A Little Bit Of This and A Little Bit Of That

 This past weekend we went to my husband's company party, and it was a lot of fun to see old friends that we hadn't seen in ages. My husband left this company a few years back, but returned last year, so it  is a bit surreal sometimes that he is back there, and even more so when you meet up again with some of the employees that are still around. It was a chance to slip on a cocktail dress and go out for the evening.

 Last night we went to see "Muse." This is one of Caitlin's favorite bands since she was a teen, so we thought it would be nice to take her to see them. I thought it was a really great show, and the lead signer's voice was so beautiful, almost operatic with a nice rock and roll edge. Very fun night. Their show consists of A LOT of laser lights and they were quite spectacular. Their style is certainly unique and very interesting in a good way. You can scroll through this really quick, if you aren't into rock shows ;)

 I went fabric shopping on Sunday, to get some more basics. I also found this really pretty graphic looking print, that I'm excited to make something with, the feel of this fabric is a super soft light weight cotton sateen.

I'm on the tail end of finishing a special order today, and then I will start to cut into the fabrics that I have been showing you. Spring is always such a fun time to sew for I think! Stay tuned.

Weekend fun Part 1

 Friday night was another concert night for us. This time closer by, which makes it more relaxing.
 I can't say enough good things about Flora ( our dinner spot) I love the food, the cocktails, and the vibe of the place. I have blogged about it before, but each time we go, I have something different and equally as amazing as the last. The cocktail pictured above has an interesting name, it is called, "The corps reviver #2." I looked to see if there was a #1, but as far as I could tell, it wasn't on the menu. It is very much a reviver of sorts I suppose :)  Caitlin and I had this one.

David had this beauty, but I don't remember the name of it.

 They must have been watching the eclectic people at the bar.

 Flora does classic American dishes in such a good way, that a shrimp cocktail isn't what you might think it is when you taste it. This one was so bright in flavors, with shrimp that was so sweet and flavorful. Ice cold and don't even get me started on the sauce!!

 This fried chicken is no ordinary fried chicken. First, there is a bit of a story about the fried chicken here. The chef that is now at Flora, use to be at my other favorite place in Oakland (Pizzaiolo). I had this fried chicken there once, and it was heavenly. I think it would even make a seasoned southern cook happy! It is so tender and juicy, that you don't even need a knife to cut it. I read recently in a local paper, that this chef moved to Flora, and put his fried chicken on the menu. I just had to try it to see if it tasted the same as I remember. Well, it sure did, and boy those fresh from the pod English peas were out of this world yummy too. The white sauce on the chicken is yogurt, mixed with chili oil. If you click on the link, you can read more about the restaurant, and the dinner menu is the same as when we were there Friday. Past this weekend, I don't know if it will be different or not.

YUM!!!

 We all shared this and had a bite or two of it. Apple cinnamon turn over with golden raisins and creme fraiche ice cream.

 Last but certainly not least, this is who we went to see at the Oakland Fox Theater, Snow Patrol.

 Opening act was Ed Sheeran.

Snow Patrol are a lot of fun, but much more of a low key affair than Cold Play. Fun to hear their old songs, as well as some of the new ones. I think my favorite new song is "Just say Yes." Favorite old one I would have to say "Run".


We had a very fun weekend, and I want to do a different post on where we went  Saturday, because it just deserves it.

Hope you all had a fun one!!!

Coldplay fun!

 Friday we high tailed it with Caitlin and Cyrous to San Jose to see Coldplay at the HP Pavilion. Their concerts are always so colorful and full of fun interactive surprises. The first two photos I lifted off the net, since I didn't have a good camera with me, and I wanted you guys to see the fun confetti that was shooting out all over the place. We were pretty high up in the stands, but this is such a great venue, that they had huge monitors so you can see everything, even though they are the size of ants if you were to see them where we were seated.  Maybe Coldplay brought these monitors as part of their concert, I"m not sure, but they were wonderful to have.

 Chris Martin was really having fun at our concert, just like the photo above.  There were beach balls coming down from the ceiling and more and more confetti. The most delightful visual was this though....

 What is this you ask? We were given these bracelets  while we had dinner at the Pavilion, and the person said that they were part of the show, and to wear them through out.

 These next photos are from my iphone, so they aren't fantastic, but can you see all the pretty small

 Christmas looking lights in the audience? They some how activated everyones bracelet at certain times of the concert, and it was so pretty to see all of the twinkling lights! Well done Coldplay!

Another thing Chris Martin and the band seems to like to do, is to surprise the audience by some how going to the back of the arena and mingle with the poor people, like us that aren't close to the stage. The above picture is of them doing just that, after they turned out the lights and said good night. Well, you know they aren't really leaving.....They popped up back here and the lights flipped on to reveal the band on one of the staircase landings. Lots of fun, and I remember they did this at the last concert, and we were super lucky that time, because they were next to us!

So much fun, and full of life with super cool visuals, what more could you want?!
Next Friday we are going to see another concert. You will have to come back then to see who it is :)

Hope everyone is having a fun weekend!

U2 360

If you are not a U2 fan, you should probably just "Walk On. " .......It was a whole year that we had to wait to see my very favorite band in the world to come to town, but boy was it worth the wait!
Just when you think they can't top themselves they go and do it! If you want to read some crazy stats on this tour go here. When you walk into the stadium, you can't believe the sheer magnitude of the Claw!! Also the sea of humanity!
The concert was at the Oakland coliseum, and it was filled to capacity with many U2 fans. We had great seats, and had so much fun :)

Bono and the gang still can rock the house!! I looked up the set list for our show, and they
sang 25 songs, and played for 2 and a half hours. A lot of the songs were from my favorite album (Achtung Baby). It all went by way too fast!


Bono dedicated "Beautiful Day" to Gabby Giffords. Her husband Mark Kelly had a message from above for all of us. This was so emotional and so beautifully sung.
These shots are some of the different ways this claw was lit up.................

It almost looks like it could take off.
Loved this version. What seems like a huge impersonal concert was quite the opposite.

Well done, my favorite Irish lads, can't wait to see what you guys do next!

A little bit of music and fashion

This past Sunday we went to see Nicole's fashion show in the city, and to see the band called "Foxtail Brigade." The night was a mixed bag of stand up comedy, followed by the fashion show, then music.
It was all held at the Swedish American hall.
Here are the "Foxtail Brigade." Folksy, with great instrumentals. Take a listen over at their web page if you would like.
The next photos all speak for themselves. We have a little bit of behind the scenes and close ups of Nicole's collection. She was very busy with many details and construction of the collection this past month or so, and I think they turned out really pretty.















Lots of flowers, color and whimsy.

I have been very busy with preparing for Easter and getting the shop put together. Nicole has been a great help with helping me navigate Etsy, and hopefully it will be up and running very shortly. So many details and steps, and then when you throw in a holiday, yikes!! My head is spinning with everything. I really don't mean to tease with hopes of the shop opening soon, but it sure does require time and effort to do it the right way.

I hope everyone has a very happy and healthy Easter celebration.