Yesterday I shared our Peru trip report and today I’m spilling the beans on our keepsakes and what to bring back from Peru. As you know, I am a sucker for global vibes and decor. We’ve accumulated quite the collection of art and keepsakes from our travels and I love working them into our home.

What to Bring Back from Peru

If you are a lover of global textiles like me, you will love Peru. Textile making is a historic tradition in Peruvian history so it’s no surprise that textiles are plentiful at the markets around the country. It’s difficult to pick just a couple, trust me.

We settled on this vibrant runner from the weaver’s village Chinchero a small village where we learned about the natural dying methods used to create the stunningly vibrant hues typical of Peruvian textiles.

We also scooped up this throw blanket from an open-air market we stumbled upon in Cusco that wasn’t quite open yet. We strolled along the path watching women were set up their stalls, most of which were still closed. I enjoyed it though because it was more relaxed and enjoyable.… Read more

Today I’m kicking off Peru week! A week of posts all about our recent trip to Peru. There’s just too much to pack it all into one post. To start off, our full trip report!

This summer hubby and I took off and visited Peru for a little over a week. 9 days to be exact but since we arrived super late on day zero and left at 1 am on day nine, let’s just call it Peru in 7 days. There is so much to see and do in Peru but for the sake of time, our trip was limited primarily to Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. We could have probably squeezed more in, but chose to really soak in the areas we did visit rather than touch on them…which justifies another trip to Peru in the future. 😉

Peru in 7 Days: Highlights

-Machu Picchu is the obvious highlight and my initial reaction surprised me. After hiking part of the Inca trail all day through demanding terrain and never-ending stone steps, when we reached the Sun Gate and saw Machu Picchu in the distance for the first time, I was overwhelmed with emotion and had to hold back tears.… Read more

Our Visit to Bryce and Zion National Parks

I’ve had the desert on my mind folks! Hubby and I recently returned from a trip out west to visit Bryce and Zion National Parks (and Vegas, of course). (Did you see my mood board blog post? Check it out to see how my Utah trip inspired me in terms of home decor!) It was my first time visiting Utah and I am so glad we finally did it. I had been craving a hiking adventure and we needed an excuse to break in our hiking shoes for our upcoming trip to Peru! Bryce and Zion’s canyons are amazing, vast and rich in color. You have to experience it on your own if you ever get the opportunity. Today I’m sharing my Bryce and Zion trip report. We did the 2 parks in 4 days and it took a little planning to fit in everything I wanted to see and the hikes I wanted to do, so I figured I’d share how we did it and some tips I learned from experience.… Read more

Martha’s Vineyard Trip Report

While in Rhode Island and Massachusetts for a family wedding last week, hubby and I took a little side trip and spent 24 hours in Martha’s Vineyard. It was a short trip but we managed to do a lot!

24 Hours in Martha’s Vineyard

We left for Martha’s Vineyard on a Sunday morning. You have to take a ferry to get to the island – or you can fly but I didn’t explore that option. There are ferries from Massacussets and RI. We were already in RI so I opted for the ferry out of Quonset Point, RI. This ferry is pedestrian only. You have to take a different ferry out of Woods Hole if you plan to take your car. You can rent a car pretty easily on Martha’s Vineyard so unless you’re staying for an extended time, I don’t see any reason you should take your car. I will say that the ferry from RI to Martha’s Vineyard on the way back was very rough and myself and a handful of others were sea sick.… Read more

Last month hubby and I visited LA for a few days. It was my first time experiencing the city so I thought I’d share my LA trip report with ya! We were in town because #motd (hubby aka man of the digs, that’s what we call him around here) had business in Palm Springs so I accompanied him out to Cali a few days early so we could have a little vacay together. The original plan was to go straight to Palm Springs, but when I learned about a styling workshop hosted by my prop stylist idol in LA the same week, I booked myself a spot and we decided to stay in LA and he could head to Palm Springs when my workshop kicked off. Either way was fine for us since we had never been to LA or Palm Springs, but I definitely want to visit Palm Springs some day!

We arrived early morning on a weekday and headed straight to Venice beach after picking up our rental car. It’s so close to the airport and since we were staying in Atwater Village 23 miles away (which feels like 58379 miles in LA), I wanted to knock out Venice while we were nearby.… Read more