2011 holiday love

happy holidays!! i love spending time with my family and six nephews! hope you're enjoying this season filled with peace and joy. much love from stylemailbox. xo

 christmas bouquet for my parents on their anniversary

my hand-knit circle scarf

 cake pops. these are so good and super sweet. cupcakes have some serious competition :-)

 puppy eyes, you can't resist them. helping your plea to santa ;-)

 my brother and I in a "Sketch" photo from the photobooth

 my love painting. feels perfect this time of year.

 holding my nephew and making wishes over the stream :-)

pop ART: "a new direction"

that's what i'm calling this pop art number ;-) OR "seeing from a different perspective." i haven't decided yet. this is truly a self portrait because i took this picture of my self and did all the artistic handiwork. what do you think?

the theme of finding a new path in life has been culturally popular since forever. and by forever, i mean i first learned about it when i had to memorize and recite the "the road less traveled" by robert frost to my second grade class. then led zeppelin sang its special variation about it in stairway to heaven with the lyrics "there's still time to change the road you're on." and of course there's the quote by bikram choudhury that gets serious play in yoga circles "it's never too late, it's never too bad, and you're never too old or too sick to start from scratch once again."

inspired, much? here's my artistic version of this... sort of. basically if something isn't working it's time to look in a new direction, from a new angle, try something, change! as represented here ;-) the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. let's not go totally cray cray.

and just because i'm having a self-help-feel-good moment, here's another one of my faves quotes that has stuck with me and i swear it's sooo true: "ACTION IS THE ANTIDOTE TO DESPAIR" :-) 

Happy Monday! xo, mary

current tunes

this playlist is a nice break from all the christmas music. hell yes. i've had it on heavy rotation recently. enjoy! xo

cozy knits

baby, it's cold outside! :-) 


i'm a huge fan of hand-made pieces because each one is special, unique, and made with love. i started an etsy store to showcase my affection for all things vintage and hand-made. check out my recent additions:  knitted circle scarves. my friends and family already are in check with my creations so i've made them public here. what do you think?  


do you ever shop etsy? they have the most unique vintage and handmade items. hope you're having a great monday! xo mary

all photos by me. p.s. the shop's name JUNE and GENE is named after my favorite aunt & uncle :-)

girl talk

we should stick together, us girls. and now time for a little girl talk...
how great are these beautiful candid photos coutesy of mr. blasberg? happy sunday! xo

 

the naked truth...

is always better than the best dressed lie. -ann landers. 
there's nothing dishonest about the casual looks below. slightly over-sized sweater + flat boots = effortless and cool. i believe it.

images via le fashion and little plastic horses

not go bangs, that is the answer

following up to my previous post, i've opted to be bangs free, for now. i may do a gradual transition at some point but mainly i'm not interested in any additional styling (i'm an air-dry- and-go sort of girl) and a bit confused about what bangs means for wavy hair? how are you doing your hair for holidays?

photo by me :-)

holiday kisses

how great is zara's holiday lookbook? i'm loving these really simple elegant looks. perfect for a little bubbly and kisses under the mistletoe! ;-) hope you're having a great week xo mary

  via zara.com

bangs?

laura and i bought bangs yesterday to temporarily try the 'do. here's the result: to go bangs or not go bangs, that is the question. what do you say?

p.s. do bangs require more work with styling or get in the way during workouts? let me know friends.  :-) 

 

  all (silly) photos by me :-)

have a great day! xo, mary

horse warrior

the american indian exhibit highlighting horse warriors showcases beautiful crafted masks and gear designed for the honored partners in battle. every piece feels organically manifested with purpose and intuitively artistic. i find inspiration around every corner and today's adventure was no exception. since the botanical gardens are right next door, i didn't miss that stop either. hope you enjoy! happy weekend. xoxo

all photos by me

fresh and spontaneous

The Australian Native Bambi-Northwood Blyth shows off her signature style in shopbop's beautiful lookbook. Perfectly described as “unexpected pairings that feel fresh and spontaneous,” she looks fun and pretty. I’m loving this! Makes me crave spring :-)

via shopbop.com