A dreamy coffee shop & room to dream

I have been on a new schedule at work lately, working Saturday's and taking Thursday off during the week. At first, not having two days back to back for a weekend was a little jarring. I either wasted away the entire day sitting on the couch & watching movies, forgetting that real things like laundry and a trip to the market weren't going to finish themselves, or I'd spend all day running around with no chance to relax.

Now that I've settled in to this routine, I've fallen in love! Work three days, take a day to sleep in, enjoy a coffee, hit the gym, run a few errands, and shut out the rest of the world. Still leaving another day off right down the road - to do whatever I please.

A quick trip to Lola to pick up some ground coffee for the week turned in to a 2 hour brainstorm session with myself, a few Martha Stewart magazines, and the best cinnamon coffee in all of Phoenix. Planning a San Diego bridal shower for one of your very best friends, with a fabulous maid of honor who is all the way in New York...is no easy task! Yet I can't remember the last time I've had this much fun. Pinterest beware, you are about to get a flood of new inspiration photos. I just love this stuff so much.

Hope you're all having lovely weeks. Happy Friday!

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Coffee Shop Inspiration

I find myself asking the question "where do people find the time?!" more often than I'd like to admit. This either means I spend way too much time lurking social media sites (guilty), and/or it means I'm looking at other people who are following their dreams, finding their passions and acting on it - while I am not.

{1 - echo, 2 - starbucks, 3 - lola, 4 - casa kath}

Twenty four is officially the most interesting age yet. I'm settling into a career field that I absolutely adore, focusing my attention on the activities that make me most happy, and have surrounded myself with a group of friends that I know would do anything for me...which means the WORLD to me.

I feel very lucky. And unsettled. I have an inkling sensation in the back of my head that I should be doing something more, and the feeling becomes almost overwhelming when I spend time with people I respect, that I'm inspired by, and in my favorite places. I don't know what it is about a local coffee shop, where I bring out my planner & a notebook that makes my mind EXPLODE with a million and a half ideas of future business ideas, growth opportunities, travel daydreams and pages of to-do checklists. It typically gives me the most excited, queasy feeling in my stomach - which makes me want to go out and conquer the world! But as soon as I leave those doors I'm slammed with the realization I have other things to accomplish like laundry, grocery shopping and a job.

Fully realizing no matter how much begging and pleading I do, the universe is not going to give me more hours in the day. Harumph. Which means I need to utilize my hours that much better, which apparently I am terrible at.

For now, I will enjoy this day off (woot!), drink a big cup of coffee and try to tackle at least one itty bitty item on my list of life goals. Small tasks to make up a big picture life dream. Onward & upward! Happy Thursday friends!

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Giant Coffee

I stumbled on a new favorite coffee hideaway one Saturday morning with my wonderful friend Greg. A wall of open windows created the lovliest breeze throughout the shop. We sat at a table for two, planned our day & sipped our soy lattes and cappuccinos like true hipster coffee snobs.

Giant Coffee

1437 North 1st St.

Phoenix 85004

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Holiday Spirit

Each year, I try so so very hard to stifle my urge to acknowledge Christmas until the day after Thanksgiving. Even with a still-full Thanksgiving dinner stomach, you can find me bolting out of bed, sipping hot coco, blasting holiday music and putting the final touches on a perfectly assembled fake tree all before 9 am.

 

This year, there is no denying it. After searching through the sale racks at Michael's, Target & Crate and Barrel over the weekend for left over Halloween crap, my feet led me directly into the neighboring Christmas sections. My heart! The sparkle, the deep reds and greens, reindeer, cute plump Santas, cheery sayings on banners and plates, I couldn't help but launch into full holiday mode. The spiral was all down hill from there. An hour spent in Hobby Lobby's 50% off Christmas aisles, a dash to the nearest starbucks for a peppermint americano in a red cup, NSYNC Christmas blasting in my car....

I LOVE CHRISTMAS.

Anyone else finding it completely impossible to resist?

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Carmel's & A Summer Vacation

Everyone deserves a summer vacation. A glorious getaway from all of life's excitement and stressers. A week or two to turn off your brain, stop responding to emails, hold the pinteresting/internet lurking/inspiration gathering, and just relax.

More or less, that's what I've been off doing. In the midst of all that relaxing, I resigned from one job and started another, apartment hunted all over scottsdale, shopped until I dropped, joined a gym, got a personal trainer & wore heels almost every single day. So the internet portion stopped, but everything else exploded!

During the craziness, I found my new favorite coffee shop (okay second favorite, Lola still wins). Carmel's on Camelback is the perfect short drive from my house, and I have a feeling I'll be spending a lot of time here.

My friend Courtney has the amazing ability to be a gatherer. Do you know people like that? They have a gift of getting the perfect group together, coordinating everyone, finding new places to check out, and everyone is always up to attend. This particular morning she managed to convince the other Phoenix Style Collective ladies and her two sisters to all meet at Carmel's at 7am. On a Sunday. And everyone came! I could never do that.

It was the first time we were reunited with our friend Chelsea, who has been away in Colorado all summer. There was a lot of coffee chugging that morning, but a lot of laughing, hugging and an overall feeling of whole-ness. It's amazing being friends with such a great group of strong, motivated individuals. Each person had something exciting to share that morning, whether it was work related, school related, house-buying related or personal. They're so inspiring!

I tried to participate but was entirely too enthralled with my breakfast & its pretty plate. 

Go to Carmel's. You won't regret it. And certainly won't miss it as you're driving along Camelback when this bad boy jumps out at you. Ha!

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a breakfast date at the coffee shop

It is completely wonderful having my mom in town. Mom visits are the best, I get to show off my favorite restaurants, get spoiled during trips to the mall (but more importantly, Costco!), and have someone who knows me through and through to chat with at the end of each day.

Over the weekend we drove out to The Coffee Shop, for brunch, coffees & treats. I love that having visitors in town gives you an excuse to go to all of the places you don't go regularly, especially when it includes a 30 minute drive in each direction. But yet again, this place is so worth it!

As usual, the restaurant was packed. Thankfully, good food is always worth waiting for in my book, so we patiently waited in the massive line while pondering what deliciousness to order. We barely narrowed it down by the time the cashier was looking at me with a crazy eye for not belting my order the second her previous customer had turned to walk away. Pressure!

The whoopies. My favorite thing The Coffee Shop offers, which I am so determined to uncover the secret on how to bake them. Last visit left me drooling for days thinking about the strawberry whoopie, but this coconut whoopie? This will go down in history as the best coffee shop treat I've ever.ever.tasted.

The San Diegan made a second appearance. After looking over the massive menu, my mom and I both approached each other to split the same item (quite serendipitous). Great name, especially due to my recent frequent trips to SD, and amazing ingredients. Between that, a hot & iced cinnamon coffee and the glorious whoopie, we left with smiles on our faces. Nothing like late, lazy Sunday brunching with your mama.

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{The Phoenix Style Collective Special at Urban Beans}

You know you & your friends are cool when you have your own special drink at a local coffee shop. It may not officially be on the menu, and the baristas may give you an odd look with you insist on "The Phoenix Style Collective special", but don't let them fool you! They are asking for the ingredients to make sure you're legit.

Urban Beans is a cute little shop on Central that is half cool coffee shop for students and office for business entrepreneurs, half urban phoenician bar, and all hipster in between. The mismatched furniture and local art on the wall give it a very homey vibe, the perfect location for one of our PSC meetings.

I'm usually pretty early to our meetings, since our rendezvouz are typically in the downtown Phoenix area, which is close to my house. Driving all the way home & back seems like a silly idea, especially when I've trained myself to carry around my book of the week for perfect stolen moments of alone time. Each time I'm early, usually Kara is too. Which I love, because it gives me a few minutes with a good friend to unload life's woes and usual goings on. I always feel better after our chats, which may or may not have something to do with the fact she's a therapist.

There's nothing wrong with mooching off your friends listening skills while you share a treat (thanks Kara!) I can only hope my untrained ear provides some comfort as well. The evenings we plan to stay late I'll order dinner, and Urban Bean's salmon dill quiche caught my eye somethin fierce. There was no saying no!

So to let you in on the secret. The super official Phoenix Style Collective drink of choice is....a blackberry latte, hot or iced. Try it and prepare to be impressed! Created on accident at the Arizona Blogger Conference, our on hand coffee extraordinaire first pulled the divine drink and started passing it around to the attendees. A masterpiece was born! Paired with an espresso mini cupcake? Guaranteed to make your day. If an afternoon jitter isn't your thing, try the non-coffee version of a blackberry lemonade.  Equally delicious!

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{A Corner at Hob Nobs}

Last night, the Phoenix Style Collective crew and I met up at Hob Nobs Cafe & Spirits to chat future plans, general life happenings, the usual world domination plot. I'm always driving by this cute house on the corner turned eatery, but hadn't spent any time inside.

I got to the cafe a little early, since I work right down the road and our usual weekly meetings don't start until 7. Book in hand, I picked out a spot to sit and bask in the sun for a while, de-stressing from the work day. Also de-stressing from the angry drivers on the road, my new side mirror scuff (ATM pole that jumped in front of my car) and the near head-on collision as I turned down a one-way to get to the cafe. My brain? Someone give it back please.

A little corner of the cafe, surrounded by beautiful art by local artists, where I could still see a sliver of the hustle & bustle of the busier room. There was a birthday party, book club, religious group discussing passages from the bible and several groups of friends cheersing beers & celebrating on a Wednesday evening. What a lovely atmosphere.

First came the cinnamon coffee, and a few chapters of the book I'm reading kept me occupied while I waited for my food to arrive. It's funny that the thought of waltzing in to a restaurant to eat dinner alone is something I would never consider doing, but in a coffee shop it doesn't phase me at all.

Shortly after my food arrived, the troops began to trickle in. It seemed everyone was running early that day, which allowed for more time to hang out. No complaints from me.

The chairs were quickly filled, lots of hugging and loud "hiii!!" greetings could probably be heard throughout the entire cafe. It was great. Also, I happen to love friends that are easily persuaded into sharing treats.

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{Cartel Coffee Lab}

Today I'm over at the Phoenix Style Collective blog, talking about design & treats at Tempe's awesome coffee shop, Cartel Coffee Lab! If you haven't checked out this great cafe, carve out a little time in your weekend to taste some expertly crafted coffee & enjoy a good book (I'm currently readying Wicked...obsessed).

Big high-five to Cartel for recently being featured in Food and Wine magazine, as one of the nation's best coffee bars! You can read the write up - here.

What are some of your favorite coffee destinations in arizona? I'm always on the hunt for more!

{Francophile}

I seem to have stumbled on a brilliant theory. If I visit enough french-themed restaurants and shops, eat enough french pastries, read enough novels about the city of light, and wear enough navy blue & white stripes, I will suddenly become french. Which will hopefully cause me to fall asleep in Phoenix, and suddenly wake up in Paris one morning. Logical, right?

My dad & I stumbled on this bakery one day while we were out for coffee, just having perused Half Price Books for about an hour (our favorite). I vaguely remember passing by the doors to this bakery a dozen times while growing up, but back then it was a hole in the wall. It was crowded, full of loyal customers, but somehow hadn't been enticing enough to pull us in. 

Well apparently sometime in the last year, the bakery decided to seriously get there act together, absorb the space next to them, and do a complete overhaul. It's beautiful now! Space for seating, way more goodies in the glass cases, a full coffee bar, and double the loyal customers & fans. 

Of the two times I visited while in Seattle, this place was buzzing. Customers would leave by turning to squeeze through the door as others entered, families clustered around the mini bistro tables and there was always a line. Both times we had to fight for a place to sit, luckily stealing enough chairs so that one of us didn't have to stand.

I couldn't even dream up the pastries they offered. Jumbo croissants the size of my face, guava pockets, marionberry creme cheese croissants, flaky palmiers the size, quite literally, of my palm, apricot cream cheese brioche buns, cookies, loaves and loaves of bread, and pain au chocolat that begged to be eaten as a reminder of my time abroad. This place gave me decision anxiety, and those were only a fraction of the pastries. They also had desserts, crepes, sandwiches and salads. It made me dizzy.

You know a place is legit when they have several REAL yule logs just hanging out in their display case. No one would take the time to make several yule logs, unless they were confident the huge desserts were about to be bought up in a matter of hours. Which actually happened while we were there! Two customers decided this was the year of the yule, and snatched them up.

Also cool? They make authentic galette des rios, or kings cake, which has been a french tradition (among others) for centuries, made to celebrate the Epiphany. The cake is home to la fève, and whoever finds the figurine gets the honor of baking, or buying, the next cake. The french are so cool. 

The first visit we were blown away by thy flaky quiches & my warm ham and cheese croissant. The second time I stuck to what I know, a cappuccino, which transported me along the banks of the Seine, a cool breeze running across my cheek as I sit along the cobblestone street watching locals briskly walk.

...I know. It's a sickness.

{When We're Together...}

A mini hump day post.

A little holiday spirit to cheer up your day.

And a walk down memory lane.

Today, last year & even the year before.

 To keep the tradition going, {today, 64 degrees, Phoenix AZ}. 

Is it sad I'm marking the debut of Starbucks Holiday cups as my yearly reminiscing milestone?

...it really has been quite the year.

Hope your day is lovely!

{Lux Central: A Tour}

When it comes to my most loved coffeehouse haunts, I am a snob.

If I'm in need of a quick coffee to go, my standards are much lower, and really any corner Starbucks will do the trick. But if I'm meeting a friend to catch up over coffee, share good news, sit and enjoy my time, I want it to be while I'm sipping out of an overflowing ceramic mug with a flower design in my latte foam, in an old worn-in leather armchair I imagine I'd find at my great grandfather's house. I want there to be mood music and homemade muffins, mismatched stools & chairs filling every corner.

 

I want somewhere that I can cozy up in a corner with my computer and headphones, and disappear for the afternoon. I want to smell fresh ground coffee beans in the air, see employees that truly enjoy the art of the espresso machine, who don't mind if you've been seated for hours and only ordered one drink, and who want to remember my name.

Lux Central is exactly my kind of coffee shop. It's loud enough inside to talk enthusiastically with friends, but quiet enough to bring a new favorite read. There are families and couples, hipsters and students. There are community tables and sofas filled with strangers, who are glad to inch down to accommodate one more person. It seems everyone is smiling inside, even with the bustling line and too-crowded ordering space.

After a little digging to find out more information about the shop, turns out they started in Seattle. I should have known! No wonder my trip on Sunday was so wonderful, it felt like home. 2+ hours of conversation with Jess about jobs, boys, blogging & our futures was exactly what I was looking for this weekend. I can't wait to go back with a book or perhaps my laptop. This place is inspiring!

i wore: