Out+About -- Two Weekends in Santa Barbara

Here's what we did...

Last weekend --

We hit the Farmer's Market and gawked at all the fresh goodies. Our favorite grabs this round -- cashew sprouts, Fat Uncle Farms roasted almonds (got three kinds -- rosemary, honey, and ginger), avocado cilantro hummus by Baba Foods, and our first ripe peaches of the season that barely lasted the day...

so brilliant. i have got to get one of these.

We ventured to the Santa Barbara Museum Of Art...

love everything about athena's outfit

up close with monet

We were looking to try something new in the restaurant department, so we went for a late afternoon lunch at Pacific Crepes, a darling little taste of France in SB that our pal, Kristina, said we'd been missing out on. It was French onion soup, salad, and crepes for the table...

i knew as soon as i sat down that i was in love with the place

insane

my idea of a happy meal

And there was Memorial Day Weekend. Here's what happened...

We took a morning stroll through the mini Farmer's Market (guess we kinda like these)...

We made our way to the Museum of Natural History for a little twirling around, Planetarium screening, and lunch had picnic-style... 

(un)natural history?

Sudden flawless weather struck so we did a late afternoon stop-in at the beach...

On Memorial Day Monday, it was all about the yearly I Madonnari Festival at the Mission. I'm not big on events and parades, so I really have to gear up for these things. This was my first time at this one... and I ended up loving it.

amazing italian street painting

authentic italian fare : for me -- antipasto
followed by the best gelato ever (flown-in-from-Milan)

sb's adored mission

We topped off that weekend by stripping off the bar-b-que cover and cooking up traditional summer bites. 

Ahhh... wonder what's on the agenda for the summer weekends ahead...

{disclaimer -- most weekends we do absolutely nothing}

Found -- A Perfect Glass (That's Not A Glass)

Doesn't the experience of a beverage start with the right glass? Well, I have met something perfecto. Here's the twist -- it's not a glass at all, but a votive candle holder. My friend, Amelia, first introduced me, and I've been smitten with these ever since. I love the proportion especially for wine. And they're sturdy, so ideal for al fresco. I plan to use them all summer long for that little spot of vino, chilled tea, or juice. Salute!

Grab 'em here.

{see more found posts}

Dressing Room -- Crossover Dressing

For as long as I can remember, I have been wearing nightgowns as dresses. I am painfully and eternally drawn to vintage looking, feminine clothing pieces, and cotton nightgowns are so airy and delicate that I find they make the most lovely sundresses I can think of. 

In the summertime, I throw them on with flip flops or sandals (and some form of slip underneath). For in-between weather, I'll keep the bare legs and pair with a chunky knee sock and boot, or else wear with tights or leggings. And, often, I simply stick a dress over a pair of jeans.

My two favorite would-be nightgowns turned dresses are pictured above. One I found meshed in with the robes at Shabby Chic on Montana in Santa Monica (after I paid, I literally threw it on over my gray tee and jeans, and left the store). The other was an Anthropologie find. 

With all due respect to cross dressing, I'm much more into what I like to call Crossover Dressing.

(BTW the piece from Anthro was also my most worn non-maternity maternity item my second time around. So it crossed even further over -- from intended sleepwear... to regular wear... to maternity wear... and back.)

pretty detailing

another piece from a loungewear department that went dressville
(i'm also ever drawn to tiny floral prints)

penelope cruz did little white frocks well in vicky cristina barcelona (how surprising!)

{see more 'dressing room' posts here}

Found -- Shear Beauty

I adore these scissors. They're handmade in India by a family/company called Parveen, and have such an elegant design, with sharp, hand-forged steel blades and a cast brass handle. The pair I have is dainty and pretty, resembling a perfect, vintage object. This scissor also comes beautifully large and clunky, sized as a fabric shear. 

I got mine locally some time ago (along with a few extras to bestow as gifts), and always regretted not having bought them in both sizes while the store here carried them. The last time I was in NYC, I was elated to spot them at Fishs Eddy, but because I do carry-on baggage, I wasn't able to fly them back home with me. I continue to keep my eye out for the pair that got away...  

(You can order the slim set like mine above here. And looks like I may be getting my chance at the large ones here.)

Out+About -- Farmshop at Brentwood Country Mart in LA

When I lived in Los Angeles, one of my favorite places to hang (especially when the kiddos rolled around) was the Brentwood Country Mart. It's a little outdoor space in Santa Monica that I've watched morph over many years from super quaint, sweetly charming, looked like a big red barn, with hardly any businesses... to super quaint, sweetly charming, looks like a big red barn, just booming with businesses. It remains one of my favorite stop ins when I visit, boasting boutiques, newsstands, and eateries, such as Calypso St. Bart, Roberta Roller Rabbit, Diesel Bookstore, Poppy, James Perse, Toy Crazy, and local favorite food stand, Reddi Chick, to name just a few. You'll also find coin-op kid rides in constant play, as well as pony rides on the weekend.

Curiously, there has been one spot that seems to continually change out -- a great space that a few years ago was a West Coast annex of City Bakery from NYC, and is now a restaurant/marketplace called Farmshop. It opened the year I moved away, so I made a point to drop in and get more familiar with it a couple months ago when I darted to LA for a quick meeting. I thought it was lovely.

I started with a little twirl around the marketplace...

Then I did a lunch grab in the restaurant...

lots of yummy little sides to choose from and divvy up at the table

and the poached chicken salad was fresh and delicious

Brentwood Country Mart is located at San Vicente + 26th Street in Santa Monica.