from Pottery Barn
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Dreamy Outdoor Party
I don't have the space for these or really need them but don't these chairs make you want to throw all logic out the window and throw a party...
Reasons to Love Summer
The temperatures in Portland have been much higher than they should be and I don't have AC. I was feeling a little grumpy and hot so I decided to post about reasons I love this season.
Fresh cherries and nectarines
Men in light suits
Reading on my porch after the sun sets
How late the sun sets here above the 45th parallel
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Vive la France!
Yesterday was Bastille Day. I was lucky enough to live in France about 10 years ago. So I got mes amis together and went to Le Happy. What better way to celebrate the revolution than eating delicious crêpes and enjoying the disco ball. I had the salad crêpe but switched out the gorgonzola for some chèvre. It was, quite possibly, the best crêpe I've ever had. And then I had the strawberry and nutella crêpe too. We all had at least a salé (savory) and a sucré (sweet) crêpe. Afterwards, I was reminded of this saying:
J'ai bien mangé, j'ai bien bu, j'ai la peau du ventre bien tendue (It's better said out loud, it rhymes. Literally: I ate well, I drank well, the skin on my stomach is well-stretched)
Can you tell I'm excited I just learned how to do accents on my keyboard?!
J'ai bien mangé, j'ai bien bu, j'ai la peau du ventre bien tendue (It's better said out loud, it rhymes. Literally: I ate well, I drank well, the skin on my stomach is well-stretched)
Can you tell I'm excited I just learned how to do accents on my keyboard?!
Music Tuesday - 7/15/08
Ooops, I forgot all about this yesterday.
Lately these three songs have been stuck in my head or CD player.
"The Underdog" (mp3) by Spoon. Need proof this is a band you should love? When you do a Google search for Spoon, the Wikipedia entry for the band comes before the entry for the eating utensil. Several years ago, Britt Daniel had a cameo on Veronica Mars, such a good, underrated, cancelled-too-early show, and sang karaoke to Elvis Costello's "Veronica." I didn't know it was possible to have that many things I love in one place without the world imploding. Still not sure... Britt did the music for Stranger Than Fiction. And Britt and I both recently chose Portland over Austin.
"Mona Lisa" (mp3) by Blair. I don't know nearly as much about this artist as I do about Spoon. But I do know this; it's on a recent mix CD and I am always skipping through the other songs to get to this one and then hit repeat at least once. Her voice is so clear and personal. She cites Neil Young and Liz Phair as influences. You can buy her CD on CD Baby who calls her a mix between Dolly Parton and Radiohead. Intriguing, no?
"Gotta Have You" (mp3) by The Weepies. Truly, the song that is most often stuck in my head is Hideaway but I just included that on a mix I shared with you and since I already repeated a song with Mona Lisa, I wanted to give you something new. This adorable husband/wife duo sing happy, summery songs without being too sugary. And her voice is the one I would choose for my own if I were ever given the option. You'll wish you had a convertible just to drive in the sunshine listening to their music.
Lately these three songs have been stuck in my head or CD player.
"The Underdog" (mp3) by Spoon. Need proof this is a band you should love? When you do a Google search for Spoon, the Wikipedia entry for the band comes before the entry for the eating utensil. Several years ago, Britt Daniel had a cameo on Veronica Mars, such a good, underrated, cancelled-too-early show, and sang karaoke to Elvis Costello's "Veronica." I didn't know it was possible to have that many things I love in one place without the world imploding. Still not sure... Britt did the music for Stranger Than Fiction. And Britt and I both recently chose Portland over Austin.
"Mona Lisa" (mp3) by Blair. I don't know nearly as much about this artist as I do about Spoon. But I do know this; it's on a recent mix CD and I am always skipping through the other songs to get to this one and then hit repeat at least once. Her voice is so clear and personal. She cites Neil Young and Liz Phair as influences. You can buy her CD on CD Baby who calls her a mix between Dolly Parton and Radiohead. Intriguing, no?
"Gotta Have You" (mp3) by The Weepies. Truly, the song that is most often stuck in my head is Hideaway but I just included that on a mix I shared with you and since I already repeated a song with Mona Lisa, I wanted to give you something new. This adorable husband/wife duo sing happy, summery songs without being too sugary. And her voice is the one I would choose for my own if I were ever given the option. You'll wish you had a convertible just to drive in the sunshine listening to their music.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
I Need Some Design Help... From You!
At the end of the month I will be moving into a new apartment. My current apartment is furnished so I have nothing! That means I need to buy some new furniture. In the past, I've done a better job of decorating my living room than bedroom. This time, I'll have a roommate, the dishy Lizzy, so the living area already has some furniture. Since I don't like sleeping on the floor, I want to focus my first efforts on the empty room, my personal space, the bedroom. I want to be daring but comfortable. I have no problem finding images of rooms I like or don't like, I am just not so sure about executing it myself. I like too many different styles, I get scared of being "too original" as in bizarre, scared of committing, hesitant to spend money, and I end up being boring and bland. Since I'm starting from scratch, I think this is a chance to create a room I LOVE! Will you help me? If I post some ideas, will you comment, tell me the truth, help me come up with better ideas?
About me... I like clean lines. Right now I am in love with mid-century style but I worry that a room full would be too linear and boring, and expensive. I am leaning toward black furniture but I don't want to just go buy an entire bedroom suite, that's too boring. But then I worry about mixing too many styles. Can I mix black furniture and brown furniture? The room has hardwood floors so that's another wood color to throw in the mix. And I have a hard time knowing how to mix patterns. And also, not so great at hanging or clustering art. I grew up in the South in a very traditional, preppy town so I tend to lean toward classic styles but just like the green cardigan with pink and white argyle I just got rid of, it's easy but sometimes it's too boring.
The room is pretty big, probably 10x10 or maybe 12x12, and basically a square with only one nook/cranny. If I remember correctly, here's what it looks like.
Right now the walls are bright blue. It's a fun color but not what I'm looking for. But it does mean painting the walls is OK. I'm pulled in 2 directions, a patterned duvet cover and medium grey or brown walls, nothing too dark but not white. Or white bedding and painted walls. I'll be honest, painted walls scare me so the diagram above has the walls colored in a way I think might work for my two sides, scared and daring. I could paint the wall behind the bed dark orange and the other walls a light grey. Then do white bedding with black and white accents, throw in a little orange and maybe some green. This image from Crate & Barrel is beautiful, the walls are green, but you get the idea.
I also liked this orange duvet cover but I think I like the idea of white bedding and colored walls better. What about you?
The Bed: I'm thinking black and no footboard. I don't like how it cuts off the room or how it makes it harder to just flop onto the bed.
Next question: Bedside table. Here's the problem...The closet is small so I will have to store things in creative spaces. So a bedside table with drawers or shelves and baskets would be best. But I just found and bought (completely returnable) this one at Target. I love it but am not sure it's the most practical.
Here are a few others:
I think I'm leaning towards the last one but using an actual bookcase, more storage but in not too much more space. I love how it's painted green inside. And I think the white could look amazing against the orange wall.
Last thing: Desk. I probably need one with a big hutch but I don't like how it takes over the whole wall. Plus I wouldn't keep it organized. Here's the one I like most right now. This would be against a grey wall. I like mixing it with the green file cabinet which also adds more storage.
A few other ideas:
Well that's about it for now. I'm sure I'll ask for help with rugs and artwork later. Thanks!
About me... I like clean lines. Right now I am in love with mid-century style but I worry that a room full would be too linear and boring, and expensive. I am leaning toward black furniture but I don't want to just go buy an entire bedroom suite, that's too boring. But then I worry about mixing too many styles. Can I mix black furniture and brown furniture? The room has hardwood floors so that's another wood color to throw in the mix. And I have a hard time knowing how to mix patterns. And also, not so great at hanging or clustering art. I grew up in the South in a very traditional, preppy town so I tend to lean toward classic styles but just like the green cardigan with pink and white argyle I just got rid of, it's easy but sometimes it's too boring.
Here's what I'm thinking so far...
Right now the walls are bright blue. It's a fun color but not what I'm looking for. But it does mean painting the walls is OK. I'm pulled in 2 directions, a patterned duvet cover and medium grey or brown walls, nothing too dark but not white. Or white bedding and painted walls. I'll be honest, painted walls scare me so the diagram above has the walls colored in a way I think might work for my two sides, scared and daring. I could paint the wall behind the bed dark orange and the other walls a light grey. Then do white bedding with black and white accents, throw in a little orange and maybe some green. This image from Crate & Barrel is beautiful, the walls are green, but you get the idea.
I also liked this orange duvet cover but I think I like the idea of white bedding and colored walls better. What about you?
The Bed: I'm thinking black and no footboard. I don't like how it cuts off the room or how it makes it harder to just flop onto the bed.
Next question: Bedside table. Here's the problem...The closet is small so I will have to store things in creative spaces. So a bedside table with drawers or shelves and baskets would be best. But I just found and bought (completely returnable) this one at Target. I love it but am not sure it's the most practical.
Here are a few others:
I think I'm leaning towards the last one but using an actual bookcase, more storage but in not too much more space. I love how it's painted green inside. And I think the white could look amazing against the orange wall.Last thing: Desk. I probably need one with a big hutch but I don't like how it takes over the whole wall. Plus I wouldn't keep it organized. Here's the one I like most right now. This would be against a grey wall. I like mixing it with the green file cabinet which also adds more storage.
A few other ideas:
Well that's about it for now. I'm sure I'll ask for help with rugs and artwork later. Thanks!
Monday, July 07, 2008
Bad Music Monday
I'm sure that only 2 posts into Music Monday, you've already figured out that I have varied musical tastes. But here's one thing I can promise, I will never post any Josh Groban. I know some people like him but I think only one person should have this much Groban merch, his mom. 
This car was parked in front of me at work yesterday.
This car was parked in front of me at work yesterday.
Music Monday - 7/7/08
I had a different post ready to go but then I got my hair cut. It's the most I've ever paid for a cut and color but also the first time, in a long time, that I left the salon already liking my hair. To celebrate, songs about hair:
Love Plus One (mp3) - Haircut 100
Devil's Haircut (mp3) - Beck
Supernova (mp3) - Liz P(hair)
Saturday, July 05, 2008
One More Reason I Love Portland
Portland has amazing fireworks shows! I've been to a few in the past, the Fort Vancouver show, the Oak Hills Neighborhood show, but the best, for being uniquely Portland, is the show on the Willamette River. They set up barges in the river and shoot fireworks off of them. The fireworks light up the whole city and reflect in the river. I love that it feels as if the entire city is out, celebrating with you. I met up with friends for a BBQ and then took the streetcar to the waterfront. We found an open area, set up our blanket, and about 5 minutes later, the fireworks started. We had just enough crazy, drunk people around us to make it interesting but they we feeling very patriotic and just kept yelling, "America!" and "Freedom!" We thought about yelling "Beauty" and "Truth" a la Room with a View. Afterwards, we got appetizers and dessert at Lucier. It's a beautiful restaurant, right on the waterfront. Everything we had was delicious or so I was told. I don't like creme brulee so I had to take everyone's word on that one. The outside seating was perfect. The plates and tea service were the prettiest we'd ever seen, an adult tea party. The valet was flirt-worthy. The waitstaff was friendly and knowledgeable, they even gave us a tour of the dining room so we could see the river that flows around the tables, the white wall with white grafitti carvings to represent the urban feel of Portland, and the mirrored, angled, dome to represent Mt Hood. It's a splurge but we're worth it.
Here are some fireworks photos from Sara's flickr.
P.S. If you go to Lucier, be sure to go to the bathrooms, they are gorgeous!
Here are some fireworks photos from Sara's flickr.
P.S. If you go to Lucier, be sure to go to the bathrooms, they are gorgeous!
Thursday, July 03, 2008
A Very Merry-Go-Round
Need a smile today? Read this story from my alma mater. A BYU professor and 5 students went to Ghana and built a merry-go-round for a school playground. As happy as that is, here's the best part, when the kids play on the merry-go-round, it generates electricity that then powers LED lights in the school. These LED lights are portable, so at the end of the day, the kids can take them home to light their houses. Now they have something to play on and lights. In Ghana, over 10,000 schools don't have electricity. I believe that ideas like this, ideas that seem so simple and small are really the way to change the world. Want more information? Go to the Empower Playgrounds website.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Design Inspiration
D'Arcy just asked where I find design ideas. In no way do I profess to be a maven of design but I do know some people who are. I've always said I'm not creative just a good copycat. Here are some of my go-to places for inspiration.
If it wasn't already obvious, I love Crate & Barrel. I think their products are reasonably priced, well made, classic but still fun. And while they may introduce new styles, I never get the feeling that they want me to redo my entire house every year. My dream dinnerware:
Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams has lots of furniture that I covet. And you can peruse their catalog online. My current obsession:
Dwell Studio Beautiful bed linens. OK they sell other things, but for me, it's all about the bedding.
The Conran Shop The online shop is great but if you ever get to NYC, be sure to go to the brick-and-mortar store. I had 2 star sightings in one visit. Also, it's the first place I ever heard of Tord Boontje.
I love pretty much anything by Marimekko. They help me remember that as much as like white and beige, color is worth the risk. I might be more organized if my home office were covered in these bright red flowers.
In Fredericksburg, TX, one of the stores on Main street sold a lot of stuff from Company C. I haven't bought anything yet but I visit the site often.
Sometimes I just let other people do all the work for me. Here are a few blogs I like that focus on pretty things.
{frolic!}
emma's designblogg
d.Sharp
bliss
bloesem
design*sponge
How about orange...
If it wasn't already obvious, I love Crate & Barrel. I think their products are reasonably priced, well made, classic but still fun. And while they may introduce new styles, I never get the feeling that they want me to redo my entire house every year. My dream dinnerware:
Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams has lots of furniture that I covet. And you can peruse their catalog online. My current obsession:
Dwell Studio Beautiful bed linens. OK they sell other things, but for me, it's all about the bedding.
The Conran Shop The online shop is great but if you ever get to NYC, be sure to go to the brick-and-mortar store. I had 2 star sightings in one visit. Also, it's the first place I ever heard of Tord Boontje.
I love pretty much anything by Marimekko. They help me remember that as much as like white and beige, color is worth the risk. I might be more organized if my home office were covered in these bright red flowers.
In Fredericksburg, TX, one of the stores on Main street sold a lot of stuff from Company C. I haven't bought anything yet but I visit the site often.
Sometimes I just let other people do all the work for me. Here are a few blogs I like that focus on pretty things.
{frolic!}
emma's designblogg
d.Sharp
bliss
bloesem
design*sponge
How about orange...
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