Hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend celebration! Hubs and I headed down to LA to spend time with my entire family. It was fun and we feasted. I love weekends like those ♥
Sunny Saturday was spent in Santa Monica for the Artisanal LA Spring Show. After attending the Holiday Pop Up last year, we were quite excited for more of the yummy treats the show would provide. We were looking forward to visiting the bakers we love and sampling food by local artisans we had yet to discover.
The venue at Santa Monica Place was amazing. Bright and airy, full and spacious. There was a lot of tables and seating areas available, great music, and lots to experience. I loved the design of the event and signage. Also loved the energy!
Vendors were great and below are a few of many that caught my eye.
Shortin' Bread's red booth was my favorite. Their short bread was equally delicious. Lisa & Mo showcased great, healthy treats.
I Heart Pies had savory and sweet pies. I heart their peep pie! All Spice Cafe gave the hubs lots of sauces to try. He loved their ghost pepper sauce.
Embrace Sweets are the sweetest ladies. We met them at UniqueLA last December and their brownies are my fave. Brandt Beef had lots of great cuts. Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop's dressings are among my favorite things to add to a salad. Maestri Pasta makes heart shaped pasta, love!
We got to sample some yummy food, too! Cold cuts by Primi Al Mercado, macarons by L'Artisan du Chocolat, bread pudding by Creme Caramel LA, and acai lemonade personalized with our choice of fruit or herbs by Veev.
And we took home a lot of treats!
Thank you Artisanal LA for keeping our mouths smiling and our bellies full :)
Sometimes life gets so busy, distance gets in the way, and friends are hard to get together with. I was close with these 3 lovely fellows in college. They all moved to NYC after college. Then one by one, they all moved back to LA! And by some great scheduling, we were all able to get together on Saturday. Now my heart is full.
December 2006 at Islands. 
2011 in Todd's colorful kitchen in Highland Park.I think now that they live in LA, we'll be seeing a lot more of each other :)Hope you all had a wonderful weekend enjoying life and loved ones.
Laser cut. Sterling silver pendants dipped in gold. Inspirational. Lovely.
Premiering these at UniqueLA!
State Street in downtown Santa Barbara is always buzzing with locals and tourist. They're going here and there, shopping, eating, taking in the sites, shooting photos, etc. There's always a hustle and bustle, and energy. But if you venture off of State and into the various courtyards and plazas, you'll find a few quiet spots. Spots to take in the day, enjoy the weather, and have a cup of coffee.Here are a few of my favorites!
San Marcos Courtyard. Located behind Peet's Coffee on upper State, it's always a fun spot to kick up your feet.
Victoria Court.
Victoria Court fountain.
Inside El Paseo. In between the shops on state and the restaurant inside, this space provides a sense of quiet.
Casa De La Guerra. I love looking out onto the courtyard here.
Meridian Studios. We walked by this picturesque location while on the way to the SB Historical Museum. A gate closed it off, and there was no one around, but it looks like such a great, quiet space.
Do you have favorite patios, courtyards, spaces off the main path?
After attending the super fun and inspiring UniqueLA vendor meeting Sunday morning, we stopped by simple things sandwich & pie shop for lunch. Off of West 3rd, simple things is such a great little getaway from the hustle and bustle. The calm atmosphere and friendly staff brought about great ambiance and a very yummy meal.
Daily pies on display/the reason I wanted to stop by simple things. The pies come in three sizes: big pie, simple pie, and cutie pie :) All perfect for you, or two or more friends.
The menu is full of great options and expands beyond pie! Husband got the blueberry french toast. Absolutely delicious. I think he ate this in 5 minutes.
My half a pulled chicken sandwich in a pretzel roll (hello, yum!) and half a cobb salad. I'm so glad I got a half and half because it gave me the option of trying 2 things at once.
And finally, goodness in little tins. Pies above are salted caramel, key lime, blueberry (with amazing crumble topping), Missouri mud with a melted peep on top! All absolutely scrumptious and served at the perfect temperature. The cutie pie size is just perfect for sampling all of their flavors. We shared five cutie pies among four people and were all quite satisfied at the end.
If you are in the area, you must stop by simple things :)
A busy week closed with a nice and busy weekend. After being sick last weekend, finally beating the bug on Thursday, and getting back to the swing of things by Saturday, we were in for a lot of errands and activity. But I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
There was time for a pinkberry stop. Have you tried the lychee flavor? So yum!
I have charms ready for chains, flowers ready for post earrings, and bracelets ready to go!
The UniqueLA vendor meeting was super fun and informative.
The meeting was held in the Grammy Museum at LA Live. One of their current exhibits is Hip Hop: A Cultural Odyssey. It was awesome experiencing the genre through out the years.
There was a stop at Magnolia bakery!
And some blues, yellows, and greens outside of Jonathan Adler. We love taking reflection photos because it's usually hard finding someone to take our photo.
More blues, yellows, and greens off the 101 on the ride home.
And finally, a new fish plate to display some bracelets.Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!!
I have been quietly working on Spring details and other behind the scenes details for the past few weeks. With the blooming flowers and wonderful colors of springtime, inspiration is being transformed into jewelry. For Spring, I am really liking the colors blue, green, and pink, and I love some sparkle. Here is a sneak peek of some new bracelets! They will be making their debut at UniqueLA.Hope you are all having good weeks.
A little "honey" stamped on the hand punched heart for my stud earrings.
And the full logo for my dangling earrings.
