a cozy challenge

Spied these cozy sweater throw pillows in my fall West Elm. My heart instantly melted...they're the definition of homey comfort. And as I sat craving them for my couch, the DIY alarm sounded in my head:

Ladies, let us hit the thrift stores and dig through our closets, find some forlorn old sweaters, dust off our sewing machines, and have our very own sweater pillows to cozy up our couches by October. I bet we can make something equally enticing and for even less money. Are you in?

at last...

A bike to call my own. My new K2 road/mountain hybrid bike is perfect for casual/recreational me. I brought him home on Sunday--my first set of two wheels since saying goodbye to an old friend before moving last year. {Yeah, the previous bike would not have made it more than 3 feet up these San Francisco hills!} I finally have a bike to ride to work and across the GG bridge on bright sunny days. I'm really digging its sturdy design and its champagne metallic paint job. It fits me like a glove.

sunday picnic

Yesterday was our church's annual Sunday picnic in the park. Not surprisingly, we had a gorgeous afternoon to celebrate! I had a blast coming up with some ultra-simple but cheerful decorations for the occasion: Clusters of bright golden sunflowers in low rectangular vases for each table's centerpiece. Plus, I'd been dying to decorate with some of these pretty paper flowers from Martha Stewart Crafts. (I've been seeing them everywhere!) The paper flowers were a cinch to assemble and hang in the bushes surrounding the picnic area.

bed in the head

Man, I'm in love with this darling little Madeline bed from PB kids. I just can't stop thinking about it and its lines and its little flower motif. The only problem is that I don't have a 6-year old girl to put in it. Now where oh where can I find a more grown-up version, with wood finish, to put this 23-year old girl and her husband?

white

I never knew how much I loved orchids until Jeff brought this stem of white blooms home for me. (I love him 1. for bringing me flowers 2.for being more creative than red roses + babies breath and 3. for bringing me flowers for no reason.) White is definitely my most favorite color. Ever.

i letterpress!

Let me begin by saying that those who are less crazy/craft savvy and/or haven't seen/heard of the magic of letterpress printing, be not ashamed. Click here to get the 411 compliments of Wiki.

I was finally able to attend a coveted letterpress class at San Francisco Center for the Book last week. After one 8-hour day, I'm two levels and endless hours away from being able to print my very own fine stationery, but had a wonderful experience jumping into something new and just getting my feet wet...or my hands inked. Together, our class created a mini book of an exquisite corpse--the Surrealists fancy term for a random collection of phrases, joined together by the last word of each person's writing.

I loved choosing each font and typesetting each tiny metal letter. I loved learning how to mix inks and roll the paper through the press (what a rush!). And I love, love the finished product, the smooth impression that each image makes in the page. I'm officially saving funds & clearing my schedule for the next class!

survival skills

We had such a blast camping at Mt. Tamalpais this weekend! I never realized how much work it is to plan & pack for a few nights in the great outdoors. We're not the hard core outdoorsy type and we'd never before gone camping as just the two of us, so there were plenty of supplies we had to purchase beforehand. We found some great deals on quality Coleman & Eddie Bauer gear at Target. Cheaper, that is, than REI. My absolute favorite piece of equipment: our new propane stove. For me, this was and always will be a must. The hardest part of the trip was figuring out all of the meals and supplies necessary for making said meals. My friend Becca is the ultimate outdoor-gourmet aficionado and I definitely needed to channel my inner Becca to get my grocery list beyond the hot dogs. Um, well, I'll be honest...I called her and whined about it. But in the end, we didn't starve. In fact, we arrived home with a cooler full of lefties (leftovers). I made this ravioli + ragu one night and it was tast-y and definitely share-worthy. The delicious factor definitely lies in the fresh rosemary and tomatoes.

Things I've learned while camping:
1. The great outdoors makes food taste so much better
2. All of the work + play involved in camping makes you really hungry
3. Just because you are camping doesn't mean your meals are restricted to roasting hot dogs on a stick. Sticks are made for kabobs and marshmallows. And those foods are a must.

fields of gold

Just one of the many exquisite, sweeping views we had on our camping trip+10 mile hike atop Mt. Tamalpais this weekend. Despite the hazy, fair air quality (yes, I could sense the smoke from wildfires miles and miles away), we had some amazing views of San Francisco, Point Reyes, Marin, + the Pacific. Yesterday afternoon, we hiked from campsite all the way down the mountain to Stinson Beach. The trail wound through golden grasslands and dozens of switchbacks through lush Redwood forests. Pretty amazing. The most magical part was stepping out of the forest and into the cute little coastal village of Stinson Beach at the very bottom. It was so warm and perfect on the beach! We dug our feet in the sand and shared a banana split from a nearby ice cream shop. Talk about blissing out. The journey back was not quite as romantic: 4.2 vertical miles back up the mountain. I tried hard not to complain, knowing my thighs would thank me for the work out in the long run...

who i saw on my summer vacation

Half of our splendid 2-week vacation was spent at Jeff's family reunion--up north at a beautiful lake resort. We're pretty blessed to be a part of a family that has perfected the art of getting together. Seriously. These people know how it's done.

We spent our days swimming, fishing, water skiing, and reading Real Simple magazines in lawn chairs (well, maybe that was just me & my sil Jenny)...we congregated every evening at 5pm for mandatory cocktail hour, then indulged in some ridiculously tasty meals that each core fam took turns preparing. We stayed up late playing carpet ball & air hockey in the lodge, debating foreign policy, and roasting s'mores at the campfire. Then we woke up early the next morning to make breakfasts together and do it all over again. We even snuck in some mini golf and go-carting before we left the great up-north. {Sigh} how I love family time + Northern Minnesota.

One night Jeff did a little photo shoot for everybody. I could've gone (even more) crazy with posting all of the pics, and I really wish I could've written a bio on everyone...But to be realistic I had to narrow it down to just the fun ones and my absolute favs:

These are the Horrillos. They live in California. :)Jeff's dad (far left) + his sibs and mom

Jeff's sister Jenny + her b.f. Luke. Pretty much the cutest couple on earth. At one point in time, his hair was longer than hers. {Don't get me wrong, I worship Luke's hair.}

These are the Ludvigsons. They planned the whole thing!
These are the Lillos. Aren't candid family pics the best?
I love these innocent faces. :)

This is Jeff's sister Heather + husband Justin. They're completely lovey-dovey and adorable. It's no surprise that they won the Newlywed game by a landslide.
And even though it was a fabulous treat to see everyone, cutie baby Chelsea easily stole the show!

little cottage on the prairie

While home in MN, my mom & I had a girls' date with our friend Kathy at the Amboy Cottage Cafe--the quintessential charming small-town cafe. I'd never been, and after having been, I'm completely in love. Walking in, you'll find a single cozy room filled with eclectic wooden tables & chairs. The walls are covered with pictures, antique linens, & nic-nacs for sale. Of course the place is family owned and everything is fabulously delicious, wholesome, made from scratch, local, organic, you get the picture. I tried an amazing pineapple chicken salad with raspberry iced tea and perfect bread pudding for dessert. Oh, and did I mention that they serve everything in the cutest way imaginable--on mix-matched antique china? I wish I could go back every day. Cheerful little arrangements on the center of each table. All of the flowers are grown in the garden out back.
A wall of handmade ceramic mugs...Each has the name of a community member who donated at least $100 to get the place up and running. Now these people enjoy complimentary coffee in their personalized mug every time they stop in!
When in rural MN, this place is a must. Ugh, I know it's totally dorky that my mom & I coincidentally dressed so matchy-matchy. ;)

back at it

It's been far, far, too long. We had the most perfect 2-week vacation home to Minnesota. We got to see so many dear friends & fam and had an entire summer's worth of fun (no jokes). We've been back for a week already, and suddenly it all seems so very long ago. Crazy busy-ness of a more-than-I-can-explain nature has kept me away from posting. But no worries, I'm back in action and I've got much to share! Here are just a few of my snaps: