happy holidays!

This year has been unforgettable - it's definitely been all about following my heart and what I love. It's been an incredible ride. From finally feeling as though I've found my voice right here on Sacramento Street, to completely changing career paths - the love and support that I've got on both ends is priceless. I honestly didn't think that I'd be where I am today, and let me tell you, I've never been happier. Thank you all for always being there for me, you really don't know how much it means to me.

As this year closes, I'm ready to take on next years adventures - whatever they might be. I have a feeling it will be a wild ride.

Next week I've put together some fun posts with of few of my best friends here in the blogosphere - they will be sharing their personal inspiration boards similar to my monday morning posts. So if you're relaxing around a fire or laying on a beach, then pop back over to read their incredible posts. I want everything in the few I've received so far.

We're off to Portland to spend quality time with both my family and Eric's. I can't wait to sip hot chocolate, gather with loved ones and help my mom pack up our house (she's moving to SF!).

I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday with your family and friends. May it be filled with lots of love!

xx, Caitlin

Photo via Meadowbrook Farm

it's friday + link love!

Tis the weekend to finally get my Christmas shopping started and done. I've got my list, checked it twice and I'm ready to hit the San Francisco streets. I think comfy shoes, a nice big scarf and a top knot are in order to get everything accomplished in two days.

My favorite part will be wrapping up all the gifts with beautiful ribbon - this year we're keeping it neutral with a touch of silver.

What are all of you up to this weekend? Have you purchased all of your holiday gifts? I feel incredibly behind this year.

A few of my favorite posts from this week:

* A little holiday sparkle to keep you smiling.

* These gift guides have me swooning over everything.

* I'm coveting these shoes . . .

* These healthy eats are perfect for weeknights.

* I'm following Sarah's lead by shopping locally.

Hope all of you have a lovely weekend - I'm certainly going to cherish this last weekend before Christmas!

xx, Caitlin

Photos: 1. Jackie Rueda 2. wit + delight 3. Besotted Brand Blog

I'm Loving + a Winner . . .

This year I think I'm going to try something non-traditional for a Christmas tree - we're going to place it in a jar. When I came across this image I fell madly in love. Since we can't fit a big tree in our apartment, I think this is the perfect compromise.

I've been having trouble finding spices in my cabinet - love the way these are labeled!

I've been in an all black mood lately - it's probably due to the cooler temperatures.

Now for the winner of the Minted giveaway . . . CONGRATS Elissa from Ebb & Flow! I'll be emailing you soon with your gift card.

Hope all of you had a wonderful first day of December!

Photos: 1. From Hus & Hem, photo Patrik Hagborg 2. Covet Garden 3. unknown (anyone?)

homeward bound . . .

After a wonderfully relaxing week in Portland with friends and family, we're finally making the journey home to San Francisco. I'll miss my mom's delicious breakfasts, beautiful house and all the dinner parties we hosted, but I'm excited to bring all of our new Christmas goodies home. There might be some redecorating in my future . . . shhh, don't tell Eric.

Hope all of you were able to spend quality time with loved ones this holiday season - it always fills my heart to see mine.

*Photos: Global Atelier and House of Bliss

happy christmas!

I want to wish all of you wonderful Christmas and thank you so much for reading Sacramento Street this year. I've made amazing friends through blogging and I truly cherish it each and every day - I'm amazed by the creativity and support we bring each-other. 

A very merry Christmas to you and you families. Happy Holidays!

xoxo, Caitlin

*Photos: Global Atelier

it's vacation time!

It's official, I'm done with work and I'm heading home to do some last minute packing before we head to the airport - I expect total madness there today! This holiday Eric and I will be heading up to Portland to spend some quality time with friends and family. I look forward to it every year!

I hope all of you travel safely no matter where you are heading this year! Happy holidays!

Photo: eeuphoriaa

wreath envy . . .

When I came across this image from the lovely Kate - my jaw dropped, I had heart palpitations and I would love one to call my own. The combination of autumn blackberries, beautiful feathers and greens is dream-worthy and incredibly unusual. I'm in love with it, what about you?

*Photo: Saipua

happy weekend + guest post

Can you believe it's a week until Christmas day? Ahhhh, I certainly can't. I'll be shopping 'til I drop this weekend. Be sure to pop on over to Pennyweight today because I'm guest blogging about what I love about the holiday season. Elise's blog is filled with inspiration - beware you might be clicking through her blog for hours.

Have a wonderful day luvies!

*Photos from This is Glamorous, martha stewart and we are infinate

TGIF!

What a week! It feels as though this week was a month long - most likely because the company I work for got acquired by Meredith Publishing. It's exciting and I'm ready for the new projects and tasks to come.

This weekend will be filled with holiday soirees, stylish frocks, last minute Christmas shopping (I haven't even started), and packing for our journey to Portland for the holidays. I wish it could be a relaxing weekend, but alas it will not.

What are all of you up to? Christmas parties? Ice skating? Cookie decorating? Whatever you might be doing I hope each and every one of you has a lovely weekend!

xoxo,

Caitlin

ps. Be sure to pop in tomorrow because I'm doing a special holiday guest post on one of my favorite blogs!

*Photos: Patterson Maker

season's musings :: must-have beauty products

I was so excited and honored when Caitlin ask me to write a guest post. I'm a makeup artist here in the Bay Area and one of my occupational hazards is an obsession with all things beauty! Caitlin and I were at a photo shoot and started talking about what our "perfect" medicine chest would look like . . . I decided to create my perfect holiday medicine chest and allow you to peek inside it. I hope it helps you look all the more dazzling this season.

1) Komenuka Bijin foaming cleanser and Silver cream moisturizer. I have used both of these products for years. The foaming cleanser takes off all your makeup and foams WAY up. You feel like you are washing your face with whipped cream. To have any makeup look great your skin needs to be clean and balanced...this face wash offers both things. I always finish with the Silver cream. This is a rice kernel based line made in a sake factory in Japan. The Silver cream is hydrating without being at all heavy and it leaves your skin glowing with a dewy finish. Movie star skin, supermodel skin, the skin you always wanted...

2) Botot toothpaste. I just bought this at Gravel and Gold in San Francisco and I love brushing my teeth now. First of all it's bright pink which just makes me happy and it tastes yummy. A little licorice bite to it.

3) Skin and Bones luxurious face body hair oil. This product was just sent to me by its maker/inventor Heidi about a month ago and I can't get enough of it. It is packed with luxury oils from Jojoba to Cedar wood. Its a bit much for my face but it is my new favorite go to body oil. The smell of it is sooooooo good that I recently started using a little on the ends of my hair too. I also love the packaging, it's sort of old apothecary meets goth girl.

4) Patch NYC and Soap and Paper Factory candle in the Buck scent. The Soap and Paper Factory is this wonderful little company owned by two women who make solid perfumes, bath product and candles. As a rule they make pretty girly (but great) stuff. Enter Patch NYC a clothing company owned by two guys. Put these two forces together and voila you have the perfect "mandles". Woodsy, earthy, and very sophisticated all at the same time. I love to burn the Buck candle while I put on my lip color it just feels RIGHT!

5) White japanese bobby pins. I love bobby pins. They are my secret tool both personally and when I am doing hair on set but I hate cheap ones. My favorite are these tiny white ones that you can work into any hairdo. They last forever and they don't get all bent out of shape.

6) Serge Lutens Paris scent in Fluers D'Oranger. I bought this scent for myself about 8 months ago at Barneys and I have never before been told how good I smell quite as much! I have a really sensitive nose so when I find a perfume I love I kind of become obsessed with it. The thing about the Serge Lutens scents is that there are about fifty of them and each one is better than the next. I told Santa I wanted both my Fluers D'Oranger (a bright fresh orange blossom scent) and A La Nuit (a deep mysterious night blooming Jasmine). I hope Santa knows what's good for him and delivers the goods!

7) Tom Ford lipsticks in Pure Pink and Ginger Fawn. I tried to resist buying these lip colors because they are pricey but I lost the battle (as I often do when it comes to cosmetics) and I have never looked back. The texture and pigment in these colors is off the charts great. I love hot pink lips on almost everyone. Its sort of a beginners red. My new lip obsession for the holidays and into spring is all mutations of the orange lip. The Ginger Fawn is a beautiful persimmon orange that seems to look great on lots of gals. It is not to bright and not to coral. Basically if you never thought you could wear an orange you can wear this one. Go and get these two colors. With lots of black mascara and a swipe of either of these you are holiday party hotness!

8) Diorshow Extase mascara in black. I know, I know everyone is sick of makeup artists recommending this mascara but I have to. It's just that good. It gives you length and volume and a deep inky blackness that makes one feel like a movie star/beat poetess all at once. For evening I like to do at least two coats and use the end of the brush to just slightly hit the bottom lashes.

9) RGB nail polish in Too Red. This is the perfect orangey red. It has a little of a 1970s Virginia Slims ad feel to it. Picture long feathered hair, a three piece boy cut suit and these nails. I like three coats of this polish. It is a small line out of Los Angeles that is toluene and formaldehyde free and they are always coming up with amazing new colors. You will be come a collector.

10) Herringbone leather neccesaire bag. These makeup bags are so cool that you will probably start using it as your evening clutch. They come in two sizes and are locally made. The leather is so creamy soft and it comes in a shiny silver and gorgeous orange. I carry my own makeup in one every day and it only gets better the more you use it.

So if I was stocking your bathroom with the goods for holiday this is how I would start. Have fun and put a little lipstick on!

~ Shawn

Thank you SO much Shawn for this lovely beauty post - I definitely know what I'm introducing into my medicine cabnient this season! Hopefully some husbands are reading this post and running out to buy all of us a few of these amazing products.

Sacramento Street readers, Shawn is available for private consultations and holiday makeup application and can be contacted at shawnburkemakeup@gmail.com. I highly recommend getting a private consultation - it's worth every penny!

1. Komenuka Bijin foaming cleanser

2. Botot toothpaste from Gravel and Gold

3. Skin and Bones oil from Skin and Bones

4. Patch Candles from Home 101 in Berkeley

5. White bobby pins from Herringbone Shop

6. Serge Lutens Fleur D'Oranger Eau de Parfum from Barneys New York

7. Tom Ford lipsticks from Neiman Marcus

8. Diorshow Extase from Saks Fifth Avenue

9. RGB polish from RGB Cosmetics

10. Herringbone bag from Erica Tanov

season's musings :: mrs. lilien evening regalia

It's high holiday season which beckons fanciful evening regalia - occasions that demand abundantly festive paraphernalia! It's the time of year to pull out all the stops - by adorning oneself with festive props - dressed and ready for impromptu fox trots or even counting down till that shimmering ball drops. Celebratory bedecking is as easy as 1-2-3, the options are endless as you can see - for instance B & E or even D & C - are instant holiday successes, I guarantee! Open up your closet and gather all the show-stoppers - with a little mixing and matching your certain to nail down some jaw-droppers! The more the merrier the bolder the better - every soiree needs a token glittering go-getter. Now, for all the ladies that happen to be single - you'll especially want to jazz up the jingle - you never know, you may even mingle - with that foxy Kris Kringle!

A: Polish / Head Band / Earrings / Pumps

B: Frock

C: Necklace / Lipstick / Shoe Clips / Pumps

D: Frock

E : Necklace / Polish / Earrings / Pumps

A HUGE thank you to Mrs. Lilien for the collaboration on this post!

season's musings :: tartelette recipe

This week will be filled with loads of holiday cheer - as promised! Today, I'm excited to kick things off with Helene from Tartelette. She's put together a post with a delicious treat and it's all for a good cause. I'll definitely be making it this Christmas!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Gluten Free Strawberry Jelly Roll Cake - Share Our Strength Contribution

As a child, I can't say that I ever knew hunger. I got hungry for sure. But I never knew the deep feeling of being hungry and knowing I would not be able to satisfy my growling stomach. My parents did not always have it easy and I can see there were times when budgets and expenses were calculated to the penny but one thing my brothers and myself never questioned to have or not was food.

If times were a bit strained, we, as children, never knew it. I just noticed we ate more eggs throughout the week and lots more soups. I never put two and two together because I never had to. There was always food in my plate. Some children don't have this chance. Some children go hungry on a daily basis.

My parents knew that. They made sure we did to and very early on in our lives made sure we knew the purpose of charity. We did it silently. Charity is an act that comes from inside of you. It does not need to be advertised or require praises. Just do. We know what it's like to hit hard times and to have a great support system of friends and family. Some people are not as lucky. Most of all, children should never know the physical and emotional pains of hunger.

If I can direct your heart to cozy place this holiday season it would be toward Share Our Strength and their "No Kid Hungry" campaign. Gaby from What's Gaby Cooking emailed a few weeks back and asked a bunch of bloggers to partner up with Share Our Strength to help them spread the word and raise awareness through a virtual progressive dinner, inviting readers to a Holiday Table filled with all sorts of ideas from appetizers to dessert, vegetarian, budget friendly, gluten free, gourmet, etc...

All these dishes are so tempting and for us so easy to come up with but for others it would take a village to fill up their plates. And the ones of their children. We are that village. We are that community. I have an ever shaking faith in our humanity but I believe the holiday season makes us softer and in that regard, I am indeed asking that you would consider participating and pledging to help Share Our Strength "No Kid Go Hungry" campaign. Why? Because one dollar makes a child already closer to 10 meals. That's huge...

My virtual contribution to the campaign is one of my dad's all time favorites, a Strawberry Jelly Roll Cake. His mother used to make it for him when he was a kid and I grew up listening to my dad's recollection of Mamette (her nickname) and her famous jelly roll cake. It made him feel like a king. Every child should know that feeling. I always felt like it was a special moment when my mom would try her hand at it. A simple cake such as this became the anchor of some many memories in our family.

A lot of us out there will be creating wonderful family memories gathered around a pretty table filled with great foods, family recipes, easy, budget friendly, etc...you name it. We will give praises and thanks. We will raise our forks and cheer. We will eat, rub our bellies and laugh.

Every child deserves to have such memories...

Strawberry Jelly Roll Cake, adapted from this recipe.

Serves 6 to 8 people

4 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup (100gr) sugar
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (65gr) rice flour
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (65gr) millet flour
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
softened butter for the baking sheet
1/2 cup to 1 cup strawberry jam
powdered sugar to decorate

Preheat the oven to 375F. Butter the bottom of a baking sheet (I used 2 quarter sheet pans) and line with parchment paper, butter the paper liberally.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow. Add the rice and millet flours, gum, baking pwder and salt. Switch to a spatula and fold the ingredients together briefly.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the whites at high speed until medium stiff peaks form.

Take about 1/3 of the egg whites and fold them into the egg yolk/flour batter. Do not worry about folding carefully, you just want to use the moisture from the whites to add fluidity to the batter.

Now, carefully fold in the rest of the egg whites into two installments.
Spread the batter onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 8-10 minutes or until barely golden brown.

Remove from the oven and let cool about 5 minutes. Place a piece of parchment paper onto your work surface, invert your baking sheet over it and slowly peel the parchment paper from the bake of the cake. Using the bottom piece of paper, start rolling the cake onto itself, starting from the longest edge.

Let it cool completely. Unroll, fill with the jam and reroll. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired. Keep refrigerated until ready to eat.

happy monday + guest post

Happy Monday luvies! I hope each and every one of you had a lovely weekend filled with holiday cheer. This week will be filled with LOTS of fun holiday posts by four ladies I look up to - from stylish frocks, to a delicious dessert, to fabulous florals. I've got you covered in order to prepare for the Christmas madness that's coming our way. It all starts tomorrow!

Until then, be sure to stop by La Petite Choue - where I'm guest blogging about why I love the month of December.

*Photos: French by Design, eeuphoriaa from tumblr, and Garance Dore

it's friday!

The holidays are in FULL swing - at least I think so because this is my favorite month. Tonight we're hosting friends for dinner, tomorrow will revolve around the Oregon Ducks football game (one game away from making the National Championship game) and then Sunday will be devoted to crossing things off my to-do list. I'm hoping to sneak in some time for holiday shopping - I can't believe I haven't bought one present yet. Talk about being behind!

What are ya'll up to this weekend? Are you going tree hunting? Holiday shopping? Ice skating?

I hope each and every one of you have a lovely weekend!

xoxo, Caitlin

*Photo: Homes and Gardens

deck the halls . . .

This weekend I started decorating our apartment for the holidays - I know it's not quite December, but I just couldn't resist. Ornaments went into bowls, stockings were brought out and my mantel is looking quite festive with lots of candles.

I've been lusting after this TOAST Christmas catalogue. I'm just going to warn you right now - if you open it up you’re going to want EVERYTHING. My Christmas wish list consists of socks, pajamas, dresses - the list goes on and on of items from TOAST. If only I lived near one of their stores, but that might be dangerous for my bank account. I hope these images from their catalogue puts you in the holiday decorating spirit, because it definitely got me in a cheery mood.

*Photos: TOAST