A Minute in the Life of Maria

5 Things That No One Will Tell You Before Your Baby Is Born

2017-07-26T15:43:00.000-07:00

When it comes to birth and parenthood, everyone has their own unique story. Everyone's experience is going to be different. And all babies are different. We prepared as much as we could before our baby was born. We read the books, took the classes, were surrounded by amazing friends and family who passed down valuable advice -- but in retrospect, there was nothing that we, or anyone can do

Beauty Products That Are Safe To Use During Pregnancy

2017-02-22T07:00:00.000-08:00

There were quite a few lifestyle changes that I choose to adopt while pregnant; a cleaner beauty regimen was one of them. I throughly researched what was safe to use during pregnancy, what could potentially be harmful for the baby and then promptly raided my bathroom shelves. It took quite a bit of time to research products, consult the experts and in some cases, reach out directly to the

A Long Weekend in Sedona, Arizona

2016-09-05T17:48:00.001-07:00

Sedona is a breathtakingly beautiful, tranquil city with an air of mystery. We went in February of this year (I can't believe it took me this long to get around to writing this post!) and I am sharing our experience should you be looking for an amazing place to stay and awesome things to do while visiting Sedona. My husband took me here back in 2011 and I was blown away by the little desert city

A New Adventure into Parenthood

2016-08-21T12:44:00.000-07:00

When I first started this blog back in 2008, it was to share all the cool things and interesting people that were a part of my life. Over the years, as I have changed from a no-fear, party loving, single and ready to mingle, never ending energy, adventure seeking 27 year old travel enthusiast; to a more calm, easy-going, married, 35 year old relaxation and enlightenment seeking travel

LA Hikes: Charlie Turner Trail

2016-01-31T12:02:00.000-08:00

Looking for a highly acclaimed, scenic, easy, classic Los Angeles hike? Give the Charlie Turner trail, also known as the Mount Hollywood trail, a go. This 3 mile roundtrip hike gives you 360 degree views that include the Hollywood sign, panoramic views of the city of Los Angeles from the beach past downtown, the San Gabriel mountains and of course the sprawling Santa Monica mountain range that

5 Amazing Benefits of Meditation

2016-01-18T17:20:00.000-08:00

Have you tried meditation? I’ve practiced meditation on and off for the past 10 years— and by that I mean I’d meditate for 10 minutes here, 5 minutes there, randomly after a yoga class, spontaneously during a stressful time...but never on a consistent basis. Moving into a new year, I’m attempting to make it a part of my permanent routine. And after a solid week of meditating each morning, I’m

How To Wear Sweats To Work

2014-08-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

Ladies, if you are like me, you'll agree that there are days when you want nothing more than to go to work in your sweats and a t-shirt. Those tight pants, restricting structured shirts and painful high heels can be so suffocating! The good news is-- there are work arounds. Allow me to introduce you to my five faves. 1. The Track Pant / Jogger Pant These are basically dressy

Capri, Italy

2014-08-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

Capri was the third city we visited on our Honeymoon through Italy and France. If you missed them, check out my posts on Rome and Sorrento. We savored the relaxing, laid back atmosphere of this beautiful island, it was much needed and appreciated after the first busy five days of our trip. How to get to Capri from Sorrento From Sorrento, we took a hydrafoil over to Capri. It was such

It's Yours

2014-08-25T07:00:00.001-07:00

This song by Jon Cutler with it's poetic lyrics and jazzy house beat never fails to lift the Spirit. Enjoy! xo Well, It's yours What makes you journey into the night And take flight on a pursuit of musical bliss? Chasing beats through ghetto streets To a dungeonous temple left by our soul descendants In a quest for peace, energy and light. If you were to find this temple, Do

4 Reasons To Use Cloth Dinner Napkins

2014-08-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

Crimson Vine Cloth Napkins by Anna Joyce According to the EPA, American's produce 4.5 pounds of waste-- daily. This is astounding. The smallest lifestyle changes can really help to cut down on the waste we produce. We've been using cloth napkins for about a year now and I couldn't be happier that we made the switch. It was an easy change to make and the cloth napkins not only look better,

Affirmation Greeting Cards

2014-07-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.” ~Buddha A strong believer in the power of thought, I was recently inspired to create these pretty little affirmation greeting cards. Made from watercolor paintings of mine, I wanted to be able to create a card that will serve its recipient as: encouragement from a friend an affirmation

Sorrento, Italy

2014-07-28T07:10:00.000-07:00

After spending four wonderful days in Rome, we headed off to Sorrento, a beautiful little town located on the Amalfi coast, overlooking the Bay of Naples. How to get from Rome to Sorrento: At Rome's Termini Station we took the EuroRail to Naples Centrale Station, it took about an hour and 10 minutes. From there, you take the Circumvesuviana Line from the Piazza Garibaldi station which is

Natural and Organic Baby Gifts

2014-07-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

There is a brand new baby in the family (!) and wanting to gift her with something special, I poured over the internet looking for natural, organic, eco-friendly options (yes, I live in Los Angeles and do consider myself a granola-eating hippie on occasion). Hoping you find something you like amongst these wonderful, natural finds! These

Rome, Italy

2014-07-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

In May, Nic and I had the time of our life on our honeymoon in Europe. We traveled through Italy and France stopping in Rome, Sorrento, Capri, Florence, Venice, Nice, Monaco and Paris. We're finally getting some time to edit our photos so I thought I'd roll out these blog posts city by city. First stop, Rome. The temperature was a

Our Bohemian-Bling Beach Wedding: Tulum, Mexico

2014-03-21T06:57:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, my now husband, Nicholas and I got married last year on 11.11.13. Surrounded by our family and closest of friends, we were married by Mayan shamans on the soft, white sand of Tulum, Mexico. Our wedding was inspired by our love for travel, the ocean, the unconventional and my love for glitter and all things sparkly.

i make pretty: Hummingbird Inspired Artwork

2014-02-24T07:00:00.000-08:00

// Happy Hummingbird 8x10 Print by imakepretty // Inspired by the magical little hummingbirds that started coming around our home last summer, I painted these two colorful little birds. It all started with one very friendly, ruby-throated humminbird who would sit outside and sing the same song all day. We hung a hummingbird feeder for him, and before long, more hummingbirds showed up.&

A Minute in the Life: Popcorn + Pizza

2014-02-19T23:07:00.002-08:00

// Grey Block's Delicious Salad Pizza + Cheese Flavored Popcorn // My husband just loooves food that's not-so-healthy. I tried to compromise with a salad pizza, which he so nicely went to pick up...and brought home with a bag of extra salty, cheese flavored popcorn. I have to admit, it was quite a killer combo. Try it sometime :) xo Maria

Sweet Valentine's Day Gifts

2014-02-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

It's almost here folks...Valentine's Day. Over the years I've had many a mixed feeling about this "holiday." When I was little, I loved Valentine's Day. It meant making all kinds of Valentine's related crafts at school, giving and receiving those Barbie and Super Hero themed Valentine's day cards (and looking to see if your crush wrote anything special on yours) and eating a ton of

Top Knots to the Rescue

2014-01-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

Ladies, as you know, our hair is an everyday challenge. In most cases, a presentable hairdo takes time. And unfortunately, time is scarce these days. A good blow out or a crown of gorgeous curls can run you anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour. Even a pretty ponytail can cost you 10 to 20 minutes. Who has the time?! Enter the Top Knot. Quick (I'm talking 2 to 5 minutes),

5 Aspirational Resolutions for The New Year

2014-01-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year my Lovlies! The beginning of a new year is good time to reflect, recalibrate, refocus and then...dominate. Have you set your New Year's resolutions yet? I've really enjoyed reading others' resolutions and wanted to share my favorite five: Set smaller monthly goals to help you achieve your larger goals Create (something, anything) Believe and invest (your

A Minute of Inspiration: The Power of Thought

2013-12-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

During the month of October, each person at my office sent out an inspirational quote and article to share with the rest of the company. A wonderful idea initiated by my boss, each of us were exposed to a variety of inspiring projects, videos, quotes, articles and movies. As we move into the new year and start to think about our new year's resolutions, I wanted to share the email that I

Pretty Holiday Nails

2013-12-08T14:43:00.000-08:00

Inspired by glittering Christmas lights, glistening snow, shiny tinsel and all things winter; the holidays provide creative license to all-- including those who may not typically embellish their tips with glitter and glitz. That said, bust out those festive polishes that you've always wanted to use and get creative! My holiday mani here was inspired by our cute little Bauble

6 Pretty Jewelry Finds

2013-07-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

18k Gold-filled Ladder Body Chain by linquistjewelry I just love these pieces of jewelry I've come across in the past couple of weeks. Romantic, unique and delicate these pretty pieces are perfect for summer and would make for wonderful gifts. I'll take two of each, please. Rose Gold Crystal Quartz Necklace by Crystal Cactus CZ Posts by Viv & Ingrid

A Minute in the Life: 5 Fabulous Things from My (4th of July) Weekend

2013-07-08T07:00:00.001-07:00

Hoping you all had a wonderful 4th of July weekend! Time spent with good friends, lots (too much) of good food, 10-15ish episodes of Arrested Development and countless hours of sleep is how I spent my extended weekend. It was beautiful. I also got around to creating my first new card this year-- I know that sounds rather lazy of me considering it's already July, but please know that I spent the

Bocaditos with a Twist

2013-06-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

If you ever find yourself in a situation where a good friend of yours is throwing a Havana Nights themed birthday party and you're not sure what to bring...boy, do I have a solution for you-- Bocaditos! These tasty, little, cuban party sandwiches are perfectly small (and filling) and are sure to be real crowd pleaser. I found the recipe here on Mmmm...Cuba and made a