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!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
SSEKO!
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?
Sunday, January 16, 2011
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!
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!)
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Pride and Prejudice
Just found the BEST Etsy shop ever!
Look at these amazing Pride and Prejudice themed goodies....
Look at these amazing Pride and Prejudice themed goodies....
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Um... hello
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!)
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!)
Sunday, August 15, 2010
last weekend...
...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!
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!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
new shoes and happiness...
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!
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!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Summer!
... 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?
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?
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Happiness is...
...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!)
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
breakfast
#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!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
A sneak peek...
...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!
********
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!
********
********
Friday, April 30, 2010
thnxthnxthnx
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:
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:
Sunday, April 25, 2010
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!
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!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
#24
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?)
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?)
Thursday, March 25, 2010
hip hip hooray!
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
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
Monday, March 22, 2010
30 before 30
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!
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!
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