here's to a fairytale fall

happy to share an early autumn collection i gathered to get you in the mood.
so, tell me, who has already bought fairytale pumpkins this year?
i'm on my way this afternoon to find them. . . .

{image by rachel plowman}

p.s. welcome back to san francisco, jenni! you've been massively missed!

mod pod

in downtown corvallis many lovely shops abound, but one of my favorite's is one of the newest: mod pod. the owner, jessica klein, has a great eye for finding chic-contemporary and midcentury, retro-inspired modern furnishings and decor for just about any budget. it's bright & cheery with a great combination of both neutral and colorful furnishings. mod pod is geared towards bringing accessible and affordable modern design in to everything from dorm rooms to offices. and what a blessing ~ especially since it's the only one of its kind in the willamette valley. please enjoy a virtual tour with some of my faves from around the shop. . . .

i heart the flashdance

when some one says they are inspired by "rad style, timeless music, unique design and photography that captures the spirit of the subject", i am more than a little bit intrigued. and after i spent an hour or so playin around on the flashdance i was getting a pretty hard crush. i mean where else can you hope to find sam cooke & leonard cohen,a gangbanger pancacke brunch,
a whole lot of inventive love photography,

plus more coolness than antarticaall in one website??

the flashdance is where it's at, no doubt about it ~ and i'm so wanting to join their party, where ever & whenever they hook it up.
oh, maybe they need a design diva in the pac northwest to round out their team?? finger's crossed.....
until then, i'm gonna be soaking up their fabness from their blog and hoping some of it rubs off.

in the closet

organizing my closets this past week has been so wonderful for my mood ~ yes i have a disease of making order out of chaos, and loving it! when all the things are in order on their shelves, racks, & rods my heart goes pitter-pat. but taking things to the next level is what this post is all about. come explore some amazing cloests with me ~ being in the closet never looked so darn good!
{paint and color-coordination can do wonders in the closet-charm department. so maybe all your clothes & accessories aren't shades of green like the california closets image bottom left, but still you get the idea . . . . more of your fave color = more satisfaction. top left: domino magazine, top right: northern living interiors, both bottoms: california closets}

{ah wallpaper ~ the stylish fix-all for boring spaces. using it on the inside of closets as a vibrant backdrop to your clothing & shoes is delightful; adding it to the outside of a closet door for some spark to a boring room is just plain smart. top left: chez larsson, top right: domino magazine, bottom left: house beautiful, bottom right: janna at wish}

{men need fantastic closets too! and usually they want things more specialized than the ladies do ~ tie racks, power stations for phones/blackberries et al, extra large shoe storage, cuff link/watch display, even gun/weapon storage . . . guys rarely let themselves fantastize about closets but once i get them thinking about it they're usually way more giddy than the ladies about the prospects of such. left & center photos: tomar lampert, right photo: richens designs}

{integrating built-in closets into the architecture of your room has a stunning effect. this is very refreshing and soothing to an organize-aholic like myself. top left: nurit geffen-batim studio, top right: harrell remodleing, bottom left: billinkoff architects, bottom right: hughes construction}

{specialized storage closets for things like shoes and accessories is a nice luxury and a great way to show off and preserve ultra-fabulous collections. left: getty images, center: making it lovely, right: martha stewart}


{if you don't have a closet built in to your room's floor plan, try tranforming a piece of furniture like an armoire or a curio cabinet into the new function. it's fairly easy to install rods and shelves, and customizing with fabulous colors and patterns is very satisfying! top left: martha stewart, top right: peacock feathers, bottom left: zimbio image, bottom right: my sweet savannah. }


{when all else fails ~ find a big branch and hang it from your ceiling and neatly place your shoes in a semi-circle beneath! ok, so it's not exactly realistic for most, but it looks pretty cool in this photo. thanks to desire to inspire for the image}

there is only one peach for me

have you noticed in the last year or so how everything has completely changed ~ as in 100% different than 365 days ago ~ or is it just me?
ok, perhaps the wild ride of my life is doing the flip-flops more than most, but i have absolutely no complaints.
although some things have been the most challenging i've ever faced, others have been the most soulful enlightening and awesome experiences i've ever been blessed with. i'm in complete awe that one year ago today i gave birth to alesia marie. i've been emotionally overwhelmed for the last 24 hours with my thoughts consumed by the incredible memories and delightful realities all around me just because of one little girl.
and so today, as an ode to my beautiful, vivacious, flirtatious, cautiously curious, head strong and very loving daughter, i'd like to show off some delightful peachy goodness.

{super delightful etsy finds ~ peony headband & peony hat by pretty baby bowtique. peachy dress by my sweet chickadee . crocheted hat by sparkle berry crafts. shoes by gracious may. peach clippie by sweet bitty bows. bloomer set by 3 lil muses. burp clothes by buttercup forrest. leggings by mama runs with scissors. }


{up-and-away & retro posies prints by crimson peachy art}


{peach ginger icecream cakes & sorbets by whimsy & spice ~ i'm sure even more yummy to taste than to look at!}



{these lovely table setting photos are from peach is the new pink ~ a design*sponge wedding idea post today, of all days!}

you've come a long way in one year baby, and i'm forever grateful for being there with you. happy first birthday peachy star!
oh and thanks to the ever-amazing jenni for this awesome video tribute to the peachette!

i wish . . . . .

. . . . i could swing on the tire swing in my grandma's backyard like i did as a child. . . . "my village" {closest group of friends i've ever had} lived right next to me still. . . . i could spend at least one year in italy with my daughter. . . . my newest design career dreams would come true {soon}
. . . . i could dance tango all night long. . . . there were fireflies on the west coast
. . . . it were possible to smell roses & freesia growing in my garden year round. . . . for alesia to always know the incredible beautiful gift she is to the world
. . . . to ride in a hot air balloon with my sister for an afternoon. . . . people would respect each other's differences and listen with their hearts more. . . . i could ride a ferris wheel in downtown san francisco. . . . bubbles could float around for hours without popping. . . . siestas were acceptable practice for anyone, any time. . . . everyone could love themselves more

thanks so much to relyn for this idea ~ her incredible wish list inspired me to make mine!



{tire swing by mmgoode. my village by jennib. siena landscape by ahsan. buddha stairs by ramona d'viola. ney and jen tango by houston tango festival. fireflies in park by goldring. roses and freesia by beakee . alesia photo by me. balloon ride by quasebart. circle of friends by lifetime. ferris wheel sunset by calzean. soap bubbles by floridapfe. group siesta by marek barczyk. jump for joy by krish tipirneni. }

mobile madness

mobiles are such fantastic inventions. for their beauty but also for their balance. i enjoy them so very much, big & small, and would love to hang at least one in alesia's new room. i'm going to make it myself, but thought i'd look around the internets for some inspiration from what others have done before deciding on my design. here are few treasures i found:

{pom-love on etsy makes whimsical and light mobiles from tissue pom-poms}

{lovely little paper cut-out mobiles by frazier & wing}

{petit collage makes bamboo mobiles with darling little animals. first found on twig & thistle}

{adorable birds on a limb mobile project ~ first seen on spool sewing blog}

{fabric hoops for the nursery all across the ceiling ~ pure genius! found on ohdeedoh}

now, time to get to my own project. . . . .unless of course you have some more mobile inspiration to share???

gems & news for friday

this awesome sign, right on the money in my opinion, was found on graphic-exchange {more on this entirely awesome place later} by holly at decor8. i was so taken with it i just had to get it up on my swellspring too! it has inspired me to start re-thinking a lot of my old stand-by design choices. i've got a very tight budget and a whole lot of interior designing to do in the coming weeks. let's call it design-on-a-dime, but with surprising & refreshing pizazz! ooo la la!
ever since i was born {in july in arkansas} i've been known as the sunshine girl, and so my adoration for almost anything with some sunshine in it. i say "almost" very intentionally since some sunshiney things can be a bit too cheesy or hippy for my taste. but even those do evoke a smile. i just wouldn't include them in my own decor. so when i found this sweet little sign made by freya art & design {also 1st seen on decor8 ~ had fun there today!} i got all excited as it seems like some perfectly wonderful inspiration for alesia's bedroom. the daughter of a sunshine girl! i think i'll include this in a little inspiration-board-collage very soon.
new art for alesia's room already on the way is this utterly fantastic print designed by robert david bretz. she has this thing for giraffes and i thought it was the perfect addition to her wall ~ but should it be the beside the crib wall or the beside the changing table wall? ah decisions, decisions!

oh yeah, and by the way, in case you've wondered what's kept me away from blogging for the past while. . . . .we've been moving in to a new home! so much excitement and change ~ it's been a fairly smooth transition and we're settling in very nicely in the new 'hood. but boy are there a ton of projects! daunting & exciting all at the same time.
this weekend ~ painting!
how about you??

color crushes

feeling the love for color, and in the mood for sharing:

to my favorite little sprout

happy 11 month birthday, peach blossom, you have nourished my soul more than anything else i've ever known.
your strength, humor, and love are so impressive. your heart is so wide open and you just take everything in. you know what you want and you'll fight like mad to get it. you are a big flirt and captivate people every where you go. you are very proud of your 2 little teeth, and you're very good at speed crawling. you love to eat fresh fruits, sweet potatoes, crackers, cottage cheese and all types of beans. you adore being with your cousins and really like playing in water {bath time, kiddie pools, etc}. you always wake-up in the best mood & help to wake me up happy too.
p.s. i love it when you call out "mama, mama, mama" until i come get you. it's just the sweetest thing.

candyland in sf

which way to the gumdrop mountains?
well, go to north beach and head over the far side of telegraph hill....on lombard street, of course!
to celebrate candyland's 60th birthday yesterday, hasbro put on a fantastic show: a life sized game of candyland on san francisco's lombard street! best idea i've heard in a long-long time!
only children from uc san francisco children’s hospital and the nonprofit friends of the children were allowed to compete on the game, but 100's of other children watched on the side lines. so wish i was there too!
also, this incredible cake made by the uber-talented debbie does cakes got devoured after the game. what a treat!

photos and story found on sfist
thanks mr.hilarious blogasaurus for the tip!

august rush

it's the beginning of harvest time & many wonderful things have ripened around here, so we're scurrying to get them put by for future enjoyment. not to say we aren't enjoying them while they're fresh too. we've been gobbling-up peaches, berries, beans, peas, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumber, garlic, figs, pears, and corn....a serious bounty this year! this is the time when all our hard work in the gardens starts to pay off ~ and so far everything is delicious! but my heirloom tomatoes are by far my favorite treat out of my garden so far.
the figs were divine, and have become one of alesia's new favorite foods. especially with creamy chevre {goat cheese}!

one of my favorite breakfasts this time of year is fresh cut peaches, blueberries & cream:
our family likes garlic. a lot. so we grow quite a bit in our garden and tie it up for use all year round. here's our harvest of italian & elephant garlic this year.....time for some olive oil & pasta!

we turned these bartlet beauties into spiced pear deliciousness to use throughout the holiday season. yum!
ok, now i'm getting hungry again!

time for some retail therapy

check out these gorgeous handmade pieces by michael arras:


and these fabulous finds at working class studio :

{outdoor pillows}

{the kay collection melamine plates}

oh and these lovely little gems at viva terra: {misprint garden sign}

{pearl lotus chandelier}

{recycled bangle votive candle holders}

to fly in the middle is magic

this jaw-droppingly gorgeous photo is of the largest hot air balloon gathering in the world ~ the lorraine mondial air balloons rally in chambley, france. in the photographer's own delightful words "to be there is a gift but to fly in the middle is magic." gbatistini created this particular image by stitching together 6 panoramas. absolutely stunning!
but wait, there's more...
a time lapse video of the launch:


and an entire flickr group dedicated to the launch is here.
where i found another fantastic photo by leadenhall . he took this on a serendipitous train ride ~ as he was riding across france he looked out the window and saw that it was raining balloons. how lucky we are that he captured it on film to share!
bon weekend!

fun in the shade

the heat wave here in the pacific northwest has me thinking about shade{s}. in celebration of summertime sun and the ever-evolving lamp-shade, here are some bright ideas to contemplate {preferrably while sipping iced-tea}:
my uber-talented friend, jordan ferney, just posted about this adorable & lovely way to create some extra shade at an outdoor party....clip-on umbrellas! as you know well by now, i adore all kinds of umbrellas, with a passion. so i'm extremely excited to learn about this new clipable kind. insta-addition to my wish list! you can buy them here, and you can see the rest of jordan's post here.



storage, display & lighting all in one ~ brilliant shades by pottery barn. even though you could buy them for about $99, it would be a fairly simple d.i.y. project too: just take almost any lampshade and hand-sew the cloths pins to it with an extra large needle using tight criss-cross stitches. what a bright idea!


if you've got a need for more shade for your patio or yard, for a construction project, then these awesome shade sails are for you! they can be stretched between trees, posts and buildings from the d-ring at each corner. the seamless extra wide fabric these are made from comes in seven colors. the same site also provides photos of residential installations, sample layouts and sells the installation hardware.


ok, these are kinda kitschy. but i think they could be a great smile-inducing addition to the right space....maybe in a pool-house bathroom, at a beach cafe or in a kids bedroom at a beach house? designed by toby sanders and found at his website: tobyhouse.

these beautiful copper shades are created in colorado by artist uriah beuller. found at parasoleil , they are made of pattern-cut copper in a 36”x 96” size, though custom panels can be made, too. and even better, the panels are green-certified with 90% recycled content... parasoleil has a choice of several patterns that can be cut into the panels, creating shadows and light in outdoor spaces. the copper material is low-maintenance for outdoors, as it will patina and last a lifetime without corroding.