Hello and a shop sale!

Hello! I'm back from a very, very snowy Portland and a very warm San Francisco. 

The shop is open again and I'm having a wee sale to celebrate. Everything is currently 20% off until Thursday! All items purchased in the sale will be shipped on Friday.

West Coast Wanderings IV

These pictures are from the first two days of my trip away. We flew into hot sunshine in San Francisco so we spent most of our time outdoors, walking around The Mission district and taking a trip to Twin Peaks for a near 360-degree panorama of the city.

We also made the most of the clear skies by walking through Golden Gate Park - stopping off at the Japanese Garden en route - to see the Pacific at Ocean Beach.

The Japanese tea house in Golden Gate Park

Peace lantern

I'll share more pictures from my holiday in the coming weeks. I took so many, it will take a while to sift through them all!

Unfortunately, the American bits and bobs I mentioned in my last post did not materialise. The trip was so busy that I had no proper time for thrifting but I do have a pile of 50s dresses ready to list so, as soon as I'm back in the swing of things, I'll be photographing those and posting details here. In the meantime, I've re-opened the shop and there are lots of goodies available so take a little look. Shipping will be a bit delayed this week so please note that if you place an order between the 4th and 10th, I'll be shipping your parcel on the 11th. I'm really looking forward to getting back to work on the shop and adding new items soon!

West Coast Wanderin' III

View from Twin Peaks

Here's the third installment of picture posts about my time in America last year. This time it's San Francisco. I've visited the city a couple of times but only ever grabbed a few days here and there, either side of flights. I'd really like to stay longer and explore a bit more but I'm very grateful for the days I have spent there, zig-zagging up and down hills, gazing out over the bay, meandering through Chinatown, looking up at murals in the Mission.

Each visit, I've ended up pounding the pavements, taking pictures and trying to absorb as much as I can. San Francisco is such an atmospheric place with its pastel-painted houses and Mediterranean light and endlessly tall palm trees.

I really enjoy browsing the secondhand bookstores in San Francisco. My favourite was Dog Eared Books. I didn't explore many vintage shops during my days in the city, aside from a few stores in Haight-Ashbury. Unfortunately, they were on the pricey side and the area itself was a bit of a disappointment to me - it felt more like a tourist destination rather than a neighbourhood with  character and history. 

 

There were so many views and sights to enjoy but I think my favourite San Francisco memories are of the murals in Coit Tower (which has quite a fascinating history), antique amusements at the Musee Mecanique and our long walk through Golden Gate Park to the Cliff House.

 

I especially liked this little hash house and its 'Stinko' sign! It reminded me of Mildred Pierce.

The Camera Obscura and its view of the Pacific was magical... And even better remembered with snow outside the window!