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???