I love this Design*Sponge article on naturally flavoring coffee with whole, natural spices by tossing them into a coffee grinder with the beans.  It sounds like a delicioius and healthier alternative to store bought artificially flavored coffees.  I also love the idea of these grounded coffee blends as gifts packaged in jars or canisters.

Here’s the recipe:
cardamom seeds (taken from 4 pods)
cloves, whole (2)
cinnamon (1/2 of a 2? stick or 1 tsp. ground)
star anise, whole (1/2 of a star)
vanilla bean seeds (1/4 of the bean)
grated nutmeg (1 tsp.)

For Valentine’s Day, I got Kelvin tickets to Captain Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Safari in Dana Point, CA.  We’ve been thinking about going whale watching for awhile, and since it is the gray whale’s migration time, I thought it would be a good time to go.

I had been nervous about a storm coming in on the day we were going to be whale watching, but the day cleared up nicely.  Unfortunately, since there had been a storm the day before, the ocean wasn’t clear, and the waters were really rough.

We didn’t end up seeing any whales (boo!), but we saw a pod of common dolphins, pelicans feeding on sardines, and sea lions.  I’m hoping Kelvin and I can make it out again in August or September to see the blue whales.

Ready to see some sea life before the boat ride in Dana Point Harbor.

The boat ride ended up being really rocky, and a ton of people on the boat got sick.

But Kelvin felt great!

Kelvin wearing his boat shoes with his Happy Feet socks.

Sea lions hanging out.  They were really loud!

Playing with my grandpa’s old rolleiflex.  We’ve taken 2 pictures on it at that point.

We stopped at The Secret Spot in Huntington Beach after “whale watching”.

Spring Sonnet Dress from Madewell (Found here.)

Fresh flowers from the flower district. (Found here.)

Hamilton Satchel by Michael Kors (Found here.)

Keeping LA fresh by doing new things. 

Discover the Arts is promoting a ton of the museums in LA by giving huge discounts.  I want to check them out!  (Found here.)

Orange/Red Heels from Urban Outfitters. (Found here.)

Ice Skating in Central Park, We Collided. (From here.)

Thursday, December 31, 2009
- m4w – 32
You had on a furry hat with ear flaps and you crashed into me at Wollman Rink today. You are a terrible but adorable skater.

I loved this NPR article on Sophie Blackall’s recent work title “Missed Connections”.  Inspired by the Missed Connections section of classified ads, Sophie illustrates missed connection posts.  Her fanciful illustrations create a dream world of romance and curiousities.  I want one for myself!  Check out her missed connections blog for more of her illustrations.

Here are some of my favorites:

We Shared a Bear Suit. (From here.)

Saturday, October 17, 2009
- m4w
We shared a bear suit at an apartment party on Saturday night.
I asked for your number and you gave it to me, but somehow I don’t have an area code written down. I had a great time talking with you, and I don’t trust Chance enough to wait until I see you in the elevators…

Tree with Legs.  (From here.)

Tree With Legs
-w4m (Prospect Park)

Nice pants. I’d like to see more of you…
BTW, your dog winked at me.

Girl Sleeping on Train. (From here.)

Sunday, May 9, 2010
-m4w -19 (2 or 5 train)
You were the gorgeous brunette sleeping on the train. I was the guy sitting next to you. I just wanted to apologize for my repeated lack of consciousness onto your shoulder, we both got off at flatbush. Hit me back up if you think this is you.

found here.

After reading this article from Design*Sponge on treasure hunting for keys.  I suddenly have a desire to hunt for gorgeous vintage keys on ebay and etsy.

I also like the idea of these ceramic keys found on chatchada.  So pretty.  Maybe a few keys on my wall would compliment the map and bird decor of my studio.

found here.

i’m almost done with school, but this has got to be my hardest semester yet.  i have so much going on right now between all my classes and work.  AH

Today Kelvin and I went to the LA Flower District to look at flowers.  It was a fun Valentine’s weekend activity.  We got sort of a late start, so a lot of the places were starting to close when we arrived.  For $1 a person, the flower district is a total steal.  It was really fun looking at all the different types of flowers in season, and the flowers were super cheap compared to what they would usually be at a florist or grocery store.  Also, you can’t beat the selection.  There were rows and rows of different types of flowers in every color imaginable.  I really want to go back and visit on an early morning just to see the entire extent of what the flower district market has to offer.

To make things even better, I found free street parking!  Saw this fun sign next to my parking spot.

There are two flower markets, the original los angeles flower market and the southern california flower market, right across from each other.  The entry cost gets you into both!  I recommend the southern california flower market because the prices seemed to be a lot better.

Some tropical flowers we saw.

A huge selection.

A lot of the roses were boxed like this.

Sleepy Kelvin holding the flowers he got me! <3

Since it was Valentine’s weekend, there were lots of roses.

I love that they bag the flowers in newspaper.  Here are the flowers that Kelvin got me.

Flower arranging is a lot harder than it looks.  I was starting to become obsessive compulsive about the display.

I don’t know what these are called, but I had some extra, so I put them in a jar.  The twine is from the newspaper wrap that they packaged the flowers in.

from here.

In an effort to clean out her closet, melanie of youaremyfave started a project called 28 days of cardigans.  She found 28 cardigans in her closet, and before getting rid of a few of them, she plans to wear one for each day of february and post the picture on flickr.

i fully approve of cardigan projects.

from here.

my little sister, marisa, sent me this kate spade e-valentine yesterday.  not only does it mean a lot (more than coffee?  that means she loves me a lot!), the valentines are adorable!  there are many choices designed by several different designers.  send your own here.

after a traumatizing midterm experience… all i want to do is stress shop.  circuits confuse me, and my brain is mush.  i at least have the rationale to not purchase everything i come upon, but here are some things i’ve been looking at:

1. jcrew herringbone schoolboy blazer in aged driftwood

actually, i’ve been eyeing this ever since i tried it on at the store and reluctantly put it back because i was trying to be a responsible shopper.

2. mara suede wedges

i still want these.

3. zara narrow leg studio trousers

love the colorful pants.