For my birthday this year, I decided to pay a visit to one of my favorite places: Santa Barbara, CA. For years, I’ve been driving to Santa Barbara to visit one of my childhood friends, Paige. From drinking matcha lattes at Caje to paddle boarding along the coastline, I have such fond memories of my time in Santa Barbara.

To make the most out of my bday staycation, I planned a full itinerary filled with activities to do with Paige and my other childhood friend, Riana, who, up until this past weekend, has never been to Santa Barbara.

Day 1: DIY Focaccia Bread

I arrived in Santa Barbara in the late afternoon on Friday. Traffic was pretty awful and I had stayed up far too late trying to decide what I wanted to wear for the weekend. By the time I finally met up with Paige, it was around 3pm so we didn’t have much time to do anything else that afternoon. Nevertheless, I had planned on us decorating focaccia bread dough that I had prepared the night before. If you’ve been reading my blog then you know that during quarantine, I discovered a new passion for baking. Though I have experience baking cooking and pies in the past, focaccia bread is the first thing that I’ve made that I genuinely enjoy eating as much as I enjoy baking.

For the rest of the day, we decorated our focaccia bread and ended up eating it for an early dinner. Since it’s been so long since I’ve been able to see Paige in person, we spent the rest of the evening catching up.

See my original focaccia bread blog post here. For my favorite focaccia bread recipe, click here.

Day 2: Inspiration Point Hike, Paddle Boarding, & the Santa Barbara Courthouse

On Saturday, we decided to get an early start in order to hike up Inspiration Point before it got too crowded. It was also my birthday and one of my favorite things about the morning of my birthday is waking up to festive messages from friends and family. Though I wanted to avoid being on my phone too much during the hike, I was so happy to receive some lovely messages.

I’ve hiked Inspiration Point once before. It’s a beautiful hike and not too challenging. On a cool, Spring morning, it’s the perfect way to start the day and the view at the top is absolutely ‘inspiring’.

My friends featured here: Paige is on the left, Riana on the right. I’ve known both of these amazing women almost my whole life and I’m so thrilled they were able to join me last weekend.

After the hike, we had some time to kill before our paddle boarding reservation, so we decided to walk around State Street. We visited this cute little plant shop called, Idyll Mercantile, where my friends picked out some new plants to bring home. I absolutely love plant shops and nurseries, but most of the time I just look since I already have four plants that I’m keeping alive. If I could get another plant, I’d love to have a Monstera Deliciosa or really anything with large, happy-looking leaves.

On our way back to change into bikinis for paddle boarding, we took these pictures in front of the Santa Barbara courthouse, which was also the venue for Paige’s wedding last February. I can’t believe it’s already been a year since the wedding and yet in so many ways, it feels like it was just yesterday. (Peep the new house plants in our selfie.)

For renting paddle boards, I went through the Santa Barbara Sailing Center. One hour rentals were pretty affordable per hour and I was able to book in advance. By the time we hit the water, it was pretty windy and therefore a bit harder than usual to steer, but it was still a fun time and I love the view of the mountain range from the water.

Since my friends know how much I loved getting dressed up and taking pictures, the three of us donned some cute outfits and took some pictures in front of the Santa Barbara Courthouse during golden hour. The Santa Barbara Courthouse is a truly transportive place. From the iconic red tile roofs to the canopy of palm trees, the courthouse evokes so much romance and joy.

For my first bday outfit, I decided to wear a tiered skirt I bought at the For Love & Lemons Sample sale in Larchmont Village and paired it with a halter top I up-cycled from a vintage pair of linen shorts. The bag was thrifted from Crossroads and the white kitten heels I’ve had for years are from Nordstrom Rack. By now, my friends know me as the girl who loves to wear white. To me, it’s such a timeless and chic color plus, neutral colors like white goes with everything.

For my second bday outfit, I chose to wear a red maxi dress by Lovestitch. I recently thrifted this dress from Crossroads not really knowing when or where I’d want to wear it, but as it turns out, the dress was perfect for an evening in SB. These next two photos were taken on Paige’s fancy camera, the Canon Rebel T6. I love how rich the colors look in these photos which only make me want to invest in getting my hands on a real camera instead of simply using my iPhone for all my photos. Maybe that will be my next big purchase ;)

The rest of the evening was spent eating dinner at a tasty Mexican restaurant on State Street and simply sharing the latest stories about our lives. It was a great way to end a very eventful birthday. My heart was truly full.

Day 3: Caje Coffee Shop, Brunch at Lilac Pâtisserie, and DIY Raffia Mirrors

For my last few hours in Santa Barbara, we visited the new Caje location on State Street. One of my favorite things are aesthetically pleasing foods or drinks. Recently, I started making my own matcha lattes at home with a hand-held milk frothier, but I have yet to learn how to create latte art. At Caje, they serve the most decant drinks with amazing presentation. On top of that, the cute whicker chairs and indoor/outdoor vibe give this little coffee shop the best ambiance. Between the three of us, we ordered the Sugarwood, Bella Rosa, and Caje Thai. All three drinks were very Instagram-worthy and extra tasty!

After Caje, we went to Lilac Pâtisserie for brunch. I wish I would have taken more pictures of this place because everything about it is so charming. From the pale green chairs that sit out-front to the assortment of French pastries sitting behind the glass, this restaurant reminds me so much of Ladurée only here, everything in gluten free. None of us are on gluten free diets, but we simply wanted to eat here because everything looked so delicious— and it was!

After brunch, we made a quick shopping stop at La Arcada to do some local shopping. I picked out a dainty necklace for Mother’s Day coming up at one of the quaint boutiques. This courtyard reminds me so much of my vacation in Europe and I hope to go back soon once it’s safe to do so.

Back at Paige’s place, we did some arts and crafts. Paige and I first met at Summer Camp where we had the opportunity to take specialized art classes like ceramics and stained glass. Still to this day, we love to be crafty together. For this project, we decided to do DIY raffia mirrors. Overall, the process doesn’t take too long but if you decide to do other techniques like weaving or creating free-sanding shapes, you could spend hours creating your mirror frame. The process of weaving my raffia has inspired me to try to make a basket. I do love the look of woven bags and household baskets, so maybe one day I’ll try to make some of my own.

Our finished mirrors! I’m so happy with how they turned out and I’m excited to see what else I can make out of raffia by hand.

Lastly, I picked these poppies and wildflowers as we were walking through the neighborhood. This is why I love Spring, because everything is vibrant and so alive with color. Also, I realize I’m biased because I was born in the Spring.

Overall, my little staycation was such an adventure and it was filled with all of my favorite things: cute coffee shops, paddle boarding, hiking, crafting, and lovely conversations with friends. I feel so lucky to have such loving people in my life. To me, my birthday is all about spending time with good friends who have been by my side through life’s ups and downs. I’ve always believed that life can be beautiful through love, friendship, and creativity. This is what I carry with me onto another year of life and I hope for many more good things to come.

xx

Ella Kol