Hi everyone!! It's me!! STAMPtember projects have come to an end which is kinda sad... There was SO much going on! Whew - I was in a tornado of stamping fun and now I've been thrown out onto land again. Time to get caught up and get some other projects going. Before we move on from STAMPtember I want to remind you to enter the drawing for the Dream Craft Room Giveaway! No purchase necessary to win - and I want all my followers to make sure they have a chance at this amazing prize! CLICK HERE to see the rules and enter the drawing! Also, all of the new and limited edition stamp sets have now been released! Some of them have sold out already! In case you were waiting to see everything, now's the time! CLICK HERE to see everything from STAMPtember all in one place. One last announcement - Weekender with Wanda starts again this Saturday! YAY! I have really missed doing my weekly posts on the SSS Blog! Hope to see you over there this weekend.
About a month ago, my husband had to go to San Diego for a week for work. Well...now that I work from home, I get to tag along with him when he goes places. I jumped at the chance to go to the beautiful city of San Diego and explore. I have been all over this great country - Alaska, Hawaii, Key West Florida, Maine and everything in between. But...I had never been to San Diego! It was surprising to me even! LOL. I'm a Navy daughter so there was the added connection to this city. Since the hubs had to work all day that gave me time to do girl stuff and photography stuff and shopping stuff! Some friends gave me great tips on places to go and each day I would set out with a loose plan and just take my time. I am not much of a foodie, so I don't have good restaurant recommendations and I didn't take any photos of food. I'm pretty basic in that regard.... Give me a burger or a pizza and I'm good to go. The best thing about my trip was meeting so many kind, cool and creative people at all the places I went. I tend to be a very outgoing person when meeting new people and when I'm traveling alone it's nice to chit chat with the locals. Each place I went, someone would suggest somewhere else for me to go. It was wonderful. I would make it back to the hotel every night to meet the hubs for dinner together. I loved it! So I really wanted to share my photos with you! Hope you have some time, and a cuppa tea or coffee. Lots of pictures to come... I'll put links too, in case you are in the area and want to visit some of these places. There are also some different photos on my Instagram page! (@stampcatwg)
As an artist I think it's important to get out and see and touch and experience pretty things. I find that this process opens my mind and fills me with inspiration. Textures, colors, arrangements of things, beautiful scents, pretty books... All of it gets me excited and gets my brain spinning in new directions.
The first day we arrived, we got there early enough to explore Coronado Island together and go to the famous Hotel Del Coronado for an early dinner! It was so magical and soooo grand! It's a beautiful old lady! 128 years old actually! We were mesmerized by the stunning architecture and the gorgeous beach! I highly recommend a trip to the Island if you are anywhere near here. I wished we had more time for strolling the main street and hanging out some more. CLICK HERE to read about the Hotel.
This is the view looking at the back of the hotel from the beach.
At the other end of Coronado Island there is a park where you can get out and walk to a tiny beach that has a view of the entire city skyline of San Diego! Gorgeous!
This beautiful flower was in the park with the city view. To find it on the map - it's called Centennial Park!
It was unusually hot the week we were there so I headed to the ocean for some cool air! This is the famous Windansea Beach in La Jolla. SO beautiful!!
This is the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial - high on a hilltop with a view for 360 degrees!
This is an AMAZING place! Pigment in San Diego. One of my Sacramento friends told me about this store, and I LOVED it so much I went two days in a row! The employees were so friendly and fun and happy. They have the coolest mix of plants, and books and jewelry....and I could go on! I bought a few (a lot) of things here! I even saw Amy Tan there shopping! It has a funky vibe and a great collection of stuff. WOW. You have to go here, seriously. CLICK HERE to read more about PIGMENT.
So it's hard to even describe this FABULOUS living succulent wall on the side of their store! OMG. I stood there and stared at it for a long time! Who does this??? Right? Wow. Each plant is in it's own individual hanging pot and there is a watering system running behind the pots. Dang.
This is one of the beautiful succulent pots you can buy there. I really wanted to buy some plants but I knew they would die in the hot car when I was out driving around. Next time!
And this cool chair wall....The colors are so inspired.
This is a shot of most of the store!
I also had a great visit to Balboa Park! This is a giant park with museums and beautiful architecture and the renowned San Diego Zoo. I didn't have enough time to go to the zoo, but I managed to walk around quite a bit over by the museums and the conservatory. The next few photos are from the park. CLICK HERE to read more about Balboa Park.
My friend who told me about Pigment also told me about this cool place - The Liberty Public Market at Liberty Station! I came over here for lunch one day and I really liked it. I wish that the hubs had been with me so we could have enjoyed the scenery and sat around outside and talked. I had some DELICIOUS coffee ice cream here... And a simple and tasty ham and cheese sandwich. They took an old Navy Training Center with barracks and all, and turned it into this cool place with art, food, and drinks. I think they are going to have concert events there too. There is a big open green space in the center perfect for outdoor events. CLICK HERE to read more about Liberty Public Market.
The next awesome store I discovered is called Gold Leaf. Beautifully curated and styled.... Gorgeous things displayed just perfectly. The owner was very kind and we talked for quite a while in her lovely shop. I've been on a scarf and pin binge lately and I bought some cute enamel pins (flair) and a pretty scarf at Gold Leaf. CLICK HERE to read more about Gold Leaf San Diego.
The next day I ventured out for a gorgeous drive to the beach at Del Mar. I bought some bagels and coffee and drove out to Del Mar and sat by the ocean and had my breakfast. In the distance I could see the famed Del Mar Racetrack! The reason I came out this way was that Sonya, the owner of Gold Leaf, told me about this shopping/design area I had to see! She told me to go to Solo - she used to work there! Another gorgeous and beautiful place filled with happy, creative people. I think I was at Solo (it's in Solana Beach) for about three hours! Talking, taking pictures, buying stuff.... They have the best collection of art books I have ever seen in one place. Antiques, paper goods, soaps, etc. all together. I met this lovely woman, Ruby, who actually knows some of my creative friends here in Northern California! It's a small world for sure. CLICK HERE to read more about Solo in the Cedros Design District.
At Solo I bought this really cool metal tray for my desk at home and put some antique glass jars in it for my paint brushes and pens, etc. I love it and it's a nice reminder of the trip!
On our last evening in San Diego we decided to venture out into the touristy part of town. Hands down, the MOST touristy part of San Diego is the Gaslamp Quarter District. It's the old historic district right down by the bay and by the ball park too. Super crowded with lots of people. A million restaurants and shops. I have to say this was not really our scene, but I am glad we at least went and explored it. We had a nice dinner and enjoyed a good walk. It seems like a place more for younger people and party people! We are old and mellow! Hahaha. CLICK HERE to read more about the Gaslamp Quarter.
So there you have it....my trip to San Diego in a nutshell! And my recommendations for some fun and creative places to go! Next up I think the hubs is getting sent to Orange County for a week. I feel very comfortable there and I have friends there too, so I will probably tag along again. It seems like October 1st starts the 'busy season' for us. We will celebrate our wedding anniversary next week, and have lots of other fun things are happening. I LOVE FALL!!! I hope you have a wonderful day! Thanks for following along with me here on my blog. It's a pleasure to share with you! XOXO
