via BellaMercato

So so busy in the studio lately but I snapped this shot with my webcam to:

(1) show off my lovely 70s dress. I think Karen Elson wears a vintage dress made in this same fabric in an issue of Lula, which kind of makes me a little cool by proxy.

(2) show off how long my hair has gotten!

(3) show off a peek of my new tattoo! More on that later.

I hit a milestone in a project I’m working on yesterday, so I decided to go home at 6, have a cocktail with my sweetie and watch The Thin Man. Kenn had never seen it!

It is such a brilliant movie, and William Powell and Myrna Loy have perhaps the best chemistry the screen has ever seen. Nick and Nora have such a vibrant relationship. It’s silly, playful, and loving.

Also, Myrna Loy’s costumes are incredible, the height of fluffy, ruffly 30s fashion.

Now we must watch all the rest!

I am loving all of the pretty & graphic vintage pieces at Tree & Kimball Market. I’m a sucker for dots, stripes, black, and white.

I turned 30 this summer, so we took a lovely trip to the coast last month to celebrate. We stayed in an inn that was formerly a lighthouse keeper’s residence. It was serene and beautiful.

This little cutie was the life of the party with that lampshade on her head.

The coast was perfectly gorgeous, of course.

And we saw plenty of sea lions!

This was my birthday dinner: cava, stilton, and plenty of bread and fruit on a porch with a view of the sea. Bliss.

Hello!

I’ve bit on a bit of a summer break from blogging, I suppose. Things have been incredibly hectic, but in mostly a good way. I’m working on a big project that’s taking up every waking moment and while I’m still finding time to do most of the things I love (gardening, cooking, books, & cat-loving), sometimes I just feel that with only a few spare moments in my day, I’d rather be enjoying life than sitting in front of a computer documenting it.

That said, I’ve always loved blogging and photos and sharing the little things. So here I am, with a photo of these lovely blueberries we picked on Sauvie Island a few weeks back.

We recently went down to California for a wedding. We decided to take a little side trip to Palm Springs for a few days while we were there, and it was amazing.

If you follow any other blogs written by Portlanders, you probably know this already, but we have had really lousy weather so far this year. It has been consistently cold and rainy and unpleasant. I normally quite like the rain, but this is ridiculous. Yesterday was the first day of July and we had to put on the heater.

So a few days in Palm Springs was just what the doctor ordered. I felt like it was the first time I had been completely dry in about 10 months. Even though it was around 105 during the day, I didn’t mind the heat at all because of the total lack of humidity.

And the desert is just gorgeous, such a different landscape from the green and lush one we live in. Crystal clear skies and desert mountains, sunset-colored rocks and long quiet stretches of landscape.

We just relaxed, did a lot of swimming, drank a few cocktails, and did some work in between. It’s nice to be able to work from anywhere, let me tell you.

There is also some amazing mid-century architecture in Palm Springs. We drove around and looked at some of the pretty houses.

We also visited The Parker for breakfast, where I had the most amazing (and pricey! yeesh!) brioche french toast. It was an experience. The Parker’s interior was designed by Jonathan Adler.

We also went to a hotel called The Riviera for poolside drinks, which was a maximalist resort.

It was quite a contrast from our minimalist, soothing lodging at The Ace.

Basically, I am in love with Palm Springs and can’t wait to go back at the next opportunity. It’s so completely different from my usual surroundings, and I think that’s what makes it such a great haven.

We’ve been doing a little traveling lately. I have many challenging projects going on right now, so while it’s hard to get away, it’s also been really helpful. I don’t know about you, but traveling has always centered me, even if the trip is close, quick, or familiar. It helps me get out of my head and remember all the other people in the world, in different cities, with different kinds of lives.

A few weeks ago, we drove up to Seattle for a weekend. We stayed at the Ace. We pretty much always stay at the Ace if we can. They are awesome, friendly people and I find their low-key, minimalist rooms really comfy.

We didn’t really have any plans other than hitting a few specialty bars (more on that below), but we did head up to Ballard to visit a few shops. We stopped in at Blackbird to admire their amazing selection of menswear, and I saw a few Built By Wendy pieces I wished I could afford. Then we stopped in the Blackbird Candy Shoppe, and hit The Field House, a new venture which is really lovely, it’s a sort of old-timey trading post.

Around the corner, we stepped into Lucca, which was an absolute dream. Gorgeous black tins of tea, fine old-fashioned perfume, gorgeous paper products. I was in love.

No trip is complete for us without finding the best cocktails we can. Zig Zag was our first stop, where the drinks were rivaled only by the demeanor of Eric, the bartender.

We also hit up Tavern Law, where Kenn had this pretty pink concoction. It’s not as innocent as it appears.

Last was my favorite, Bathtub Gin, a quiet speakeasy in Belltown. It was my favorite kind of bar: a relaxing little cave where you can converse with friends deep into the night while enjoying beautifully crafted cocktails.

I’ve been a very busy bee lately, hence the long pauses for breath between posts around here. But for those that don’t read the sewing blog, this is one of the things I’ve been busy with… moving into my brand new studio!

It’s quite bare at the moment, but the light is wonderful. I can’t wait to hang some stuff from those high ceilings and find some cute vintage furniture to lounge in.

I’ll share more photos as we get the place set up.

I’m delighted to be participating in a little project called Pin It Forward that you may have seen around blogland. 300 bloggers are creating pinboards on the subject of “What home means to me.”

Here are a few things that mean home to me: eating outside, a cozy bed, fresh flowers, homegrown food, my beautiful babies, family.

You can see the whole board here, and be sure to check out the next one at s a s s tomorrow!