About Me
Good to meet you
Hello! My name is Monica Schwartz, and I am the driving force behind Life Out Of Bounds.
I was born and raised in Italy, but I moved to Hawai'i in 2002. I lived first on the Big Island, then on O'ahu for a total of eleven years, until I came down with island fever and moved to California so I could have more territory to explore in my Mini. Though I am currently based in Northern California, I share my time between that and my native country of Italy.
Like most creative people, I wear many hats: artist, designer, photographer, writer and forest therapy guide. In my previous life I was a chef/baker, an experience that now translates to recipe developing, as I still love the art.
I am also a world explorer - with much more exploring on my bucket list - and aspiring time traveler and teleporter.
If I were turning eleven next week, my choice of school would be Hogwarts!
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
Where to Eat in Italy | Varese town and surrounding area | Lombardia, Northern Italy
During my most recent six-months-long stay in Italy I wasn’t able to explore much. However, in the few moments of escape with friends, I have had the opportunity to discover some really good restaurants in my own area, which I am very happy to recommend.
Some I have known for a while, some are new to me. So I decided to gather them into a new blog post - which will be kept updated by and by - and then also into a PDF e-book which you can download for your convenience.
That way, if you are planning to travel to Italy and explore the area of the many, many lakes, you can have it with you for reference and eat well while exploring.
You can find links to both the blog post and the e-book in my profile @lifeoutofbounds
Happy trails and Buon Appetito!
xoxo
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#italy #italyfood #travelfood #foodguide #freebie
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@mistamilano @cortedeibrut @cadeisanti @caffe_del_borducan @vareseristorantelaterrazza @grandcafealporto @ilmuretto.gavirate @pasticceria.cardy @gigipizza_induno
NEW APRIL FREE CALENDAR WALLPAPER FOR YOUR DEVICES
A burst of Lilac to celebrate what I feel is the true start of the new year.
I photographed this Lilac (and many other wonderful flowers) in a beautiful Napa garden, where I had the privilege to live for a few months in what feels like last week, but was in fact already a few years ago.
Thank goodness nature (and photos) exist outside the human construct of time.
Just go to the links in my profile @lifeoutofbounds to download the wallpaper as my gift to you.
Happy April everyone!
xoxo
M
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#freebie #calendarwallpaper #lilac #naturephotography #flowers
Yesterday I baked a batch of these….
I don’t think there will be any left by the end of today.
(It’s the dogs, of course, not us 😜)
They are Margheritine di Stresa (Little Daisies from Stresa), my favorite cookie. Deceptively simple, but melt-in-your-mouth bites of heaven. 🌸
Ok, I need another cup of tea now. Earl Grey, of course
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#margheritinedistresa #cookies #baking #foodphotography #biscottini
Some lovely images from various gardens to wish you a happy and easy transition into Spring (or Fall if you are in the Southern Hemisphere), which is happening in just a few hours:
March 20th at 7:46 am California time, or 14:46 GMT 🌸
And if you enjoy photos of nature, gardens and flowers, you will find lots more on my website. See the links in my profile @lifeoutofbounds
xoxo
M
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#springequinox #springflowers #gardenphotography #naturephotography #flowers
🌸 BLOOMING SEASON IN CALIFORNIA | What, Where and Approximately When 🌸
Free PDF e-book
As it happens, after the blog post was published, I felt that all the information belonged into a downloadable PDF e-book that people could just have with them for reference. We are only at the start of the season after all. So I designed it right away and here it is!
I have added as much information and links as I could muster; about wildflowers yes, but also other popular blooms like: lilacs, wisteria, roses, lavender, sunflowers and marigolds...
If you are interested, you can find it at the link in my profile @lifeoutofbounds
I hope you will enjoy, and find it helpful in your springtime nature explorations.
xoxo
M
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#freebie #californiawildflowerseason #wildflowers #freeebook #california
