Saturday, October 29, 2016

Matching Your Dress to Your Teaware Part 30: Halloween Edition #2

"Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."


With it being the season of dress up I thought another special Halloween Edition of Perfect Pairings was in order! (You can see the first one from last year here.)

The Hopscotch dress in blue and white gingham by Trashy Diva is the perfect dress for channeling Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz! It features a classic a-line shape with flared skirt, a contrasting white top with a high peter pan collar that secures closed at the top, there are decorative pearl buttons on white discs which give this dress an extra edge of cuteness, and of course, then you have the blue and white gingham!


Trashy Diva Hopscotch dress in blue gingham

Trashy Diva Hopscotch dress in blue gingham with Paul Cardew Wizard of Oz teapot

I knew right away this dress had to be featured in a Halloween Edition of of Perfect Pairings! Then when I first saw Paul Cardew's Wizard of Oz teapot I knew I really had a Perfect Pairing indeed! The Paul Cardew teapot features several illustrated scenes from the movie including a ferocious tornado depicted on the spout of the teapot and a harmonious rainbow on the handle. Another feature that I really love about this teapot is a quote from the movie portrayed in an asymmetric cylindrical pattern around the top portion of the teapot. Because of the asymmetric cylindrical design and the changing size of the font, it's like the words themselves are flying around, trapped in the force of the tornado. My all time favorite feature of this teapot though is the cheeky Toto on the lid of the teapot. He stands crouched with his little tail up while standing on the yellow brick road. Such a cute dog and such a great teapot!


Paul Cardew's Wizard of Oz teapot

Paul Cardew's Wizard of Oz teapot

Paul Cardew's Wizard of Oz teapot

Toto- Close Up


"Lions, and tigers, and bears! Oh my!"


Happy Halloween Kittens! I hope you all have a great Halloween weekend and great Halloween day on Monday!




 



Thursday, October 27, 2016

October Tea at Tyme for Tea

It was a dark and rainy day-- a perfect day for an October tea!


As promised in one of my previous corresponding Outfit of the Day posts, here are pics and a run down from my latest tea time adventure.

It feels like it's been a while since I last went to one of my favorite places for tea, Tyme for Tea in Fremont. In fact, while savoring the warm sweet creamy drink in my tea cup my friend and I tried to figure the last time we were here. We couldn't come up with a consensus other than we both agreed it's been some time.

Tyme for Tea is a quaint tea room which shares its location with a largish antique and teaware shop in the historic Niles district of Fremont (home of many Charlie Chaplin movies!).

Tyme for Tea, Fremont, CA


For afternoon tea I chose to get the Victorian tea which included a scone with fresh cream, lemon curd, and preserves, five assorted tea sandwiches which included a chicken salad sandwich, cucumber and cream cheese sandwich, a mushroom turnover, a spinach pastry, and an open face melted jalapeno cheese sandwich, and three desserts. By the time the tasty desserts arrived I was full but did manage to eat my peanut butter honeycomb dessert while taking home my butter cookie and petit four for a special treat for later.  For tea, I chose my favorite a Rooibos tea, this time in an almond coconut macaroon flavor.











Selection of desserts-- missing the peanut butter honeycomb which I ate before I remembered to take pics!


As always it was a super special treat to get to go out with a friend for tea and was made all the more sweet staying dry with warm tea inside while it remained grey and rainy outdoors.

Until the next time!






Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Outfit of the Day: French Quarter and Halloween Harlequin

Hello there Kittens!


This past weekend was a good mix of seeing friends, staying at home catching up with good ol' netflix and some horror themed flix, and partaking in Halloween activities!

On Friday Tim and I met up with some friends at a German bar in nearby Alameda to celebrate a friend's birthday. We got to hang with the gang, gorge ourselves on German food, and drink beer while enjoying the live band the bar had going.

On Saturday, in contrast, it was a very relaxing day. I got to watch the first disc of the first season of Ash Vs. Evil Dead and catch up on a few episodes of American Horror Story Hotel.

Then on Sunday, Tim and I went out to the Candle Lighter's Ghost House in Fremont! I had a craving for caramel apples and I knew this was just the place to get them-- and get to go through a fun spooky house while we were at it. ;) While I haven't been to the Fremont Ghost House in a while and definitely can't say that I go every year, it is a bit of a tradition, especially for the locals. In fact, this year they are celebrating their 48th year running! Some things that I absolutely love about the Fremont ghost house: 1) the ghost house is set up in an actual historic 19th century Carriage house, 2) admission is only $3 though that doesn't mean it's not a whole lot of fun! These people really put on a great show and you can tell they really put a lot of time and thought into what they put together. 3) I love that they have booths set up for games, face painting, photo booths, and caramel apples! While my primary stop is at the caramel apple booth I do love seeing all the kids and grown up kids having so much at all the different booths. 4) I love that the people that put together this event are a non-profit group who use the funds they raise for community-based projects in the area and use it to give to other non-profit groups. And last but not least, 5) while I mentioned previously that the Fremont Ghost House is not something I can say I go to every year, it is a place that runs deep in my bones. As a kid and all through the present I've always loved driving past this historic carriage house interestingly located on the edge of a large town shopping center right off of a busy main street. I love how it makes me really think of the past and what the area might have looked like when this historic house was first built. It adds such an air of mystery both in this questioning of the historic past of this area and also in wondering what this house might have looked like inside during its heyday and also during the present. It's such a wonderful treat to get to walk in through the doors when they open it the to the public for their annual Halloween Ghost House!



Candle Lighter's Ghost House, Fremont, CA

Historic 19th Century Carriage House, home of the Candle Lighter's Ghost House

Caramel apple booth!

After a good day with my caramel apple after seeing the Candle Lighter's Ghost house!



Outfit of the Day (Friday):

As I mentioned before, on Friday after work Tim and I went out to meet up with some friends at a German bar to celebrate a friend's birthday. For the occasion I decided to get out one of my favorite dresses, my Trashy Diva Annette dress in French Quarter print. I paired this with a black mohair cardigan I got several years ago in an Australian boutique shop and a pair of basic black flats. For a finishing touch I wore a pair of faux cameo earrings I got from a plantation in Louisiana during our trip there last October, a skull bracelet Tim bought for me a couple weeks ago from Spirit, the Halloween store, and I also wore a faux cameo cat sweater clip I made a couple years ago. You can see the tutorial here.


Trashy Diva Annette dress in French Quarter- Front View

Trashy Diva Annette dress in French Quarter- Front View

Trashy Diva Annette dress in French Quarter- Side View

Trashy Diva Annette dress in French Quarter- Front View

Trashy Diva Annette dress in French Quarter- Front View

Trashy Diva Annette dress in French Quarter- Side View

Faux cameo earrings and cat sweater clip- Close Up



Outfit of the Day (Sunday):

On Sunday, to visit the Fremont Ghost House, I decided to wear my new Pinup Girl Clothing Jenny dress in Halloween Harlequin. I paired this with my black mohair cardigan, a Trashy Diva black obi belt, and a pair of basic black flats. For a finishing touch I wore this with a pair of Rosita Bonita Halloween cat earrings which I bought last year from Trashy Diva and a lime skull brooch which I bought recently from Luxulite on Etsy.


Pinup Girl Clothing Jenny dress in Halloween Harlequin- Front View

Pinup Girl Clothing Jenny dress in Halloween Harlequin- Front View

Pinup Girl Clothing Jenny dress in Halloween Harlequin- Side View

Pinup Girl Clothing Jenny dress in Halloween Harlequin- Front View

Pinup Girl Clothing Jenny dress in Halloween Harlequin- Front View

Pinup Girl Clothing Jenny dress in Halloween Harlequin- Side View

Rosita Bonita Halloween cat earrings and Luxulite lime skulls brooch- Close Up






Bonus Pics!
(mini) Dress Review:

Since I have this dress out for the blog, let me just say a few words by way of a mini dress review.

I was super lucky one day and snagged this Pinup Girl Clothing Jenny dress in Halloween Harlequin print when a single dress in my size popped up in their final sale section. It was being offered at a great price because it has a snag in the fabric at the front side of the dress-- something that isn't noticeable at all when worn with a cardigan or shrug, and also not too noticeable when worn alone because of the location of the snag. With it being offered at such a great price and seeing that this dress at the time was completely out of stock anywhere near my size, I jumped at the chance to get this. Add a 15% discount code I had sitting around and this dress was truly mine for a great price! I got this dress in an XL which according to the website should have been my perfect size for this style. However, I do feel it is a touch too big and just a bit too long for my short torso. Nothing I can't overlook for such a cute dress but it is a bit of a bugger when things don't fit exactly as you hope they would. I do think though that if I sized down it would probably be too tight (for what it's worth). It is back in stock here.

Like other Jennies this dress is boned and lined in silky soft black fabric at the bodice, is made from a wonderfully heavy material, and comes with a delightfully full gathered skirt. The dress also features a back zip for the ultimate in convenience, adjustable shoulder straps to help with the fit, and also has pockets!

And because I adore matching sets so much, I couldn't resist also getting the matching shrug in black with Halloween harlequin trim. I got this shrug in my usual PUG size, large and it fits just right. I really love the finished look this shrug adds when paired with the matching dress. I did however opt not to wear them together on Sunday for the ghost house as I felt just a little too awesomely Queen of Halloween for the short and somewhat informal jaunt that day.


Pinup Girl Clothing Jenny dress in Halloween Harlequin with matching shrug in black with Halloween harlequin trim- Front View

Pinup Girl Clothing Jenny dress in Halloween Harlequin with matching shrug in black with Halloween harlequin trim- Front View

Pinup Girl Clothing Jenny dress in Halloween Harlequin with matching shrug in black with Halloween harlequin trim- Side View







Thursday, October 20, 2016

Watercolor Workshop at the Dancing Cat!

This past weekend I got to go to a watercolor workshop with a friend at the Dancing Cat in San Jose



While art was one of my favorite subjects in school and I was sure to try and take as many classes as I could, watercoloring is something I had absolutely no experience with so I was excited to try this workshop out. Not to mention that I haven't been to the Dancing Cat since they reopened several months ago and so I was excited to re-check this place out.

The Dancing Cat is like a cat cafe minus the coffee. It's really more like a club house for cat lovers which provides a comfortable home for several homeless and family-less cats while they wait for their new forever home. You can see my previous visits to this cat cafe here, here, and here. While they changed a few aspects of the place, the spirit of it remains the same. It was great getting to see all their cats running around freely and lounging away like there's no tomorrow.

As for the workshop, I thought it was very well organized. We arrived a little early and was able to grab some coffee at a nearby coffee shop before getting started. When it was time and we walked into the Dancing Cat, the large center table they have was decked out and ready with all the necessary supplies we would need for the event. The instructor Frances Marin was very informative and helpful keeping instructions simple and yet making it easy enough for us to feel comfortable to just jump right in. Once we got started and throughout the workshop she would come around to each of us giving us individual feedback, suggestions, and encouragement. Periodically she would give further instructions to the group in general to help us along in our work. While it seemed that everyone was working at a different pace, I never felt rushed or discouraged if I was at a different place or working in a different pace from the other students in the workshop. Frances Marin was great with leading this workshop knowing that everyone works at a different speed. Also, I don't think the cats played a small insubstantial role in keeping us calm or giving us necessary distractions when we needed it. The Dancing Cat was very smart as well in selecting some very nice calming jazz to play in the background during the workshop. 

Overall, I had a great time at the Dancing Cat and at this workshop! I'd love to do the workshop again if they offer it again in the future. In any case, I will be sure to be back for visits with the cats. 
 

The Dancing Cat, San Jose, CA

Colorful fun ambience at the Dancing Cat, San Jose

Art work and comfortable couches for the cats and humans at the Dancing Cat

Adoptable cats currently available

The table set up and ready for us for our watercolor workshop

Watercolor station for one

Kitty wants to join in

My watercolor station set up. My inspiration, my sweet girl Murkurie

Another cat says he's ready to join in

This one got tired. Says time for a nap

And a little bit of a drink

Lounge cats at the Dancing Cat

Look at that luxurious tail!

End of the watercolor workshop

Me with my masterpiece ;)

Murkurie on bed with Murkurie on wall








If you missed it, you can check out the Outfit of the Day post from this adventure here.