One of my loyal readers, Molly, bartered with a friend of hers for this antique cabinet. Only Molly could have seen beneath its layers of chipped paint and cruddy wheels to see that this was a gem in the making. After coating it in polished black paint she used Snow & Graham paper to give it a pop of color for the finishing touch. This is just the inspiration I needed to give my old bakers cabinet a much needed face-lift - stay tuned for that! You can purchase Snow& Graham paper through Paper Mojo.
Hello Beautiful People! Just sitting here on a sunny Thursday listening to the soothing tune-age of folk rocker Josh Ritter and classical violinist Hilary Hahn and peeping these Etsy items that struck my fancy this week and hopefully will strike yours too:
I wish I’d seen this Deco Sun banner earlier - it would have been perfect for the hubs birthday barbeque this weekend. Etsy seller Earmark Paperie creates their line of clever invites and personalized stationary from their beach view bungalow in San Diego:
I love this gorgeous, atmospheric photography from Under the Sugar, there is something very Summer of 1973 about them that I like (prints start at $35):
Fun Summer jewelry from Wiyomu, affordable too ($20 for these necklaces)!
These photo albums from IF’N Books + Marks with illustrations by artist Jen Corace might be cute enough to inspire me to finally organize my photo’s. $36 each. Also don’t miss her fun journals. Each limited edition journal has hand screen-printed covers with thick Italian paper and sturdy spines. Each one is part of a limited edition of 500. I think I need the pirate journal. $24 each.
One of the things I miss the most about our years living in San Francisco was meandering home from work, up and over the hills, to our apartment below Russian Hill. I loved the discovery of a new boutique on Polk, taking a peek at the menu for the latest hipster restaurant on Hayes or stopping into a little sweet shop on Union for a before dinner treat. So last week I came up with a plan. The hubs and I commute home together, so instead of waiting around for him I decided to get a head start and walk in the general direction of the Golden Gate Bridge and he could pick me up wherever I ended up.
This plan led to the best SF discovery I’ve had in awhile, the design boutique Eden & Eden! As soon as I turned the enormous antique doorknob to enter I felt a wave of awe fill my soul. I was like a kid in a candy store, oohing and awing over the ferm Living wallpaper, the stunning Ivana Helsinki clothing and bags, colorful Antoni & Alison cashmere sweaters and my new favorite, People Will Always Need Plates witty mugs and of course plates. The shop has a real international vibe, due to owner Rachel’s British beginnings. There are items from Denmark, Finland and the UK all displayed with the sophisticated eye of a curator. On the Eden & Eden website they have made a select few goodies available for purchase which gives a sense of the diversity and the quirky personality of the shop. Rachel could not have been more kind or easy to talk to, in fact I think I talked her ear off!
If you like what you see at the shop, Rachel and Christiane from ferm Living have joined forces to offer design consulting. I would love to hire an interior designer but have often been intimidated by the thought that a designers taste might take over and my home wouldn’t feel like mine anymore. I was happy to hear Rachel talk about their low-key design services, often reusing items you already own to revise a room or an entire house. It is truly a pleasure to visit this unique boutique, if you live in San Francisco or come visit don’t miss Eden & Eden! Located at 560 Jackson Street at the base of Columbus Ave in North Beach.
Here are some snaps Rachel graciously allowed me to take on my last visit.
I’m back! The hubs and I were in New Paltz, NY this weekend for my crazy, but loveable, brother-in-laws wedding. It was quite the extravaganza! One of the highlights of the weekend was the late night music jams back at the Super 8 with Jacks amazing group of friends. My face still hurts from smiling. Congrat’s to Jack & Kelly for surviving wedding planning and making it off safely to Rome last night.
We had a great couple of days and I was even able to finagle a few hours of shopping in NYC before the weekend festivities. My friend Amy and I made the most of it, zeroing in on the West Village. Here are some crappy snaps I took with my iPhone.
We got lost for almost an hour in the amazing letterpress shop Greenwich Letterpress. They carry their own line of cards and custom letterpress invitations and a huge variety of cards from other small presses around the world.
Our next stop was Lori McLean (they are working on their website), where we were dazzled by jewelry and Laura Zindel’s ceramics.
We dropped in at Kid-O where I saw these marvelous pear (la pera) and apple (la mela) prints by Italian designer Enzo Mari, the picture just doesn’t do them justice. They would look great in my dream kitchen with my Smeg refrigerator, someday…
Lastly, we unexpectedly stumbled upon Castor & Pollux where Amy and I successfully peer pressured each other into buying their gorgeous leather wallet clutch. I bought it in orange, Amy bought hers in brown. We finished off our brief shopping excursion with the most insane pretzel croissant from City Bakery! I’ll have more fun stuff later but right now I’m pooped from traveling!
I was recently hired as a freelance blogger for a new eco-blog called EcoSalon.com. At EcoSalon I will be covering artisan, decor and fashion items, similar to the things you find here at Little Willow but with an eco-edge. The thing that sets EcoSalon apart is its authenticity. It’s real people sharing how to live an eco-friendly lifestyle without being preachy or crunchy. For example you can find out how to properly wash a pillow (which I am doing as I write this), where to buy stunning recycled glass carafes made from broken windshields or how to get a healthy high from herbal espresso. I am really excited for this opportunity to contribute to the rainbow of “green” knowledge available to women! Feel free to send me suggestions and if my Editor approves, (yes people I have an Editor now, it’s the big time), we’ll write about it!
Molly sent me this link to Design Sponge and this DIY wallpaper lamp project from Duffy London. For those of you with crafty bones, the video makes it look relatively easy to do with the proper sizing and cutting. I bet there are some good vintage wallpaper finds on ebay or if it’s a small lamp you could use sheets of paper from Paper Source or Paper Mojo. I think I am inspiring myself to try this out!
It’s becoming a tradition, at least the last couple of years anyway, my friend Tia has given me the gift of Diana Fayt’s hand illustrated calendar. I wish this picture was better so you could see the detail of the gorgeous Japanese paper they are drawn on. Here is a picture of the 2008 calendar hanging on the wall in my office.
Tia reminded me about Paper Mojo and their gorgeous selection of papers. Here’s a sampling from their Holiday Prints by Whimsy Press, Snow & Graham and Vivant Vita, prices range from $2.75-$8.00 a sheet.
I just went crazy at French Paper, the amazing family run paper mill in Michigan. They have a huge selection of gift wrap and paper in a multitude of patterns, sizes, finishes and weight, all reasonably priced too. Gift wrap starts at $6.50 for 2 sheets. Also check out their huge selection of melamine plates.
I have found my 2008 calendar! I opened the NYT Magazine this weekend and saw this calendar from The Dolphin Studio and knew it was the one. Ceramic artist John Ffrench (yes, with 2 ff’s), and his wife Primm started making these calendars back in Ireland for their friends with watercolors, pen and ink, collage and silkscreening. As time went on and the project evolved, they included their daughters who designed their birth month and now the tradition includes their grandchildren contributing as well. The calendars are 12 x 24, silk screened prints and cost $58 through their website.
Can you believe it’s almost Ought 8? I have a good feeling about 2008 and these lovely desktop calendars from several Etsy sellers will help me get prepared. Clockwise from top to bottom: Modern Printed Matter, ilee papergoods, and One Black Bird by Diana Fayt.
My friend Ramey, of Rainy Ramey fame, turned me on to Erin Condren Designs for custom notecards, announcements and other fun paper items. Her notecard sets come with really cute personalized address stickers, envelopes and cards. Check out the personalized gift wrap and lots of great baby announcements.
Check out Joy by Mel Lim for gorgeous wrapping paper, embroidered pillows, baby bibs, letterpress cards and even undies. Check out their website for where to purchase their products.
These are the greatest cards EVER! These rockin cards by Sidepony have hilarious images, funny sayings and cool fonts. I want all of them! I am definitely ordering the “Rock the Halls” even though Christmas isn’t for another 9 months!
Plum Party is a dangerous website, they have absolutely everything you need to throw a kick-ass party no matter what the theme. They have ideas for parties you probably never even thought to have. Yoga Party anyone? Here are some items to get you in the St. Paddy’s Day spirit. I want the shamrock pinata just to hang in my house for good luck. I kid, I kid.
Aren’t these so pretty, little letterpress coasters from Sesame Letterpress. Almost too pretty to put anything on and might look even better custom framed for an entry hall. But they are waterproof so they can be used for drinks of course. They come in a set of 8 for $10. Check out the other great products at BuyOlympia.
I like everything about these smart-aleck cards and notepad from Just Jenn Designs. For anyone in need of “having a laugh” I recommend sending them one of these cards
One of my blog readers Mia just sent me this great website Paper Mojo, which is going to start a paper obsession, so look out for more posts on pretty paper (and send suggestions!). This is a fantastic site for everything from flower paper, italian paper and my favorite japanese paper. I like to always have a few unique sheets of paper for wrapping gifts or covering gift boxes but the uses of great paper are endless really. Here are some pretty groupings from the prints and patterns section.
