RED GOLD

Just a brief moment of panic last week when I opened the freezer and found no more raspberry jam. When I saw some gorgeous raspberries on sale at the market I had to make the time for a batch of jam. We can't survive for long without homemade jam in this house. My mother-in-law calls raspberries "Red Gold". So completely agree.

Printable Jam Labels for you. Enjoy.

Large Lid , Small Lid, Tags, Round Circle Labels (Fiskars XL Punch)

The Martha Stewart string was originally purchased at Michael's, but can now be found just about anywhere. Check out etsy for a plethora of colors.

BABY ROOM CONCEPTS

I've been working on my sister-in-law's home with her and her husband. They recently purchased a beautiful Arts & Crafts home near by. It came equipped with terrible paint in every room and plenty of space to beautify. Needless to say, we're having fun giving each room renewed life and style.

They have a bit of a earthy, minimal, and textural style and a nice collection of mid-century modern furniture. We want to add to that with a touch of Industrial, and Victorian. They like muted blues and greens, feminine mixed with masculine, they like wool, and felt... they like what I like.

All of the rooms need paint, some need wallpaper, most need furniture. I started by collecting snippets of products and style ideas and applying them to style boards for each room. For their nursery, I had several thoughts... too many thoughts because to me, a nursery is the perfect room to do something very different from the rest of the home. I've included them here, and as many of the references as I could find for each.

REGENT BIRDIE
A bit of Hollywood Regency and a few birdies amount to a beautifully feminine space for a baby girl. I'm not much for pink for girls because it's a bit obvious, but in this case, it's really sweet to me to have pale pink mixed with gold and accented with pale greens and blues. Paint metal items gold and/or gold foil vintage Victorian frames for a bulletin board. A gold pouf and mirrored dresser along with a very girlie vintage chandelier. A few handmade bird houses on the wall and various knitted or sewn birdies could make a cute mobile. Maggie & Sparrow has a beautiful option. A grey rug with a graphic pattern and a simple glider. White iron crib RHBaby. Birdcage memo holder available at The Orchard. Bird print by Matte Stephens.

SCHOOL DAYS
I was originally inspired by a homeschooling room from Mandy Lynne. Decorating with vintage globes, suitcases (photo credit: Mollypop) and typewriter, Victorian frame turned to bulletin board or chalkboard, needlepoint footstool, and wire baskets for storage. Vintage Fisher Price Schoolhouse (etsy) and peoples in Vintage wood wall shelf (photo credit: bunnyfrogs). Doily garland (by anemonecomms) and soft toys (by Cleo & Poppy and blabla). Quilt by Maggie & Sparrow. Clock and lighting by Schoolhouse Electric. Furnishing with Millbrook Iron Crib (RHBaby). Hannah Nicole Glider (Sears). Vintage schoolchair/desk (Modern50). Painted Victorian dresser for a Changing table.

FOX DEN
As a mom of two girls many of my ideas lean to the feminine but I tend to like boy things. Boy shoes for instance. My girls wear boy shoes until they figure out that their shoes are boy shoes. Then I have to surrender to the sparkle. A room based on foxes could go for boys or girls. I love the kick of color and the opportunity to combine masculine with feminine in color, texture and style.

This is a great opportunity for a vintage Mid-century dresser/changing table. The Daddy Glider has clean lines and is complimented by a textural knitted pouf. A vintage school chair and teak crib. Harlequin wallpaper by Ferm Living. Socks the Fox by Blabla. Lighting by Sect Design and handmade fox plushies. I'm a huge fan of Maggie & Sparrow's quilts. And an even huger fan of  Djeco's Scouic Fox pull toy designed by Marc Boutavant.

RAINY DAY
I love clouds and rain. Maybe it's the Portland in me. I miss those days when it would rain for 20 minutes and then get sunny for an hour then rain for a half hour and then sunny for 4 hours.... Clouds coming and going is comforting to me. Mellow weather feels like a good concept for a baby's nursery. This one is my favorite, actually.

I recall seeing the "I will be grateful for this day" poster on etsy a while back and loving the subtle colors and rain drops. I love the idea of small white string lights and fluffy white ruffle curtains. Vintage tin bins for storage and a Rain Cloud Mobile by The Butter Flying. This would be a nice place for a damask wallpaper or fabric for the bumper, flokati rug and warm wood furniture. The Little Dorm shelf by Ferm Living. Drum light by West Elm. Glider by Olio. Cloud pillow by BlaBla Kids. I also love the idea of white string lights to offer unpredictable lighting. Bird print by deka-Animals. Umbrella charm by Jade Scott.

COUNTING SHEEP
Sheep mobile by Gifts Define. Wood Sheep by Plan Toys. Myles Glider available through Layla Grayce. DIY IKEA painted shelving. Cloud B Sleep Sheep. Sheep Crib Bedding by Land of Nod. Flokati pouf. Budding Crystal Chandelier by Anthropologie.

IN THE GARDEN
Inspired by the colors in my grandmother's garden with a variety of lush greens and vibrant pink, yellow, orange and blue. I love the Garden Rug from from Land of Nod. It has all of the colors that I remember from the hot summer days I spent on her farm in Northern California. Quilt by A Beau Ideal using "a mix of Heather Bailey lines for the fabric including Nicey Jane, Pop Garden and Bijoux." Also in the mix are vintage tin bins and mirrors from old window panes. Garden knobs for wall hooks and wire baskets for book and toy storage. Vintage side chair along with a lovely glider by Petit Nest. Yellow metal crib and side table. Snail art by Matte Stephens. Felted snail by Muddy Feet. Olive linen curtains by Crate & Barrel.

VINTAGE CIRCUS
Wire storage bins, wire baskets and crib by Restoration Hardware. Lighting by Anthropologie. Quilt by Maggie & Sparrow. The baby's name in string art inspired by Dominique Falla. Painted Victorian table for a changing area or small dresser. Vintage letters and Fisher Price circus toys. Animal art by Lisa Jones Studio. Table lamp available through Swank Lighting. Pouf DIY through DesignSponge. Carter Glider by Room & Board. Jute rug from Rosenberry Rooms.

WOODLAND FRIENDS
Brown flokati rug. Stump side table from West Elm. Quilt by Maggie & Sparrow. Langley Floral wallpaper by Ralph Lauren. Dupioni silk curtains. Vintage Iron crib, Matteo linen bedding, and Capiz pendant by Layla Grayce. Neutral colored tufted glider. Vintage wood wall shelf for small decorative items like a mushroom collection and little forest critters. Soft toys like hedgehogs, bunnies, and chipmunks. Hand crafted items like felted mushrooms in a teacup, felted acorns could be turned into a mobile. Jonathan Adler Squirrel. Gorgeous brown lace for a pillow and soft quilted pouf all make for a textural and soft woodland room.

VINTAGE FIND

The beauty of letterpress is not only in the touchable indents on lush paper, or even the romantic nostalgia of a machine at work. It goes so far as beauty in storage. Vintage letterpress drawers are functional, beautiful, and easily repurposed.

They're everywhere I turn. They're in photoshoots, they're being used as wall shelves for collectibles, thread or favorite pretty things. They're being turned into jewelry racks, advent calendars, furniture, and wall art. Some people even (gasp) paint them for renewed life. Letterpress letters have always been a hit, but the drawers they're stored in deserve attention as well. And for good reason. Form meets function with a new purpose. You can't beat that.

If you're interested in purchasing a letterpress drawer, check out etsy. They've got oodles.

Today I spotted a couple at a favorite vintage shop, Euro Treasures.

VISION WALK FOR LUCY

My lovely friend Shawni and her husband Dave have five amazing kids. I have never met these beautiful kids, but I know they're amazing because they belong to two of the most wonderful people I know. Their littlest, Lucy struggles with vision and next weekend they're walking to earn funds.

If you have the means, please join in supporting them. They truly are an inspiring family. I love them dearly, and even though we don't live near them, I'm sure they can feel the love and support. For more information about Lucy you can read Shawni's blog here.

From Shawni's blog: "Please follow this link for more information about the walk. Follow this link to join our "I Love Lucy" team on March 31st. There is no charge for walking with us and there are all kinds of fun things for kids set up where the walk takes place. If you cannot join us for the walk but would like to make a donation to help fight Lucy's specific type of blindness, click here."

70s STELLA & 60s NINA

When Stella was born, my husband, Tosh designed her birth announcement. Our friend Ben at Mandate Press letterpressed it with care. I took a photo of Stella, and we sent it out to our closest friends and family.

The announcement won a little design award and got some attention because Ben photographed it, put it on his site and it started popping up on blogs all over the world. It was fun to see Tosh's drawing that started as a potential Christmas card (he was originally Santa and I had the pregnant belly) turn into Stella's sweet little announcement.

Two years later we changed clothes and repeated the process for Nina's birth announcement. I will cherish both of his designs always. As usual, I'm quite proud of my talented husband.

NEW EATS. PALLET.

I'm impressed with the style of a new restaurant in town, Pallet
http://cityhomecollective.com/blog/pallet-wait-over/ on 400 West and Pierpont. Design led by: Cody Derrick of City Home Collective. Owners: Rocky Derrick and Drew Estman.

Pierpont is the home of a few of my favorites from the past and present. We often wander into Elemente to see what furniture and other finds have made their way there. There used to be a great soup shop there, now gone. Such is the story all too often of businesses in Salt Lake City. I have high hopes for Pallet. I haven't eaten there yet but I am truly tempted if only to see their gorgeous restroom. Black wallpaper and vintage light bulbs... Must see more!

From the photos on City Home Collective's site, I see that if the food tastes as wonderful as the restaurant looks, it will be a new favorite. Maybe they could work on their restaurant website next. eatpallet.com

Stay tuned. I'll let you know when we go.

All photo credits go to Eric Russell.

DIY TOPIARY PLACE SETTING

True to usual form, we're late getting a birthday gift for my mother-in-law. She's so hard to shop for. She has everything she needs and anything she wants, she can make. She's the original Martha Stewart in many ways. If she sees something cool, she'll figure out how to make it, usually for half the cost. So when we saw some sweet little topiary place settings at Williams-Sonoma for $10 each I knew I needed to learn from her example and make them.http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/moss-topiary-place-card-holders/

I figured they would be fairly simple to make. But I didn't think they'd be as inexpensive. I went to JoAnn's and purchased everything needed for 12 settings for under $25 (with coupons). Nothing against Williams-Sonoma, I love that store and I try to support and be a purchaser, but that would've cost me $120 for 12 settings. Sorry Williams-Sonoma I had no choice but to swipe your idea because my mother-in-law cooks for 12 all too often.

Supplies (q12):
- Moss - 2 packs
http://www.joann.com/supermoss-18-x16-instant-green-moss-mat/zprd_09598897a/
- Styrofoam Balls - 2 packs (q6 in each) 2 1/2"
 http://www.joann.com/floracraft-2-1-2-styrofoam-balls-6pk-white/xprd499270/
- Clay Pots - (12) 2"
- Large Safety Pins - 1 package. I used gold, but WS's are Silver
- Glue Gun
- Glue Sticks
- Scissors - I used a pair I don't care about to cut the moss because it has a sticky back,
  and a smaller pair that's really sharp for detail clipping.
- Wire Cutters

How To:
This gets a bit messy, but it's easy to clean up.
1. Cut 12 square pieces of moss, one for each ball to wrap. I wasn't too exact with the sizing but they were roughly 4"x4" and I was able to get 9 out of one package of moss.
2. Put a blob of glue in the center of one moss square and attached a ball.
3. Run a bead of glue from the ball to one corner and wrap it up the ball. This will be the bottom of the ball when it's done. Do the same on the opposite corner.
4. Pull up a third corner and hold with your finger, don't glue this yet. Cut where the two sides have little openings. The goal is to get it all of the edges to meet up without gaps or overlaps.
5. With the flap hanging open cut the portions along the ball's contour and glue them down.
6. Pull the flap down again and hold with your finger, don't glue this yet, but cut off excess that might overlap. Glue the flap down. If there is overlap, trip it off. If there are gaps, you can fill it in with a little more glue and small scraps of moss.
7. Do the same steps 4-6 on the last corner.
8. The ball should be covered with no gaps or overlaps. The bottom can be left a little sloppy though, it will be hidden inside the pot.
9. Run a thick bead of glue around the inside edge of the pot and place the moss ball inside with the sloppiest side in and hidden. Press down.
10. Clip off the safety pin clasp and squeeze the pin so that it has about a 1/4" gap and insert it into the top of the moss ball. I pushed mine all the way to the ball, but WS has theirs up a bit to expose the wire part of the safety pin.

You're done. Each one takes about 5-10 minutes to make.

WE LIKE FOIL

When my husband and I went on our honeymoon in 2004 to Montreal and stayed at the St. Paul Hotel (http://www.hotelstpaul.com/en/), we fell in love with the decor. Bull head lights in the elevator, cowhide chair in our room, Capiz chandeliers and most of all, the foil wall in the lounge. We wanted to include the same look in our home so I researched trying to find out how it was created. I even contacted the hotel designer Ana Borrallo (http://www.designhotels.com/hotels/americas/canada/montreal/hotel_st_paul/architecture). She was kind enough to educate me a little on the process.

We ultimately ended up using an old 4'x5' canvas and having a crafternoon together to create a silver foil piece to hang on our wall. However, the thing that made St. Paul's wall so amazing was the amber glaze. We loved how it was silver foil but the glaze warmed the room. We never did do the wall in that home but in our current home, we attempted it on a smaller scale. After more research I found that the experts use rolls of foil. Seen here http://www.gildedplanet.com/gildingceilings.asp. My husband was designing signage and menus etc. for a Park City restaurant and they were applying a silver foil ceiling. Gilded Planet actually helped us understand the process more so we did it. It didn't turn out as amazing as St. Paul's but it is pretty and it's unique. The amber glaze is the thing that is missing.

After that we thought it might be fun to apply gold foil to some of our random artifacts around the house. An old "B", a Buddha head from a past photoshoot, and my husband's newest idea, the plastic reindeer. We've seen plastic animals spray painted or glittered but not foiled. It turned out really great. Nice work Tosh ;) I think I'll do a bunny next to add to our Easter decor. Tosh wants to do a buffalo.

START WRITING

As long as I can remember I was taught to keep a journal. And I was good at it. I kept a journal all through high school, college, and my working and living single years in New York and San Francisco. I was told to write my inspirations and keep a record for my children and their children and so on.

But being the teenager that I was, I wrote like I talked. It was for me, all of those years. It was where I complained and talked about silly things like boys and rude people. What do I do with those journals now? I mean, do I really want my kids, my husband, my mom, my sisters... do I want them to know what I went through? No, not really. That's just embarrassing. And since I got married, the writing has fizzled to not-so-much.

So starts the blog. I realize I'm late and that the blog bandwagon has gone by long ago. I have a personal blog that I've kept up since 2008. I still post to it and tell my family to go see what's new. But I've always wanted to keep a record of inspiring things that make me smile. Design. Photography. Letterpress. Architecture. Interiors. Signage. Sewing Projects. Things my family and I create. Books... this list could go on and on. Things that I see while working, living and teaching my kids. So here's a re-start to the journal writing. With a creative emphasis.