LA road trip

this weekend we made a little trip down to LA for a friends wedding. I hadnt been on a big long car ride for so long & I love road trips! so on friday morning we packed the car, grabbed some coffee and we were off.  It was a fabulous (but way to short) weekend. I loved my trip to the LACMA. Its one of my most favorite museums and the California Design exhibit was the cherry on top! 

crazy amazing fonts ~ 

I cant wait to head back !!

outings: pelican inn and muir beach

i spent my misty wet sunday at the beach. I did a hike of the costal fire road and surrounding area in and around muir beach. It was a pleasant temperature but very very wet. After 4 hours hiking we decided to take a bit of cover at the Pelican Inn. Its the most charming little english inn nestled at the entrance to the beach. You really feel as though you have been transported back 100 years an to england.

We cozied up in a corner next to dark panels and tapestried benches and ordered beers and the most delicious beef stew and a cheese plate. its was heaven.

We stayed for hours it continued being wet outside and yet was incredibly bright which made the ambiance inside even more welcoming. Once we dried off a bit and were warmed by the good food, spirits and company we were off again. Spend the afternoon romping on the beach and making little collages out of our findings.

antiek amsterdam style

strolling around amsterdam across the canal i spotted just what i had been looking for "antiek" ...and antique store. my week here was spend scouring for this word but this little, or should i say large shop, inside and out, made my heart skip a beat!

the building that now houses this beautiful antique shop was once home to a bakery that made honey cakes - the outside and inside of the building still bare the markers of its previous life - the bee skep on the top of the pillar and the tiny bees and blossoms all in relief on the outside of the building were just spectacular... below are some interior shots

a glimpse into the restoration workshop and the business card of this wondrous place.. visit if you get a chance you wont be disappointed!!

a glimpse of amsterdam

just back from our lovely outing - we saw two couples married spent time with family and made general merriment on our vacation. thought i would start off the vacation posts with a glimpse of Amsterdam from vondelpark - and look a little bit of handmade to greet us!

outings - flora grubb

i took a little outing yesterday - to the lusciously green flora grubb gardens here in san francisco. its a perfect place to find unique plants and containers for both inside and out, but its also just lovely to stroll around among all the green

i was particularly excited to see the strawberry plants, some with fuschia colored blossoms. I grabbed a latte from the ritual coffee there and strolled around the grounds to check out some of their whimsical plantings - like this old teal sink planted with carnivorous plants.

i didnt leave empty handed of course, another little air plant to add to my collection and a little thimble vase that reminds me of a crumpled paper bag or tree bark in white porcelain.

i highly recommend making a trip to check this place out! its certainly been added to my "most favorites" list.

outings - tuolumne meadows

i spent the 4th holiday in the gorgeous tuolumne meadows of yosemite national park. a bit removed from all the craziness i spent a quite weekend around the camp fire and hiking through the spectacular terrain - my kings of the world from atop fairview dome

find your way out of a paper bag - MAPTOTES

yesterday i was at the Giants/Redsox game - it was a beautiful day for baseball! but i also saw a girl carrying the cutest Boston tote - of course i went up to her and asked her about this adorable canvas bag she was carrying - a MAPTOTE

above is the boston grocery tote - i think this would be such a cute bag to fill for bridesmaids gifts or gift bags for wedding guests - the are very reasonable and made by the cutest couple im totally stoked on these great bags!!

and below are a few other city totes that i loved - including the Napa wine bag - how cute of a gift this would be to bring to your weekend host or hostess!

dutch masters - floral inspiration

.......yesterday morning i made little trip and spent a whole afternoon with lots of lovely flowers from the san francisco flower market. absolute bliss.....

i throughly enjoyed this from start to finish... picking out a few bunches of well priced flowers....

collecting some of my favorite vessels from around the house and borrowing a few things from the etsy shop

and a bit of inspiration all a vermeer and other lovely vanitas painters ......

enjoy!!!

day tripping - angel island

i took a little outing this weekend - a very short but pleasant ferry ride from pier 41 to angel island. a strange vestige of american military history ranging from the civil war to the late 1960 - i HIGHLY recommend packing a picnic lunch and spending the day!

a little civil war era chapel -
the old hospital - i have a little dream that this would make a perfect B&B - its such a shame that all these old buildings are going unused because they are truly beautiful

i want to live here - look at that view!! hope you enjoyed this little virtual tour of angel island for more info click here

by the way i got to fire that cannon up at the top while out there! haha

hiking with a side of lunch - stinson beach

San Francisco has had absolutely beautiful weather this week and so today i took advantage of that and went up north to Stinson beach for a hike and a bit of lunch - down through some prehistoric looking forests fully alive with maiden hair fern, mosses and lots of wild flowers including a wild orchid and iris -

then out into the cute little town of stinson - it really reminds me of my new england upbringing with is beachy colors and charming little buildings

hope you all enjoyed your saturdays too!