outings: the rustic roost

you know that feeling when you cruise by the front of a store and you just know its going to be good? well - that feeling was right and this place is more than good - its wonderful, i could live in this splendid shop - the rustic roost, in petaluma california -

if i had a house, or even a bigger apartment - i would buy these gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous chandeliers!!! English Roman the lovely proprietor of the rustic roost told me that these came out of a hotel in new york circa the earlier part of last century - image the number of well dressed guests these hung above - to die for!!!

there is something for everyone in this shop - ms. ramon certainly has a well honed eye - everything flows so well together, her displays are inspiring and yet there is not just one idea going on in here - which is what will keep me coming back!

this oval wrapped lamp totally caught my eye too! its a tinted glass underneath all of that great textured wrapping - beach cottage, english colonial, farm house rustic, it would look great in so many places!


there is an outdoor section of the rustic roost which surrounds the little shop the way an english country garden does its cottage - and the garden would be the focus of this outdoor space - wonderful furniture, architectural elements and much more - the more being the stores other residents - chickens!! not only is this store worth the trip up to petaluma, about an hour and a half north of san francisco, but the whole town looks adorable - it reminds me of my new england roots with that splash of california abandon - its a fantasy town, a tiny little front porched huge gardened houses kinda town - im packing the car as we speak for another weekend up there -

simple sundays

utility and beauty all on one card: recipe cards

item from dingbatpress

i have been asked by a few people recently for a recipe - and ended up crudely scratching it a piece of notebook paper - i think i can do better! so i went and browsed through some etsy sellers and was pleasantly surprised to find so many cute cards! now all i have to do is choose!! all of these great cards were found on etsy.

item from jessicagm

recently a few of my friends have been getting married and as shower gifts people have been compiling a recipe from each of the invitees - i love this idea, its so personal and the bride and groom get a year of love via the kitchen from their friends!! but again i need something cute to send in the recipe on!

item from springolive

the cards below are great because you buy the pdf file and then you can make an unlimited amount - great if you always want to have some cute recipe cards around!!

item from upup

item from pinkbathtub

i love this little note card - it would be so cute as a thankyou note! an then you could include one of your favorite recipes on it too!

item from nattymichelle

make a wish: hans wegner wishbone chairs

so i first spotted this sleek piece of furniture in the sept.09 issue of food&wine magazine - just a tiny corner, a hint, a glimpse of the sophisticated wishbone chair. seems a few people around here already know about it since it was designed by the renowned danish furniture designer hans wegner - but if you are already enlightened try for a moment to return to that state of euphoria you felt when you first made this stunning discovery - aaahh see now you know how i am feeling - and i thought since it is such a stunning piece that you wouln't mind spending a little bit of your thursday morning with it - what a truly stunning piece this really is - it very well may be my first adult purchase, seriously im that head over heals for it!
its almost hard to believe that these chairs were designed around 60 years ago!! having grown up on the east coast they remind me of a much much much cooler hitchcock chair - do you see the similarity that i see??
what i like about the hitchcock chair is its clean lines, woven seat and dark frame - and its also what attracts me most to the wishbone chairs - they have that farmhouse feel only a super super chic farmhouse feel- simple, clean lined with an air of aristocracy but also a humbleness to them in that woven seat - again a modern take on a classic - and a way to bring freshness into the farmhouse - to lighten up that traditional rustic heaviness a bit and give it some elegance with out being fussy or overly complicated the above and below images capture this attraction nicely.

as seen on the citysage - for more images of these chairs look here

as found on kitka design toronto

here i love the way the white table and natural color of the chair give this a cottage feel - again the versitlity or chamelion like quality of these chairs to go from rustic farm house to formal town house with ease and above all sophistication is astounding - a new love to obsess over - ive already begun scouring craigslist in any city i have a friend and eby - let the games begin!

a gastro guide en france

my favorite part of traveling somewhere unfamiliar is always the gastronomic experience - its an adventure in itself, sometimes simply ordering can prove unfamiliar and strange, but with out a doubt it is always memorable - i managed to buy a a few ounces of black peppercorns from this spice merchant tucked away in the cool streets of this old seaside town - now every time i make a dish using black pepper i will instantly be transported back to this moment in time! i love the way a smell has the ability to do that -





i also bought a few kinds of these olives to accompany lunch one day - i ended up with some of the bright green ones - which had a fresh almost lemony flavor and soft texture and a firmer olive which was infused with a bit of spice from some chillies - they were just as tasty as they look! i wish there was one of these stands in san francisco -

one of they days i spent in Chapsal there was - thank my lucky stars a french street food festival in honor or what else? cheese!! blue cheese to be exact, a blue specific to that region in france and so so so tasty - of course while the blue was the bell of the ball what would a street food festival be with out bread! unfortunately this baker asked me not to take pictures after i snapped this one below - which is to bad he has some mouth watering offerings. of course he did make it up to me buy offering a huge hunk of blueberry sweet bread - a truce to be sure

making blue cheese crepes - to die for!

this little guy was there too - dont worry he wasnt with the street food vendors - he was simply there to look cute and get his picture taken - i just had to put him up for you to fawn over - i was glad to see that even french donkey moms give their kids bowl cuts! - but seriously isnt your heart melting right now

to die for and these are some of the yummy treats that we prepared for out lunches and breakfasts out of all of the good things we were able to find in the french markets - i miss it already - though with out it i will remain able to fit in my pants which is a good thing