Monthly Recap

November was jam-packed with some fun events. I loved spending the short holiday break with my family and attending a mix of fashion and food related events.  Enjoy my recap of November and follow me on Instagram at willbakeforshoes.

I made my way to Brit & Co. to learn some hosting tips a great Friendsgiving. There were fun DIY projects and delicious bites. Chelsea wrote up a blog post of the event titled 6 tips for host the Friendsgiving. (You’ll spot my arm party making a cameo in her blog post as I put together my succulent plant and decorated the pot it came in.)

I attended the official Posh Fest Happy Hour hosted at Les Mechantes in Ghirardelli Square. The place was packed and I wore my San Fran Cisco Tee from the store. I ended up twinning with the MC of Posh Fest, Amanda, when we ran into each other at the shop! 

I attended Posh Fest for the third time in November and loved hanging out with the PFFs I’ve made through the app, learning how others have utilized the new features, and getting to dress up for the weekend was a blast. I get to sell items from my closet and spend time with others who love fashion as much as I do. What is not to love?

This was my outfit for day 1 of Posh Fest. I love this dress that I scored at Crossroads Trading Co, and it is originally from Anthropologie. I am not sure if I’ll be doing a separate blog post for this look, but I just had to share it again because I love this dress and wore it again for Thanksgiving dinner.

Right after Posh Fest, Chanda invited me to attend a tour with a few other bloggers of Mr. Espresso, also known as Oakland Roasted Coffee. We were able to try a few of their different roasts and paired them with baked goods from Crispian Bakery. Getting to tour the factory was really cool and learning of the story firsthand from a company I see every time I am on BART heading to the city was a nice bonus.
We also enjoyed a delicious meal after the tour at a restaurant in Oakland called Hopscotch. That experience deserves its own blog post and is coming soon.

I was invited by Polyvore to attend a meet up at the Rebecca Minkoff store on Fillmore Street for a Q&A with Rebecca Minkoff and Polyvore CEO Jess Lee. I picked up a new coin purse and phone case and had my MAC purse signed by Rebecca Minkoff! The other highlights of the meet up were talking to Jess Lee about anime shows on Netflix and tasting some of the colorful meringues by The Grand Meringue. 

In the middle of the Grand Re-Opening of Macy’s in Walnut Creek, I attend a cooking demo hosted by Rick Bayless. His dishes centered around a green adobo sauce. There were no seats when I arrived and I missed out on tasting the appetizer ideas for the holidays, but the scents wafting through the air indicated these appetizers were delicious. He stuck around to meet and greet his fans and sign copies of his complimentary cookbooks when you spent $35 or more in the kitchen department.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends. I am grateful to have you spend time and read my recaps (and other posts), but mostly for the support. I love being able to write and share what I am up to and what I am passionate about.
Thanks for reading and let’s make the most of the last month of 2015!

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October is already over, which means the holidays are just around the corner! Here are some of the things I did last month. 

I was invited to Pinterest HQ for some DIY fun lead by Pinterest Ambassadors at the Pinterest Ambassador Summit. Armando and I enjoyed some bites as we created a copper plant holder, fruit and mint infused tequila, and cheesy pull-apart bread to name a few of the stations we visited. We also made bath salts and I decorated my own candle. I have all the DIY projects in a board that you find on Pinterest here so you can see the other projects and make them as well!

Continuing on the DIY train, I attended a fun get-together at Brit + Co. early in October. The projects of the night included decorating a white serving platter and learning how to make spiders using apple slices, almond butter, mini chocolate chips and fruit leather snack strips. The DIY tutorial can be found here.

Florence and the Machine performed at the Greek Theater. Her performance was simply amazing and was even better than I anticipated.

Ashley Pitt of A Lady Goes West invited me and a group of bloggers in the area to meet some new faces in the Bay Area and work up a sweat at Orangetheory in Walnut Creek. We exercised for half a typical Orangetheory class, but it was still an intense workout. I was sore the next day, but I am glad I pushed myself and was able to meet more bloggers in the area. We enjoyed Luna Bars, Naked Juices and Nutmilks and Doughbies cookies after our workout. For a closer look at the workout, you can check Ashley’s blog post on it here. If you are interested in attending the next Bay Area Blogger Meet and Sweat session let me know! (Just anticipate waking up sore the next day.)

Vivian invited me to attend a Murder Mystery Party hosted by Yelp for Yelp Elite at the Octopus Literary Salon. I channeled Mrs. White into my outfit and used some of my costume accessories I purchased for my Audrey Hepburn look. At the end of the nite, I actually solved the murder mystery along with a few others at the event. My name was drawn out of a hat and I won a classic edition of Clue.

And of course, October could not be complete without visiting a pumpkin patch with the family and dressing up in a fun costume. I shared what Armando and I wore separate posts, but we managed to at least get one photo together.
Thanks October, you were great but now on to November (and real Fall weather!)
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September was so good for me. I loved all the food-related events and shared more photos of food than my outfits this month. Don’t worry, more outfit posts are coming, but take a look at what I did last month and follow along on Instagram @willbakeforshoes. 

At the beginning of the month I was invited to a dinner kicking off the launch of TableRunner. TableRunner is a new food delivery service that delivers fresh, chef- prepared meals made with ingredients that are in season. It is like having a live in professional chef making meals you want for the week. You can find more information on their website, but I was really impressed with how delicious the food was and how easy they made eating one of these meals at home. Just pop it in the oven, plate and enjoy! Their packaging is sustainable and can be shipped back to the company to be reused at no extra charge.

I attended the Brit+Co. RE:MAKE 2015 Conference held at Fort Mason and I had a blast hearing the speakers and having a chance to paint while listening on topics related to being creative. I met Lindsey Sterling and saw her perform live again! This event is one of the few things not food-related on here for this month’s recap, but I did enjoy some delicious food for breakfast, lunch and for our snack breaks. I also had a chance to meet the Founder, Brit Morin, and she liked the Kate Spade accessories I was wearing that day.

Once again, Armando and I attended the Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival, this time invited as Media. We attended a workshop in the morning to see how a chocolate ghost was made and received some goodies before setting out to sample all the chocolate we could eat. I plan on sharing a dedicated post of the chocolate festival since we tried so many good things! I might have entered the Ice Cream Eating contest, but you’ll have to check out that post to see whether or not I won.

The weather made another drastic change and gave us a hot weekend when Armando and I attended the Eat Real Food Festival at Jack London Square (a big difference from the weather we experienced at Ghirardelli Square the previous weekend.)  Our morning started with some delicious Zeppole donuts and Vanilla Fraiche dipping sauce by Girl Friday Zeppole. We washed it down with some Organic Raw Milk. For lunch we had Coconut Milk Fried Chicken Banh Mih from Bicycle Banh Mih. We ate plenty of ice cream to withstand the heat, but our favorite treat were the Kouign Amann Sandwiches from Frozen Kuhsterd. I enjoyed some delicious cider and went home with a fun souvenir cup.

I had the chance to try some new items for Breakfast. The first was some Oatmeal sent to me by Modern Oats. I plan on sharing a full review, but I have to say I am really impressed with how good this oatmeal tastes. It is nothing like other oatmeals, and is in the prefect container for someone on the go. I also had a chance to try the new Toasted Graham Latte from Starbucks. I was never a Pumpkin Spice Latte fan, but I am all about this new latte. It is perfect to enjoy while being bundled up in layers and enjoying the crisp Fall breeze.

My last food event of the month was hosted at AQ restaurant on Mission Street in San Francisco. Guinness hosted a launch party introducing their Nitro IPA. The restaurant features seasonal menus and decor, and I really liked that about the place. I enjoyed my dinner and liked having a chance to taste the new IPA. I am not sure I would says its my favorite, but I am still developing my taste for beer. 

I wanted to take a look at last month’s outfit posts since most of them featured a little bit of blue. The weather was still warm enough for summer dresses, but I am looking forward to the Fall weather here in the Bay Area. Two of these dresses are available for sale in my closet on Poshmark, so pick them up while you can.

Hope you enjoyed my recap for September! Here’s hoping October is even better!

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August is my favorite month. Not just because of my birthday, but also because it officially marks the changing of the season. I love warm weather, but I am excited for the crisp Fall and to be able to wear coats and boots. Here is my recap of August from Instagram!

At the beginning of the month, I saw my sister off at SFO as she embarked on her trip back to Japan, this time to teach English. She is doing well, but I definitely miss her. Planning on taking a trip over to visit in the Spring, this time with Armando!

IFB relaunched at the beginning of the month and held their party at Cinta Salon with bites from E+ O Restaurant. I had a blowout done and I got to spend some time with some of my blogger friends. I can’t wait to share photos of how my hair turned out in a couple of outfit posts.

Top Row: Modcloth has a pop-up shop in SF! Tried on some clothes (and sunglasses) in store. It’s been extended to the end of the holidays, so stop by if you are in the area! Bottom row: This month was full of store openings. I was invited to attended the Byer California Store Opening at the San Francisco Premium Outlets and off course I ended up picking up some goodies.

Armando and I attended the relaunch of the NIQUEA.D brand at Papyrus in San Francisco. I won an Instagram contest during the event and took home a pretty bracelet and statement necklace by NIQUEA.D with me.

Cooled off on a hot day with some Talenti Gelato and Frozen Kuhsterd at the San Francisco Street Food Festival.

I worked at Caltopia again and came home with a bunch of freebies. I even won a goodie bag for my Instagram photo of the Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.

Turned 25 this month! Armando got me some Choux Bakery Cream Puffs and flowers. My parents also sent me some flowers, and they took me to out for dinner where I got my birthday chocolate lava cake.

Of course, this recap would not be complete without a blogger brunch and cocktail party. On the left, a look at the Brioche French Toast from La Note Restaurant. I had brunch with East Bay Bloggers Brittany, Melissa, and Julianne.  On the right, I spent an evening sipping cocktails and trying on vintage jewelry at the Hotel Nikko Kanpai Lounge with Chelsea, Live Love Moda and Sasha Maks Vintage.

The highlight of the month,  was spending a warm afternoon at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk to celebrate my birthday with Armando. We snacked on a lot of yummy food and it was the perfect way to end the month.
Hope you enjoyed last month’s recap. There’s already so much going on this month already so I look forward to sharing that soon!
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As I mentioned in my last post, I had been thinking of doing a recap of all the events I attended in June. I did a better job documenting them via Instagram, but some of the images I am sharing may not have made it on my Instagram feed (yet!) These are just some of the highlights and I am hoping this becomes a regular thing for my blog!

To kick off the month, I attended a brunch at Pinterest HQ for the announcement of the “Buy It” button. By now it’s been rolled out, but it was pretty exciting being part of the crowd that heard the announcement first. (Visiting the headquarters again was pretty cool too!)

I also attended a couple of parties hosted by local startups. One was the Gold Rush SF event hosted by Rocksbox, where I took some polaroid photos with some fellow SF bloggers. The other was the Live from SF party hosted by Poshmark at Mercer.

Chelsea invited me attend a Party for a Better World sponsored by the Better World Hub. The Party’s focus was to promote organic products such as Numi Tea, Marys Gone Crackers, Nature’s Organic, and Equal Exchange. The organic products were not limited to food, and even featured toys, beauty products and clothing. There were samples, a food competition and a raffle at the end. I won the breakfast food packet on the bottom right and left with a pretty impressive haul of organic products. It was a great way to be introduced to organic products and to be able to try them.

I found out through Gal Meets Glam’s instagram account that she would be hosting a collaboration event in SF kicking off Birchbox’s pop-up shop at GAP. For $15, you can pick out your own samples. I am pretty excited about to try out the products I picked out.

On the same night, I made my way over to the Casper Snooze Bar pop-up. I tested out a Casper mattress, enjoyed gourmet waffles and had my dream interpreted by a talented local artist, Frances Marin. I recalled a dream as a kid passing through bushes of lavender, and I love how she illustrated my dream. I was also pretty stoked with the experience and being able to take some cute slippers home with me.

I was invited to dinner and a whiskey tasting by Blade and Bow. I will be doing another post sharing a couple of recipes of the mixed drinks I tried, but I will say the food was delicious and it was great that I had a chance to experience this with my fellow foodie bud, Chanda.

I am a suggested user on WE HEART IT, and randomly I received an email asking if I could be free for lunch on a Wednesday to meet Hilary Duff.  I RSVP’d hoping to get picked, and was selected for an exclusive Meet and Greet with Hilary Duff.

The weather for June was pretty inconsistent, but we actually had a couple of days where it was so hot that I appreciated the invite to taste SKYY Vodka’s latest line of vodka SKYY Barcraft hosted by Victoria Smith (@sfgirlbybay). There was a cute station to dress up your drink, and I had a blast trying out each of the new flavors and decorating my drinks.

On an unrelated blog note, Armando and I adore corgis. So we made it our mission to attend the Norcal Corgi Con, a meetup for corgi enthusiasts at Ocean Beach in SF. This dog is named Dog, and I thought her hat was simply too cute! It was fun watching and playing with the corgis at the beach.

After the morning in the beach, I made my way to North Beach to bake French Souffles, Custards and Cremes blogger friends (Jennifer/Laurelai/Chanda/Kat) at the Parties that Cook kitchen hosted by Maison Jules. I worked with my group to make Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee Ice Cream. It was my first time making ice cream from scratch! We worked on using fresh peaches as part of a garnish to our ice cream. Tasting all the food at the end was the best way to end our cooking class.

On the final Sunday in June, Armando and I attended Summerthing, a free concert at Golden Gate Park, sponsored by Alice 97.3. We layed out our picnic blanket , enjoyed free Clover Ice Cream and listened to Elle King, Rachel Platten, Matt Kearney and Kelly Clarkson.

The best was saved for last, and the month ended with Armando and I celebrating our 9 year anniversary. I am very happy to have spent that much time with my best friend and partner-in-crime, and I can’t wait to see what adventures are in store for us together this year.
Hope you enjoyed my monthly recap. You can always follow my daily adventures on Instagram @willbakeforshoes. Until next time!

Brandy| BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK |  INSTAGRAM |TUMBLR | TWITTER |