Get ready to shine!

Ok so I've been MIA for a bit but I've been busy trying out some new hair products. Who doesn't love a new product??!!

Right now I'm obsessing over shine products and luckily for me both Redken and Kerastasé have released a new shine spray!

First let's talk about Shine Flash from Redken. For starters it's an aerosol spray which means no more splotchy oily shine spray problems - nice even coverage! It's very light and smells great. Perfect way to finish a style. It had a little bit of hold, enough to help control pesky flyaways. Also comes in travel size - always a plus! I love to use it after hairspray since many have a matte finish.



Next we have Chroma Cristal from Kerastasé. This little beauty is just heaven. It's an emulsion product so you have to shake it before you use it - part of the fun! You can see the shine particles swirling around. What I love about this product is you can use it two ways: spray in damp hair prior to blowdrying and also into dry hair. I still like to blowdry after spraying into dry hai just to really get it worked in. The heat helps it blend into your hair and create tons of shine. It also smells divine like it's fellow Kerastasé products.


Check out both of these fabulous products and amp up the shine in your hair.

To market, to market!

Last weekend I had the pleasure of enjoying a sunny (but chilly!) morning at the monthly Alameda flea market with my partners in crime Ross & Kelley. If you haven't been, go! If you have, you know how fabulous it is!
I was on the hunt for buttons for my hair clips and found the mother load! Two great booths provided me with a glorious stash. The one below had ONLY buttons and they were organized so lovely!


We found many other treasures along the way!! Ross was in heaven sorting through boxes and bins.











One of my favorite aspects of the Alameda flea market is the views of San Francisco. On a clear day to have the whole skyline in the background is beyond compare.





I stumbled upon the most fascinating paint-by-numbers piece perhaps in the history of man! If anyone can tell me what this piece is supposed to mean by all means go ahead!


A fluffy white cat, with traditional Thai dancers, and a temple?!? Even Ross with his degree in Art History couldn't decode this piece!

And how about these crazy treasures:

Boxing baby lamp?? Who doesn't need this?



Drinking cats playing piano? Amazing!



When you go to the flea be sure to save time & room for a stop at Harvey's Donuts. It's a food booth that makes mini donuts to order! Ross was beside himself in donut heaven. You pick the toppings and a dozen little gems are served in an adorable paper cone. How can you beat this?









After our morning at the flea Kelley (an East Bay expert) took us to lunch in Piedmont, such a cute little pocket of Oakland.

We ate at a delicious burger joint called Barney's. The curly & sweet fries were amazing!







Last Kelley took us up to the Piedmont cemetery. At first I was a little weirded out that we were going to a cemetery but this was no ordinary cemetery. People bring their dogs here, ride bikes, and even picnic! It was like Disneyland; beautiful flowers blooming everywhere, fountains, and ancient oaks. The cemetery is situated against the hills and when you get to the top you have the most spectacular views of the bay and San Francisco. The picture just doesn't do it justice!




The mausoleums were so beautiful and mysterious. My favorite had the most amazing iron gate.






All in all a fantastic day! Can't wait for next month!!

My Fair Sadie

Yesterday morning our family had to say farewell to one of our most beloved members: our 15 year old Golden Retriever Sadie.  She was our first dog, and to have had her in our lives as long as we did was amazing.

We got Sadie when I was 10 and she was the sweetest pup ever.  Whenever you sneezed she'd run over and put her paw on your leg and look at you with her big eyes as if she was saying "hey, what's wrong? you ok?"

Sadie loved the beach....well she more loved to lay on the wet sand right where the water came in, basically the area she could get the most dirty.  She like most retrievers was obsessed with tennis balls, and at the beach she loved nothing more than trying to bury them, but also kind of dig them out at the same time.  And of course she had to do this right by your towel where she could get the most sand on you.

Sadie was obedient for the most part, although she really just had a mind of her own.  We always said she was like an annoyed teenager, and if she could've flipped you off she would have.

The past couple years as out beautiful girl's fur turned white, her vision failed, as did her hearing.  Although, I was always skeptical about the hearing loss, it was more selective hearing.  She couldn't hear you if you needed her to move or follow you somewhere she didn't want to go, but yet she could always, always hear the cookie jar opening.  Always.

I'm so glad we were all able to be together with her in the last moments.  Saying good-bye is never easy, but I will always hold her in my heart.

This is the last picture I took of Sadie yesterday morning; she really wanted the cookie I was holding.

Three cheers for cake stands!

One of the things I loved when I met my mother-in-law (or Mil, as I call her) was her amazing cake stand collection. She had every shape, size and color stacked beautifully about her kitchen. I was hooked (on both her and the cake stands!)
There is just something so whimsical about cake stands that I just adore. They make everything seem so special. In the past 8 years since Ross and I have been together (and I laid eyes on those glorious stands) I've built a fairly substantial collection myself - Mil gave many of them to me as gifts, including my favorite, a clear glass vintage stand (pic below). Whenever I stumble upon a great cake stand my heart gets a flutter and I just want to squeal. Get yourself a cake stand or two... You'll be hooked!

Here are some of my favorite sites for cake stands for when you can't find vintage:

In store -
Icing on the Cake (Los Gatos)
Miette (SF)

Online -
www.fishseddy.com
www.sweetandsaucysupply.com (see pic below )
www.bauerpottery.com

Drag Race!

Had a blast in the city last night at Club 8. Went to see Raja from RuPaul's Drag Race perform. Sadly she only did one song and we could barely see her due to the extremely dim lighting. Tons of dancing time and paid way too much for a vodka/redbull. Oh well c'est la vie. More importantly I had a fabulous time doing my hair all crazy by crimping using French pins & a flat iron. Love me some big hair!

Who woulda thunk?

Thanks Cody & Morgan for coming up with a fantastic new way to wear my button clips. How cute is this?! Just clip it to a knit cap for a little extra flair!

New button clip!

This little baby is for someone special - hope she likes it. I'm having such a great time making them!