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If you were to describe this room to someone who couldn’t see it, you would sound crazy. Take one scalloped/fish scale/Moroccan gray carpet, add a gray velvet sofa and two fur cushions. Doesn’t sound too bad, right? Now add two bright blue armchairs with rolled arms sitting across from one another over a metal and white coffeetable. Still ok. On the walls, a lime yellow ikat/damask print wallpaper. Here we go. Over the fireplace, an antique mirror, and next to it, a 6×8 foot photograph of people at a beach. And billowing yellow curtains. And an antique lamp. And a beige skirted tufted ottoman. Oh, and that? That’s just the sheep table.” I take it back, you wouldn’t sound crazy. Cause that sounds AWESOME. Thank you, Canadian House and Home for sharing. And thank you Anne of The City Sage for blogging it. Have an awesome day. And take a cue from our room of the day and do something unexpected. The sheep will thank you.  One of my little-girl must-haves was a four-poster bed (because princesses had them, natch). I loved the versatility. You could have a bare one, you could drape a dramatic scarf across just the top for a canopy bed, you could have curtains just around the posts, or you could do full-on curtains around the whole bed (American Girl Felicity, anyone?). Well turns out it’s a big-girl obsession too. Here are some that I’m swooning over.
Take-away lesson: if you don’t have billowing curtains, hang something above the headboard for an extra dose of fabulousness. Noted. Photos from: Domino, From the Right Bank, Little Green Notebook, Bryn Alexandra via Design*Sponge, photographer Bjorn Wallander. The Oscars are always one of my favorite nights on television. Not for the elaborate sets or corny jokes, but for the ridiculously yummy eye-candy for us fashion-lovers. Below, some of my favorites.
Rachel McAdams, my choice for best dressed.
Sandra Bullock, Best Actress, looked stunning in sparkles and the night’s signature lip color, hot pink.
Maggie Gyllenhaal was gorgeous in florals.
This isn’t a great picture of Elizabeth Banks’ dress, but I loved it when she was presenting.
Call me crazy, but I think Miley looks grown up and beautiful in this gown.
Kristen Stewart’s dress was classic and elegant in an unexpected shade of matte inky silk. All photos from People.
*But you know, on a budget. I don’t remember how I first found Twig and Thistle, but it was sometime last November and I have to say I haven’t looked back since! Kathleen is a designer by both day and night and between crafting sweet things for her Seattle home, baking treats for the most adorable dog on the planet, running her etsy shop, and blogging… well I just don’t know how this girl is still standing. But she is a force to be reckoned with, already gaining attention from blog big-wigs and features on design*sponge, all while staying sweet as ever. I think you’ll enjoy getting to know her a little better.
1. What is your day-job? How does that relate to blogging? I’m a graphic designer by trade and work at a design agency in downtown Seattle. I do all kinds of print design but I tend to specialize in packaging. I’m fascinated by how people interact with packaging and how it can impact the entire product experience. Blogging started on a whim for me and it was only natural for me to blog about design in some aspect. Right now the blog is a mix of design inspiration and all things crafty. Most of the work I do at the agency is for large corporate clients, so when it comes to the blog I tend to work in a smaller scale and do all the “pretty” delicate things that I don’t get to do at work. 2. What is a typical day like for you? A typical day starts at 6am. I try to respond to a few emails and get caught up on Twitter before heading into work at 8am. By 6 I’m back home for a quick dinner with my husband and then it’s back to the computer until about 10:30. During this time I’m responding to emails and post submissions and scheduling the post for the following morning. If I have time I try to design and/or create crafts for either my Etsy shop or DIY projects for the blog. Time doesn’t usually allow for this everyday so most of my weekends are spent putting these together and photographing them. Managing and fulfilling orders for my Esty shop is also part of my evening routine. My husband helps out in this department along with any and all IT support for the blog. He also edits every post for me since spelling and punctuation are not my strong suits.  Valentine bags were a hit in her etsy shop (and in the blogosphere!) 3. What do you love most about blogging? I love the community! I am constantly in awe of how genuinely sweet and kind everyone is. Whether it’s readers or other bloggers, the generosity is amazing to me. I honestly expected it to be quite the opposite but I’ve definitely found that the craft blogging community in particular is overwhelmingly helpful. I recently got the opportunity to attend the Altitude Design Summit featuring many influential design and craft bloggers. Not only was I completely star struck but I was surprised to find the group as a whole, incredibly warm and friendly. 4. You post a lot of wedding inspiration. If you and your hubby could get married all over again, what (if anything) would you change? Good question! I am constantly inspired by weddings and I always wish that I could do it over again just so I could incorporate some of those new ideas. One thing that I really wish I had done was wear some pretty yellow shoes to match my color palette. At the time I talked myself out of it since I figured only a few people would have ever seen them and it seemed frivolous. Looking back, I think it would have been a nice touch and it would have made for some adorable pictures. I’ve seen this trend more and more lately and I really enjoy it. 5. Where are some of your favorite places to go in Seattle? My husband and I live in West Seattle and we recently discovered Lincoln Park. We love taking our dog for walks along the waterfront there. The views are just outstanding (even on a rainy day) and it’s a great place for the pup and us to get some exercise.  Her adorable dog Tula We both come from big families where food was a major part of our upbringing so we love to go out to eat. Our favorite place to get breakfast recently is Spring Hill in West Seattle and my newest obsession is How to Cook a Wolf on Queen Anne. Hands down some of the best food in Seattle and I tell everyone to try both when they visit. Yumm! 6. Where do you find inspiration? Luckily my job requires me to search for inspiration on a daily basis. If I happen to come across something that I like that doesn’t necessarily pertain to my project I’ll make a note of it and check it out later. I also read about 6 blogs on a daily basis that I find incredibly inspiring. Often times those blogs will spark an idea or direct me to another link that will inspire me. Since I can’t read all the blogs in my reader everyday, Twitter has helped me stay on top of what’s going on quickly as well. Of course I still love the old fashioned magazines too. It’s sad that many of my faves like Domino and Blue Print are no longer around but I still have my Martha Stewart Weddings that I covet like nobody’s business. Real Simple and Better Homes & Garden’s are inspiration staples as well. 7. What happens to all your crafty projects after you’re finished blogging about them? Hahahaha! I’s actually quite sad. I have a bookcase that I’ve started collecting them on top of. I’ve been afraid to toss them in case I ever needed to re-photograph or something but they’ve started to collect dust and it looks more like a sad grave than anything else. I really should try to think of a better use or way to display them. I think my biggest accomplishment so far has been that I actually started the blog, stuck with it by writing 5 days a week and my page views are now up to about 200k a month. I really started blogging quite naively and had no idea what I was getting into. Though it has taken over all my free time it’s been surprisingly rewarding and fulfilling. It is so much work to maintain but I really do love it. On the more personal level, being approached by Target and having them sell my Owl Stitch Kit’s was a major highlight as well. I never thought that would have been a possibility and it was such a thrill and an honor.
Two of the best pieces of advice that I received when I was just starting out was to be consistent and do what you love. Consistency is what makes people trust you and come back again and again. Whether you blog once a week or 3 times a day, try to make a schedule so that your readers will know what to expect when they come back. Doing what you love is not only important for you but for your followers as well. If you’re passionate about something it will come across through your writing or your work. If you’re not into it, that will also come across and inevitably someone that is excited about it will do a better job.
1. I love 3 dimensional letter forms. Having studied type extensively in school I became enamored with letter shapes and have all kinds of these around my home.
2. Felt Food! Totally obsessed with this stuff! Now if only I was a kid again and had an excuse to play with it. *sigh…
3. I love vintage and ceramic keys. Much like my love for type and felt I like to collect these little works of art.
5. Cinnamon Gummy Bears! If candy had sustenance I would probably forego all the boring stuff and only eat these little bundles of yumminess! As a Martha-wanna-be I’m always interested to see the newest and greatest info that comes about about modern and urban homemaking. While I’m infatuated with the idea of moving to an island somewhere and having a little farm, the truth is that it may be many years before that happens, if ever. For now I’m living the twenty’s life – renting and making do with a less-than-ideal kitchen, a shortage on storage space, and (on the plus side) an urban location with access to all kinds of goods.
That’s why I’m so excited for The Urban Pantry to come out! This book by Seattle author and foodie Amy Pennington (also known as the “Go Go Green Gardener”) is destined to be loved and cherished by many urbanites who want “tips and recipes for a thrifty, sustainable and seasonal kitchen.” Heck, she could have just put my name on the cover with a big “BUY ME” sticker. I got to take a sneak peek at the books contents (it will be in stores in April) and immediately added it to my Amazon wishlist. Pennington stresses the use of local and seasonal ingredients for the best meals, but it was her practical use of those pantry-lurkers that really brought me in. You know, the weird grain you bought for a 1/4 cup for a random recipe and the rest of it has been lurking on a shelf since then because, dang it, it cost like $10 and you can’t just THROW IT AWAY. Well Pennington likely has a recipe that uses it up. Along with some of those random spices that you accumulated. And she shares her tips for making sure you’re stocking your pantry with items you’ll actually use. Sure, there were a few items I raised my eyebrows at (four kinds of flour, NOT including all-purpose?) but she follows up with great explanations of what each pantry-essential is used for and why. Do you know what kind of sugar is best for melting? Pennington does. And she has a recipe that will use it. But this isn’t just a big shopping list (although she does have great time-saving tips like keeping a pound of bacon in the freezer for when you just need a bit for flavor, or keeping smoked fish on hand for when you are too busy to cook something BEFORE adding it to your pasta salad). She has a whole chapter on “kitchen economy” – using up the bits and pieces of every ingredient you buy. She also has great advice on how to properly store things like fresh herbs that might otherwise go to waste. And my favorite, a chapter on canning and preserving food, so the fresh strawberries you pick up this summer at the farmer’s market can still be enjoyed next December. I can’t wait to get this book and read it front to back (even including the recipes and the gorgeous photography by Della Chen). This will really come in handy when we start harvesting from our little garden too! Interested? You can pre-order the book, or just wait for it to hit shelves this April. Note: I did not receive any payment for this post or for links. I didn’t even get a free book. But if I do, I’ll be sure to get an extra one and definitely do a giveaway! I’m very excited to add a brand-new feature to Magchunk – now you can buy some of the same pieces that we have in our home. Our shop is starting with some art pieces, including photos by Ryan and myself, plus custom embroidery, all priced for the decorator on a budget – from $15 to $35. Soon we’ll be adding vintage finds and other treasures! Here’s a sneak peek (but you can see the rest right here).
Check out our new “shop” page, and email with your selections to purchase (we’re taking paypal only for now). |
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