Blogger's Favorites -- Alyce of First Came Love

I first discovered Alyce's blog when she contacted me about becoming a Simple Lovely sponsor*, and it took me all of two minutes of scrolling through her posts to become completely smitten.

Through First Came Love, Alyce has created a beautiful record of her and her musician husbands' life in Brooklyn, their passion for art, food and their beloved city. It is a truly inspiring space friends. And I'm thrilled to have her sharing some of what delights her daily here with us this week...

So without further ado, herewith Alyce's favorites. Enjoy and have a fantastic(for those of you in the states) holiday weekend... I'll be back next week with tales of Audrey's big shindig!

* Alyce is no longer a Simple Lovely sponsor...that was just how our relationship started. I just wholly and unequivocally love her blog today ;-)


Swimming in The Ocean -- So far this summer, the beach has been my oasis from the heat, from work stress and from the everyday commuting mashed up against total strangers. When swimming, I can only think about staying afloat (I am not a good swimmer) so everything else running through my mind has to evacuate. I am the most calm after a swim, lying on my stomach recharging from that sudden burst of energy.


photos by Steven Lawrence via 24karas

Creative Friendships -- You know that you have a good thing going when you and a friend can look at something (anything) and the same light bulb goes off and together you decide to do "blank" I have the good fortune of having a few of these kinds of friends. Coming this Fall, my friend Liz and I will be collaborating on a look book for her jewelry.


photo by Jennifer Causey

Mornings With Coffee -- I have no trouble getting up an hour earlier than I need to just so I can sit in the quiet and enjoy good coffee. Brooklyn has some incredible local grinds: Blue Bottle, Gimme, and Porto Rico Importing Co to name a few. I don't have a lot of control over how my day goes except for this one lovely hour in the morning so I've really come to cherish it.


left photo via lines and shapes and right photo via lena corwin

Lena Corwin -- Lena Corwin is a textile designer based in Brooklyn who you might recognize from her multiple projects often seen around the Internet. This year I was given her book "Printing by Hand" and it really opened up a new world of projects for me. She makes screen printing feel more accessible to everyone. I often go to her two blogs for inspiration or peruse my copy of "Sundays are for Lovers" curated by Lena and Maria Vitesse.


Music from the Heart -- I love when people sing from their heart; when music is left raw and not over produced. It says a lot about the musician and where the music is coming from. I fell in love with my husband's music before I even met him. This month his latest album has debuted on itunes, and I couldn't be more proud. To celebrate, we are giving away a single from the album here. Some other soulful musicians (that I'm not married to) that always floor me: Jessica Lea Mayfield, The Civil Wars and Gillian Welch


Travel -- I'm never more fulfilled as I am when I'm traveling. Travel for me fills this otherwise insatiable void usually leading to personal discovery and memories to cherish for a lifetime. I will hear about a place and not be able to get it out of my head... countless google searches later and I'm that much closer to buying tickets. This year we went to New Zealand and had an incredible time. We are in the brainstorming stages for next year; any ideas?


photos via Anaise

Anaise -- I've been really enamored with home goods by Anaise lately. They are so unique and beautiful.


left photo by me, right photo via Etsy

Brooklyn -- This is probably cliche. I can't help it. I love this town. Need reasons? Go here, here and here...