California!!

So, my friends, Callie and Jay, invited me to their wedding in San Francisco, and I decided to make a trip of it. I flew into L.A. where I met up with my girl, Katie (the best off-beat/kitschy tour guide in the U.S.A.).

Katie looking cute in front of Wurstküche. I would go here ALL THE TIME if I lived in L.A. Gourmet sausages (vegetarian sausages for me), belgian white truffle oil glazed fries, and like a zillion delicious german beers. I fell in love with the Koestritzer Schwarzbier. The giant sunshiny, lofty, chic space didn't hurt either. And it wasn't crowded.

We were totally full, but Katie wanted me to see Clifton's Brookdale so bad, we went there for dessert. Also in downtown L.A., it's a Cafeteria built in the 1930's decorated in a woodland lodge theme. There are waterfalls, animated stuffed woodland creatures, wall to wall scenic murals, trees, and a little chapel in a mountain. It used to be even more over the top. We were able see photo evidence of that and check out the place's history and artifacts in the banquet room on the third floor.

My tres leches was pretty good, too.

We ended the night drinking local beers and finishing off these seating card trees for the wedding. Katie's boyfriend gets bonus points for cutting out every one of those little leaves while watching Project Runway with us.

Before setting off for SF, we had breakfast at the cutest, tastiest, little outdoor cafe, The Trails, which is inside Griffith Park. The food (mushroom-cashew savory pie and iced coffee for me) was all veggie/vegan friendly and delicious. They had all kinds of baked goods with herbs and lavender in them. And I saw a coyote come out of the woods while we ate!

Our hotel in San Francisco: Good Hotel was pretty sweet. It's made mostly of reclaimed or recycled building materials, has this neat little sink that runs water when you flush the toilet so you can wash your hands before the water fills the toilet tank, and is a lot like staying inside a ReadyMade magazine. They are somehow affiliated with the magazine, because they have a ReadyMade vending machine in the lobby and I recognized some completed ReadyMade projects in the hotel's decor. Also in the lobby: a place where you can very easily sign up to volunteer locally, bicycles for borrowing, a photobooth, and a puppy channel on flatscreen.

Oh, and my room cost $89 a night. Brian and I once slept in our car in SF because the only affordable room we could find had literally 20-30 roaches crawling the walls.

The Wedding:

Sooo impressed with the D.I.Y. woodland-themed decor. Everything was cute and cozy and so very fitting for Callie and Jay.

The wedding was held in a lodge in the Berkeley Hills, The Brazilian Room.

Callie's dress, 1968 Bill Blass was actually featured on Good Morning America before she snatched it up.

They walked down the aisle to Thirteen by Big Star which obviously got everyone sobbing, except for Katie (singing Boogie Shoes in her head to prevent said sobbing).

The cake was uhhhmazing, especially loved the little owl couple/ bride and groom.

The centerpieces consisted of bunches of wildflowers, votives in Ball jars, little woodland creatures (I think from the couple's personal collection), moustaches on sticks (fun for everybody!), Katie's little potted, hand-embroidered table numbers, a silhouette of the couple in a vintage frame, and the favors which were antique keys in stamped pouches.

With D.J.s Carrie and Kylee rocking the house, the night was perfect.

I tried out two of the best brunch places while in SF, Foreign Cinema in The Mission, and a French Bistro The Butler and The Chef, Looooved The Butler and The Chef. Their pastries and quiche looked incredible.

Another good find: the fabric outlet in the Mission, found a bunch of great trim for my bags at insanely cheap prices.

On the road back to L.A. we stopped in Gilroy, The Garlic Capital, where we bought garlic ice cream and garlic lollypops at The Garlic Shoppe, a place which peddles all kinds of garlicy goods and Thai home decor? Also in Gilroy, tons of really great antique shops. I picked up this scary mid-century owl and little bear guy mounted on genuine California redwood.

We hit up a carnival in Soledad. Jeremy lost the gun game.

And, finally, we arrived at The Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo. The Madonna Inn is a themed room hotel with some fantastic ornate vintage kitsch decor. I highly recommend clicking the link and checking out some of the guest suites. This is Katie's Favorite Place in The World. Since she wanted to pick up one of their signature goblets for her collection, we had a drink in their bar, where you can sit in these sweet vinyl club chairs and the sassy bartender will begrudgingly keep you in peanuts for the duration.

And that's where my trip pretty much ended with the onset of the virus from hell. But, good times, good times. Thanks to my hosts, Katie and Jeremy, and congrats to Callie and Jay!

diaper bags diaper bags

The past couple weeks have been spent doing lots of sewing for baby showers.

I had two of them, back to back, for two special ladies.

Special ladies mean special gifts, so I made what I know best, bags.

In this case, diaper bags.

These babies have 10 and 11 pockets, matching changing pads, and some pretty fabric.

I used a little lace and a little rick rack for a little hint of baby, but these bags are just for momma.

They can be ordered custom from my etsy store for your special ladies.

The photos (by Burba and Brian!) look nicer there, too.

Now, off to make myself a diaper-free version...

Thrift Scores

We checked out the opening weekend of this year's Randolph Street Market over Memorial Day. 

Here's some of what we took home:

A hand-painted drug store sign from the 1930's. It's about 4' x 4' and cost me $25.

A rocking (literally) patio chair that reminded me of Bertoia. 

I wanted something comfortable to lounge on in the office while I watch Hulu.

Yeah, I do that.

It was $50.

The slats were too far apart to be comfortable so I whipped up some pads for it using some leftover Patricia fabric from Ikea:

And after a fresh coat of paint:

No effing way!

I can wear Tord Boontje?

Really?

Thank you!



These charms that come in 18 karat gold or sterling silver come in sets of three ranging in price from $22-$30.

I think I'd need all of them to get the desired effect, but I can buy them in installments, one set a month.

You can find them over at Unica Home.

Stoudt's Brewery, Adamstown PA

While in Philadelphia we came across a flier for a brewery an hour west of Philadelphia. It promised a restaurant, antiques, and a food co-op. Since it was on our way home, and we hadn't done anything touristy yet, we thought we'd check it out. We are so glad we did.

It wasn't just a brewery, it was a colorful little magic land with all of my favorite things, beer, antiques, and natural foods. The people hanging out there were a regular cast of characters as well.

Adamstown had a lot of antique shops already, but the brewery seemed to be ground zero. It was a huge maze of an antique mall, with the sellers present in their booths, and nearly everything in mint condition and expertly curated. This means we couldn't afford anything we liked, but it was still so fun to look. 

The Wonderful Good Market had all kinds of organic and natural foods, plus plants for sale, and a bakery that made fresh bread, including the beer bread that we picked up along with some raw milk cheese. AND they had a sample bar with delicious baked goods.

Then, the restaurant.. Black Angus was completely decked out in fancy antiques and memorabilia, and had a very extensive and impressive menu. It's mostly seafood and meat, but they had veggie options, and seemed willing to whip up something special to suit your dietary needs. We sat at the antique bar, sampling the beer on tap. We took home a mixed six pack, and my favorite was The Fat Dog Oatmeal Stout. Sooo good.

We didn't have time to tour the brewery, but that is an option. We did check out the brew hall where I believe they hold their festivals and have live music. There was a separate beer tasting bar there, where some locals, possibly antique dealers, seemed to be hanging out.

The place is family owned. Brimming with Stoudt's.

It was the best possible stop on our looong roadtrip, and if you find yourself traveling through Pennsylvania sometime, check it out. 

Stoudt's

Route 272

2800 North Reading Road

Adamstown, PA 19501 

The restaurant:

Some treasures we wish we coulda taken home with us:

And the Fat Dog Oatmeal Stout:

While searching for an image of the label, I found this one over at Dog Hill Kitchen.

They've concocted a recipe for Stoudt's Fat Dog Beer Bread that I would absolutely love to try. Fantastic idea!

Ceilume Tiles!

So, our two-flat has a couple ceiling issues. Up in my mom's unit, there's a drop ceiling to conceal the duct work for her air conditioning. In the basement, we have dusty, ugly exposed beams because the basement is unfinished. This is a problem because my sewing studio is down there, and dust is constantly getting knocked down onto my work surface. 

I have always been a huge fan of tin ceilings, who isn't? But everything I've ever seen available to get the effect of a vintage tin ceiling has been too expensive.

 

Enter Ceilume tiles.

My friend, Katie, gave me a tip on these, because she discovered the company will mail out free full-sized samples, and she thought she could hang a tile or two on the wall for decoration, which she can.  But they work even better in their intended capacity as incredibly inexpensive and easy to install faux tin ceiling. They are made of vinyl, but can be painted (and come in colors and a bunch of different designs from victorian to modern) , and once they're all the way up on the ceiling, I really don't think you can tell.

Plus, they are recyclable, use 75% less raw material than regular ceiling tiles, and are cheaper to ship. I don't mean to gush, but there are also some cool fire-safe features and they won't get ruined if your roof leaks. 

So, Katie, thanks for the tip on the free samples. And, yeah, I do actually intend to buy the product.

So, check them out: Ceilume

Wedding On the Delaware

So, the last two weeks have been marathon wedding weeks. Here are some photos from the first one we attended, in Philadelphia on a beautiful old estate on the Delaware River called The Glen Foerd Mansion

Here is all the correspondence and paper from the wedding, designed by the bride herself. I believe the inspiration was a photo of a feather in the sand, taken on the vacation of the proposal. Feathers were enclosed with the invitation.

The (very tall) groom, Mickey, with his (very small) grandmother:

The bride with her stepfather. The back of that dress, "Marrielle" in gold by Raylia was absolutely gorgeous:

As much of the bridal party as I could fit in one frame. I think there were ten each of bridesmaids and groomsmen. The bridesmaids wore their own butter yellow or ivory (our wedding colors!) dresses and the groomsmen wore their own suits with ties silk-screened by Cyberoptix. Flowers were by Jessica Weeks, and hairpieces by Gillian Chadwick:

Mickey and Lauren eating at their own table in front of the mantel which I thought was very romantic, but apparently also a political move. They were able avoid choosing who from their very extensive list of close friends and family to sit with:

The beautiful and DELICIOUS cake! It was all chocolate, with strawberries. We were given extra pieces to take with us, which were gobbled up on the fourteen hour drive home:

My sister found the spot that matched her outfit:

My mom, me, my sister. There was a bowl of small flowers by the guestbook with pins so the guys could put them on their lapels, and I put one in my hair:

Not For Combustible Babies

Now that we got my bestie married off, it's time to start thinking about making things for her baby boy, due in September.

Lorraine is a total eco-freak, LEED certified and everything. She is obsessed with not having anything flame-retardant near her child. It sounds kinda weird, but she has a point. Pretty much all baby sleepwear and bedding is flame-retardant. She says that at some point in the seventies or eighties a mass paranoia of spontaneously combustible babies emerged. 

Babies aren't particularly flammable, and all those anti-fire chemicals can't be good for them, so I'll indulge the lady.

Here are some great materials I found, all organic and non-toxic. Now I just need to decide what to do with them. 

One. Hand screen printed and solvent free elephants on organic hemp/cotton by Carly Schwerdt for Umbrella Prints

Two. Organic cotton iron-on applique patch by Crazy Couture Boutique

Three. GreenSTYLE Panda Print Leaf on 60% cotton, 40% bamboo fabric by Robert Kaufman

Four. Enchanted Forest 100% Organic Twill by Mod Green Pod

Five. Block Printed Chocolate Eyelet on 55% Hemp/ 45% Organic Cotton Blend by Home Sweet

Six. Cloud 9 by Mod Green Pod 100% Organic Cotton made with eco-friendly non-toxic ink

Till then..

Morning Noonan Night is going on vacation. Let's talk Tuesday.

Keds for Design Nerds

Did you know you could design your own Keds?

Well, you can. 

While looking for some plain black slip-ons, I stumbled upon Keds Studio.

Through a partnership with Zazzle.com, Keds allows you to either choose from designs and color options they provide, or upload your own images.

You can even post your finished shoe design for sale and turn a profit. 

I thought it might be a great opportunity to wear some of those designer wallpaper patterns I've always wanted, but will never be able to afford.  So I whipped up some possible designs.

There are for sure some copyright issues to consider here, but I think that if you just made yourself a pair of Imperial Trellis sneakers, it would be cool with Kelly.

"Elysian Fields" by Dan Funderburgh for Flavorpaper.

"Imperial Trellis II" by Kelly Wearstler for Schumacher

"Diamond Dogs" by Schumacher