Desert Dance

These photos deserve a little intro. When I went to the desert, this was a big vision that I wanted to create. It was really fun to play with my creativity and movement. I'm really happy with how they turned out. This dress is something my mom gave me. I had a gypsy themed 21st birthday - a lovely party with live music and lots of dancing in my mom's backyard. And I wore this dress ... six years ago! It has returned for yet another spotlight moment. 

Today is my Friyay! After work I picked up my newly framed paintings, went to the bank, went to the gym with Joeye and then we got dinner at a Thai restaurant I used to go to all the time last year. I'm feeling sleeeeepy right about now. My body is so sore. I love it haha! 

xoxo 

Mariamma

The Final Hour

Today was pretty great. Work was really slow this morning so I got sent home after just two hours and decided to go sign up for that gym that will be opening up soon downtown. They have a good deal going on right now and they have another location that's only 20 minutes away that I can go to in the meantime. Dancing once a week isn't enough! I'm excited to take advantage of both the equipment and the classes. After signing up for the gym I went to yoga outside on the bluff and then to get some tea. When I got home and saw that I got a parking ticket (I forgot about the damn street sweeping) and was feeling a bit frustrated so I headed to the gym and let off some steam haha. I'm feeling good and sore after a nice hot shower. 

Happy Monday 

Mariamma

Anza-Borrega

Feliz Friday y'all! I don't have much planned for the rest of the day except some house projects. I'm currently at a coffee shop on 2nd street and I'm planning on picking up a painting that needed the glass fixed in the frame on my way home. A couple months back I did a post about spray-painting the frames of four pieces of artwork that I bought at the flea market. They are a set and I wanted to hang them in a certain formation together but the beams in the wall were going to make that tricky. The guy at the hardware store convinced me to buy this heavy-duty, double-sided adhesive that could hold up to 300 lbs (supposedly) to the wall. Long story short, one of them fell off of the wall (in the middle of the night I might add) and shattered. I took the rest down fearing the same fate and finally got around to getting it fixed. Now I can hang them all the old-fashioned way haha. 

Sometimes simple is better. Lesson learned. 

xo 

Mariamma

Spring Mood Board

The new Instagram feature where you can save photos has quickly turned into a mood board. Scrolling through, I started to realize how cohesive my photos and interests are and thought they would make a nice collage to share. I hope these images inspire you as they've inspired me! There is a lot about social media that doesn't sit right with me but the ability to share and have access to inspirational art is undeniable. 

Enjoy 

Mariamma

Lake Henshaw

I love the city, but this small town girl will always crave wide open spaces and some peace & quiet! I decided to give into my craving this week and took a trip to the desert. Luckily it's only a three hour drive. It's so nice to have my scenery change so drastically with just a couple hours in the car. That's the appeal of California I suppose! Everything is at your fingertips. 

x 

Mariamma

P.S. The whales made it safely out of the channel. Apparently they weren't in a big hurry to leave even when the tide went up. Marine biologists that were watching their behavior said that they were likely cleaning barnacles off of themselves on the sand. Happy ending!

Red & Gold

Hey there beauties! Today at work there was a story being covered on the news about two whales that swam up into the Seal Beach channel and got stuck when the tide went out. Whales (and horses) are my favorite animals and I've never seen one in the ocean so I headed there straight after work. A little crowd had gathered to watch. The area the whales were confined to was so small. I just kept thinking how scared or worried they must be. I'm glad they had each other at least. It was amazing to see their fins and bursts of air from their blowholes so closely! I sang a little song to Yemanja and prayed that the ocean takes them back safely. I just saw a little update and it looks like they are still in the channel but doing okay. Hopefully they'll get to return to the ocean during the night. I'll post an update! 

xoxo 

Mariamma

Visitor

I hope you all had a nice weekend. I just wrapped up mine with a steaming hot, candle-lit bath and I'm feeling particularly pampered. This last week my friend Hannah came to spend the day with me. We first met during my year in Rio de Janeiro and she currently lives in San Francisco. The last time I was up there to go to the Solange concert with my friend Christina we didn't get to see each other, so I'm so glad it worked out this time around! We walked seven miles along the beach together just catching up and soaking in the rare warm day. It's always so nice to catch up with old friends! Thanks for a lovely visit Miss Hannah! 

x 

Mariamma

Cheetah

Hello and happy Saturday night! Yesterday I picked up this lovely cheetah print number at the Salvation Army along with an oversized, double-breasted black blazer (with gold buttons!). I was excited to take photos in this dress today. It's a little big but perfect with a belt. I tried on so many waist belts in my closet and they all looked great with it. I decided on the brown one in the photos because I got it at the same thrift store a couple months ago. Entirely thrifted outfits ftw!! The fabric has this wrinkle-proof texture which will be perfect for the belted look because it won't bunch like normal fabric. I was feeling quite saucy in my matching nail/lipstick combo as well. It looks as though the weather in Long Beach is finally going to warm up in the middle of this week and I am so looking forward to a little less layering. 

<3 

Mariamma

Jungle Haus

Happy Friday folks! Today is my Sunday so-to-speak. There are free yoga classes outside overlooking the ocean every weekday at 11 in Long Beach and I've been going on my days off for the past month. It's becoming a bit of a habit which is nice.  I brought my computer and some documents with me so I could do my taxes at a coffee shop afterwards but I just realized I'm missing a W-2 form so I'll blog now ... do taxes later. I was scheduled last week for eight days straight and I was SO tired by the end of the week. I feel like I still need more sleep. Maybe nap then taxes ;). 

Sombrero

Hey hey! I just got back from getting my nails fixed. I went over to my friend Linda's house after work and her dog jumped up on me and broke a nail haha. I came home to grab a jacket before I bike to dance class in 30 min. Even though I get to be active at work I have been feeling so antsy. I need to be exercising more! My long walks on the beach are lovely, but they're not satisfying my need to sweat! A new gym is opening up around the corner though so that may be a good option. I wish there were more dance studios in DTLB! 

xoxo 

Mariamma

Saturyay

Happy hump-day folks. I just had two lovely days off - a bit productive and a bit relaxing. I am about to go check out a michelada spot with my friend Ashley. One of the chefs at work told us that it is the best place in SoCal so we are going to investigate! These photos were taken last week on a little Saturday outing in the sunshine. This park is in-between Long Beach and Seal Beach and I decided to do some exploring. I had taken photos with a photographer there but I had only really seen the entrance. I was curious about how far back it went. In true SoCal fashion, it wasn't very large and was surrounded by fancy houses haha. I'm really craving a getaway into nature. I'll just wait for it to warm up a bit and then I'll scheme :). 

x 

Mariamma

A Little Lush

Hey there beauties! I just got back from lunch at Seabirds with Meg, Sabrina, Carlos, Selena, and Garen. Today is Meg and Sabrina's last full day in Long Beach :( I may go to an art show with them tonight ... I just keep postponing the actual goodbye! The food at Seabirds is so good though and all vegan. They had these jackfruit nachos that pretty perfectly mimicked carnitas. Lucky me that it's so close! 

Happy Friday 

Mariamma

Valentine's Day

Top - Express | Shorts - Thrifted | Over-the-Knee Boots - Free People | Jacket - Thrifted

Photos by KDotPhotography 

Happy belated V-day you filthy animals! I know that a lot of people find this day cheesy af ... I'm one of them ... but at the same time, who cares?! Let's just all be cheese-balls and be down for a day that promotes showing appreciation for the ones you love! You don't have to do it with even one gift, just spend that time :). I had a lovely little evening in Hyland Park (first time there) going to an M. Ward show that gave me tingles at one point. It's fun to get a little dressed up and go be moved by some music. 

I hope you had a wonderful day then and are having a wonderful day now. 

Cheers to happy holidays that don't preside in December. 

xx 

Mariamma

Home Body

Black Silk Maxi Slip - A gift from my Mamma

Happy Saturday! I got off of work not too long ago and am currently brainstorming on what to do with the rest of the afternoon. It's a bit chilly today so cozy things are sounding best. This evening I am going to my friend Dani's modern dance performance in Pasadena and then going out dancing with some friends in Hollywood. Should be a festive little night on the town! My friends Sabrina and Meg who I'm going out with tonight are moving to the Caribbean in about ten days, so I'm soaking up as much of them as possible before their impending departure. They have lived a few blocks away from me since I moved to Long Beach and I am so sad to lose such awesome neighbors! I'm obviously very excited for them though and have been playing with the idea of going to visit. I hope you're all having a lovely weekend! 

xoxo 

Mariamma

Home

Boa tarde my sweets! Today is my second day off and it has been a very productive 'weekend' on the home decor front. I had three big tasks to take care of: 1. repot SIX plants (some were new and some had outgrown their pots) 2. assemble my NEW COUCH (loveseat), and 3. repaint the frames of the four paintings I got at the flea market last month. I can check them all off my list! I'm just waiting for the frames to dry in the backyard right now. It was quite windy today and getting the newspaper to not blow away was a feat, as well as getting the spray to not just blow into the wind. I accidentally painted a little of my adidas slides because the wind was blowing my direction at one point. But if they're going to be any color, I'm happy they're a little gold! My plans for the rest of the evening are to go see a movie kind of late. I may be a bit sleepy for work tomorrow. 

contemplating a nap 

Mariamma

Cacti

Top - Thrifted | Pants - Stolen from my Ma :) | Booties - Circus by Sam Edelman 

Good morning! Today is my last day in Santa Barbara and luckily Nicole has the whole day free to spend with me! Yesterday we had lunch together and then I headed downtown while she met with a professor for a few hours. I wandered around, popping into shops while sipping on a matcha latte from Good Cup. When Nicole was done we met up and headed to dinner at a restaurant in La Arcada. I'm just waiting for her to wake up right now so we can go wander around more today. I'll head back to Long Beach this evening ... just in time for traffic. 

Have a lovely Friday! 

Mariamma

LA Women's March

Hey! I'm sitting at the dining room table in my friend Nicole's apartment in Santa Barbara. We were roommates freshman year in the dorms at UC Davis (along with two other girls) and we thought it was about time to catch up! I drove up yesterday - a lovely sunset drive along the coast - and will be here 'til Friday. I've never really visited SB. I got into the UC here and we drove through campus when I was 17 during our road trip to Mexico, but that's all I've seen. She's in grad school here and has some classes and meeting throughout the day so I'll probably do a bit of solo exploring.

Last weekend was the national Women's March and I've been dying to share these photos. It was amazing to see so many people of every different gender, color, and creed come together to voice their support of one another. My faith has been restored in human goodness. After marching we listened to a few speeches and and performances ... I cried during Andra Day's performance of Rise that seemed so perfect for the occasion. After that we headed to an Ethiopian spot downtown and then took the metro back to Long Beach. It was a wonderful Saturday. 

xx 

Mariamma

Streetscape

Velvet Top - Target | Jeans - Anine Bing | Booties - Circus by Sam Edelman | Necklace - Lulus.com

Hello! Happy Friday! I just got back home from the chiropractor. Anyone who knows me knows how much I crave my back cracked so the chiropractor is more of a treat than a chore. I sprained my neck a few days ago and it was still not feeling healed so I had an expert take a look. My whole neck has felt warm since I left the appointment ... maybe it got the blood flowing again! Anyways, tomorrow is the annual Women's March in DTLA and I am going with my friends Meg and Joeye. I didn't go last year and was a bit embarrassed about it so I requested the day off this year and made a plan to get myself there! With all the sexual harassment and assault cases that have been brought to light this past year, I feel that it's super important to show face and support other women! I'm bringing my old camera with me and am hoping for some great, inspiring photos to share here. Stay tuned. 

<3 

Mariamma

Lauren's Birthday

Hey there sweet thangs! Last night I went to see Jumanji with a friend and it was so much better than I expected! I thought it was going to just be a remake of the original but everything about it was modernized. We laughed a ton :). These photos were taken this past weekend in San Diego. I really love going to visit Lauren. I've been down to visit her enough times now that we spend half the time visiting places I know and love, and the other half exploring places I have not yet been. It feels like a home away from home thanks to Lauren's lovely hosting. She's always trying to convince me to move there but I am still partial to Long Beach. It's so nice to have a little change of scenery though. 

x 

Mariamma

2018

Hello loves. I'm sitting in a coffee shop off 2nd street. I had an appointment on this end of town and I decided it was a good excuse for a bike ride. It only takes me about 15-20 minutes to get clear across town. Long Beach really is a little slice of heaven! I took the bike path along the beach, bundled in my vintage minnie mouse bomber and listened to Olivia's seven minute voice note with my headphones for half the ride. She just officially finished her masters! So exciting!! 

I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and New Years. I spent NYE with some of my old friends from High School. We all met up at Jared's house in Venice for a lovely little reunion. This past weekend I headed down to San Diego for Lauren's birthday. It was wonderful to catch up with her and Marina, dance, speak some Portuguese, eat some pão de queijo, etc. It was an ideal way to spend the first moments of 2018. I am so excited for what this year holds. 2017 was anything but predictable and it's so funny that I assumed my life would get more and more predictable as I got older. I don't make this assumption anymore ;) 

cheers to new years and new possibilities 

xo 

Mariamma