Portland in February.

So this post is a bit late. At the end of February I took a little leisurely vacation to Portland. It was freezing cold, but relaxing and fun just the same. For some reason, though, the night before the flight I decided to turn in my 30 day notice to vacate letter at my apartment building. Did I have a new place to live, you ask? NO. Did I have any good leads on a new place to live? NO. Seriously, what was I thinking?! I justified it because the rental market moves so quickly around here and if you’re not ready to sign on the dotted line (and sign a big check) the place goes to the next highest bidder. Someone with their bags packed and ready to go or someone who can afford to pay rent for two places at once. Since I’ll probably never fit into the second category I figured I could forcefully cram myself into the first one. So the vacation was lovely, but was sprinkled with Craigslist searches and a few phone calls here and there. Nothing frantic, though, since I had all the time in the world (less than a month) to figure it out. Well, 3 weeks, uncountable emails, a few slums, and a mental break-down later I had signed a lease and received the keys to my new abode: a sweet 1950’s duplex. Now, looking back, my vacation feels like a lifetime ago. Oops. Probably could have planned that better. Oh well.

Anyway, here’s a little glimpse of my Portland vacation. 
Don’t forget to put a bird on it!

We got there right at the tail-end of a snow storm. It was beautiful!

Multnomah Falls, partially frozen.

Voodoo Doughnuts and Stumptown Coffee Roasters. So delicious... 

Cool fountain in the Pearl District with lots of horsetails (one of my favorite plants). I didn’t take nearly as many photos as I wanted too, but it was just too cold to take my gloves off. Yeah, I know I’m a wimpy Californian. This fountain thought it was pretty cold:

Ok, enough of this procrastinating. I've got packing to do!

Don't forget your green!

It's almost St. Patrick's Day! I've been packing up my apartment for the move and I just came across my little Irish flags that I took to the annual green river dying in Chicago a few years ago. I'm going to put one on my front door to show my proud Irish heritage. In the meantime, I've found a new place to live! I only signed the lease yesterday but I'm already making lots of plans on how the new abode will be decorated. I've decided to go with lime green as the accent color in the kitchen! I've been browsing the net for items that would add that punch of color, here are a few of my favorites:

 

What kitchen would be complete without one of these? Well, my kitchen will just have to be incomplete for a while, because I don't have one...But I'd take this one in "pear" any day!

Green AND polda dots! I love these Ikat kitchen towels, from Crate and Barrel.

I bought two of these cool pint glasses at Powell's Books during my recent trip to Portland. They were actually the color inspiration for my new kitchen! I love the retro font.

Tiny little ceramic collander from Anthropologie. Too cute.

I just watched "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill" and was instantly reminded of the flock of parrots when I saw these sweet vintage salt and pepper shakers on Etsy. They aren't exactly lime green, but I think a little shade variation is good.

I love the retro/modern screenprints from BeeThings on Etsy. This print would look so cute framed in an eat-in area in the kitchen.

Well, those are my picks. Don't get pinched tomorrow! Happy St. Patrick's Day!

New House Projects.

So, in addition to my usual MINI-related screen printed items, I've also been working on a few new fabric pattern designs lately. I'm excited to get them all photographed and listed, but I'd like to have a good collection of work together, first. In the meantime, here's a little sneak-peak of what I've been up to!

 This is the background for my new fabric design. I did a few test prints in teal and pink.

After the second run of color: my little retro house sketches!

I needed to do something with my new fabric, so I made a little zippy bag, complete with black and white polka dot lining! These little bags are so addictive and so fun to make. This little guy resides in my purse and keeps my iphone earphones and charger orderly. I love how the fabric came out and I can't wait to do some more printing and make a few more things with my new design.

The other house project I've been working on lately is my own house. I'm moving! The rental market in Silicon Valley is absolutely crazy right now and things move FAST. I still haven't found my new home yet, but I have 22 days left to figure it out. Yikes! I know I would move into one of those little retro houses on my new design in a second! Wish me luck!