundation. The foundation helps bring healthy and backyard-grown food menus to schools around the area through the Edible Schoolyard Project. 

-Artichokes being prepared at Chez Panisse-

So as a celebration of 100 posts, 40 years of Chez Panisse and 1 truly inspiring woman, here are some great articles, delicious recipes and beautiful pictures from the restaurant's anniversary celebrations.

- Chez Panisse celebration at the U.C Berkeley Art Museum- 

The New York Times Magazine and Edible Shelby coupled up to offer a series of articles on the 40 year anniversary celebrations you can find them here, here and here!

For more information about the woman behind the delicious food check out this NPR piece.

-Alice Waters answering questions for children in Berkeley-

And if you are wondering what Ms. Waters' favorite food is here is her simple answer:

"A grilled cheese sandwich. It's been that way my whole life. It's a grilled cheese sandwich with some great sharp cheese and it's on a whole wheat loaf of bread ... and I always serve it with pickled vegetables. I love my grilled cheese sandwich and I probably eat it with a glass of wine."

If all this talk about food is making you hungry, I suggest watching this lovely video and following its simple instructions for a mouth-watering treat and a thirst-quenching drink!

So cheers to healthy food and supporting local farmers. Happy hump day everyone!

xoxo,

Pilar

The Quote Book: I love Jack.

I have posted about one of my dearest possessions, my quote book, before. So I thought I would share a few other quotes from its pages. One of my favorites (if not my favorite) authors is Jack Kerouac, although Jack was no saint, I find his writings- so full of beauty and nostalgia- deeply touching. So it is no surprise that my quote book is filled with plenty of Kerouac quotes.

Jack always reminds me of travel, of road trips, and of the endless quest for meaning... So for a little Monday inspiration here are some of my favorite quotes by the leader of the beats.

(Siena, sun going down)

(70s roller skating party with best friends)

(the road, North Carolina)

 (fireworks, Barcelona)

Have a lovely Monday, and remember to burn like a beautiful roman candle.

xoxo,
Pilar

Inspiring People: Gloria Steinmen

One of the reasons why I started this blog was to "force" myself to have a place where I jotted down things, places and persons that inspire me. As such, I decided to start a new feature called "Inspiring People", which really came about when I read about this documentary on NPR. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to watch it, but ever since hearing about it, I have been reading more about Gloria Steinmen and her role in the women's movement and beyond.

I highly recommend taking a look at her official website and reading up on her contributions. As the founder of Ms. magazine, an activist and a profoundly honest human being (her discussions on self image are very illuminating), Gloria Steinmen is definitely an inspiring person. So as a tribute to her I leave you with some of my favorite quotes by Ms. Steinmen, along with a couple of outfits inspired by her iconic 1960's style.

1. Geo Mod Shades, Anthropologie.

2. Silk Blouse, Anthropologie.

3. Mustard Mini Skirt, modcloth.com. 

4. Wooden Platform Wedges, modcloth.com. 

5. M Missoni Natural 60's Box Print Dress, via fashionologie.com

6. Topshop Oversized Wavy Bangles, via fashionologie.com

7. Eddie Bauer, via fashionologie.com

Do you have any suggestions on inspiring people? If so, please share on the comments.

xoxo,

Pilar

Ever wondered why....

secondhand bookstores smell so good? Thanks to Bookshelf Porn, now you don't have to wonder anymore:

"Lignin, the stuff that prevents all trees from adopting the weeping habit, is a polymer made up of units that are closely related to vanillin. When made into paper and stored for years, it breaks down and smells good. Which is how divine providence has arranged for secondhand bookstores to smell like good quality vanilla absolute, subliminally stoking a hunger for knowledge in all of us."

Amazing no?

What book(s) are you currently reading? Me? I just finished When You Are Engulfed by Flames (David Sedaris) and highly recommend it!

xoxo,

Pilar

Happy Friday: Now Lets Celebrate With Color-Blocking

I had a short work week this week, thanks to Mother's Day celebration here in Costa Rica. So another week of August has flown by. Lately, I have been drawn back to one of this year's biggest fashion trends: color blocking outfits. And color blocking is not only reserved for your closet, it can be a great way to add some edge to a house or outdoors space.

 This outfit comes from J.Crew's fall collection and the house images from the Nate's blog.

I also like the idea of small pops of color, whether in a bright chair, bases or an eye-catching patterned top (images here and here).

Have a colorful Friday and even better weekend!

xoxo,
Pilar

Peeping Tom

Sometimes surfing through the net feels a little bit like peeping into a million new worlds. Private worlds made public by their inhabitants. Two of my favorite pastimes are paying a visit to closetvisit and discovering new interior decorating inspiration, recently found here.

Closet visit of Beatrice Valenzuela, shoe designer, and a house renovation from Nate Berkus' website. I love the small beautiful details in both of the wardrobe and the house- such as the fresh white tulips or the stitching in Beatrice's shoes- and the pop of colors throughout.

Dreamy!

xoxo,
Pilar

(images 1, 3, 5 here and 2, 4 here)

Subtleties...

...sometimes as work piles up, the rainy season hits and mosquitoes attack your every bare inch of skin one may feel a bit overwhelmed. And sometimes, when on top of all these things, you come home in the pouring rain to your bathroom being inundated with water one may also feel a bit like this:

...but then karma, god, luck or whatever one may call it throws you a bone. As I flipped through the channels on my T.V, a commercial for Stranger than Fiction came on and I remembered how much I loved it, so I did some googling and this quote was the perfect antidote for my sense of helplessness.

So cheers to the little things in life...  the nuances, the anomalies, whether they are a delicious treats...

... or kind embraces...

...here's to the subtleties in life.

xoxo,

Pilar

(all images here)

Beauty.

In my last post before the long hiatus (here) I mentioned that two good friends would be visiting, during their time in Costa Rica we took weekend trips to two of the most naturally beautiful and truly breath-taking places I have visited: Drake Bay and Tortuguero National Park. The first one is a fairly undeveloped  beach location in the south Pacific of the country and the second one is an incredibly wild and lush jungle, with a tiny town in between a river and the Caribbean Sea. 

These trips, besides providing much needed bonding time, also reminded me of the diversity and incredible beauty of the world. There are many characteristics that we often appreciate, such as kindness or intelligence, and by comparison the word beauty can seem shallow. However, appreciating the immense beauty of our natural world is one of those things that brings me a sense of peace and reminds not to take the small (and big) beautiful things for granted. 

boat ride at sunrise

muddy trekking

sunset at the beach

my friend's artsy picture of my tat

beautiful sky

reflection

What beautiful things inspire you to stop and wander at the world?

xoxo,

Pilar

Remember me?

I'm the girl that writes this blog. Yes, it has been a while since the last post. I won't make excuses, but today it hit me that I was neglecting to do something I truly enjoyed...so as a summer objective I will take the time to ponder, share pictures, thoughts and hopefully some inspiration.

For now here is a simple message:

with love,

Pilar

I'm a lucky girl!

Sometimes it is necessary to say it out loud "I am very lucky... and I should be thankful for that." It has been a tough year for my family and at points everything seemed so overwhelming. But in the end, I know I have many things to be thankful for and near the top of that list are my wonderful friends.

Tonight, two of my closest undergrad friends, Jovanna and Jessica, are coming to visit. They will be in Costa Rica for the next ten days, and to make this visit even more special, it will be the first time I see Jessica since she left for the Peace Corp on February 2009! Needless to say, I am very excited and extremely thankful for the time we will get to share.

So, keeping with this positive-thinking post, here are some pretty things and pretty thoughts to keep a positive outlook on life.

Although I have had a very productive blogging week, that productivity will almost certainly decrease in the next few days, but I will come back with lots of positive energy and pictures to share.

xoxo,
Pilar

(images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)