The Rocks, Sydney.

DSC_0159My favorite part of Sydney was a section called “The Rocks”. It had the coolest bars, restaurants, and views. I felt like I was in San Francisco, and it was even more beautiful because it was decorated for the holidays. Above is a photo from the modern art museum,, what a great quote by an even greater artist. (“Get Yourself In Trouble” – Chuck Close)

DSC_0166(Australians love their coffee. But don’t expect an American sized serving, they drink their coffee in small doses)

DSC_0168(Each shop had this decal in the window, I LOVED it! So perfect for Christmas)

DSC_0173(See what I mean? What a view!)

DSC_0176(And in the other direction, the Opera House at sunset)

DSC_0180(This was taken in mid November, they get geared up early)

The Rocks is great because it is centrally located. Not far from downtown and really close to the harbour, it’s an awesome place to explore. My only regret was getting there after most of the shops had closed but that just meant we needed to grab a bite while admiring the sunset. Not a bad evening at all.

Brown Paper Packages Tied Up With String.

I know wrapping gifts can be the worst part of gift giving for some but if I have enough time, it’s actually the part that I love the most! I was trying to find creative ways to hide the identity of a gift my roommate was giving his girlfriend. After a lot of inspiration from Pinterest, here’s what I did with items I already had around the house.

Christmas Gift(I placed the gift inside of a larger box and wrapped the sides in tissue paper to keep it in place)

Christmas Gift(I used the back side of a brown paper Target bag to wrap the outside of the box)

Christmas Gift(Use extra twine or ribbon to simply wrap the outside of the box)

Christmas Gift(I cut out this design out of an old christmas bag that I had. Then used some thick stock white paper to address the gift. Instead of taping the paper to the box, use a mini clothes pin for some shabby chic flare!)

Dressing up a gift can make it extra exciting to present it to someone. If you have the time, go the extra mile this Christmas!

SF Style: Meet the Designer!

K Michael

She’s a gorgeous designer from the bay area and has created her own fashion business from scratch.  Who wouldn’t want a peek inside Kristen Michael’s life?!  When not fully emersed in her work as a special education teacher, she makes time to channel her creativity.  We love her work and had a chance to catch up with her to chat about K Michael Style.

1) When did you start designing?
I’ve always had my hands in projects since I was young, but I really started experimenting more after graduating college.  I was making reconstructed clothing from vintage pieces, which soon morphed to making jewelry and scarves.

2) What are your favorite fashion concepts? (90’s grunge, bohemian, etc)
I would have to say a blend of bohemian & edgy.
3) What inspires you outside of fashion?
People who love what they do and those that are happy with very little is something that truly inspires me.
4) What’s the best advice you’ve received about starting your own fashion business?
Be more confident in your product and stop being so shy!  (Marketing is not my strong suit)

5) What’s the most challenging thing about having your own business?
Time.  I am a full time special ed teacher so finding time is my biggest challenge currently.  I always think if I had more time I could do this and that….my to-do list for K.Michael is constantly growing.

6) How would you describe your own style?
I love street style.  Mixing hard and soft, for example ripped jeans with a silk printed blouse and boots, accessorized w/ long layered delicate necklaces and a couple rings (I love rings).

7) Who’s your dream client?
Solange and Nicole Richie

8) Your work seems to be geometric, do you enjoy architecture as well?
It may sound contrary but nature and big cities are two environments that feed my creativity.

9) What’s a great website you visit daily/weekly?
I used to visit multiple fashion blogs but my visits have turned to pinterest, it’s a one stop shop when you don’t have hours to scour the internet.

10) When is your next trunk show/where can we get your jewelry?
Next show:
Holiday in the Vineyards in Livermore @ Charles R. Vineyards
Or host your own trunk show with your freinds or co-workers!
To set one up email me at kmichael002@yahoo.com
instagram @kmichaelstyle and facebook.com/kmichaelstyle for shows, events and new designs!
Thanks for taking a minute to catch up with us!  We have a few favorites of ours that we wanted to share, check ’em out below!
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(It’s also great to layer them!)
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(She also makes great scarves!)
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Kristen makes beautiful pieces that we love and love sharing with people!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all our Ho Ho Ho’s!

IMG_6311

Well 2012 is coming to an end and we wanted to make a short “thank you, we love you, please don’t ever leave us” video for the holidays.  We will be taking a break next week as we hope you do as well 😀

Anyway, we really do appreciate you guys so enjoy some time with your family and friends over the holidays.  See you all soon!

Capital CitiesOh yeah, we also convinced the amazing band Capital Cities to be a part of a holiday photo with us after they did a performance yesterday!  They are really amazing and you should check them out when they come to a city near you 🙂

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Fairmont HotelChristmas in San Francisco is definitely a beautiful sight! The city is lit up even more than usual and the trees are decorated perfectly. This year a group of us decided to check out the 2 story tall Gingerbread House located in the lobby of the Fairmont Hotel in Nob Hill. It was truly something to be seen and smelled!

Gingerbread House(7,500 pieces of gingerbread brick lined the walls, it smelled delicious!)

Gingerbread Wall(Layers of icing, marshmallows, and sprinkles held the house together)

Gingerbread Wall(A nutcracker chilled behind the glass and gummy stars lined the walls)

Eating a House(While I would like to live in this house, I think I would have  a permanent stomach ache if I did)

Candy Village(A tiny mock village was made ENTIRELY of icing and candy! The little penguins were too cute!)

Ornament(A huge Christmas tree sat next to the house. The ornaments were so beautiful, we couldn’t resist taking a photo!)

Presents(A little side area was reserved for children to watch movies and write letters to Santa so of course we decided to play)

Letters to Santa(Everyone was peeking at Connie’s wish list. “I would like a boat please. More specifically, I would like a yacht!” A girl can dream, can’t she?)

Visiting the Fairmont lobby was a really fun way to spend a crisp Winter night with friends. We walked across the street afterwards to have a Christmas cocktail at the Top of the Mark and spent the evening watching the twinkling city from 13 stories up.

Stuff Those Stockings!

cute xmas stockings

Alright, Christmas is next week and if you are busy working then you know what it’s like to have time fly by.  Our favorite gift part of Christmas is the stockings because they are usually filled with awesome trinkets and random sugary treats that you wouldn’t normally splurge on.  Check out some of our favorite stocking stuffer ideas for women (and maybe some men) and become easily prepared for the big day!

lottery tickets(Lottery scratcher tickets!  They are cheap and you could make someone else a winner, even if not it’s still fun to scratch away.  Someone always at least wins a new ticket.)

ryan gosling calendar(Ummm hello!  A mini Ryan Gosling calendar!  Who wouldn’t want to wake up to this on the daily…)

cute-happy-pink-post-it-smile(Cute stationary!  It makes work much more fun to (non)secretively pass notes like you are in middle school again)

Beautiful Headband(Sparkly headband for a lucky girl to wear for New Years!  Maybe even in Paris… =D)

blue-bottle-coffee(A gift card even if just for one coffee to a more expensive coffee shop that’s close to their office – it’s a real treat!)

We love giving to our friends and family at Christmas.  The most important thing during the holidays is getting to spend time with your closest friends and family but since giving gifts happens along the way, we thought we’d share some of our gift ideas.

Come On, Get Ornament Happy

IMG_5523I do love Christmas time.  It’s a wonderful holiday and I love seeing all of the lights that decorate homes and businesses.  There’s something special about the holidays (besides all of the madness).  This year, I wanted to customize my parents tree since I don’t have room for a tree at my own place.  These are extremely easy and you can really customize these for your own holiday needs.  However, I can’t lie.  This idea really came to me while standing in a store staring at some seriously hideous and ridiculously expensive ornaments.  Have you ever thought to yourself, I could do that for way cheaper and do a much better job?!  Well, you probably can.

IMG_5521(This idea originated with the idea of making snow globe ornaments.  All you need are some clear ornaments and some sparkles.)

IMG_5525(Sparkly snow ornaments!  Hand model: my mom)

IMG_5539(Ta da!)

IMG_5529(Then I thought, what other S#!@ can I put in these ornaments?!  Coffee beans!)

IMG_5537(For a coffee lover like me!)

IMG_5531(Sprinkles, for the avid baker)

IMG_5534(I put a few different kinds of sprinkles in there but you could really pick any kind you’d like)

While my mom and I were working on these we thought of other good ingredients for ornament makings.  Advil, for the everyday drinker.  Dog food, for the pet owners with a death wish on their Christmas tree.  Matches, for the over zealous pyro.  Well you get the idea.  You can get crafty and have fun with it.  It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, so stop resisting it and just embrace it already!