life lately

calivintage: eat

yesterday i meant to share a blog post, but you know? sometimes life happens. as was the case yesterday when i slept-in past my alarm clock, conveniently on a day that i was supposed to arrive to work early! i threw on a t-shirt and jeans (it was mandatory for a work-related event), pulled my hair into a ponytail, and managed to answer a few emails before making my way through rush hour traffic into the corporate lot where i park my car before heading into the office.

and this morning, when i was going through the photos i’d taken over the weekend, i realized that i only took photos of one outfit, but i had tons of photos of other things. i’ve noticed lately that i spend a lot more of my time behind the camera than in front of it, playing with the settings and trying to capture little bits and pieces of my life. these photos were taken after a trip to the farmer’s market that’s held every saturday a few blocks from my home filled with gourmet food trucks, organic fruits and veggies, and hand-crafted housewares. we picked up a few ingredients for an afternoon snack, a salad that i recreated off the menu at darwin cafe: fresh kale, radicchio, balsamic vinegar, lemon, parmesan, and little bits of prociutto. it sounds fancy, but it’s really just a simple salad.

calivintage: eat
calivintage: eat

video time

today i thought i’d share a couple of diy videos i recently made for modcloth. i’ve gotten into the habit of bedazzling things, so this was the outcome of two such endeavors after trips to the local craft store. they’re mostly to be silly, but i also think they’re fun interpretations on trends i’ve seen around. i really want to make myself a pair of decorated sunglasses that are a little more subtle than the examples shown here. good thing i have plenty of silly little embellishments left over from these projects!

also a big thanks to jon brown for filming and editing these videos. he’s the same guy who helped me with my public bikes video a few months back. such a swell dude!

an afternoon in grand lake

calivintage: an afternoon

a couple of weeks ago, i took my camera with me on a typical afternoon in the grand lake neighborhood of oakland. it’s the place where i’ve lived for the past few years, and i love that i am within walking distance of so many special places. so when ugg australia asked me if i’d like to share a little glimpse into a day in my life, i happily obliged and snapped these photos for a guest post on their tumblr blog. i’ve partnered up with the brand for a series of guest posts throughout the year, and while it’s a tumblr-centric project, i just couldn’t help but share some of the photos from the post here on my main blog. just be sure to check out the ugg australia tumblr for my original post!

p.s. if you’re curious what i’m wearing: bonlook jungle chic glasses, j.crew dress, vintage shoes from pretty penny, fieldguided endless summer tote.

calivintage: an afternoon
calivintage: an afternoon
calivintage: an afternoon
first stop: brunch at the grand tavern. the restaurant is in an old craftsman style house complete with a front and back patio, so you always feel right at home.

calivintage: an afternoon
then a quick trip to walden pond books for some used book shopping.

calivintage: an afternoon
calivintage: an afternoon
calivintage: an afternoon
calivintage: an afternoon
calivintage: an afternoon
calivintage: an afternoon
calivintage: an afternoon
and of course, we had to stop by morcom rose garden to lay in the sun and read books. as you know from previous posts, this is a favorite weekend haunt.

calivintage: an afternoon
calivintage: an afternoon
and we finished off the evening with a fancy cocktail from boot & shoe service! i got the ‘monk’s garden’ which was so herbal and fruity and refreshing!

calivintage + fossil san francisco city tour!

calivintage + fossil sf city guide

today i am very excited to share my latest collaboration with fossil.com! they contacted me a couple of months ago asking if i’d be interested in sharing a few of my favorite sf spots, so i happily made a day of it and took a quick trip to the mission district in san francisco to snap a few photos of my favorite shops. i sent over the pictures with some quotes and recommendations, and was absolutely blown away with the finished result! they created the most adorable animated interactive map of san francisco in the pretties shades of mustard and pink! it’s so cute that i want to print it out and hang it on my wall.

i’ve attached a couple of screen shots to share, but you’ll have to click here to play with the map and discover some of my favorite sf spots!

calivintage + fossil sf city guide
calivintage + fossil sf city guide

lake del valle

calivintage: lake del valle

today i thought i’d share a few (ok, way more than a few) photographs of a favorite weekend getaway spot. the bay area summers are just a little too chilly for my taste, so we’ve made it a habit of driving east for about 45 minutes to lake del valle where it’s usually 10 – 20 degrees warmer and we get to enjoy real summer weather. so on saturday, we packed up the essentials: picnic blanket, towels, sunscreen, and headed out for a lazy day spent eating sammiches, drinking champagne, and floating around in the cool water.

it was also the perfect opportunity to give my new swimsuit a test drive. i’m not usually able to wear a two piece because most tops are just too flimsy for me, and i can’t actually fit a regular size range of small, medium, or large. so i was pretty excited to find this retro little number at my work that comes in a range of cup sizes and actually fits! ok, it may be a teensy bit snug, but i’ve decided to grace you all with my booty anyhow, haha! i recently read this cute article about getting a “perfect beach body” and really liked the resounding message to, “just go to the damn beach and enjoy yourself already.” so that’s just what i’m doing!

swimsuit: fräulein annie reversible top and bottoms from modcloth
sunglasses: karen walker number six
accessories: market backpack from brook farm general store and pendleton throw with leather carrier

calivintage: lake del valle
calivintage: lake del valle
calivintage: lake del valle
calivintage: lake del valle
calivintage: lake del valle
calivintage: lake del valle
calivintage: lake del valle
calivintage: lake del valle
calivintage: lake del valle
calivintage: lake del valle
calivintage: lake del valle
calivintage: lake del valle
calivintage: lake del valle
calivintage: lake del valle

afternoon snapshots

calivintage: afternoon snapshots

i know i always share my outfit photos, but today i thought i might share some personal photos. i always have my camera with me, so i suppose it’s no surprise that i happen to take lots of little snapshots of the things i’m up to. not quite sure why i don’t share these types of photos more often!

anyway, this is a little peek at my neighborhood in the grand lake area of oakland. i live right on the border of the town of piedmont near morcom rose garden (which i have been talking about nonstop this week). on weekends, we usually stroll about these streets without thinking much about our surroundings, so sometimes it’s nice to just stop and enjoy the scenery. above: brendan toting around my market backpack and pendleton blanket (the latter was a surprise gift from him).

calivintage: afternoon snapshots
calivintage: afternoon snapshots
my viewpoint while laying in the grass at the rose garden.

calivintage: afternoon snapshots
cool water.

calivintage: afternoon snapshots
sammiches, books, and beer. i made these egg sammiches from a recipe i found on pinterest. i’m going to have to share because they were seriously perfection.

calivintage: afternoon snapshots
calivintage: afternoon snapshots
have you ever seen the sriracha food pyramid? this is my life.

calivintage: afternoon snapshots
calivintage: afternoon snapshots
calivintage: afternoon snapshots
calivintage: afternoon snapshots
calivintage: afternoon snapshots
on the street where i live. can’t get over the views here.

calivintage: afternoon snapshots
the view from the stairwell in my apartment building.

sammich cake

calivintage: smörgåstårta

no, your eyes are not deceiving you. this is a food post on a fashion blog. please don’t roll your eyes too much because i am quite proud of my latest creation! as i’m sure some of you know, i work for modcloth.com as an editorial specialist. this basically means that in addition to writing posts for the blog, i run the modcloth tumblr and instagram, and generally produce editorial content for the site. i also do most of the blog photography and even recently shot some campaign photos. it’s basically a really fun, creative job where i get to dabble in all sorts of different projects. after hesitating for over two years, i finally decided to try my hand at a cooking post. and this is what was born: it’s a sammich cake! also known as a smörgåstårta. i made it and took the photos at my friend’s house and now i feel like i’ve been bitten by the food blogging bug.

anyway, i originally posted this on the modcloth blog (where you can find my recipe), but i just had to share the photos here because i was so pleased with my first attempt, and wondered what you guys thought. little known fact: many moons ago, i was professionally trained in culinary school and am actually a certified pastry chef. i’ve never shared any of my work here because it’s a fashion blog, but perhaps you’d like to see what else i’ve got up my sleeve?

calivintage: smörgåstårta
calivintage: smörgåstårta

calivintage: smörgåstårta
calivintage: smörgåstårta
calivintage: smörgåstårta
calivintage: smörgåstårta
calivintage: smörgåstårta
calivintage: smörgåstårta
calivintage: smörgåstårta

insta-hawaii, part 2

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and just like that, i’m back at home in oakland getting ready to go to the office and start the work week. but i still have just a few more photos i wanted to share before i jump back into the regularly scheduled programming here at calivintage!

above: enjoying a hawaiian shave ice at matsumoto in haleiwa. this place was recommended to me by several friends, and it was a delightful treat after a very long day!

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on the beach at our resort in ko’olina.

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if you were ever curious about the types of people you see at these touristy locales, this was a cute little couple strolling along the beach at the resort. note the combination of an aloha shirt with plaid shorts, argyle socks, and loafers.

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more treats!

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enjoying the most beautiful beach, kailua! wearing the lake me with you swimsuit from modcloth.

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last sunset of the trip. complete with a sailboat passing by…

outfit: waimea

calivintage: waimea

today is my last day in hawaii before i board a big plane and spend five hours flying over the ocean headed back to my little apartment in oakland. i looked up the forecast and should be expecting rain showers and temperatures in the 50s when i return. it’s back to the grind for me, but i’m thankful to have been able to spend a week in paradise before returning to my usual routine.

these photos were snapped at the botanical gardens in waimea after we feasted on kahuku shrimp in the north shore of oahu. the gardens were absolutely stunning and we had fun prancing around and snapping cheezy tourist pictures, which is the thing to do when you’re on vacation! after spending about two hours wandering about in the lush greenery, we headed out for some hawaiian shave ice at matsumotos, and then drove through the country side back to our hotel. it was a beautiful day that i will not soon forget!

top: equipment sailor blouse
shorts: modcloth isle be there shorts
shoes: swedish hasbeens sky high braided sandals
bag: vintage, gift from my mom
lipstick: ysl rouge pur in le orange

calivintage: waimea
calivintage: waimea
calivintage: waimea
calivintage: waimea
calivintage: waimea
calivintage: waimea
calivintage: waimea

outfit: waves

calivintage: on the beach

the day before i left for my vacation in hawaii, i received an express package from the very sweet jaclyn of audrey grace boutique. i pulled open the wrapping to reveal this pretty dress by la-based designer, popavina. she had sent me a little iphone photo of the dress before it arrived, but that teeny tiny picture did not do it justice at all! i instantly fell in love with the pretty layers upon layers of wavy lines in pretty pinks, sea foam green, and brown. i know it’s a bit of a dressy little number, but being in hawaii on vacation, i thought it would be the perfect thing to wear on a quick trip to the beach near my hotel here in ko olina. i think it would also look equally stunning for a fancy night out. perhaps just the thing i would wear to visit the audrey grace pop up shop opening tomorrow night in new york. i won’t be able to attend, but if you’re in the new york area, you definitely try to make it out. she carries a lovely selection of some of my favorite designers, so i’m sure it will be  a blast.

i was also recently interviewed for the audrey grace magazine, which you can check out here!

calivintage: on the beach
calivintage: on the beach
calivintage: on the beach
calivintage: on the beach
calivintage: on the beach
calivintage: on the beach
calivintage: on the beach