last day in san francisco

Bad news: Cable car broke down today :(
Good news: Discovered North Beach and had dinner with Barbara Casey!!



It must be bring your bike to work day. The next street was completely full as well.




Gorgeous houses by North Beach (aka little Italy)



Mama's in North Beach. We didn't join the line up, but supposedly it has the best breakfast in town!



Beautiful cathedral next to Mama's by Washington Square.



We stopped for a coffee at La Boulange in North Beach. I wanted a macaron, but didn't end up getting one. By the way, yes, they serve their coffee in GIANT ceramic bowls.

We leave tomorrow morning back to Portland. San Francisco I will miss you. xo

SF continued..

We walked and walked and saw parts of San Francisco that not many people do.

10 blocks off of Market Street is the Mission District. A cross between Commercial Drive and Main Street. Here, we visited the Curiosity Shop. The Curiosity Shop is owned and operated by the dynamic DIY team you find on design*sponge each week. I made the trek over there to see Annie Galvin's 49 Reasons Why featuring paintings inspired by San Francisco's iconic 49 Mile Scenic Drive (road sign pictured below).






(cool shops in Mission)

Then we headed to Westfield Shopping Center to use the bathroom :) Look at the mounds of ice cream at the food court!



Somehow we ended up at the Farmer's Market in Civic Center and City Hall. Plus, we found this Vietnamese restaurant on the corner of Larkin and Eddy with a HUGE line up outside - Score! Can't wait to try it. It reminds me of Au Petit on Main Street. Yum.





We have a coffee date tomorrow. Barbara Casey from I Do Wedding Photography will be in San Francisco after visiting her family in the UK. We hope to make our way to North Beach in the morning and then meet her in Union Square. Tomorrow is our last full day in San Francisco before we head back to Portland on Friday!

more of the bay city

Not too much to write about today. We walked through Chinatown (picture from an alley in Chinatown) and the design district and made our way to the Ferry Market. We then hopped onto the F Market Streetcar and took it to the pier. Once at the pier, we walked over to Boudin for one of their famous clam chowder bread bowl and then walked over to Ghirardelli Square. Here is where we checked out the new English tea room called Crown & Crumpet as featured here on sfgirlbybay's blog.



We didn't try the tea for two, but I did pick up a wooden spool shaped like a mushroom. They had lots of cute items in their gift shop!

Last, but not least, we headed over to Japan town. All the sushi there made us drool, but we had thanksgiving left overs waiting for us at "home". On our way to the bus stop, we did bump into the San Francisco Museum of Craft and Design. This was one of their outdoor exhibits. Each neon green cord runs to a solar powered panel on the roof and it lights up in the evening. The second picture shows the cord running along the entrance and around the door.

san francisco

I have been to San Francisco too many times to count. I love this place and it is good to be back!


After a quick flight from Portland, we met Sandra at the Sheraton Palace on Market Street so that she could hand over the keys to our rental place. Isn't the dining room gorgeous? You don't see too many hotels looking like this anymore. So European!



This is the hill that we will be climbing on a daily basis.



This is a picture of our rental cottage. It is near Mason and Pine Street. We have the first floor and there are apartments above us. Here are a few quick snaps from the inside.





We didn't accomplish much today, but we rode the California line all the way to the end and did a small Thanksgiving shop at Whole Foods. I love this tree just pass Van Ness Street.

newport & crafty wonderland

I have been waiting months to try Dutch Brothers coffee and I finally did it in Newport! Well worth the wait! The cups are rather odd though. It's more like a sippy cup. Perfect for me though. I'm prone to spilling coffee even when there is a lid on it!



We made it into Portland yesterday and spent the weekend cruising our usual spots, plus exploring some new places. We went to the Doug Fir Lounge to meet Torie and Cathy from Crafty Wonderland, but ended up just meeting Cathy as Torie just had a baby and couldn't make it. As I mentioned before, this is the first time that Got Craft and Crafty Wonderland will be cross promoting each others' Christmas craft fairs. We hope to make it down to their holiday show on December 14th and will hopefully be giving them a helping hand where needed.

On a side note, we have been bouncing this idea around for awhile now, but would anybody out there be interested in a monthly craft show?! This would definitely be smaller than the one at the Legion.. perhaps somewhere on Main Street... held monthly.. all handmade... thoughts?



I bought way too much stuff today.. small ceramic cooking pots, a pair of shoes, a vintage handbag and this awesome pin from Dena Drake. Check out her creations here. At first glance it looks like the images are silk screened onto felt, but they are actually hand embroidered.

We leave for San Francisco first thing tomorrow morning.. stay tuned for more.

olympia, cannon beach & tillamook

Day 1... here are some shots of Olympia ...



look at this teeny door and safe in the wall!



tiled mural found in an alley way



crossing the Columbia River Bridge on one of the longest bridges ever to Astoria and then to Cannon Beach...



I love pelicans. Not sure why as I have the biggest bird phobia, but they are so cool!



Then we drove further down South to Tillamook...



Tillamook cheese factory! Yum. Rob and I made two rounds past the tasting table :) Sharp cheddar has my vote! Did you know that sharp cheddar is aged for 2 years+ while medium cheddar is aged for 9 months?



Those large, orange blocks are cheddar cheese!



Day one comes to an end. Stay tuned for more!

two more sleeps

Look at the cute little cottage that Rob and I rented for our stay in San Francisco!! So excited. It is situated on Nob Hill near the California cable car line. I love the cable car. I have been to San Francisco so many times that I have lost count. It is one of my favourite places. I could live there. Serious.

The cottage was just a little bit more than a hotel, plus we have a full kitchen, washer and dryer and full living and dining room.

We leave Thursday and head down to Olympia, Newport, Astoria, Portland, hopping on a plane to San Francisco, back to Portland, over to Seattle for the PLUSH YOU show and then back home. I can't wait. We are going to be meeting Torie and Cathy from Crafty Wonderland while we are in Portland this weekend. This is very exciting as this is the first time Got Craft and Crafty Wonderland will be cross promoting each others' holiday event!

I have plenty of my plate before I leave including getting these swag bags done. However, if you are looking for something to do tonight, go check out the got craft blog and come out to the Craft Mafia's event tonight! Hope to see you there.

congratulations to Krista & Matt

Despite the liquid sunshine all around us, we had a fantastic time in the middle of Capilano Suspension Bridge for Krista and Matt's wedding last Saturday!

Professional photos are on the way from the seven and a half months pregnant Morgaine Owens!

Lovely flowers were from the Flower Factory, Cupcakes were from Cupcakes, Chocolate and Caramel Apples from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and all decor was by lotus events.

A big thank you to all of the staff at Capilano Suspension Bridge. You were amazing! Plus, your whipped potatoes was to die for :)

Congratulations!! Have a safe trip to London, Paris and Amsterdam and we will see you when you return!

more laura + tim

As promised, here are the professional photographs from Laura and Tim's wedding last August.

Thanks to Ed and Masaki from HEE creations Photography!

muffins

This is the best muffin ever! Apple Crumb Coffee Cake. Actually.. there is no coffee in the muffin, but you should brew a fresh pot to drink while eating the best muffin EVER!

Trust me. I'm not even a muffin fan. This recipe can be found on Jeannette's food blog. I met Jeannette last Sunday at I Heart after stalking her on Etsy for the past few years. Creepy!? No way! Check out her shop. She is so amazing and talented.

No go make some muffins!