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!