Dreaming of Summer at the Beach

The infamous beach house is in the final stage of completion before we can actually stay there overnight. Movers are emptying storage units and various vendors are tweaking this and that.

In the spirit of the beach, sand, and tons of sunshine, here are a few things that recently caught my eye :

Fun artwork seen at the Waikiki outpost of the fantastic, Sand People.  I wish I could've got the full list of "Rules" in this shot, but these will have to do.

Adorable bags in various sizes by Bungalow 360.  This Jellyfish pattern is so whimsical, but with a preppy twist.  Some of the other patterns are heavier on the prep. 

Yesterday I swung by my favorite store on the Eastside and spied these gorgeous hor d'oeuvres picks by Two's Company.  I imagine these will make a terrific (and thematic) housewarming gift once the beach house is up and running this next week.

And what about the coordinating wine cork?  A lighthouse, life-ring, sand-dollar and shell are also available.

What I'm looking at...

My poor little laptop is about to blow from the numerous tabs open on Firefox.  So, to "keep tabs" on what I'm checking out in the cyber-world, here is a rundown:

Fantastic nautical inspired bags by Banyon Hippo on A Room Somewhere:

 Gorgeous cake-toppers and other treasures at Over the Top Studios:

Chic and affordable mommy calling cards at Pinwheelpress.  Which one do I get?

Flipping through Adore Home Magazine - Vivienne Westwood's Union Jack rug for the Rug Company from and center on the cover of February/March 2011. 

Wishing I had a moment this weekend to pop into this fantastic show by Come Junk with Us - "Ruffles and Rust" at the Monroe State Fairgrounds.  Had a blast there in the fall and felt so inspired.

Looking forward to a birthday brunch here with my hubs on Sunday while the kids run wild with my parents.  A stroll in the wonderful farmer's market to follow.  C'est magnifique!

Made in England

Here are a few of my latest obsessions that stem from my love of England.  With the royal wedding of Will & Kate coming up soon, my brain has turned to these nostalgic designs:

First, the fantastic hand screen printed wallpaper by Lizzie Allen.  We have yet to paint or paper any of our walls in the new house, even though we just passed the year mark since our move.  However, if I had a spare chunk of change hanging around, I would instantly place my order for one of the following prints to grace at least one room in my house. 

Lizzie Allen's Changing of the Guards

My gut tells me that I would go with this "Red Buses, Black Cabs" print for our powder room

Lizzie Allen's Red Buses, Black Cabs Wallpaper

     Another item that I happened upon are these adorable mugs by Repeat Repeat in the UK. 

Really get into the spirit of the spring royal wedding with this version of the Made in England mugs. 

Perhaps a nice addition to the other many chic and fun items available both in the UK and stateside for late-night (or will it be early morning?) wedding viewing on TV.  Thank goodness for the DVR.

A small addition to the kids' bath

I mentioned recently that I found the best shower curtain in the land for the kids bathroom at our house.  Not long after that I happened upon this fantastic painting at a favorite children's store/ toy store in the area called Common Folk for Kids.  Took all of 3 minutes to convince myself it'd be a great addition to our bathroom.  Voila!

ps - the main store, Common Folk, Co. is one of my favorite stores in the whole greater-Seattle area.

Tangents

Whilst checking out the happenings of life on my old neighborhood blog, I found myself doing the typical clicking that led me to a few things that made me happy.

First, I went to a sister blog that highlights the best Gumbo in the city, Where Ya At.  I love gumbo.  I had a favorite spot just up the street from our previous home, the 74th St Ale House.  This new gumbo "hot spot" is actually made, served and sold in one of the ever popular mobile food trucks that roam the streets of the greater Seattle area. 

I can't wait to escape from the 'burbs and order a serving of this apparently excellent curbside creole grub.

Georgetown Trailer Park Mall

 Well, next I found out that one of the locations for Where Ya At is at the Georgetown Trailer Park Mall.  Georgetown is a industrial community in between Boeing Field and downtown Seattle.  A recent trip to the neighborhood for an amazing dining experience at the Corson Building certainly opened my eyes to the new shops, cafes, restaurants and bars that have popped up all over.

The Corson Building restaurant

Now, back to the Trailer Park Mall.  I don't know much about it, but what an interesting concept.  Clear the expensive overhead of a building and create a shop on wheels.  If the food industry can do it, why not clothing, crafts, arts, etc.   I look forward to a jaunt,  minus the small fry.    

I wonder if my suburban neighborhood would be open to mobile stores in the form of trailers...

2011 Calendars

Like most people these days, I tend to keep a detailed calendar on an electronic device - whether computer, PDA, etc. However I still LOVE receiving (or buying) an annual calendar to provide a more aesthetically pleasing view of the months.

I was overwhelmed during a recent trip to a local Paper Source at the amount of gorgeous 2011 calendars displayed:

Paper Source Wall Art

Mini Desk Calendar"Critters" Birch desk calendar



Ilee Papergoods:

Stunning letterpress calendars and other products - first ran across her 5 years ago during an Art Walk in our old neighborhood. It was two years after my own wedding and I sure wish I'd found her products prior to it for the invitations. Just breathtaking!

This is her 2007 calendar that a dear friend bought for me, and I still have it tucked away in a craft box for some future inspiration.




2011 Desk Calendar



Of course, "my" adored Snow & Graham products:


How on earth will I decide on one (or even two)????

Retail Therapy

Every now and then a dose of retail therapy really does the trick. We've been in a three week cycle of sick that is getting kind of old... and so little victories like scoring on the below items can give me a temporary lift from the drippy noses:

See Kai Run "Jennifer Lee" shoes for the two year old
Retails @ $40, purchased for $10



Le Petit Cakestand from Rosanna (one of my favorite designers) in mint
Retails @ $17, purchased for $5


And the piece de resistance! A full place setting of my Vera Wang Champagne Duchesse china
Retails for +/- $120, purchased for $9.99 at Bed Bath and Beyond in the clearance section