My New Pop-Up Book

I got this beautiful woodcut pop-up book made by Alison Yates at Pretty Penny’s craft exposition this weekend.  This combined with a recent trip to Addison Endpapers is really tempting me to start making books.

I Love I Love I Love My Calendar Girl

There are just too many good things going on these days.

IN ROCKRIDGE:

Craft Fair at Pretty Penny, Saturday July 25, 11am-7pm

Pretty Penny, recent winner of not one, but three East Bay Express Best of the Bay 2009 Reader’s Poll Awards (Best Vintage Clothing, Best Women’s Clothing, and Best New Business) (and my favorite vintage shop to boot) will be hosting a craft fair all day this Saturday featuring Oakland and San Francisco’s finest artisans.  Come enjoy beverages and hors d’oeuvres gratis while browsing their wares–plus the hottest vintage styles around.

A soothing spot to sit in Pretty Penny

Open Opera presents Figaro, Saturday July 25 and Sunday July 26, 3pm

Open Opera is a new organization with a mission–to bring more opera to the world to new and wider audiences (starting with the Bay Area)–and all for free.  In order to do this Open Opera’s performances are staged in our beautiful public parks.  This Saturday and Sunday Open Opera will be performing the Marriage of Figaro at John Hinkel park in North Berkeley.  Peko Peko will be on hand in case sopranos make you hungry.  Sylvan Mishima Brackett says, “Intermit with our summer katsu-sando bento, American-size king salmon onigiri, luxury melon drink, and strawberry ice cream sandwiches!”  You know I will Sylvan, you know I will.

August Closing Oakland Location Clearance Sale, July 24, 25, and 26 11am-6pm

I report with a heavy heart that I returned to Rockridge to learn that we are losing one of our inveterate retailers, August.  I could always rely on August to bring me a tiny bit of Brooklyn via Refinery29-style faves like Vena Cava and Loomstate, but no longer.  Thankfully their Mill Valley location will stay open, but their loss will be felt in Rockridge.  Stop by to say goodbye and pick up some of their gorgeous wares at painfully low prices.

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FURTHER AFIELD (TONIGHT! TONIGHT! TONIGHT!)

Inara George and Van Dyke Parks, Friday July 24, McCabes Guitar Shop

On her most recent solo album Inara George (the multi-talented member of various and diverse acts such as the Bird and the Bee and the Living Sisters) collaborated with longtime friend Van Dyke Parks, famed composer, songwriter, lyricist, arranger, and producer.  The results are intoxicating.  The New York Times says “Ms. George muses on love, yearning and separation in lyrics that can be ingenuous or surreal…meanwhile Mr. Parks surrounds her ballads and waltzes with a nonstop counterpoint of melodies and of allusions…”  And to see these two characters on a stage together (and one as intimate as McCabes at that) is a real treat.

Not events but worth mentioning…

Oliveto Community Journal reports via their Twitter: “Rumor has it Catalan Farms has the first EXCELLENT slicer tomatoes of the season! @ [Berkeley Farmer’s Market Thursday and Saturday].”  Tomato season is on the verge of beginning in earnest.  See more on Catalan Farms here.

and

Commis Restaurant opened while I was away and I can’t wait to try it…if anyone has any early reviews let me know.

It’s Monday Morning and I’m Excited About…

• Mandela Food Cooperative’s opening this past weekend.  West Oakland has not had a full service grocer in three years.  It’s unconscionable.  The worker-owned MFC is working to set this wrong right by supplying locals with food from farms no more than 170 miles away from Oakland and offering nutritional education workshops.  In addition, the cooperative will soon make grocery pick up available directly from West Oakland BART.  More from the Oakland Tribune here.  Congratulations to everyone who worked hard to make this happen!
• The Au Revoir Simone show this Saturday, June 13th at Bimbo’s in San Francisco.  You should visit their website to see some amazing collages and listen to lightly twinkeling bells and organ behind their smooth vocals (song: “The Lucky One”).  At $16 the show is a steal.  Why don’t you join me?

The women of Au Revoir Simone

• Heronswood, a new nursery discovery for special perrenials.  Heronswood has tons of hellebores (my favorite flower) in every color imaginable.  In spite of the fact I just planted seven new hellebores ranging from green to dark purple/black, I still want more.  I’m considering the “Ivory Prince” in particular.  And how about this oriental poppy called “Ruffled Patty?” How wild is she?

Ruffled Patty in all her glory

Results of an Afternoon Shopping Trip in Rockridge

I went out on the hunt for coasters (I happen to love coasters and constantly be on a search for good ones), but in this case I was gift shopping.  Who doesn’t need coasters?  I found some I like on the Gumps website (on sale too) but I am absolutely hell bent on spending my money where it matters–in Rockridge.  I decided to see what was new at Atomic Garden, and found the perfect coasters for my recipient.  Clean design with natural flare.  Could go in either an ironic or earnest direction, depending on the surrounding decor:

Coasters from Atomic Garden ($6 ea.), crystal tumbler by William Yeoward

Then I took a little detour to hit August-they are having a huge sale.  Super premium denim from Habitual, Loomstate, and everyone’s favorite, Acne, is marked down-down-down!  The Acne dark rinses they have at around $100 are especially enticing—get over there!  They have tons of sizes too.  Very exciting if you’re like me and you’re loath to pay full price, but would love something a little more special than the 3rd-hand Levi’s you usually wear every once in a while. 

My last stop was Pretty Penny, one of my absolute, number one favorite spots on College.  Just look at what I found:

Can you tell I have a white loafer obsession or what?  Guess how much?  Just guess.  $26.  !!!  I love Ferragamo and I love Pretty Penny.

The final thing I found on my shopping trip doesn’t make me happy:

Another empty retail storefront.

Dear Rockridge residents and any Oaklanders who enjoy the Rockridge life,

Rockridge is in danger.

Small businesses, especially retail establishments, are closing one after another.  Unlike some places (perhaps New York City) small retail business closings do not beget new, hipper small retail business openings.  Instead, we get Jamba Juice and Pasta Pomodoro.  Residents of Rockridge have the income to afford small boutique shopping.  If you’re smart about it, it doesn’t cost any more than a trip to Nordstrom and a tank of gas to Walnut Creek, Emeryville, or San Francisco.  If we lose these small businesses, our neighborhood loses charm and functionality, and ultimately, the value of the beautiful homes and neighborhood we work so hard to maintain.

Please join me in supporting our local retail vendors.   More on this on ARL to follow.  

My Favorite Arrangement from Last Week’s Celebration

Garden roses, peonies, white lilac, honey suckle.  By Bloomies.

Last Night’s Mission District Menu

• Improvised salad: baby romaine, radishes, and avocado with Meyer lemon vinaigrette (Meyer lemon juice, salt, pepper, sugar, good olive oil*)
• Minted asparagus with red onion (the original recipe, for green beans here)
• Sashimi-grade tuna steaks (what other grade would we consider?) dusted ever so lightly with wasabi powder and soy, sprinkled with black sesame seeds and seared in a grill pan
• Tomatoes vinaigrette, minus the oregano, recipe here.
• Some crusty country sort of loaf courtesy of Tartine (really wonderful)
• Xarmant Txakolina, my favorite white wine.  Produced in the Basque country.  I buy mine at Paul Marcus.  It would be a great public service if everyone was granted a case each May.  Honestly, it’s so amazing.  Transportive.  More information here.  

Eclectic and charming, as was the company.  A good night in San Francisco.  I might have to make a habit of it.  But who wouldn’t love San Francisco when perched at the peak of Dolores Park in a courtyard-facing pied-à-terre?

Welcome to the Best Coast DF!

*to be all Barefoot Contessa about it

It’s Raining in Rockridge

I responded to the day by going out and relieving Bloomies of some of their merchandise, lest it get damaged in the rain.  

Nothing like big bright yellow peonies (and a fun mini pineapple) to lift the rain cloud from over your head!

Things that Soothe: Apartment Therapy (I know)

Honestly, I’ve never really gotten into Apartment Therapy.  Like many sites that I want to LOVE, it’s just a little too Real Simple-y for me sometimes.  But I decided to check out the SF site today and it’s soothing the hell out of me.  Especially these posts:

• Urban Indigo-a seriously soothing Oakland boutique in the Grand Lake neighborhood
• Black Flowers-who doesn’t love them?  Apparently “gotard”
• Garden Inspired Interiors-not great examples all of them, but that lead image is enough to make it one of my faves:

Here is an arrangement featuring my favorite “black” flower: chocolate cosmos (and two of my other favorite flowers muscari and hellebore).

Discovered at Southern Accents, arrangement by Greg Campbell of Memphis

Oliveto’s Tomato Watch

The people of Oliveto keep food close to their hearts–and therefore their producers even closer.  Right now, and for the next few months, Oliveto’s Community Journal is conducting a “Tomato Watch.”  OCJ will document as these tomato seedlings become sprouts and sprouts become vines, until the sweet fruit hits our plates at Oliveto’s famous annual Tomato Dinner series in late summer (August 26-29 2009).  The whole process is being documented on video at OCJ in a documentary style akin to a mini-series, with new video being shot and released in real time on the site as the tomatoes grow.  Of huge consequence this year is water, or lack thereof due to drought.  

Visit OCJ here to watch as farmers from Watsonville to Capay Valley brave the elements in hopes of the sweetest, tartest red globes around.  

Click here to visit Oliveto Community Journal

Dark Chocolate/Caramel/Sea Salt Reinforcements

I still love Fran’s–that’s what is readily available at Market Hall–but there are two other brands I’m loving that I discovered at Lulu Rae. 

I made a special trip to the upper Rockridge College Avenue confection boutique for Barlovento and Poco Dolce.

As far as fleur de sel chocolate caramels go, Fran’s is a great staple.  Barlovento packs the biggest caramel chew (a big hunk of chewy caramel with a thin coat of dark chocolate) and most salt (high points for the latter).  Poco Dolce has the most sparing smattering of salt, but, in my opinion, the highest quality chocolate taste.  Poco Dolce is a small crispy center of caramel toffee and a solid sea of dark chocolate surrounding it.  

Bonus: Poco Dolce has a large variety of flavors all topped with sea salt.  YUM