Spring is here!

 

Happy first day of spring. I love the feel of this space ... I want to go grab some giant branches this instant! And my peonies are already poking up out of the ground which is always such a great thing.

(image credit unknown)

Saturday adventure

 Oooookay...I see it's been a while since we posted. Sorry for that. We've actually been tackling some smaller projects at our own house on top of the regular work load, all while in the nearly constant company of a very curious and enthusiastic 2 1/2 year old (this kid doesn't stop moving). Hopefully we'll have some progress photos to share soon, but for now here are just a few photos from the day's "adventure". It's not as often as we'd like, but every once in a while we try to carve out time for family adventures. Last time we took a ferry ride to Bainbridge Island (a big hit with the little guy) and on Saturday we visited the Seattle Aquarium.

The seals were super friendly and put on quite the show, swimming right up to the glass before twisting and diving below the surface (we called them sea lions a la Pete and Larry). In the underwater dome we watched a woman diver swim about feeding the fish. This may have been the highlight - our little guy called her "Sea Captain" (again, from Pete and Larry :) and waved excitedly. He hasn't been able to stop talking about it since.

Afterwards, we walked down to Pier 54, the original Ivar's. Little guy had his first fried food (their breaded, fried cod is amazing).  

And we couldn't resist a quick pit stop on the way home to see the Hammering Man outside the Seattle Art Museum. 

Hope your St. Patrick's Day weekend was great!

Instant Love: Ticking Blanket

Our trusty white denim duvet cover purchased YEARS ago from Eddie Bauer Home (remember when EB had a home store?) is just not going to make it much longer. It keeps tearing along the top, even after a last-ditch repair attempt. Sadly I haven't been able to find anything I like as much (it's quite heavy which means it doesn't need ironing and looks pretty good with very little maintenance - just how we like things!) but today this fabulous ticking blanket made in Maine got my heart racing. It suddenly occurred to me that I could easily get an inexpensive white cotton duvet cover (two, even, for ease of rotation) and then dress most of the bed with this most perfect blanket. Apparently it gets better and better with washing and wear. These days we are all about low-maintenance, hard-wearing, and beautiful, so it seems this would fit the bill!

Endless Possibilities

 

Welcome, 2014! Here's to a fresh new canvas; a brand new year to fill with fun new adventures, gratifying design, and an unwavering focus what matter most to you.

(image from Tumbler, credit unknown)

Tiny Snowman

 

We got just enough snow for this miniature snowman ... a baby carrot for the nose, and a couple of rocks for eyes. Our little guy was way excited.

Shoveling was a big highlight as well :)

Hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

Good Gifting

Ok so I'm a little behind with this one (or maybe just in time for those of you with gifts still on your list!) but I couldn't resist sharing these great finds...starting with this simple galvanized barometer, above. Why not?

And this sweet herringbone moose - we nabbed a few for the tree this year.

I love this chair for a little boy's room. It feels rugged and yet comfy since the seat's made from canvas.

Pretty striped linen hand towels.

The colors and design of this print are fantastic. The subject matter is fun, too.

A compact combo tool. SO useful.

The coolest bottle opener I've seen. (Husband would love).

And a sweet little personalized airplane. It has such a great vintage look.

Hope you are enjoying the season! Good luck with your shopping and remember to break for the fun stuff. We've been enjoying extra trips to Starbucks, driving all the Christmas lights, visits to Santa (yes, more than one - little guy loves him. Maybe even more than the mailman, which says a lot), and lots of singing!

Wall Hooks

Especially now that it's nearly winter time (and this week so far has been SO chilly) I am really, really wanting to get a built in bench with hooks and cubbies crafted for our mudroom.... would be so much easier to walk in and hang coats, hats (and stow shoes) all in one tidy place so they are all ready for the next outing. Searching all over the house for everything works too, just makes getting on our way at a decent pace a bit of a challenge when a two year old is involved (hat? mittens? coat? shoes? socks?). Anyway, as I dream of this little project (among many, many others we have yet to complete) inevitably my mind drifts to the hardware involved. Naturally, I am talking about the hooks. I searched all the usual suspects and came up uninspired. I even searched many other less common purveyors and nothing felt quite right. I still plan to visit the local feed and garden store for something fabulously raw and industrial (like when I found this great little L bracket to use as a hose hook), but if that doesn't pan out, I do think I would be quite delighted with these hooks I recently happened upon from Room and Board. The raw steel would be perfect. 

A faster, simpler solution -- or at least a fix for the time being -- could be something like this from Restoration Hardware. Looks nicely functional as well, and those little shoes and mittens could go up top :)