Month: November 2017

shop feature: local take.

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You may remember previous posts about me popping up with craft workshops at Local Take (Clips! Terroriums!). Now it’s time for a peek into Local Take the store! Owner Jenn carries over 140 local artists in her stores, including me (spot my felt garlands above). Jenn knows everyone. On this visit I recognized a few of my crafty friends’ goods, but it was exciting to learn of other makers in the area. I love the selection of art prints and colorful goods. You can shop Local Take in the Castro and the Inner Sunset neighborhoods of San Francisco. The Castro location also participates in the now monthly Castro Art Walk on first Thursdays, and the Inner Sunset location hosts the annual Vagabond craft show in the backyard. Stop in for a handmade gift this holiday season!

moic.

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I visited the Museum of Ice Cream in San Francisco. So, here’s a bunch of pink photos! We arrived with ice cream pennants in hand reppin’ our favorite ice cream flavors. Before you enter the installation you are grouped with strangers and you have to come up with a team name. Behold: Team Toffee Ooh La La (minus two girls who didn’t want to hang out with us, lol)! I was named team leader, which was kind of stressful even though I consider myself a hype girl, ha! Too much responsibility; I just wanted to play! There were over a dozen rooms and attractions to enjoy – mostly in pink! There were ice cream fun facts on the walls, a ring toss where you can win a free scoop of ice cream (Protip: Let them know if you’re celebrating something awesome like a birthday and you’ll snag a free scoop without having to win one.), a juke box room with ice cream tunes, mochi ice cream to sample, a pink letter magnet room for spelling …

wreath party!

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Yay Cactus Jungle! Their team of cactus experts put together a succulent wreath class and I was lucky enough to snag a seat. They made the process super simple, taking on much of the prep. We were provided with a container of succulent cuttings with different growing seasons. In theory, this would make the wreath look full year-round. There were lots of color variations, including some pink-colored succulents which I hadn’t seen before. Throughout the class our instructor shared a succulent fun fact and tips for taking care of our wreaths. The wreaths are made of a metal frame and moss, and held in shape with fishing wire. Cactus Jungle presoaked the wreaths for us in a seaweed solution. Apparently, moisture awakens the amoebas that live in the moss. (Amoebas?! No one warned me about amoebas!!). We were given a lesson in wreath making safety at the start of class and we wore puncture-resistant gloves to protect us from puncture wounds (and keep amoebas from getting into our bloodstream and causing a brain disease and …

coffee festival.

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The New York Coffee Festival was happening the weekend we visited New York, and even though I’m not a big coffee drinker (caffeine, am I right?), I appreciate a good cup of coffee or fancy coffee drink. So, I convinced my friend, another avid non-coffee drinker, to accompany me. It was pure caffeinated fun. Instead of having to visit different cafes around the city, the local roasters (and then some) came to us! There were all-you-can-drink coffee tastings and lots of giveaways. Also exciting: treats, giant Bodum coffee presses, futuristic looking coffee makers, alternative milk samples, … Plus: coffee liqueur bevvies, a photobooth, latte art demos, doughnuts, tea! Check out my haul! Our goody bags came with a New York Coffee Guide. I’m already planning my next adventure to the city. Have you coffee shop hopped around New York? Share your favorite spots below! Featured image photo credit: Lenniebelle E.

Etsy HQ.

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Is craft greeking out a thing? I was so excited to snag a tour at Etsy HQ in Brooklyn. I’ve heard wonderful things about their office space and had to see it for myself. Much of the furniture and wall art was made by Etsy sellers – some pieces commissioned for the office, other pieces made by some of the staff. I brought my own photo props (kekeke) / a small gift for our hostess – Kathryn! Yay! Most of the office space is open (i.e., no cubicles) and there are lots of community spaces to work. Once a week they all have lunch together, too – a gathering they call Eatsy. I particularly like their fun seating like this hanging egg chair.   There’s a little herb garden and amazing rooftop views of the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan. Other fun features included kombucha on tap, a plaque designating the space a zero-emissions building, and a free photobooth! Also, I thought this was a nice touch — you can give feedback on your day when you …

the confetti project. 

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When in New York, do a confetti photoshoot! One of the things I really enjoyed in New York was the pop-up culture. There was ‘something going on’ every day, but only for a short time! One of those things: the Confetti Project photo sessions at Artists & Fleas in SoHo. Jelena Aleksich, visionary and photographer behind the Confetti Project, creates colorful, safe, inspirational spaces for people to celebrate and be. Before each photography session she asks about what you are celebrating in your life, and then you do you amidst the confetti – all ten pounds of it! Plus, you get a personal confetti tosser. You are free to express any emotion as you toss or sprinkle confetti, dance or jump in confetti rain, make confetti angels… My friend of 29 years and I took this trip together, and as we were planning our vacation I hadn’t really thought about the why, but the what. What should we eat? What should we see? But the why is always much more interesting. This trip was really about being …

NYC sunrise.

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One of the highlights from my New York trip was waking up super early to watch sunrise on the Brooklyn Bridge. We never really got used to east coast time so we had fallen asleep around 3am that morning and woke up around 5:30am to get ready. On just a couple of hours of sleep, we took the subway to the Manhattan side of the bridge and walked towards Brooklyn, taking all the photos along the way. The bridge is just over one mile long. There were only a handful of walkers, runners, and cyclists which made it easy to stop for pictures every two seconds. Once we reached Brooklyn, we jumped back on the subway and headed to Manhattan to get some New York bagels…and then to take a nap! I think I’ve only ever seen sunrise three-ish times in my life — Once in the Philippines while taking a morning beach jog, once on a boat in the San Francisco Bay when my husband swam from Alcatraz, and another time in Lake Tahoe …