happy new year!

I'm hoping that you've all been having a wonderful holiday season! 2008 rhymes with great, and somehow it just has that feeling about it! For one thing, trustyourstyle will be debuting a new look shortly and many of the beautiful illustrations Samantha Hahn has done for my products, like the one above, will be debuting here as well. Some of Samantha's illos also debuted recently at my newly revamped website maryjomatsumoto.com.



lovely new year's photo by Sodeste

I apologize for the limited holiday posts, but in the flurry of the past few weeks I got caught up in real life, work, the impending relaunch of trustyourstyle (coming soon, I promise!) and the holidays...Hoping the wait was worth it, because this morning I gave myself permission to peruse my favorite flickr sites (I can get lost in it for hours) and as a result there are some very pretty visuals here at tys today. Please enjoy!



Ringing in the new year! photo courtesy Martha Stewart/Omni Media

For some reason, I feel more excited than usual about the fresh new year. Maybe it's partly because the dust is finally beginning to settle after I made the giant move out of Los Angeles late this summer.



Love these portrait photos by photomaton of time passing

Relocating to Laguna Beach has been a more wonderful change than I ever could have imagined, and the strangest part is that after 14 years of being a tried-and-true Angelino, I don't miss it at all! I can get to wherever I need to go with no traffic and no pollution and whenever I need a fix of beauty--the beach, clean air, green trees, nature, etc.--it's just outside my door. It's truly paradise and seems to me to be much more about what California living is all about. If I really need to go in to LA for something, (which seems to happen less and less) it's only 45 minutes away, which is a shorter time than it used to take me to drive from the westside to Hollywood.



Is this not the most gorgeous photo ever by Anniebee?

I worried when I moved that I would miss all the events that I used to attend, but I quickly realized that I have been to all the openings, fashion shows, trendy bars, restaurants, and parties that I ever need to go to. I still make the effort to go to stuff like this if it's something I'm really interested/excited about, but found after I moved and really distilled it down, that this only happens about once a month, maybe...



My fav plushie-maker: Amigurumi Kingdom Berry Swirl cupcake

But back to the new year...My one new year's resolution is to really master a fabulous cupcake. I know, it pains me that they are so over-the-top trendy these days, but I've always loved them; they're just the perfect size and so decadent with homemade frosting on top. I made these for New Year's Eve and there were no complaints. But if anyone out there thinks they have the perfect cupcake recipe, please share!



Too much time in the kitchen? Great photo by Mogo!

For those of you who read tys regularly, you've probably gleaned that I've gotten into cooking lately, so much so that my business partner fears I have lost interest in design and am on my way to becoming a 900 lb woman featured on Oprah that has to be craned out of the house to do the show. I just see it as a natural progression in my love of all things lifestyle. If you read tys, then you know I'm obsessed with how fashion, home design, food, beauty, art, and travel are all intertwined. Since moving into my new home, I've ended up spending the most time fixing up my kitchen and attached sitting room with fireplace. It's the place everyone gravitates to and of course, food and drink are part of the whole equation.



All dressed up with nowhere to go? I heart this photo by Merwing

Just in case you're worried, I have not quit design. Since moving, I've had more freedom and time to create as well as more space and inspiration. My design line has expanded in a few surprising ways. You can see some of my new fine jewelry line at maryjomatsumoto.com and there's a whole new colored stone collection coming soon for Summer '08. Although I've had a bit of a wait to officially debut my handbag line, there are a ton more products in the works and just when I thought it couldn't happen, I have a brand new passion I'm working on that keeps me up + wakes me up in the middle of the night. I'm weirdly superstitious, so I'm not going to talk any more about it right now. But be prepared to hear more later!




And since we're on the subject of fashion and lifestyle, this beautiful photo by Caterina M. makes me wonder why I don't dress more impractically. In fact, are you like me and wonder when did I start to dress so practically? Okay, now I have another new year's resolution--to dress more impractically (and hopefully beautifully) more of the time. Death to jeans!




Time passing is a funny thing. If you really stop to think about it, it's bittersweet. All the things we regret not doing and the promise of all the things we might do in the future. This morning the photo above, 'doll amongst hydrangeas' in my flickr contact photos caught my eye. I first became friends with Delia, the photographer, when I starting posting about her wonderful photos of little buddha statues in the garden. I soon got hooked on her blog and interviewed her awhile back. But time has passed since I first started reading her philosophical musings. Back then she was just leaving the monastary and starting life single and at times a bit lonely. Checking back some months later, she had met someone, fallen in love and was soon married. When I clicked on her photostream this morning, I came across a photo of her pregnant belly. I'm so happy for her and the whole story somehow makes me teary in a good way; it has such a satisfying conclusion and yet an unknown beginning, and to me is very fitting for the new year.



Love this little photo layout from liliconfetti

In retrospect, I guess one of my downfalls of the last year was not staying in better touch with my friends. I'm usually pretty good at it but truth be told, it has been a difficult year for me personally and I have been out of touch with so many friends I truly adore. The main reason I moved was to be closer to my father who is ill, and I only regret I didn't do it sooner. I haven't wanted to go to shows or leave town for any extended time because any chance I have to be with him means the world to me. As a result my design life has flourished and I've fallen into the pleasures of gardening and cooking. I'm trying to savor all of it one day at a time although I know that soon I must leave this lovely nest and get my designs out there in the world...




From the moment I first saw his photos some time ago, Fatman has been hands down my favorite photographer on Flickr. To me, this one says it all about the bright unknown. Wishing you all the best, the sweetest, and the happiest of everything this coming year!