Weekender: Flowers and Food

The weekend was spent enjoying LA. We went Downtown for some jewelry findings (so excited about the new styles!!) and walked around the Arts District and Japantown enjoying the sun and our favorite food spots. The flowers in bloom were definite show stoppers and the bites we had were delicious. It was a good weekend!

Carne asada taco and hoisin chicken bun from Flying Pig.

Grilled pork bahn mi! Sooo good and love the baguette.

Hubs enjoying the Earl Grey Pie at The Pie Hole. So good!!

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend. I am looking forward to a good week ahead.

Best of Santa Barbara

Each year the SB Independent puts out a "Best of" list that includes restaurants, boutiques, events, foods, and drinks. I try to vote each year, sometimes my favorites win and sometimes they don't. And since we will be leaving our beloved city of 11 years (12 for my husband) it's time for my own "Best of SB" list.

Best Beach: Ellwood Beach. No matter the day (random Saturday or holiday weekend) this beach was like a sanctuary. Never too full, we always enjoyed our own little plot of sand and sun.

Best Nachos: Rudy's. These are my favorite nachos of all time. They're simply chips topped with chicken, cheese, beans, guacamole, and sour cream. One plate feeds 2 and is under $10!
Other awesome places to eat are Rose Cafe, Edomasa, and Your Place Thai.

 

Best View: SB Courthouse Clock Tower. From up here, you can get a 360 panoramic view of all of downtown SB.

Best Ice Cream: Mc Connell's. I'm not a big ice cream person but I am a huge fan of Mc Connell's. There is just something special about freshly made ice cream and flavors like cinnamon and macadamia nut :)

 

Best Flowers: SB Mission Rose Garden

 

Best Farmers' Market: All of them! Fresh vegetables and fruit all year round, in various locations around the city everyday of the week!

 

Best Festival: Fiesta! The spirit in the city and confetti all around make the first weekend in August always a great time.

 

Best Concert Venue: SB Bowl. Nestled in the mountains, cozy and intimate, and about 1/3 the size of the Hollywood Bowl,and the SB Bowl always brings an amazing concert. And the pit provides such close proximity to the acts on stage. It's stellar. Favorite bands seen at the Bowl include Snoop Dogg, 311, No Doubt and Phoenix.

 

Best Food Festival: Avocado Festival in Carpinteria. Such good savory dishes and avocado ice cream.

 

Best School: UCSB. I had an amazing 11 years here (as a student and employee) and would not change a thing for the world. And Kobe has his summer camp here, too!

 

Best Town: Isla Vista. The best parties and the best friends existed here. It will always be part of my "home".

Best Art Installation: Chromatic Gate. A burst of color right by the Pacific Ocean.

 

Best Isla Vista Restaurant: TJ's Grill (now closed) so Bagel Cafe!! My favorite bagel was the Delux Melt with is your choice of bagel (I chose the everything bagel) topped with sun ripe tomato cream cheese, tomato, red onions, cheddar, and slices of avocado. The bagel is put through a toaster oven for a few minutes and comes out deliciously.

 

Best Winery: Firestone. We served their wines at our wedding and loved the tasting experience at the winery. 
 

 

Best Church: Santa Barbara Mission. It is grand yet understated, a parish we called home for years, and we got married here. I will always have a special place in my heart for this place.

I will surely miss this beautiful place.

Weekender: Los Angeles Fun

Between to-do lists, trade show prep, and business taxes, an awesome weekend in Los Angeles was just what I needed. And oh did the weekend deliver! Sun skies, happy friends, good food, and some shopping made for the perfect way to recharge and be ready for the week ahead.

Below are a few happy stand outs.

Rajas Fries: Carne Asada, cheese, roasted chillies, and cilantro on french fries by Fry Smith. Amazing.

Free drinks during the For Your Art event at 6020 Wilshire. While sipping on these drinks we shopped from Made in LA artisanal vendors including Z Confections and le bon garcon.

 

A stop by Crafted to see fruition's space. Raychel is one of my favorite designers and she created such a good space to showcase her jewelry among other artists/hand crafters that she likes.

 

Then a stop by Renegade Craft Fair. We enjoyed seeing a lot of our favorite vendor friends, especially MNKR. Their new booth design is too good.

Pasadena City Hall during 626 Night Market.

Happy faces on a Sunday :)

Hope you all had a great weekend! Happy Monday!!

Small Gift LA

A few weeks ago we attended Sanrio's 50th Anniversary celebration, Small Gift LA. This carnival, art show, pop up shop, amazing place was too fun! Similar to last year's Three Apples exhibit and art show for Hello Kitty's 35th birthday, Small Gift was cuteness overload and gathering place for fans of the cat and her friends.

I've always been a Hello Kitty fan. She has been my top character, while I'd jump from obsessing over other Sanrio characters (Keroppi, Pekkle, Chococat, My Melody) over the years. What made this event special was that all characters were represented and there was something for everyone.

Below are a few of the photos :)

A rainbow greeted you at the entrance of Barker Hangar. It was like entering a wonderland.


Various photo stations were located throughout :)

Bro and sis having fun.


Sis with some of the art.


Large character heads floated around the hangar.


There were lots of carnival games and a mini golf course!


Beard Papa's was there with cream puff treats.


Yogurtland had a photo station and flavors to go with Sanrio characters.


My favorite section of the hangar was the art gallery. Curated by JapanLA, the gallery featured artist renditions of their favorite Sanrio characters. Various mediums, disciplines, and inspirations were used, all super kawaii.




Fishy Greetings by kozydan.


Sanrio Dream by Junko Mizuno.


All My Favorite Flavors by buff monster.


Plasticgod's Candy Store. Loved spending time in front of this exhibit looking at each character and who they are suppose to portray. Favorites include Hello Kitty as Alexander McQueen, Hello Kitty as Ron Burgundy, Deery Lou as Kanye West, Keroppi as Mario, Chococat as Zoolander, and My Little Twin Stars as Dirty Dancing.


Peekaboo Monster installation, Fight Club inspired.


Crowded Teeth. So much goodness in one booth.




Candy-Candy Kitty Dream by Miss Kika.


Hello Chicken Dinner by Nouar.


Sippin' (too much) by Scott Campbell. I really like this one, reminds me of drinking ;)


Hello Mello by KANO.


Hey! by Gary Taxali.


Sanrio 50th Family Vacation by Martin Hsu.


We waited in line to get into the pop-up shop.


Lots of collectible goodness!


Keroppi products throughout the years.


Pochacco items over the years. My sister had the Pochacco soccer ball piggy bank years ago. Not sure where it is now :(


Pekkle! I love this duck :)


A few of my pop-up shop treats :) I am a firm believer that a little sticker or a fun pen adds great whimsy to the everyday.


Miss Kika was at the gallery personalizing her print while we were there. She was such a sweet lady and her print was too cute to pass up.


She had a few lower numbers available (29, 31, 34), but I chose #32 since it is Magic Johnson's jersey number (go Lakers!)