Photography by Meg

How was your weekend?  I hope it was a good one.

As for me, I had a blast collaborating with a new friend...

Meet Meg of Photography by Meg.  Not only is she beautiful, she's incredibly nice.  She takes the most amazing natural light photos!

I can't wait to show you what we've been working on (soon!).  In the meantime, please go check out her website and blog to see more!  I promise it will be time well spent.

In fact, she's launching a fresh new website today.  Click over there between 9 am and 12 pm to join in some awesome giveaways!

Photo credits:
Photo one: Terra Nyce Photography
Photo two and three: Photography by Meg

Fun with tape.

Thanks to a lot of actual work coming in, I've been feeling pretty uninspired when it comes to making things for my home.  In an effort to jump start some creativity I was playing around with some Japanese Washi tape (how can you not love this stuff?).

I ended up making this chevron inspired art and letter "e" to brighten up my desk for a while.  They will probably be replaced before long, perhaps when I get out of this rut? 

In the meantime, here are some fun things you can do with this amazing tape:

Decorate a vase.
Spruce up inexpensive clothespins
Make plain gift wrap more awesome
Add some flair to wire hangers (perfect for kids rooms!)
Quick, but cute bunting
And my favorite: Make your own twist ties!  I'm so doing this.

Almost summer

We barbecued last night while the girls played in the grass.  I swear I caught my first glimpse of summer.  I've been dreaming about it ever since.

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Photobox.

Our church had this photo booth set up yesterday for Mother's Day.  How fun is that?

I didn't realize when I pushed the button "black and white" that the photos would immediately begin.  Oops.  At least we got it together by the end!

While we're at it, how about these cool photo booth invitations?

Portland: Part Two

Here are a few more highlights from Portland:  During our stay, we were lucky enough to stay at The Benson Hotel.  We stayed in one of the Penthouses (!) and really loved it.

The hotel lobby was gorgeous, but I felt a little strange taking a bunch of photos.  I decided to play it cool and just take one.

Have you ever heard of McMenamins?  It was new to me, but you can find them throughout the Northwest.  They take an existing building and turn it into a destination. 

The one in Portland was once a school (Kennedy School) and has been converted to a hotel, theater and also has a couple of restaurants on site.  I think I even saw a community garden on my way in.  The decorations are definitely quirky, but I love that they left the school house charm throughout the space.

It was really hard to capture the place throughout the narrow hallways.  If you're interested in seeing more of what the Kennedy School looks like go here.

We ate in the family restaurant (once again, kids too squirmy for me to get a good shot), but I thought the bar area was really cool.  They turned the boiler room of the school into the "Boiler Room Bar."

And, last but definitely not least, I had the chance to stop in at a little letterpress shop called Oblation Papers & Press.  You may have seen the shop featured in a write-up by Carina Murray on Oh So Beautiful Paper recently.  I did, and it made me want to go!

Armed only with a phone and being too busy looking at all the lovely paper, I never took a photo inside..  If you want to see what it looks like you can go here.  In addition to their own work, they sell products from a lot of different presses.  I could have spent a loooong time there.  When my husband (holding a very curious 15 month old) accidentally knocked down a big display I knew it was time to go. 

But I did pick up a few goodies on my way out:

I'll be back later with some thoughts for your Mother's Day!

Portland: Part One

Happy Cinco de Mayo!  This week has been a blur of motion for me, coming off my trip and being a bit behind on work.  Throw a couple of kids, a sick dog, and mountainous piles of laundry in the mix and you have a snapshot of how my days have been.

Today I wanted to share a little bit about our short stay in Portland, OR.  I've broken it into two parts so I don't overwhelm you with too many pictures at once.  Both my husband and I enjoy taking photos, so the memory card is quick to fill.

Portland reminded me a lot of Seattle, but a little cleaner and with shorter, more manageable buildings.  I think those factors make the downtown feel a bit more friendly and safe at times. There are old brick buildings everywhere and the occasional bag-pipe player. We spent most of our time walking, shopping, and eating in the Pearl District.
 

We ended up walking to a local coffee shop called Barista each morning with the girls.  Like a lot of the brick buildings in Portland, the shop had great industrial style.  I tried to take some pictures with my phone while sitting inside, but thanks to wiggly children they were all too blurry.

A trip to Portland is not complete without a visit to one of Powell's Books stores.  They have a vast collection of new and used books.  It's exactly the kind of place I would love to spend an afternoon by myself in, searching the shelves or sitting in a cozy corner with a book.

We discovered a huge selection of street food vendors spanning several blocks.  We all tried it out for lunch one day.  My family likes a wide variety of food, so it was kind of perfect.  Also, no worries about how kids will behave at a restaurant. I'm pretty sure I would be hanging around these blocks a lot in the summer if I lived there.

Sadly, we didn't get to play by the waterfront much.  The weather had been rainy, so Friday we planned a trip to the Children's Museum.  Of course, Friday ended up being sunny and perfect for the park.  My husband slipped out while the girls were napping and took some photos (after taking a short nap himself).

Stay tuned for Part Two.

Just add strawberries.

We went to a lovely supper club on Sunday night (another post is in the works about it), and I can't seem to get this simple cake out of my mind.  It was sitting on the counter when we walked in and was in my line of sight the whole time we were there.  I was bummed when I found out it wouldn't be served, but it got me thinking.  I never realized how elegant the humble strawberry can be.

Now I'm dreaming of a lazy-day, sun-drenched afternoon party in the park.

Photo One: via vintagerosebrocante

Photo Two: weddings by frolic 

Photo Three: Cannelle et Vanille

Photo Four: Jamie Shelman via Stephmodo

Photo Five: Emily Steffan via theweddingchicks

Life at the market

My dears, I wanted to share some photos from my recent trip to Seattle with you.  Fasten your seat belts, I may or may not have taken too many!

I lived in the Seattle area for almost five years, but never actually lived downtown.  It was fun to stay in the heart of it all for a few days, instead of just a quick visit.

We walked everywhere.  I really started to see the purpose of my sister's giant raincoat and rubber boots.  I discovered why Tom's are not so good in a flash flood downpour (especially paired with thin cropped pants).  I drove everywhere when I lived there so the rain was not a complete reality to me. I was overdressed at any given time.  To summarize: I didn't really fit in.  BUT, I had a great time anyway.

 My sister and her husband live in this awesome brick building in a tiny dorm-like apartment (the alley pictured above is directly behind the building).

The famed Pike Place Market is nearby.  My favorite thing is definitely all of the amazing flowers for sale.

I also love the wide selection of fresh fruits and vegetables available.

Right off the boat.

My sister introduced me to Piroshky Piroshky, a little Russian bakery that had the most amazing treats for breakfast.  It's located a couple of stores away from the original Starbucks.

Speaking of the green mermaid, we visited the Starbucks in Columbia Tower (the tallest building in Seattle).  It's way up on the 40-ish floor and open to the public.  There was an incredible (and free!) view of Seattle.  I couldn't help but snap a few.

I wish I had a different lens so I could catch the death-defying window washers we saw in action.

I forced my sister to take a couple of pictures of me while we were up there.  Hello rain-induced-Seattle frizz!

I love how versatile a city can be.  Everyone has their own take.  Do you know Seattle?  I would love to hear how you've experienced it.