{Happy Friday}

Originally I was going to leave the country on Sunday because the end of the week seemed like a good time to head back home and start my regular routines Monday morning, but then I extended it and decided to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon out here rather than commuting back to the city. And now I'm thinking of staying just an extra day longer because I can't bear the thought of leaving this peacefulness behind in favor of the noise and rush. I know I've always worried that living in such a quiet place would quickly bore me - and it very well could - but I can't lie and say nature and the slower pace of time, life, everything isn't calling out for me.

Yesterday, Neema and I staged a fashion photo shoot by a lake just down the road. It was so much fun letting her pose in different outfits and snapping away, I wish I could just do that every single day. The scene was beautiful, there was no one around for yards, and we had the whole property to ourselves. Afterwards, we sat by the boardwalk to look at the results and the view before us before falling into a meditative silence as the sun set behind the trees.

We had a terribly hard time editing down the collection to the absolute best, but I can't wait to show you the fashion photos soon. In the meantime, here's a teaser and some links from around the web:

My Souvenir Foto School classmate Jamie just opened an Etsy shop! I have a total crush on her work.

Would you ever stay at this Swedish Tree Hotel? And here's a nest treehouse for kids!

Oh Joy's top 20 bites of 2011 in Los Angeles.

Seven ways to turn yourself on.

A great way to make mini scratch cards. (Here's another one.)

How fun are the patterned notebooks and pillows in Julia Kostreva's Etsy shop?

Twelve stressful things you need to stop tolerating. (via The Bantu Girl)

Handmade artistic business cards.

Bizarre stories from a former HR department employee.

Gahhh! Espresso chocolate cupcakes and cloud-shaped macarons!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Image: Intertwyned on etsy.com