Tag Sale July 4-5th!

Want to play junker for the day? We thought we would share a special sale happening this weekend: Tag sale in Cambria! July 4-5th, starting at 9a, located at 440 Drake Street, Cambria. It's cash only, and more info and pictures will be available on Craigslist on July 3-4th.

It's going to be brimming with vintage treasures, here is a list of some of the items for sale:

• Sewing: wooden spools, thread, buttons, basket, pink thread carousel, advertising, charming embroidered linen w/children reading by fireplace
• French: frames/art, prints, oil painting, fishbowl stand
• Furniture: green chest of drawers, V. Glinsky sculptures, table/bookshelf/plate rack w/scalloped trim, wicker table, red mid century card table set, side tables, petite hutch, petite armoire/wardrobe closet w/ 5 drawers/shelf/pullout hanger/hooks/rack, stool
• Mid Century: oval bowl, red card table set
• Garden: pillar w/ mirror ball, plant markers, English chimney top
• Kitchen: Navy restaurantware (perfect for your cottage by the sea), jadeite/milk glass flour/sugar/spice containers, railroad/hotel silver
• Western: Navajo sand painting, 1926 framed horse photo, 40's child's chair, G. Autry boot
• Books: J. Child, V. Price, children, fishing
• English/French birdcages, picnic baskets, Julie Whitmore Pottery (30 little treasures), garden red/white striped storage bags, Victorian iron gate, marble plateau, large handblown glass buoys
• large handblown glass buoys, ephemera/string (cards, scrapbooks, tags, photos, sheet music), Hubley terrier bank, swimsuit/flags, Ulster fishing knife & gaff
• kimono, fabric/linens/Austrian lace, craftsman style doll cradle, robins egg blue/salmon blankets, hardware/salvage, SLO Chinatown roof tiles, mannequins
• & so much more!

Afterward, we suggest sharing your finds with each other over a tasty meal and exploring the day away in Cambria!

Hip, Hip, Hooray for Taylor Kitto

Over the years, we've enjoyed having certain people stroll across the threshold of being a loved customer into joining our Ruby Crew. Taylor Kitto is no exception-she came into the store with her mother one day, and right away we loved her. She has been a great help in launching our Etsy shop alongside her own Wild Poppy Goods store.

This week, for the third time (!!!), Design Sponge featured Taylor on their Day in the Life blog series. We are so proud to have a front row seat in her dreams becoming a reality, as she lets her imagination and creativity out for all the world to notice. Her beauty, talent and carefree lifestyle is glamorous and inspiring--and most of all, possible. The 9-5 is not for all of us, and Taylor's risk into a different way of 'making it' makes us want to take a few more minutes each day to think beyond our current and path, and do a little wandering. Three cheers for our girl Taylor Kitto: hip, hip, hooray!

The Weekly Six

Before we open our doors for the week, check out our top six picks. We are constantly updating our inventory, and we want to keep you in the loop of the new things coming in! So, without further adieu, we bring you:

1: Get back to your Country's roots with these fancy red moccasins. With all the essentials in one boot pair: tribal, American, & fringe, could it get any better?!

2: OooOOh, dream weaver, I believe you can get me through the night. Climb aboard the dream weaver train with this beautifully inspired wall hanging. And here again, we have all the essentials in one: tribal, American, & fringe!

3: Do plants die at the thought of going home with you? Have you flushed one too many goldfish down the toilet? Then this still life terrarium is just the thing for you! Moss that is alive, but doesn't need watering; forest creatures who are pets, but don't need feeding. Change the moss color to match the seasons or add trinket friends of your own--oh, the possibilities!

4: With our Nation's birthday right on our heels, show your spirit from your head to your toes: starting with these clogs! Get them quick soccer fans--or friends of soccer fans--to begin supporting the USA in their big World Cup game tomorrow at 9a. Then put them back on next Friday as the fireworks light up the night sky.

5: Grandpa-Grandma, his-and-hers, lace-and-tweed, rock-and-roll. Yes, these upholstered wonders double as rocking chairs! They are must have chairs for any bookworm, student, mother or snuggler. They're just too comfortable to pass up!

6: Take a moment, & close your eyes & begin to feel the warm summer sun on your face. Imagine yourself laying alongside a river: grass, winding oaks & weeping willows surround the bank, while you--in your flowy dress--spread out a picnic of garden grown ingredients and fancy cheeses with your friends. What's missing from this picture? A tasseled, parasol-like umbrella to shade your foodie feast! Now open your eyes: we have just the thing! The detail on this piece is unrivaled by any other umbrella, come see for yourself.

Way Out West: O,jai!

Welcome to long days and warmer nights, Summer is here! It's also time to stretch your wandering limbs and explore: in this blog series we will be highlighting the great things to see and do Way Out West (check out last week's!). You don't need to step far from our coast to discover great adventures-make it a day or a weekend, grab your sunhat and go...

Approximately 2.5 hours from San Luis Obispo a nook of a town sits perched between the coast and the hills. It is a place where time slows down and cacti's and palm trees stand out against a backdrop of endless hiking ranges. Turn East from Santa Barbara or Ventura, and wind your waaaaay back until   suddenly, you breathing slows and deepens, and your heart skips a beat--that how you'll know you're in Ojai.

A growing spot for LA locals to getaway, and a longstanding spiritual and spa retreat, Ojai is brimming with greatness. The bike path that runs throughout the entire the area is our preferred way of travel, making it much easier to stop at the roadside succulent sales and curbside tipis (we told you it was a magical place). The time warp in Ojai gives you a sense of leisure with time to spare, you could easily fit all these places in on a quick weekend away (we did!):

SHOPS
Modern Folk
Desert Images
Summer Camp
Bart's Books
Bookstore & Curiosities

SLEEP & SWIM
Ojai Rancho Inn: one of many endeavors by the Shelter Social Club, they outdid themselves again, as we are still drooling over this spot.



GOOD EATS
Ojai Farmer's Market:
The Farmer & the Cook
Papa Lennon's Pizzeria
Azu CA Tapas
Knead Baking Company
Tipple & Ramble

The Weekly Six

Before we open our doors today, check out our top six picks. We are constantly updating our inventory, and we want to keep you in the loop of the new things coming in! So, without further adieu, we bring you:

1: Bikes are for going! This 1978 road bike is ready to go with new tires, tune up, brake cable & pads. Summer begs you to join its long days and endless adventures with the wind in your hair as you pedal on into the sunset. The only rule: don't stop movin'!

2: We are dreaming of travels and far away places...lay your head down & dream of getting lost in tropical seas and sunny beaches. This felt-fringed pillowcase is sure to enhance wanderlust wherever it lays.

3: Out with the textbooks and in with the fun--time to craft! What can you make with a book full of vintage pages and hand drawn illustrations?

4: Come on ring my bell, ell, ell. Alert the neighbors that school's out & Summer calls, or call all your friends over for dinner, beach day or for no reason at all!

5: Going on vacation? Laying around the house? Headed to a BBQ? Having to work but wish you were going on vacation? Do it all with this sweet and gauzy embroidered dress.

6: Safety first! Now that school's out, stay sharp & take your pencil on the go to log your observations on birds, plants, & nature at summer camp and camping. And always remember: only you can prevent forest fires.

Proses & Poses Yoga Retreat

A dear local and regular to Ruby Rose is a talented lady with a passion for teaching: Leslie St. John. This Summer, she is hosting a yoga/writing retreat at a local retreat center, Sagrada Wellness. Sign up in the next 48 hours (that's til Friday at 9a), and get a free jar of Skinfood by Aloha Alchemy, a fellow slocal biz. Just mention RUBY ROSE at checkout. Below is the skinny on her, Prose & Poses, and the Retreat!

Prose & Poses Retreat at Sagrada Wellness in the Santa Margarita Mountains

"An Embodied Practice of Yoga and Writing to Open Creative Channels" 

MY INTENTION: At the end of the retreat, I hope participants feel more awake to their bodies and their creativity. I hope they feel strong. I hope they feel calm. Connected in body and mind. Uplifted by the beauty at Sagrada. I hope they feel alive to the power of words and inspired to continue their playful practices of yoga and writing.

WHEN: Fri-Sun, August 8-10

WHERE: Sagrada Wellness (It's such a beautiful retreat space. I took myself here for my 34th birthday and enjoyed the yoga, the time and space to write, the nature walks, the hot tub under the starts, and the lovely, nourishing organic meals!)

Enjoy yoga and writing? Join us for a unique yoga and creative retreat at Sagrada Wellness in the beautiful Central Coast of California. Led by poet/yogi Leslie St. John (MFA/300hrRYT), Prose and Poses will be hosted by Sagrada Wellness owners Scott and Eva. If you enjoy writing and have an interest in yoga, but find yourself short on time to practice both, this retreat is a lovely gift. All levels welcome.

Wake to the beauty of birdsong and mist rising off grapevines. Meditate, journal, or take in the pristine, natural countryside. After a light breakfast, we will practice yoga to stretch, energize, and awaken the body; pranayama to open channels for breath and energy flow, and meditation to sensitize the intuitive mind. The second half of class will focus on writing exercises to inspire ideas, clarify existing ones, and refine expression. This retreat is designed to give you time and space to write through lengthy post-lunch breaks. Evenings include organic meals lovingly prepared by Scott and Eva; blue-hour walks; hot-tub soaks; and quiet reflection under the stars.

SAMPLE RETREAT SCHEDULE:
Meditation / Morning Pages
Light Breakfast
Yoga (more active) and Writing
Lunch
Break (free writing time, hiking, resting, etc.)
Yoga (more restorative) and Writing
Dinner
Break (free writing/reading time, resting, hot-tubing!)

RATES (3day/2 night yoga retreats- priced are per person):
Communal bedroom shared bathroom - $525 + tax
Private bedroom shared bathroom - $695 sgl / $595 dbl + tax

POET/YOGI BIO:
An Arkansas native, Leslie St. John came to yoga through competitive figure skating and modern dance as a way to heal injuries and continue to explore the body’s range of performance and play. She immersed herself in this dynamic practice and studied to be a yoga teacher with Tias Little, whose methods synthesize the safety and stability of Iyengar with the strength and mobility of Ashtanga. She continues to deepen her practice and hone her teaching skills by studying with renowned yogi Noah Maze. Leslie's Vinyasa classes emphasize “right effort”— the balance between exertion and surrender.

Poetry is a source of inspiration and balance in her life. While earning an MFA in creative writing from Purdue, she served as poetry editor for the Sycamore Review and hosted Looseleaf community writing workshops. Author of Beauty Like a Rope, by Word Palace Press, she has published poems in various journals. She won the MacGuffin Prize, judged by Thomas Lux, was runner-up for the Florida Review prize, and nominated by Lisa Lewis and Ai for a Pushcart Prize. As a dancer and yogi, she is interested in intersections between body, movement, and poetry. In addition to Prose and Poses, other current projects include: “Sun and Moon Flow: Yoga to Support Women with their Cycle.” co-taught with Alycia Kylie and “Two Voices,” a Poetry tour with Lauren Henley, and “Unveiling Self,” an anthology of student memoir essays. She teaches Composition, Romanticism, and Poetry at Cal Poly and Sweet Vinyasa at Smiling Dog Yoga in San Luis Obispo, CA.

Personal Reflections on Yoga & Writing…
Yoga and writing are my two greatest passions. At 22, after many years of struggling with an eating disorder, yoga returned me to a loving relationship with my body; what was once my antagonist is now my ally. From a young age, writing poems and taping them to the back of my father’s office door, into adulthood, writing has been my primary method of inner knowing and outward expression. In my thirties, I prayed to synthesize seemingly disparate aspects of my life—yogi/teacher/writer—and imagined a practice both spiritually fulfilling and deeply creative; thus, Prose and Poses was born. From doing my personal practice of yoga and writing in my dining room/converted yoga sanctuary, to sharing this gift in yoga studios and retreat centers on the Central Coast, Prose and Poses continues to emerge as a rich, delightfully satisfying experience.

Way Out West: A Day in Portland

Welcome to long days and warmer nights, Summer is here! It's also time to stretch your wandering limbs and explore: in this blog series we will be highlighting the great things to see and do Way Out West (check out last week's!). You don't need to step far from our coast to discover great adventures-make it a day or a weekend, grab your sunhat and go...

Only a day after touching back down from my trip to Portland, and I am already thinking of places to return to and making a list of places I want to see for next time. Each neighborhood (each street even!) is practically a city in itself, it's impossible to see it all the first time around!  Portland's public transport toggles between the MAX train and streetcars, enabling you to reach just about any stretch of the city. From there, certain low to no traffic streets are designated bike routes (like our Marsh St in SLO)!

After reflecting on the many sights I saw and spaces I entered, if I could spend one day back in Portland with only my walking shoes on or pair of pedals, I would head straight to the Northeast side. This area carried a beauty for me in its wildflower front yards, porches on almost every home, and food still lingering on my tastebuds.

MISSISSIPPI DISTRICT
Tasty & Sons. Don't miss a day of brunching in the city, starting here. Water Avenue coffee, a complete Bloody Mary menu, potatoes bravas with over easy eggs & aioli, Auntie Paula's french toast with strawberry rhubarb maple & whipped cream, Burmese red pork stew with short grain rice & eggs two ways.

Radar. Tasty lazy sours, deviled eggs three ways, and roasted radishes with brown butter & sea salt

Paxton Gate. I had to drag myself out of this store, only after discovering the mother store is driving distance from SLO, in San Fran.

Spin Laundry Lounge. I wish I had had some dirty socks with me to my wash when I strolled by this gem.

Rebuilding Center. Doors on doors on doors.

Worn Path. Refurbished axes to Forest park maps to Poler Camp gear, all things hip and manly.

Manifesto Shoes.

Lark Press.

Pistils Nursery. They wanted a unique garden shop, and successfully, I've never seen anything like it.

Animal Traffic. A mix of new and old Americana goods. I needed to bring a second suitcase.

Half Pint Vintage. Heaps of vintage of leather!

Lodekka. A double decker bus turned dress shop: yes please.

Back Talk. New and olds, with a fashion designer sharing the space as her studio.

Queen Bee Creations. Like an open kitchen restaurant, the front space is their retail and the back opens up to their workspace full of bolts of cloth and sewing machines.
Flutter. "A beautiful disarray of found objects and clutter"--well said.

TABOR DISTRICT
Mt Tabor. Bike to the top on the path or climb over 256 steps (we counted) to the hilltop park overlooking parts of Portland.

Seven Virtues. Cappuccinos and macchiatos all day long.

Tannery Bar. Old habits cocktail, corn nuts, fried cauliflower & namesake fries with garlic chili aioli

Country Cat. Here's brunch again: Bloody Mary with jerky, Two fried eggs on a biscuit dressed with sausage gravy &served with home fries, Cast iron skillet fried chicken & toasted pecan-bacon spoonbread dressed in maple syrup. 

The Maven. Vintage and new items to drool over.

 

EATS ALL OVER

Salt & Straw. Ice cream extraordinaires: chocolate chip mint julep, coffee and bourbon, honey balsamic strawberry with cracked pepper, chocolate with gooey brownies, and honey lavender. Yum.

Stumptown Coffee Roasters.

Water Avenue Coffee.

Blue Star Donuts. Donut connoisseurs.

Been to Portland? What spots did you swoon over?

xoxo,
Betsi