San Jose Museum Of Art

The San Jose Museum of Art is a "go-to" place for my son and I.  A week ago I decided to come on my own for a bit of quiet time. This is a small museum. The majority of the museum has very contemporary art. The main exhibits are on the 1st and 2nd floors. On the 2nd floor was an exhibit called "Border Cantos", which is about immigrants migrating into the United States from Mexico. One thing from this exhibit that really caught my eye was this "Migration Community Quilt" made with octagon shaped Post It notes. Guests of the museum are welcome to draw something on the paper about where they come from such as the flag of their country. I loved the honey comb design it created by the shapes along with a printed map behind it. I also loved the combination of colors; blue pink, lime green, turquoise, and navy.  I also love the thought behind it.

This was posted on the wall of the exhibit which I found very interesting: " International migration is a global phenomena that is growing in scope, complexity, and impact. Migration is both a cause and effect of broader development on intrinsic feature of our ever globalizing world. While no substitute for development, migration can be a positive force for development when supported by the right set of polices. The rise in global mobility, the growing complexity of migratory patterns and its impact on countries, migrants, families, and communities have all contributed to international migration becoming a priority for the international community". 

To continue with the international theme after the museum I walked over to one of my favorite Japanese stores in down town San Jose, "Muji".  This store started in 1980. They have locations in New York, LA, San Francisco, and San Jose. It offers a wide variety of products from stationery to household items and apparel. Muji in Japanese translates as "no-brand quality goods." 

I have always had a fetish for Japanese stationery products. I love how small and compact everything is and the simple minimalist design. One of my favorite items is the "Mini Markers Pen Set" which comes with 10 different colors. They are packaged in a clear octagon-shaped plastic container with the markers of the same shape inside. They are perfect for my son to use while we are traveling or when we go out to eat since they don't roll away!

Since I always end my outings with a fun place for a snack I went next door and treated myself to a piece of chocolate mousse cake at Bijan Bakery & Cafe. This bakery has a wide variety of pastries, cakes, cookies, muffins, and croissants. It is a great place for a breakfast or an afternoon treat. Bijan Bakery has been in the bay area since 1986.  They have this location and one in Saratoga.  I soaked in the day on the outdoor patio area and enjoyed my perfect chocolatey chocolate mousse cake. I couldn't help but think of one of some of my favorite words of wisdom: "What ever the question is chocolate is the answer".

Carmel-By-The-Sea

This past weekend we spent the day at one of our favorite places, Carmel-By-The-Sea. We love to go there for the cooler weather, quaint European style village, the white sand beach, and amazing restaurants. It is a nice and relaxing place to stroll around and everything is within walking distance. We started out our day with a picnic at the lush "Devendork Park". This park is a gathering place for the village. There is a beautiful grass area to picnic and for kids to run around, which is surrounded by massive live oak trees, a little pond with Koi Fish, and nice benches to sit on and relax.  It was the perfect place to start our day and have lunch. 

After we had our picnic at the park we headed down to the beautiful white sand beach, which is down the hill from the village. Even though it was pretty overcast there were a lot of families with dogs hanging out. There is a beautiful coastline to look out at while you sit and relax on the soft sand. My son had fun playing in the sand and tossing the frisbee around.  This is one of our favorite beaches in Northern California to go to.

Traditionally after we spend time on the beautiful beach we walk up the hill to our favorite place for an afternoon treat at the "Carmel Bakery". This place always has a line out the door. Displayed in the front window are delicious looking Cannoli's, many pastries, and cookies. Inside they serve ice cream, cookies, pastries, and coffee. My favorite cookie is a half dipped short bread cookie with chocolate bits in it. This cookie is perfect paired with a latte. After we get our goodies we walk over and sit at the nice benches in front of the "Harrison Memorial Library". In front of the library is a little succulent plant garden and California Poppies. It is a nice place to sit, relax and enjoy our treats. 

Following our afternoon snack we had an early dinner at our favorite restaurant in Carmel, "Flying Fish Grill". This place is located below the Carmel Plaza. The owners have been running it for 23 years. The atmosphere is very dim lighting, with wood walls and cozy booths, in an Asian décor. They serve predominately Japanese style food and seafood dishes. They are most known for their pan-fried almond crusted sea bass, which is served over a bed of whipped potatoes and rock shrimp stir-fry. When you sit down they first serve you their complementary ginger salsa and crispy wonton chips, which my husband could not get enough of. For an appetizer we ordered the spicy tuna tartare with sesame oil, chili pepper, and toast points, which also goes well with the crispy wonton chips. Following the tartare we both chose to order the almond sea bass for our entrees, which is to die for! The whole dinner was a great ending to such a memorable day!

Filoli Gardens

A week ago we drove to Filoli Gardens in Woodside for a family day. I have heard great things about the gardens and every time I drive by and see the sign off the 280 I think to my self "we need to go to this place". The gardens are a bit off the freeway below the foothills down a dirt road that leads to the country estate. When we arrived it felt like we weren't even in the bay area anymore. First when you go inside to pay there is a gallery of botanical paintings, which I love. From there we headed out to explore the gardens. On the way to the gardens they had a cute area where you can purchase plants, garden sculptures, and fountains. It was a nice serene outdoor space. Following the plant area are the lily ponds.  They are picture perfect.

After we walked through the lily pond area we headed to the colorful rose garden and explored. There were so many different varieties. Near the rose garden is a kitchen garden and a beautiful hedge maze. My son loved walking around both areas in search of the various scents, colors, and shapes in the treasure map provided to him at the Visitor and Education center. There is so much variety on display! We sat on a bench and soaked it all in.  As I sketched and wrote in my journal I soaked in the beautiful spring day.  There was a cool breeze and the fragrance of sweet roses in the air.  I could hear the sounds of birds and nature surrounding us. 

We then moved on from the rose garden area and wandered around some more while we played Follow the Leader with my son. I came across this enchanting wrought iron archway leading to long pathways of beautiful hedges. It made me feel like I was in an English Garden or Wonderland. This whole place makes you feel like you have been transformed into a beautiful scenic painting.  I just loved it! 

On our journey around the gardens we came across a sun dial, strolled along a large swimming pool, and walked through the historic estate house.  For lunch we went to the cafe which has both indoor and outdoor seating.  The food was decent for the price.  It was so relaxing after visiting the gardens. While we are eating a peacock showed up.  It was a fun and nice surprise to our day.  It was beautiful standing there with all of it's vivid colors.  Filoli was such a memorable day and an adventure I highly recommend!

Triton Museum Of Art

I have been wanting to go check out the Triton Museum of Art near Santa Clara University for a while. A week ago I finally got to go there and spend some time. Right in front of the museum are these giant blue glass and metal pair of glasses. They are really fun and cool. I was immediately inspired to go inside and see more of this place. 

I was greeted by a very inviting and friendly staff. The museum is rather small but it has a nice sense of space and natural light. I wandered around the three different rooms and enjoyed looking at all of the different works of art. Many of the artists are local from the Bay Area. I was the most excited about the artist named Tim Craighead. He describes his work as "Abstract Impressionism". His meaning behind it is that his paintings are "pure" abstraction objective and nonobjective painting. I love Impressionism and abstract art so this was right up my alley. 

After spending a lot of time at the museum I went to a nearby place called the "Mission City Creamery" in Santa Clara for lunch. It is a tiny little spot that only serves ice cream and grilled cheese sandwiches. You can build your own sandwiches by choosing any type of meat and cheese to go on it. What I picked was really good! Of course I had to try their ice cream so I got the chocolate brownie which was really delicious. All of their ingredients are local. The atmosphere if very cute inside. My favorite part is the sign they have hanging up with my favorite quote. "Life's Short Eat Dessert First". It was a great afternoon of art and eats! 

Villa Montalvo

This week was our second week of spring break. My son and I decided to spend the morning at one of the most beautiful places in Saratoga called Villa Montalvo. We have been coming here since he was pretty young. This is a great place to explore and it doesn't cost a thing. It is a very inspiring place for artists young and old. We started off down a sloped path to find a sculpture in a beautiful shade of turquoise by a small waterfall. My son seemed to have the right color Sharpie so he wanted to sit on a bench in the shade and sketch it with me. While we drew we wrote down the sounds that we could hear nearby: waterfalls, the breeze, birds, construction and cars.

After we did our sketching we walked around the serene grounds. My son ran around on the big grass field a bit and then we headed down to the rose garden area. When you walk into the gates of the garden you can immediately smell the fragrance of the roses. We explored a bit and found some new things such as a succulent garden with a neat sculpture that we both agreed looked like a guitar. We sat on some neat benches made from logs to relax a bit. 

After we checked out the gardens we went over to the art gallery where they had a neat exhibit of sketches and paintings from an artist named James Gouldthorpe. The exhibit is called "A Painting in Ten Chapters".  The museum website describes Goldthorpe's work: In his expansive new installation, Particles: A Painting in Ten Chapters, James Gouldthorpe explores the passage of time and the aggregation of the self over a lifetime. The artist projects forward into the future and reaches back into the past, mixing humor with melancholy as he explores birth, childhood, adolescence, middle and old age, and death, and reflects on both the poignant and absurd nature of existence. The neatest part of the exhibit was an old typewriter. My son enjoyed using one for the first time. It is hard to believe the last time I used one of these was in college, the electric kind. I had to refresh myself on how to use it. 

Following Villa Montalvo we went to one of my son's favorite places for lunch in downtown Los Gatos called Andalé. He loves to eat on their back patio. He says that "it is a nice and relaxing place". While you are back there you feel like you are on vacation with the beautiful tiles, palm trees and the trickling fountain. He always orders their burrito and I order their shrimp quesadilla. They also have really good traditional Margarita's. This has been come our go to place when we are in Los Gatos together. What a nice ending to such a magnificent day!

Hakone Gardens

While my son is on Spring Break we decided to go Hakone Gardens, which is one of our favorite spots in Saratoga to get inspired. When you are in this beautiful Japanese garden you feel like you have been transported to another land. We love how with every season the garden is transformed. Spring is our favorite with all the colorful blooms. The first thing that we always do when we arrive is feed the koi fish in the tranquil pond. They are always so happy to see us!

After feeding the fish we went over to study the gorgeous Wisteria. We both got our sketch books out since we were so inspired by the beautiful flowers. While we were sketching I could smell the fragrance, along with hearing the waterfall in the background and the buzzing of the bumble bees nearby. There is nothing like recreating nature while you are in nature. 

Continuing on from the Wisteria we headed over to the bamboo forest. This is one of our favorite spots in the gardens. We found a great little bench to sit and sketch. It was such a peaceful spot. I love sitting here in the breeze of the bamboo forest. I could hear the birds and bugs. I felt so relaxed it was hard to move from this wonderful spot. 

After our fun filled morning in the gardens we continued our Japanese themed day with a yummy sushi lunch at "Masu Japanese Bistro". This is a little gem tucked in the Saratoga Village with wonderful outdoor seating. Following our wonderful lunch we walked down the street to Saratoga Chocolates for something sweet. All of their chocolates are made freshly on site with local ingredients. My favorites are the vanilla caramel and chocolate caramel with sea salt. We love this little village tucked away in the South Bay.

The Rose Garden

This week I went to University Art Supply and purchased a multi medium sketch book. This was suggested in the book I am reading by Lisa Congdon called "Art Inc." The Essential Guide for Building Your Career as an Artist. She states to step away from the web and get inspiration elsewhere. I decided to get outdoors into nature. After purchasing my sketch book I made a plan to go to one of my favorite spots in San Jose this week "The Jose Municipal Rose Garden". This seemed like the perfect place to relax and sketch. I wandered around the rose garden and took photos of every type of rose. It is amazing how many different shapes, colors, and styles there are.

I started to feel really inspired and my wheels started to turn for a new project. This is a place I could come to every week and work. I love the fragrance of the roses and the constant sound of the water from the fountain in the center of the garden. Such a beautiful gem that we have here in San Jose. I want to get back to my art school roots and become more of an original artist and get away from the digital world a bit.

After the Rose Garden I went over to the "Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum Gardens". I strolled around and took photos of beautiful elements there, such as the tiles. I love how all of the colors were combined, blue, teal, yellow, and orange. They all complement each other so well. It was a another wonderful cultural place in San Jose to feel creative.

Since it was such a beautiful day I treated myself to lunch at "Rosie's Pizza", our family favorite in the Rose Garden.  I topped off a great day with a coffee at "Crema Coffee Roasting Company", a cute coffee hang out that looks like it was a house at one time. I enjoyed sitting outside on their patio and drinking my latte white I sketched some more. I just love hanging out in the Rose Garden neighborhood.

Rare Device

I have had my Etsy shop "Event Shop Design" since 2011. This last year I haven't had much time to work on my shop due to the busy life of being a mother of a active child. Now that my son is in school most of the day, I have more time to focus on my party invitation business. Recently I spent a day in San Francisco where I focused on gathering inspiration for my shop. I made a list of independent stationery stores around the city that I found on Yelp. One of the stores that I visited for the first time is on Divisadero and Hayes called "Rare Device".

I couldn't believe that I was able to get a parking spot right across the street. When I walked into the small store, it felt very comfortable and radiated an atmosphere of creativity. The store show cases local artist's designs and their products. I spent a long time looking at all the store had to offer. I took a look at the books which were on a shelf and one caught my eye called "Art Inc." by Lisa Congdon "The Essential Guide for Building Your Career as and Artist". After leafing through this book I knew I had to get it. It covers so many things that I have already starting doing for my design business such as selling on Etsy and using other social media sites like, Pinterest and Facebook.

Before I started reading the book I researched the author Lisa Congdon a bit more. I then realized that I already knew her work. I have seen her prints on display in stores such as "Zinc Details" in the city, which is a great store. I have also seen her work on stationery and wrapping paper at "Wishbone" in the Sunset another favorite store. This got me even more excited about reading this book. I also learned that she used to own the store "Rare Device" and then sold it. I feel like all the stars are aligned to help set me up for success as an artist with an independent business. I am now on chapter 5 of the book and I can't put it down. I try to read every chance I have a quiet moment. I am now inspired to finally start my new blog "Event Shop Design". I am looking forward to sharing my journey at making my little business thrive.