April Mixtape

Flowers, flowers everywhere! April is pretty pretty wonderful in Seattle for flower-lovers such as myself.  Up in Mount Vernon, the yearly tulip festival is in full swing, with everything blooming early this year.  I'll do a whole post on tulip pictures soon, but for now enjoy this new mix for the month of April :)

March Mixtape

happy march! it's really feeling like spring here in Seattle, which i cannot complain about! we've had many sunny days, the trees and flowers are blooming, and everyone is starting to make hiking their main weekend activity.  today is also the first game of spring training for the Giants, so I couldn't be happier! So excited to baseball to start! the above picture is from Scottsdale last year in March while we were down to watch some spring training games.   Here's some new music for your March and springtime activities ..

February Mixtape

this picture is from a crazy gorgeous evening walk at Greenlake a few weeks back.  I know I won't live in this neighborhood forever, so every walk, every sunrise, every sunset is cherished.  Below is a new playlist for your listening pleasure :)

favorite albums of 2014

discovering new music is one of my favorite things to do .. this year, i found some great new artists to follow, like Angus and Julia Stone, Quilt, Temples. and Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger (pictured above at the Crocodile).  Then there have been some amazing albums from favorites like Beck, Tennis and First Aid Kit.  Since its too difficult to pick a favorite or rank the work of these artists, here are my favorites from 2014, in no particular order :)

Angus & Julia Stone - Angus & Julia Stone
Beck - Morning Phase
Tennis - Night Visions
First Aid Kit - Stay Gold
Temples - Sun Structures
Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger - Midnight Sun
Bombay Bicycle Club - So Long, See You Tomorrow
Mac DeMarco - Salad Days
Gardens & Villa - Dunes
The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream
Quilt - Held in Splendor
St. Vincent - St. Vincent

tuesday tunes // december mixtape

some music for the crazy, busy, celebratory month of december :)

tuesday tunes // november mixtape

we are having such a lovely fall this year .. the perfect weather for going for walks and coffee dates with friends.  A time to slow down a bit and catch up on life, which i always seem to be in need of! October was busy with still trying to adjust to normal life after Europe, a last minute trip to San Francisco (hello World Series!) and trying to gain confidence in a new work environment.  If you are, like me, in need of slowing down before the hectic holiday season, here's some music to aid in the much-needed process ..

October Mixtape

Coming home from traveling overseas almost brings on a bit of sadness in the day-to-day activities that make up normal life.  Not that its a bad life in any way, but I definitely miss waking up and walking outside to something completely new and unexperienced.  I have been trying to be better about remembering what it is about daily life that keeps my spirits up, and one thing that definitely helps is music.  My love of music gets me through a lot.  I love discovering new music and finding just the right song to put me in that happy mood.  That's why I continue to make monthly playlists, to keep my spirits up, and the hope that it can provide the same to others :)

snapshots of Paris // take 4

a beautiful day in Paris - Montmartre, Sacre-Coeur, Île de la Cité, Pont des Arts (lock bridge)

Sacré-Cœur

 Montmartre 

august mixtape

brought to you by another gorgeous sunset over Greenlake .. summer is in full force and is shaping up to be quite a busy month! lots of changes coming up as well, including a new job at The Makers Space in downtown Seattle! more details on that to come later :) in the meantime, enjoy some summer-happy music!! 

tuesday tunes // july mixtape

new mixtape for july - i actually got it out at the beginning of the month! with summer now here in Seattle, i love having new music to listen to for all the outdoor bbq's and activities that comes with the warm weather ..

wedesday tunes // June Mixtape

long nights, BBQ's, road trips, the promise of summer - June is one of the best months in Seattle - here is a playlist to aid in all of your favorite warm weather activities!! 

music for wednesday // may mixtape

almost summer .. almost summer .. almost summer :)

music Friday // april mixtape

new mixtape for April, brought to you from the beautiful beaches of Sechelt, British Columbia

Tuesday tunes // March mixtape

With daylight savings time helping to keep the day around longer, it is really starting to feel like spring around here! We can now look forward to flowers blooming, sunshine during walks around Greenlake, beautiful sunsets, and more energy to spend with friends and loved ones .. here's some new music to enjoy during these sunny days of the in-between month of march ..

music for thursday // february mixtape

i love February for a few reasons .. first of all, its short and leads us to march, which is basically the start of springtime .. second, there always seems to be kick-ass concerts in Seattle and great album releases .. third, there are a slew of birthdays within a week of my own, including both my niece Vylet and nephew Hunter, which means not a lot of focus is on my own (i'm not particularly fond of my own birthday!) fourth, i at least get to celebrate my birthday with my friend Zack for the 6th year in a row, which has become a fun yearly tradition .. 

here's a new collection of music for all of your February activities ..

2013 favorite albums

the paper kites @ the tractor, october 2013

i've been working to put together a list of my favorite albums of the year - the ones you play on repeat and never get sick of ..  music that changes the way you look at things, the way you work and live .. i've included a playlist containing a few songs from each of these amazing albums .. always take the time to see the bands you love in a live setting - seattle has some pretty extraordinary music venues!

10. Elephant Revival - these changing skies
9. Foxygen - we are the 21st century ambassadors of peace & magic

8. Boy & Bear - harlequin dream

7. The National - trouble will find me

6. Lucius - Wildewoman
5. The Paper Kites - states
4. Yo La Tengo - fade
3. Kurt Vile - wakin on a pretty daze

2.The Cave Singers - Naomi
1. Kings of Leon - mechanical bull

1. Lord Huron - lonesome dreams - ties for #1
although admittedly, lonesome dreams did not come out in 2013, but late 2012  - however, i did not discover it until this current year, so therefore i am putting it on my list

january mixtape

january marks the season of new beginnings and tends to bring a freshness to the way people think, act and motivate.  while i'm not much of a "resolution" person, i do like to make some broad goals for the coming year .. its fun to revisit them at the end of the year and see how far you've come.  for me, the biggest area i want to work to improve in is photography .. i sometimes have a hard time motivating myself when it comes to my own work, so setting some clear goals and focus areas for the coming year should definitely help!

here is a new playlist to help motivate you in your goals - both work, personal -whatever they may be!

music for thursday // november mixtape

i'm having major europe withdrawal - like the kind that makes me want to pack up my husband, cat and camera and jump on the next plane, foregoing all current responsibility :)  i'm so glad i took so many pictures though - which i am STILL working through editing .. hopefully i'll have some ready to post soon, but they've had to get pushed back in lieu of a recent photo shoot for new etsy products! pictures coming here first as soon as possible!

seattle has turned to gray and rain.. after quite beautiful fall weather, we in the pnw must brace ourselves for a lot of indoor time, so here's a new playlist to keep you going through this cold, wet and rainy month..

music for friday // october mixtape

its crazy how the weather can change so much in such a short span of time .. having just got back from a 2 week adventure in Europe, fall is definitely here in Seattle.  all i want to do is stay home in my sweatpants, bake some pumpkin muffins and make applesauce, stay warm, catch up on both sleep and fall tv (mainly breaking bad, homeland, parks & rec and the vampire diaries) .. i have lots of photo editing to catch up on as well, i'll be sharing photos of each of the cities we visited in the next coming weeks!

in the meantime, here is a new music collection to aid with the fall baking festivities, pumpkin carving, and Halloween outfit planning that come with the month of October ..

july mixtape

my music choices usually tend to follow my mood, and even though the weather is heating up and summer finally here, i still feel quite drawn the the more mellow, laid-back style of kurt vile, phosphorescent,  lord huron and the national .. here's a new playlist for july, featuring those artists and those like them ..