Anthropologie .... what, what!

We don't have an Anthropologie store in our town, the nearest is about an hour and a half away so whenever I am in a city that has one I do my best to make a trip there.  Now, as much as I would like to scoop up the vast majority of the store's contents, that is just not in this ladies budget.  But, I do love to wander through the home goods section of the store and admire how well they style spaces.  Most recently, when we were in Monterey I took a couple of snapshots to file as "future inspiration".

I love the wall mounted shelves and the furniture turned kitchen station.

Don't you love this bench?  It looks like a pretty simple diy project and it would match my coffee bag art.

They have some of the prettiest & unique bed linens.

This one is a little blurry but don't you just love the owl cook jars?

California Part 2

So on our recent trip to California we spent a couple of days in San Francisco.  I love San Francisco, it's such a unique city with so much to offer that I never feel like I've seen all there is to see there even though we have been lucky enough to visit a handful of times.  I didn't take many pics while we were there because I was too busy eating to be bothered with taking a photo.  

The first night we were there we went Public Works, they have teamed up with Forage SF  to host events every so often where local food entrepreneurs can present their food to the public without having the cost and overhead of a restaurant space.  It was amazing!  Foods from all different genres, amazing music and great prices.  My favorite was the sandwich from Rice Paper Scissors.... it was delicious.  

image via

Our time in SF was mostly spent eating and one night we decided we were going to get ice cream before we ate dinner.  We went to Mitchell's and let me tell you that was some good stuff.  We also heard good things about the ice cream at Bi-Rite and Smitten.  Obviously, the time limited our ability to ice cream sample our way through San Fran but we have a good working list of what to try next time.

One morning we ventured to the Mission District to eat (imagine that) brunch at the Front Porch Restaurant. I would call it Southern fusion and it was mighty tasty.  Living in the south I have pretty high standards of what "southern cuisine" should taste like and I have to say I was a bit skeptical but these people don't mess around and the obviously know what they are doing.  Plus, they have beignets and if a restaurant has beignets they are automatically awesome in my book.

Cushions are getting covered folks

Covering cushions on a bench or chair is a fairly simple thing to do and can make a huge impact to a space.  I recently had a friend ask if I could re-cover the cushions she had on her chairs at her kitchen table and I was happy to oblige.  All you need is:

Quality scissors (to best insure a straight line and limited fraying)
Staple Gun
Staples (obviously but thought I would share)
Fabric of your choice & cushions

Outdoor fabric is great because it's extra durable and for a space like a kitchen table it will get it's usage.  Also, i recommend treating it with a scotch guard or similar treatment to help keep stains at bay.

Here's some pics to walk you through.  Enjoy!!!

 Step 1: Cut fabric to correct size, I like at least  2 inches excess on each side to assure the space to pull it tight enough.

Step 2:  Begin by stapling in the middle of the side you start on and I move from either side after to ensure it stays centered.

Step 3:  Repeat on all four sides and corners.

Step 4:  Once complete, trim off the excessive fabric, hammer in any staples if needed and voila!

Bench Seats

So Paul and I have been doing some serious contemplating about changing some things around in the dining area.  Right now we just have a simple little table that seats four and a pie-safe for storage.  The space is small and we are trying to ensure we optimize it as much as possible.  We think adding a bench seat area, utilizing the little weird half wall we have in the space and reconfiguring some things would allow us more seating and storage.  Here a few inspirations we are pulling from to design the project.

1/2/3/4/5

I think I prefer the closed storage option just to keep things as uncluttered as possible and I know it's somewhat informal for a "dining" room but the open floor plan of our home doesn't really warrant formality.  What do you think, yes or no on the bench seating?

California Part 1

So, Paul and I are completely blessed to have family that live in some of the prettiest, coolest places in the country.  We made our way for our annual visit to San Francisco and Monterey a couple of weeks ago and wanted to share some photos with you fine folks.

We spent the majority of our time in Monterey, which is considered the central coast of California.  It is truly one of the prettiest places I have ever been.  When we are there we always make a quick little trip to Carmel  by the Sea.  It is an absolutely adorable little town and filled with fantastic restaurants and stores to boot.

We had lunch at Casanova Restaurant one day, and let me tell you it did not disappoint.  It's a cute little building, kind of off the beat and path of the main drag and it is some kind of good.

Lavender for sale outside of Casanova

Table for two inside of Casanova (how cute is this place?)

We also took a day trip just south to Big Sur.  I love Big Sur, it's stunningly beautiful to witness and pictures can't really do it justice.  We had lunch at Ventana, it's and Inn (never stayed there) but they also have a fabulous restaurant with stunning views overlooking the ocean.  Another great place we've eaten at while visiting Big Sur in the past is Post Ranch Inn.  Also great views, wonderful food and great service.

One of the many gorgeous views of Big Sur from Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

 Wine room at Ventana....nuff said

We also took a little journey down 17 Mile Drive in Pebble Beach, it's filled with little stops along the way to admire the beauty that is the west coast.  It's a fairly touristy thing to do, but it's beautiful.

So that's it for now, I will be sure to share some more pics and places in SF.

back from california

Well, my body is  back on the east coast but my brain is still on west coast time.  It's been a slow start to the week and I am thoroughly looking forward to catching up on some things this weekend.  I will share some pics and places with you all soon about our trip but in the meantime please enjoy this pretty picture taken in Big Sur.  It's a beautiful world we live in...