Last month I went on an all-ladies Big Sur camping trip. I have been wanting to go to Big Sur for years and it did not disappoint. I'll have a full post on travel tips and where to go, but in the meantime, I wanted to share some camping essentials. Whenever I travel, I try to take things that can serve more than one function.

1 I love me some thick-ass Mexican-style blankets. These types of blankets do more than just serve as pretty picnic blankets. I used as an extra layer over my sleeping bag and to shield food in the car from the sun.

2 We learned the hard way-- buy a shit ton of wood-- more than you think you'll ever need. My great accomplishment of the trip was creating an awesome fire on our second night there. Once you get that fire going, you don't want to run out of wood.

3 A good book is essential-- I don't think I need to go into more detail about this. Take something that is a fun read. This year I'm giving myself permission to read more fantasy, more teen-lit, and sci fi.

4 If you don't have a headlamp, you're a big dummy. Having a hands-free light when you need to do dishes in the dark, need to find your way to a safe pee space in the middle of the night, and just for general walking in the dark safety. For some reason people think these are dorky...I think they're big dummies.

5 I always take a couple of good cotton scarves when I travel. They're good for sun cover, to cover your mouth if you're somewhere smelly or with a lot of bugs, and they're good for an extra towel in a pinch. I also use mine to cover my eyes when I sleep because daylight coming through your tent can be a pain.

6 Take more towels than you think you'll need, especially if you're doing a lot of "gourmet" cooking. We also used towels to wrap delicate dishes or food that needed extra protection.

7 Yes they are ugly, but you should take some sort of slippers or uggs with you. I got some fake uggs right before the trip-- they not only keep your feet cozy at night, but because they're higher up you can tromp through the campground without worrying about getting your legs dirty or rashy from poison ivy. 

deck the halls // christmas song chalkboard sign

This project is so easy. Just find a piece of wood that works, spray that sucker, and write your favorite Christmas song lyric!

1. Find a piece of cheap wood in the Ikea As Is section | 2. Buy Krylon Chalkboard Spray Paint from your local craft store | 3. Find some Chalk Ink (I got mine from the local Japanese 99 Cent store!)

apps & desserts // december

I decided I'd share my favorite mobile apps and delicious desserts every month with you all! This month it's Evernote, which I've been using nonstop to organize my work and personal life (I have a "Christmas" notebook which contains several notes including gift list and decoration ideas) and a Martha Steward lemon pound cake I made last week. 

The features I love about Evernote are: syncing across all devices (for me thats my iPhone, iPad mini, Macbook Pro, and iMac), amazingly beautiful and clear design, and really neat features. Even if you don't use it for work, I'd encourage you to take a look at it for your personal lists (it has a feature where you can put check boxes next to each item...my list-makers, you feel me, right?).

I have not baked in a long time, and it was awesome to get my feet wet again with this delicious lemon pound cake by Martha Stewart. It was very easy to make and requires so few ingredients  Oh, and the actual bake time is fairly fast, so once you get it in the over you don't have to wait super long to enjoy it with chai, hot chocolate, or a hot toddy (as we did this past weekend). 

What apps and/or desserts are you enjoying? Leave in comments!