All posts tagged: california

quick trip: lake tahoe.

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Here’s a throwback Thursday post if I ever met one. Before the craft show marathon I got to meet up with my parents for a quick weekend getaway. Here’s a 24-hour guide to Lake Tahoe! Visit Tahoe City. Enjoy shops, foods, and lake views. On our stroll I spotted a couple of cute boutiques. I visited a home goods store – Pineapple. Plus a handmade gift shop – Tahoe Trunk Show. They carry items made by California and Nevada makers. We headed down to the lake for waterside photoshoots and serene scenes. For lunch, we enjoyed sushi at Tahoe City Sushi. They served us free sake! And we found the Ursa Mater, bear of pennies! This piece is on display now thru July 31, 2019. Go be fancy. In the evening, we lounged at the Ritz-Carlton because my parents are fancy. What’s nice is that the hotel is non-guest and family friendly. Outside, there’s bocce, views of the slopes, horseshoes, and fire pits; and inside, lots of seating for gathering with friends. We had dinner at …

tennis tuesday: sectionals.

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This week on Tennis Tuesday: Sectionals! Sectionals were held at a few locations in the Monterey Bay Area. We hadn’t been in the area in a few years so we were excited for tennis and to do some exploring in between matches. Hubby and co played at Chamisal Tennis Club in Salinas and at the Carmel Valley Athletic Club in Carmel. Chamisal had a ‘by the water’ feel; I admired all of their landscaping and spectator seating areas (including the lawn where you could view up to four matches at once). Carmel Valley Athletic Club felt more ‘woodsy’ – like a log cabin in Tahoe feel and they had signs throughout the facility that said ‘members only’ – basically ‘keep out.’ I preferred hanging out at Chamisal; I felt more welcomed there. Also, Chamisal had really good fries in their cafe (so good we ate them twice…) and better-at-their-job tennis officials. Chamisal for the win! 😉 Like Districts, there were four matches in three days. Competition was tough, but this made for some exciting matches! …

lavender festival.

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If you’re a fan of lavender, I highly recommend the Lavender Festival in Cherry Valley. It’s not a U-Pick type of experience (which is something else on my list of funs to do!), but it’s an immersive lavender experience.There’s shopping, music, hay rides, crafts, food…plus, it doesn’t get ridiculously crowded so you can enjoy in a relaxed setting. This year I went with my sister, niece, and nephews.Food First things first, there was so many lavender-inspired foods and beverages. It was warm out so we tried the lavender lemonade, iced tea, and ice cream. I wished we were hungrier because then we could have also tried the lavender cheesecake and beef brisket (yes, beef brisket!). Also, they have an afternoon tea and a sit-down farm to table dinner that I would have loved to be a part of. Next time!Shopping The farm has an extensive line of lavender projects for sale. They also invited a few local makers to vend. You name it and they probably infused lavender into it – tea, lotions, honey, face …

shop feature: ana apple.

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Yay for me! I attended a conference near Old Sacramento so I got to pop into the Ana Apple shop afterwards. I met Samantha. She’s in charge of the awesome events and works the shop, too. Oh what fun! We posed for some snaps with Janie XY toys in tow. I got a special tour, too! The front space is the main shop, the back has the Greenhouse studio and maker space, and the back-back is the Apple Core, where all the Ana Apple products are made. So many cute things here: Baby and toddler gear for your super hip babe, plus plush toys, crocheted rattles, teething jewelry, teepees, and totes. I didn’t want to leave! See you again soon, Ana Apple!

minimoon adventures: glen alpine falls.

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More minimoon adventures in Tahoe! There was so much to see, and even though we had vacationed here before, we still discovered new sites on this trip. On our last day, we wanted to check out Fallen Leaf Lake. We drove through miles of forest, but couldn’t find the public park/beach area. The lake was surrounded with homes and lots of “Private Parking” signs. We found out later that you have to park somewhat far and walk over. Perhaps we can try this on our next visit. In any case, we got to enjoy the view of Fallen Leaf Lake from the car. 😉 And because we kept on driving, we stumbled upon Glen Alpine Falls which was even more exciting! Again, springtime means snowmelt which means waterfalls! Glen Alpine is big, loud, and gorgeous! The homes nearby must have some great soundproofing. There were beautiful rocks and trees, too. It was a great place to just sit and enjoy the view. Have you stumbled upon a great view lately? Share your discoveries below!

minimoon adventures: sunset.

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What’s just as lovely as sunrise? Sunset! Pick a spot on the east-ish part of Lake Tahoe for beautiful sunset views, and always pack a blanket and mat for instant warmth and seating.😊 For Sunset #1 we headed to Lakeside Beach. The view was cloudy but the lighting was amazing. For Sunset #2 we caught the tail end of light at El Dorado Beach. Again, loving all the silhouettes and sky colors. Good night!

minimoon adventures: basecamp.

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Basecamp! This was the perfect boutique hotel to stay at during our short minimoon adventure. We arrived much later than expected (way past check-in time), but the front desk was eager to welcome us. Our room was nice and toasty! And I absolutely loved the bed backdrop. We actually got some exploration ideas from the map. The hotel also equipped us with a pocket guide filled with adventure ideas. Since most of the previous few weeks were filled with wedding prep, I hadn’t had time to plan much for our minimoon. The pocket guide was super helpful! Amenities at Basecamp are minimal, but complete. Shampoo, conditioner and body wash in clean scents, soap and lotion (the lotion was amazing in keeping my skin hydrated in the cold, dry climate). And the decor was also simple, but brilliant. During peak season, I imagine the hotel is filled and there’s a lot more mingling with your fellow vacationers. Since we were there in the off season it almost felt like a private getaway. Breakfast was included with our stay. It …

california love.

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A lot of people seem to have a theme for their wedding and I never really thought of having one for ours until we started making all of our wedding crafts. The Hubs and I were both born and raised in California, we met at Cal (Berkeley), and our love is California grown, so California Love seemed most appropriate. Plus, I love all things heart shaped. Here’s a peak at our wedding favors: laser cut California bottle openers with a tiny heart in the Bay Area. I wish I could take credit for making these, but I actually found them on Etsy. When I came across the California bottle openers I got super excited. What was even more exciting is that the maker – Julian of Sheety Metal Gifts – is based in our city of residence. If I wasn’t making it myself, supporting handmade businesses was an important element I wanted for our wedding. Here are the bottle openers fresh after the laser cutting stage. After cutting, the little Californias went into the metal tumbler for polishing. …

shop feature: littlefour 

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Nestled in the Barlow district in Sebastopol, Little Four is the cutest little shop with all the lovely things.    Shop owner and maker Danielle runs the place. She has put together a lovely assortment of handcrafted goods. Tea towels printed with paper cut art designs, artisanal chocolates, refurbished lamps, greeting cards and art prints, all the things! Danielle designs and makes women’s and children’s clothing, too. Check out all the goods in her shop & studio.  Have you checked out some fun shops lately? Share your handmade finds below!  PS I visited for a pop-up shop last month and brought Danielle a custom pennant for the shop. See if you can spot it in store! 🙂 

bike shoot.

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The FeyoncĂŠ and I entered a bike photo contest sponsored by Whole Foods Marin and Mike’s Bikes. The challenge was to post your best cycling photo in Marin County. Naturally, we had a photo shoot. It was a great reason to go outdoors and explore on a semi-rainy day. Yay adventures! FeyoncĂŠ was the star; I was the photographer/support crew. We drove up to the Mt. Tamalpais area, stopping every now and then for photos. Here are some of my favorite shots from the day.   I ended up entering a photo from a previous bike adventure together…and I won!! My caption: He lets me pretend we’re a peloton. Adventures and silliness since 2008. 💕🚴🚴  #fuelmarincycling @mikes_bikes and @wholefoodsmarketmarin – We’re getting married next month! Help us get more bike gear and nutrition for our bike touring honeymoon! 😉😘😎 A huge shout out to Mike’s Bikes and Whole Foods Marin for the feature and prizes! We can’t wait to use our gift cards to get some fun gear and yummy energies for our minimoon bike adventures! Where …