All posts tagged: vacation

home.

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Do you ever have those projects that you tuck away and then put off finishing for…forever? My seashell project was one of those projects. I started in 2014 and finally finished over the long weekend. So excited to share! During my last trip to the Philippines in 2009, I collected seashells on all the beaches with my Mom. I had no intention of using them to create an art piece; I just wanted to collect them because pretty. Then in 2014 I ended up designing a project for Darby Smart, which at the time was craft supply company and DIY resource page. My project was a wooden letter covered in seashells and pearl beads. I found the letters at Michaels, and used hot glue to attach the shells and beads. I wanted to spell the word “HOME” but I didn’t have enough seashells. So the tutorial was just an H, and my project was stored away until the next time I could collect more seashells. I haven’t been back to the Philippines since 2009 but …

landmarks of DC.

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In addition to touring gardens, I did some touristing to national monuments and historic sites! Everywhere you look there’s a piece of history and a story. I enjoyed walking everywhere because you could stop and discover places and hidden gems. Apple Carnegie Library Logan Circle Park Major General George Henry Thomas Statue U.S Department of the Treasury The White House and the National Christmas Tree Pershing Park / John J. Pershing General of the Armies Dupont Circle Fountain Lafayette Square / Major General Marquis Gilbert de Lafayette Statue United States Capitol World War II Memorial Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and Washington Monument Famous Homes: John Logan House, Richard and Agnes Dolph Nixon’s Home, House Where Lincoln Died, Duke Ellington’s Childhood Home Chinatown Friendship Archway National Museum of African American History and Culture United States Department of Agriculture From the road – Thomas Jefferson Memorial and Potomac River Have you been to DC? What are some of your must see historic sites?

moxy.

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I had big dreams for our last day in Japan, but let’s face it – we were so tired from all the non-stop adventuring. Plus, we arranged to stay in a fun hotel on our last night in Tokyo and all I wanted to do was hang out there! First off, they let us check in early – yessss, more time for relaxing. This room was my favorite out of all the places we stayed in Japan. It reminded me of Basecamp in South Lake Tahoe. The bed was so comfy, and we got two pillows each – every where else gave us one tiny pillow each. The style minimalist, but way cute, and a lovely light shined in. Also, I finally got to watch some Japan TV. The best part though – the bed has a built-in night light that senses when you get up when it’s dark. It lights up at the foot of the bed and then automatically shuts off. Gimme one of those! When there is foosball, we play! I love …

bike | bloom

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This is a simple post. It’s about Tokyo bikes and flowers. We visited in the Springtime so all the blooms were majorly beautiful, and I was fascinated by all the bikes parked outside without locks (it’s honest there). Here are a few snaps from our stroll through Taito City and Sumida City in Tokyo. Enjoy. Shoutout to the simple things in life! Do you stop to photograph flowers, too? 🙂

bamboo.

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One of my favorite outings in Japan was our Arishiyama adventure day! We got up early to visit the famous Bamboo Grove! There is the main path with crazy tall bamboo – the one that is highly photographed. I wonder how old the bamboo is here. It seems they preserve a lot of the bamboo grove, but there are also areas where they grow and harvest the bamboo for building and craft material. We took our time taking it all in; it was so peaceful. You know us and crowds though – we left as soon as it got hard to take a photo without a photobomber. But not before having a panda photoshoot. 🙂 Ahh, where do you like to explore on vacay? In the natures? Share below!

oh hi.

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En route to Craftcation I pit stopped in Ojai for total fangirl moments! This was only my second time ever driving from Northern to Southern California on my own and my first time taking the ‘back freeway’ to Ojai – what an adventure! I almost drove the whole way non-stop, except I saw a vista and stopped for a photo. 🙂 When I finally made it to Ojai, I had three stops on my list (besides gas and a potty break!). First stop: Summer Camp. This store is so fun! I love that it’s filled with wanderlust goods (gimme all the things) and items made locally, I love the mural out back and the cacti that surround the grounds, and I love that this spot used to be a gas station (it still has the structure). Oh, oh, and I love that Ojai pun “oh hi.” I picked up one of their oh hi sweaters, plus a card and a locally made rope basket. Eee! My second stop was the Farmer and the Cook for …

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 …

nearcation’s all I ever wanted.

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For our second wedding anniversary, Hubs and I planned an almost 24-hour nearcation adventure across the Bay in San Francisco. Since we thoroughly enjoyed last year’s SF nearcation, and there is so much to see, do, and eat in the City, we decided to do it again. Plus, we lazy and didn’t want to drive or fly far away. 😉 This time, we stayed at Hotel Nikko. I love the art in the rooms and throughout the hotel, and the squishy beds, and the touch pad on the nightstand that welcomes you by name. They have the most amazing line of bath products, too; the custom scent is bamboo lavender, but to me it has notes of chai spices which I love. Also, I’m into the separate stand up shower and bath options. Note to self for future home. The hotel sits between Union Square and the Tenderloin. I made sure we stopped to see some of the mural art nearby. A lot of the ones I wanted to spot were either painted over or …

only in new york.

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Five days and four nights in a city that never sleeps with one of my favorite people! We logged more than 26 miles by foot, ate everything we saw, and soaked in all the sites. Here are some highlights from our New York adventure! Eee, can’t wait to go back and explore more! Filter by #erinbelledoesnewyork for all my NYC adventures!

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 …