fashion blitz - summer dress

this little lady came home with me on sunday. she's perfect, just the piece i needed for my summer wardrobe. i met her at horseshoe on ballard ave in seattle. the sweetest shop; each piece seems handpicked and the staff was super helpful & not at all pushy. also, peek this, this, & this.

music to listen to - lusine

lusine has been in my library for a while, but it's just now getting the listen it deserves. check him out at the electric tea garden in seattle on june 25 (think of me as i fly across country for my annual trip to michigan).

fashion blitz - hair by william scott blair

as i start thinking about styling for upcoming projects, i can't resist dramatic, pretty hair. william scott blair works at vain & has a beautiful portfolio. photography by kyle johnson.

found photography - michael yuasa

the blog of michael yuasa is a bit anonymous, but more hunting links him to antarctic presents, yuasa studio (men's lounge wear), and pike street fish fry. either way, you should check the abundance of capitol hill notables (beautiful ones as it is) & seattle landscapes.

music to listen to - what a week

three shows this last week - little dragon (with v.v. brown), ceu & florence + the machine. today, you get my favorite songs from each.

etsy wednesday - french linen tote

the capitol hill farmers market is just around the corner & this looks like such a great way to get all my good from there to my kitchen. jill bent has a lovely assortment of french linen goods including totes & pillows.

found art - wafa collective

the wafa collective is curating in public - i love the frame series. the space in the bottom pic can be found in georgetown, i think that the top is between cap hill & downtown, but i'm not 100%.

a global collective that focuses on collaborative art between emerging artists via slog via slightly north.

music to listen to - hot chip

after hearing hand me down your love on kexp - it decided to check out hot chip's latest release, one life stand. i've got it flowing through my headphones this lovely afternoon; i keep wanting to get up & dance, but the cord isn't that long.

music to listen to - seattle hip hop

seattle is breaking out right now. i went to see shabazz palaces last friday & am still wishing i was there (the stranger is flipping out too). head over to dottie tunes for a full list on groups not to miss, along with links to their sites.

found design - graypants

i admire these pendant lights everytime i'm at vermillion & was finally motivated to hunt them down this am. graypants is a three-man design studio right here in my hood & i'm loving what they're doing.

side note - i participated in a small craft show yesterday & shared the spotlight with some great artists. i refered to my table as the "little guy," filled with my weekend crafts. i loved the beautiful silver from caitlin scott jewelry & picked up some gorgeous little window pieces from joby stained glass.

handmade days - diy night

UPDATE: the event will take place on thursday, dec. 3!

calling all seattle diy enthusiasts!along with some of my favorite people at faire gallery & cafe, i'll be hosting a diy night on thursday, dec. 3 from 7:30-10:00pm. pack up your latest project & work on it in the company of good people.

although moving to the east side of the hill means i'm there a lot less than i'd like - faire remains one of my favorite places in seattle. the space is warm, good music fills the aire, the art is fun & unexpected, & of course the food & drink are tops. no rsvp necessary, but if you want to invite friends or get it on your calendar, i've got a little something up on facebook.

i'm super excited to annouce that i'll be crossing another item of my 2009 to do list - bring in the new year! click here to download, embed or link the image to your site.

found goodness - sunday morning in tacoma

i went down to tacoma this morning for the nw trend show & on my way home i got the chance to snap some pics of pacific avenue. every time i drive this strip i want to bust out the camera; today was the perfect day for it - crisp, blue skies. tacoma is such a beautiful, but seemingly empty. i stare out at the port, all the cranes & large industrial buildings; all of this is paired with a quaint historic avenue with lovely old buildings, museums & public plazas - but it is so quiet.

another tip to all my favorite seattle readers - please please eat at afrikando afrikando. it is so delicious, the price is right & the people are friendly. there are some things you should know before going - it takes a while, the pace is slow & there is no booze (but the juices are to die for, tamarind & ginger, yummm). still, it's some of the best grub i've had in months.

music to listen to

i gave up my car a couple years ago now, but every once in a while i get to drive bart's to work. you know why i love this most? john in the morning on kexp. wednesday's commute led me to these wonderful tracks...


tonight's today by jack penate off of his everything is new album. he'll be at neumo's on 9.30.09.


nadine by fool's gold. they'll be at nectar lounge on 10.12.09

etsy wednesday

sweet garlands from kate greiner (also owner of nancy here in seattle). i want them to cover my apartment.

found art

our firm rents art from the sam gallery on 3rd ave for our front lobby; this allows us to change it up every 3 months or so. i was super excited to pick this month's, since i'd been too busy in the past. the gallery is stock full of some great seattle artists including liz tran. while i was down there i was introduced to the art of gala bent. i love the combination of delicate pencil & ink with watercolor. her paintings are soft, feminine & filled with hair.

fashion blitz

seattle style at needle+thread. finally, someone picking up where pike/pine left off.

i gave le 21eme arrondissement a shot, but can't help to think that it's mostly just the blackbird kids hanging around. still some great outfits & beautiful people.

Found Brunch

we hit up the corson building for their sunday brunch & were simply blown away! i've heard such good things about matt dillon's (of sitka & spruce) new space, especially the brunch. as we pulled up, we had a good laugh as bart & i realized the building used to be the home/studio of our friend augie.

the yard of the restaurant houses herb gardens, a monstrous fig tree & a chicken coop. we had fun poking around while we waited for our spot at one of two communal tables. once we sat down we ordered some coffee & juice before heading to their modest, yet delicious all you can eat buffet. i started with a cucumber & shallot salad, bread & jam, yogurt & preserves, farrow salad with summer beans & cured salmon. as if that weren't delicious enough, our pulled pork with cherry tomatoes, roasted shallots & a poached egg in the most amazing broth entree was quite possibly the most decilious dish i've had in months.

so next sunday if you find yourself in seattle - head to georgetown for a brunch you won't regret.

music to listen to

i've seen their name plastered on posters, in sonic boom windows & in the stranger - but it took an embedded video on line out to get to listen. love, sweet, adoring, tender love for seattle based duo, the dutchess & the duke.

found place

bart & i ventured out for a night at shi shi beach in the olympic national park this weekend; i now feel like an official seattle resident. after a much longer drive (route) out there, we arrived at the trailhead about 4pm on saturday. i suggest taking a three day weekend for all of you; between the ferry schedule, stopping for permits & bear canisters, obtaining a makah permit & driving the windy 112 - you'd be surprised how long the 160 mile venture actually takes.

the hike from our car to the campsite was just under 3 miles - .6 miles to the trailhead & 1.7 into the beach. the hike was fairly flat, but muddy with a steep (but short) descent to the beach. before seeing the ocean you find yourself in a tunnel of trees that seems a bit haunting, needles & dead branches line a long walkway parallel to the beach. the beach was fogged in almost completely but we were optimistic. our neighbors led us to a prime driftwood location after we set up the tent & we started a fire. dinner was quick & was finished off with a beautiful sunset breaking the fog. all along the beach you could see campers gravitating to the shore as this was the first sunset in days. bart & i spent some time running around & admiring the now exposed scenery.

we woke up early morning & spent hours discovering the tide pools. knowing that the drive would be a lot of the day, we packed everything up around 1 & headed back to the car. the drive was beautiful & fueled by a fat smitty burger & shake. we got home a bit later than planned, but were happy to have made the journey.

found shop

we stopped into great stuff during the georgetown artwalk & a night of stellar pizza & 9lb hammer drinks. store owner & good hunter extraordinaire, kirk, was more than happy to chat us up & make sure we gave the nice mannequin a squeeze. each item feels hand picked, serves as a great conversation starter & seems like a possibility for whimsy in any home.

check out last march's write up from decorno (obviously hipper to the scene than me).

image via vklahti.