Coconut & Bean

Where family and style coexist

8 years and counting…

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Mike-and-I-wedding-walk

Photo by Michelle Warren

Eight years ago today I did the best thing I’ve ever done and married my soul mate Mike, aka Mikey, Chicken Taco, Chutak, and my personal favorite Zen Master. The fact that I married my dream man is amazing, the fact that he was there all along is even more amazing. You see, Mike and I have known each other for more than twenty years. First we were enemies, then we were friends, then we were first kisses, then we were friends, then we were more than friends and then we were married. Our wedding is still the happiest day of my life. I know people say except for the birth of our children, which I get, but let’s be honest-that’s a different kind of happy. That’s like the “I’ve never felt this kind of love, but I’m also scared to death” happy. Our wedding day was the “55 of your closest friends and family members dancing the night away on the beaches of Mexico with fireworks and 162 tequila shots on the bar tab” kind of happy. Yes, there were actual fireworks! It still makes me smile and giggle whenever I think of it and whenever times are tough all I have to do is pop in our wedding video, watch the love around us and remember it’s all going to be ok. Mike, you are truly the yin to my yang and I can’t imagine this life without you in it. You’ve given me the most beautiful children and the most fun a girl can stand. Cheers to the next eight years and eighty years after that. Happy Anniversary B.

he’s done it again

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far-far-away

One of my favorite photographers released his new collection today and I am beyond inspired by it. His name is Gray Malin, and the collection is called Far Far Away. It was shot at the largest salt flat in the world, Salar de Uyani, in Bolivia and as you can see the results are stunning. I did a shoot once on the Bonneville Salt Flats in northwestern Utah and I was mesmerized by them. It is such an incredible feeling being out in the middle of nowhere surrounded by nothing but bright white ground and blue sky. You’re warned to wear long pants and tons of sunscreen because the reflection off the white salt will burn like the sun. I love how clean Gray’s work is, so crisp and clear, and the colors are obviously breathtaking. In my house I have a lot of stark white with splashes of bright colors, I’ve become quite fearless about it actually. It’s just in my wardrobe where I tend to live in neutral tones, something I’m going to try to adjust for summer. I think that’s why I react to Gray’s work so much, it’s my favorite palette and it has a sense of humor which I totally get. Gray, I really needed the jolt of inspiration this collection gave me this morning, my heart’s still pounding and I can’t wait to get one of these up in my home. We just redid the girl’s playroom and I think the Far Far Away balloon piece would be so perfect. Congratulations and keep it coming!

balls-3

bubbles-1

construction-paper-1

flamingos

llama-white-balloons

These two remind me of my mom and her quirky love of pink plastic flamingos and lamas.

pink-horizon

happy mother’s day

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Elle-and-me,-two-weeks-old

So much of the first weeks of motherhood is a blur, but I remember the exact moment this was taken. Elle was born a week before and I had just declared to Mike that this was my new favorite place to be in the whole world. Home on the couch with her propped on my chest sleeping. Already a natural, he of course scrambled to get the camera and document it properly. It’s funny, this afternoon I was in the same position except I was praying she would stop fighting with me, close her eyes and take a nap so I could have a moment of peace from what had been “one of those days”. And I had the same dazed look on my face I have here, minus some of the freshness. A lot has changed since this moment, A LOT. But the feeling that comes over me when my children are safe at home sleeping hasn’t, don’t think it ever will. Hope not at least. If it was a drug, I’d be an addict. So my Mother’s Day wish to you all is lots of sleep-yours and theirs. That and of course, lots of jewelry. XO

baby you’re perfect…

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Baby-you're-perfect...

Pretty pooped from the weekend, so feeling a little quiet this morning. But wanted to share this sentiment with all of you. Hope it brightens your Monday. XO

coachella wish list-lounge

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Coachella-wishlist-lounge

Nail treatment, candle, top, hair ties, cocktail cards, sweats, game, speaker, face brush

One of the best parts of a girls trip  is the doing nothing part. One of my best was a 36-hour stay-cation in Lake Arrowhead with three of my besties and we did NOTHING. I mean, really-we talked, we ate and we watched 22 episodes of the first season of Revenge. I put a serious dent in the couch and laughed myself horse-it was rad. I know we’ll be more active next weekend at Coachella, but in between shows I’m looking forward to enjoying a little libation while sitting in my sweats, doing my nails, playing a game of Rummy and treating myself to a mini facial using all these goodies. And to keep the party going I’ll have my trusty Jambox for background noise, barely heard over belly laughs and gossip I hope. Happy Weekend!

coachella wish list-pool

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Coachella-wishlist-pool

In a few weeks I’ll be heading down to Coachella Valley for the Art and Music Festival and I couldn’t be more excited. I’ve wanted to go for years and this year it’s finally happening. I can’t wait to parade around the polo fields with all the too-cool-for-school music lovers and relax in the sunshine. I’m going to let my every boho whim take over and soak in all the sights and sounds, but first I must prepare. Of course, I’m obsessing about what I’m going to wear so I’ve put together a few wish lists for each scenario I hope to encounter on my three child-free days. In truth, I’ll most likely dust off the old jean shorts and live in them all weekend with my new favorite booties from Target, but if I had my way all these goodies would be coming with me for the pool. Next comes showtime, lounging and other surprises. Stay tuned.

hat, shirt, iPhone case, earrings, necklace, inflatable drink floatie, sunglasses, sandals, suit, bag, pool toys, book (thanks Carrie), Kindle Paperwhite case

swedish house mafia’s masquerade motel (through my iPhone)

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Masquerade-Motel

This weekend Mike and I enjoyed a big night out at Swedish House Mafia’s Masquerade Motel. Thanks to sleepovers we were able to enjoy the whole night without having to rush home. We filled it with great music, fun friends and total sensory overload as you can see above. Lasers, fireworks, beats and the best part-masks! We love a chance to dress up and even though we had to dress like we were camping due to low temperatures and recent rainstorms, it was so fun to put on a mask and pretend to be someone else-like two young kids having fun without a care in the world. Of course the rest of the weekend reminded us how un-young we really are but the short escape was definitely worth the divine exhaustion.

The Mowgli’s Music Video

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Remember a few months ago I styled a band called The Mowgli’s for a photo shoot and their first video shoot? Well, last week the music video (above) debuted and I am so happy to share it here with you. It’s as adorable and genuine as this group of musicians is and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. I also just got word they’ll be doing Jimmy Kimmel Live in a few weeks and they’ve asked me to help them out again. So stay tuned to see what style-y goodness we come up with next for The Mowgli’s.

ideas deferred

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I am brimming over with inspiration but I don’t have much to show for it. Between my Monday video Blogshop course and my Thursday discovery of these brilliant TED talks (1, 2) from Brene Brown (my new girl crush) my head is clear and my heart is racing. I want to get a degree in graphic design, film and edit epic home movies, SHOP, dye my hair, smash an overhead shot on the tennis court, color coordinate my closet, read a good book, write a good book, shelter the cold and feed the hungry. But alas life (Coco’s been home sick all week) and my ADD (Nashville‘s back) have gotten the best of me and so all this will have to stay bottled up for a while. I swear I get my best ideas at midnight right when it’s time to force myself to go to bed. Thankfully it’s all logged on napkins, Word docs and Post-It notes so I can someday come back to my nighttime inspirations. I’m just wondering when someday is going to be today.

video blogshop

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[vimeo 42322882 w=600]

This week has been about recharging. The girls are back in school, Mike is back to work and I am back to my daily duties and some much-needed alone time. It’s been hard to motivate for much so I’ve been lazy and enjoying the company of out-of-town friends, the fog of too much wine and the lovely lull that’s come after the madness of the holidays. The rest has been good. It’s allowed me to focus on some new hobbies, read a good book and get some great inspiration. But this weekend it’s back to work. Well really it’s back to play as my good friend Ashley and I attend this Blogshop Video class we’ve been jonesing for since signing up a few months ago. You may remember how much I loved the original Blogshop class I took last year in San Francisco. It was such a worthwhile experience that I have very high hopes for this weekend’s tutorial on how to edit video. I’ve been wanting to incorporate more video here on C&B but haven’t known exactly how to do it besides posting my work with Kin. So in one very intense learning day, I will learn how to shoot and edit video and to say I’m excited is a HUGE understatement. Hope you find some inspiration this weekend too, happy Friday!