The Dancing Cat: A Day in the Life of a Lounge Cat

Hellooo Kittens!

I'm happy to report that over the long Labor day weekend Tim and I got to check out a second cat cafe in our area, the Dancing Cat in San Jose!

Unfortunately this cat cafe is only a temporary event though mid-November so if you're in the area, go now before it's too late!!!!

The Dancing Cat is such a cool place and is so different from the previous cat cafe that we checked out, Cat Town. While Cat Town is set up like an indoor cat park the Dancing Cat is more like a chill cat club house.

We arrived without reservations on Saturday and were able to be accommodated right away. We were greeted at the door by one of the owners who told us a little about the place, gave us a little tour, and talked a bit with us about some of the cats on location. The Dancing cat mainly consists of one huge sun filled room which features a large comfortable sectional sofa on the far side of the room as well as a huge dining table in the middle. Behind the main entrance through a short hallway is a small back room deemed the quiet room where cats can rest in peace and quiet away from the main room. The cats though, who have full reign of the place, have no lack of space for freely running, playing and dancing about! There are cat walks hung all over the walls for the cats to get up high and explore from all angles of their surrounding. The cat walks leads up to either a cat balcony where there are cat houses for the cats to rest and snuggle down in, or they lead over to the windows where the cats can perch and human watch or just to lay about up there. With the multiple cat trees, the couch, tables, window ledges, cat walks, elevated cat balcony, and overlooks it seems like the kitties here are really enjoying a great life while they wait to find their forever home with their forever human.

Tim and I enjoyed leisurely hanging out and playing with these cats for a while. There didn't seem to be any time limit as to when our visit needed to end and the whole time we felt completely invited and didn't feel rushed at all. There is complementary tea, coffee and water while you hang out with the cats, and some snacks for sale if you get peckish. The owner though did not seem opposed to the idea of guests bringing a lunch while they visit.

While this place seems to be a perfect cat haven and an awesome chill hangout for any cat lover, this place also offers many fun events such as the upcoming Intuitive Perspective with pet whisperer and intuitive Rani Naik, children's storytime with story teller Olga Loya, book reading by author Fern Field Brooks, and instructions on cat photography, just to name a few of the fun cat themed upcoming events this place has scheduled.

We definitely are planning on coming back to this cat cafe in the near future! While this place so far is listed as being a temporary event I'm really hoping they will be able to stick around longer and become a permanent addition to the South Bay! Fingers crossed!

The Dancing Cat, San Jose, CA

The main room at the Dancing Cat in San Jose, CA

A collage of colorful lanterns adorn the ceiling

Cat taking it's self for a walk along the cat walk

Cats above, cats below, and cats just right

Cat balcony at the Dancing Cat

Complimentary tea, coffee and water area

The quiet room

One of the quiet ones

Melanie says she can be a quiet one too

Melanie getting into mischief

If you give a cat a play toy

Hanging out at the Dancing Cat

Dress Review: Trashy Diva Jade Watercolor Separates

I was a little late to the game when I got my Jade Watercolor separates from Trashy Diva

The Jade Watercolor print from Trashy Diva came out at the same time as the Geisha Fans, just in time for spring! Before they released all the dresses, when all of the internet only had just a teaser of what the print was from people's cell phone pics of some of the dresses in the shop windows, I was really hoping they would have one of their Hopscotch or Dixie styles in this print. I imagined and dreamed about how lovely it would be for a Hopscotch or Dixie in this print.... Ah, to have an emerald green contrasting top to go along with the gorgeous emerald green, light green, and in places turquoise colored, airbrushed, watercolor looking foliage against the white background of the print. Once the dresses were live though and I saw there was no Hopscotch or Dixie in this print's offerings I was disappointed. I put too much time hoping for that fabled Hopscotch or Dixie. If they didn't have a Hopscotch or Dixie in this print, I didn't want it!

And so I didn't buy anything in this collection. Other prints came out. I got them or I didn't. All the while I heard people raving about this Jade Watercolor print. Meh.

But eventually I gave in. Over time the print grew on me and it became something I had to have. There wasn't any Hopscotches or Dixies but they did have a Honey with the contrasting top and they also were offering skirts and lena tops which also had the contrasting green at the bust. Because I couldn't go to the store to try them both on before I bought them I bought them both knowing that one of the two will get sent back. I crossed my fingers and really hoped that I would like the separates more. I have the perfect mint green sweater top to go with that skirt! But deep down I had a feeling I would probably end up loving the honey more because it's a dress and I do me some dresses.

When they came in the mail I was pleasantly surprised that I indeed did like the separates more. They were both nice really but the honey dress I felt  gave me a weird shape at the waist because of the side zipper. Also, compared to the skirt and lena top separates it just didn't have the same easy to wear feeling. It felt a bit more constricting and just not as comfortable. Back it went to the store while the skirt and lena top stayed home with me!

The skirt is a basic circle skirt. I usually order up a size in their skirts or shorts but even the size up they were sold out of so I got two sizes up from my normal size which ended up not being that big of a deal at all. The Lena top is a cropped top. If you don't want your mid-drift showing you will definitely need to pair this with a high waisted skirt (like the coordinating circle skirt) or with some high waisted shorts or pants. Lucky for me not only do I have a mint sweater top that goes perfectly with the skirt but I also have some high waisted capris that pair pretty nicely with the lena top as well!

The lena top exceeds expectations! The construction of this top is very well made. It has a shelf type bust which then has a gathered bust in the contrasting green that I love so much with this print and the whole thing is self lined. Also, the shoulder straps on it are completely adjustable to ensure a great fit. I was able to get the top in my usual size.

This print came in a thick heavy weight cotton that has lots of stretch.

Trashy Diva Lena top and Circle skirt in Jade Watercolor- Front View

Trashy Diva Lena top and Circle skirt in Jade Watercolor- Side View

Trashy Diva Lena top and Circle skirt in Jade Watercolor- Back View

Trashy Diva Circle skirt in Jade Watercolor with Mint Sweater Top- Front View

Trashy Diva Circle skirt in Jade Watercolor with Mint Sweater Top- Side View

Trashy Diva Lena top in Jade Watercolor with High Waisted Capris- Front View

Trashy Diva Lena top in Jade Watercolor with High Waisted Capris- Front View

And just for comparison, the Honey dress in Jade Watercolor that I did not end up keeping.

Trashy Diva Honey dress in Jade Watercolor- Front View

Trashy Diva Honey dress in Jade Watercolor- Side View

Trashy Diva Honey dress in Jade Watercolor- Back View

F.Y.I. all items in this collection are currently on sale at Trashy Diva!! :D Use the coupon code JADED to get 20% off anything and everything in this collection :D

Dress Review: Trashy Diva Loop Dress in Geisha Fans!

So I know it's been a while since I've done a proper dress review but as I see it, it's probably better late than never!

Tim bought me this dress, the Trashy Diva Loop dress in Geisha Fans, as an anniversary present back in March. At first sight I fell in love with the bright colors, and super cute novelty print of the dress, and of course that neckline detail!

Like the Green Kimono print which Trashy Diva released back in November/December of last year, I really love the playfulness of this Asian inspired print which has a serious Taskashi Murakami/Kawaii vibe to it. The dress is a vibrant and beautiful turquoise blue and features a youthful collection of orangy red, coral, white, yellow, and just a touch of lime green and navy flowers, fans, Japanese lanterns, and paper cranes throughout the print.

The neckline detail features a fun and unique loop design. I thought it would all be sewn together but was delighted to see they are in fact two different pieces that are physically looped together! The sleeves of this dress are also pretty unique and have an epaulette style to them.

The cut of this dress from the front looks almost like a pencil cut. It is a lot straighter of a cut than my usual full-flair skirts. Upon farther inspection though, this dress features a bustle skirt in the back which adds some flair to the skirt after all! The back of this dress also features a very flattering scoop neck in contrast to the higher neck line of the front of the dress.

This dress is made of a thick and sturdy cotton material which has lots of stretch to it. I got my usual size in this dress and while it fit, it did feel like it was tighter than is usual for my size in Trashy Diva. I believe they probably cut this dress a little smaller for a tighter fit which is well accommodated by the stretch in the fabric.

Trashy Diva Loop Dress in Geisha Fans- Front View

Trashy Diva Loop Dress in Geisha Fans- Side View

Trashy Diva Loop Dress in Geisha Fans- Back View

Trashy Diva Loop Dress in Geisha Fans- Close Up

Outfit of the Day: Cats Everywhere!

Allo Mes Amies

In my last post I posted about my recent trip to our local Cat Cafe, Cat Town Cafe in Oakland. I felt like that trip needed to have a whole post all to its self! And so, I give you the corresponding Outfit of the Day post in case you wanted the deets and more pictures of my cat dress! Meow!

Last weekend on Sunday we not only went to the cat cafe but we also made it out to lunch at my favorite local diner, Sheri's, and to the movies at our local old one room movie theater to see Pixals. I really enjoyed everything about the whole day. I can't say enough about the cat cafe, going out to lunch is always a nice treat, and finally making it out to the Chabot movie theater in Castro Valley was definitely a fun thing to do and a great ending to the day!

Outfit of the Day:
For this day's activities I knew I had to wear my craziest cat dress so I chose this all over cat print dress from the brand Retrolicious which I bought from Modcloth some time ago, the Hooked On a Feline dress. I paired this with a cropped navy cardigan by MAK, also from Modcloth, and a pair of navy flats by Blowfish.

Retrolicious Hooked on a Feline dress, Modcloth- Front View

Retrolicious Hooked on a Feline dress, Modcloth- Front View

Retrolicious Hooked on a Feline dress, Modcloth- Side View

Retrolicious Hooked on a Feline dress, Modcloth- Front View

Retrolicious Hooked on a Feline dress, Modcloth- Front View

Retrolicious Hooked on a Feline dress, Modcloth- Side View

Sunday Fun Day at Cat Town

On Sunday Tim and I, along with one of our friends, went to hang out with the cats at the Cat Town Cafe.

Cat Town Cafe in Oakland California is the first ever cat cafe in the U.S. Part cafe, part cat adoption clinic, part cat fun zone, part kitty petting therapy, this place has got it all (if you're a cat lover that is).

While this place first opened up in October 2014 this was the first time I was able to go. Fourteen people are allowed into the cat room at a time every hour on the hour. While we didn't make advance reservations as is recommended on their website, we were lucky enough to get in during the first cat hang out session when someone didn't show up for their reservations.

The main cat room is a large sun-filled room full of fun Oakland themed cat furniture. There is a huge mural along the entire span of one wall as well as another big mural along part of another wall. Two other walls are made up almost entirely of windows that allow the sun to come in while the fourth wall which separates the main cat room from the cafe also has a huge window allowing patrons of the cafe to view the cats and activities going on in the cat room. There's a quiet room in the back of the larger cat room that they let two people in at a time in. This is the room where the cats like to go to get away from the hubbub of the main room.

We had a great time playing, petting, and observing the cats. After our hour visit with the cats there I felt giddy with kitty love hoping that it won't be too long before I get to make my next visit to this amazing magical kitty place.

Cat Town Cafe, Oakland, CA- View from one of their side windows

Cat Town Cafe, Oakland, CA- Main entrance on the side

Sun filled main cat room at Cat Town Cafe

Tim playing with one of many adoptable cats at Cat Town Cafe

Kitty Getting It!

Cats Having Fun!

This cutie inside the Oakland Tribune Building

Oh! Hai!

Kitty on a Bridge

Good Kitty

Soft Kitty

I think this kitty likes me

Kitty All Tuckered Out

The cafe at Cat Town Cafe- Kitties everywhere!

They even have kitties on the treats!

I love this kitty photo by the coffee condiments- Grey kitty dumpster diving. Reminds me of my Merk! <3

Out To Tea: Summertime Tea at the English Rose

It's been a long while since the last time I properly went out to tea! 

I was so happy when my friend and I finally got to make out for another tea outing last Saturday! We decided to go to the English Rose in nearby Pleasanton, one of my favorite tea places and one that was new to her!

The English Rose is located in downtown Pleasanton among the cute boutique shops. It's a one room tea shop that also has a garden area. I have yet to sit out with tea in their garden area but there's always plenty to enjoy and see in their indoor area. The style of this tea room is distinctly shabby chic and is so cute, girly and, frilly-- a perfect place for a day out with your good lady friends.

For our tea this time around we got a table with great cushy chairs. Right away there was a cookie waiting for us as we sat down! I'm always happy to see a little treat waiting for us at the table upon seating! It's kind of like the chocolate they sometimes leave in hotels on your bed when you check in. Also, early on they offered us samples of their Coconut Chai black tea. I love having a little sample to get you started before you tackle their impressively long tea selection list! Another thing that I really appreciate about having tea here is that before you are served, they come around to your table and offer you warm moist towels to wipe your hands with. I believe this place used to have glasses of water waiting for you when you sat at your table too but I think it's because of the severe drought we've been having in California that they now wait until you ask for water to bring it out. One thing that hasn't changed though, and one of my most favorite things about this place, is that you can change your tea selection as often as you like! If you don't like the tea you selected or even if you just want to sample some of the other flavors, all you have to do is ask for a different tea and they will gladly bring you out a new pot! This time around I started with the Southern Pecan black tea, then had the Cinnamon Chocolate Brownie decaf black tea, and then ended with an Oatmeal Cookie herbal tea. As you can tell, I'm a big fan of the desert teas! Next time I would like to try their Carrot Cake rooibos tea! My friend had the Creme Brulee Black tea and another flavor I can't remember.

It was a great time at tea indeed and always great to spend good time with a good friend.

The English Rose in downtown Pleasanton, CA

Our table set up and waiting for us at the English Rose

A cookie to start at the English Rose

The full tea spread, English Rose, Pleasanton, CA