About Me
Good to meet you
Hello! My name is Monica Schwartz, and I currently live in the Northern California Gold Country.
Besides being the driving force behind Life Out Of Bounds, I am also a photographer, artist, writer, chef, forest therapy guide, and aspiring home designer. I am also a world explorer, time traveler and aspiring teleporter. If I were turning eleven next week, my choice of school would be Hogwarts!
Born and raised in Italy, I moved to Hawai'i in 2002, where I lived for eleven years, until I came down with island fever. That is when I moved to California.
These days I share my time between Italy and California, though Hawai'i remains the home of my heart. And who knows, maybe I will return there when I am done exploring.
Eventually, I might even get a new photo taken of me. Photographers don't like to be photographed; at least, this one doesn't.
Keep scrolling and you can find out more about me and some of the things I love.
There is no Present like the Time…
ABOUT LIFE OUT OF BOUNDS
What is Life Out Of Bounds?
It all started with a blog called Food Journey. That was my outlet for sharing recipes and restaurant reviews as a natural consequence of my past as a chef/restaurateur, and then a present as a food photographer (among other subjects).
After a while that was no longer enough, as I wished to share about more than food. That is when Life Out Of Bounds was born (or LOOB for short), back in 2012, while still living in my Honolulu apartment. I still miss that apartment - sigh!
Besides being an expansion of my photography portfolio, LOOB would become a way for me to share about my (many) other interests besides food; things like travel, art, design, nature and all those wonderful things that contribute to and enhance our lives here on this planet.
For a while I published both Food Journey and Life Out Of Bounds. Soon though, two blogs became too much to manage. For as much as I loved FJ (and it was difficult to say goodbye) it made more sense to integrate that into LOOB, which, by its own name, allowed for all the expansiveness I craved.
These days, LOOB is like a home, a personal container through which I share my personal experiences with all of the above and beyond. It evolves and changes with me.
Occasionally, I bring in a contributor for a while: people of integrity, with good hearts, and who I love and trust, and feel have something to share that has value and is in line with my vision.
Beyond that: it is a one woman show! From the written content, to the photography, graphics, web design, widgets, etc.… I do it all. I cannot imagine it ever being any other way.
Though I have a few affiliate links here and there, I keep it free of advertising because I cannot stand those ugly, annoying pop ups that you see everywhere these days. Besides being unappealing, they also make it difficult to read or view content, especially when browsing from a phone.
What's in a name?
I am actually pretty good at coming up with names and titles. I was lying on the floor with notepad and pencil, doodling and playing with words while looking for a name that would be expansive, all encompassing. For some reason the letter O kept popping into my head, and I kept scribbling and trying until I came up with Out Of Bounds. I loved it!
It represented me not just in one, but two levels: I was living outside of my native country (Italy), so I was out of bounds in that way, and I have never loved boundaries and being boxed in. So it was perfect.
Alas, the domain name Out Of Bounds was already taken, so it became Life Out Of Bounds instead.
About the Content
As you will be able to see while exploring LOOB, I share about all the things I enjoy and am passionate about: travel, design, photography, nature, healthy living etc. And because of my background as a chef and restaurateur in Italy, I also share a lot about food.
My posts include lots of my own recipes from the restaurant years and beyond. These I update periodically as I myself grow and fine tune my taste and abilities.
I also like to share about good places to eat: coffee shops and tea rooms, bakeries, bistros, cafes and restaurants. However, in recent years - and especially since covid - this has become more frustrating, because a good place you find one day, give it a year and sometimes they are no longer there. I try to keep my posts updated and relevant, and it is sad when I have to delete one because things have changed.
Therefore, these days I no longer do single-eatery posts. However, should I choose to write a piece about a particular town or area, and have experiences of good food spots in the area, I will include these within that post and do my best to keep them updated.
The same applies to those unique shops and galleries. Some are there for years and years, then suddenly vanish. It all changes so fast.
The Logo
That was also designed by me, in Photoshop. I love fonts, lettering and calligraphy, and I enjoy playing with those.
The logo has looked pretty much like this since the beginning. Over the years, my creative drive has had me fiddling with the fonts a little, but to this day I have had no reason to change the design, or the colors.
About the website design
For those of you who are enjoying the website design, here are a few logistics:
it is based on Wordpress, with an incredible base theme by Pro.Photo (who are also providing the hosting). Pro.Photo is still a small business, and their customer support has been amazing from the beginning. If you decide to sign up through this link , you will receive the first month of hosting + theme free.
This Pro.Photo theme is super customizable in itself, enabling you to create your own designs from scratch if you wish. It can be a bit of a learning curve, but the possibilities are endless. You will find there are lots of clear tutorial videos and, most of all, no coding is necessary. Besides, the Pro.Photo team are always ready to help.
If you prefer, however, you can upload ready-made Pro.Photo-specific designs created by other designers. These can be purchased separately and installed on top. They can save you a lot of time and work, and be a blessing if you are not versed in design.
In my case, after much inner debate, I decided to use the included base design and then customize it all myself from scratch. I must admit: I really love doing this.
All the graphic elements you see around the site, I have also created myself in Photoshop.
My chosen e-mail newsletter service provider is Flodesk. I signed up with them in 2023 and love them. If you are interested, you can sign up through this link with a 50% discount on the first year.
Latest Posts
Follow me on Instagram
Don’t you just love Victorian homes? This master bathroom is from the exquisitely renovated Ackerman Heritage House in downtown Napa, California. Lauren Ackerman has curated every single detail and done a truly incredible job on restoring this house to its original - or even better - state.
You can enjoy a full photographic tour of the house on the blog at the link in profile. Or you can comment Ackerman and I will be happy to send you the link directly. Though with a little patience on your part because internet where I am is still extremely sketchy.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend!
xoxo
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#loob_design #homedesign #victorianarchitecture #architecture #victorianhomes #napa #napavalley #oldhouses #oldhouseappreciation #theamericanhome #housesofcalifornia #historichomes #victorianstyle #bathrooms #bathroomdesign #victorianrestoration #romantichomes #housebeautiful #interiorsphotography #homedecor #downtownnapa #winecountry #california
The portal opened yesterday, but it will be in a few hours that the actual moment of the equinox will occur. Then it will be bye bye summer and hello autumn!
With amazing punctuality, socks weather is here: cooler temperatures and rainstorms began last night and will continue for several days; at least here in my current neck of the Northern Italian woods.
To me this would be the perfect time to teleport back to California and enjoy no-socks living for a bit longer.
I like no-socks weather. 😄
Spiky pods have started to fall, and I have already gathered the first chestnuts. It’s in competition with the squirrels, though - sneaky little fluffy, cute, adorable thieves that they are. 🐿️
The ones in this area are a rusty red color and really tiny. It takes 2 of these to make 1 from the oak-dwellers in California.
May your equinox and autumn season be ones of ease, joy and glory! And mine, too ☺️
xoxo
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#loob_nature #naturephotography #gardens #loropetalumchinensis #autumnequinox #fallequinox #equinox #rainyweather #autumnweather
Third and final recipe to wrap up fig season.
You cannot get more Italian than this, with the king of Italian primi piatti:
RISOTTO WITH FIGS, BRIE AND THYME
You can change up the brie for, say, fontina or taleggio, or even a little gorgonzola - the creamy kind. Recipe on the blog at the link in profile, or just comment RISOTTO and I will send you the link directly.
Happy Sunday!!
xoxo
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#loob_food #risotto #italianfood #recipe #dinnerrecipes #brie #thyme #cookingwithherbs #herbs #italianrecipes
Lunch at the Historic Grand Café al Porto in Lugano, Switzerland
One of my favorite restaurant/bakeries in Lugano (which is just over the border with Italy), and one I return to over and over, especially for the desserts and pastries, but also because of the stunning interiors. These are a few photos, but you can take a look at the rest on the blog.
The link to it is in my profile, @lifeoutofbounds - or you can comment PASTRIES and I will send it to you directly.
Enjoy and don’t drool too much! Or do 🤪
xoxo
M
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#loob_explore #diningout #lugano #ticino #switzerland #travelfood #bakery #patisserie #confiserie #architecture #historicarchitecture #interiordesign #historichomes #architecturelovers #cofferedceilings #cenacolo #monastery #travelfood #travelfoodguide #foodietravels #restaurants #cafe #europe
Easy, No-Bake Yogurt Cake with Maple Figs
Another fig recipe to continue to make the most of fig season. I made this in California, and as you can see, I used Mission figs.
It is really easy to make, fresh and light, and you can also make variations using other juicy fruits like berries, peaches, or mango.
Click on the link in profile to get the recipe, or comment YOGURT and I will be happy to send you the link directly.
Have a wonderful Sunday!
xoxo
M
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#loob_food #figs #yogurt #nobakecake #recipesforsummer #summerrecipes #foodphotography #foodstyling #bakingforthesoul #baking #easybaking #easyrecipes
