Beautiful Food, Travel & Design
Hey friends! I’m so excited to finally be able to share with you a project that I’ve been working on behind the scenes! I’ve been working with the fabulous team at Darby Smart to create an easy project kit so you can DIY some painted wood coasters to keep your tabletops looking great.
I had so much fun designing the kit for you and it’s a little surreal to see it on Darby Smart’s website. I’m definitely having a moment!
Happy June everyone! Can you believe we’re almost halfway through 2014 already? Pat and I have now officially lived in San Francisco for one year and every day I fall more madly in love with this amazing city. I really don’t like season at all, so to live in a place where the weather is the same every day suits me just fine. We may not have the hot summer nights of Wisconsin, but when I’m running in shorts in November it’s all worth it.
Speaking of runs, my New Year’s resolution was to do a long run every weekend that I’m not working. After three weeks of mowing on carbs and argan oil during our honeymoon in Morocco, I came back to find that I’d gained five pounds during that short time! I used the excuse of a New Year’s resolution to re-commit to running. My goal was simple – do a long run (at least an hour) every weekend that I am not working at the hospital. I’m happy to report that I’ve stuck to it so far.
Read more and get the recipe + giveaway after the jump!
Today I have a little DIY that is as cute as it is easy! My sister-in-law graciously gifted me with the beads from her broken necklace when she was staying with us a few months ago. She handed them to me and said, “You’re crafty, I know you can make something out of these.”
Challenge accepted.
Congratulations on having an authentic life. You photograph beautiful people professionally or made a career out of designing pretty letterpress projects. I’m so jealous and impressed that you’ve found a way to transition your lifestyle blog from a hobby into a full time job. That’s pretty dang authentic. Plus, your kids dress better than me and your dog has more followers on Instagram than I do.
What about the rest of us? Is the man who is working as a janitor to put food on the table for his family of five living inauthentically? What about the line cook that works nights and weekends to give you that beautifully-plated farm-to-table experience?
Am I inauthentic because I work in a hospital and don’t make a living creating beautiful things? There’s a difference between celebrating the beautiful things in life and having a superiority complex. Folk Magazine, the party responsible for starting this campaign, has crossed the line.
How many of our Instagram feeds tell the whole story anyway? If you looked at my feed, you would think all I do is spend weekends in wine country, go to the beach with my husband and our puppy and check out the social scene in San Francisco with my girlfriends. Guess what? That is such a small part of my reality, it’s about as inauthentic as it gets. My authentic life is long work days (and nights) taking care of some of the sickest children in Northern California. It’s trying not to get peed on at well child checks, navigating the dynamics of challenging and stressed out families and trying to find the time to go to the bathroom once during a 14 hour work day. Brunch is my exception, not my rule.
This whole “authentic life” business puts a bad taste in my mouth because it’s invalidating people that do the necessary jobs that allow others to do creative, beautiful things. The farmers, the factory workers, the clerks and the security guards. These hardworking people are just as authentic as people who dance in wheat fields at sunset wearing Free People and a flower crown in their hair.
Some things I’m loving from around the web…
Please protect yourself and take a moment and read this article about protecting your privacy online.
It’s not too late to sign up for this intensive food styling course from the creators of White on Rice.
Hey San Franciscans, check out our free museum days here!
Things you’ll never hear San Franciscans Say
Choosing a good olive oil.
Ace these top 10 interview questions.
My tips for summer-ready legs.
Poppy Delevingne’s Marrakech wedding is making me wistful for my own Moroccan honeymoon.
These decoupage floral vases are next on my DIY list.
Thanks so much for reading A Side of Sweet! For more Sweet in your life, you can find me on Instagram, Pinterest, Bloglovin’, or Twitter, or subscribe to receive a weekly email with new posts (see sidebar).
One year ago this week, something pretty special happened. You see, May 25th, 2013 was the day that Pat and I said “I do”.
Our wedding day was magical. It was everything I could have hoped for in a wedding and more. It was the best day ever times a million. There isn’t a single thing I would go back and change. We were surrounded by our closest friends and family and everything was completely homemade – from the archway we got married under to the desserts. Literally everything but dinner was done by Pat and I, along with the help of our wonderful family and friends! I don’t think there was a single guest who didn’t contribute in some way, whether it be setting up the day of, cleaning up at the end of the night, or helping out with the million and a half DIY’s that I planned.
I think that like most people, marriage has been hard work for both of us. It’s not always easy to be married to a resident who works long hours at a high stress job. It’s not easy to leave friends and family behind and move across the country. Fortunately, I think the hard work has really made us appreciate the good great. Except for the weeks that I work night shift, every morning I get to wake up next to my best friend. It’s pretty special.
From time to time, I have the opportunity to work with brands that I love and trust because they value my opinions and the work that I do here at A Side of Sweet. For this post, I participated in an Influencer Activation Program on behalf of #MC Millennial Central for Whish Body. I received a promotional item and Whish Body samples to facilitate my review. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that keep this blog sweet!
I can’t think of a better place to wear white than wine country! For Wishes in Wine Country last week, I wore white linen to beat the heat and stay cool in the bright sun. I never leave home without polarized sunnies to protect my eyes and sunscreen to protect my skin. This look wouldn’t be complete without summer-ready smooth legs. Check out my tips for shaving below.
… Read More »