What I'm Reading

I read this book a little while back, but enjoyed it so much, I just had to post about it! Food, blogging, and a little bit of a love story...what's not to love! The movie is great too. It just made me want to have a beautiful dinner party...if only I could cook better!! Being inspired by the book...I also 'just had' to include a few kitchen pieces I've had my eye on for a while...



Above, retro polka-dot apron, yellow timer, and a beautiful ceramic egg crate; all from Anthropologie.



I've always had my eye on this lovely copper pot with acorns from Williams-Sonoma. I picture making a big stew with fresh-from the garden veggies on a crisp fall day. If only I had a garden...

Paintings by Lisel Jane

I first saw Lisel Jane's work quite a while ago and just can't seem to forget it. Today I am sharing it with you :)







I am especially fond of the wood panels...beautiful! You can check them out here.

Ampersand Vintage

Earlier this August I attended a great little show at Ampersand Vintage on Alberta titled Out of the Booth. Ampersand has an amazing collection of vintage snapshots available for as little as $5. All of the images at this show are photo-booth enlargements from the Robert E. Jackson collection; one of the largest 'candid' collections in North America. Below are a few of my favorites.





While we were there, we also picked up a botanical print from the 18th century of a Marsh Marigold...beautiful! If you want an afternoon to treasure hunt through gobs of vintage snapshots and take in a few beautiful books, this is the place to stop!!

Pink Bullets

This video is nowhere near 'new'...but I love it anyways. From the wonderfully crafted paper cows, to their ever-expressive eyes, and the birds on the wire, it holds beauty. The Shins currently reside here in Portland and it seems their shows always sell out. What caught my eye about this great stop motion video is the director, Adam Bizanski. He created the video while serving as a guard for the Israeli Defense Force. He heard the song, decided he had the right idea for the video...pursued the band, and signed on to create it! He currently resides in Tel Aviv; what a great international collaboration! He has also directed videos for Guster, Arcade Fire, and many more...you can check out his work here.

burst of beaden

Today in Portland, we are experiancing record-breaking heat. Maybe it was the icy chill of these images that drew me in to escape the heat...but this morning I am really loving the work of Jon Klassen of burst of beaden. His illustrations have appeared in various films, including Portland-made Coraline, children's books, and commercials. Most recently he contributed to a book titled We are the Friction that is a collaboration between writers and illustrators...this is definitely worth checking out if you haven't already.



I think this sailboat image is going to need to be purchased soon...or perhaps the beach house below...decisions decisions!!

What I'm Reading

So, I'm going to try to commit to doing a weekly tidbit on what I'm currently reading. I blow through books pretty fast and usually have more then one going at a time. Reading can really influences my ideas and inspire me to try new things. Lately, I've been really into what Powell's calls: Gastronomic Literature, and right now I'm currently reading Anthony Bourdain's Nasty Bits. In the same vain of his first book, Kitchen Confidential, it's all about his 'adventures' as a chef. Here is a link to a great Times review if you want a (much) more detailed description.


I think what I am taking away most from this book is the importance of chefs/cooks in the restaurant. I know this sounds really obvious, but I have spent a few years in my time as a waitress, and for those of you who have worked in a restaurant, you now there is a bit of a separation between the Front Of House (FOH) and the Back Of House (BOH). I always just thought of the cooks as kinda sweaty and a little bit creepy and never really thought about how hugely important their work is. I mean, a waitress can only do so much...people eat at a restaurant for the food. So, next time you go out to eat, think about the poor line cooks in the back sweating over the grill just to fix you a wonderful bowl of chicken pasta and be thankful!!

Color Show

One of the original Antwerp Six, Dries Van Noten is one of my favorite designers. This year's Fall RTW show was such a feast for color-lovers. I love how unexpected the color combinations are. It's true that I would enjoy a lot of these pieces to actually wear, but beyond that it is the palate that I am loving. I can't wait for fall to try out some of these combos.









Just a little extra bit of info...DVN's inspiration for this line came courtesy of Francis Bacon. I suppose you either love or hate Bacon...so this may change your view of the line, but I think it is important to note.

Bakery Dreaming

I LOVE baking and cupcakes are one of the most fun things to whip up...I have quite the collection of sprinkles. While browsing typefaces on Veer, I came across the one below; "cocktail shaker" and something about it just screamed 'cupcake' to me. This lead to searching for cute panda illustrations...and then to cupcake pictures...and then...not that I would ever actually open up a bakery, but if I were, it would be called Marzipanda's Cupcake...in honor of my kitty cat, Marzipanda. I would love for it to have a 1940's Asian theme and mix it up with retro Southern California feel







Not that a tiny fridge and dishwasher would actually work in a commercial bakery...but I absolutely love the retro feel of these appliances from Big Chill...maybe they would work just perfect in my humble domestic kitchen :)

The original Marzipanda herself

Beach Boutque Hotel

I love the beach here in the Northwest. Something about sunshine and palm trees just doesn't jive with me when I think 'beach'. Instead, rain, clouds, heavy fog, towering trees and looming mountains with craggy cliffs come to mind as I picture myself cozy with a cup of coffee, a bowl of chowder, a good book and my hubby. This is how the beach should be; all foggy and cuddly. This being said, an old-made-new boutique hotel just opened in Astoria called the Commodore Hotel Astoria. Now Astoria may not be the quaintest of Oregon beach towns, but it is a city on the verge of a transformation; a re-birth from blue collar fishing/logging community to burgeoning tourist town. This hotel looks like a great spot to cozy up with that coffee...if only there was a fireplace in each room...





Developers Paul Caruna and Brian Faherty.


Thanks to Amy for bringing this to my attention!!

Special Event!

For those of you in the Corvallis area; I'm going to be shooting kid pictures in Central Park this Sunday!! Please e-mail me if you would like to set up an appointment, space is limited and I know it will fill up fast! I will be shooting film, so start thinking if you want black and white or color.

Apothecary Office Ephemera

In our new house, we finally have space for an office. It will mostly be used by my hubby for grad school; so designing something more masculine for this space has been a bit of a challenge for me. His only request was for it to be 'quiet'. Literally, just a quiet place to study...so...I have come up with a "turn-of-the-century apothecary meets mid-century industrial" concept. Below are some images I have gathered for inspiration. I imagine this will be a bit of a work-in-progress for a while; but I promise 'before' and 'after' pictures of the real space eventually!

First up below is our desk! This image is from Country Living; but we found the vintage 1940's desk on craigslist for a steal! I don't like the 'western' feel of this space...but was excited to find our desk in use!

I really like these open wall-mounted shelves from Pottery Barn instead of bookshelves. I think for our space, we will use industrial brackets to hang them and mix in storage cubbies and antique milk bottle containers mounted with the shelving.

I know I'm not alone; but I just love the styling of Anthropologie's latest catalog. Below are a couple of images that I would really like to capture the feel of in our space...too bad we don't have the exposed brick walls...


This lamp is amazing...I love it. It is the beginning in a series of images (three below) I found from a NY Times article about "The New Antiquarians". It's not only an interesting read, but also great to see other bloggers and artists inspired by the old-made-new. I especially love the dark walls (below); but seeing as we have a rental, I won't paint this dark. I'm still figuring out my feelings on taxidermy. I think I prefer the porcelain replicas more then the real thing.





Lovely accessories to finish off the room that I would love to own: vintage replica fan, terrariums in bell jars (image from cookie mag), vintage industrial file cabinet, antique dutch apothecary jars, and an edison bulb. The light fixture in the room is original to the house and has exposed bulbs that would look beautiful with one of these replicas.