Driving the coast

Venice Beach ::: Exactly what you think it would be like - a little seedy, street performers, tourists. And thanks to a friend, we had one of the best meals of the whole vacation at Gjelina's. Totally awesome.

Santa Monica ::: Same as above, but add in gymnasts, an amusement park, photo booths and women riding bikes wearing strappy heels.

Los Angeles ::: Streets lined with palm trees, crazy-expensive cars, rodeo drive, Hollywood, killer houses, Mullholland Drive at sunset.

Southern California

The weather in San Diego has been really overcast the past few days, which has given us lots of time to explore southern California. We spent part of a day hiking in the Anzo-Borrego Desert and I don't know if I've ever been so hot in my life. The trail and views were beautiful, but we didn't quite make it to the end of Hellhole Canyon Trail. Then we followed up with a drive to Laguna Mountain and had frozen burritos on the steps of the lodge (hiking in the desert makes you very hungry). We got to hike for another couple of hours and then watched the sun set from a lookout point.

The shadows above are: noon in the desert, YMCA on a small hill, and right at sunset

On vacation, hello Cali

Making the drive down the California coast has been incredible. So far we've gone from San Francisco to Ventura (just south of Santa Barbara) on Route 1. Driving had it's scary moments, but totally worth it and some of the best views I've ever seen. We saw endangered falcons with five-foot wing spans, a school of dolphins, mamoth elephant seals, the outside of Hearst Castle from a telescope (too cheap to buy a ticket) and almost matching Cadillacs that weren't actually together (in the purple one was an awesome old lady). These pictures totally don't do it justice! Tomorrow heading to Sanata Monica, LA and San Diego.

No. 5

Today is my and Jake's fifth year anniversary. It's so nice being married to my best friend, who knows me better than anyone else, cooks me breakfast every day, paste's my toothbrush at night, loves the dogs as much as I do, and has the same life goals. So much has happened in the past five years and happily this seems like it will be a really amazing year for us.

Meet Dolly

We've been fostering a new pup for a few weeks now. Her name is Dolly and she's a super sweet pit-mix. I figured it was about time I post about her. In these pics she climbed into Susie's crate even though it's too small for her. She's super cuddly and picks things up quickly. I especially like that she has black freckles that you can see through her fur! We're trying to find her a good home before we start to like her too much, so spread the word!

20x200 and an ode to Jennifer Sanchez

I love 20x200, which is a venue for affordable art prints organized by Jen Beckman. I'm always excited when I receive the weekly newsletter with new editions and this week is no exception. I'm particularly enamored with the newest print by Jennifer Sanchez (actually, with all of her work).  I have one of her pieces in my office, a gift from a wonderful friend, and it always makes me happy.

A photo and a link: Matt Eskuche

A few weeks ago a friend introduced me to artist Matt Eskuche, who makes gorgeous renderings of trash using glass. He just finished a residency at RIT and I'm lucky to have gotten to see this work in person. The detail in his pieces is just astounding - can you see the tiny pistachio shells in the top image?!  I want them so badly!  I honestly couldn't believe that these were all made by hand - no casting involved.

Linwood Gardens

Ok, I know I've been a bad blogger lately. To make up for it I'm giving you lots of photos of Linwood Gardens, which is perhaps my favorite place in upstate New York. My ulterior motive is for you to bookmark the site and check it out next year...and invite me along :) Every year I attend the Tree Peony Festival at the gardens and every year I wish I could live there. This year was no exception, especially since the old walled vegetable garden now has a small herd of sheep!

dreaming of macarons and almond croissants

It may seem like I have disappeared over the last few weeks, but trust me, I'm still here. I'm just trying to make it through post-trade show wrap up (including a totally trashed studio and house) and planning a trip at the end of the month. So while I get my blogging act back together, I'll leave you with some treats to drool over from Madeline Patisserie from our trip to NYC.

Woodland Animal Mask Giveaway

I'm thrilled to announce a Woodland Animal Mask giveaway! These incredibly sweet masks were designed by Abbey Hendrickson and letterpress printed by Pistachio Press. There are three different masks - a bunny, a pheasant, and a fox.  We think these are just perfect for birthday party favors, a special summer project, or even just to frame and hang!

Each kit includes:
1 mask ready to color
4 crayons
ribbon

Abbey is hosting a mask giveaway on her lovely blog. To enter, just head over to Aesthetic Outburst and leave a comment on the post. Three winners will be chosen on Tuesday, June 1.

I hope you enjoy this holiday weekend!