Flashback Friday: Bedrooms That Pop

I recently found a stash of home decorating magazines at an estate sale, so hopefully in the coming weeks I'll have a chance to scan images and bring you some crazy 1970s decor. In the meantime, here are two bedrooms that really pop:

Don't you just love the green desk paired with black and white shutters and curtains? The matching green cushion on the tulip chair is a nice touch. You can tell this is the 1970s on account of the missing laptop:


This room is a little wackadoodle but I do enjoy the yellow chair in the right corner. The whole chair isn't visible, but I think it is a version of Eero Saarinen's "Womb Chair":


I don't know if you can find them in yellow, but here is a reproduction in white ($479 at shopseating.com):

Or a true version from Knoll in a delish orange:

See you next Friday!

Sundance Loveliness

I went through a phase where I wore turquoise and silver rings on every finger. That is until a mean boy said I looked like a Vegas blackjack dealer. Whatever. But I still love the Western modern aesthetic, and as interpreted by the Sundance catalog it takes on a lived-in elegance. Here are some of my faves:

Photos by Sundance.

Wedding Wednesday: DIY Wedding Cake

Wedding cakes can be quite expensive and yet, do you remember tasting a good one? If you are crafty in the baking department, making your own wedding cake could be the way to go. Here's a great instructional video on Epicurious that gives step-by-step instructions to create the cake above.

A few caveats:

1.) This is a DIY project you may need to practice before the big day, otherwise someone is making a run for the Safeway bakery.

2.) Try to save time by baking the cakes a few days before and then freezing them. Then, all you have to do is assemble and decorate the day before the wedding.

3.) Don't forget the topper! I love the vintage toppers like the one above, available here.

Blanket Lust

I love the part in Auntie Mame where she announces that everyone else lost their money in Stock Market during the Depression, but she was smart enough to invest in Tiffany diamonds. That idea has always stuck with me as a sort of demented, yet strangely practical idea. If I had a million dollars (or even $1,000) to invest, I'd invest in luxury. Or, because I'm a pragmatist at heart, I'd spend a tiny portion on something fun and then put the rest in the bank.

It might sound strange, but I'd first go and buy a Hermes cashmere blanket. Only $1,125, but what an heirloom! So much better than diamonds. (Well, not really.)


Here's a similar heirloom blanket that I love by Pendleton Woolen Mills for the Ace Hotel here in Portland. Can a blanket be sexy?:



(Hermes blanket available here. Photo of fabulous couple from Wish magazine. Ace Hotel blankets are not available anywhere that I know of. Anyone have an idea??)

Happy Day Off!

Here's a little fabulousness for your day.

Flashback Friday: Art Display

This week's Flashback Friday is about hanging art in the home. All of the images today are from the 1973 Better Homes and Gardens guide "Great Ideas Under $100." That's like $479.88 in today's money.* Anyway, here are some neat ideas for displaying art--particularly art that is inexpensive or DIY.

First up: Double your pleasure by hanging the same poster twice as a mirror image. ( I think this is a Peter Max poster, but it could work just as well with an image of Justin Timberlake...)


This could be a room circa 2009. Note the mix of painting and interesting objects hung together:


Here's a wall of postcards framed together with a mirror in the center:



Here's an inexpensive idea done well: Buy a large canvas and paint a simple graphic image.

Happy Friday folks!

(*Seriously, check out this site to calculate inflation rates.)

Having an Austin Kind of Mood

Days like today make me miss the sunshine in Austin, Texas. I lived there for one hot and glorious year before moving back home to Portland. One of my favorite things about Austin is the proximity to swimming holes and rivers small enough to float with an inner tube. Here are some pictures of Barton Springs, possibly one of the greatest swimming spots on earth.

(Images via flickr, by onefivedoor, Steve Hopson)

Wedding Wednesday: Put Your Stamp On It

Happy Wedding Wednesday! Here's a neat idea for your casual country summer wedding: use vintage postage stamps to send your invites and announcements. So cute!



(Via 110 Layer Cake)

Delish Oregon Strawberry Shortcake

This was dessert last night. It was super easy to fix thanks to the sweet biscuits from New Seasons. Cut the biscuit sideways then layer strawberries and fresh whip cream. Yum!

Flashback Friday: Mellow Yellow

I've been loving yellow for a while now. Perhaps it is a sign of my sunnier disposition--sunnier than when my favorite color was black, to be sure. For this Flashback Friday, I'm posting citrus-infused interiors from the days when decorators never shied away from bright colors. Yes, the 1960s and 1970s were the glory days for bold colors, but I see the influences poking through our more subdued aughts.

Here's a 1970s bathroom that doesn't shy away from stapling faux fruit to the ceiling for (excellent) effect:


The effect reminds me of the poolside lemonade stand at The Parker Palm Springs.


This is just a whole mess o' yellow, but it works:


Echos in the work of Jonathan Adler, no?:

Overwhelmed by beauty!

I have a down throw blanket that is super warm and cozy but the olive drab cover is, well, kinda sad. I'd like to make a new cover but honestly, I'm afraid of fabric stores. Surrounded by too many beautiful choices, I tend to shut down and leave empty-handed. But this time, I have a plan: Get thee to the internets!

Here are some of my current ideas:

Skip the hard part and use a quilted fabric. I love love this one from French General:



If Olivia's going to use it, I'd like a kid-friendly print. Repro Depot features some of the best stuff out there:

Wedding Wednesday: Stunning Stationary

Yes, it's that time of year again. It's wedding season! Bring on the frills, flowers, letterpressed invitations, crisp white shirts under black tuxedos, and the glorious white confection of a bride.

Every Wednesday until the end of summer I'll feature post a wedding-themed entry. Since I love wedding stationary, here are a few ideas from Oh So Suite:

Cute, cute, cute programs:



Save the Date cards:


Vintage wedding invitation set:


(Yes that photo up there is of me and my husband on our wedding day in 2007. Hey, if you can't post your own wedding pictures on your own blog, no one else will!! :)

I wish I knew the story behind these pictures...





(Photos by Roland Bello)

Make At Home Baby Food

I finally got my act together and bought some organic fruits and vegetables to mush up and feed the baby. By the way, it is not crucial to buy all organic; evidently some fruits and veggies harbor more pesticides than others. Here's a great app for your iPhone or a downloadable list to help determine which is which.

After steaming a Red Delicious apple and sending it through the food processor, I also pureed a mango and an avocado. I spooned each of the the separate mushes into an ice tray (that's my husband's hand in the pic though):


Now it's ready for the freezer:


There are tons of baby food books out there, but I like the classic "Super Baby Food" and less detailed "The Petit Appetit Cookbook."

(Much of this post is thanks to the great mind of my sister, Elizabeth. Thanks Biz!)