OH LA LE

As a teenager, there was a Le Car always parked on the street outside my bedroom window. The mystery of who that car belonged to, and why such a pedestrian car would have such an "exotic" name always perplexed me. Also, is there a connection between the Le Car and the Le Bag? Did they come with the car as some sort of promotional gift? Or was there simply a fad of naming random things Le____ back in the day? Did the "Le" give it more sophistication somehow? I will probably never know those answers, but I will most assuredly continue to use my rad Le Bag tote, and maybe feel a bit of that implied je ne sais quoi for myself.

THAT 70s HOUSE

Confession time: I have an addiction. For a long time, I was hesitant to admit it even to myself, but now I feel that I must embrace and announce my secret: I love 70s architecture. Specifically very austere, angular shed style houses and office buildings. Probably a side effect of being a child of the 80s, but the style feels familiar to me, visually like home. Unfortunately, the town I live in now has a dearth of really exceptional examples of this architectural style, so when I spy one, I get pretty jazzed. Like, periodical-drive-by-and-peeking-in-windows jazzed. So, I decided to make a little semi-regular feature of this strange addiction. When I see a rad 70s building (or maybe even an early 80s one, since there is stylistic overlap there), I will post a photo and gush about it. No big deal. Probably nobody will love these buildings as much as I do, but it's my blog, so I get my way! Alright, first up is a little circa 1977 gem I found hidden within a sorta shabby neighborhood.

She has that geometric, vaguely office-y look that appeals to me. The horizontal siding accentuates her low, long shape, and check out that curved driveway. I loathe a house that is all garage in front, so the way this one is perpendicular to the street really satisfies me. She was for sale but recently taken off the market (what is wrong with people?!). If she had a fourth bedroom I would really be pushing her on my husband, but her size and location sort of take her out of the running. I really hope she finds an owner who will appreciate her. She has lots of great qualities, including a covered back patio, cork floors, a cool detached shed/studio and her lot backs up to a huge swathe of city-owned land that will soon have a nature trail running through it. Like I said, a real gem that needs some TLC and a really hip owner. Maybe I could parlay this specific obsession into a niche realty operation?

BOWIE AND SOTTSASS

Randomness sometimes leads to something cohesive. Case in point, this old David Bowie LP I had totally forgotten I had (I was actually looking for Rick James' Street Songs), a pair of red ceramic lips left over from Valentine's Day and, in a excellent case of randomness, the red and white radical 80s lamp base that I scored for $2.50 at Goodwill. Turns out that patterned laminate on it is Bacterio, designed by none other than Ettore Sottsass and still in production today! 

SLEEK SOFA

I found this mid century-style sofa serendipitously at a thrift shop on Saturday. I absolutely adore the low, streamlined style of it, and check out that blonde wood frame! From the tags I discerned she came from a bank lobby in Seattle, though there are no dates on her for me to tell whether she's actual mid century or a newer copy. I will definitely end up reupholstering her, but at only $24, she's worth the investment.

SLINGS AND ARROWS

In a constant quest to celebrate holidays in an offbeat and unique fashion, I tend to eschew the per-packaged, mass-marketed paraphernalia and make things instead. Halloween costumes, Christmas ornaments and valentines are things that, for me, are satisfying to create rather than buy. Admittedly, I really just printed and cut these beauties, but it was a low effort, high-impact project that was fun for the girls and I. It's not too late to make them; find the templates here. XOXO!

SNOW BUG

When a foot of snow dumps down on your town, you tend to notice the cherry red vintage Beetles looking so cheerful and perfectly cool just chillin' by the curb.

SEEING RED

Gray skies + almost Valentine's Day = dose of hot color, stat!

MINT GREEN TRUCK

I've seen this truck driving around town, and finally caught it camera-ready. 

How fun would it be to tool around in this?

COVER STORY

While organizing the girls' books, I came across a few with colorful, cool covers that captured my imagination. I particularly love the look of these illustrations, maybe because they are hand-drawn and unique, something that is becoming more and more rare in this computerized world. Viva la 20th century, is what I say!

COLOR POP

It's the dead of winter, which means I'm already desperate for an injection of sun, warmth, sizzle, SOMETHING to stave off the doldrums the gray weather can give a girl. My tiny bathroom is one of my last decorating holdouts in the house as I am waiting to rip it all out and start fresh. In the meantime, I decided to add a bit more fun and flair with colorful bathroom accessories and knickknacks. Seeing this vignette when I emerge from a hot shower might trick me into thinking spring is just around the corner. 

Most of the items here are either vintage or unavailable, but one that I can highly recommend is the Pacifica Nerola Orange Blossom candle. Pacifica is a Portland-based company that makes heavenly scented candles, perfumes and beauty products. I have long been a fan of their soy candles, which burn clean and last for ages. Check out their website here.

VALUABLE

This was the theme of my overnight trip to the Willamette Valley yesterday. After breezing through some thrift shops in Salem (my childhood stomping grounds), I perused the vast warehouse that is City Liquidators in Northeast Portland. This sign caught my eye before I left town, and I liked the message and the vintage quality of it.

MULTNOMAH FALLS

Life is too short to take things for granted. I have passed Multnomah Falls dozens of times, yet rarely have I stopped to admire its powerful beauty. Today was perfectly misty and ethereal, so I took an opportunity to capture the quintessential Northwest landmark.

BLACK & WHITE BAR CART

My old reliable black and white came in handy when styling the new bar cart. I have a soft spot for vintage Vera scarves and cork, so I added both for texture. Most of the items I used were either thrift shop finds or recent Target purchases ( I have fallen under the Nate Berkus accessory line's spell!). Check out the results below....

I am pretty stoked with how this turned out; it has a great sort of '70s vibe to it that I love. Since I'm not going to be using this piece as an actual bar cart (small children, you know), I am pondering using it instead as a bedside table. For now, though, I enjoy seeing lots of my favorite knickknacks in one spot!

STAY CLASSY

I found this Threshold bar cart at Goodwill the other day (and it cost me WAY less than retail!). I am giddy with delight over this find, and will have a follow-up post once I get it home and style it up. :)

GALLERY WALL

I got a wild hair today and decided to create a gallery wall in my living room. I wanted a loose, funky  feel, so I added some objects into the mix of framed pieces. Although I've seen it pretty much everywhere in the past decade, I'm still madly in love with that For Like Ever print (it was a first wedding anniversary gift!). My daughter Carolyn didn't mind the commotion, just as long as she could watch Edward Scissorhands in peace.

WEATHERED

This groovy concrete sun lives in my courtyard. It used to hang above the mantel at my parents' old house, but I confiscated it sometime during college and it has graced all of my homes since.

LOW WINTER SUN

One of my favorite joys is a clear, sunny day in the dead of winter. Roll up those shades and let it in!

Lovely screen print by Slide Sideways.

NOT A SIGN OF THE TIMES

The thing about where I live is, there is a certain time-warped, trapped-in-amber quality to everything. Buildings and signs tend to be dated and a bit shabby, and I love it! It's almost as if the 21st century hasn't happened yet.

GOODY TWO SHOES

The shoes so nice, I bought them twice! 

DV by Dolce Vita Malika boots, available here. 

BLACK WHITE GOLD

I have always been drawn to dichotomies. I am half black and half white, and also a Gemini, so maybe it's ingrained in me. This is a sampling of some black and/or white trinkets floating around my house. I decided to group them in interesting ways and added gold for some shiny. And, of course, the images are presented as a diptych!

A NEW LOOK

A new year, a new vignette. Color, symmetry and an eclectic mix are some of my favorite design elements. I combined them all in my mother's living room, shown here, and we are both thrilled with the result. Here's to a fun and fruitful 2014!