EtsySB

My friend Katherine recently introduced me to a group of local Santa Barbara crafters, artists, and designers who sell on Etsy called EtsySB. They are promoting each other’s work and holding small boutiques around town. I love shopping on Etsy, but it’s always nice to buy local, so this sounds like an awesome combination. Plus, it’s a group not limited to one specific craft, so you can get inspiration from lots of different projects. I thought I’d share some of my favorite pieces from the EtsySB contingent — enjoy!

voladoradesign

cimmerii

erinpata

mintlane

TwinBella

Posted in Inspiration, Santa Barbara ♥ 01.21.2011 at 8:47 pm ♥  2 Comments

Handmade by Alissa Visits the Santa Barbara Modern Quilt Guild

At the last meeting of the Santa Barbara Modern Quilt Guild, we were thrilled to have Alissa from Handmade by Alissa stop by as a guest speaker. As one of the co-founders of the Modern Quilt Guild, she shared the reasons behind the guild’s creation and the plans for the guild going forward, her thoughts on modern quilting, and some insights into the behind the scenes life of a popular blogger, quilter, and book author. She also brought loads of quilts to share. Even though her quilts are impressive when viewed online, they’re even more gorgeous in person!

The quilt below is similar to one featured in her upcoming Block Party book, which features blocks created by a group of quilters using a color and design theme.
This one was featured in the 2010 International Quilt Fest: Quilt Scene magazine.


One interesting thing about Alissa’s quilting is that she’s moved almost entirely away from prints as she’s progressed as a quilter. This definitely has me inspired as I start thinking about some new quilt designs. Thanks to Alissa for sharing her time and expertise with us!

Posted in Quilting, Santa Barbara ♥ 01.18.2011 at 8:32 am ♥  Leave a comment

Santa Barbara: Municipal Winemakers

In my quest to visit all of the tasting rooms on the Santa Barbara Urban Wine Trail, I recently made it down to Municipal Winemakers. This is the newest tasting room in town and their design aesthetic seemingly popped right from my brain. Their storefront is packed with mid-century vintage finds and kitschy artwork and the labels feature some beautiful typography. Plus, their wine club is called Club Awesome! Besides buying their wine pre-bottled, they also offer a refillable wine fountain. You can get a 1-liter bottle of the wines they have on tap for $25 (first time) and $20 refills. A great deal for locals.

Posted in Santa Barbara, Wine ♥ 09.28.2010 at 7:30 pm ♥  1 Comment

Aebleskivers

Aebleskivers are Danish pancake-like balls smothered with raspberry jam and powdered sugar. They are a must have if you stop by the Danish village of Solvang, about 45 minutes north of Santa Barbara in the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley wine country. You can even try to make your own!

Posted in food, Santa Barbara ♥ 06.06.2010 at 4:17 pm ♥  Leave a comment

Crushcakes Cupcakery

Like just about every person on the planet, I can’t resist the siren call of beautifully crafted cupcakes. Crushcakes Cupcakery is one of two (?) cupcake shops in Santa Barbara and they are scrumptious. This is a selection of strawberry, lemon, vanilla, and my favorite, the buttermilk crumb cake.

Posted in food, Santa Barbara ♥ 05.26.2010 at 8:57 pm ♥  Leave a comment

Bike by the Sea

While looking for some bicycle inspiration, I was delighted to find a bicycle fashion site located here in Santa Barbara. Bike by the Sea features photos of bicycle riders around town as well as cool events like a bicycle fashion show and a tweed ride. I definitely need to get a bike soon to join in the fun!

Posted in Featured Site, Santa Barbara ♥ 05.19.2010 at 10:19 am ♥  Leave a comment

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