335 : christmas tree smell

This year the holidays are a little strange for me....it's the first time in 6 years that Christmas won't be spent with my ex. Not that that is a bad thing... it's actually an incredibly good thing. It's just a bit of an adjustment.

While I hemmed and hawed about whether to actually get a tree this year, once I caught a whiff from the tree lot, I knew I'd be sorry if I didn't. I'm proud to say that I have a cute little 5' Charlie Brown of a Christmas tree in my living room.

Afterall, fresh Christmas tree smell = happiness.

Photo from http://www.urbanphantom.com/2009_12_01_archive.html

331 : crunching leaves

I love fall weather... the smells, the crispness in the air and all the amazing colors the leaves start to turn. Ever since I was little I could never resist stepping (and occasionally jumping) on all the dried up, crunchy leaves on the ground... the bigger and drier the better. There's nothing that quite screams childhood like jumping in puddles and leaf piles. Some people never grow up (and wouldn't have it any other way).

Photo from http://flickriver.com/photos/tags/andgreen/interesting/

310 : grow little terraniums

When I see these cute little terraniums  from Paris based company, Grow Little, I can't help but picture one sitting on my new (much larger) conference table. They're so beautiful in their textures and color, and there is so much detail in such a little space...

But then I seem to come to my senses and realize that thing would look beautiful on the table for a few days, and then slowly go downhill from there. You are in fact, talking to a lady that has successfully killed succulents and cacti (I'm not proud of this).

If your "green" thumb is greener than mine, you should check out their blog/website. Ah-mazing.

308 : baby monkeys

Let's face it, most babies are cute. But there's something about baby monkeys that just screams cuteness overload. Especially when they're so teeny tiny that they can cling to your finger.

Cutest Monkey feet EVER.

290 : looking closer

As I've said before, I enjoy looking at the details, far more than the big picture. It's the little things that most people miss that fascinate me. Take our trip to Forneris Farm, sure, I snapped some pictures of the aisles of corn, but most of my time was spent taking photos of corn silk, strangely growing corn, and the place where the the leaves branched out from the stems of the corn stalks.

Happy that I got some good shots, as I was walking out of the maze I noticed a peach-colored mound on top of a bent corn leaf. And a spider web beneath it (if you've been following, you know I have a thing for photographing webs). So I got close and started snapping some shots... at first I thought it was the slight breeze that made it appear that the mound was moving... But then I realized that, no, the mound in fact, really was moving. And all those teeny tiny specs were actually little spiders crawling all over. Of the hundreds of people that have walked past that very leaf, I'm betting no one even knows this was here.

267 : elix vase

I'm a bit of a vase whore. I love them and I love the Elix vase by Pol Quadens. The spiral holds the stems in place and the base holds the water. So beautiful.

265 : rainbows

To me, rainbows are one of the best things about rain. And still, even in my late twenties, I always get super excited whenever I see one. Today was no different. As it was an unexpected sight to see this beauty as I was leaving the office. Such a good way to start the weekend.

236 : leaf jewelry

While fumbling through my jewelry box, I had a sudden realization: I have a ton of nature inspired jewelry, most notably, leaves. Necklaces, earrings and rings, I have it all. I love the organic shapes and raw, natural look. The above necklace is an actual leaf that was dipped in gold. So pretty.

223 : twig pencils

Finally broke away from my computer to check the mail and saw a package on top of the mailboxes. As always, whenever I see a box up there I hope it's for me (who doesn't like getting stuff in the mail? yeah, that's what I thought!). This time was no exception. As I neared closer, I saw that it was for me! The all caps lettering...unmistakably my dad. In true Jen fashion, I tried to rip it open before I even got back to the office.

Inside? A card that made my heart happy and these cool twig colored pencils. Such a lucky girl to have such an a amazing dad.

Thanks Dad & Betsy! I love you guys.

(And since I'm told you sometimes read this, a hi to Grant. Hopefully we'll meet one of these days)

197 : getty malibu

Months ago the bf and I made reservations for the Getty Malibu. Today was the day, and luckily for us, the weather was perfect. I hadn't been there for years, and the bf, being from ny, had never been there. The architecture, details, and grounds are just stunning.

I absolutely love the way water looks as it's falling.

And in true Jen fashion, a flower detail. Makes me want to do an Unearth part 2...Hmmm....

192 : ducks/geese

Back in May the bf and I took the monster for a stroll around the lake. It was such a beautiful day and I was more than a little happy to see that there were TONS of ducks hanging out by the water. There is something about ducks that just puts a smile on my face. Maybe it's their "quacks", or their little waddling bodies, or maybe it's their webbed feet. Whatever it is, they just make me happy.

And one of my monster watching the ducks because he's just so darn cute :)

177 : gardenias

I love the smell of certain things and gardenias are high up on the list. Ever since I can remember, I'd bury my nose in the delicate white flowers while at the nursery.  I've attempted my green (who am I kidding...there's no shred of green in it) thumb at growing them a few times, but all were epic failures. Luckily my grandma has a huge bush in her front yard where I can sneak a sniff or two.

Photo from Mid Valley Trees

166 : moss

A couple years ago I went to the sequoia's and fell in love with the moss growing on trees. The amazingly bright green glowing in the forest simply amazed me. When I went last October, I brought back a little memento: a tiny broken twig adorned with happiness. I don't know why I expected the moss to be soft, with some sort of moisture, but it's actually completely hard and dry. If only the color photographed as beautiful as it is in real life.

165 : peonies

These little beauties now adorn my office. They're so amazingly girly with their pink frilly petals and light scent. And I love how big and full the blossoms get when they're fully open (mine are still on the closed side). They just say happy.

158 : orange tulips

One of my all time favorite flowers are tulips. I absolutely love orange ones. There is something about them that I find beautiful in their underrated simplicity. Makes me realize just how long it's been since a bunch adorned the office. I think I just may need to take a trip to get some.

Photo from www.octulipfestival.com/tulips.htm

96 : spider webs

Spider webs? Yessiree...they make me happy. Well, photographing them that is. Walking into one...that's another story.

You do have to admit, there's something fascinating about webs, especially when you find that perfectly shaped one. I particularly love them when something is stuck in their delicate threads. And no, I'm not talking about flies.

Once and awhile, while photographing spiderwebs you run into something you wish you hadn't. As much as I may like their webs, the thought of spiders make my skin crawl. Especially when there are tons of them. But who can resist photographing more than 25 spider babies and their egg sack? Obviously, not me.

85 : nervous system

Recently on one of the blogs we frequent, we came across Nervous Systems. Weird name, we know. But we were pleasantly surprised when we saw some amazingly beautiful jewelry inspired by complex natural objects.

The earring above, are part of the new xylem collection, which is based off the vein formations in leaves.

 

We also love the collection inspired by coral, dendrite. The one-of-a-kind necklaces are absolutely amazingness. If the necklace below wasn't already sold, it would be mine. Simply beautiful.

If you love these as much we do, click here to view more.

83 : wisteria

Color is something that makes us both happy. The colors of leaves during fall, the sky during sunset...we could go on and on. One happy part about spring is that certain seemingly ordinary trees start transforming right before our eyes. For most of the year the giant tree behind our office building looks like any other tree. But in the spring, it becomes full of purple hanging flowers. Yes, we're talking about wisteria. It brings some much needed color to our already "colorful" building.

In addition to the pretty purple flowers, the vines wrap around themselves. <3

81 : clouds

Granted, living in Southern California, blue skies are majority of what we see. But when the sky starts to get creative and add in some beautiful clouds it is a nice change of scene. They are a reminder of the long lost "cloud shape" game from when we were kids but are also just simply beautiful, and fleeting, abstract art.

58 : colors of sunset

 

There is something simply magical about being at the beach during sunset. From the sounds and smells to the breath-taking colors. It's happiness in its purest form.