greetings from San Francisco...

i returned from san francisco just a couple of days ago, and i think i am finally recovering.  honestly, i think i'm more in mourning because it came and went so fast! lol...san francisco is such an inspiring city, in so many ways, and each time i am there, a part of me feels very much at home.

i won't bore you all with a detailed recap, but i did want to share some photos of my time...these are images that will be stuck in my head for a while to come...i actually can't wait to start playing and working with my hands again!

i literally spent days in golden gate park...lol.  it was truly beautiful, with so many different 'rooms' and areas for varied uses by the citizens of the area.  the above photo was taken upon the entrance to the AIDS memorial grove that is hidden away inside the park.  this spot truly did take my breath away as i came down the stairs into the grove...it was a masterpiece of garden design and architecture.

the architecture throughout the city and outlying areas is pure heaven for a historic buff such as myself.  these were just some of the 'painted ladies' along haight street...coincidentally, this is also the same neck of the woods where many of the great artists and musicians of the 60's lived...janis joplin, the jefferson airplane, and the grateful dead.

the palace of fine arts at dusk was the perfect spring evening walk...the colors were unbelievably vivid.  i could have sat here and sketched columns and arches forever...

we also took a day trip to napa to visit some of the many wineries...the vistas and imagery were absolutely stunning, and every where i looked, i seemed to be gasping and snapping photos...lol.  i got so many ideas for projects and pieces...i had to remind myself sometimes to just stop and breath and take it all in.

the view of the pacific on the way down from mount tamalpais...it was raining pretty hard that day, but we decided to trek up anyway.  i'm so glad we did, because everything was so astoundingly lush and green once we began climbing to the top...the trees and the moss seemed truly alive.

on my last day, we strolled through the japanese tea gardens...it was so peaceful and felt so deceptively, genuinely 'japanese', it was hard not to believe you were actually in japan...lol.  i came home with a million ideas for small projects in my own garden...now, if only it would stop raining here in buffalo long enough so i can get out into the garden, that would be lovely!

i am so grateful that i was fortunate enough to travel, and do so safely, to a city that i love, to spend time with the friends i have grown to love...i have so many other images i want to share, so many inspiring snapshots, and i will do so, in time...til then, thanks for sharing in some of my travel memories!

finding holiday inspiration from store windows and displays...

anthropologie window display, 2010

you know that feeling you get when you come across something so wonderful, so charming, so inspiring, that you just melt into a puddle of smiles?  anyone?  is it just me?  lol...

well, i get that feeling on occasion...i discover something, and it just fires me up...makes me wanna try it for myself...makes me go, "now that is so damn clever..." 

i experience this sort of goofy elation every single time i walk into an Anthropologie store.  if you are not familiar with this whimsical, frilly store, i strongly encourage you to follow the link and check them out.  BUT, if you are lucky enough to have an Anthropologie retail location near you, i implore you to walk in...see for yourself why this proprietor is not merely a seller of clothes and jewelry and home goods, but a creator of experience.  all throughout the store, you will find the most ingenious and creative displays of decor, and often, these displays are true transformations of ordinary items or materials into amazing art installations.

tree stump gnome homes and mushrooms blanketed in snow...

i was lucky enough to take in the holiday displays at Anthropologie recently when i was doing some christmas shopping, and i was completely taken with their displays of rolled paper christmas trees and tree stump gnome homes.  and what i find so cool about Anthro is the fact that a lot of their displays are simple -- you can easily see that you could create something similar on your own.  in fact, i even came across a small (and free!) 'how to' card for creating pine trees from recycled paper. 

Anthropologie's windows showcase tall christmas trees made from rolled up paper plates that have been dipped in green dye!

Pottery Barn is another great source of inspiration around this time of year.  a trip into their stores right now will reveal christmas trees trimmed with ornaments made of sheet music and glass glitter, garlands of old fashioned burlap upholstery webbing, and tons of mercury glass.  there are also many ideas to be found for centerpiece and mantel displays.  i love their sheet music wrapped pillar candles -- what a great idea for a hostess gift or kris kringle gift!  who couldn't wrap a white pillar candle from Michael's ($2.99) with a piece of sheet music or old book pages?  finish it off with a twine bow and some berries or greenery.  i know i will be creating this look for my mantels this year.

http://www.potterybarn.com/pbimgs/ab/images/dp/wcm/201040/0027/img28.jpg

and there is always something so simple, yet so perfect about Pottery Barn's christmas tree displays.  they're never overdone or gaudy, and the trees are always so winsome, like they have just been cut down from a field somewhere.  i'm resolved to try the paper banner idea this year, as soon as i figure out what i want it to say.  i'm certain that the paper garland can be handmade using a roll of brown craft paper and a sharpie.  hmm...do i smell a tutorial brewing here?  maybe...

http://www.potterybarn.com/pbimgs/ab/images/dp/wcm/201042/0025/img4.jpg

i'd love to hear where you find your holiday decorating ideas...which is your favorite?  which have you tried and just loved?  which would you like to try for yourself, but haven't had the courage yet?

a little halloween inspiration...

as to be expected, the last few weeks have been full of hustle and bustle for The Crepe Confectionary...

between a mound of halloween and custom orders for the shop, and taking a little time to enjoy the Country Living Fair in Ohio with my mom, i've been eating, sleeping, and breathing halloween...and i couldn't be happier!

so i thought that i would share with you some of the great ideas i've stumbled upon for scaring up some truly inspiring tricks and treats...

http://www.instructables.com/id/Handmade-Halloween-Treat-Bags/

i love these handmade treat bags crafted from old dictionary pages, and this idea couldn't be hotter right now. it seemed that everywhere i turned at this year's Country Living Fair, there were these beautiful handmade items reusing old book pages. for this bibliophile, i couldn't be more smitten with the look...

http://www.countryliving.com/crafts/projects/paranormal-portraits-1009

now this idea, i have vowed to make for halloween this year, its just too cool not to! and believe me, it is a lot easier than it looks...all you need are two little LED lights and a couple of watch batteries -- both of which you can get at your local hardware store for just a couple of dollars. i've already started going through my mom's old photo albums for good pictures...i'll post a more detailed how-to, promise!

http://www.countryliving.com/cooking/entertaining/halloween-decorating-1005

one day, i will host my mom's halloween birthday dinner in a setting such as this...doesn't it look absolutely magical?

http://decorvillage.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/dine-with-scary-friends.jpg

but for now, i think i could definitely do this in my own dining room. i am completely taken with the vintage charm of this dining room, decked out with orange and black crepe paper festoons and tissue lanterns...its straight from the pages of a Dennison Bogie Book.

http://www.hotskwash.com/main-gallery/

and these...(sigh)...these velvet pumpkins have completely seduced me this fall season...i saw them a few months ago on the web somewhere, and a number of vendors had them at this year's Country Living Fair. to buy them, they are quite pricey...but i assure you that their construction is incredibly simple! in fact, if you check back here in the next few days, i will post a step by step tutorial on how to construct some of these soft, lush lovelies for yourself!

until then, may all your endeavors be crafty ;)