housemartin

grainy

Grace's post over at Design*Sponge last week about SCAD reminded me to go see whats new over there...
I came across this fun set of pillows by designer Maureen Walsh. They all have a woodgrain print on top of pinstripes and curved edges with a rich green or brown backing. They look amazing against that floral wallpaper!

patchy

More design love for MES textiles (link via dear ada). These felted wool patchwork blankets are incredible...

silhouettes

So enamored with these floral printed furniture pieces from MES textiles (link via dear ada). The clean modern lines of the furniture balance nicely with the silhouetted floral patterns. Lovely.

bold pattern

When it comes to decorating, I am generally a neutral furniture person so you can change accesories out with the seasons. But I am loving these bold patterned sofas at Anthropologie. Also just love the way the photo was composed...the bold sofas against the thick plaster walls with an open beam ceiling...a great contrast...

cool blue

I was absolutely mesmerized when I saw the photos of Philip Dixon's Venice Beach home at Apartment Therapy: LA. The outdoor spaces are stunning with aqua blue reflecting pools and gorgeous cactus gardens against thick white stucco walls...

and the interiors in all neutrals provide a simple and elegant backdrop...

ahhhhhhh.....I am relaxed just looking at all of it...

utility

Dreaming about this sink shown in MSL for my shop...

feeling hoppy

As of 1 year ago I had never seen hops...and certainly I had not seen it growing on a vine. One of the great pleasures of being in a town that has more microbreweries than you can shake a stick at, is the availability of hops vine. But you have to snatch it up before the brewers get their hands on it!
I did a wedding this weekend that involved using hops vine along the wedding arch. I have to say, I was so enamoured with it, I got some for myself! Small clover-like green buds along a delicate vine - the petals are so papery and also dry well.

I made a vignette along my dining room builtin hutch.

Here is a closeup of the hops, my vintage garden cement bird, and tall mossy branches...
and of course some flowers and figs...

A few weeks ago I posted about a window display at Soapology in Manhattan. Every one seemed to go nuts (myself included) for the candles in the birdcage. So I was inspired to do my own version. Turns out I had bought the exact same style of birdcage a few months ago while antiquing. I perched mine on a vintage wood column top which is the center of my hops sideboard vignette.

summer reminiscing - part 2

More of our little venture to Hood River last month.
Here are some sweet alpaca gazing with a snowy Mt. Hood as a backdrop. They have such funny hairdos and the longest eyelashes I have seen on any animal.

some gorgeous eggplant in a wood crate at one of the farms...
then on to Nelson's blueberry farm...
fields of gorgeous blueberries in every stage of ripening

ready for cobbler that night
this lovely gal was our escort - a mouser no doubt in a field as large as that. She has seen many blueberries in her lifetime...
an apple orchard nearby  - we'll be back to pick you in a few weeks!
and the last stop - a lavender farm. The blossoms were just past their prime and were being used to infuse oil for sale. I went home with a small cotton sachet of dried flowers to put under my pillow - I have the sweetest dreams...

summer reminiscing - part 1

I know summer isn't quite over yet but I can already feel the change in the air. Starting to be chilly when I go to the flower market at 5:30am now. We had a lot more rain here in Portland this summer so I think many of us are clutching on to those last weeks of summer - am I right Portlanders?
Anyway, was thumbing through these photos of our trip to Hood River about a month ago - just 1 hour east of Portland. Felt the need to play "city mouse - country mouse" and have already done the "city mouse" with my report of Manhattan...
so now onto the country...

Getting to Hood River is a beautiful drive along the Columbia River Gorge. After driving through the quaint town of Hood River, you can venture onto "The Fruit Loop" - every kind of bounty from the land - orchards for miles tucked amoung rolling hills with Mt. Hood looming above like The Matterhorn. Depending on when you go you will find cherries, apples, pears, blueberries, alpaca, lavender, wine - you name it.
Here is our prize - just one little bowl full to the brim with ripe, juicy cherries (I say 1 little bowl as we picked 5 lbs.!) (please enjoy the Lotta Jansdotter bowl too!)

after cherry picking we went to a farm that grows sunflowers. They were all arranged in rows by variety.
Here is my favorite - "Sunny the Joker". It had such a huge head that it was drooping downward while bees were climbing around enjoying its sticky sap.
there is something very satisfying about seeing flowers growing in a field...

and on the adjacent plot of land - a field of zinnias - so cheerful!

big red

A few weeks ago Social Design blog did a post mentioning Big Red Sun in Austin. I had forgotten how much I liked them! They combine a garden store, landscape design, and event planning. I love the look of their space - beautifully done.

cute front to the store and look at those amazing hanging balls covered with echeveria! marvelous!
they use a lot of oversized metal planters which add so much drama while still being earthy.
a fabulous turquoise bench with displays of succulents all around it
some decorative balls made of natural vines hang from the tin ceiling