national trail mix and toasting marshmallows day.

a veteran s'more maker myself, i can tell you that there are some essential tips to the art of the s'more.

down and dirty, old skool:

warm mallow. between two graham crackers. add chocolate as desired.

fancy pants s'more, martha style.

found on martha stewart.

 a little trick of the trade, consider this investment for true s'more efficiency.

found on rei.

the banana boat

(another personal camping favorite)

1. slice a whole banana, peel on, lengthwise. 

2. leave peel on, and carefully separate, making room for fillings.

3. put marshmallows into the opening.

4. put hershey's chocolate pieces into the opening.

5. sprinkle some brown sugar on top.

6. wrap the entire banana in tin foil.

7. stick on campfire coals (or in the over) for about 7 minutes.

8. check to see if goodies are melted.

9. enjoy!

(other topping ideas: peanut butter, reese's, nuts, m&ms, fresh fruit, whipped cream)

hair-raising.

after amazingly irritating technical difficulties the past few days (including thinking that all of my bookmarked sites had been lost), i'm back in action!

we had a mini-dinner party last night with a few friends and the help of beer, wine, margaritas and chili! always a random mish-mosh that assures a good time.

my chili (which is a food i never pursue under any other circumstance) secret weapon is this Carroll Shelby's "kit" if you will. It comes with seasoning, spices, masa and salt, and it's up to you to add a meat of choice, along with beans, tomatoes and whatever you so desire! as someone who does not cook with much (any) frequency, it makes feeding a table full of people not nearly as intimidating as it could be. and jalapeno cornbread is always a must.

i must say, i think it was quite the success.

in cuter news, i managed to find this adorable hair comb on etsy. i love it. and there are a bunch of colors, and headband options too. very cute. most certainly going on the list of things to buy when i have more hair.

found on etsy.

lakeside.

after a brief jaunt to our family cabin on lake tahoe, ca, i have returned rejuvenated and excited about all things tahoe. i can't wait to get back up there, and i most certainly am going to make a huge effort to get my booty up there over the next few months -- rain or shine. well, sun or snow seems more like it. anywho, love love love.

photographed at west shore inn & cafe in homewood, ca.

libraries. by far.

found on don't forget to fly.

after visiting two libraries in three days, i have officially fallen in love all over again. it has been a few months since my last library adventure, and i am so excited to be back in action!

the san francisco public libraries are great. there is a branch about ten blocks away, and it makes it super easy to partake in library festivities. 

(mainly browsing the new books section when i feel the urge to click "checkout" on my amazon.com cart.)

cute attack.

brand spankin' new complete kate spade clothing line adorableness: 

found on kate spade.

though not all of it is my style, i'm completely in love with the styling that they did with these pieces. who knew that i'd want chartreuse tights for fall?!

stamptastic.

on a little girls' night adventure to michael's craft store -- painfully spinster i know (not including various other purchases such as a mop, laundry detergent, cat food and a long cotton nightgown...) -- i found a few really cute stamps. 

i thought i'd share my latest and greatest:

this wood grain one if pretty big, i'd say about 3x5 inches. pretty rocking. as previously stated, i'm pretty stoked on wood grain lately, so it most certainly was a fun find.

found at plaid.

meanwhile, this little guy is indeed quite tiny. pretty much a square inch. totally adorable. i can't wait to make some little ants-crawling-in-grass cards. adorable!

found at joann's.

seattle swag.

after a week of vacation and a couple days of re-grouping, i am back and excited to show off some of my great souvenirs from beautiful Seattle. though i didn't return with rain, fresh fish or polar fleeces, i did manage to find some fun stuff.

one of my much-anticipated and most satisfying stops was de medici ming fine papers on 1st ave. the shop owner was there and not only attentive, but very present and proud of her shop. and very excited to share that they have been there 26 years and that all of her business is either in-store or by phone -- the store is computer, e-mail and website-free, which is very commendable in today's retail world. it is truly a store that i am glad has survived and i plan on continuing to support it, even from afar.

among the gorgeous flat papers, from marbled to shiny gift wrap, i found some adorable greeting cards and various bit and pieces that i couldn't live without.

found on elum

i love this thank you card as well. especially for when you're REALLY thankful.

found on two piglet letterpress.

and now off to canada! we spent the day in victoria where i found a little shop appropriately called the papery. it was fantastic and i thoroughly annoying chris with the amount of time i spent in there. 

how adorable is this tissue paper?!

found on gallery19.

these labels caught my eye immediately, only after purchasing them i realized that they are a chronicle books product -- fresh out of san francisco.

found on chronicle books. 

my favorite favorite favorite find of the trip was from the seattle art museum (sam) store. i could have bought about a million of these for everyone i know and love, but of course, i didn't. that would have been too logical.

found on dci gift.

sneak some zucchini onto your neighbor's porch day.

yes, it is a holiday, and yes, it is today.

i'll be leaving this yummy treat that i found on Martha Stewart's website, on my neighbors' porches:

• found on martha stewart.
• Zucchini Fritters
  
• 1 pound (about 2 medium) zucchini
  

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest (1 lemon) plus
• 1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges (optional)
• 10 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, stems removed and leaves finely chopped, plus more sprigs for garnish (optional)
• 1 medium clove garlic, peeled and minced
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 to 4 tablespoons olive oil

1. Using the large holes of a box grater, grate zucchini into a medium bowl. Add the salt, lemon zest, chopped parsley, garlic, pepper, and eggs. Mix well to combine. Slowly add flour, stirring so no lumps form.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until the oil sizzles when you drop a small amount of zucchini mixture into the pan. Carefully drop about 2 tablespoons zucchini mixture into pan; repeat, spacing fritters a few inches apart.
3. Cook fritters until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Lower heat to medium. Turn fritters, and continue cooking until golden, 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer fritters to a plate; set aside in a warm place. Cook remaining zucchini mixture, adding more oil to pan if necessary. Garnish with parsley sprigs and lemon wedges, if desired; serve.

top five (or nine...)

1. helping MM look at wedding dresses

2. my new Giants jacket from CP 

3. lunch at The Slanted Door

4. seeing three superstar SF Giants wandering around downtown

5. my mid-day snickerdoodle

6. hanging out with my little sister and her bff

7. finding this at Crate & Barrel, followed by cooking a fantastic dinner with CP

8. getting the man-friend a $12.50 belt at the men's sale at Ben Sherman

9. rose geranium macaroon from Miette

all in all, not a bad top five. most certainly hard to complain. plus, headed to Seattle tomorrow. fantastic.

done right.

while cruising around the blogosphere, i came across the card society. 

it is a "card-a-month" stationary club that sends its members two hand-letterpressed cards a month, both exclusive and never-to-be-printed-again. this will most certainly be a new subscription of mine.

found on port to port press.

on their website you can find the past months' cards, and i have quickly fallen in love with both the concept of the shop as well as the cards themselves. 

i am someone who very much appreciates well-thought-out and beautifully conceptualized ideas, especially when it comes to small businesses. i strongly support beautiful stores, though typically over-priced and unnecessarily frivolous. small details like pink shopping bags, free temporary tattoos, creative floor coverings, impeccable packaging and unexpectedly shaped business cards are all reasons i go to various shops around san francisco.

as someone who dreams of their own well-done business, i pay impeccable attention to detail in all the things i do. when my business does materialize, you better believe that i'll have creativity shooting coming out my ears. i can't wait until that day comes.

us.

as a huge fan of red and blue, when i found this tonight i squealed. it is so adorable, and Yellow Owl Workshop has a lot of other neat things on their website.

more to love:

found on yellow owl workshop.

national watermelon day

i wish they had this in grown-up sizes.

found on gymboree.

though i'm glad that these tequila-soaked watermelon wedges are for the grown-ups.

a perfect poolside treat.

found on martha stewart.

adventure.

this month is indeed "American Adventure Month" and with that in mind, i made a recent purchase. as a self-proclaimed travel book junkie, i knew i had to pick this up when i saw it. 

Lonely Planet does great books and is always my go-to when it comes to travel, though for my past couple trips i've taken liking to the Fodor's guides.

found on lonely planet.

now, when there is a day of boredom or a few hours to kill, we can pick up the book and go on a little adventure. more things to add to our summer to-do list!