Stay Social!

Stay connected with us to follow along on our adventures!

Bloglovin

Instagram

& Facebook

Pinterest New Feature Launch Party

Last night we attended the launch of Pinterest's new Guided Search feature at the Pinterest Headquarters. The theme was appropriately 'Choose Your Own Adventure'.

When you signed in you were asked to choose from one of five main interests: Travel, Design, Gardening, Cooking or Fashion, and add that sticker to your name tag. Then you could follow the dots corresponding to that interest to check out activities.

At the travel table you could pick from various vintage travel postcards and mail one to someone anywhere in the world.

The design area featured a screen printer making posters, teeshirts and tote bags.

 There were a few bars set up around the space, and appetizers were passed out. There was a dessert table that had Choose Your Own Adventure books as party favors.

At the gardening table you could build your own lightbulb terrarium. 

The cooking table let you infuse vodka or olive oil with various ingredients.

The fashion table taught you how to do various folds for pocket squares.

Photo backdrop (love the piñata letters) and lego wall.

Posing by the art installation in the lobby, wearing Pinterest Red.

Pinterest's Goals & Achievements board.

Then it was time for the announcement.

Pinterest's CEO Ben Silbermann started with some facts: there are over 750 million boards on Pinterest and over 30 billion pins.

Ma explaining how Guided Search works - you start with one broad topic, and then can add keywords to get a more specific search. This can lead you to find things you didn't necessarily know you were looking for.

The update is live in the app store. We can't wait to play with this new feature. If you want to see what we find, follow us on Pinterest at GoldenDream.

Topanga Ranch Motel

Chambray shirt by J. Crew (similar here), jeans by Mother (similar here), cardigan by Diane Von Furstenberg (similar here), shoes by Soludos, bag by Khirma Eliazov (also worn here), sunglasses by Karen Walker, necklace from Rockin' Rudy's, rings from Birk's

Merry Christmas!

A very Merry Christmas to all! Cheers, and thank you for reading!

Congrats to our winner!

Congratulations to the winner of our first ever giveaway: Shama V. Send us an email at thegoldendreamland@gmail.com with your address. Thank you to everyone who entered!

Prize includes one of our Society6 framed prints, California mug from the Starbucks 'You Are Here' Collection, Dragon Well Green Tea from our favorite Marin County tea company, and a set of Wine Tabletopics for a wine discussion at your next wine & cheese party.

3 Days Left to Enter the Giveaway!

There are only 3 days left to enter to win our California themed prize!

One of our Society6 framed prints, California mug from the Starbucks 'You Are Here' Collection, Dragon Well Green Tea from our favorite Marin County tea company, and a set of Wine Tabletopics for a wine discussion at your next wine & cheese party.

As a reminder, each of the below will count as a separate entry, so follow us on all to increase your odds! We'll announce the winner the day after Thanksgiving, 11/29. UPDATE: The contest is now closed - thanks to everyone who entered!

Enter by Liking us on Facebook
And/or Follow us on:
Blogger
Pinterest
Instagram
Blog Lovin'

Good luck! L&T

Golden Dreamland Giveaway

We are rapidly approaching our 1-year anniversary here at Golden Dreamland! Because it's almost Thanksgiving we wanted to stop and take a moment to thank all of you for reading our blog. We love design in every form, and we are grateful you all feel the same. To celebrate this milestone and to say thank you, we are giving away a little California themed prize:

One of our Society6 framed prints, California mug from the Starbucks 'You Are Here' Collection, Dragon Well Green Tea from our favorite Marin County tea company, and a set of Wine Tabletopics for a wine discussion at your next wine & cheese party.

Each of the below will count as a separate entry, so follow us on all to increase your odds. We'll announce the winner the day after Thanksgiving, 11/29, so check back to see if you've won! UPDATE: The contest is now closed - thanks to everyone who entered!

Enter by Liking us on Facebook
And/or Follow us on:
Blogger
Pinterest
Instagram
Blog Lovin'

Good luck! L&T

We Recommend: Society 6

We love Society 6 for providing low cost access to original art. Plus, you can choose the medium you would like the imagery on (poster, cell phone case, tote bag, mug, tank top) as well as sizing, for ultimate customization. 

Here are some of our most recent favorites:

liftoff

Trust me

underwater

Ron

Outburst

Dock

whale

Wanderlust

Woods

Brad 

seaside race

Plus, check out our offerings:

Recipe: Earl Grey Tea Cake

Now that fall is here, it's finally getting cool enough for us to resume one of our favorite hobbies: baking.  This tea cake is a great option, since it can be eaten as a breakfast, dessert, or afternoon snack, and it has just enough spice to taste slightly autumnal before we get too pumpkin crazy.  This recipe has been adapted for US bakers from the UK edition of Jamie Oliver's Jamie's Great Britain.

Ingredients:

6 bags of good quality Earl Grey tea
1/2 cup each of raisins, currants, and sultanas - or whatever dried fruit/berries you prefer
1.5 cups sugar
3 cups flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg 
1 orange
1 lemon
1/2 tsp all spice
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Boil about two cups of water, then place 4 of the tea bags into a glass measuring cup, and fill it to 1 1/3 cups with the hot water.  Add the dried fruits and orange zest, then cover and refrigerate it, leaving it to soak overnight, or up to 3 days.

When you're ready to bake, line a loaf pan with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350°F.

Mix the re-hydrated fruit with a whisked egg and a cup of sugar.  Add the flour, baking powder, all spice, nutmeg, salt, and juice from the orange.  Combine until well blended into a dough-like consistency, place into the loaf pan, and bake for about 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until cooked through.  You should test it with a skewer after about 55 minutes, and the cake is done when the skewer comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, boil the other 2 tea bags in a cup of water with juice and zest of the lemon.  Once boiling, add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar, and bring the water back to a boil, never stirring.  After about 10-15 minutes, the ingredients should reduce into a syrup. 

Once the cake comes out, use skewers to poke holes all over the top, and then pour over the syrup.  Once it absorbs, allow the cake to cool completely, and serve with a mild cheese such as Wensleydale (Jamie's pick) or Nicasio Valley's Foggy Morning (our pick).

Vista Vision

Vista Vision

Style Icon: Crown Princess Mary of Denmark

 Native Australian Mary Donaldson became a real life Cinderella when she married Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark in 2004.  She looks like she was born to be a princess, though - never putting a foot wrong, and always looking effortlessly chic.  Her style is classic but current, making her look both regal and approachable, and mixes a variety of Danish and other European designers.  We love her looks, and how she leads the younger generation of royals in terms of fashion.

Frederik & Mary