found art

i saw this outside of the sam on a utilities box. i loved the colors against the gray - anyone know of the artist?

mad men - season 2

yeah, yeah - people found out, people fell in love & people played it out, but i am so pumped for season 2 of mad men. ohhh, mad men & your beautiful opening credits, costumes, set design & plot lines, you return on sunday.

liz tran

i found out about liz tran during my latest downtown adventure at maison luxe. she is a mixed media painter, located right here in seattle. i adore her romantic, childlike buildings - they are places i would have dreamed of living 16 years ago.

music to listen to

today i bring you goldfrapp. living in seattle (or any larger city) you see band names in the stranger (or whatever your weekly tabloid may be) every week; you see band names & you forget band names. well, next time i see goldfrapp in the paper - i'll be going to the show. you've got to check out their albums seventh tree & supernature.

giant artists - photography

giant artists is an agency for artists - photographers, film makers, illustrators, creative directors & stylists alike. i'm just fascinated with all of the stuff these people put out, but here are some of my favorites.


f. scott schader - i love this pic of the roots, it was my desktop wallpaper for a bit even.


blossom berkofsky


michael schmelling


lauren dukoff

craigslist finds

today is a little different - we'll go kitchen. after seeing the lovely seltzer bottles at maison luxe, i couldn't help but search for them & other fun collectibles.

vintage seltzer bottles, $50-$55 each; silver milk can, $50; pyrex beakers, $25; catherine holm dishes, $38.

maison luxe - retail & interiors

i was walking around downtown seattle with my mom when i noticed a beautiful store (understatement) on 1st ave, maison luxe. kitschy, feminine & beautifully juxtaposed - they carry beautiful goods for your home, as well as offer interior design services.

the walls of the store are filled with vintage mirrors & paintings/collages by local artists. the large farm tables are topped with white ginger jars, velvet moss (one of which i now own), sea shells & yummy candles. you'll also find linens & textiles, furniture, vintage glass & paper goods.

etsy wednesday

straight out of paris, annapaola sells prints of her original paintings & i can't help but admire the color palettes & bold shapes. measuring roughly 6" by 6" with a 1" border for framing, these digital prints sell for $20.

finally a terrarium

whew - cross this project off the list. while my nieces were over for their sleepover, we made succulent terrariums & they turned out so great. i'm not sure they'll live, but they look good right now. i went to archie mcphee's to buy little plastic goodness for the girls & ended up putting 2 of them in my sedum plant.

add it to the blogroll

m.a. belle is so lovely. ohhhhhh to be m.a. belle. michelle is the founder of rubie green & blogs from new york, ny. while she only blogs about 5 times a month, they are quality & beauty.

after getting her degree from michigan state (woot woot mi!), michelle went to work for domino. after realizing that there was a lack of eco-friendly, classic textiles she started rubie green & now carries beautiful, 100% organic interior & upholstery textiles.

found detail

high diving women - love it. this is one of two neon signs in seattle that make my heart stop. above is the one for the olympic athletic club in ballard.

tired & energized all in one

i mentioned earlier this week that i've had house guests since the beginning of june & on wednesday of this week - the rest of my family arrived (from michigan via van) for the 7 lovely days. i'm taking the weekend through tuesday off & may skip my usual posts - ok, i'll probably blog anyway.

i am having a slumber party with my nieces & brainstorming on some craftiness for the three of us. i was thinking about mason jar terrariums for them to take home, because it's not a family road trip without something awkward & delicate to take back (i used to insist on a hermit crab every time we drove down to alabama for spring break). we're also planning to do some baking, nail painting, park playing & top pot donut eating.

i hope to have some fun stuff for you in the coming weeks, as i spend my days lonely, but gratefully creating.

the above image is from kanako sasaki, a beautiful photographer. her wanderlust collection is remarkable & romantic.

music to listen to

today's music is thao & her backing band, the get down stay down's new album, we brave the bee stings & all. san francisco based, the band gives us a great batch of folk-rock.

ruby mag

another fantastic online magazine, ruby. this one is a collection of illustrators, photographers, graphic designers & other artists. the site is easy to navigate & there are direct links to all contributors.

image above from frederik heyman.

craigslist finds

look at all of these colorful couches - it's a frickin' vintage rainbow. orange sectional, $600; red tufted, mid-century couch, $895; green lounger, $195; chrome & vinyl settee, $295 (i know this is similar to last weeks, but i just love 'em).

another another tip - space oddity in ballard seems to have quite the inventory right now. visit the link above for their collection on craigslist or just visiting the brick & mortar.

dolce vita arrives in ballard

if you want to visit a beautiful shop that carries a ton of beautiful clothes & shoes, then you must visit dolce vita on ballard ave. the store carries a variety of brands, including their own. i just had to try on this dress & then this one almost went home with me. it's spendy, but the clothes are unique, well made & well worth it.

as much as the clothing, the space was out of control, located in the g.b. sangdon building. the owner takes great pride in interior & their staff seemed quite proud & happy to share the details - wallpaper hand printed in belgium, custom blown glass chandelier from denmark (or germany, i can't remember), etc. you must stop by the next time you are in the neighborhood.

etsy wednesday

i love these plates - so affordable, so beautiful & so personal. paloma's nest makes & stamps ceramic plates & bowls straight outta austin, texas. a personal favorite is the lovely day bowl with a vintage bicycle stamp; they start at $16 & personalized bowls are $17.50.

shirley kurata - stylist & creative direction

i'd like to be famous - when i was younger my parents placed bets on whether i'd become a go go dancer or a talk show host. now - i'd settle (i mean be honored) on becoming the next amy sedaris (this is the funniest thing to me, amy on martha). no matter what happens, i'd like shirley kurata to be my stylist & direct my first photo shoot. you have to scope out her portfolio; it's littered with the likes of beck, elijah wood, jenny lewis & michel gondry.

friends & flowers

there are these sisters. i've known them since i was 3. i was lucky enough to have them here, one after another, for the last 2 weekends. i love you both.

i bought some peonies on saturday (ohhh how long the wait has been) & couldn't resist taking these pictures of erin getting ready on sunday morning.

add it to the blogroll

this has taken me way to long - but i have to keep some things for myself right? no. meet whorange - the most wonderfully kitschy, classy design blog out there. i met tula at the lab a while back; she is seriously cute & comes to us via la.



{frolic!} is one my freshest finds. chelsea fuss is a portland based florist & prop stylist that blogs beautiful things like photographers, fashion, flowers & placemaking.

stella mccartney for lesportsac

this is me - loving the collaboration, wanting one of everything, wishing i could convince myself $350 isn't too much money to spend on a gym bag or a tote. however, i do find that i've used my older lesportsac tote almost every day for 2 years - bought at urban on sale for $20 - i'm such a thrifty lady. stella mccartney has created a spring/summer line with lesportsac that will use 100% recycled polyster - letting it tout the name "eco-friendly."

wanna buy me one?

let's explode - lovely pics

i can't remember where i saw these first - but the colors make me incredibly happy. let's explode takes such pretty pics & the carnival polaroids look straight outta the 60s & sweet enough to eat.

found typography

while visiting portland i noticed that city buildings are completely littered with wonderful signage & typography. i love the combo of calligraphy & simple sans serif - i shouldn't forget to mention that yellow drop shadow either.

wrapped in lace

guerrilla art - woot woot! i love this lace wrapped tree on ward's island in toronto found via craft:.

music to listen to

two new albums that you really should check out. she & him, volume one is new to me & i'm really liking it so far. the band is a collaboration between zooey deschanel & m. ward, who cover fantastic songs such as "you've really got a hold on me." the second album featured is by welsh singer, duffy; this is her debut album, rockferry. she is considered to be more than just the latest british, neo-soul singer of the week; rockferry is getting pretty strong reviews.

style icon - zooey deschanel

image from wait for the signal


image from scrink


image from lance mannion


image from gordon & the whale


image from brooklyn vegan


images from trashionista & pop sugar

turquoise: interior design & vintage furniture

it all makes me salivate. turquoise is based out of la; vanessa de vargas is an interior designer & furniture designer. she specializes in the restoration of vintage & heirloom furniture, which she displays in her venice beach showroom & sells online.

etsy wednesday - on thursday

i'm pretty sure that my mind is spinning out of conrtol - over stimulation, thousands of ideas, hectic day job, guests (& upcoming guests), friends leaving town that warrant three solid days of goodbye. i somehow managed to think that yesterday was thursday & today is wednesday. never the less - i bring you my weekly etsy feature.





oh leoluca has a collection of european vintage goods from sweet skirts & lingerie to wallets & shoes. prices are moderate, ranging from $18 - $50. my only qualm - she models most of the clothes & is so frickin' cute, it may give false hopes of how the clothing will look on the buyer.

decor8 - 08 mood board entry

i just submitted my entry (#22 what what) for decor8's mood board competition in coordination with amy butler. boards are supposed to be inspired by one or more of amy butler's midwestern modern fabrics. i chose 2 from the pink dahlia collection & chose to do a bedroom - seeing that i am longing to redo mine.

you can see mine & other entries at the decor8 flickr group. after all entries are submitted, 30 finalists will be picked & grouped into professional & others for fair judging. voting for the winner & 5 runner-ups will take place on june 24 & 25. please remember to vote! this is my first shot at it - wish me luck.

craigslist finds

just a few things for your dining &/or living room. lane end table, $125; modern loveseat, $150; metal lamp, $10; knoll cesca chairs, $600.

succulent terrarium

add this darn thing to my list of diy projects. ever since my stay at the ace hotel, i've been wanting to make my own lovely succulent terrarium. this is an easy & wonderful tutorial over at mstetson.

chris natrop

during my daily run through of blogs - i ran into a post about chris natrop, the la based artist. his work started as small scale landscape drawings & now include room size paper cut installations. he's amazingly talented & i would love to see an exhibit (which doesn't seem to be in the books anytime soon).