San Francisco Bay in teal by Crafterall The ocean and some of its inhabitants have been making quite an appearance on the blog lately, hasn’t it? Ever since I started planning my daughter’s ocean-themed birthday party, I’ve been kind of obsessed with various shades of greens and blues, the kind that can only be purely produced by the ocean. Mixed media fiber art by Saruyi (photo by Joseph Webb) I can’t stop marveling at the astounding work of Saruyi, an artist who has relocated from Japan to Australia to Romania and now Portland, Oregon says she’s been artist for as long as she can recall. Saruyi’s art installation Urban Aquarium, which began in the Spring of 2009, is an ongoing project that “explores the concept of being ‘out of context’ and ‘displaced’ by recreating a jellyfish aquarium in places where you least expect” throughout the city of Portland. Portlanders, if you have a suggestion for where the Urban Aquarium should sprout up, you can let her know via email on her contact page of her website.

I bet you won’t be able to stop marveling at these beauties now that you’ve seen them! Fresh fruit with fromage blanc and spice honey by Gourmande in the Kitchen My favorite fruit as of late has been peaches. They have the perfect blend of sweetness and tartness and add a bit of awesome to foods I would regularly eat without peaches: bread, pancakes, pie — mostly breads, I suppose. Here’s a smattering of mouthwatering peach recipes worth trying or at least feasting your eyes on: Photo by Elizabeth Messina for Mag Rouge I love thumbing through new issues of Mag Rouge. Their latest issue — the Harvest Issue — is teeming with inspiration from cover to cover. Have a peek at what I’m loving the most from this issue: How cute are those teensy orage trees as centerpieces? Be sure to check out the rest of the magnificent online publication. Birds by Roxanne Daner I’ve been meaning to share the amazing talents of Roxanne Daner for quite some time.

She has the name of what sounds like a rock star and hails from Los Angeles, CA (not too far from my stomping grounds!) working as the design director for Ludlow Kingsley, a design firm widely recognized for its ability to create some of the most sophisticated and sleek websites on the internet.Cordless Roman Shade Gray I first caught sight of Roxanne’s work via dribbble and fell in love with her textured, retro style. Discount Tires Palm DesertI believe it was this shot that struck me with awe. Roma Vinyl Tile Here’s a sampling of other works by the lovely miss: White, 100 percent cotton T-shirt Baking pan (or glass or plastic container) Binder clips (or rubber bands) Isopropyl rubbing alcohol (91 percent) Iron or clothes drier

Wash and dry T-shirt. Insert a piece of cardboard into T-shirt to prevent ink from bleeding through to other side. Using desired marker colors, make a preliminary design on T-shirt. (Note: For a flower pattern, make a large dot of ink in one color, then surround in many smaller dots of a complementary color.) Remove cardboard and stretch T-shirt over a baking pan, securing with binder clips. Be sure shirt is taut enough that it is not touching the bottom of the pan. (Tip: Individual sections of shirt can also be stretched over the mouth of a glass or plastic container and secured in place with a rubber band.) Using an eyedropper, slowly drip desired number of drops of rubbing alcohol into center of ink design. The more drops of alcohol used, the further the ink will spread and the larger the design will be. 
(Note: Avoid flooding design with alcohol all at once.) Once desired design is achieved, let T-shirt dry completely. Set color into shirt by applying a hot iron for 5 minutes or placing shirt in clothes drier on high for 15 minutes.

(Tip: Be sure your iron is on the highest heat possible when setting the ink. Wash shirts separately on the delicate cycle and in cold water.)Although it doesn’t have the theme parks and palm-tree-lined beaches that make Southern California such a draw for family vacationers, there are plenty of reasons to plan a trip to the San Francisco Bay Area—from iconic landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge in bustling and eclectic San Francisco to oceanfront roller coasters at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. But a family trip to the area wouldn’t be complete without exploring some of its many alluring science destinations. As a hotbed for marine research, all things tech, nature and wildlife adventuring, and more, the region offers plenty of chances to sneak some learning (disguised as fun) into the next family vacation. Take note of these ideas when planning your trip.1. You really can’t go wrong with a visit to The California Academy of Sciences, where a pass gains visitors entry to a plethora of interesting features, including a planetarium, natural history museum, aquarium, rain forest, and myriad exhibits (the current featured exhibit is called “Skulls”).

Plus, there are 40,000 live animals on hand, and the entire place is capped off with a must-see living roof.2. Nestled on the cliffs above the rich marine habitat of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium brings the mysteries of the sea into the spotlight. Peek into life in the kelp forest, let yourself be mesmerized by the undulating beauty of jellyfish, and watch the playful sea otters enjoy feeding time.3. Families with aspiring astronauts will find plenty of inspiration at The NASA Ames Exploration Center, near San Jose. Go for a spin in the shuttle cockpit simulator, view models of past space crafts, learn all about the moon, and much more.4. Future innovators can dabble in the tech world with the many hands-on workshops and exhibits at The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose. An eight-story IMAX theater, virtual-reality features, and a behind-the-scenes look at important tech advances await.5. The Exploratorium, in San Francisco, is “more than a museum—it’s a 21st-century learning laboratory,” according to its website.