At the end of a long day or during a busy morning, there are few things more soothing to me than a cup of tea. Hot or iced, green or black, with sugar, honey, milk (or none of the above) – tea makes me feel simultaneously happy, centered, calm and energized. But in all my tea-loving days, I had never been to what I consider the epitome of a tea drinking experience – afternoon tea! You know the kind – delicate finger sandwiches, scones with cream, mountains of fruit, and the perfect pot of tea by your side.

Some girlfriends and I finally visited the Scarlet Tea Room in Pasadena a couple weekends ago, which provided the perfect first-time afternoon tea experience! We marveled at the fresh strawberry sorbet, the dozens of sandwiches to choose from, the perfectly crumbly scones (I was not a scone fan until Scarlet Tea Room swiftly converted me), the mini desserts, and the wide variety of teas. Before we started eating, we joked about how we’d all be lining up at the Jack in the Box drive-thru after our dainty tea meal, but by the time the meal was through we found ourselves surprisingly full.  Stuffed in fact. To the point where we we could not fit even one more mini-cupcake into our happy stomachs.

And since it’s no fun to keep “fave finds” all to yourself, I am going to be accompanying each post in this category with none other than a giveaway! For this installment, I’ll be sending one lucky commenter (chosen randomly) a package of tea bags from Lupicia – one of my favorite tea shops on the westside. The store is full of amazing teas – you walk in and are greeted by rows upon rows of tins, all presented for your sniffing and smelling delight! There are lots of luscious flavors to choose from, options like muscat, English caramel, rosehip and grapefruit green! Thirsty commenters, rejoice!

Just a few shots grabbed with the point-and-shoot in between bites..

On any given day, I come across at least one or two new things that I fall in love with – an intriguing blog, a friendly cafe, a spectacular brand of frozen pizza. And rather than just gush incessantly to anyone else within a 5 mile radius, I thought I’d share some of my finds on here in between the weddings, portrait sessions, and random tidbits of my life. So here goes the first installment of such a series – stay tuned for more to come!

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When we first moved into our new place last summer, I found myself becoming massively obsessed with anything design-related – an affliction that now, 6 months later, I can safely say is here to stay. Although I do my best to stay away from the black hole known as Target (seriously, how is it that you walk in to pick up some toothpaste and end up spending $100 EVERY.SINGLE.TIME??), there is one design-haven that I just can’t shy away from.

And that, my friends, is Etsy. For those of you who are avid Etsy-goers you know what a horrid addiction it can be. And moving into a new place definitely did nothing to help this. Because we needed pillows. And fruit bowls. And things to hang on the wall. And things to frame those things. That handblown glass silver-encrusted frog-shaped paperweight? NEED THAT TOO. When you start to dive in to Etsy you realize Etsy has EVERYTHING YOU COULD EVER NEED, short of groceries, an oil change for your car, and maybe your first born child. And the thing is it’s all so beautiful and it’s all handmade, which means you’re supporting someone and the art that they do. It’s a win-win situation for all, except for my wallet, which is definitely a loser with a capital L in the whole ordeal.

So today I’ve decided to feature a few of my favorite Etsy finds because I just can’t keep this good stuff to myself any longer! (All images are from the Etsy seller’s page.)

This gorgeous letterpress print from Hijirik Studio is my most recent purchase. Since I’m working diligently at living out my dream, I bought it as an encouraging reminder we can look at every day :)

Love the fresh greens of these mats from Kalla. They add a splash of color in all different areas of our living room!

I fell in love with this vase by Jill Rosenwald the first moment I saw it. I spent some time trying to convince myself I didn’t need it but could NOT stop thinking about it, so bought it in the end. It sits on my coffee table and I have not regretted it one bit!

This is an amazing 12×18 print from Paper Moth Illustration. He creates the most beautiful whimsical designs.

This cherry almond soap from SpaTherapy has the most nostalgic & yummy scent. The Etsy shop is just full of amazing bath goodies!

And since this IS after all a blog about weddings, be sure to look for wedding items on Etsy as well! From invitations to jewelry to fantastic hair pieces, Etsy is chock-full of beautiful items that you can incorporate into your wedding day.

For any other fanatics, what are your favorite Etsy shops?