Calligraphy with Maybelle

Woohoo- I loved last night's calligraphy class with Maybelle Imasa-Stukuls! I've been wanting to learn calligraphy for as long as I can remember! I've loved Maybelle's work since I saw it in Martha Stewart Weddings 10 years ago. Maybelle has taught a few workshops in San Francisco, but I was super thrilled that last night's class was at Twin Soul Art Studio in downtown Los Gatos, which is just a short drive away! 

In a previous life, I did a lot of envelope addressing for my invitation clients (you can check out my handwriting here). I've always loved mail, handwriting, and vintage stamps, so calligraphy was always a natural next step. I have to admit I have never liked my cursive handwriting, so I was a bit reluctant to try calligraphy. I included "Take a calligraphy class" on my Life List (#8!!) as well as this year's Goals and Ideas list! Maybelle is one of my very favorite calligraphers so I feel super lucky that she's out-and-about teaching workshops! Using nibs under Maybelle's guidance was really fun and my handwriting wasn't as bad as I thought it would be! She even made us a personalized ink and pen holder! We got lots of practice paper, extra ink, and a sweet practice notebook. Here are a few photos from last night's class. 

Singing for the New Year

I crossed off #45 on my Life List, y'all! On New Year's Eve. While wearing yoga pants. It was a lot of fun, but I'm glad it was just one song :) It was a great way to end to the year. And because I crossed off a Life List item, I didn't feel bad that I was in bed by 10pm (our boy, while super cute and sweet, is an early riser!). Thanks to my brother, Alan, for taking the photo below. And thanks to my awesome husband for letting me sing along with his band :)

Steep Ravine Cabins, Mt. Tam

I wrote about these cabins over 2 years ago (blog post link) and they've been on my Life List since! Ten lovely little cabins sit high above the beach in Mount Tamalpais State Park, north of San Francisco and a stone's throw south of Stinson Beach. They're a bargain at $100 per night! It's hard to find info on these little gems... official site and 3 reviews from TripAdvisor.

Steep Ravine is really one of the most amazing places I've been. My friend Meghan has been talking about it for awhile (she and her family go a few times per year!) so we finally made our reservations last spring to go for a few days in October. The cabins are in high demand; reservations open up 7 months in advance. Book December 1 at 8am for June 2013. The cabins don't have bathrooms, electricity, or running water. There's a sweet wood-burning stove to keep warm (they sell firewood there). And the views are so amazing, you won't miss the modern luxuries. Bathrooms are just a short walk away. And you'll be glad to know there's good cell reception, so you can still post pics to Instagram (mine are here, here, and here). We ate breakfast every morning in Stinson Beach and had great picnics and shared meals with our pals. Meghan and her parents even prepared oysters and steak for dinner! Hooray for Hog Island Oyster (a short, but windy drive up Highway 1) and a grill next to each cabin!

Click HERE to reserve the adventure that will change your life -or at least make you really happy :) Here are a few favorite photos from our adventure!

Camp Mighty Photos: Day One

It's barely begun and I already feel so blessed to be here at the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs. Although Camp Mighty has come at a bad time on the home front (my husband is in the hospital, recovering from surgery), I couldn't be happier to be here. Camp Mighty is such a lively and lovely community. And Smilebooth is here- yay!!

I've already met a book publisher, a letterpress gal who just ran (and WON) a 100 mile race in India, and a super rad female exec at Facebook (who also lives in an Eichler!)... among others! Here are a few top fave photos from my day. I can't wait for tomorrow! Thanks to Bing for having us!