By Land or By Sea // Penny Skateboards

Photos:

Skate: Katie Slater | Surf: Jeffrey O'neil

The last two months have been insane. I N S A N E.

 Sri Lanka, Samoa, Australia, and now back in the good old USA (posts coming soon!). After 60 hours of flying in 60 days, there's no better feeling than being home for the holidays, especially when it's freakishly warm and a swell fills in. Cruising, carving, and cross-stepping through my old hood has been so much fun on my epic new Penny longboard skatey. As the water here gets colder the streets are lookin' just fine and I've been spending every afternoon taking this lady for a spin. With the holiday season upon us, it's the perfect time of year to create your own Penny moments and give the gift of Penny -- check out their gifting ideas HERE! 

Coming Home // Cali + Mex Powered by Blue Dinosaur Bars

Photos:

Adam Bartoshevsky | Shaun Devine | Katie Slater

Wetsuits / Moonjelly

Clothes x Swim / Amuse Society

After living on the other side of the world for 2.5 years, something really special happens when you return home. All the places you've spent so much time before, the familiar streets, people, and beaches, the ones you may have taken for granted in the past...suddenly carry a new sense of novelty and excitement. Viewing somewhere I've been before with a new perspective is sometimes even more rewarding for me than visiting somewhere new. It's more real, expectations are lowered, and because of that it's often the seemingly average, little things that surprise and elate me.

When I booked a styling gig in California, I was excited to return to the place my brother has lived for almost two decades, where I've accumulated incredible friends, inspiring work contacts, and memories that are painted in my mind for a lifetime. I looked forward to spending some quality time exploring the coastlines that have felt like home for years. California for me is a cocktail of nostalgia and nuance, with familiar places offering new adventures daily. I couldn't wait to indulge.

I made no plans during my 3 weeks abroad, and it proved to be the best plan of all. A series of serendipitous events lead me to reconnect with a fellow East Coaster, Adam Bartoshevsky, who road tripped with me to Orange County for some fun underwater adventures in Laguna and a surf in San Onofre. A last minute birthday party in Mexico lead me down to Baja for a long weekend of surfing and celebrating with unpredictable sleeping arrangements, loads of laughter, and unforgettable sunsets. Another not-so-average adventure in SoCal proving this return will not be my last.

--------------------------

Thank you to Blue Dinosaur Paleo bars for fueling my spontaneous travel adventures, there may be a lot of unknowns on an average trip with me but the one thing I know for sure is the ingredients in my snacks. Thanks for making the BEST vegan energy/breakfast/after-surf-snack out there, with only 5 ingredients ALL of which I can pronounce (and make me drool). Try all their different flavors here and follow them on Instagram.

Mi Ola

Photos:  Jesse Little

Wearing Swimwear by Mi Ola

Lorelei Maillot One Piece | Reversable Wrap Top + Super Cheeky Bottom

There's nothing...and I mean NOTHING...like a perfectly fitting bikini. Any surfer babe knows that to surf in something that feels sexy and stays on is about as rare of an occurrence as a bigfoot sighting. But the ladies at Mi Ola Swimwear have got the secret sauce of bikini design let me tell you...the attention to detail is insane -- sticky lined bottoms, wrap tops, criss cross backs..all with a fit that feels like it was custom made for me. No more pulling around the neck or fidgeting with faulty bottoms..these suits are definitely meant to stay put and look hot. Perfect for a sunset slide at my perfect longboard spot..these swimmers are my newest go-to! xx

Splendour Bender // Festival Fun with Sally Mustang

Splendour in the Grass is a weekend known for being W I L D and this year’s festivities were no exception. I connected with blogger babe Sally Mustang a few weeks back and invited her to come plant her gypsy feet at mine for a few days and cause a rukus around the Shire. We had an absolute blast and snapped heaps of pics along the way, dressed in our favourite Tigerlily looks and ready to dance the night away.

The key to lasting the full three days is to make sure you pace yourself, and balance healthy, cleansing food with the cheeky beers and cocktails. We started our weekend with breaky at Harvest Cafe where we also did a bit of gardening… ;) Let’s just say Sally was the hottest garden gnome the Cafe crew had ever seen.

The energy at the festival was buzzing! We had a blast wandering around, running into mates, dancing it up at the Tipi forest and hitting up VIP shows in secret locations… The Wombats had a thing for Sally’s tambourine and was a nice addition to their private set at the Levi’s gig. Note to self — next year, bring my maracas.

Muddy as it was, the good times flowed. It seemed like we weren’t the only ones shrugging off the crazy conditions, everyone seemed to be having a hell of a time. Tame Impala, Florence and the Machine, Xavier Rudd -- all will stick in my mind for months.

Until next year.. xx