Spring Quilt Market Lust

Kokka's version of granny squares is printed on double gauze. So cool! (Via True Up.) 

How I wish I were in Minnesota right now for the Spring Quilt Market! I have been following True Up's coverage with religious devotion. The prints that stood out to me most were all Japanese, but I'm just a sucker for the sweet vintage-inspired stuff...

Love the simplicity of these roses, also by Kokka

Forest, by Hokkoh, another Japanese manufacturer

Vintage/feedsack reproductions from Yuwa / Kei

Tea Cosy!

I was telling my husband that we were entertaining the idea of doing Plover tea cozies the other day, and he is convinced that they are going to be the next big thing. (There's even a Seattle band called Tea Cozies. Of course!) Then I saw Tas-Ka fabrics on Cup of Jo, and when I visited their site, I found a treasure trove of amazing things for sale from the Holland-based store—including tea cozies!

Tea cozies in every color...makes me want to switch from coffee!

Love this print by Sanne van Winden 

Melamine tray by Donna Wilson

 

Origami bird shade? Might have to get it for my daughter's room...

Blue + Brown

Vintage umbrella in genius print

One of my favorite things to do in Portland is to hit the thrift stores. Portland has, hands-down, the best thrift stores I've ever been to. (Feel free to debate, but I truly believe that.) You can always find something incredible...or, at the very least, incredible inspiration. Today my inspiration was vintage prints in blues and browns. I'd forgotten how much I love that color combination, and I saw it everywhere! (Including on the amazing umbrella above...why don't they make umbrellas that look like that anymore?) I had to come home and mix up some blues and browns in Plover bedding. But now what I really want is to create a brand *new* Plover print in blue and brown. Hmmm....

Sweet vintage hankies...

This vintage scarf would be brilliant as a duvet cover, no?

Mixing "Brown Leaves" euro shams with a "Teal Squares/Teal Confetti" bed

This is kind of crazy—"Brown Leaves" mixed with our new "Pinwheel" print duvet, "Teal Confetti" throw pillow and "Blue Geometric" pillowcase—but something about it is working for me today... 

Streaking through Spring

It's wool and rain boots one day, bare arms, sandals and ice cream trucks seemingly on every corner the next - in other words, typical springtime weather in New York City. During a run of particularly wet, clammy, and otherwise dispiriting weather, my children and I, inspired by an article in the New York Times, decided to streak - for a 100 straight days. And I'm not talking about 70s style streaking.

We are reading 10 minutes a day, from a 'chapter' book, as a family, for 100 days in a row, better known in my house as the '100-day streak.' No excuses, no ifs, ands or buts. I have called my son at a weekend sleepover and read over the phone; my children have lounged in the bath while doing our streak reading; we have read at 7am before school, and we have 'streaked' at 11pm before going to bed way too late. Subway streak reading turns into impromptu groups of whoever is around us listening (and always commenting on our book choice!).

Streak reading gone awry!

We are finishing our third book tonight. Next up, our list includes Lad (in my opinion the greatest dog story of all time), Charlotte's Web or Wind in the Willows.

What would be on your reading list and where would your favorite place be to streak?

Plover Organic + Broken Bells!

Can you ever have enough tote bags? Of course you can, but why can I never find mine when I'm running out the door to the grocery store? Well, here's another must-have tote: the Broken Bells tote by Plover Organic! Broken Bells (aka Dangermouse and James Mercer) kicked off their first U.S. tour last night in San Diego, and our totes are along for the ride. They are limited-edition and only available on this tour...just FYI. Best thing about this tote? It's foldable, with a snap button, but there's also a very cool surprise screen-printed inside. Just saying.

Magical Birthday

My daughter turned 3 this weekend, and it was one of those beautiful early summer days in the Northwest, so we had the party in the backyard. I try to be as green as possible when entertaining—especially with kids, who don't mind drinking juice out of old baby food jars and feel special using cloth napkins. And summer birthdays are so easy—just turn the kids loose in the yard, and they're thrilled. My dear friend Annie Beedy took the photos, so I just took it easy.

Buying this fabric banner on Etsy was one of the smartest things I have done. (Although, yes, it's sad that I did not have time to make it myself!) And this year's (very loose) sea creatures theme was easily achieved by hanging bath toys from the apple tree

Paper straws (so cute!) and baby food jars to drink from for the kiddies...

My daughter and I baked the cupcakes in the morning, making sea creatures out of marzipan (so much like play dough, I had no idea!) with India Tree vegetable-based food coloring...

Here are 3 little partygoers in a big bird's nest...yes, a bird's nest. My husband has been building it slowly for the past few months, from the ground up. He even put a floor in so the kids can stand up in it. Amazing, right? I don't know how he thinks these things up, but we love it. The kids pretended to be birds all afternoon. So much cooler than a plastic swing set!

Vintage Lilly

One of my favorite things to do when summer is near is to shop for girls' dresses.  I scored when I found this vintage Lilly Pultizer dress for my niece.  So sweet! I love the bright colors and bold shapes—pure summer. 

The New Collection Is Here!

We are very, very excited here in the Pacific Northwest...the sun is shining, it's getting warm, and Plover Organic's new collection is here! We are going crazy over how beautiful all the prints came out. It's one thing to design the prints, quite another to finally see the finished product on your bed. It's the best part of the job, by far. But even better: we can finally show the new collection to everyone!

The Thorns/Gold Circles collection:

Pink Roses/Pink Waves:

Pinwheel/Blue Dots:

The Flock collection (this is available in Black, Pink and Blue):