To celebrate Oh Joy’s 12th Anniversary, we took a day trip earlier this week to San Francisco to visit two spots that make us very happy...Color Factory and the Museum of Ice Cream! We had a blast spending a work day having some extra fun, and I loved getting to celebrate with my amazing, hard-working, loyal, and talented team. Here's a look at our day...
Last week, I took a quick trip to San Francisco to visit my friend, Jordan's, newest project—Color Factory. This amazing space is an experience in color as you walk through rooms, hallways, installations, and tactile and sensory stories that will leave you smiling. Here's a peek...
We're keeping our summer trip this year low-key and rather than going too far away, we've decided to head to San Francisco at the end of the summer for a little R&R. We haven't been there as a family since Ruby was 7 months old, so it will be nice to be back with two walking kids to explore the city!
For those of you who live in the Bay Area or are familiar with the area, I would love any recommendations of places to eat, things to do with the kids, places to shop for inspiration, etc. Any and all suggestions are welcome. Thank you in advanced!
Have a great weekend!
{Print by Rifle Paper Co.}
Happy Friday guys! This week it's been crazy hot here in LA reminding me that summer is seriously upon us. I'm still dreaming about long weekend escapes this summer, and Victoria Smith's new book—See San Francisco—makes me want to jet off to the Bay Area. The book is beautifully photographed and shows San Francisco in a way that shows the colorful, eclectic, and bohemian side of the city.
I hope you have some amazing plans whether celebrating Father's Day on Sunday with your favorite Pop or simply enjoying the reprise the weekend has to offer! See ya soon!
{Photos by Victoria Smith}
Last Thursday, I spent 24 hours in San Francisco's East Bay for the 2nd stop of my book tour. Although it was a quick trip, I made sure to fit in some good eats and see my friend, Lisa's, new baby, Theo. It was my first night away from Ruby, so we Skyped before I headed out to my book signing (which was fun until she cried after realizing I wasn't actually there). Once I wiped away my baby-missing tears, we had such a fun book party. Chloé, who created my trailer, made a life-sized version of the pie truck from the video for the Smilebooth and brought the props from the video for display. It was an action-packed and super fun day. After a day back in LA, we flew off to Philly to visit family while in town for my NY Book Party on Thursday!
ps. For those that attended the book party, the photos are now up right here!
{Photos by Oh Joy, except bottom from Smilebooth. Above photos: Top by Lauren Moffatt, insanely good ice cream from Ici in Berkeley, little Theo is the first little man I've seen in an Oh Joy romper, Ruby's headband from Sara Rae Shop, fried chicken sandwich from Summer Kitchen in Berkeley, and a moment in the pie truck Smilebooth}
...such a great take on city prints {I love the patterns and use of negative space} by J.Hill Design... — Joy
While in San Francisco, I came across Filipino silvana cookies for the first time at an ice cream shop, and I'm kind of in love. It's a crunchy, creamy, frozen cookie with butter cream sandwiched between two cashew-meringue wafers and coated with cookie crumbs. It looks like a bigger, flatter French macaron, but it's lighter, melts-in-your mouth, and is kind of refreshing {which you don't often say about a cookie}. I had the coconut {above}, chocolate, and mocha-flavored silvanas...yum! Now, I just need to find them locally... — Joy
{photo by Oh Joy}
Located in Los Altos {in Northern California}, Bumble Cafe is a new concept cafe and play space created for families in downtown Los Altos to gather, meet other parents, enjoy a healthy meal with their children, and/or relax with friends while the children play. The menu serves farm-to-table fare for both parents and kids. As a new mom with my own business, I wish there was a place like Bumble Cafe near me to be able to meet up with friends or clients while having Ruby not too far from me. It's such a fun idea and hope they'll spring up in other cities soon! — Joy
{photos by Bumble Cafe, designed by Kate Collins}
Alright folks, I've found the chocolate mix of all mixes {well, I didn't actually find them...the amazing Jordan bestowed them to me, and I happily accepted}. Picture this...burnt caramel almonds, burnt caramel hazelnuts, candied cherries covered in dark chocolate, and pearls of creamy organic peanut butter and dark milk chocolate with a crispy center. The Asphalt Jungle Mix from Recchiuti might be all the snack I need to live on a deserted island alone forever.
— Joy
{photo by Oh Joy}
Last week at Alt, sweet Jordan gave me one of these amazing Rocky Road chocolate bars from a San Francisco favorite, Bi-Rite Creamery. I haven't had a chance to visit Bi-Rite during my past visits to SF, so I loved that I could get a taste from afar with the chocolate bar version of one of their favorite flavors. Made by Charles Chocolates, the ice cream chocolate bar is an exclusive item to Bi-Rite...and boy is it GOOOOD! — Joy
{photo by Oh Joy}