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, through which I shared recipes and restaurant reviews as a natural consequence of my past as a chef and a then present as - among other subjects - a food photographer.
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), in 2012, while I was still living in Honolulu. Besides being an expansion of my photography portfolio, it was and is a way 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.
For a while I kept both Food Journey and Life Out Of Bounds; then 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 it’s 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 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 coming up with names and titles. I was lying on the floor with my notepad, 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 shops and galleries. It all changes just too 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 logo 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 has been amazing from the beginning, and still is.
This Pro.Photo theme is super customizable in itself, enabling you to create your own designs from scratch if you wish. If you prefer, however, you can also 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. It was a bit of a learning curve at first, but the possibilities are endless. And, to be honest: 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
Good Morning!
This exquisite Classic English kitchen in Southeast London caught my eye as it popped into my inbox a few days ago.
I have not shared any home design inspiration for some time, for all the same reasons why I had not posted or sent out newsletters for sometime. But make no mistake: my love for interior design and architecture has not dulled one iota. Actually, it is even stronger.
Take a look on the blog (link in profile under Latest Post) for images, story and description of this moody-done-right kitchen.
Wishing you an easy rest of the week!
xoxo
Monica
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#loob_homedesign #kitchendesign #interiordesign #classicenglishkitchen #oldhouseappreciation #homerenovation #oldhouselove #historichomes #houseportrait #kitchengoals #kitchenremodel #georgianhome #kitchendesignideas #kitchendesigner #kitchendesigninspiration #londonarchitecture #kitchendesigntrends #moodyinteriors #moodyinteriorstyle #darkandmoodyinteriors #moodyinteriorsuk #moodyinteriorsdoneright #copper #homedecor #madeinengland #kitchencabinetry #customkitchens #copperkitchen #kitchencolorscheme #kitchencolorsideas
@devolkitchens
A lovely tulip from the garden to wish you all an equally lovely Easter Weekend!
May it be filled with lightness, flowers and chocolate eggs.
Love,
Monica
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#loob_nature #Easter2025 #tulips #simplepleasures #beautifulmatters #momentsofmine #springflowers #springtime #deepbreathing #selfcarepractice #mindfulness #mindfulpractice #naturehealsthesoul #earthmedicine #naturemedicine #sacrednature #shinrinyoku #forestbathing #naturetherapy #iheartnature #whywelovenature #gardenflowers #gardentherapy #gardentime
#moodforfloral #inmygardennow #inmygardentoday #gardenvibes #gardenphotography #naturephotography
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© Monica Schwartz - all rights reserved. Do not reproduce in any way without written consent.
Good Morning and Happy Saturday!
I am here to let you know that I have published the recipe for my Lemon Cream Crinkle Cookies.
Easter weekend is coming soon and, just in case you are planning some baking, you can find the recipe at the link in my profile under Latest Post. This way you will have time to bake a test batch for yourself first.
Have fun baking!
Monica
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#loob_food #feelingisnpired #thehappynow #theartofslowliving #springmood #springishere #easterbaking #cookies #lemoncookies #lemoncrinklecookies #bakingforthesoul #inmykitchen #thebakefeed #foodgawker #afternoontea #sweettoothforever #bakedfromscratch #bakedfromscratchwithlove #bakersofisntagram #mindfulbaking #softcookies #cookiemonster #cookiegram #teaandseasons #afternoonteatime #afternoontealiving #teatimepoetry #mindfulfoodie #mindfulfood #springrecipes
One of my favorite sunsets from my winter in Italy to let you know that I have published a new post on the blog about how the garden and the healing power of nature helped me survive a challenging winter.
You can read it (and view the many photos) on the blog, and you can find the link to the home page in the profile. Or you can comment WINTER in this post and I will message you the link directly.
I hope you will enjoy it and find it helpful and inspiring. That is why I share such personal stories, in the hope they will help or inspire even just one person.
Wishing you a wonderful new week!
Love, Monica
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#loob_nature #inspiremyinstagram #simplepleasures #pursuepretty #shinrinyoku #forestbathing #naturehealsthesoul #littlestoryofmylife #gardenphotography #natureinwinter #wintersunset #womenwhoexplore #whatitalyis #vibrationalhealing #mindfulpractice #deepbreathing #selfcarepractice #sacrednature #naturemedicine #earthmedicine #rechargeyoursoul #naturehealsthesoul #naturewalk #yearningfornature #gardenlovers #naturephotography #sunsetporn #sunset_love #inmygardentoday #homesandgarden
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© Monica Schwartz - Life Out of Bounds 20205 - All rights reserved. Do not reproduce in any way without written consent.
Happy Sunday everyone!
I was finally able to have the time, energy and focus to send out the first newsletter in months. The first of the year, in fact!
You can view it at the link in profile, where you can also find a link to subscribe if you like. Or, if you prefer, comment SPRING below and I’ll message you the link directly.
I hope you will enjoy it, and that April has been easy on you so far.
🤍🌸🤍
Monica
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#loob_newsletter #newsletter #inspiremyinstagram #pinklove #simplepleasures #pursuepretty #shinrinyoku #forestbathing #naturehealsthesoul #littlestoryofmylife #gardenphotography #natureinwinter #springmood #springweather #springflowers #womenwhoexplore #whatitalyis #vibrationalhealing #mindfulpractice #deepbreathing #selfcarepractice #sacrednature #naturemedicine #earthmedicine #rechargeyoursoul #naturehealsthesoul #naturewalk #yearningfornature #gardenlovers #naturephotography
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© Monica Schwartz - Life Out of Bounds 2025 - all rights reserved. Do not reproduce in any way without written consent.
