housemartin

souvenir

Last weekend we took a little jaunt up to Seattle - neither of us had been in years so we thought we should take a little trip and discover a few finds. We started in the Ballard neighborhood - a historic district. We found our way into this beautiful and curious shop - Souvenir by artist Curtis Steiner. There is no sign but you will probably recognize it by the intriguing antiques in the windows. The shop is a delightful experience - giving you a sense of discovery as you walk through. Curtis showcases some wonderful antiques as well as his gorgeous, intricately-detailed jewelry. His work features antique glass beads and found objects. The large case of what looks like an apothecary's chest of drawers up front are a wonder - each drawer holds some vintage charm - spools of thread, small vials, or a jewel encrusted mirror. One entire wall features vintage buttons all displayed on crisp white cards with Curtis's calligraphic flourishes. We tried not to disturb sweet Mortimer, the Chihuahua, perched on a shearling blanket at the counter - having a little reverie no less. What a gem of a shop - Curtis has a keen eye for the delicate, beautiful, and ephemeral.

good press

I was so thrilled that the article about our house came out in Sunset magazine while we were in Seattle last weekend! You can read the article here and see even more pics here (and sources). So dreamy to have been included! Thanks for all the lovely comments from everyone about the press and welcome to those of you who started reading housemartin from that article! Thanks also to Jess chamberlain for writing it and Jon Jensen for photographing it!

spring glow

Some orders for a client last week...
Top arrangement is large, bold, and dramatic with shades of orange, white, and green.
Pincushion protea, dragon-eye leucadendron, Limbo roses, orange parrot tulips,orange ranunculas, seeded eucalyptus, pear branches, and nandina foliage.

Bottom arrangement is low and lush for a dining table...
green bud hydrangea, striped aspedistra leaf loops, leucadendron, bonzai eucalyptus, Avalanche and Sphinx Gold roses, and white freesia. So fresh for a spring celebration!

baby steps

Progress is finally being made on my retail space for the ink & peat shop. The construction company is giving me a complete date of May 1 which means if they are on schedule, I will be open in June! These things do seem to take forever! From the time I thought about doing this to actually being open it will be almost 3 years. In fact, we drove by the building this morning and my sweetie said "wow - so weird that it is ACTUALLY going to happen - I sort of thought it was like Santa Claus - you just never thought it was real...".
It is indeed seeming very real. I have been ordering stock for the first time in order to have product in time for opening. Choosing all the best goodies...
Here are a few shots of my space. To the left of me will be a restaurant and to the right a coffee roaster and cafe, and behind a homeopathic vet -nice  community. This is a pic looking into the space from the front door - you can see the studs for the demising wall are going up - no drywall yet. The skylights in the lovely 25ft. bow-truss ceiling will provide ample light once uncovered. Below that pic is a cinder block wall that will be drywalled over. We took advantage of that to map out where the mirror and display tables would sit. Long way to go but it is a very tangible start!

still noodles

A few weeks ago we were eating supper at a Japanese restaurant near our house and overheard the cutest conversation between a little girl and her mom.

Mother to little girl-
Q:"Which would you choose...noodles or hamburgers?"

A: "...noodles" <slurp>

Q: "How about noodles or pizza?"

A: "...still noodles" <sl sl slurrrrp>

Q: "What about ice cream?"

A: "Still noodles!"

My sentiment exactly.

Noodles in any form by any cuisine are my favorite food. So how can you blame me  when I randomly remembered this great place in London while I was blogging. It's called Wagamama and when I went about 7 years ago there weren't many locations. Turns out now there are like a gazzillion locations now, Including one in Boston - has anyone been? Anyway - great noodles in a clean and modern environment - good food and good design - what's not to like?
(photos top to bottom - all on flickr
overall Manchester restaurant shot by Low
napkin and chopsticks by Mibbie
round lights by Nsop
front desk by Yummy in the Tummy
bowl of finished noodles - Russell Bremner)

Happy weekend everyone - and may it be full of noodles!

good day sunshine

An order for a client last week.
A full lush arrangement in sunny tone of orange, yellow, white, and green.
Orange pincushion protea, white freesia, orange tulips, Supergreen and Yellow Island roses, orange ranuncula, Bonsai eucalyptus, pittosporum leaves, silver sage, and gorgeous Dragon-Eye leucadendron.

Easter Bonnet

Some of last weeks orders in intense warm spring tones with ivory accents...
Pale yellow Alexandra and Yellow Island roses, yellow and coral blushing Ambiance roses, Supergreen roses, peachy pink asters, green tulips, andromeda, pink sweetpeas, orange ranuncula, sword ferns, seeded eucalyptus, and the most amazing-smelling peach hyacinth.
(Bottom arrangements have Safari Sunset leucadendron, orange tulips, and pale yellow parrot tulips added to the mix).

pattern

Love these new hand-painted tiles by Anchor Bay. That rich caramel brown tone and bold Moroccan patterns would be great in a modern setting with lots of white or even a pop of yellow...
Or even with this Elba Sofa below from DWR....

Can you say beach house?

Danish Modern

While we are on the topic - I came across the site for this store in LA - Denmark 50 - looks like fun!
Road trip!

bold pots

Yummy vintage pottery at Good Design's 1st Dibs site...
These are from Danish designers by Aneline and Per Lineman Schmidt of Palshu made in the 1950's.
Love the combination of that greyish turquoise with the greyish olive color...