Happy Anniversary: 3 Years

Right now, my sweet husband is presumably reading stories to our 3 year boy while I sit in a coffee shop to hammer out some work. He's basically and absolutely the best thing that has ever happened to me. He's kind and honest, devastatingly handsome, and does the dishes & laundry (he's actually way tidier than I am- what a find!!).

We recently celebrated our 3 year anniversary (I'll save you the math… we got married after our son was born) and he surprised me with the coolest anniversary present: yellow leather shoes from Camper. 3rd anniversaries are celebrated with leather gifts. Full list of traditional & modern anniversary gift can be found here. Note: the modern ones seem full-on ridiculous to me (diamonds are suggested on the 10th anniversary on the modern list, compared to 60th anniversary on the traditional list). 

Aren't these shoes rad?! He picked them out himself, because he's smart & stylish, too. I love them to pieces and our son calls them my "fancy shoes." Here are a few photos of them. 

Chris, I hope the boy goes to bed without giving you any gruff. Thanks for letting me have a little evening escape. You rule. I'll be home shortly.

 

 

Handmade Etsy Summer Beach Trip

Oh, I can't even believe how excited I am for my beach trip next month. It's the first beach trip since our son was born and we're going with a few other families. Did you see the photo of our house!?

I've seen a few beautiful round-ups on other blogs that feature beach round ups. I love shopping at J. Crew, Madewell & Anthro as much as the next gal, but there is something so much more special and unique about handmade goodness (no sweatshops or big company guilt is a major bonus)! To celebrate my beach week, I'veI searched Etsy high and low to find all these summer hits for your buying ease. Let me just say that finding a tasteful, hip bathing suit was darn near impossible; I was thrilled when I found this gem of a bathing suit from Athens, Greece. Some of my picks are from the US, others from faraway as Greece and Australia. And these are handmade! Not vintage or re-purposed.  I'm so excited to share all my finds with you. I'm just crazy about the rings from A Merry Mishap and that rad hat from Bonnie's Knitting! What's on your wishlist?? 

My favorite books for summer reading? Field-Tested Books by Coudal Partners, Dallas Clayton's An Awesome Book & Gretchen Rubin's Happiness Project. Dig it (links aren't to Amazon)

Links to all of the Etsy shops: Swim Suit, Leather Sandals, Striped Hammock, Summer Dress, Waxed Canvas Backpack, Sunhat, Play Tent, Rings, Poster, Reversible Quilt, Cribbage, Turkish Towel. <<<Links to specific items on Etsy change when the item is purchased. I've therefore linked to the shop and not the featured item>>>

Heath Ceramics Open Studios

It's no secret I love Heath Ceramics! They're the coolest ceramic tile and tableware and they're right here in the Bay Area- handmade since 1948! We used their tile for our kitchen backsplash and we love it! 

They are having an Open Studio event this weekend and if you're close to Sausalito, CA or Los Angeles, go go go! They're having a factory, including a behind the scenes look at their collaboration with the super rad, Alabama Chanin (I wrote about their work pre-Heath Collaboration HERE). And here's a major bonus- a free  Photo Booth from 12-3pm on Sunday in Sausalito. They'll also have a free photobooth in LA, too! Rock this- it's going to be awesome!

Also- if you're not in the Bay Area or LA, you can still join in on the fun! You faraway folks get 10% off online purchases + free ground shipping ($100 or more in US). Just use code: myopenstudio when you checkout! 

Here are a few photos from our trip to the factory a few months ago. 

Happy Heath Weekend! 

 

 

Design*Sponge Newspaper & General Store

When Grace at Design*Sponge announced the distribution list for their premier newspaper, I was thrilled to see the General Store on the list! It's a lovely little shop near the ocean selling the perfect balance of new things for the home and clever vintage finds. I happily hopped in my car and headed out to the Outer Sunset. My step-dad was visiting and I was lucky that he and my son could stay home and play while I had a bit of time to myself. Usually 'alone time' consists of going to the market and an occasional movie, so this was a real treat (file under "first world problems," for sure!!). Since my last visit they've completed their backyard area! It's adorable and even has a little shed with plants. I scooped up this amazing vintage green backpack and my D*S newspaper and drove home. 

I was happy to climb into bed early on Friday night to read my newspaper. What a gem! And super great to see Design*Sponge in print! I loved all the DIY ideas! Well done, team D*S!! I look forward to seeing the next one hopefully in the fall! I took a few photos while I was there... hope you like them.