Tina and I have been in the process of launching our Marche´on bluebloodliving.com for several months now. Happily it will be live in just the next day or so and we cannot wait.

The concept was too offer a variety of new & exciting products from other companies around the world which we curated from years of being in this business. Both of us love beautiful and unique items whether they be  for the home or ourselves. Finding a special gift- the perfect one- is a great feeling and we both love giving them perhaps even more than receiving them. Well, most of the time!

The store MARCH, located at 3075 Sacramento Street in San Francisco, www.marchsf.com, has to be one of the most stunning shops i’ve visited in a long time. The gorgeous light filled space has very high ceilings, beautiful floors, subway tiles throughout and a gorgeous courtyard which leads you to another portion of the shop in a back studio. Think Barefoot Contessa’s Hampton’s home with some urban flair. They stock everything from rustic/modern bowls and dishes to some of the best looking glass wear which is so heavy it could double as a weapon ( if you were to encounter a late night intruder). They also carry some chic totes, design beautiful quilts and enormous round ceramic chandeliers that I cannot wait to put in my own home someday. These are also available in a variety of sizes.

MARCH is also know for their “pantry” products: from jams to compotes, sauces to spices. Packaged beautifully, they not only taste delicious, but look great on your kitchen shelves!

The price points here are very expensive but MARCH’s space, concept and merchandising is top notch and right up our alley. We hope to bring you a virtual shopping experience along with great ideas that will get your creative juices flowing right along side ours!

This was a great mother’s day weekend for me. I am now seven months pregnant and have been pretty restricted throughout my pregnancy. So I could not have been more thrilled to have one last getaway weekend in the wine country this weekend with the husband and some good friends! First stop was a favorite of ours, Carneros Inn, for a quick take out nibble and a little quiet time before heading onto the rest of the days festivities.

I ordered my usual favorite stuffed peppers, some fresh fruit and helped Erick with his panini sandwich. The woman who runs the “Market” which is the casual spot to grab fast yet delicious prepared foods, wines and other gifts, always remembers us because of sweet Gretel. Our last visit was last August for our first wedding anniversary where we spent a really special weekend together- just us and the “mama”.

Next we headed to the main event, “Bottle Rock”-Napa’s outdoor music festival that featured an awesome lineup of artists from: The Black Keys to Jane’s Addiction, The Shins and Kings of Leon, just to name a few. Spread out over about two acres right outside of Napa, the festival did a great job handling the large crowds. Given that is is the wine country, there was of course great food and wine everywhere. Those who read my blog posts must think I’m a real pig these days! Anyway, as soon as I found out there was a Gott’s ( formerly known as Taylor’s Refresher ) I had to get myself a tasty cheese burger and shake. I was smart to get it at 4:30pm,  because by dinner time the line, not surprisingly,  had quadrupled in length.There’s our good friend, Ted who seemed enamored by Hi-Five guy. Seriously he is still talking about this photo! Needless to say there was some great people watching, a lot of drunks, the token hula hooping hippie (there’s at least one at every music festival) and an all around good time. We stayed all day/night before calling it at around 1030pm and heading to our hotel- The Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa. I haven’t been there for thirteen years, but always remembered the beautiful old Mission style main building with it’s huge beams and stone fireplace I could stand in. However the best thing about the hotel is by far the spa. The next day, we relaxed around the beautiful spa pool, while Katharine enjoyed the “bathing ritual” including a scrub, fresh water plunge and steam. We soaked in every bit of  sun before heading back to San Francisco’s dreaded fog. Damn you Karl the Fog!