she likes cherries

sunday in santa cruz

Today we went to one of my favorite Californian cities: Santa Cruz. It was a warm and sunny day, perfect for walking alongside the beach while sipping a frozen lemonade. Yum! What I love about Santa Cruz is the kitschy feeling the place exhales. There are many mid-century lodges and inns near the antique boardwalk. And talking about the boardwalk... Such a burst of color and fun and super prohibitive snacks (seriously, there should be a law against deep frying a Twinkie, right?). Anyway, here are a few shots.

I particularly love how the last one turned out... Such a beautiful sky! Well, I hope you enjoyed your Sunday too. I'll be back tomorrow at some point for a 'My Favorite Corner' feature. It's been a while! See ya.

peep toes, travel and a big thank you

I don't know about you, but I just can't wait for Spring to arrive. Lately I've been window shopping for some cute spring-y tops, dresses and shoes so I can welcome the new season in style. My number one fashion obsession right now is a pair of Swedish Hasbeens. I just love the vintage look of those clog-like shoes, and the colors are so yummy! This is my favorite:

Unfortunately they're waaaay over my budget, so I will have to pass. I've been eyeing some other peep-toe wedges that will fit my wallet better though. As much as I love my boots I'm just hoping for warmer weather so my feet can feel the sun again. How about you? Any Spring desire of your own?

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Tonight I'm leaving for a long weekend in Austin. That will be my first time in Texas (well, if you don't count airports) and I'm pretty excited. Everybody seems to love Austin, and we have a list of fun places to visit, eat and shop. There's even an old style bowling place that we will definitely check. If you have any good tips for that city, please send my way!

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Finally, I was very excited to see a picture of my living room over Modcloth blog along with other beautiful decors.

You can read the full feature here. Thank you Modcloth!

That's it for now! Hope you have a lovely weekend.

what's in my bag?

Everyone knows that the content of a woman's bag is a great mystery. We do carry too many stuff around, don't we? Some things are useful, some things are just plain silly. Some things seem a bit over (what's the point in having ten different lip glosses?), while some things are never enough (like tweezers, I wish I had one in each pocket). The everlasting attraction to the content of people's bag can be found in this fun Flickr group, What's in your bag?. From time to time I do my contributions. Here's my latest:

In this picture I have:

- Bag (got it on sale from $289 to $40, score!)
- Pencil case by TheDaintySquid that I use as make-up bag
- Burt's Bees lip gloss
- Lipsticks
- Pocket mirror
- Neutrogena sunblock SPF85
- Natura hand moisturizing
- H&M wet wipes
- SEE eyewear lens wipes
- Mini Daisy perfume
- Pez
- Gums
- Car/apartment keys
- Office badge
- Wallet
- Sunglasses
- Pen and pen cozy by Lorie Marie
- Cellphone
- Notebook

How about you? What's in your bag?

half moon bay

Today we decided to go a bit further than usual for our weekend brunch: Half Moon Bay. I was itchy to see the ocean, and the weather was cooperating. The driving is so pretty!

We had a super healthy brunch...

Ok, so brioche french toast is not healthy. But hey, it's the weekend, right?

The weather was perfect and we enjoyed every second. Here are some shots:

As you can see, I was even able to put my feet in the water! Major yay!

I hope you're enjoying your weekend too.

wardrobe remix

This Sunday was indeed a sunny day: temperatures were in the 70s which is crazy for Winter but hey, I'm loving it. Here's what I wore:

Dress: Urban Outfitters / Jacket: Levi's / Boots: Jessica Simpson / Socks: Forever 21 / Necklace: Modcloth.com

We drove up to San Francisco and spent a lovely time wandering around in one of my favorite neighborhoods, the Mission.

We had a nice brunch at a new-to-us cafe. The french toast was delicious.

With happy tummies, we walked up and down Valencia Street.

We visited some cute shops.

And I headed to the tattoo shop to make a consultation for my new piece.


By that time we were super thirtsy. We stopped for some refreshments.

My minty lemonade was the perfect drink for the hot weather!

I hope your Sunday was great too. I know tomorrow is Monday and that's a bummer, but we'll have a great guest for 'My Favorite Corner' feature and I would get excited if I were you. See ya!

on weather

Whenever I hear news of people being stuck at home because of snow in other parts of the United States during harsh winters, I look down at my light sweater and smile. I thank the destiny gods or whoever was responsible for planning my move away from the tropics to a place where I would not feel like a complete stranger. When I left sunny Brazil and arrived at sunny California I had to learn multiple everyday tasks, but at least snow shoveling and heavy coat shopping weren't included.

Snow is still a novelty to me. The first time I saw snow was in London, where part of my family lives. I was 16 years old, and I remember getting out in the backyard wearing only my nightie just to see what it feels like having those delicate flakes falling from the sky and melting on skin. Although I've seen snow multiple times after that, it will always feel foreign to me. It's not in my DNA.

My snow experiences have only been recreational. I have to drive (or fly) to see it. It takes a concrete plan: let's go see some snow! I can't imagine how it is having to actually live through it. How do you get up in the wee morning hours and prepare to go to work or school when it's freezing outside? How do you drive when roads are covered in ice? How do you take buses, go dating at night and grocery shop when the world around is covered in white? I have no idea. Seriously.

It still baffles me how large and unique US is. I've been travelling this country a lot since I got here, and I've seen beaches and mountains, forests and deserts, flat land and canyons, enormous cities and one-street villages. Brazil is also a huge country, but in there we have "hot", "hotter" and "oh-my-god-my-face-is-melting hot". The city where I'm from, Sao Paulo, does have two-three weeks of winter a year, when temperatures drop to wobbling 50F and people in the street wear all the sweaters they can possibly grab from their closets. We don't know how to behave when it's not summery, you know?

If you're snowed in today, or if you have to venture outside in the freezing wind, I hope you can be safe and warm. As for me, I'll be thinking of you while outside, even when the only frozen thing I see is the ice cream I'd be eating.

Promise.

('California, I love you' print by NanLawson)

all the small things

Don't get me wrong: it's great when you get a bonus at work, or have a baby, or get a brand new car, or go to a long waited trip. But if you keep waiting for the big things you will eventually let the small ones fall through the cracks. And I believe it's the everyday pleasures that makes life so much fun!

If you believe that too, what do you think about indulging yourself today?

Take silly self portraits. You don't have to show them to anyone.

Call your best friend. And spend hours talking about that super lame TV show. 

Hug your cat. Or your dog. Tell them you love them. They listen to you.

Paint your nails a crazy color. Or peel off the color you have on bit by bit.

Take a long bath. Make bubbles with your hands and draw hearts in the mirror.

Eat something you crave. You know, that triple chocolate cake.

Sing your favorite song. Out loud. Don't mind the neighbors.

Read your favorite childhood book. Even if you're a grownup now.

Go to that fancy shop. And try a gorgeous dress you won't be buying.

Take a different route home. You might see things you never did before. 

I'm in. Are you?

2011 to-do list

I know we're well into the new year, but I thought it would be fun to share my to-do list for 2011. I tried to do something a bit different from the usual New Year resolutions (note that there is nothing about 'going to the gym' or 'saving money' or 'eating less ice cream'). My intent was to be more down-to-earth so I could have a sense of accomplishment soon enough.

As you can see, I already completed 3 items on that list:

* Create a blog: well, this one is self-explanatory, right?
* Start a 365 photo project: I'm currently on day 18! Check out my daily updates on this Flickr set.
* Donate monthly to an animal shelter: I chose the Humane Society Silicon Valley, from whom I adopted Figaro. I'm eternally grateful for their work.

How about you? Any big (or small) goals for 2011? There's still time!

all that distance

On my first post here I mentioned that I'm living 6,468 miles away from my home town. And most of my family. And 99% of my friends. It's hard, you know. Although I try not to think too much about it, there are days when it hits me and I get sad and lonely all over. It does get better with time (it's been 5 years) but I feel like there will always be a huge part of me left behind.

It could be worse. My great-grandfather family moved from Italy to Brazil in the early 1900s. The ship journey took months. It was uncomfortable. They didn't know what to expect. They probably never saw pictures of their soon-to-be home town. If they wanted to let their friends know how they were doing in the new life, they had to write letters and wait many moons for a reply. Photography was expensive.

Now I can call my sister anywhere with my cellphone to learn about her next adventure. I can video chat with my best friend so she can show me her new baby girl. I can follow my brother's photostream. I can even take a virtual stroll through Sao Paulo via Google Maps street view. And, money/work allowing, I can simply board a plane, watch a couple of movies, read some pages of my book, sleep a little, and I'm there.

After all, it doesn't matter if we're living in the 1900s or in the 21st century: a hug is still a hug.

a letter from mom

I was going through some drawers the other day and among piles of documents, receipts and bills, I found this:

It's a cute note my mom wrote me when I was 8 years old. It is in Portuguese, but I'll translate it to you. It reads:

My flower,

I love looking at your colorful pictures. You're so small and so pretty! How I adore you. There are times you're not in a good mood, but I can be a pain sometimes too. I love being silly with you and hearing your laughter. I love being your clown.

If I could I would plant a seed on the ground just to grow a tree full of tiny and colorful Vivianas. You're my butterfly, my lullaby, my story, my fairy, my princess, my sweet and loving daughter.

Mom - July 2nd, 1985

I miss you mom! Hope to see you soon. ♥