last week i hopped in my car and took a drive to San Francisco! A little work but mostly play.. i welcomed the gorgeous weather with open arms and was happy for some relief from yet another brutal Vegas summer.  i got to help out the totally CUTE Twinkie Chan! vend at the Renegade craft fair!

what seems like a million years ago now, i stumbled on this adorable little lady in an Inked magazine and immediately was smitten with her colorful tattoos. i loved her fresh perspective towards her ink, that tattoos didn't need to be seen as "scary" and that each person can really utilize the medium to represent who you are and what you are about.

i had a mission and sought her out on the onlines. Obviously i completely nerded out hard for all of her edible-y inspired crochet wear ables. cupcakes, bacon, cookies, tater tots and sprinkles everywhere!

was this lady real?!

i die.

i decided to take a random chance by emailing her asking if she ever needed help with her crochet work.

boom, fast forward 5 years with hooks in hand Rita the crochet elf reporting for duty!!

Twinkie and her bff Manda went through some pretty intense 'running out of time the fair is in 2 days and we don't have a booth yet' moments in the making of "Twinkie's house" (you can read all about it over here)

psh, like you could tell... look at that magnificent booth, high fives all around for a job well done ladies!

framed pictures of people wearing her pretties. 

are you in there? hello friend!

if you crochet and are itching to make your own goodies, Twinkie Chan has a book!

swarms of people flocked to Fort Mason that weekend to check out all the unique hand crafted products from an assortment of vendors.

clothing, food, bath products, artwork, shoes..even wooden ties, it was wonderful.

seeing how passionate these talented people were about their products was really special to me. that irreplaceable commitment and love that they all seemed to share made me understand why they belonged under the same roof. because when you are truly excited about what you are doing it will show in every detail because you just can't help it.

i always feel like my money is well spent at Renegade..where else do you get that closeness right from the person who made it? i looove me some Target but definitely not there.

i am so thankful for sites like Etsy that make it easy for me (and you!!) to buy lovely things right from people who have deep passion for making said lovely things. a lot of Renegade vendors have etsy shops, so if your city doesn't have one or you can't make it out to one just yet don't sweat it! no need to be a sad panda while the internet exists.

my Twinkie bling photo! i am tiny proud of this accomplishment, me and the other side of the camera are just getting to know each other better.

i have to be a little cheesy towards the lady behind the whole reason this post is even post.  you opened my eyes to a world i didn't know existed, filled with so many interesting talented people. i strive to become a better me and you inspired that kick start of change i needed. whole hearted thank you Steph.

will be sharing more San Fran good times, stay tuned!

xox

oh, the choices! adding another to the collection and filling a whole in my heart with the German Bread Bakery and their fabulous teilchen (pastries).

sprechen sie deutsch?

the few years i lived in Berlin i managed to not only pick up a little german but a giant appreciation for their lovely lovely pastries as well. okay, maybe not just their pastries more like ALL of their food in general but let's not get ahead of ourselves here.

due to my dad's job growing up my family and i traveled every few years moving from post to post living on different continents  in different countries around the world. I got to see and experience so much and although it was hard to pick up and go every 3ish years it was how my siblings and i were raised, it was our norm. Berlin was my dad's last post before his retirement, he and my mom did a full circle with Germany since Bonn was their very first post when it was just the two of them. managing to raise 3 children with consistent moves and still keeping relatively sane is pretty much a job for super heroes. i can't thank them enough for taking on the feat and giving me one crazy great childhood!

thanks parents, you did good.

the first couple of months in any new city can be a bit overwhelming and a teensy bit traumatizing at times so i say again.

pastries. help.

they do! sure maybe you'd think you'd want to dive right into that touristy checklist but sometimes the first thing you do is walk down to the nearest bakery. even if that bakery is located inside a grocery store of which the name you cannot pronounce and so what if your ordering process is more pointing and noises than actual words. it's all good, it needed to be done.

desperately needing a fix of all the pastries i grew to love in Berlin, i was over the moon when the German Bread Bakery opened.  hearing all the german chatter of customers waiting to buy their pastries and bread i knew this place had to be the REAL deal. with their variety of yummy carby german goods you'll be sure to find something you love, choose from  freshly made pretzels, strudel, bear claws, danish, poppy rolls, grain and rye breads!

something i've realized is that food speaks more loudly to me than just filling a hungry belly, it's a moment to relive a little happiness with a fond memory. these pastries remind me of that first awkward Berlin grocery store bakery visit with my dad and how i found such comfort in those sugary breads. these pastries remind me of friends, picnics by the sea, mind blowing visits to the edible floor of Ka De We, and my favorite family members.

does food speak to you too?

anything almond is pretty much a win in my book of pastries so it's no surprise it makes up 50% of my order. the almond horseshoe is my favorite of the bunch, marzipan rolled cookie covered in sliced almonds and dipped in dark chocolate. can we take a yum moment?

yuuuuuuummmmm!

don't worry you can also find these decadent horseshoes at Trader Joe's for decent substitute if you can't find your way to the German Bread Bakery.

lessons learned?

eat a pastry, make a memory and remember to be happy.

tschus!

rita