A Day in Santa Barbara

I’m baaaackkkk! Did you miss me? It has been ashamedly long since I’ve posted. I’ve wanted to post a few times since last, but once you fall off the wagon, it’s hard pulling yourself back up. I’ve missed the creative outlet, however, so that will help inspire some more content on here.

In the meantime, this is going to be a picture-heavy post (as far as blog posts go; nothing compared to facebook albums and, um, my entire iPhoto collection). Two weekends ago, my bf S and I took a day-trip to Santa Barbara. It was a nice little escape for the day. {The pictures are much more lovely if you click for gallery form!}

We mostly just ate, drank, and walked. If you’re ever in the neighborhood and need to grab a bite (or WANT to, hello), I’d definitely suggest The Shop Cafe for a great selection of fresh takes on brunch and lunch favorites. We grabbed a salad and sandwich there and ate at a picnic table on their patio. It had a great, laid-back vibe and was a perfect way to start our day in S.B. Oh, and make sure you try their iced chai latte!! SO good. Vanilla beans and everything.

I also highly recommend the Santa Barbara Courthouse. There is beauty in every detail, inside and out (and so many photo opportunities—would be an amazing engagement shoot location). The view from the clock tower is a can’t-miss! The courthouse is one of the best free attractions I’ve ever been to.

After some beach walking/pier sitting/leg dangling, we stopped by Apéro for some creative and delicious cocktails. One of S’ had pieces of honey comb in it; they tasted like freeze-dried caramel. Really fun! We also sampled one of their tapas plates (brie goo and apricot and fancy greens on artisan bread. . .mmm), which was also tasty.  It was a nice stop.

That was pretty much our day, with a little more walking and a little more eating and drinking. We concluded with him buying curtains, me buying a dress, and In N Out on our way south. We’re so lucky to live within a few hours of some great cities. I’m already itching to go again!

Belated Thanksgiving 2012 Update

Now that we’re safely into the new year (ohhh, by almost two months!), I think it’s time I posted my thanksgiving decor. It was super low budget, but I accomplished the feel I was going for. Without further ado, our alfresco Thanksgiving dining experience:

First, I painted the stems of small pumpkins gold.

Then I cut the pumpkins on the bottom in order to hollow them out and create luminaries. This was my first time carving/decorating a pumpkin, and I was surprised at how tricky it is! You have to really put some muscle into it. Those seeds are a beast to get out.

I found a rather Tim Burton-esque looking face while I was working.

Our sweet white rabbit {who is no longer with us 😦 } loved getting some of the scraps, while Diesel our dog supervised.

For the table runner, I use a long sheet of craft paper and stamped two different sized circles all over it at random with gold acrylic paint.

The gold circles tied in with the gold stems of the pumpkins.

I continued the “polka dot” theme by drilling circles in the pumpkins that would  allow the luminaries to glow.

For place cards, I made a few batches of carmel corn {recipe here, though I added a ton of cinnamon, SO good!!} and filled individual, name-stamped paper bags with the crunchy goodness. Guests could munch throughout dinner, or during dessert if pumpkin pie didn’t float their boats {holla!}.

You’ll notice nothing on my plate but carbs and veggies. 🙂 None of that turkey nonsense for me.

Our table full of lovely neighborhood friends . . .

The pumpkins came alive as the sun went down.

The food was placed around this buffet table my mom set up. I love the placement of the crates and pumpkins!

That wraps up our thanksgiving festivities. We all gathered around the fire-pit for dessert when it started to get chilly.  I say it very often, but I love where I live! So grateful we were able to enjoy our thanksgiving meal outdoors this year.