Crushcake Delights!

Hello to all my foodie followers!

One of my favorite restaurants in Santa Barbara is definitely Crushcakes Cafe where they have the best little cafe and the most scrumptious cupcakes. I have only gone there for lunch and when I need a sweet treat, but I’ve heard they have really great breakfast too! I drove over today with my two good friends; I got a Farmer’s Market Salad, and they each got Caprese sandwiches. I had never had that salad before and it was so good. It was mixed greens with an assortment of fruit, topped with goat cheese…my mouth is watering just thinking about it! Not only do I love the food there, but I love the atmosphere too. They are a little slow, but the place is very cute.

If you haven’t visited, definitely make a point to do so!

xo Ivy

Such a cutie

Bon Lover

Hey there all you folks,

If you haven’t heard a song by Bon Iver (which I sure hope everyone has), now is definitely the time to get on it! Most incredible…

On Sunday my three girl friends and I went to see Bon Iver play at the Santa Barbara Bowl, and wow. It was the best concert I’ve ever been to. Ugh I get a chill just thinking about it, I can’t even describe how phenomenal it was. The pit was seated and we were in the third row-the perfect spot! The lead singer, Justin Vernon, was really funny and had a good stage presence…a little awkward, but that made him all the more fun. The band was huge, so many more instruments than I wouldn’t have thought! Almost every band mate was doubled up on instruments throughout the performance, and I’d say there were about 10 guys. All guys! Usually bands like to have a lady voice in there somewhere, but these guys sure don’t need one. In one song, every one of them sang together and wow it sounded so good! I wish you could hear my excited voice as I’m saying this in my head…There was a super neat light show that went along with the songs and lit up the raggedly-hung decorations shown in these pictures! They played their classic songs that are a bit older, more mellow, as well as their new sound that has more of a tecno-ish feel to it.

Before the concert, Olivia picked us up in her little navy blue jeep, and we drove down to Trattoria Vittoria and had such a gourmet dinner! It’s an italian restaurant and this was my second time visiting. We all got some form of pasta and were beyond satisfied by the end of the meal. We went for a cold treat at Spoon, where we got some yummy gelato before we headed to the concert. If you live in Santa Barbara and haven’t been to either of these places, I highly recommend you take a stroll down this lane of delicious frozen delights and heavenly Italian dishes.

xo Ivy

 

Earth Day Celebrations

The earth is in our hands.

This past weekend was Earth Day, which my town celebrates with a big festival in the park. All are welcome to enjoy the huge celebration and meander around the lined up booths of face painting, yummy food, and of course, learning how to stay green! The grass is filled with the most down-to-earth crowds of Santa Barbara, all barefoot and wearing flower bands around their heads. Everyone is hugging trees and swaying to the music that plays throughout the festival.

My dance company swayed to our own beats as we performed in front of the huge sea of people basking in the sun. It didn’t go the best that it could’ve, but it was still a fun time…but because of our performance I didn’t get to stay as long as I would have liked! I managed to capture just a few neat souls. I really wish I could have enjoyed the festivities just a bit longer, Earth Day has always been one of my favorites. I’d say I’m an extremely “green” person, and it’s so frustrating how many people don’t care at all about our environment! Hopefully this event encouraged the idea that everyone needs to go green!

Enjoy

xo Ivy

More photos below!

A stroll on the pier

While still keeping the day’s warmth, the Santa Barbara pier was as misty as can be this afternoon when my two girl friends and I took a stroll down the wooden planks. We figured we should take advantage of this perfect 85˚weather! We drove down in Olivia’s little jeep with big appetites and got a bite to eat at Char West, which has the best fish and chips. We got a few big cones of our favorite flavors and wandered to the end of the pier to dangle our feet over the blue-green ripples. It was just about the perfect day. I wish we had brought our suits to take a dip, though! Perhaps the water would’ve been a little to chilly anyways…

I of course brought my camera and took a few shots of our fine little venture.

xo Ivy

Check out more below!

Frolicking in the forest

Three little girls went out to play
They danced, they frolicked, they laughed as they may
Such beautiful girls,
Their skirts in twirls,
Gathered in bliss.

The moments that I am so happy to have captured

xo Ivy

 

Adventure Cats

My friends and I love to go on picnicking adventures, trying to find the most hidden but beautiful areas that we are so lucky to have in Santa Barbara. They started off once in a while, but now we go quite often! We have a few places that we love to go to, but continue to discover new gems as well.

Some of these pictures are from the view of the top of Gibraltar mountain. We started to drive up the windy road, thinking we would stop at a place not too far up, but ended up venturing to the very top of the mountain. It was the most gorgeous view!

A place we go to more often is in the back of our SB Natural History Museum. There’s a little forest and trail, but across the creek is open land perfect for picnics and hanging rope swings! It’s hidden from the trail by bushes and trees, so it’s a more secluded area which is nice and peaceful.

Santa Barbara is filled with the most beautiful areas, and if you have any secret little picnic spots you’d be so kind as to to let me in on, feel free!

xo Ivy

MORE below!

St. Patty’s festivities

Hey hey happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Today is Monday, and yes, I know St. Patrick’s Day was on Saturday, but I haven’t gotten a chance to post these festive souls until now! I was downtown walking around State Street on Saturday night, and the street was filled with big green leprechauns stumbling about. I’ve never seen the bars filled with so much green! Almost every person I saw was wearing at least a hint of green, many had gone all out with their ensembles to celebrate. The smell of beer stayed with me as I walked all down the street which was…not too great. But it’s okay because it was probably green beer, right? Not very appetizing…St. Patrick’s Day is just everyone’s excuse to wear funky clothes and drink beer until you pass out. Perhaps it will be my cup of tee when I am of age to actually drink beer, but for now, not so much.

But anyways it was great people watching, the many people holding brown bottles, galloping around and yelling to everyone that passed. It really was entertaining.

On the other hand, I didn’t even wear green on St. Patrick’s Day! There was one guy that stumbled passed me and made it quite clear that I should be wearing green. I was all bundled up, and I must mention, I couldn’t believe the teeny dresses some of the girls were wearing on such a wintery night! I was freezing while wearing the warmest clothes I own. I do wish I had done something more festive.

Anywhooo, I encountered some pretty outrageous outfits and thought I’d share

xo Ivy

This fine young fellow is part of the SB County Pipe and Drum Core, which had been playing around at all the local pubs.

Looks like a case of FFF: Forced Family Fun…

Cuties!

Sprout the Band

Ladies and gents I found a new band! Well, new to me…and possibly to you too! The group is called “Sprout the Band,” and I spotted them playing on the bustling street of the Farmer’s Market. Their look attracted me before they even started playing, but when they did, I loved their unique sound.

They met at an open-mic night and have been together for a little over two years, and are going on tour March 23 – April 16th! They will be traveling through Seattle with another band, “Rainbow Girls,” and will end at the Lucidity Festival in the lovely mountains of Santa Barbara.

It sounds like the music on their site is a little different than what they were playing when I saw them, but check out their tunes! SPROUT the band

xo Ivy

Barefoot wanderer

These are Erin’s feet, and the teeny tattoo on her toe is an infinity sign, symbolizing the connecting together of two realms.

MORE pictures below!!

Dancing munckins

Hello hello!

I have had the privilege to work with the non-profit, youth run organization called Everybody Dance Now!, in which we get to teach free hip hop dance classes to youth who would otherwise no be able to do what they love so much; dance. I have been involved with Everybody Dance Now! for two years, but have just recently begun teaching a new dance class at Goleta Girls Inc. Being a part of EDN! is such an amazing experience; we are transforming the lives of young kids through what we all have such a big place in our hearts for. Having the privilege of dance in my life has made such an impact on me, and being able to share that with other people is so rewarding!

The weekly class I teach at Girls Inc. is a blast, the girls are so sweet and inspirational! They pick up the choreography we teach them so quickly, and they sure do add all the sass needed to complete the ensembles. Being a part of EDN! is a really important thing in my life, and these cuties make it all worth while. They light up when it is time for dance and are sad to see us go at the end of class; and we are sad to leave them!

Since these little munchkins mean so much to me, I wanted to share their soles and beautiful faces with you all!

Be sure to check out Everybody Dance Now!’s website too!

xo Ivy

Ruby

Marissa

Sophia

Familiar Face

Working the Farmer's Market

This past weekend, I ran into The Balloon Man (whom I did a previous post about) two times, both at the Farmer’s Markets. He was enjoying the festivals and selling his balloon creations, cheerfully chatting with by-passers as he worked. He called me over the first time, greeting me by shaking my hand and wanting me to take more pictures of him. He loved the attention, I guess!  Although he is not the greatest at English, he chatted me up for about ten minutes, asking me about my blog and how it was going. It was so sweet how interested he was in what I’m doing; I am so thrilled with the fact that I met such a friendly soul through my blog! He gave me a warm hug goodbye, and I was off.

The second time I saw him, I approached him and he turned to me with a big smile, welcoming me with a big hug. We briefly visited, and he again asked me how everything with my blog was going. It was so delightful; such an affectionate man with a past of charming strangers with the bright, creative balloons and toys that he has been working with for so long. I was so excited that I found the soul of such an amusing, kind man that I have a new-found friendship with.

If you see this lovely man on the streets, Juan Barron, or anyone else who looks interesting for that matter, don’t be afraid to approach them and strike up a conversation! Let me know if you find anything admirable or inspiring about their souls (or soles); my guess is you will!

xo Ivy