Wednesday, May 9, 2007

day 2: shopping!

Oh what a wonderful day this was! It lasted forever and we did so many fun things. Most of all, we shopped.

First stop: The Tail of the Yak
It took us a while to get here because we decided to take the Golden Gate Bridge (which we couldn't even see, even when we were on it, due to the fog!) We decided, too, that perhaps we didn't need to buy a roadmap. We got a little lost, saw lots of very, um, interesting parts of California, and two and a half hours later, found Berkeley and The Tail of the Yak.

Anandamayi Arnold, who was featured in the April/May issue of Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion, was there finishing some of her surprise shell boxes. She also makes paper flowers and colorful surprise balls. She is truly talented.

Just look at this flower she made entirely from paper! The closed flower has a surprise in it! Isn't it wonderful?



Here are some other of her creations, and the artist herself.





Here are some other shots of the Tail of the Yak:



Second Stop: Castle in the Air
If you read Ulla's blog then you've already seen how enchanting and wonderful Castle in the Air is. Here is more proof...













What a really fun place!

Last Stop: Timeless Treasures
We drove back to San Francisco (in minutes, not hours!) and had a lot of fun driving through Chinatown, the Financial District, and up and down hills all through the city. Cerri, Megan, and Kerry all told me that Timeless Treasures is a place that I had to see...and boy am I ever glad I listened. The owner Joan is just so sweet. The short while I was there her sweet store ebbed and flowed with happy customers and chatting friends, all of whom adore Joan and her collection of wonderful things. What her store is known for is its abundance of vintage letters, ranging in size from tiny to feet tall. I suspect, too, that the store is known best for the warmth of the owner. If you are in the San Francsisco area, you have to pay Joan and her store a visit. You'll feel like you've walked on the set of Mr. Roger's neighborhood as she introduces you to each new person who comes in.

Here's further reason, if you need it, to get thee to Timeless Treasures...












13 comments:

oldflowers4me said...

oh my im crying over here in australia , what fantastic shops you went to, thankyou for showing us all your photos, love jo. hop skip and jump.

Carol Bennett said...

Love these pictures, Amy, we went to San. Fran. last April but of course, from different eyes, I'm seeing lots of things we missed!
Thanks.
Carol
Come visit me!
http://ourreddoor.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

WoW much fun! Im drooling over the spools and spools of pretty ribbon. Tracy

Doojies said...

Holy cow! The drool...it's runing...I feel faint...must get to plane...Wow, I knew you did your homework but I had no idea you had these in your pocket! Good for you guys, it looks totally worth getting lost. Can't wait for the next installment. So far you seem to being doing OKAY without me!!! Have fun, be safe.

Anastasia said...

Wow Amy - great shops!!
i remember reading about Tail of the Yak in 'Victoria' mag...id love to do a class with Ulla at the castle in the air...
cant wait to see what you bought!!

Anonymous said...

WOW! You don't waste any time! You hit all of my favorite shops in one fell swoop!! The last one, American Harvest, in Pleasanton would've been a travel 'stretch', but 3 out of 4 is pretty darn great...
Back to more typical weather here...foggy mornings (our 'airconditioning') which burns off around 11-ish.
Fabulous pics!!! Great trip!!

christine ann haynes said...

Okay seriously. I lived in San Francisco for years and I did not find any place that was this incredibly beautiful. I have decided that you are just magical and that the beautiful places are created just for you!

I hope you have a wonderful trip. Hugs!!

Danielle Muller said...

just beautiful...thanks so much for documenting your fantastic day! very inspirational pics!

Anonymous said...

oh yeah!
i'm so happy you made it into tt. isn't it just the most wonderful shop ever? it's like alphabet paradise in there.
xoxo.

Swamp Tulip said...

Awesome pictures! I'm very intrigued by how the paper flowers were made. They are beautiful.

Teresa

The GlitterFairy... said...

Amy,
Your pictures of the shops you visited are so beautiful that I think my head is going to explode! What fantastic places you've been! Wow...Thanks for sharing. (Can I come next time???)
Laurie

Anonymous said...

Love your photos! Thanks for sharing. Haven't ever been to Timeless Treasure. Looks good too.

ann at greenoak said...

oh what fun!!! thans for sharing....