mrs robinson presents

2012-01-05T17:25:00.000-08:00

Here is to an amazing 2012!

2011-12-23T14:46:00.000-08:00

Question: If a blogger throws a party but forgets to take pictures, did it ever really happen?
Answer: Who cares, we were too busy having fun!!

Last weekend was our annual holiday party and it for sure did not disappoint. Our tiny house was bursting at the seams - from people to food, we had an abundance of goodness!

I did manage to grab this Instagram of a lovely little terrarium one of our guests brought as a hostess gift, (I know... talk about a great guest!) which ended up being the perfect home for my vintage little ceramic seagull. Doesn't he look happy??

And here is the Moo Kitty enjoying the tree and all of its twinkle lights.

And finally, there has been a ton of great gift-wrapping inspiration making the blog rounds lately, so I thought I would throw my hat into the ring and show you what I came up with this year.

Everything was from my stash - the patterned paper came from Target last year (although I thought I saw it, or something very similar, again this year!, the solid red was from Ikea last year (it was in a two-pack with some super cute gnomes!) The gray ribbon is a handle from an Anthropologie shopping bag, and the other ribbons I stock up on during the Craft Warehouse summer sales. But most importantly, the amazing birds I found here. Do yourself a favor and go ahead and print some of these out for yourself. They are so beautifully done, with amazing detail and texture. Seriously - I want to frame some of them!

2011-10-28T09:34:00.000-07:00

I love tile.

I am one of those weird designers who is constantly stroking (fondling?) tile samples in showrooms. I love it all. From your basic ceramic, to custom metal and glass, a good tile installation has the ability to make me swoon! So as you can imagine, I have been eagerly awaiting the installation of this kitchen's back splash.

Please forgive the blurry iPhone shots. (I promise, one day I will get a big girl camera and learn how to use it. But really the iPhone is just so darn convenient!)

And a closeup of the gorgeous beveled edge/slightly crackled subway tile, with a recycled glass and stone mosaic inlay:

Across the way we used only the mosaic tile in the small amount of space we have behind the stove, below the bar.

Can I say that it is all just unbelievably gorgeous with the warm rich chocolate tones of the concrete counter top!

As soon as the construction dust has cleared, I will definitely get someone who knows what they are doing up to the house to help me record all of the details (just wait till you see what we did in the bathroom!)

2011-10-06T15:44:00.000-07:00

Progress:

The countertops are being installed as I type, soon to be followed by the backsplash (tile is always my favorite part!). Draperies are being installed in two weeks, and then the homeowners get to move back in. I am so excited to see it all come togther!

And over at my other client's house (remember their living and dining rooms?) this has happened in the bedroom:

Custom bedding, a mix of vintage and custom art on the walls (with room for the collection to grow). We are still working on properly scaled bedside lighting, and a seating area across from the bed. For now I'll just give you a sneak peak at the gorgeous draperies (blackout lined for ideal sleeping conditions).

I love my job!

2011-09-25T20:07:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary to my love!

We've known each other for 13 years (and have been married for six) and spending time with you is still my absolute favorite thing to do.

2011-09-22T19:13:00.000-07:00

I am SO excited for this book.

The blog has been a longtime favorite of mine, and I have a sneaking suspicion that the book will also be a favorite.

2011-08-03T09:46:00.000-07:00

Its hard to believe that in a few short months this:

will look a whole lot more like this:

Of course that is just my sketch-up rendering to show the clients what I see in my head!

There has been much debate over the island pendants... the plan originally called for three pendants evenly spaced over the bar. However, becuase the stove is not centered (this is a Chef's kitchen, and he was adamant that he get a full 48" worth of prep space next to the range) three pendants seemed wonky. As you can imagine, we played around with a lot of options - having three but not evenly spacing them, only having two, removing then completely - and ultimately we are happy with how four pendants evenly spaced looks.

The pendants themselves are especially lovely, and fulfill all of our requirements which were 1: to bring a sense of femininity (and even a hint of traditional) into the very masculine and modern space 2: fully enclose the bulb 3: diffuse the light and 4: not look too "restauranty" (since my clients are indeed restaurant owners, and they would like their home to be a haven from their busy and all encompassing life! )

Pretty aren't they??

And a sneak peak at the materials...

(picture taken outside under direct sunlight during a planning session with the cabinet maker)

...which includes a poured concrete counter top in a lovely Kahlua/Mocha color, recycled glass and tumbled slate mosaic tile, a mix of painted and wood cabinetry, and a hint of crackle in the finish of the ceramic 3x6 field tiles.

I am so excited for all of the elements, and how we are paying homage to the age of the home, but definitely allowing a much more modern feel to creep in!

*******************

And in other news - I finally managed to design and print my business cards!!

The folks at Moo did an amazing job, and their quality has impressed everyone so far! The paper is nice and thick, and the colors are rich and beautiful.

The chair sketch is one I did based off of the Astrid. (It has always been one of my favorites for its whimsical shape and how versatile it looks in either a solid or a fun pattern) I scanned in my sketch, and then manipulated the depth of my sketch lines to make the shape really stand out. I ended up having five different colors of chairs, and I like how they all relate to the front of the cards in pattern and curvaceousness!

I love handing out my cards!

2011-07-28T10:05:00.000-07:00

Any Project Runway fans out there??

I am SUCH a fan, and this season I am especially excited to watch because a friend of mine is on the show!!!

Becky is an amazing gal who has overcome some pretty rough situations. She went back to school in her 30s to study fashion, and is doing wonderful things to make gals of ALL sizes feel beautiful.

Everyone watch the premier tonight, and then go vote for Becky Ross for fan favorite!

2011-07-16T18:24:00.000-07:00

Did you all see this awesome contest that Emily Henderson (yes - that cute blonde who is the host of Secrets from a Stylist) is running?

You could win this adorable pink faceted lamp.... and since I have been crushing hard on all things faceted lately, I am crossing all my fingers and toes that its finally my turn to win a giveaway!

Of course I would switch out the shade for something like this one from our friends at Anthropologie:

2011-06-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

Some random photos from my iphone....

So excited to be heading out to Tennessee!

My first Cracker Barrel

Taking care of the burn pile.

A glorious experience!

Rainbow birthday cake for my favorite gal!

My 15cent garage sale find!

Beautiful skies on my last night.

Somewhere over Arkansas

Thats my pink suitcase!

2011-06-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

While in Tennessee I had the immense pleasure of watching my best friend's daughter play the last wto games of her little league baseball season! Not having any children of my own, I was wholly unprepared for the intensity and nerve-wracking I had to endure!

(little Davy cheering on his sister!)

Ana played catcher this season, and was an absolute champ. She was all over the place, throwing her body around like it didn't matter. My heart was in my throat pretty much the entire time! (there was some talk amongst the parents and they said things like "best in her age bracket." You better believe that I was one proud aunty!)

She also managed to hit every time she was at bat! There was some really quick and evasive running to second...

...and she even had the most beautiful slide into home for the run!! (I was too busy screaming and jumping up and down to catch a picture of her awesome moves!)

Unfortunately one of her games was at 1pm on the hottest day of the week - so you better believe that as soon as the game was over we headed back to the house and jumped right into the pool!

2011-06-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

Last week, after about a month of crazy schedule wrangling, expedia and priceline stalking, and many many secretive phone calls, I was able to finally pull off the surprise of the century. You see, it was my best friend's 30th birthday, and we have not been able to see each other in almost 6 years!

She was obviously delighted, and I have to say that it was probably one of the best weeks I have had in years! There was rainbow birthday cake, horses, 90+ degree weather, a pool, and lots of wine and girl talk. I am so blissed out right now!

Of course I have about a bazillion photos, but I want to dedicate this post to the beautiful horses of Kensington Farms, where my friend is a riding instructor. (I know - dream job right?)

What is it about horses and girls - how is it that pretty much every little girl is born horse crazy? I don't know any little boys who wake up one day and want to plaster their walls with pictures of horse magazines.

I was pondering this while I was taking pictures, and I started to realize that horses have such an amazing spirit. They are so giving and loving - it is no wonder horse therapy is becoming more and more popular. There is nothing more powerful that the love between a rider and their horse, and the first time you really look into a horse's eyes, your heart grows a little bit bigger. (It has been said that the eye is the hardest to capture - that is why there is so much bad horse art out there!) And we as women, who are also born givers, feel drawn to horses because we instinctualy know that they have the capacity to help give back and soothe our own souls.

Anyway... I am so grateful for my week of fun (I feel like a new person!) and I am excited to share with you the rest of my adventures!

2011-05-17T20:09:00.000-07:00

I am so enamored with Keri Russel's kitchen featured in the latest Elle Decor.

Those reclaimed wood cabinets.

The dining room table that her (hunky hunky) hubby built!

And while not part of the kitchen, that bathroom is pretty swoon worthy as well (that slab of wood as a bath caddy!!)

I am actually surprised by how much I love this spread, as I am usually a girl who embraces color! But there is something about reclaimed (dark) wood that really gets my heart racing.

Of course I would fill those open shelves with my collection of colorful vintage pottery and that bathroom seriously needs some dark teal towels...

(to see William Waldron's beautiful images in all their un-cropped glory hop on over to the elle decor)

2011-05-05T09:20:00.000-07:00

Remember my 30 before 30 list? Remember number 13 (sidenote - I have always thought that 13 was a lucky number becuase there were 13 letters in my maiden name!) about starting my own design firm? Yah... well, lets just go ahead and cross that one off the list!

For the last few months I have been working with a handful of amazing clients, and I LOVE it! I get to play with color and textiles, and help people turn their spaces into places where they actually want to spend time!

I am still working on getting my logo and business cards designed (why is it so much harder to do this stuff for yourself?) and I will definitely share that if i ever make a decision!

Today I am going to give you a little sneak peak into my favorite client's home. She is a lovely young gal with an adorable husband and the most gorgeous little baby you have ever seen. They love color and are definitely into combining a mid-century vibe with their classic Portland bungalow! They recently moved here from Chicago, where their apartment was a lot smaller, so its been fun to pretty much start from scratch!

Here is the dining room before:

And here is a picture of my Sketch-Up model. We were ordering that gorgeous table online, and were concerned about how it would look with and without all the leaves (they have a large family here in town, and want to be able to entertain comfortably).

The dining room in progress: (The table, chairs, paint, and rug are all in and we are just waiting on the drapes to be made and installed)

The adjoining living room before:

As you can see, she is not afraid to mix colors and patterns (which I LOVE), however we do have to be careful to strike the right balance as we layer in more elements so that it does not end up feeling like a carnival! (and yes, that is my blurry finger in the corner there - I was taking this picture at a really awkward angle, not even looking at the screen as I tried to get the widest shot possible!)

And here is my Photoshopped after.

We were looking at a few pieces, like that CB2 credenza, and that Amy Butler rug, but knowing that online ordering is always risky (as color changes immensely depending on the lighting, time of day, etc) we decided to only order one piece at a time so we could make smart decisions and not have a bunch of stuff that doesn't look quite right.

So we started with the rug, and as you can see in this photo, the greens are much less saturated, and verging on sage rather than the acid in the online photo. We really like the rug in the space, especially since the softer tones actually help balance all the boldness of the adjoining dining room. And as you can see from the leftover birthday decorations, pops of bold color will really be fun (and will help relate to the dining room nicely!)

We are now considering alternative options to the CB2 credenza, and I think we are going to try and find a neat old piece that we can paint! We have also talked about painting the brick area of the fireplace, and updating the chandeliers in both the living and dining rooms.

It has been so much fun this far, and I am excited to share more updates as we progress! (and as I learn to take better photos in our gray gray city!)

the zero dollar craft project

2011-04-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

I've had this idea in the back of my head for quite awhile now (no seriously - this idea has been germinating for years) and I only acted upon it recently. I think the title might be misleading... originally everything did cost money. However, I have slight hoarding tendency's, and so when I finally embarked upon this project I didn't have to leave the house, or buy anything new!

I have always been a candle fan. There is nothing like a candle light for setting a mood, flattering a complexion, or even just resting the eyes. For years I would buy generic glass jarred candles and try and make them more unique by wrapping them in cool paper, or even just nesting them inside a different container. I wanted to try making my own, but there has always been a certain air of *crunchy granola* associated with candle making, as well as remembrances of a failed jr high crayon melting experiment... and so I never really did anything with my generic glass jars.

Fast forward a few years, and I became a manager at that ubiquitous lotion and candle store (you know the one i'm talking about - it has a store at almost every mall across the country). Needless to say, my candle collection grew to almost ridiculous proportions. (I mean seriously, what is a girl to do during that amazing sale that happens twice a year). Some of my votive collection ended up getting wrapped in tissue paper in order to add a little color and ambiance to our wedding decor (you can sort of see them on the table here), but I still had plenty sitting in boxes in my closet.

Until yesterday, when in a spurt of ~~boredom~~ ~~anti-housecleaning~~ inspiration, I matched up some of my vintage tea tins with some of my yummiest smelling candles.

I tried a few different ways of melting down the wax First I chopped up the existing candles and then melting them down double-boiler style (and by double boiler I mean using spatulas to prop up a plastic mixing container T found for me in the garage); and then I went straight to immersing the existing jar in the water. Both worked, but pre-chopping definitely led to quicker melting!

Not only was it super easy, but it made the house smell amazing!

I can't wait to send this one to a dear friend on the east coast who has waited ever so patiently for me to finally get around to finishing the knitted cowl for her dog I started about two years ago. Yes, I said dog-cowl (he's a whippet, and he gets cold). And yes, it sometimes takes me forever to get things accomplished.

I have two more tins, however the existing wicks I have are too short. So I think round two will cost a few more dollars. I also want to try blending the remaining scented candles with some unscented wax - hopefully this will soften the color and the strength of the scent!

2011-03-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

Last week, during our adventures around town, N and I discovered the most charming animal portraits by Ryan Berkley.

This handsome fellow went home with N...

While this little guy stole my heart!

(To be honest, I originally purchased a different print that was going to go in the master bedroom, however, when I got it home T was less than thrilled. Luckily he went back to the shop with me and was just as enamored with these portraits. It came down to a coin toss between Mr Cheetah, Mr Otter, and Mr Polar Bear - but the jaunty angle of the Otter's hat definitely tipped the scale in his direction!)

lots of fun & a confession!

2011-03-26T18:48:00.000-07:00

Lost of fun:

On Thursday night I had the immense pleasure of picking up an old friend (someone who new T & I back when we were first crushing on each other) from the train station. We proceeded to spend an amazing 36 hours together talking about everything under the sun (books, design, philosophy, hipsters, our secret fascination with housewife blogs (specifically the Mormon ones), hair, children, philanthropy, architecture, movies, business ventures, travel, art, fertility, how much we love Anthropologie, and of course all the old camp memories. We walked all over Portland and took tons of photos.

We ate delicious food:

Saw interesting art:

Spent a blissful couple of hours in Powell's:

And had the strangest afternoon of weather (seriously these photos were taken about 5 minutes apart!):

What an amazing weekend!!!

**********

Now on to the confession:

Before you read any further hop on over to one of my favorite blogs Design Gal and Her Handyman to read one of the most honest confessions ever. What I especially love about this post is that her secret mess truly IS a mess. (unlike some people's "befores" which are usually my "after")

One of the things I dislike about the blogging community is how much we sugarcoat/edit our lives - and I think the worst part is that I totally do it to. Only it keeps me from actually blogging. The reason why I have not shown you my master bedroom paint color yet is that I am afraid to take pictures of the mess of clean clothes sitting on top of my dresser. (And don't even get me started on the dresser - I started painting it 3 years ago and never finished the very last bit, so I can't show you how cool it turned out!) Or that my husbands bedside table is still pre-hacked. (This is what I want it to look like. This is what it actually looks like.)

Anyway - the whole point of this rambling is to share my own secret shame - except that because of the afore mentioned friend in town, my upstairs had to look good too! (overnight guests get a way cleaner house that dinner party guests!) So whats a girl to do?

Thats right - shove it ALL in the closet(s). Click on the photos to enlarge - at your own risk!

Before and After

2011-03-23T13:06:00.000-07:00

I am so very excited about sharing all the details of my upholstery class, but until I can figure out how to get all the words out, I will let the pictures do the talking!

a weekend recap

2011-03-20T21:56:00.000-07:00

I have so many things to share (Like how I re-painted my master bedroom over christmas break. Or how I just completed an amazing upholstery class where I did an entire chair(!). Or how last November we had our in-laws come to stay and I totally re-decorated the guest bedroom. Or how I have started making and selling things in a few local shops and they are selling well) and yet I feel as though getting them into writing is the hardest thing!

So maybe I will just start slow with a little weekend re-cap. Many of my favorite blogs do this, and I always feel that it is such a sweet little personal moment. Its like having a quick coffee break with a friend!

So here goes:

Saturday night we ventured across the river and had dinner with friends at a darling new (to us) restaurant called Decarli. The best part about eating out with our group is how willing everyone is to try new things, and share - we ordered a bunch of yummy appetizers, and pretty much were in heaven! Can I just say that polenta fries are a revelation!

After we were sufficently stuffed, we headed over to Sykart - and indoor go-kart track! SO fun, and the accessories were definitely fun to model!

Today was a relaxing stay at home kind of day. We made pancakes, talked on the phone with family in Boston and Florida, and finished up some fun projects I have been working on.

All in all it was a really fun weekend, and I feel so lucky that I have such great friends to have fun with!

2011-03-15T09:35:00.001-07:00

I am SO proud of my big brother!

Made in Michigan - The Brinery: MyFoxDETROIT.com

30

2011-02-09T11:42:00.000-08:00

I take it all back... 30 is not so bad!

(I am sure the wonderful surprise weekend my husband and friends planned, helped with my change a of heart - a lot!)

2011-01-25T16:45:00.000-08:00

Guess what??

I'm guest blogging over at The Whole 9 Yards today (and hopefully once or twice a month from now on) all about how to take one of those super inspiring magazine rooms and make them your own!

Go take a look, and let me know what you think!

SSEKO!

2011-01-23T13:58:00.000-08:00

I just checked in on the Sseko webpage to see what new styles they have available (yes, I am so ready for painted nails and sandals) and while browsing through their photo gallery, I saw my own little toes staring back at me!

See them there, bottom right corner? (turquoise straps, lovely Ginko rug)

I have the biggest smile right now! Its so fun to have little surprises like that! (And I think I am going to be buying this pair for spring!)

What about you? Any unexpected fun in your life?

2011-01-16T17:22:00.000-08:00

How to throw a last minute dinner party.

Step 1: With visions of Jordan's amazing parties dancing in your head, make plans to host a post-holiday get together (and then promptly forget about these plans while you focus on getting your work's holiday/secret Santa gift in order).

Step 2: Remember said plans, at around 10pm, the night before the party.

Step 3: Make husband start to clean the house (at 10pm the night before the party) while you run upstairs to your fabric stash (when you realize your "good tablecloth" has shrunk so much it will no longer cover the table once you put the leaves in) to pick a new tablecloth. (step 3A involves hemming new fabric, and then deciding you also need a runner you fringe some burlap)

Step 4: Decide on a super easy menu of Bruschetta, Summer's roasted broccoli pasta (I also add kale - because it tastes SO good), and a caprese salad. (Step 4A involves making a Trader Joe's run - because no one is going to notice that the house isn't really as clean you as want it, if the wine is good and plentiful, and the dessert is delicious!)

Step 5: Have everyone over, and enjoy all your hard work (well, okay, maybe the Husband's hard work, since all you really did was set the table) and enjoy your friends, the wine, and the conversation so much so that you forget to document the food and the friends!

(Please forgive the photos - I took them late at night!)

Pride and Prejudice

2010-12-09T20:51:00.000-08:00

Just found the BEST Etsy shop ever!

Look at these amazing Pride and Prejudice themed goodies....

originally via here

Um... hello

2010-11-27T22:51:00.000-08:00

Whatever happened to my goal of blogging at least once a week?

Um... yah - I'm not sure either.

Sort of last minute I was presented with the opportunity to decorate a room at the Pittock Mansion for the Holidays - completely awesome but also completely stressful and crazy!

I decided to hand-make all the ornaments and bedding, which of course turned my home into a complete glitter-fabric-glue-ribbon-fest for days!

I have to admit, that I am rather proud of what I turned out!

(I seemed to miss taking a lot of the detail shots - hopefully I can get back up there before its time to dismantle so I can document some of the subtler touches!)

last weekend...

2010-08-15T18:50:00.000-07:00

...we accomplished #20!

The 300 or so miles we drove that day took us down to the aquarium by way of I-5, then back north to Portland by way of Hwy 101.

We stopped and did a little of this:

and saw a lot of this:

Perfection!

They did it....

2010-07-31T21:36:00.000-07:00

...and it was so beautiful!

new shoes and happiness...

2010-07-12T19:09:00.000-07:00

Let me introduce you to my new favorite pair of shoes.

Cute aren't they?

I could tell you all about how they are handmade by women in Uganda, who are working towards getting a college education. I could tell you about the darling girl, Liz, who started the company right of college (wow! its been YEARS and I am still struggling to figure out who I want to be, what I want to do, and how I am going to get there), and I could even tell you how comfortable they are, and how cute they are, and how many compliments I get when I wear them...

But instead, I will just tell you about the website (ssekodesigns.com), and that they are having a big birthday party complete with giveaways!

So go. Now. You will not regret it!

Summer!

2010-07-07T20:25:00.000-07:00

... is finally here!

After the wettest June on record, (which was preceded by the third wettest May on record), we have finally managed to dry out a little! And to celebrate, I took a quick trip up to Sauvie's island, and did a little berry picking.

Now, what to do with the berries?

Hapy Fourth!

2010-07-04T20:51:00.000-07:00

Happiness is...

2010-06-13T18:12:00.000-07:00

...spending the day with this handsome little guy (and his beautiful parents too). Such bliss watching him explore, bounce, and enjoy the amazing grounds of Edgefield. (didn't hurt that we finally had a little sun too!)

exhausted....

2010-06-06T10:13:00.001-07:00

.... but oh so happy with how it all turned out!

breakfast

2010-05-28T08:19:00.000-07:00

#1 on my list is still not a consistent thing, but made infinitely more enjoyable when watching the brilliantly funny VeryMaryKate.

#6 In the last few months, however, I have managed to eat MUCH more protein (thanks in part to my label reading husband who has grudgingly switched over to the "fancy" peanut butter because it has 1 more gram per serving that his beloved Jiff. Sweetheart!) I also actually ordered a side of chicken (instead of Tofu) with my Pad Thai last week. I might not have managed to eat it all, but progress was made!

#2 I have also made myself a really great linen top, that I have proceeded to wear about once a week since then, and have only limited myself to once a week because I don't want people to think I am dirty or anything. ;) Pictures are forthcoming - I think when I tackle that portrait issue...

#29 Just placed an order with a co-worker/Avon rep. Can't wait to get my new goodies and start playing!

A sneak peek...

2010-05-16T18:30:00.000-07:00

...at the wedding shower I am in the process of planning.

I'm going for a vintage/romantic feel, with a slight honeymoon theme (per the bride's request), and am really excited with how all the details are shaping up!

********

thnxthnxthnx

2010-04-30T08:09:00.000-07:00

Gratitude has been on my mind a lot lately - as a remedy for the blahs, as a antidote to selfishness, as a connection to God - and so when I was introduced to this blog today I was immediately smitten.

Leah Dieterich writes little thank you notes to just about everything (garbage trucks, the man who punched a car in Mexico, Facebook's delete status option). At first you think that she's just being humorous, but there are so many lovely little moments of self -realization that keep it extremely personal and very moving.

A few of my favorites:

2010-04-25T21:16:00.000-07:00

I've been in a bit of a funk lately. Not sure why. T has been doing everything in his power to cheer me up. (I give gratitude every day for that man - he is the best!)

Today we took an impromptu drive through the Gorge, which was amazing, and did the hike at Multnomah Falls.

I love this time of year - the rain is finally starting to go away!

Saw a couple of kids wearing "Love is my superpower" t-shirts - and now I am sort of wishing I had one of my own!

#24

2010-04-18T13:54:00.000-07:00

The beauty of not having posted my 30 till 30 list til just recently is that I can already say quite a few are done! (on a side note, I am not sure why blogger publishes posts on the day the draft was started, rather than on the day you hit publish. Technically I only published that list a few days ago, even though it looks like I did it back in march... not that it matters all that much...I guess I just like to be honest!) So hopefully the next few posts will be devoted to sharing with you all my successes!

Anyway, T and I finally changed our super ugly (and vindictive) brass chandelier in the dining room! (And by dining room I mean dining "area." our house is too small to have a whole room devoted to dining. Which actually suits us perfectly as we don't even sit at the table all that much... see #17) And we put it on a dimmer so that when we finally get around to eating dinner at the table, on date night, we can have a little ambiance!

To a lot of people, changing out a light fixture is no big deal (and the actual demo and installation was indeed no big deal.) But choosing the fixture, and then finally procuring said fixture, was a whole other story...

Poor chandelier. It really never stood a chance - we hated it from the beginning! It was ugly, bulky, to low, too bright, in the wrong spot, and as we quickly learned, it had a mean, mean streak. If we were anywhere in the vicinity of the ugly thing, it would reach out and knock us on the head! We tried lifting it up out of the way, but the thing was constructed in such a way that alterations of any sort were impossible. So we left it, and figured that until we were able to relocate the box, we would just leave it be - and besides, we thought, when we finally got a dining room table we would have that as a reminder to give the evil thing a wide berth.

So off to the garage sales we went, hoping to find a table we would fill with good friends and good food. We searched high and low, falling in love with several beauties - only to eventually realize that our space was too small for any normal sized dining table, and if we wanted to actually have access to our patio, we needed to think small and round. We eventually found the perfect petite table (with a leaf for those times we absolutely needed to squeeze in more hungry friends), and proceeded to paint it bright leaf green! Love!!

But the chandelier... oh the mean mean chandelier... it was determined to be an obstacle. Positioned right smack dab in the middle of the ceiling, anyone walking towards the patio would be knocked upside the head. We got in the habit of yelling "duck" at our guests, (which really only freaked them out, and never actually saved them from getting bumps and bruises) and we constantly joked about issuing hardhats with dinner invitations! We thought constantly about replacing it, but I kept picking out new ones that were way out of our price range, or designing ones that were way out of T's comfort zone; and somehow, the years snuck by.

Finally, a few moths ago a strange occurrence happened. T was out of town and I was alone at Ikea with a few bucks to spend, when I spied a fixture that met all of our requirements. 1)It already existed 2) it was completely affordable 3) it went with the style of the house and I didn't hate it 4)it was in stock 5) it was adjustable and 6) it WAS NOT BRASS! I am sure that I had looked at this same fixture a few times over the years never gave it a second glance, but somehow, this time it spoke to me. So home it came, only to have to go right back to the store (you didn't think it was going to be easy did you?) because it had a flaw. One of the five arms wouldn't screw tight and nobody wants a floppy chandelier arm over their head at a dinner party do they? So back to the store I went, and home came another one... which had the same problem!! what?!?!?!?!

Boy oh boy was I pissed off! I called the 800 number, and they couldn't do anything but offer an exchange - which I would have to do at the store. I called the store, and they couldn't do anything but offer an exchange - which I would have to... well, you get the picture. So back to the big box I went for the third time in as many days. Luckily the gal at returns was extremely kind, and had the lighting manager bring a few boxes for us to open and assemble on the spot. Third and fourth times were NOT the charm, but I think 5 may be my new lucky number!

I raced home and installed the new chandelier and dimmer,(with a quick trip to Salvation Army with the old!), and T came home to a well lit (if a bit frazzled) wife!

* I just spent the last hour or so going through my old photos trying to find a picture of the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad brass chandelier, but I could not find a single one that I had taken! Guess it just goes to show how badly I wanted the thing gone... I couldn't even document it! Luckily T suggested I take a look at the old photos from when he and our Realtor toured the house without me!

Not sure why he used the space as an office, especially since he was a single guy in a two bedroom home. (and how did he not hit his head every time he stood up??)

And another view of how it looks now - well at Christmas - done up for our annual Ugly Sweater/ Dessert party. (Notice how I didn't include the table/chandelier when I took the photo?)

hip hip hooray!

2010-03-25T18:17:00.000-07:00

the internet drought is over!

and to celebrate - a little eye candy just in time for spring...

kinda makes you wanna spend all day curled up in bed with someone you love and a fabulous book!

(one of the perils of designing for a living is that I am always falling in love with new things - leaving my rooms always in a state of halfway done. poor T - he would really love to have something in our home "finished")

1)west elm 2)cb2 3)shopterrain 4)infusion 5)amberalexander 6)goodvintage 7)rugcompany 8)anthropologie 9)restorationhardware

30 before 30

2010-03-22T13:48:00.000-07:00

I turned 29 back in February, and had a bit of a meltdown. So T suggested I make one of those lists that everyone keeps posting.
i think he's hoping it will ward off an even bigger meltdown next year!

1: become a breakfast person. (as in having a good start to the day, not as in the weekend event that often involves friends and mimosas. i am already really good at that one!)

2: make myself a garment that actually fits, and that i actually wear.

3: create a cleaning schedule, and stick with it!

4: wait, and love more. (one of my favorite lines from a hymn. its a good reminder to be patient with life, other people, and even myself. it is also a good reminder to quite simply, love more. love life, love other poeple, and most importantly love myself. for as we know - love fills all space!)

5: improve my handwriting.

6: eat more protein. (i was raised a vegetarian, but i was also raised by a single mother with four children, this our meals weren't always "well rounded". and now, with the whole meat eating husband angle, my side of the meals get even more neglected!)

7: get pregnant. (this isn't exactly a fair goal to put on myself. but working towards it is!)

8: finally finish reading Les Miserables. (as you know, i am an avid reader, but for some reason i started this book back in high school - yes, way back in the 90's - and still have not made it through!)

9: blog at least once a week.

10: finally put something up for sale in my etsy shop.

11: clean and organize the garage. (this one may be very difficult to accomplish because around here the garage is known as "man town," and T is not so keen of letting me prettify his space.)

12: be more confident - or at least fake it til i make it!

13: start my own design company.

14: visit my sister in santa fe.

15: send more handwritten cards and letters (see number 5).

16: implement date night with T - even if its a stay at home sort of date - we can still make it special!

17: eat dinner at our dining room table at least once a week (yes - we usually eat on the couch - eek!) combine this with #16 and i can knock two things off of my list!

18: make a cushion for our dining room bench - if its more comfortable, we might sit there more frequently!

19: go to the orgeon zoo. (yes, i have lived here for 7 years and still have not gone - this from the girl who went to every zoo and aquarium she came across while abroad)

20: ditto for the newport aquarium.

21: take a current portrait of T and I. (the last time we took a picture together - that i actually like - was about 3 years ago!!)

22: finish decorating the bedroom.

23: start saving money for a kitchen remodel.

24: replace the ugly chandelier in the dining room.

25: install a timer for the bathroom fan. (did you know that you are supposed to let it run for at least half an hour after you shower to prevent mold and mildew?)

26: use my ice cream maker. (it was a wedding present and it is still in the box.)

27: ditto for the pasta maker.

28: start leaving comments on my favorite blogs. (i LOVE when people leave me comments and so i should definitely pay it forward!)

29: experiment more with makeup. specifically lipstick. (wouldn't it be great to have a signature color?)

30: learn how to use iMovie, and make one of those fabulous and quirky videos that everyone keeps posting!

Happy Valentines!

2010-02-25T07:12:00.000-08:00

I know I am a little late... but I just had to show you how we spent our Valentines Day.

It started at Christmas with a little bit of painting...

...and continued on with some Valentines day building...

...and now we get to come home to this...

Its sort of wonderful having a "grown-up" bedroom, especially if you remember our "before"!
(except I am already wanting to repaint - while the red is definitely sexy, I am lusting after something a little more subtle - something along the lines of Benjamin Moore's Pebble Creek in fact)

2009-12-02T09:42:00.001-08:00

Still no internet access at home... and i am sort of loving it! i am finding myself a little calmer, and less *jealous* (not quite the right word... but i am not sure what the right word really is...) of all the good stuff out there in blog land. i am able to focus a bit more on what i do have and can accomplish.

and with that said... here are some images of things i have been loving lately... and am totally into trying to DIY!

And a few images of where we spent our thanksgiving holiday...

no internet at home...

2009-10-21T09:55:00.000-07:00

...so I am sneaking a quick internet break while at work to let you all know that I am alive and well, if just a little out of touch!

lately I have been:

listening - my iPod has been playing nothing but Andre Villoch

playing - have been downloading more iphone photo apps - I am particularly loving ShakeItPhoto and QuadCamera

creating - a knitted blueberry hat for my nephew (I used blue yarn and skipped the "seeds" - its adorable and I will post photos when I am back on my own computer!)

(re) reading - The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (LOVE it)

what have you been up to?

dreaming...

2009-10-05T11:19:00.001-07:00

I have always thought my dream home would be an old, charming structure full of nooks, crannies, and built-ins. But then I saw this home, and suddenly new (and sustainable) looks so very very good.

Yes please!

greedy girl

2009-09-28T21:40:00.000-07:00

is it bad to want them all?

Woolicious

Happy Anniversary Darling!

2009-09-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

I love you T!

Thank you for an amazing four years!!

i'm home alone with a computer and a credit card...

2009-09-23T14:25:00.001-07:00

I have been lusting after some original art lately, and finally took the plunge and bought this darling piece on Etsy!

I want to hang it somewhere where I will see it everyday, as a gentle reminder to stop procrastinating! :)

I'll let you know if it works...

(i'm also loving this painting by the same artist)

right now I am...

2009-09-20T14:10:00.000-07:00

...relaxing with my second cup of coffee

...plotting my responses to the MeMe I was nominated to do

...absolutely loving the mini photo shoot I did of Eek this morning

I used the ToyPhoto app for my iPhone - it has a random filter generator so you never know what your pictures will end up looking like!

the Julie/Julia project

2009-08-25T19:28:00.000-07:00

I just read Russ Parsons NY times article about why Julia Child was not a fan of Julie Powell - and I feel stirred to share my thoughts with someone other than T...

First off, I have to say that I LOVED both books for very different reasons. A few years ago, I picked up the Julie/Julia book on a whim, and immediately connected with Julie Powell. And I do mean immediately - from page one I was hooked!

Like Julie, I am at a point in my life where I am not sure what "it" is all about. I work really hard for not a ton of money. Granted, I really enjoy my work so its not like I dread getting up in the morning, but 6 days a week does take its toll on a person. Also like Julie, I take public transportation to work. (And for all of you who have never had the joy of seeing your tax dollars at work - I will share this little gem from yesterdays commute: a man with special needs sat down next to me, smiled, told me I was pretty, and then relieved himself.) So you can see how at the end of the day, sometimes the last question I want to answer is "whats for dinner."

I love to cook, and I love to try new things (see the previous few posts about my new pickling/canning obsession for proof), unfortunately, my time at home is limited, as are my resources. I do the best I can, but sometimes its so frustrating to have these desires that are not realized.

Now, before you start saying that I am just as "whiny" as Mr Parsons says Julie is - let me say that I know first hand just how much creativity is spurred by limitations. Some of our best meals have come from me just looking through the cupboards and scrapping something together. The same goes for my work life... as an Interior Designer I am constantly being challenged with budget, taste, and time limitations! But that doesn't mean that I don't sometimes wish I could have carte blanch to do whatever it is that I want!

Anyway, back to the books...

My Life in France was an equally pleasurable read, but for very different reasons. I did not connect with Julia Child on a personal level, but rather found myself putting her up on a pedestal of sorts. She was a woman who displayed amazing character and tenacity - and is definitely a woman to emulate. I loved how she not only had a zeal for the good life, but was also wiling to work very hard for her dream - it took her ten years to perfect her masterpiece!

And yet, in the back of my head there is the nagging thought that to her, cooking was something she did in order to occupy her time - she didn't want to be bored while living in France. And yes Mom, I will admit it - I am jealous. I would LOVE to be able to go to work every day and not have my take home pay matter. I would love to be able to walk to the market and have my pick of the freshest produce to turn into a wonderful dinner that will nourish and sustain my family.

Which brings me back to Julie... and so many other women of my generation who have inherited the aftermath of feminism. We are a group of women who are immensely grateful for the freedom and liberties we have been given , yet are still nostalgic for the comforting routine of domesticity.

A co-worker an I have started recounting our domestic accomplishments, and failures, every Monday morning in an effort to encourage each other's quest for domestic bliss. She is on a mission to roast a whole chicken once a week, using all the bits and pieces for various meals throughout the week. I am on a mission to eat more healthful, which means buying fewer processed products, and instead making my own (so far that means pickles, canned tomatoes, and bread).

We are both on a mission to come to the place of finding a sort of Zen in washing the dishes.

And so, here is to two amazing women who lived in very different times, and faced very different challenges.

I raise my glass to their individual accomplishments...

a pickle update - and more on tomatoes!

2009-08-23T19:41:00.000-07:00

So the pickles were good.

Really-really, super-duper, and I mean amazingly good!

And I am astounded that it took me so long to discover the super crunchy deliciousness. T and I ended up eating a whole jar for dinner. We had plans of making sandwiches and eating outside in the sun, picnic style. Instead we stood around in the kitchen, marveling at how yummy the pickles were, and before we knew it they were all gone! (We never even got around to making sandwiches). The pickled green tomatoes were also good. Not nearly as good as the pickles themselves, but wonderful in their own less crunchy, more meaty way.

**********

And now on to a tomato update.

So far the summer has been really wonderful to our little garden. The weather has been cooperating, and as a result we already have joyfully consumed more tomatoes in one week than we had all last year! I think we can also credit the raised bed T made for me out of $10 worth of reclaimed cedar planks we found at the ReBuilding center.

We try to plant our starts by Mothers Day. It is sort of an arbitrary date, but seeing as we both live far away from our mothers we like to do something that celebrates home and family.

This year we planted a Cherry, a Celebrity, a San Marzano, and a Siletz, all from Vicki's Sun Gold Farm here in Oregon.

Look at the difference - 2008 vs 2009! (photos taken mid July)

Buoyed by my pickle success, and my bumper crop, I decided to get a jump on the canning process. After all, I did not want a repeat of last year!

This morning's harvest:

...yielded 5 jars, all before 10 in the morning!

And I still have so many gorgeous green ones...

2009-08-19T17:55:00.000-07:00

Saw this on sale at Anthropologie today...

Unfortunately it is still way out of my price range...
And even more unfortunate, seeing it in person only made me fall more in love with it. Too bad because it would look SO perfect in my house...

I can't seem to find it online anymore.... so any fairy godmothers out there need to go to the Bridgeport Village store... ;)

pickles!

2009-08-17T12:56:00.000-07:00

I have ambitions of becoming a domestic goddess, but the reality is that I am pretty challenged in that area. My dishes sometimes go unwashed, and my floors could use a more regular sweep... luckily I married a man who is more concerned with spending quality time with me, than having an impeccable house!

And so today, on a rare day off from work, instead of dusting, ironing, or de-cluttering, I delved into this wonderful book, and made my first ever batch of pickles!

I was really surprised at how easy the whole process was, and I do have to pat myself on the back for not biting off more than I can chew. I only purchased a few cucumbers (rather than the 20lb bag that looked so inviting at my local growers outlet), and I made sure to inventory my spice cupboard before I went shopping - I only had to end up buy fresh dill and mustard seeds. (on a side note - I LOVE my growers outlet... they are actually cheaper than the uber trendy farmer's markets, are so local that many of the farms are in my neighborhood, and I can go 6 days a week if I want to!!)

It took about 5 minutes total, and the hardest part had to be slicing the cucumbers! I even got crazy and tried pickling some of my green tomatoes.

I can hardly wait the three days until they are ready!

And look who I found enjoying the garden.

Beautiful no?

2009-08-11T07:56:00.000-07:00

We just returned from an un-planned trip back east, and while the reason for the trip was somber, it became such a celebration of life, living, and family!

yup... still obsessing over this

swoon

2009-05-03T15:31:00.001-07:00

these gorgeous leather sandals...

...are just about perfect aren't they?

sometimes you just need a cupcake....

2009-04-07T19:24:00.000-07:00

...and tonight was one of those times!

I don't usually bake, and when I do its from a box (sorry mom!) , so I can't claim that these cupcakes are anything special.

However, their bright colors and chocolaty goodness is just what the Robinson's needed.

And on a side note, I dropped in on the Bend the Rules Sewing Swap blog, just to see whats going on, and I was pleasantly surprised to see my Napkin/Placemat set featured! See it there on the header? So exciting! It almost makes me want to join another swap!!

in love!

2009-03-22T12:37:00.000-07:00

These amazing collages by Jenna Robertson - made from recycled wool sweaters - have me swooning.

You can find them locally at Noun - one of my absolute favorite places to spend money!

Have you seen this?

2009-03-08T13:23:00.000-07:00

I know it made the rounds in blog-land a few months ago, but I just spent a few minutes playing with my poladroid and I am so in love! Its a super simple, free, application that turns any old digital photo into a mini work of art.

Now I can pretend I am half as talented as the lovely Jen of My Polaroid Blog.

Good Reads!

2009-02-07T21:38:00.000-08:00

Thanks for all the great book suggestions! I am so looking forward to this summer and all those wonderful days of sitting on the back patio, enjoying the late sun, and a few pages before dinner!

What does it say about me when I buy more books than clothes?

2009-01-25T19:10:00.000-08:00

The Big Read Top 100 Meme

I found this on QuestTwentyEight, and felt the need to post… if only as a reminder of all the great literature I would love to have time to read!

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Underline the books you LOVE (or highlight in pink if you can't underline...)
4) Reprint this list in your own blog.

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6. The Bible (I have read a good portion… probably more than half, but I would feel really lousy claiming it!)
7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12. Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare
15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19. The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20. Middlemarch - George Eliot
21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25. The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34. Emma - Jane Austen
35. Persuasion - Jane Austen
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres (this was on my list… until I saw the trailers for the movie version and I lost all interest! I will definitely accept recommendations of anyone out there LOVES it and thinks its worth it!)
39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41. Animal Farm - George Orwell
42. The DaVinci Code - Dan Brown
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery (the whole series was/is a favorite of mine!!)
47. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48. The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50. Atonement - Ian McEwan
51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52. Dune - Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold (HATED this book!)
65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac (I actually have this in iTunes but am waiting for the right road trip or long flight!)
67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68. Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69. Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville (started… but never finished!)
71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72. Dracula - Bram Stoker
73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses - James Joyce
76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78. Germinal - Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession - AS Byatt
81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87. Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94. Watership Down - Richard Adams
95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98. Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

51 out of 100 is not at all shabby, especially considering that “The Big Read reckons that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they’ve printed.”

Any recommendations? I am always looking for a good read!

my little snow angel

2008-12-14T15:18:00.000-08:00

T grew up on the east coast, and so for him, snow is a much loved friend. To him, snow means days off from school, mugs of hot cocoa, tromping around, and soup. He gets super excited whenever the forecast predicts freezing temperatures (which is hardly ever here on the west coast!) and he has decided that one day we "have" to live somewhere cold so I can experience a real winter. (uh huh, sure babe, someday we'll do that....)

And so, last week when the weatherman started predicted snow, T spent every spare second chopping firewood, stocking the pantry (with popcorn and hot cocoa) and talking about all the fun things we could do on our "snow day."

This morning, as the flakes started to fall you could actually see T's excitement growing. He would race over to window every few minutes to give us an update on the flake size, consistency, and sticking ratio. And finally, after begging all morning, he finally got me to go outside for a little tromp...

(thanks for letting me wear your new boots honey!)

Of course, since i ventured out in the snow for him, he had to do a little something for me....

T looked like he was having so much fun that the neighbors had to come out and play too!

seeing red

2008-11-12T06:34:00.000-08:00

i think i might have a black thumb.

no, seriously.

I somehow managed to kill a rosemary plant. You should have seen the horrified look on the face of the garden guy at our farmers market when I explained to him why I needed to know very specific instructions on caring for the new one. And I am pretty sure I saw him watching me while I browsed the strawberry starts, probably making sure I wasn't harming them by getting to close. Although, I am not too sure how he thought I could hurt those darling little plants. I mean, it's not as though I carry a bottle of weed-be-gone in my purse, whipping it out whenever I am threatened by a stray basil bush.

Thankfully I have an accomplice in T. Together we wage war on the chlorophyll that surrounds us by systematically imposing periods of drought followed by massive floods. I think the technical terms are "forgetting to water,"and "over-watering." Its actually quite sad, seeing as how both of our families have turned out more than one card carrying, green thumbing, garden genius type. Case in point - my brother runs an Organic Farm which manages to not only yield enough produce to feed his family, but then he sells the excess, for profit, at a farmers market! It is truly mind boggling that we share the same genes.

And yet every spring finds me filled with fresh hope that perhaps this is the year my gardening skills will kick in. I make the Saturday morning farmers market pilgrimage carefully choosing the plants that look the healthiest. I get lured in by those Early Girl tomatoes, whose yellow buds whisper promises of summertime salsas and salads. And the handsome heirloom varieties that hint at a scrappy will to live. They all get chosen. And when the garden guy isn't watching, I nonchalantly slip a strawberry start into my tray, hoping that this year it will live.

And so, you can imagine the epic failure we experienced this year when our natural ineptitude combined with an extremely wet and chilly summer. Our entire harvest consisted of about 8 tomatoes, 1 strawberry, 2 jalapeños (that never got hot), and a couple of sprigs each of dill and sage. It was a dismal failure.

So instead of feasting on the glorious fruits of our own hard work, we did what any self-respecting urbanite would do: we hightailed it back to the market, bought 20 dollars worth of organic tomatoes, and proceeded to can them, fully willing to pass them off as "ours" come winter.

My pantry shelf is now stocked and ready.

And there is always next year...

its been three years...

2008-09-25T07:10:00.001-07:00

our third anniversary came and went with little fuss. we celebrated in our own favorite way - T brought me flowers, and i cooked him dinner (classic meat and potatoes - very rare treat in our mostly vegetarian house).

it was sweet, low key, and perfect!

i have known T for over ten years now, and while 5 of those years were spent in different states (and even different continents!), it has been the most amazing journey.

we met when i was 17 years old, at summer camp! T was working in the kitchen, and i was a counselor in training. it took us all summer to even start talking, although absolutely everybody else knew about the enormous crushes we had on each other. we spent several months writing letters and emails, which eventually turned into phone calls, which eventually turned into visits. he came to California, i went to Illinois. he came to England, i went to Portland.

eventually we got married...

i am the luckiest girl!

2008-09-18T17:42:00.000-07:00

wow!

i hardly even know where to begin....

today was a pretty rough day for me. the kind of day when all you want to do is climb into bed and hibernate for the next week. the kind of day where you really wish it was a Friday, so you don't have to face anything until Monday. the kind of day where you end up being snippy with your husband, after he did absolutely nothing wrong.

but as you can tell from the title of this post, my day has completely turned around!

i received my package from the flirty apron swap, and boy oh boy i lucked out! my partner so completely "got" my dream vacation.

here is what i wrote...
I have a love affair with the ocean, so my absolute dream vacation would be located somewhere sunny, where the water was a clear blue, where there was a hammock hanging under a shady tree but still over the water, and i had a stack of amazing books! I would also get to eat amazing food, spend romantic nights with my husband in a hut that overlooked the water (perhaps it is one of those huts that is on stilts coming out of the water?), and take horseback rides down the beach, and of course i would never get sunburned, and i would have unlimited drinks but never get drunk, and i could swim and play all day and not get wrinkled prune-skin. :)

and here is what she created...

back in august (this girl was on the ball!) she posted about the fabric here. and i immediately fell in love with the darling mermaids, the sea turtles, the schools of fish, the colors... everything about it! i wanted so badly to rush out and buy some of the fabric for myself, but i resisted (i still had to buy the fabric for the apron i made for my partner after all). instead i just kept visiting her post, dreaming of this beautiful fabric and hardly even daring to hope that it would be for me. after all, there were probably a hundred dream vacations all having to do with the beach.

and then a few days ago, i saw this post about the finished apron, and i immediately showed it to T, saying something along the lines of "this is my favorite apron, and i really wish it were mine, but it probably isn't because it is too perfect." (still trying not to get my hopes up *too* high).

thankfully i was wrong, and this apron gets to stay here with me!

she also included many yummy looking recipes for fruity summer drinks, as well as two hurricane glasses - perfect for holding on to the last little bits of summer here in the NW...

and the pocket detail! its so cute....

i think what i love best about this apron is how it ties together all of the different parts of my dream vacation....
- the color scheme is so soothing and relaxing - it reminds me so much of beautiful sunsets, crisp clear water, and sand between my toes. it puts me in the same mood that a hammock and a stack of books does.
- the swimming girls remind me of those glorious summer days of my childhood, when i could literally spend all day in the water pretending i was a mermaid, diving under waves, body surfing, and making sandcastles.
- and the pattern is just "flirty" enough to entice T, who pretty much immediately asked for a fashion show (a la empire records... if you know what i mean).

like i said.... she got all of the parts of my dream vacation!

so a huge thank you to the wonderful creator of this apron... Adrienne - you definitely made my day!

its done!

2008-09-17T18:24:00.001-07:00

just a quick note to announce that my flirty apron is finished and mailed!

check out my photos here

i will post more when i receive mine!

flowers and flowers and flowers... oh my!

2008-09-02T19:09:00.000-07:00

i love weddings.

i love the big white dresses, i love the flowers, the dancing, the cake, the guests. but i especially love seeing how people work elements of their own style into the little details. over the last two years i have watched two couples plan and execute their amazing celebrations, and both times i have been honored to be involved. with my own third anniversary arriving at the end of this month, i definitely have weddings on the brain. here are some of my favorite details:

the first wedding was a lovely rustic affair inside the octagonal barn at McMennamin's Cornelius Pass Roadhouse in Hilsboro Oregon....

....which we completely draped in lights. it was like dancing in a fairy castle....

the oh so talented bride did her own flowers....

and the favors were a mixed cd of the couple's favorite music and comedy numbers....

(professional photos taken by Adria)

the second wedding took place at gorgeous Bridal Veil Lakes in Corbett, OR. It was unusually rainy this August, however the precipitation only added to the lush ambiance of the lake (which is completely surrounded with trees and flowers)

i was able to help create the floral arrangements....

…and i can now say that i am an expert at providing “first aid” to drooping pomander balls!

the bride kept a vintage feel using old mason jars as vases (and by pairing an anthropologie shrug with her gorgeous handmade dress!)

(photo cropped to maintain privacy)

the couple escaped for a moment directly following the ceremony...

...and later shared a romantic boat ride!

a big thank you to these lovely ladies for letting me share your beautiful celebrations!!!

sewing swaps....

2008-08-20T09:27:00.000-07:00

i recieved my apron swap partner information on saturday, and i am so excited to start this project. my partner seems like a very sweet gal, although her dream vacations are polar opposites to mine! however, i was totally inspired, and i think i am up for the challenge. i can't say much more than that, though, as this is supposed to be anonymous.....

in july i participated in the Bend the Rules Sewing Placemat and Napkin Swap, and while it was difficult at times, i had so much fun creating my gift.

my partner did not have a blog at the time, and so there were no visual clues to her style or color preferences. all i had to go on was her description of herself, and i don't know about you, but i have found that so often people don't really know how to describe themselves. they may think they are one way, but are in reality quite different.

and so i felt stuck at the beginning, and i spent such a long time debating over what to do. that is however, until i finally found some inspiration on the Mary Engelbreit website (my partner had said she loved Mary's stuff, and wanted to figure out how to incorporate that style into her own decor) specifically this little paper doll. I instantly fell in love with her sassy little style, and the green and yellow outfits she wears.

i already had some lovely green linen in my stash, and i loved the idea of incorporating something that i already owned into the project, in order to imbibe it with a little bit of me. so armed with images of Georgia and my linen, off to the fabric store i went...

and this is what i came home with....

(turns out i also had the perfect polka dot fabric in my stash and so this gift got a little extra Robinson flavor)

once i had finished the napkins, however, they seemed a little naked. and so i decided to add some matching napkin rings. the buttons were new, but the ribbon was also from my stash (apparently i like green).

the napkins are double sided, which i find make them super absorbent, and it lets you change up the look when you set your table. they have four different fabrics, but are all backed and edged in the same blue floral for some continuity. the place mats are similarly mis-matched.

i really hope she liked them!

a mouse of one's own...

2008-08-11T16:17:00.000-07:00

i was voted home from work today, four against one. apparently i am not very good at taking care of myself, however, the lovely ladies i work with did their best mother impressions and sent me on my way. i am supposed to be recuperating, resting, getting better, mending, healing - whatever you want to call it, i am having a hard time doing it.

it is not in my nature to sit still. it usually takes T and i about 3 hours to watch a 90 minute film, what with all the pausing i end up doing. i think that is why i love netflix so much - i don't feel guilty when it takes three nights to watch a movie!

so when i got home today i tried real hard to be good. i sat out back and read a book (stopping only to tie up some straggling tomato branches, and then to trim back the mint, which of course led to some weeding). and then i tried to watch a movie, but i got hungry - so i made lunch (and organized the pantry, and emptied the dishwasher). then i tried to nap, (changed the sheets and brushed the cat), read some more (checked my email, caught up on some blogs), watch a movie (painted my toenails).....

so i finally gave up on trying to take it easy. i ventured into my (very messy) craft/guest room with the hopes of doing some good organizing, and ended up making a mouse pad.

i used some decorative paper, clear plastic, and some sticky backed felt.

now if only i had a mouse....

thats better...

2008-08-07T16:55:00.000-07:00

six weeks ago i was offered a less than one year old laptop computer, and i of course jumped at the chance to own something so shiny and new. my old laptop (which i dearly, dearly love - it was my traveling companion the year i spent in England, and was definitely integral in maintaining my sanity) is so close to the end of its life, that if it were a pet i would have had it put down ages ago. unfortunately the previous owner had to first purchase her new laptop. and then she had to transfer all the information over. and then she had to get to the post office and prepare the little machine for its journey up the coast to Portland.

six weeks is a long time to wait - not that i wasted the time mind you. i have spent hours devising all sorts of fun projects (including customized recipe cards and more frequent blogging, among other things), and shopping for the perfect bag in which to carry it.

and guess what? it arrived yesterday!

and while i have added many many things to my list of "to be created," the computer did not arrive with a magical device that would give me more time in which to do these things.

it did arrive, however, with some lovely old photos stored in its belly - photos of my family that i have never seen before. and i can't help but wonder about the stories behind them.

reason number 67,458 why I love my husband...

2008-07-18T18:11:00.000-07:00

T has this really amazing knack for picking out the most perfect flowers - as witnessed by the "happy no-day" bouquet he surprised me with when he came to pick me up tonight.

Unfortunately I work six days a week (thankfully at two jobs that i absolutely love!) but that doesn't leave T and I much alone time, so when he sauntered into my work this evening an hour before I was supposed to get off, carrying this bouquet, my heart did somersault's. Not only did this incredibly handsome man bring me flowers, but my coworkers were so touched that they insisted I leave early!

I suppose it all began ten years ago when I was a senior in high school (T was a junior in college!!) and I was attending a very preppy all girls school where I barely fit in. Up until we met, I had not been on a "real" date with a boy (group attendance at dances does not count) and my good grades had excluded me from the so-called "cool" group. T and I had met the previous summer while working at a camp in Michigan, and our relationship had quickly progressed from letters to emails to phone calls, and so when my 18th birthday rolled around in February, T arranged to have a dozen red roses delivered to me while at school! He knew the commotion such a romantic gesture would cause, and that it would put me at the center of attention, even if only for a little while. The flowers were beautiful and they definitely earned many envious remarks from my classmates, especially when they learned that I was dating a college boy!

The following year, as a freshman at UCSD, my birthday present from T was two dozen roses! He likes to joke that by then he loved me twice as much, therefore I deserved twice as many flowers! They caused less of a commotion in college, but I still felt like one very lucky girl!

Over the years, roses have definitely been a recurring theme, but T has also started to really branch out. (I think I owe the girls at his favorite flower shop - Sammy's for all you local folk- a really big thank you!) He loves to find new and unique flowers, as well as interesting foliage because he knows how much I dislike generic baby's breath. I really think that not many men buy their women flowers, especially of the "no-day" variety, judging from the comments he receives while picking them up. Someone inevitably asks what is the occasion, and there is always surprise when he answers "because she deserves it." (I know - can you believe him!!)

Thank you T - you are an amazing husband!

I humbly beg your forgiveness...

2008-07-10T14:03:00.000-07:00

Here is an oh so pretty spring peony offered up as an apology for my negligence...

...and as further proof that I am not good at being timely (it is no longer spring, and I took this photo last year)

I have so many things to share, but I feel as though the forces of the universe are keeping me from blogging. Well, at least that sounds better than the excuse that my computer is dying and can only be used when it is in the half closed position (which is very true by the way); or that my precious few hours every day are better spent with my husband than the internet (which is also very true); or that sometimes I sit down to write and the words just simply go away.

So there you are.

Look here and here for some of the crafty goodness I have managed to fit into my life.

And perhaps one day I will finish telling you about all the lovelies I received for graduation! (a sneak peek here and here)

phew...

2008-06-22T10:07:00.000-07:00

Boy am I tired! I don't remember feeling this way after my first degree. But then again, studying history is a lot different than designing 40,000 square feet of housing for the deaf and blind. I remember when I came up with this project nine months ago, and how excited I was to begin the journey. Little did I know how glad I would be to be done!

I was so tired the night of my presentation that I forgot to take pictures. Luckily T remembered to at least get a few shots.

And there are the other T's in my life... Tait and Taryn... who are two amazing designers and even better friends! They helped me get through the last few days of pulling the project together. I also have to mention Monica and Rachel... who although did not end up hamming for any photos, were also a huge part of my project. What did i do to deserve these friends? Thanks guys! I owe you!!

T feels like a newlywed all over again - we got married just a few months after I started school, and so he has never known me as "just" a wife. I keep telling him that he deserves a graduation too. After all, he was right by my side for every all-nighter, midnight trip to Kinko's, and every single break down where I cried for hours over a computer malfunction that made me lose entire projects, or when I felt as though I had no talent and was wasting my time (and money) going to school. I could not have done it without him! He is not only my best friend and champion, but also the most amazing husband. I am so lucky! (isn't he cute with our babies Eek and Moo?)

Welcome!

2008-06-09T11:18:00.000-07:00

I hope you like the new site!
Sorry this isn't a *real* post....I am still wrapping up my school stuff and getting ready to graduate this Friday, June 13th!!! Then I will have plenty of new posts for you, full of all the fun things I have been plotting while my time has been otherwise occupied!
Too see my old posts please visit VYSKdesigns