I'll Follow You Anywhere

There were so many magical moments during our trip to the west coast, but I’m not sure anything quite matches the overwhelming natural beauty of our road trip down the coast.

As we sped down the winding roads in our little rental car, we rolled the windows down, turned the music up loud, and just stared in awe. The air was scented with salt water and Redwood tree bark, and at times the waves became so massive that they crashed over the road, and cars had to wait to continue on their journey for fear of being swept away.

It was truly humbling to witness such power, such steep cliffs and roaring surf. There was a certain energy in the air that I can only describe as magic, and every time we pulled over to peer over the steep cliffs or splash in the waves we only became more enchanted. From Monterey, to the delicious Big Sur Bakery, all the way down to our stop at the Madonna Inn, it was truly a road trip that will sparkle in our memories for years to come.

bigsurroadtrip8bigsurroadtrip12bigsurroadtrip24bigsurroadtrip11bigsurroadtrip6bigsurroadtrip9bigsurroadtrip3bigsurroadtrip14bigsurroadtrip21bigsurroadtrip17

I'll Follow You Anywhere

When Paige and I were figuring out everything we needed to see during our trip to LA, there were a ton of options on the table, and we honestly didn’t know how we’d make it everywhere we hoped to go. In the end, we had to cut a few of our picks, but the Madonna Inn was never even up for debate.

The Madonna Inn was built in the late ’50s on the Central Coast of California, and has been turning heads and attracting pink lovers ever since. Quirky and strange, this legendary hotel has a massive hot pink and gold steakhouse, famous pink champagne cake, a blue and pink tennis court, and all sorts of crazy themed rooms. The creator, Alex Madonna, was once quoted as saying, “Anybody can build one room and a thousand like it. It’s more economical. Most places try to give you as little as possible. I try to give people a decent place to stay where they receive more than they are entitled to for what they’re paying. I want people to come in with a smile and leave with a smile. It’s fun.” And fun it was!

Our tight schedule made it impossible for us to stay the night at the Madonna Inn this time unfortunately, but we were able to play dress up in new clothing from the shop and stage a mini photo shoot before dinner. We sniffed the famous pink roses, sipped creamy pink cocktails, and briefly contemplated running away with a pink golf cart and driving off into the sunset. It was an evening to remember, and we’ll absolutely be back!

IMG_3225

IMG_3179

IMG_3247

IMG_3352

IMG_3152

IMG_3306

IMG_3382

IMG_3195

IMG_3334

IMG_3174

IMG_3260

IMG_3300

IMG_3240

IMG_3291

IMG_3283

IMG_3263

IMG_3326

IMG_3374

Dress Up

As much as I love winter and cozy weather, I’m such a sun baby, so visiting LA this month during a heat wave was like hopping a plane to paradise. I got to unpack my shorts and cute dresses from the depths of my closet, and I even got to try out a few new bikinis that I’ve been saving for a sunny day.

I’ve been a big fan of Lolli ever since I saw their adorable watermelon phone case on Designlovefest’s Instagram. Their bikinis are flirty and fun, and always have the sweetest little details, like a big floppy bow on the butt or a heart-shaped cut out. I opted for a sweet white set with a bow bandeau, and paired it with some baby pink gingham shorts, a Ban.do hair twist, and a massive pink beach blanket, and headed down to my favourite LA boardwalk, Venice Beach!

IMG_2788

IMG_2813

IMG_2805

IMG_2822 IMG_2774

IMG_2798

IMG_2842

Dear Diary

I first started following Studio Mucci on Instagram when my friend Sarah bought one of her garlands for her new apartment. “You don’t follow Studio Mucci?!” she asked, clearly confused, and when I did search and follow Amina Mucci’s account, I immediately knew why.

Studio Mucci represents everything that Paige and I love in the world. Glitter, colour, the desire to celebrate everyday and the resilience to take down party decorations long after the special occasion has passed. Amina, her amazing husband Salvatore, and their team of tassel fairies spend their days building beautiful handmade piñatas, garlands, and the occasional special surprise, and even though their studio (aka. Tassel Factory) is closed to the public, they were kind enough to invite us up for a little peak!

westcoastBFFtour_studiomucci5

westcoastBFFtour_studiomucci9

westcoastBFFtour_studiomucci6

westcoastBFFtour_studiomucci12

westcoastBFFtour_studiomucci1

westcoastBFFtour_studiomucci10

westcoastBFFtour_studiomucci13

westcoastBFFtour_studiomucci15

westcoastBFFtour_studiomucci7

westcoastBFFtour_studiomucci14

westcoastBFFtour_studiomucci3

westcoastBFFtour_studiomucci4

westcoastBFFtour_studiomucci11

I'll Follow You Anywhere

Disneyland has always held a very special place in my heart. I grew up on the west coast, and my parents started taking me to Disney from a very young age. I quickly became so obsessed that I thought life wasn’t worth living without a yearly trip to Disneyland- I even had (and still do have) nightmares about being in California and being unable to get in the front gates. My love for Disneyland and the magic there eventually lead to one ridiculous outcome: I’ve been to Disneyland 15 times.

Now I know what you’re thinking: how am I not sick of the happiest place on earth yet? Honestly though, there’s just something so captivating about Disneyland, something so magical and lovely that I have yet to experience anywhere else in the world. The air smells like sugar, pastels reign, and every little detail has been meticulously created. They say that Walt Disney was the first UX designer, and while they built Disneyland in the early ’50s he lived in a private apartment within the park to make sure everything was being built according to his vision. The idea that one man created a place where dreams come true and fairytales come to life enchants and inspires me to no end, and when Paige and I booked our trip to the west coast a few weeks ago, I knew Disneyland was one place I absolutely needed to share with her.

westcoastBFFtour_disney-10

westcoastBFFtour_disney-22

westcoastBFFtour_disney-30

westcoastBFFtour_disney-36

westcoastBFFtour_disney-20

westcoastBFFtour_disney-32

westcoastBFFtour_disney-37

westcoastBFFtour_disney-25

westcoastBFFtour_disney-45

Paige was as excited to visit Mickey and Minnie as I was, but there was one massive difference: Paige had never been to Disneyland ever before! Sure she’d been to Disney World in Florida plenty of times (which, for the record, is so not the same), but until our adventure she’d never set foot in the magical world of Disneyland, the original Disney theme park, the only park that Walt himself oversaw and managed. I was determined to show her the best of what Disneyland had to offer, and with the help of Christina Winkelmann from Ban.do (a local and fellow Disney devotee), we compiled the perfect little checklist, put on our silver sequin mouse ears, and walked through the gates.

As expected, our day was full of magic, glitter, and a few unexpected screams of joy/terror on the scarier rides. We shared our first ever Dole whip, bought rare chunks of pumpkin fudge (available only in October, this stuff tastes just like pumpkin pie!), and snacked on pretzels shaped like Mickey Mouse heads. We ran around the castle, spun super fast in teacups way too many times, and clutched hands in horror on the Tower of Terror.

westcoastBFFtour_disney-35

westcoastBFFtour_disney-33

westcoastBFFtour_disney-5

westcoastBFFtour_disney-43

westcoastBFFtour_disney-40

westcoastBFFtour_disney-11

westcoastBFFtour_disney-41

westcoastBFFtour_disney-23

westcoastBFFtour_disney-16

It was a truly special day spent spent with one of my favourite people in my absolute favourite place, and as I unpacked my suitcase yesterday and hung up my mouse ears I swear I saw some pixie dust sprinkle out into my bedroom.