Sweet Tart

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Sweet Tart

This weekend, in between trips to the paint store and performing balancing acts on high ladders getting started on our new room, I will be heading out to Sebastopol's Gravenstein Apple Fair. If you've never had a Gravenstein, it's sweet and tart, and yields amazing applesauce and pies.  The festival celebrates all things Gravenstein, and features local wines from the likes of Matanzas Creek, and beer from Lagunitas and Bear Republic.  In addition to the food and drink there will be a musical lineup, chefs tables and educational workshops.

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Wow Wow Howcapow

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Wow Wow Howcapow

My celebration of all things English runs deep. I spent several formative years in a school uniform, sipping tea with milk, trying my hand at the BBC version of an accent, being an exotic American. In the last few years GB has been basking in the limelight with the marriage of Will and Kate and now with the Olympics. While the Keep Calm and Carry On posters are a little tiresome, this collection of housewares called Howcapow is just plain cool.

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More is More

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More is More

When we moved into our new home, we were overwhelmed by the amount of space we gained.  Well, we are gaining even more.  The master suite had been converted into a studio apartment at some point in the last few years and up until last week a very nice guy named Bradley had been making it his home.  As sweet as we are, I'm sure the 6:30am bike riding sessions outside his front door helped him to take the plunge and move in with his girlfriend.  The space hasn't been updated in several years, so over the next few weeks the kitchen will be dismantled, and the carpet pulled up and replaced. I will be stripping wallpaper for the first time, and taping (good grief) and painting around a lot of windows. It'll be worth it, for the extra bathroom alone. I can't decide if I'm more excited for the additional closet space and garden view or that the kids will have their own wing of the house to trash behind closed doors. Here's the before pictures...   

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She Smiled Sweetly

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She Smiled Sweetly

When I was a very young woman I met someone who left an indelible mark on my life. She was a teacher, an artist, a mother, and for a time, my confidant. I think of her when I'm doing the things that I enjoy most in my life, like creating something with my hands, working in my garden, speaking frankly to my children, listening to really good music. She was complicated, wise, and open to the world.

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Say Hey Kid

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Say Hey Kid

As I write this, the San Francisco Giants are in first place, and scored 16 runs against the Rockies in last night's game.  It seems like the perfect time to do a little show and tell of Ziggy's nursery. Right before he was born, his parents, designers and taste makers Mike and Janice Fung, let me come over and snap some pictures of Ziggy's room, a converted princess playroom, freshly vacated by his older sisters Noe and Lula. The space is small, but light-filled, looking out into the backyard and neighborhood facades. With the orange and black of the Giants as a source of inspiration, they created a space that is warm and cheerful, and celebrates San Francisco with locally sourced accents and wall art.

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