Category: Design & Style

Prop styling is one of my favorite things. I love a stylist who uses different textures to frame a photo. These images are styled by Swedish stylist, Tina Hellberg. Simply beautiful!

Alex was in classes all day on Tuesday so we celebrated our love on Wednesday. Our love ended up manifesting itself into this pretty little terrarium you see below. We stopped at Porch Light on Mississippi to check out their moving sale and then meandered over to Pistils Nursery. The shop has a beautiful front window full of so much green goodness! We checked out their terrarium building set up. We were instantly inspired – their setup includes these small drawers that are each filled with different sands, moss, and rocks to fill your terrarium.

Pistils had chickens in their garden! Pretty, fluffy chickens!

We left Pistils and drove over to Artemisia, a wonderful shop on 28th and East Burnside. They build wonderful terrariums in all sizes, and provide you with the supplies to build your own terrarium! We picked out all of the pieces and the shop manager helped us to put it all together and sent us home with a care sheet. I love how the shop is decorated with vintage typewriters, light bulbs, beautiful books, and jewelry made by local artisans. It’s one of those spaces where you can walk in and you’re instantly inspired to make something beautiful and unique. I already have plans for creating another terrarium!

Visit Artemisia at 110 SE 28th Ave and Pistils at 3811 N. Mississippi Ave in Portland, Oregon.

One of the shops we visited, Ink & Peat, has the most amazing natural light you could ask for. I couldn’t help but snap away with pictures while we were enjoying everything they had in store. While we were shopping a couple of the employees were busy working on Valentine’s Day floral arrangements and they were ah-may-zing! I might have slipped a hint or two to the mister.

Just across the street from Ink & Peat is a letterpress and retail shop, Lark Press. They make their own line of letterpress paper goods and carry a number of items from other print shops. I spent so much time soaking up all of the amazing talent and design that goes into creating each piece. You know when you go home after window shopping and you can’t stop thinking about the things you saw and SHOULD have purchased? Yeah, these two shops have been on my mind. Lark carried a number of vendors that are after my heart including Quill & Fox, Bookhou, Shanna Murray decals, and of course Egg Press.

I’ve been seriously wanting to find a new place to live in Portland primarily just to be closer to a good neighborhood (like Mississippi, Alberta, or North Williams). We’re a quick drive away from those neighborhoods but I want to be able to walk and explore my neighborhood. I’m realizing that natural lighting is a major requirement for our next move. It makes all the difference when the days are so short. Hope you all have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!

I love good mail days. A few days this last week I would look at the clock anxiously waiting for the mail man. I’m hoping for another piece of mail that should be coming my way soon; an acceptance letter. Over the last few weeks I’ve been doing a lot of inspirational searching of the internet and have become increasingly THRILLED about going back to school. This kind of lead to my recent purchases.

This Bookhou calendar is now hanging near our desk.

 

The triangle tote bag, also made by Bookhou, is great for “toting” around my camera notebooks. I tried out one of those camera purses that have been hot around the interwebs, but I just wasn’t thrilled with the quality for the cost. Instead I bought a neoprene sleeve for my camera so it will be safe inside my new tote.

 

 

These beautiful cards! I love paper goods and obviously I love receiving mail. It’s so exciting to receive beautiful tangible things in the mail.

 

This lovely catalog came in the mail; I think it’s from my dwell studio subscription

 

Yesterday I picked up a sheet of the 2012 Love Stamps which features lettering by Jessica Hische. Her work is so beautiful! I can’t wait to send some mail and adorn it with one of her beautiful designs. If you live in the US you should make it a point to pick up a sheet or 5!

 

I’m realizing with my photo a day project that one of my most frequently photographed subjects are textures. Magnifying the details in common surroundings seems to catch my eye. These photos were all taken in the last week.