Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Sono-ma Soiree!

Wow, I'll begin with that because that was my feeling the entire time I was at the Sono-ma Soiree, last Thursday, in Sebastopol. It was amazing, and I had such a great time!

First, lets start with the location, hosted at the Monica Ashley Design studio, which is also her home. An amazing home it is, she's even closer to downtown Sebastopol then I am! Her decor is whimsical and made me feel like I was at the beach! In the back room of her house was all her felted artwork! It was becautiful, she has classes, for really fair prices that include the materials!  I really loved her nativity scene, and she had a doll that looked like it would make a great gift for a little one! 

Next I tried one of the cupcakes from Bliss Bakery, at first I was a little confused. I guess mostly because the cupcake hardly tasted gluten-free! It was amazing, a moist dense chocolate cake, covered in a creamy frosting and then stuck in the center a chunk of chocolate that melted in my mouth. I am amazed at the quality of the food. Since I always try to bring something when I go to someone's house, I'm glad that I was introduced to Bliss Bakery because you never know when someone is going to be intolerant or sensitive to Gluten these days! And to think I was just starting to feel bad for my friend because we found out he was Gluten intolerant, he's Italian and from CT just like me, and we are always talking about the yummy food back home. I'm glad that I can surprise him with some yummy baked goods that he can eat now!

Alright now folks, the next thing that I tried might have been the most delicious chocolate I've ever tasted in my life. Peter's Chocolate is 72% cacao, as a dark chocolate lover these are pretty much the best truffles I've ever eaten in my life. The thin layer of chocolate crunched into a truffle made with organic clover cream and pure vanilla. Second I tried the caramel truffle with Himalayan salt.... whoa, the chocolate and caramel are together in the center so its not like a chewy caramel in the middle of chocolate which I adored because it didn't stick in my teeth. I really enjoyed eating the chocolates while  Doug told me about them, We had a great discussion about his ingredients. If you are someone who doesn't really like dark chocolate, you should absolutely try his chocolates, they aren't bitter like some dark chocolates can me. I bought some truffles for the babysitter and some for a friend, but I just couldn't' give them up. I ended up eating the whole package by two days later. I somehow convinced myself that they were good for me and that I needed to eat them.

Also there was the Hot Shot Photo Booth, I have to be honest I didn't' get into it. But I wish I had! It looked like so much fun, I would love to get one of these for my next party! Photo booths are so much fun and at a party its a great way for all of your friends to get pictures together! I was feeling a little shy at this particular party, as usual, but all of the ladies were so welcoming to me and nice that I really look forward to getting to know them and doing more 'mommy' activities with them!

Another fun activity that I got into at the party was the Henna Tattoos by In Harmony Goddess Traditions, I have always loved henna, a friend of mine did it for a long time. I got a intricate and lovely henna tattoo on my hand. My daughter instantly loved it as soon as I got home, I only wish that it could have lasted longer! But I suppose thats the appeal. I love getting henna because it feels great! I love the feeling of the paste on my skin and I love how it feels when it dries! I also use henna on my hair as a natural dye (they sell it at whole foods and most beauty stores)  In Harmony Goddess Traditions does lots of parties, including mother blessings! Check out her website for the list of parties and more info, I'm just looking for an opportunity! It made the party feel like a sleepover party with girlfriends!

I loved seeing all the professional pictures byMariah Smith, they were beautiful, I've never had it in my budget to get professional pictures taken but I'm always so envious of the people in those pictures. But Mariah has some affordable packages that I think I might be able to fit in soon! I'm  a little nervous that I may not look as lovely as the ladies in her pictures but I really just want Annabella to have some great pictures of her and her mama!

I was introduced to Flavorstich while I was there. This is a blog  that I can relate to..... food, good food. These lucky ladies even went to the San Francisco Food Blog Conference! Wow! They gave us some great loose-leaf tea in our swag bags (yep swag bags) Its a great blend that I have been drinking at night because I find it very relaxing. Any of my food blogger fans should check out their blog

We also got samples of EO products hand sanitizer! (Great for my purse/diaper bag) I love the EO products they are a local company with organic products, I love all their lavender products, I put it on before I put Annabella to sleep and I think that it helps a lot to relax her before bed. Check out their site, the are offering free shipping on orders over $75 for the holidays!

Of course; I can't talk about the Sono-ma Soiree without talking about Sono-ma  herself! What a lovely lady she is! She was so friendly and made me feel right at home at the party. We had a few great chats. If you haven't heard of Sono-ma before she has a great site with lots of happenings for Sonoma as well as helping us find healthy concisous solutions! I love that there is such a community out here that thinks like myself! I love that on the side of her site I can find local things to do with my daugther. I don't know many people in this area but with the help of her site, I have been able to get Annabella out with other kids her age!

I would like to extend a big thank you to Sono-ma and all the other vendors at the party, I had such a lovely time, and I can't wait for the next one!



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