maker faire

I lost what was left of my voice working the booth at the Maker Faire on Saturday. I wish I had felt a little better as there was so much to see there - way more than I had originally anticipated, including innovative rides (above) and Victorian-inspired Steampunk cars:

Maybe knitted poo isn't for everyone, but I thought it was hilarious (forgive the use of Papyrus):

I'm always a fan of seeing ArtCars, such as Mercedes Pens:

and the candy house:

This 20' sculpture (the photos don't do it justice) was made entirely of used soda bottles:

Photos by me and Heather.

alcatraz

For anyone that's never been to Alcatraz (especially those that live in the bay area!) it's a totally worthwhile and fascinating experience. I mean, when else to do you get to visit a prison (uh....) that once held Al Capone? The audio tour is especially interesting. Tickets are available here.

a visit to filoli: the gardens

The gardens at Filoli were just as exquisite as the house was. Using traditional English garden styles, the Bourns worked with a team of bay area designers, horticulturalists and botanists to create the varied spaces that are evident today.

This door (above) was originally from the Bourn's San Francisco home.



The Garden House was so sweet (outside is above, interior is below). It looked like something right out of the Sound of Music.

a visit to filoli: the house

There was so much to see at the Filoli estate that I am going to break it into two posts. We took a trip down to Woodside (about 40 minutes south of SF) to visit the historic estate of Mr. and Mrs. William Bowers Bourn, who clearly did quite well in the gold mining business. Construction of Filoli began in 1915 and was designed by Willis Polk. The family moved into the house in 1917 and lived there until it was sold in 1937 to the Roth family. The Roths donated the estate to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1975 where it has been open to visitors ever since.

We took at self-guided tour through the mansion visiting the kitchen (above) and dining room (below).



The reception room was full of treasures from around the world.


The library (above) was one of my favorite rooms, as well as the closet bar tucked inside the study (below).


The bathroom consisted of this flocked parrot wallpaper (above), while gold paint highlighted architectural details of the expansive ballroom (below).

Filoli is open to visitors Tuesday through Sunday. For more information, please click here.

Next up: the gardens!

some of my favorite things

I'm home sick today, unfortunately, but that's not going to stop me from reminiscing about my amazing birthday celebration! I had a really fun weekend with my family (more on that later) and received some fantastic gifts, which included (but aren't limited to):

Super dorky knitting needle set! No, really - this thing is amazing.

Carrot cake and chocolate chip cookies - YUM.

Blue sandals!

My best gift, however, was the wonderful day I had with my incredible husband and dear friends. Thanks to everyone who made my birthday so special!!

springtime bandit + 31

I finished my Springtime Bandit (finally)! Oh, and it's my birthday! I had a super fantastic weekend with my family - lots to fun activities and some amazing meals. In the meantime, let's revel in my accomplishment. This project was not easy, but I am really loving the results.

family

My family is visiting this weekend! Yea!

(ok, that's not us, but my sister and I did love our OshKosh overalls probably as much as these girls do)

jewels

I'm trying my darnedest not to buy things made new, but I keep making up caveats. One of which is that handmade doesn't seem quite so bad, or at least significantly better than mass produced. I like jewelry and my birthday is next week and I know how hard I am to shop for. Just some thoughts...

Ring from here.

Bow necklace from here.

Vintage knot earrings from here.

Elegant single pearl necklace from here.

Gold Saltine necklace from here.

Yet another gold necklace from here.

ridiculously adorable

How cute is this illustration? From Sarah and Ryan, of course.

national stationery show

I'm a bit sad about missing this years National Stationery Show due to financial cutbacks at work. I always look forward to being in New York and seeing all my wonderful stationery friends.



Images, top to bottom, are Delphine, Dutch Door Press, Hello!Lucky and Tallu-lah, all by Oh, So Beautiful Paper.

sunday in the park