Relax. You're In Maine.

That's Maine's tourism tagline. And it really is true. I had never been to Maine before recently, and I fell deeply in love with the state. The people are lovely and nice and its landscape is wild and stunning. Plus, it feels like a frontier state - just on the opposite coast. And, they have amazing coffee everywhere. And, that coffee is cheap. And hello, home of whoopie pies. You are now my favorite state, Maine. I hope I get to visit you again soon.




Here are some snaps from a foggy day in Wiscasset, a tiny coastal town with lots of lobster shacks, an amazing bakery and chic design store. I'll post Acadia pictures tomorrow.

Pink and Orange and Green

All favorite colors, of course. This is from a wedding I did in early June at a restaurant in San Francisco. I loved how cheery and happy the flowers looked! Peonies, dahlias, poppy pods, scabiosa pods and more.



Somehow I neglected to take a picture of the bouquet, which was gorgeous and full of ivory garden roses, peonies and more...I wanted to eat it.

Feeling Happy-Go-Lucky

Three clear, mild nights in San Francisco.

Vivid dark skies tinged with red, a bright slice of moon, cotton sundresses and cashmere cardigans.

It hurts, my friends

What hurts, you ask? Mainly, that I have passed 32 years on this earth without visiting Nantucket until now. What exactly have I been doing, I ask myself?

So, it is the cutest, most pristine, precious island ever. Not cutesy, mind you, just beautiful in its wild landscape and simple but perfect houses. I am obsessed. We rented bikes one day and had delicious food every day. We stayed at the lovely Jared Coffin House and our room had the loveliest, most romantic pale green wallpaper (pictured). I never wanted to check out.

You should go. Now.

P.S. Yellow door!!!

Feeling Happy-Go-Lucky

Mama deer. Not pictured: the cutest ever baby deer, who hopped like a rabbit. Next to the Parkside Cafe, in my favorite place, Stinson Beach. Um, adorable deer, delicious brunch and body boarding????? ALL IN ONE PLACE?

At or Around the Laundromat

His and hers converse, the Bear Flag, a bright blue sky, some flyers. And yes, a capital dose of boredom as evidenced by the 78 pictures I took.

Goofy Cat Tries to Snuggle Plant...

and exposes his fang in the snuggling.

The Laziness Confession

I used to be incredibly neat and organized. No, I never ironed my sheets, Julie, but I spent a decent amount of time making sure I lived in a clean, clutter-free home. Clutter makes me feel anxious. Dirt makes me feel yucky.

Anxiety might be why I am writing this post. My house is a mess, and it feels like it has been for months. It's a small SF apartment and I have two cameras, including my giant DSLR, who seem to have found a perm home on my console table. Junk mail is on at least four different surfaces that I can see from the kitchen (also living / dining / TV room) table...and I just cannot get the willpower to tackle it anymore.

Mostly I just want to go to the beach.

And yes, it does matter, because clutter (see above as to how it makes me feel).

Also, sometimes I change what I am writing in this blog so that I don't have to code an HTML link. How lazy is that?

Does anyone have any inspiring tips for summoning willpower??? If so please share!

Feeling Happy-Go-Lucky

I got to marry such a cutie! Pictured on our friend's boat on Long Island, and waiting for the Orient Point Ferry at the start of our honeymoon.

My Wedding Flowers

So, it was really hard to get the flowers I wanted out on Long Island. I didn't have time (or the inclination) to race into Manhattan the day before my wedding to hit up the flower market. I had to improvise. I found a lovely, helpful local florist who was willing to order flowers for me at a wholesale rate, so I could arrange them myself. But, my options were pretty limited, at least compared with what's available to me daily in San Francisco!





At that point, I just let go of my creamy pastel confection idea and decided to make it easy on myself and go with pink. That way I knew everything would blend. Peonies, ranunculus, garden roses (from my parent's yard), lisanthius and veronica wound up being the primary flowers I worked with. While the flowers aren't exactly what I had in mind, I still loved how they turned out. What do you think? Pinker than a princess's wedding, or charming?

Just Because...

He's so cute!

4th of July Feast

My husband's sister is visiting from Morocco, and we wanted to make sure she had a great impression of all the yumminess surrounding Independence Day. Trouble is, we don't have a grill (or an outside space), so we had to adapt our menu a bit.

Menu:
- Kefta (Moroccan meatball) inspired burgers with onions, cilantro and paprika mixed in with the meat
- Potato salad with pesto, green beans and pine-nuts
- Boiled white summer corn with butter, salt and pepper
- Apple cake with strawberries, honey and almonds


Plus, we got to use some of my new dishes. Not sure I've mentioned them, but we try to eat on small plates and I got these little cuties with an Anthro gift card I had. Adorable, eh?

Feeling Happy-Go-Lucky

New wetsuit. New board. Whole new approach to the Northern CA frigid beach waters. I've spent hours and hours in the ocean the last few weeks, and I'm not stopping. Ever.

Feeling Happy-Go-Lucky

I'm in raptures over the beautiful Italian movie "I Am Love" which I saw tonight. Some of the most luscious shots and scenes I have ever seen on film, combined with modern typesetting in my favorite font, Neutra. And the food. The clothes. The Italian setting. All to die for.

My husband is teasing me - saying how a good movie gives me energy. He's right. Dorky as it is...movies are art too, at least, some of them are. This film just unexpectedly blew me away and left me in a dreamy state. What more could one ask?