faux fur and wine tasting: twisted oak

alright... on to day number 5 of what is now being dubbed "The California Reunion Tour"
Ha.
my friends think they are so funny, there was even talk of t-shirts listing all of the events that we managed to cram in last month while I was there.
srsly. we went absolutely nuts. and it was the best. time. ever.
I actually just scheduled a trip back for a week in 10 days and I'm really pumped. we have already planned a, wait for it..... tea party!
its at this posh little place in down town SF called Crown and Crumpet. and I am already dreaming of an adorable dress to take tea in. here is my top contender as of this moment. thoughts?
with some brightly colored tights and a fun flower headband?
y-e-s.

but ok, on to the post. so, the day after christmas my family and I headed up into the mountains to visit my grandpa. he lives in this auh-mazing cabin up in Arnold near Bear mountain. we decided to stop on the way in the cute town of murphys. dear northern californians: murphys is going to be the new sonoma/napa.
no joke
the entire town is made of of the MOST adorable shops, restaurants, and of course wineries. they aren't stuffy like the napa tasting rooms and everyone there is such a blast. the shots below were taken at my favorite of the day: Twisted Oak.
and yes, if you haven't gathered by now... my family loves to go wine tasting.
you can't blame them, they do live in sonoma. duh.

I was going to zoom on these photos, as to see the outfit better, but I just ended up LOVING this scenery too much to crop it out. this was one of the seating areas in the back area by the vineyards and it was just incredibly pretty to look at. sigh.

also, if you haven't gathered from the few posts already, there was a pretty simple formula for the outfits for this trip.
colored tights + funky shirt/dress +black/tan boots +jacket/vest = easy packing
I tried to keep it as interesting as possible, but I was only working with two suitcases for over a month. I was actually really loving this outfit. that faux fur vest can really do no wrong in my eyes. see? promised that it was going to get some action on this trip. also, it was perfect for that day wandering around the mountains keeping me warm. :)

I wanted to purchase this sign for my parents in the worst way, but held back. I have this really nasty habit of buying superfluous gifts for my friends and family just because. if I see something that reminds me of them, or that I think they would enjoy, I just go for it. sigh. I'm trying to be more conscious about money and not just go throwing it around on silly things. oh hai recession, thanks for teaching me some better skillz.

this place was so rustic chic with so many interesting colors that I was dying inside. my camera and I were doing our happy dance and taking ridiculous amounts of photos. what can I say? California is too pretty of a place. my heart really does miss it. arizona has that whole desert beauty thing going on, but man do I miss the color green. sounds strange, right? but down here everything is warm shades. brown, red, orange, olive, yellow....but in northern california, at this time of year, everything is this incredibly deep and vibrant green. and of course the most gorgeous sun sets.

on a side note, I am going to be posting some pictures of our wonderful, new, being-built-as-we-speak house on friday! I took a few snaps and a little video that I can't wait to share with you all.
I am already losing sleep over what colors I want to paint, what art I am going to put on the walls, and what type of theme and decor I am going to use.
can't wait to get my creative/DIY/painter side on!

we are also sneaking and inching our way up to my 100th post! fantastic. stay tuned next week for a special post and my first give away. hoorah. well cheers everyone and happy shiny tuesday.
xoxo