[free]day

oh, yes. it is friday!!!!

that means it is 

[free]day, well &

and almost the weekend...

so here she is, our [free]day feature

miss josephine

don't you love her already?

i'm already so excited

about some of my ideas. 

she's falling apart a bit & definitely worn in

but she will be radiant

thank you to my friend and fellow free find lover, hannah

she's also an amazing photographer. find some of her work here

dear friends, i hope you enjoy your *cooler*

friday afternoon & evening. 

it is supposed to drop down to the 70s here in

los angeles this weekend. i cannot wait.

love...

                   .jessnicole.

lost & found

azura 

is her name

and she makes me want

to sit in a far off exotic land

eating amazing food, drinking

some glorious beverage &

reading a romantic story. 

all while enjoying her stunningly 

rich presence.

sigh.

here she is. so out of place & lost.

and this is her found.

now do you see why she makes

me imagine myself off in some faraway land?

if you want to see more photos of her 

{& i recommend it} or if you want to 

purchase her, you can visit my etsy

shop here 

now on to the adventures of my thursday.
au revoir 


                    .jessnicole.

poor man's gard[en]

today's poor man's gard[en]

features our third phase: the front yard

a few weeks ago, jonathan cut down

two of the six juniper bushes

remember?

look at two the two stumps.

and the nasty remaining junipers.

and another photo 

and now, we are juniper free.  

thank you jonathan. you are seriously 

the best.

it may seem bare & ugly right now.

but imagine colorful flowers & greenery.

i am so excited.

the next major removal 

{post this triple digit weather, of course} is all  

the nasty crab grass. that crab grass is seriously

of the devil. it grows everywhere & is so stubborn.

boo you crab grass. 

and for now, to reassure myself of our 

gardening skills & the potential beauty

i want to share with you some photos

of our side & backyard. remember stage 1 & 2

consisted of making planter boxes, planting flowers 

and herbs from seed, etc etc? if you don't, you can

go here or a few photos to remind you

photo of the side.

and now...

yes, that basil started as little seedlings...

more basil. it is a forest of basil. 

thanks to my excited husband.

and this alyssum started as baby seedlings.

now, they are taking over our side.

these are my favorites. 

the zinnia started as teeny tiny seeds

and now they are ginormous. seriously huge.

and you cannot see clearly, but this planter

box was built, from discarded white wooden shutters.

jonathan went away at them & built us four. 

he is a creative genius. 

and those hydrangeas were found in the clearance

at our local hardware.

one of the best things about gardening

is starting something as a seed and

watching it come to life. so beautiful.

and, because i promised a photo

a while ago...

the free fountain that jonathan found.

yes free. but heaaaavvvvy. 

and so cool.

it creates such a fun space 

in our sophisticated courtyard.

so, now i am reminded that the front yard

will one day resemble the beauty of our

backyard. i cannot wait. 

go away super hot weather.

i hope you are staying cool, my friends.

don't wilt out there...

                    .jessnicole.

{table love}

good morning monday! 

it is going to be a 

beautiful {& hot}day!

i hope you had a wonderful weekend!

i worked saturday 

and sunday this weekend

but i somehow managed

to find time to 

re-stage & decorate

our dining room table.

it is my escape. even amidst

the crazyness of life.

this tablescape {a table display}

is what i 

am currently looking

at as i finish my uber healthy

green breakfast smoothie.

isn't it lovely? it's so romantic.

i have a full week ahead of me

but i'm excited to share with you

some of my current projects.

stay tuned...

and, stay cool on your hot monday.

               

                 .jessnicole. 

[free]day...

well, this featured item 

was definitely free for me.

but more importantly, it was

a beautiful birthday gift from my sweet

friend caitlyn. 

so today is more of a [gift]day than a [free]day.

caitlyn is one of those amazing

friends who loves so well. she knows

me well enough to know that i love

redeemed things & creative gifts.

the photo above is

my new flower press &

it was shipped to me exactly the 

way you see it. adorable! 

{minus the amazing tablecloth i found 

at the flea market a few weekends ago}

my friend caitlyn & her husband found

the wood in a trash can,

cut it, drilled holes, 

sanded it & stained it

specifically for me. i am loved.

and so known. and inside are cardboard

pieces that help press the flower.

{i am hoping to invite you guys 

to follow her as she makes another

one. i'd love it to be a diy. wouldn't you?}

i am so excited to press some of our flowers

from our garden. 

jonathan and i are just wrapping

up our stay down here in newport coast. 

bummed but also excited for this upcoming

week. not not not excited for the heat. 

blah.

i hope you all enjoy your weekend of

sunshine. make some iced tea, drink

some ice cold lemonade, & enjoy your

late afternoon & evenings outside.

much love my dear friends.

            

              .jessnicole. 

naturally...

inspired by the lovely outdoors 
while in newport & the upcoming fall season
i thought i would share some of my
finds with you.




a stylish hot water thermos

via pinkshirtsncarwreck

an adorable yo-yo

via deepinthewoods


a cute necklace

via christinedomanic


a creative approach to nature & art

via runeguneriussen


a handmade ceramic jar inspired by birch trees

via viarrealceramics

adorably sweet cufflinks

via blockpartypress

the coolest business card holder

via wickedlygoodwares

another creatively beautiful combination 
of nature & art

via runeguneriussen


adorable earrings

via shysiren


fun & unique rings

via laccentnou


wall art

via groundwork

cute knobs that i want

via riricreations


and i know these aren't necessarily

inspired by something that grows
 in nature but they taste

like they should

black forest cookies

check out my friend alex's blog here

she is an amazing lover of anything sweet.

and shares some really good recipes and

yumminess. 


i love nature...

jonathan and i are loving our
mini- vacation along the
pacific ocean. 
we are heading back home tomorrow
& ready to get back into our 
regular schedule. sort of. 

i hope you are enjoying your

thursday, friends.

              
                  .jessnicole.

poor man's gard[en]

isn't it a lovely tuesday?

maybe i'm really optimistic

because i'm sitting on a balcony

overlooking the pacific ocean

down in newport coast.

but, you don't have to be

on the ocean to enjoy

your day. it just helps. 

today's poor man's gard[en]

features our completed kitchen.

yes, completed.

we finished tiling the floor,

touching up the walls with paint,

and putting the baseboard in.

and, our fridge is back inside.

all in all, we spent a total of $120.

a bit over our projected total. 

but it usually happens that way, right?

and, if you really think about where our

kitchen started and what it looks

like now, it is a great deal.

we are enjoying the new look of our kitchen.

and i broke it in by cooking some yummy

thai food the other night.

here are some before photos

boring...

outdated...

& here is the completed kitchen

do you see those floors? 

you could call us professionals now.

but seriously, we cut our own tile

(i used a wet saw for the first time),

measured, glued, grouted, nailed, 

and painted everything. 

it is so satisfying building something

from scratch and seeing the finished product.

i am now inspired for more projects. 

just no grouting, please. 

(the grouting was the worst part

of the whole experience. worst)

and, to see a previous blog that captures

more aspects of our kitchen, you can

go here

now we are ready to finish the outside of our home.

oh, and we found more space on the side of the

house that would be a great space to plant

a vegetable garden. perfect! that is the next 

step to our garden. i cannot wait.

jonathan and i are also down in newport

coast until friday evening. 

it is going to be a nice time

of sunshine, solitude and beauty.

that being said, this week's features

will be a bit different

as i am not able to paint pieces this week.

but i promise you won't be disappointed

with some of the things i'll share

in lieu of my normal features.

i hope you are inspired today, dear friends.

i would love to hear some of your personal 

creations and projects. love!

                     .jessnicole.