I feel like I should add a disclaimer to all of my blog posts apologizing for my bad photography skills!

The frames are the 13" square Gallery in silver, which has sort of an antiqued finish to it so it's not too shiny. I replaced the linen mats — they're really nice, but just don't work in my bathroom — with white mats with a thin black border (purchased on Picture Frames). As for the art: I selected some of my favorite postcards in the set of 100 that Ruben Toledo created for Louis Vuitton. (Jon gave me the box of City Guide postcards for Christmas.)

• Carmel, CA
• Las Vegas, NV
• Scottsdale, AZ
• Boston, MA
• New York, NY
• Singapore
• Bali, Indonesia
• Calistoga, CA
• Guerneville, CA
• Los Angeles, CA
• Los Cabos, Mexico
• Hilton Head Island, SC

We started 2011 in Carmel, and decided to end the year in the seaside town as well. This morning, we walked to La Bicyclette for breakfast (fresh-from-the-oven cinnamon rolls are the daily special on Saturdays!), then strolled around town while it was still pretty empty. We took the long way back to the house with a walk along the beach and then decided to visit the Carmel Mission (it's been on our list of places to check out for a while now).

This year has been busy, busy, busy, so it's nice to take it easy and spend the last day of 2011 relaxing and enjoying such simple pleasures. Here's hoping that 2012 is filled with many more adventures, big and small!

A couple of weekends ago, my nephew came over to hang out with me while Jon was out of town. We made sugar cookies using these Star Wars cookie cutters. They were cute enough without any adornment, so we didn't bother with any frosting or candies.

I love this neon pink and orange ribbon (apologies for the grainy iPhone photo). It reminds me of the neon holiday decor story that Kate Pruitt wrote for the Anthology winter gift guide.

When we were in Mexico for Thanksgiving weekend, my sister and I did a little shopping in Los Cabos. I got this amethyst and sterling silver ring, which I've worn almost every day since.

The other day, Jon and I were in Bernal Heights and stopped in at Avedano's for the first time — and it will definitely not be our last! The sandwiches there are insanely good. And I don't usually even like sandwiches. Just up the street, Sandbox Bakery is another good spot. I love their cheddar, bacon and scallion biscuits (which I first discovered at Flora Grubb).

Lately, I've been on the lookout for cool movie-related art for that room. And since discovering her Etsy shop yesterday, I can't stop thinking about Claudia Varosio's versions of various film posters.

There are so many to choose from! Decisions, decisions ...

I don't know what's up with his newfangled electronic reading device. Long live print!

Anyway. Our room was pretty awesome. I don't think this sink would work in my bathroom at home, but I love it:

My favorite thing may have been all of the wood in the room, especially the doors.

I am now obsessed with having a gigantic, metal-studded barn door in my house.

Last weekend, Meg and I were in L.A. for a handful of photo shoots — literally, a handful. I still can't quite believe that we pulled it off, shooting five homes in two days. I think we both proceeded to take an additional two days off to recover from the whirlwind.

Here's a couple of pics from one of the homes: an adorable 11-year-old pug, and you know, an Emmy award.

     

Last year, during our first-ever business trip for Anthology, Meg introduced me to this great Japanese spot, Furaibo, and during this recent visit, we went back there for dinner. I could eat Japanese food every single day, and that place is right up my alley. Other food highlights: the truffled arancini at Chateau Marmont and the short rib bowl at Forage. On the shopping front, Mohawk General Store was awesome. It was probably a really good thing that our schedule was tight and we didn't have much time to buy stuff!

Speaking of shopping, locally, I'm super excited that Steven Alan is opening up shop next this week in Hayes Valley!

Photo: Dylan Entelis / The Chronicle

The line-up was insane and included Arcade Fire, Beck, Eddie Vedder, Foo Fighters, Mumford & Sons and, of course, Neil Young (the organizer of the event, which is in its 25th year). My only gripe about the day? The $9 burritos were made with nacho cheese. I wish I was making this up. It's just not right.

In Guerneville, there weren't a lot of places to shop, but I did manage to score this little guy for $2 at Sonoma Nesting Co.:

NYC, on the other hand, provided way too many opportunities to spend money. I think after four days there, I now have to put a moratorium on purchases for the rest of the year. In addition to the usual shoe and handbag temptations at Bergdorf, my wallet had to contend with the recent openings of Ladurée, Marimekko and Uniqlo. The latter was just a couple of blocks from my hotel, and I have to say: I can't believe the lines on opening day! That was some insanity. (Also, why is there almost always a line in front of the Abercrombie & Fitch on Fifth Avenue? I'm so perplexed by this.)

Opening Ceremony expanded its store a few weeks ago and I couldn't resist snapping a picture of the painted stairwell on the third floor:

This weekend, I'm staying put and really looking forward to clearing out some shows on my DVR.

• Cottage of Sweets: This candy shop is about the size of my kitchen, and is packed with all sorts of sweets. I always get the gummi peaches and chocolate-covered gummi bears; occasionally, I treat myself to a piece of fudge, too.
• Luca: I love the homemade pastas at this casual and affordable Italian eatery. And the bellini martini is a pretty good reason to come here, too. The restaurant recently opened a Salumeria next door, so my new thing is to pick up half a pound of fresh pasta as well as a pint of bolognese, and take it home to enjoy for dinner. (In fact, that's what we'll be having tonight!)
• Aubergine: This is a sister restaurant to Luca; it's located in L'Auberge hotel and offers a more sophisticated experience. You can dine in the main room, or there's also a lounge (basically a room between the hotel lobby and Aubergine). In the lounge, you can order off the Aubergine menu or the lounge menu, so I actually prefer eating in here. The homemade madeleines, which I think are on the lounge dessert menu, are amazing.
• La Bicyclette: We recently tried this place for the first time, stopping in during the window between lunch and dinner, when they offer a limited menu that consists of salads, soups and pizzas. You can also order dessert. Everything we ate was delicious. And I am a fan of the elderflower mimosa. (After reading that the SF Chronicle deemed La Bicyclette one of the best breakfasts in Carmel, we returned in the morning. I thought it was okay.)
• The Tap Room: I don't go to steakhouses very often, but I rarely visit Carmel without going here. I am happy ordering just appetizers (chili, French onion soup, popcorn shrimp) and side dishes (mushroom risotto, potatoes au gratin, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes). Jon loves the grilled bratwurst with sauerkraut.

Less-than-stellar photo of La Bicyclette pizzas via my phone.

Friends of ours got married at an estate in St. Helena this weekend, and it was a lovely event — from start to very fun finish.

Jon and I decided to stay at Solage in Calistoga because I've been wanting to check it for a while now. I wouldn't say it was a disappointment, but I think there are other places I'd prefer to stay at in the area. (In Napa Valley, my favorite hotel/resort is The Carneros Inn.)

If you do find yourself in Calistoga during the weekend and it's brunch time, I highly recommend the cinnamon-sugar donut holes at the restaurant at Solage. Other food highlights from the weekend included lunches at Ad Hoc Addendum and Redd. For me, the biggest challenge of visiting the Napa Valley is there are waaay too many restaurants I want to experience, and just not enough room in my belly! (Next time, I'm going to Bottega, for sure.)

I love that Victoria brought Lucy to the shoot. Of course, she made it into a couple of the shots, including the one below (taken in the guest bedroom).

Also: Lots more photos of my home can be seen in Issue No. 4!

The good and bad news is: They don't come in my size. So I can't have them/won't blow $350 on them.

Before

In progress

The tiles are the Flor "Working Class," which was chosen for its durability. The Flor catalog includes a garage done in a checkboard pattern in these colors, and we thought it would be perfect for this space, which will be used as a game room.

It took us about six hours to complete the project. We started at the center (hence the blue chalk lines in the floor in the first photo) and worked our way out to the edges (it's basically wall-to-wall carpeting). I can't wait to see the room once it's filled with the air hockey and foosball tables!

It worked out great, especially since I could fit a big stack of magazines in it. (I bought so many foreign magazines during our trip!) The style works for carrying around town or down to the beach. It also has a small pocket for your lip balm, cell phone, hotel key, etc. My only complaint is that I wish the pocket had a closing mechanism. (I ended up attaching some adhesive-backed velcro squares as a temporary fix.)

Everything I read about bleaching clothes freaked me out. And I was just about to give up when I had a junior high school flashback: Rit Dye! A quick search on Amazon revealed the existence of a product called Rit Dye 65 Powder White-Wash. The reviews gave me hope that the shirt could be white again. And within seconds of dropping it into the pot of Rit-infused water, it did indeed return to its original color. Here's the proof:

Please pardon the wrinkles — the top was fresh out of the dryer when I snapped the "after" photo. The point is: If you need to revive a white article of clothing, give Rit's White-Wash a try!