Portrait of a Weekend

Listening to our friends Matt and Joey play music at Aubergine in Sebastopol on a Saturday afternoon. A functioning disco ball and wall of hearts in the bathroom, blocks at the bar... my kind of establishment! Not to mention, this bar/cafe/music venue, also happens to be a vintage emporium. Seriously. I'm not making this up.

Followed by a jaunt out to our friends, Jeff and Lily's, property for a fun-filled BBQ. We got to enjoy some gorgeous west county views before that big wall of coastal fog enveloped us completely.

Their beautiful property came with a funky little A-frame house in need of much TLC. With the help of skilled friends, it's now gutted and on its way to becoming a magical little home for them and their sweet baby girl. So excited to see how it all turns out!

Sunday lovely Sunday, in a little white dress I thrifted some time back. I think a simple white dress with just enough subtle detail can make for the perfect summer uniform.

With Clover and her buddy Finn packed in their strollers, my friend Angelina (who is also conveniently my next door neighbor) and I set off on a short walk to a lovely little backyard concert around the way.

With festive cloth buntings overhead, fresh straw underfoot, and cold beer in our cups, some of Santa Rosa's finest local musicians wove sweet melodies through the sun-dappled garden. Heavenly.

♥♥♥

The kiddos had a blast too :)

Loved these ladies and Clover's little happy dance about 25 seconds in.

Later that evening at our friend Erin's going away party. Soon to be off gallivanting through Europe for 9 months or something crazy like that. Lucky girl, we wish you many happy adventures!

Luis, Joey, and Mike supplied the tunes and, as you can see, there were some tiny dancers, as well.

Shiny happy people laughing :)

As the sun descended, I took a walk out into the field beyond the gate.

Where I paid a visit to some very friendly goat neighbors.

Field of feathery grasses and delicate wildflowers + golden hour = photoshoot time! Julia is just one of those people. It's pretty much impossible to take a bad picture of her.

I got so many wonderful shots of Lily and her daughter Mesa too. The one above where Mesa is looking into the camera is my favorite, so precious!

I really love the hemline of this dress, and my Violet Folklore moccs too!

Swooning over my new Lost Boys and Lovers crystal bullet necklace from the beautiful and talented Miss Sadie Rose!

Sadie and I did a package swap and I was so excited to find this gorgeous piece tucked inside... needless to say, since its arrival, this necklace has been spending some serious time around my neck.

This particular weekend was the weekend before last. Last weekend was pretty mellow, giving us time to chill out around the homestead and recharge, for there lies another crazy weekend ahead!

A friend playing music Friday night, the Petaluma Rivertown Revival on Saturday (you may recall last year's event), possibly more live art and music Saturday night, and then the Sonoma County fair with friends on Sunday... oh man, I'm getting tired just thinking about it...

Luckily, I'll have my crystal bullet to keep me feeling calm and grounded through it all ;)

May Day! May Day!

This sweet little beauty of a dress was one of several vintage gems that came to me by way of a lovingly assembled, thoughtfully themed care package presented to me in person on this magical night by the lovely and wondrous spirit that is Heather :)

Her theme was Beachy Village, so lovely: “I was imagining music on an old wooden pier, blues & whites & lavender. Sand underfoot and a warm cresent moon smiling overhead.” *sigh*


I wore the dress to the May Day celebration at Clover’s preschool. It felt perfect for the occasion, and even reminded me of something I might have worn at her age.

The delicate details: sheer puff sleeves, tiny pearl buttons, lace collar and trim, along with my girl picking flowers necklace (better view here), an old pre-blogging days thrift find.


Last years maypole involved a rainbow of paper streamers. This year, they stepped it up a notch with beautiful ribbons of fabric in sweet, springy patterns and colors.

If you’re wondering where Clover is in most of these pictures, the answer is right here, attached to the hem of my dress. She was having one of those days.

There is nothing orderly about dancing around the maypole with a bunch of 2-4 year olds, it all inevitably ends in complete and utter maypole madness. Could this be where the term mayhem comes from, or perhaps the distress call "mayday! mayday!" ;)


Yeah, it seems I am not above a little mini-muffin bribery to get my girl to pose for me with one of her besties. Clover’s pal Lillia, who you’ve seen before, most recently dying eggs with Clover in her backyard, is the daughter of friends of ours. These two were born only two weeks apart.

As I was in the middle of taking a picture of the maypole, this little sweetheart came up and tugged on my dress. When I stopped and looked down at her, she looked up at me with sparkles in her eyes and a big smile on her face and said “You’re beautiful.” Oh my goodness, talk about heart-melting! Of course I informed her of her own beauty, and then snapped this shot : )

Wee cupcakes and lemonade in the play yard to celebrate the birthday of yet another of Clover’s besties, Maiya, our little girl next door.



Then it was off into the neighborhood with a red wagon full of colorful little handmade paper baskets. Each filled by the kids with fresh picked flowers to brighten some lucky neighbors day.

The kids had so much fun marching up to set baskets down on each doorstep and then running off to hide before the door was answered so they could all jump out and scream Happy May Day!


Of course the neighbors get such a kick out of these smiling little faces showing up at their doorstep with flowers every year. This guy’s reaction was especially sweet and touching. It seems this old fashioned May Day tradition brings joy to all involved.

I hope your May Day involved flowers, smiles, and joy this year as well!