beach bliss

We had the most wonderful getaway to Gearhart this past weekend... perfect weather, great company, and amazing accommodations!

Todd and I along with two of our fur-boys piled into our dog mobile and met up with his parents at the Fitzgerald's Cottages. My in-laws checked in before we did and took these photos:

The two adjoining units are located in the back of the Fitzgerald's Home & Garden shop (where we found some must-have treasures to take home). The grounds look amazing, thanks in part to Dennis' 7 Dees Garden Center who has set up shop right outside the store.

My in-laws stayed in the king studio, which was quite spacious yet still had that cozy Hamptons beach vibe:

Their room adjoined the main cottage at the end of the hallway:

The living area had two couches that begged for lounging, along with a cozy Franklin stove and big TV with DVD player:

The kitchen looked very cute and had all the amenities, including a full-size fridge. The bathroom was bright and airy with the tallest shower ever and a pebbled shower floor that felt like a mini foot massage. Heaven!

Our bedroom was very pretty and the bed super comfy. However, my favorite little nook was the bunk bed area: I could just imagine little kids sharing night-time stories and ending up in a big pillow fight!

Even though it was the last weekend in September, we had absolutely glorious weather and thoroughly enjoyed the beach:

Thanks, Momma J. and Papa G., for sharing this wonderful weekend with us. And thanks also to the Fitzgerald's Cottages/Distinctive Beach Lodgings team for creating such a dreamy getaway. We can't wait to come back!

cool packaging

One of my favorite things to do whenever I travel is to visit grocery stores and just stroll down the isles to see what catches my eye. I'm such a sucker for good packaging - I'll buy something based on that alone! So I thought I'd share some of my finds from our trip to Vancouver, BC.

The first thing I picked up was this locally made, gorgeous, and delicious chocolate bar. Love the color, of course (orange being one of my faves!), but what struck me was the clean, sleek look of the graphics, as well as the way the chocolate was packaged inside: it sits in a little tray that slides out of the sleeve.

The tray reads "Sleek, slender, easy to hide from your friends" and the chocolate itself has an irregular, angular pattern that is repeated on the front of the package. You can find some here.

Next was a bottle of olive oil from New Zealand that made me smile: what a clever way of playing with the letters! Plus I love green and black – it totally matches my colors of Defteling Design. You can find it here.

And how cool is this bottle of lemon juice from South Africa? I actually like the old-fashioned plastic lemon-shaped bottle, but this updated version is so stylish and modern, I have to replace my old one!

I also spotted lime juice and a caramel and chocolate sauce in similar packaging – yumm to both the packaging and the contents! Find more here.

The artist in me just had to have this strawberry jam:

The box is what caught my attention but when I opened it up and saw that the jam came in a tube with awesome graphics, I was completely sold!

And last but not least, when I spotted these Pantone mugs in a very cool design store, I had to have it. It's not quite "my" PMS color (that's 612, in case you're wondering) but it was close enough – I'm already using it as a pencil cup, given that I don't drink coffee.

And of course, I couldn't leave without a few matching mechanical pencils:

I got these at a fabulous store called Vancouver Special but you can also find them here.

2010 Olympics

While we were on vacation in Vancouver, BC last week, we couldn't help but notice some of the changes that have taken place in preparation of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. The place where this was most noticeable was Whistler.

Todd and I had never been and decided to make the 1.5-hour drive through the gorgeous mountains to check it out. Well, the town itself was a bit disappointing in that it felt too much like a planned community. As we were walking through the pedestrian-only shopping streets, I couldn't help but be reminded of Las Vegas – it all felt a bit fake, despite the gorgeous sunshine and green mountains.

One thing I did love, however, was seeing all the awesome graphics that were created to promote the Olympics.

I love the official logo and all the support materials, right down to the Japanese anime-inspired mascots.

Also love the fresh, crisp color palette of greens and blues mixed with the richly textured illustration style. What a fun project that must have been to work on!

vacation pix

We just returned from a few days of R&R in beautiful Vancouver, BC, and while we're happy to be back home, we do miss that glorious feeling of freedom!

My favorite place to visit is always Granville Island: food and art all in one place! I had every intention of visually documenting our tour among the various food vendors and art galleries but as it turns out, I only snapped a few shots:

I love breads and seeing all these crusty, flakey balls of goodness at Terra Breads definitely made my mouth water! The pizza bianca was so delicious!

And as we passed this pie in the window of a side hallway, I was stunned by its size: this is an 8-inch pan and the pie is at least 6 inches tall!

We shared a plate of cheese and potato pierogies – yumm!

As we ate our snacks outside by the water, we made a new friend of the feathery kind:

And this is what awaited us back at the Pacific Pallisades hotel: a row of six fluffy pillows to rest our weary heads. Sweet dreams!

tulip mania

Growing up in Northern Europe with Dutch parents, grand parents, aunts and uncles, it's only natural that I have an affinity for flowers. However, despite having lived in the Netherlands for six years, I don't remember ever having been to the famous tulip fields or the auction in Aalsmeer.

Seeing these pictures makes me think next time I happen to be in the Netherlands in spring, I simply must make the time for a visit:

I love how the rows of color create a graphic pattern:

I would like to credit the photographer for these photos but they were sent to me in a forwarded chain of emails so I don't know where they originated...

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...