Afternoon Tea at American Girl Place LA

August 12, 2012 by mymateriallife

     We just returned from a short trip to the Los Angeles area and – having missed the boat to Catalina – ended up at American Girl Place just in time for tea on Friday.  The shop and cafe are located in The Grove shopping area which is right next to the old LA Farmer’s Market.  This was our second visit to American Girl Place and we found it too hard to resist the cafe again.  It’s such a special […]

Categories: Kid Stuff, Places, Sweets • Tags: american girl afternoon tea, american girl place los angeles, gelatin orange wedges, la farmer's market, redondo beach pier

Swimming Pools I Have Known and Loved

July 21, 2012 by mymateriallife

The last couple of weeks have been full of swimming and pools.  I’ve just finished catsitting for a friend and neighbor who invited me to use their pool while they were away and what a lovely treat that was (they keep their pool so blissfully warm). Then on Friday Samantha finished up a week of daily swim classes and in addition to that I’ve been reading this book by Lynn Sherr … Great cover, isn’t it?  This is a wonderful […]

Categories: Architecture, Places, Reading Material • Tags: hearst castle, lynn sherr, madonna inn, roman baths, swim - why we love the water, swimming pools, westlake village inn

Julia Morgan’s Clubhouses

May 18, 2012 by mymateriallife

     We were in San Luis Obispo last month so I had the opportunity to take some photos of the Monday Club, a building I’ve known since at least the 1980s when I lived in San Luis Obispo while attending Cal Poly. Though obviously a beautiful building, it was something of a mystery to me back then.  It wasn’t until I attended interior design classes at West Valley College in the early 2000s that I figured out what that building […]

Categories: Architecture, Places • Tags: julia morgan, monday club, saratoga foothill club, saratoga memorial day ceremony

The Cantor Museum at Stanford

April 14, 2012 by mymateriallife

By happy accident, I found myself at the Cantor Arts Center yesterday.  Do you know this place?  It’s a favorite of mine. From the Rodin sculpture garden to the colors used in the exhibits, the light, the space, the art, the Greek and Egyptian antiquities – the Cantor museum never fails to lift my spirits.  And can you believe that admission is still free?  I can’t!  All you have to do is pay for parking and I didn’t even have […]

Categories: Places • Tags: Cantor Arts Center, Cantor Museum Stanford

Book & Beaded Things Shopping at Urban Outfitters

December 6, 2011 by mymateriallife

             I really miss the Borders bookstore at Santana Row.  (For non-local readers, Santana Row is one of the newer, upscale, outdoor shopping centers in San Jose; all Borders bookstores went under in 2011.)  I’d probably rather spend money on books than just about anything!  So I was delighted to spy the Fashion Cats book in Urban Outfitters during an outing to Santana Row last weekend.  I knew then that I would have to return surreptitiously during […]

Categories: Clothing & Accessories, Places, Reading Material • Tags: beaded objects, book shopping, urban outfitters

Beth’s Wine Bar

October 20, 2011 by mymateriallife

From 1989 to 2000 I worked at a place called The Career Action Center which I always thought was a funny name for an organization.  In fact, it was not unusual for callers (mostly those who reached us by accident) to imagine they heard the other voice on the phone say, “Hello, Correction Center” or even, “Hello, Queer Action Center” when they reached us on the telephone.  But even though it had a funny name and caused me quite a […]

Categories: Places • Tags: a grape in the fog, pacifica, wine bar

Power of Making at V&A

September 15, 2011 by mymateriallife

When I was twelve my Aunt Kay made me a corduroy jumper just like one I’d seen in my Seventeen magazine.  I wasn’t surprised that she could sew, but I couldn’t believe that she did it without the help of a purchased pattern.  It was like she was some kind of magician, like she had some special power because she could draft her own patterns.  It made a big impression on me, and as I’ve grown older I’ve realized that knowing […]

Categories: Other Textiles, Places • Tags: power of making exhibition, textile field, victoria & albert museum

The Mourners Are Here

August 24, 2011 by mymateriallife

I clipped this from the New York Times months ago.  There’s something about these sad little men that captivates me.  I was so happy to learn that they were making a stop at the beautiful Legion of Honor in San Francisco.  Then I forgot all about them until I heard on the radio that they are here now.  The exhibit opened last Saturday and runs through December 31, 2011. There are 37 of these mourners.  They are 16″ high alabaster […]

Categories: Places • Tags: dijon mourners, legion of honor

Alexander Girard? No, Mary Blair

July 23, 2011 by mymateriallife

We just returned from Southern California where we spent almost three days at Disneyland.  One night while we were waiting for a light show to begin I was looking at the facade of the It’s A Small World ride and thinking about how much I’ve always loved it when I realized that it surely must be an Alexander Girard design.  I decided to research its history when we returned home.  Then on my way out of the park I noticed […]

Categories: Architecture, People, Places • Tags: alexander girard, disneyland, it's a small world, mary blair, walt disney family museum