Published!

My my my, it's been quite a week.  I just shipped off an order of skirts to a new boutique in Brooklyn, NY opening this Wednesday in Crown Heights called Owl & Thistle.  I'm so excited to have a stockist in Brooklyn, one of my favorite cities.  Check them out if you live in town.

My team played a double header softball game yesterday and we won both games, then I attended the all- star draft for the league and got drafted to play in the tournement next weekend.  My teammate Obi and I will be representing the Mississippi Wreckers on Saturday.

Then today I got this in the mail...

Thats right, I've been published!  

Home Sweet Home

Print by SugarFresh on Etsy

This morning I spend my time browsing the quirky architecture books on my bookshelf.  I love to look at spaces and building that people create for themselves.  When I move into a new place I don't feel at home until every nook and cranny is decorated (I even have artwork in the bathroom).  I've been in this house for 5 years, the longest I've lived anywhere besides the house I grew up in.  I can't fit much more on the walls, and there are plants, nic-nacs, books and records on every possible surface.  I can't believe I moved to Portland with only a car full of stuff.  I though that I would give you a sneak peek into our living room, while I am on the subject of houses.

I think I could manage to squeeze in one more picture to the left of the lamp

I find myself staring at the tapestry behind the television constantly

Minimal we are not.  I love the look of minimalist spaces, but I have to appreciate them from afar.  I love to be surrounded by interesting objects and books and music that inspire...and lots of owls.  

Here are some of my favorite images out of the books I was browsing...

These are from the book Handmade Houses by Boericke and Shapiro

Love love love all the mismatched windows

Imagine living in this sea of ferns...

How crazy is this sink?

These are from the book African Painted Houses by Gary Van Wyk

From Fantastic Architecture by Schuyt, Elffers and Collins...

What a great way to exit a house- on a tongue slide!
by Niki Saint Phalle

Petit Paris by Marcel Dhievre

This place blows my mind
Ideal Palace by Joseph Ferdinand Cheval

House of Mirrors by Clarence Schmidt
amaaaaazing 

By Raymond Isidore

Hope these inspire you a little bit too.  They make me want to break all my plates and hot glue them to the walls, then knock out a wall and make a new one using only vintage window frames......

Maybe I should wait until I own a house first.  I don't think the landlord would be too happy with me.  

California Dreaming

It took me a little while to get back in the swing of things after our trip to California.  I was having such a nice vacation that I only wanted to come back to see my cat.  But, now I'm back to work and life (and looking forward to my trip to the Carolinas in a few weeks).  We went to Chico to visit Dewey's mom and went swimming in Bidwell Park.  I'm more of a sit on a rock and drink a beer kinda girl than a swimmer.

Hanging out in Chico Creek

Then we went camping for a couple days in Tahoe National Forest.  We miraculously managed to find a nearly empty campground on Fourth of July weekend.

Grillin'

We visited Lake Tahoe and it was as beautiful as I imagined.  Harper was a trooper and hiked in her flip-flops- she'll do anything to get to swim.

Then we explored Grass Valley and Nevada City, two very charmy little towns that made you feel like you were being tranported back to the wild west.  We also visited the Empire Mine State Park which was a gold mining operation from 1850-1956 and had 367 miles of mine shafts going as far as 8000 feet underground.  It was pretty mind blowing.

Down the mine shaft

Kinda looks like a rollercoaster ride

The mine owners' cottage

We ended out trip by watching the fireworks over Lake Oroville, which was preceded by this beautiful sunset.  A picturesque ending to a wonderful trip.