Party In The U.S.A.

I am hosting a 4th of July Party at my house on Monday and I couldn't be more excited to be (sarcastically? ironically?) patriotic for the day eating hot dogs, indulging in a pie-eating contest, making s'mores, getting water balloons thrown at me, and screening 'Wet Hot American Summer' in my backyard.
My friends and I had a tie-dying party last week and I purchased a pair of 90's Calvin Klein high-waisted jeans from the thrift store and made them into cut-offs, dip-dyed them in bleach and then painted stars and stripes on them...not to mention I'm going to be pairing them with a Bruce Springsteen 'Born In The U.S.A.' t-shirt...not cheesy at all.  My housemate Sara tie-dyed a gigantic American Flag, and my backyard is now filled with pretty lights hanging from all the trees for when the sun goes down.
Hopefully I'll have some fun photos to share next week!

Summer Swim

A collection of my favorite swimsuits for summer!

1. Cut-Out Monokini
2. Tigerlily Iron Age Bikini
3. 40's Stripe Halter Bikini
4. Amazon Panther Print Swimsuit
5. Lover Ink Suit Bikini
6. Cutout Swimsuit
7. Embroidered Story Bikini
8. Floral Bikini
9. Clari Hession Maillot

Perfect Life

I wanted to share this music video (which I think is just a fan-made video and not the official music video) for Belong's 'Perfect Life.' *see update below*
Such a beautifully directed & filmed video.  Haunting/sweet/nostalgic.

*UPDATE:
Reader, Linn, let me know that the video from this was actually taken from a music video directed by Kristoffer Borgli for the band Young Dreams.  You can see the original video here.
I've said this in my blog before, but it honestly makes me really sad when someone uses other people's work and they neglect to give any credit.  I believe that if artists are generous enough to share their work with the world, they deserve to have credit for that work.  We are lucky that we are continuously supplied with such beauty to look at, listen to, and feel.  Everyone deserves credit.

On another note, here is another incredible music video that I just saw a minute ago and knew I needed to include it in this post.  This is a new music video for the band Yuck and is directed/edited by two of my friends, the talented Forrest Borie & Michael Reich.  Beautifully done, boys.

Yuck - Shook Down from Yuck on Vimeo.

Scout & Pine on Etsy!

Hello everyone!
I just wanted to let you know that my Etsy store has been fully stocked full of awesome vintage finds for summer & is ready for your viewing (and hopefully purchasing) pleasure.
Here is a little preview of what's in the shop:

Click HERE to go to my shop.
Hope you like it!
xoxo

Currently...

A few things I am obsessed with at the moment:

1. Kale - This leafy superfood has had me hooked ever since I went through my 30 day cleanse.  It is such a versatile green, and is eaten in almost every single country.  It is one of the most nutrient-packed greens you can eat!
2. Mark Fry - My friend Camille recently introduced me to the 70's psych-folk music of Mark Fry and I am absolutely smitten.  He sounds like a mixture of Donovan and Nick Drake, and he is so ridiculously adorable it kills me.  His paintings/travel stories are wonderful.
3. The Dead Sea - I will be visiting Israel in September, and I can't wait to float in The Dead Sea.
4. The Vintage Book Of Modern Indian Literature - I'm currently (slowly) reading this book when I find the time, which is a collection of Indian Literature from the last 50 years (short stories from varying authors).  The story collections in this book are so beautiful I could get lost in them for days.
5. My bathroom - My bathroom is finally finished and I think it's my favorite room in my house!  I was so happy taking my first bath in the clawfoot tub.
6. Colorful Huaraches - The perfect shoe for summer.  I could use one in every color.
7. Apriums - Apriums are finally in season again, and I get so happy when I can buy these delicious apricot-plum hybrids at the Farmer's Market.
8. Tie Dye - All I want to do this summer is tie dye/dip dye everything I own and drape it all over my body.  I might be insane, but I can't get enough of it. (Tastefully done, of course).
9. London - My bff and I recently decided that we are going to London (and Rome) right after our trip to Israel in September.  I couldn't be more excited about pubs, gorgeous parks, fish n' chips, art museums, and of course, Top Shop.

I Don't Mind

I wanted to share the debut music video for my friends, Cold Showers, whose excellent LP, 'Highlands,' is out now on Mexican Summer.
Brian Davila (also their keyboardist) directed/filmed part of the video in my backyard, where myself and a few friends put on goth makeup and threw fake blood around.  After filming commenced, I needed a 5 hour bath.
Here it is:

Cold Showers "I Don't Mind" from Brian Davila on Vimeo.

The Burning House

The Burning House is a brilliant website that asks it's reader the question, "what items would you take with you if your house was on fire?"
I often ask myself that same question, almost as if I'm challenging myself to prioritize my belongings.  Would I take my favorite Woody Allen book over my framed portrait of my Mother?
Would I take my favorite record over a small gift that my Boyfriend bought for me at a thrift store?
The Burning House itself poses the same questions, saying that 'It's a conflict between what's practical, valuable and sentimental.  What you would take reflects your interests, backgrounds and priorities,"  which is absolutely true
I wanted to share a few of my favorite submissions, followed by my own submission at the very end.

and here is mine:

- Hawk wing that Brian found and gifted to me.  It smells a little funny and might be impractical but I'd somehow rather have this than my cellphone.
- My passport.  This is my excuse to finally move to Europe.
- Carved wooden Armadillo that I bought in Costa Rica while on a trip with my family.
- 'Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance.'  An important book to have in a post-apocalyptic environment.
- My Grandpa's pocketknife.
- Floral headdress that I made for my birthday last year so that I remember the good times.
- Baby fox skull.  Still not quite sure why, but I wouldn't leave it behind.
- Shell from the beach in Monterey to remind me of home.
- California Poppies postcard from Big Sur to remind me of beauty.
- Film camera to continue capturing memories.
- Turquoise bracelet that Brian's Mom gave me a few years ago.  She said the bracelet reminded her of me and I thought that was really sweet.
- Owl salt shaker I bought with one of my BFF's in San Francisco.  The weekend I bought it was lovely and memorable.
- Photobooth of Brian and myself.
- Framed photograph of my Mom.  This would be my number one.
- Mom's vintage t-shirt from the 70's.  I don't even really wear this shirt, but my Mom used to wear it all the time when we were growing up and I really loved it and I still do.

Kurt Vile

I can't stop listening to "Jesus Fever" & "In My Time" off Kurt Vile's new album, Smoke Ring For My Halo. Just thought I'd share.

Pastel Summer

I have never been much of a pastel person, instead gravitating towards darker shades like olive green, browns, rusty reds, black & navy, but lately I have been warming up to the light, summery look of pastels.  They are so feminine and you can mix & match every color and the combinations still look amazing.  Here are a few of my favorite pastel-hued finds. 

1. Comme de Garcons Cotton Poplin Shirt

2. Charles Anastase Apollo Print Skirt

3. Topshop Scalloped Suede Clutch

4. American Apparel Nail Polish in L'Esprit

5. Topshop Mint Blouse 

6. Dieppa Restrepo Peach Patent Oxfords

7. Nadinoo Vintage Silk Petal Blouse

8. Robert's Revival Radio

9. Pastel Stacking Chairs

10. ModCloth Pastel Prism Watch

11. Monki Checkered Lucelle Blouse

12. Nars Duo Eyeshadow in Alhambra

End Of The World

In honor of the supposed upcoming Apocalypse known as 'The Rapture,' (which I find to be hilarious/weird/entertaining) here is one of my favorite songs of all time.

Exposure

Here are a few of my photo experiments as of late:

If you would like to use any of these photos (or are reposting them) please be sure to give credit.  I recently saw a few photos of mine on another blog (no need to name names) claiming my photography as their own.  I definitely don't consider myself to be an amazing or knowledgeable photographer, but it still makes you feel kind of sad when that happens.  I give credit to all artists and photographers, or anything else on my blog that I am sharing.  It's important that we appreciate and respect one another, as creative people, and by giving credit you are showing that respect.

Also, don't forget to follow my blog on facebook!

Birthday

It was my birthday yesterday, so on Sunday I threw a big picnic in Elysian Park to celebrate.  It was a gorgeous day, perfect for lounging outside with a group of lovely people eating delicious food, playing charades, drinking mimosas, and hanging out with all the cute dogs in attendance.  I went a little crazy making food for the day which included my dream cupcakes with edible flowers on top, home made caramel with Cyprus sea salt, chocolate covered strawberries, sun-dried tomato pasta salad with mozzarella and basil, cous cous salad with Marash pepper & chocolate chip cookies with oreos inside of them.  It was laid-back and relaxing, which was exactly what I had in mind when I planned the day.
Yesterday, Brian (the most amazing boyfriend in the world) surprised me and took me on a ferry to Catalina Island for the day.  I had never been to Catalina before, so I was really excited.
After a smooth, hour long ferry ride, we arrived in Avalon.  As we pulled up, the town reminded me of a quaint seaside village in Italy, but with colorful, old California style buildings.
We spent our day eating ice cream, making friends with seagulls, speeding around in a golf cart in the cliffs above the town (nobody in Catalina has a car...everyone drives golf carts!), drinking strawberry mojitos, eating freshly shucked oysters and clam chowder, and enjoying the lazy quietness of the Island.
We watched the sun set on the Pacific Ocean on the ferry ride back home, and I wished that the day didn't have to end.
I saw some beautiful campsites on Catalina Island, and I definitely need to go back soon for some camping (and maybe grill some freshly caught seafood!).
It was a really fun & special day that I couldn't have asked for a more enjoyable birthday.


On another note, Scout & Pine is now on Facebook!  'Like' the page to get updated every time the blog is updated, or when I share other points of interest that otherwise won't be on the blog.

Restaurant Review: Waterloo & City

My brother took me to Waterloo & City for an early birthday dinner Wednesday night (I stopped my cleanse early, after completing 20 days without alcohol, caffeine, sugar, dairy, flour, gluten, red meat or salt, but that's for a later post!).  The casual atmosphere was different than I expected and the food was delicious and innovative.  Here are some photos, with a review to follow.

I was expecting the atmosphere at Waterloo & City to be more upscale and stuffy, given the original, farm-fresh gastronomic cuisine that had me drooling all over their menu.  It felt more like a cool, casual pub with a large dining space and a long bar full of boisterous patrons, rather than a pretentious 'see and be seen' type of place, which was really refreshing.   It's always nice to go to a restaurant where you can actually focus on your food & your immediate company and not have to worry about being fancy.
I immediately ordered a Pimm's Cup (such a treat), and my brother and I perused their mouth-watering menu and chose a few stand-out dishes to share.
We started things off with the Pork & Truffle Pate w/ Madeira Jelly, Cornichons and Toasted Brioche.
The Pate came in a small jar, with a thin layer of the Jelly on the top.  The Pate on it's own was subtle and delicious, and the sweetness of the Jelly added a nice touch, although when spread on the Brioche, I could barely taste the Pate.  I would have preferred a crusty baguette rather than a buttery Brioche, which stole the flavor away from the Pate.
We then shared the Yellowtail Crudo w/ Shallot & Ginger Dressing and Shishido Peppers.  At first we thought it would be weird to introduce a Japanese-influenced dish into a rather hearty meal, but we decided to mix-and-match flavors rather than stick to one genre.  The Yellowtail was absolutely delicious.  The Shallot & Ginger dressing only enhanced the flavor of the fish, rather than overpower it and the Shishido Peppers added a nice, spicy crunch.
For our Main Course we had the Rotisserie Lamb w/ Crispy Shepherd's, Sunchokes & Gremolata.   This was probably the best-cooked Lamb I've ever had.  It was so incredibly juicy and tender and packed full of flavor.  The Lamb sat on three crispy, fried Shepherd's Pies, which kind of blew my mind.  If I could eat fried Shepherd's Pie every day of my life, I would die happy.  I'm usually really picky with sunchokes- they have a really distinct flavor that definitely is not for everyone, but these were seasoned & cooked perfectly.  We also shared the House Fries w/ Harissa Aioli, which were good.
For dessert we each had a glass of the Moscato di'Asti, a very sweet, almost honey-flavored dessert wine.   We also had the Raspberry Neopolitan w/ Pistachios & Basil Lime Sorbet.  I am a fan of very tart desserts, and this was definitely very tart.  The buttery crunch of the Shortbread underneath the lemony sweetness was delicious.  The Basil Lime Sorbet was so refreshing, I wish I could eat this everyday during the summer.
Overall, Waterloo & City is a great place to experience thoughtful, beautifully-plated and innovative food while enjoying a casual, unpretentious, relaxed environment.