Sunday, July 5, 2009

bath time

Ever notice how one small thing can start a whole chain of events? How it can just snowball? If you own a house, you know exactly what I mean!

We are now the proud owners of a completely new upstairs bathroom! And yes, we're absolutely in love with it, but did we plan this? No. Did we budget for this? No.

This all started because we had to have our pipes snaked out. The plumber finished the upstairs bath and as he headed downstairs, he noticed a drip of water hitting his head at the bottom of the stairs. Uh-oh: the shower stall was leaking down through the ceiling!

Now, I must admit that we've never liked that bathroom and always planned to completely remodel it once we had the funds to overhaul the second floor. That plan was hatched seven years ago and needless to say, nothing happened to turn that plan into reality.

So, it seemed only natural that if the plumbers were going to have to come and fix the shower, why not tear out the hideous vanity and put in a cute pedestal sink? While picking out said sink at Home Depot, we discovered they had a matching toilet! Sure, why not get that one, too.

Well, if we replace the sink and toilet, the shower will look hideous so you guessed it: a new shower was in order. And once a new shower is in place, simply painting the old tile floor is no longer such a good idea so let's splurge on tile!

Two months later: our gorgeous new bathroom! I never took "before" pictures because it was just so hideous but the couple in-progress shots give some sense of its past.

All the design decisions came together very quickly. The sink and toilet are Kohler from Home Depot, the faucet is also Kohler while the low white cabinet is from Ikea. The mirror is from Pottery Barn and the light fixture Rejuvenation (bought on sale seven years ago when we hadn't even closed on the house yet!).

The tiles were a splurge from Pratt & Larson and I love how at first glance they look like wood floors. But when you look closer (maybe not quite as visible in the photos), you'll notice a wonderful metallic sheen that makes them look ever so luxurious!

Then of course, there are all the fun finishing touches, like towels (Restoration Hardware) in wood storage bins (The Container Store), soaps (Ink & Peat and Sesame & Lilies), and potted plant (Ikea).

The painting is a piece we bought at Art in the Pearl a few years ago and which hung in my Defteling Design office until just last week.


And the candles on the back of the toilet are totally DIY! My dear friend Amy with Candywinkel makes soy candles, and when we saw these glasses at Ikea, we knew they'd be perfect containers for some custom candles! We cooked up a batch of wax in her studio and I love the way they turned out: the color is perfect and the scent delicious!

So while things snowballed and went way above and beyond what we originally thought, I couldn't be happier with the final result!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

my non-vacation to Ghent

Last January, I was so thrilled when we planned our big summer trip to Europe. I grew up in Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands, and it's been four years since I've been back – we were way overdue for another visit to see my Oma!

While we would in part be crossing the Big Pond to attend a family reunion, we knew we wanted to spend some just-us time in Belgium – time to relax and roam the streets in search of good food, excellent beer, and amazing ambience (okay, and chocolate!)

Sadly, we've had to cancel our trip but I thought I'd share some of our intended stops here, just in case any of you find yourselves in Ghent with nothing to do.

We were going to stay at this amazing bed & breakfast called De Waterzooi. We are huge fans of Belgian B&Bs – for some reason, they all far surpass most American versions and they're often cheaper than hotels.

Check out "our" little apartment – complete with sitting room and indoor window peeking into the bedroom:

Love the painted brick wall – instant character, no need for artwork!

And the bathroom left me speechless...

One of the things I was really looking forward to was to scour antique and flea markets for European little trash and trinkets for my assemblage art. The Prondelmarkt in Ghent was on the top of my list:

Then there's the shopping... ah, the shopping... One of my favorite finds during our last trip was Dille & Kamille, a chain of kitchen/home stores that's a nice mix of modern-meets-vintage with a dash of organic and eco-friendly thrown in for good measure:


And finally, for some colorful fun kitsch, I was planning to visit Zsa Zsa:

So there you have it: my non-vacation to Ghent, Belgium! Maybe next year...

Thursday, June 11, 2009

feelin' sea foam

My baby sister is getting married next year so our whole family is buzzing with wedding plans. She recently picked her official wedding color (sea foam) in part because the whole event will be right at the beach. What better place than Etsy to find some inspiration:


Here's where you can find these lovelies:
1-4 – Irene Suchocki • irenesuchocki.etsy.com
5 – Creations By the Bay • creationsbythebay.etsy.com
6 – Oktak • oktak.etsy.com
7 – Madison Craft • madisoncraft.etsy.com
8 – PixiSette • pixisette.etsy.com
9 – Olio Designs • oliodesigns.etsy.com
10 – AAA R eal Gem • aaarealgem.etsy.com
11 – PixiSette • pixisette.etsy.com
12 – Tweedy Lane • tweedylane.etsy.com
13 – Bayan Hippo • bayanhippo.etsy.com
14 – AN Original Jewelry • anoriginaljewelry.etsy.com
15 – Abe and Elsie • abeandelsie.etsy.com
16 – Bake It Pretty • bakeitpretty.etsy.com
17 – Cake Box Cookies • cakeboxcookies.etsy.com
18 – Abbey and Izzie Designs • abbeyandizziedesigns.etsy.com
19 – Daisys and Dots • daisysanddots.etsy.com
20 – Cake Box Cookies • cakeboxcookies.etsy.com
21 – Amy Interiors • amyinteriors.etsy.com
22 – Humble Collection • humblecollection.etsy.com
23 – Pillow Happy • pillowhappy.etsy.com
24 – So Inviting • soinviting.etsy.com
25 – Maria Elena Events • mariaelenaevents.etsy.com
26 – Nomsa • nomsa.etsy.com
27 – Angel Heart Beads • angelheartbeads.etsy.com
28 – Spindle Tree • spindletree.etsy.com
29 – Melinda Milkshake • melindamilkshake.etsy.com
30 – Oktak • oktak.etsy.com
31 – Jazz Turtle • jazzturtle.etsy.com
32 – Knit Knit • knitknit.etsy.com
33 – AN Original Jewelry • anoriginaljewelry.etsy.com
34 – Lux Bead • luxbead.etsy.com
35 – Madison Craft • madisoncraft.etsy.com
36 – Karin Grow • karingrow.etsy.com

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

camp cactus

I'm excited to tell you about a fun artists sale happening this weekend in NE Portland: Camp Cactus is having their annual summer sale with 5% of all proceeds going directly to the Oregon Food Bank!

Artist Jane Russell will transform her darling studio into a bustling little shop stuffed to the brims with pottery, mosaics, assemblage pieces, home & garden art, and much more.

I'll have some Cecily Ink product for sale at blowout prices and I also decided to offer up several of my assemblage pieces (click here). Hope you can stop by!

CAMP CACTUS
NE 45th & NE Brazee • Fri 6-9 • Sat 10-6 • Sun 10-6

Monday, June 8, 2009

more farm chicks faves

I'm still shopping at Farm Chicks in my dreams at night, sigh... I had such a wonderful time hunting for treasures, admiring the amazing displays and marveling at the ingenuity of all these talented Chicks! Here are a few more of my favorite vendors:

Second Childhood Girlfriends503.669.7746 and 503.665.6753
Like so many of the Farm Chicks vendors, their booth was filled to the brim with this and that – you just had to go in and check it out all.


The Rusty BirdVirginia Shawver (208.623.2150)
If you like to feather your nest with bird-inspired décor, you'll love Virginia's work! She creates these little nests complete with feathers and eggs, so adorable! Plus she paints some wonderful watercolors of birds and their twiggy homes.


Anemonewww.handmadepaperflowers.com
I'm a paper nut so when I saw these floral creations made completely out of paper, I was thrilled! What a great keepsake idea for a bride. And I love the twigs with dogwood and magnolia flowers – a great way to have blooms that won't wilt after a week!


Seabold Vintage Marketwww.seaboldvintagemarket.com
I loved the simplicity and elegance of Liz's display. Narrowing the color palette down to just a few colors tied everything together so nicely. I wish my whole house looked like her booth! All the gorgeous bedding and pillows are from Bainbridge Blues - you just want to dive right into bed.


Last but not least, here are my own personal treasures that I couldn't leave without. Lots of little bits of this and that, mostly letters, to use in my assemblage art:

Love the little cabinet. I found the perfect place for it in the dining room: