Happy July! It’s hard to believe another month is here – how do they go by so quickly? I flew in this afternoon from my road-trip through Oregon. I went into this trip thinking I would spend a few hours every day writing getaway posts about the places we visited. But when we arrived in the first town I thought to myself – it’s summer, take a break. That is exactly what I did for a week! I have to admit I opened my computer once to check on a few things, but other than that it was hands off. Sometimes I think it’s important to get away and take things in for yourself. Here are a few things I picked up along my trip – new indigo pillowcases and bracelet from Alder & Co, a vintage copy of I Married Adventure from Prize in Ashland, and tea from Steven Smith tea maker in Portland. I’ll be easing back into the work week luckily with a little break mid-week to celebrate fourth of July with friends. Also, since google reader has retired, make sure to continue to follow Sacramento Street on Feedly (which can import your Google Reader) and Bloglovin. I hope all of you have a wonderful week! Photo by Caitlin Flemming #lifestyle

Last week, I decided to host a last minute surprise birthday party for my mom. I have to admit I’m not a baker – Eric has always been the baker in our family but with him off at work I turned to Grant to come up with something special. I mean you can’t have a birthday dinner without cake! Without knowing what he was going to bake he arrived at the door with a beautiful Carrot cake. As we sang happy birthday to my mom and began eating the cake Grant asked how we liked it – I proclaimed I was having a second piece. He then tells all of us that it’s gluten free – say what! Gluten Free Carrot Cake Ingredients 1 ½ cups sugar 4 eggs 1 ½ cup vegetable oil or a light olive oil 2 cups gluten free flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons cinnamon 2 tablespoons bourbon 4 cups of grated carrots 1 teaspoon sea salt 2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup of toasted chopped pecans or walnuts Frosting Ingredients: 1 teaspoon lemon zest 8 ounces of reduced fat cream cheese 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 8 tablespoons of butter 2 cups of powdered sugar Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees or 176C 2. Use two round 9- inch cake pans (I like the non-stick pans).  Spray cooking spray or butter pans. You could also make cupcakes with this recipe – this recipe will make around 32 cupcakes. 3. Place sugar and eggs in a large bowl and beat with hand mixer or stand mixer.  Add in oil and vanilla.  Beat until smooth. 4. In a separate bowl mix the GF flour and baking soda and powder and salt.  Add this dry mixture to the wet and beat until blended. 5. Stir in the grated carrots and nuts.  Divide batter into cake pans. 6. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes or until  toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.  (If making cupcakes make for 30 mins) 7. While cakes or cupcakes are cooling, place butter, cream cheese and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and beat with hand mixer or stand mixer until smooth.  Add in powdered sugar and lemon zest until smooth and creamy. 8. Frost when cake is cool. Recipe & Food Prep by Grant Gibson / Photography & Styling by Claire Giffen #entertaining #cooking

Happy Monday everyone! It was a wonderful weekend being back in Portland visiting some of my favorite shops, eating at restaurants I’ve been missing and seeing family and friends. It’s been amazing to see how much a city has grown – I haven’t been back to Portland in over a year, which is entirely way too long. One of my all time favorite shops to get inspired by is Alder & Co.(above photo). The new space is twice the size and filled with beautiful treasures. Now for some exciting news – we have a winner of the Brooklyn Cruiser Bike giveaway. The lucky winner is Shawn Burke!! Congrats!! I’ll be emailing you shortly with more information. I hope all of you have a wonderful week ahead! Photo by Caitlin Flemming (on iPhone) #lifestyle

Are you on the hunt for a go-to side or salad for lunch? This recipe from Susan of Peas and Love is the perfect summer salad to bring into the office or to a picnic in the park. The combination of mint and parsley with the lentils is incredibly refreshing. Herby Lentil Salad Ingredients 1 cup Green Lentils 1 cup Water 1 cup Vegetable Stock 1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar 3 Tbsp Olive oil Juice of 1/2 a Lime 1 Tbsp chopped Cilantro 2 Tbsp chopped Parsley 1 Tbsp chopped Mint 2 Carrots, diced 1/2 Red Pepper, diced Directions 1. Cook lentils in water and stock, and bring to a boil. 2. Turn down to a simmer and cook until tender all the way through (adding more water if necessary), about 30 minutes. 3. Toss the lentils with the vinegar, salt and black pepper. Let sit for 5 minutes. 4. Taste and add more salt and vinegar if needed. Add the oil, herbs, carrots, lime juice and red pepper. Stir to combine. 5. Keep cooking until lentils are cooked to softness. 6. Garnish with 1/2 cup crumbled goat or feta cheese. Recipe & Food Prep by Susan Whang / Photography & Styling by Caitlin Flemming #entertaining #cooking

This Monday morning was a little harder to get back in the groove – we jetted off to Napa for a stunning wedding at Durham Ranch. You can check out the pictures I shared on instagram. Love was definitely in the air that night and it was a pleasure seeing Crystal and Andrew’s love for each other – it was truly magical. Sunday I decided I needed to get a bit more active and went to my first ever Soulcycle class . . . it was motivating, energizing and so so hard. Today I can barely move my arms but that means it’s working, right? This week I’m inspired by the new issue of Elle Decoration, a few books I have on my bookshelves, the last peony from our Blooms in Season post and a candle by Aerin that has been making our house smell amazing. I hope all of you have a productive work week ahead! Photo by Caitlin Flemming #lifestyle

There’s something very special about peonies – they are beautiful, colorful and most girls favorite flowers. With such a short season every year that can never really be determined in advance (sometimes they bloom early or late) everyone flocks to them when they are in abundance. Right now, they are everywhere – twitter, instagram, and Trader Joes (you have to love the $6.99 price tag). Over the past few weeks I’ve picked up several bunches myself. What I realized is I know nothing about the different varieties of peonies. I thought there were maybe two or three but little did I know there are five! I enlisted Natalie from Natalie Bowen Designs to put together two arrangements – one with one variety and the second with all five. Both are stunning! Read on to learn more about your favorite flower. How many varieties of peonies are there? There are hundreds of varieties of peonies that are grown. In the height of the season there are about twenty different varieties available at one time at the Flower Market. Why are peonies in season May – June so much better if we can get them the rest of the year? Their season is from the beginning of May until the very beginning of June. This season went by really fast. We are nearing the end of the season in a week or so. Where are these varieties from? The varieties here are from Oregon. We get some peonies from California but the Oregon grower really has the best this time of year. During other times of year imports come from Israel, New Zealand and Chile. Shipping from so far away adds to their cost when they are out of season. When you buy peonies and they are closed, how long does it take them to open? It depends on their variety and some open faster than others. When they are in their first stage as a small ball, feel them to see how hard they are. If they feel like a walnut then they will take about four days to open. If they are softer, then they will open in a day or two. Is there a trick to opening them up fast? Other than patience? Warm water, indirect sunlight, fresh water every day and a sharp cut at an angle all help them open faster. If peonies aren’t in season, is there an alternative people should use? In the Summer I suggest garden roses and dahlias and in the Spring I suggest ranunculus. But, there really is not a substitute. That is what makes them so special! Do you have a soft spot for peonies? I adore peonies. They have become one of my favorite flowers and I actually chose my wedding date according to when we would get the best peonies that year. I love them because they are so pretty as just one stem own or in a mass. Check back next month for another fabulous flower post! Flowers by Natalie Bowen Designs // Photos by Caitlin Flemming #lifestyle

As hot summer days approach across most of the country Susan of Peas and Love and I wanted to create a refreshing salad you can make for lunch or bring to a picnic in the park. I’m eating so much watermelon lately – juice, salad, and even on its own with a little lime. Susan jumped at the chance to share her Minty Watermelon salad with all of you – the combination of mint and cilantro is delicious – I love cilantro in anything. I hope this salad makes an appearance at one of you barbecues in the near future. Minty Watermelon Salad Ingredients 3 cups Watermelon, cubed 1 Tbsp Parsley, chopped 1 Tbsp Cilantro, chopped 1 Tbsp Mint, chopped 1-1/2 Tbsp Crumbly White Cheese (I used Sheep Feta) 1/2 tsp Chili Powder Juice of 1 small Lime Sprinkles of Salt Directions 1. In a bowl, combine Watermelon, chopped herbs and cheese together. 2. In a small separate bowl, mix lime juice, chili powder and salt together. 3. Pour dressing over the mix of melon and herbs. Toss lightly, serve and enjoy! Recipe & Food Prep by Susan Whang / Photography & Styling by Caitlin Flemming #entertaining #cooking

Where do I even begin? Charleston had been on my list of places to visit for quite some time. When I received an invitation to go back to High Point Market in April I knew this was my chance to take a road trip down to South Carolina. My travel companion Grant and I rented a car and took to the southern highways – there may have been a stop at Bojangles and Sonic. As we drove into Charleston I knew we had made the right decision to take a few extra days off to enjoy this beautiful city. First and foremost, we stayed at a small boutique hotel – the Zero George that was charming, beautifully decorated and the beds were so comfy I didn’t want to get out of bed in the morning. We made friends with other hotel guests over complimentary breakfast and wine in the evening – they were from San Francisco and live a few blocks from our neighborhood (small world!). The Zero George is located right in the middle of town so it’s easy to walk to everything – shops restaurants and Church Street. Now, onto the food . . . I don’t even know where to begin! I left Charleston saying it’s some of the best food I’ve ever had. I know that’s a big statement since I live in SF. but it was delicious! I have to be honest, Grant and I had done tons of restaurant research before we left and booked dinners, but the first night in Charleston we went to Fig (amazing) and sat at the bar. We just so happened to sit next to two general managers of The Ordinary. After chatting them up about what to do in the city they gave us a detailed food plan for the rest of our trip. I think without that we wouldn’t have had the same experience. Here is where they suggested: – Two Boroughs Larder (for lunch) – The Ordinary (for dinner) the oyster sliders are a MUST! This is hands down one of the best places I’ve eaten! – Xiao Bao Biscuit (for lunch) order one of everything but definitely get the Okonomiyaki and Mapo Dofou. – Fig (for dinner) – The Peninsula Grill for the coconut cake. This entire list has me hungry! I’m already planning another trip to Charleston for next April – I can’t wait to go back and discover more charming places to see and eat. I highly recommend adding this to your list of places to travel in the near future! Photos by Caitlin Flemming #travel

This weekend was delightful. I escaped the cold misty fog for warmer temperatures in Marin to have lunch with a girlfriend, spent an afternoon at Lowe’s cutting shelving for a few of our closets, put together more furniture and then spent Sunday at home doing just about nothing with Eric finally home. I had full intention of working on organizing my office but when it came down to it I decided that taking the weekend off was more important. So this week, I’ll be working away on the boxes. Spending time in our new home was such a treat. I played around with my Parsons bookcase styling all of our treasures. This week this stack of blue books given to me by my aunt and cousin for my birthday has me completely inspired! I love the different hues of blue they found. I hope all of you have a productive week ahead. There are some fun posts coming your way this week and don’t forget to check out the Brooklyn Cruiser bike giveaway and the jcpenney $5,000 sweepstakes over on Pinterest! Photo by Caitlin Flemming #lifestyle

As most of you know, I recently moved into a new abode. As I’ve been thinking about how to decorate my space, I’m finding myself attracted to jcpenney and their new designer collaborations for their home department. In particular, I’ve gravitated towards two new jcpenney designers – Design by Conran and Michael Graves Design. I love the spirit behind Sir Terrance Conran. He believes in designing items that make people happy to come home to and thus, improving the quality of their lives. Michael Graves wants people to be empowered by the pieces he makes. Simple, good design can make all the difference in anyone’s life. Most importantly, it doesn’t have to break the bank. Now that you’ve had a chance to see how I styled my favorite items from these new collections be sure to pop over to Pinterest to take a look at what I’ve been pinning to my Say Hello To Your Dream Room board. Now, are you ready to make your dream room a reality? Enter the jcpenney “Say Hello to My Dream Room” Pinterest contest for a chance to win a $5,000 dream room makeover. In addition, one $100 gift card winner will be drawn every day! (see rules) For more on the new shops at jcpenney’s follow @jcpenney and #jcpHome on twitter and instagram to see more of their new items styled throughout more dream rooms. Original photography for Sacramento Street by Claire Giffen / Styling by Caitlin Flemming This post is brought to you by jcpenney. Visit www.jcpenney.com to see more items from the jcpenney home department. Thanks for supporting posts that keep Sacramento Street doors open. #lifestyle