what we're up to these days....

We have so much great stuff going on right now! Here are some photos of what we are up to. There are alot of fabric images.....I am a total fabric junkie! We are lucky enough to be able to offer the new Kelly Wearstler fabric by Groundworks (Kravet) line through our shop and we will be using quite a bit of it on one of our new projects - I cant wait to shop you how it all comes together, but here are some of the pieces........

Above is a large stack of the color palette we are working with - and we will be adding some rose/coral and ivory as well.


Above is the dining chair we have chosen from Hickory chair - it is called the Gillow chair and has a loose seat cushion. I think we will using the chair with an ivory finish as it will contrast nicely with the dark wood table - a very traditional style table on toe wheels.....

This fabric might be going on the hickory white chairs above....

...and here is another possible choice

...or it might end up on this modern wing chair or a basic slipper chair........

Above is the drapery fabric by Laura Ashley for Kravet - a great linen with an Ikat print in rose/coral with blue and ivory accents - we will be doing floor to ceiling non-working drapery panels in the livingroom - with the wing or clipper chairs - and in the dining room - with the Gillow chair and the Kelly Wearstler seat cushions. We will be using a Duralee Metro Chenille in Bubblegum on the sofa we are recovering that will sit in the same room....a super warm and colorful palette!

Above is an antique family piece - a great empire chair with lion head arms - that will sit in the entry hall and bring all the fabrics and pieces together and really set the tone for the three spaces as they all run into each other....

Here is the Jim Thompson Hexastripe fabric that will be applied to the lion chair with ivory double welting - self welting it would have been a bit chaotic!

I have been coveting the above piece for a VERY long time - the Hallings Secretary by Thomas O'Brien (sigh) for Hickory Chair - and I am finally ordering it for myself! YIPPEE! It is truly one of the most beautiful pieces I have ever seen....

Above is my favorite fabric in the world...Chiang Mai Dragon - by Schumacher - I am going to upholster two Heywood Wakefield chairs in this - I have no choice - my darling Stella decided to eat one of the chairs.......

Lastly, above is an outdoor fabric by Trina Turk for Schumacher that we are putting on a pair of vintage wire outdoor swivel chairs - sorry - the pictures of the chairs did not turn out - but I will post the finished product!

Have a great weekend - our weather has cooled down the the week's high of 107 here in Portland. Thank God - I am not a hot weather girl!

...more garden photos!

I was on a short trip to Victoria, BC last month with the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon - it was the annual study weekend....we toured a ton of cool gardens, listened to informative seminars and bought a bunch of interesting plants. Here are some of the plant pics......

what a lovely oak tree against the blue sky - such a cool structure!

This woolly thyme was so vibrant - loved being able to catch the bumble hard at work!

I thought this Alchemilla with dew drops was fab - and I loved the Aconitum in bloom.

What a great way to plant and display Echeveria!

This was a hilarious council circle of hand carved mushroom stools - just waiting for you favorite little garden gnomes.....

How romantic - a beautiful bed of lavender!

The darling Miss Stella - how cute is she?

This Romneya Coulteri is actually from the Ruth Bancroft garden in Walnut Creek, CA - another short trip....YUMMY!

..and from my favorite nursery in the whole world - Flora Grubb Gardens - I had to buy this amazing spiral aloe! It looks killer in a bright orange fiberglass pot in my garden!

Have a great day!

NAUGHTY NAUGHTY!!!!

OK......I could NOT pass this one up....I was wandering through the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek, Ca...it is all about cactus an succulents - and there it was.....unbelieveable. I have nothing else to say....

MAISON ET OBJET PARIS

Twice a year, there is a furniture/accessories show that is unlike anything else! It is called Maison et Objet and it is held in Paris (oh darn!) in January and September. The show consists of 7 million sq. ft of furniture and accessories. 7 MILLION!! Dear GOD!!! After the first 2 million sq feet, your eyes actually start glazing over and you start to drool....seriously. Your brain can only absorb so much...... and then there are your feet! Mon dieu - mes pieds! Somehow you manage to get through the whole show over a 4 day period and come back with a whole new set of inspirations!

I go every year in September......to go to the show, of course, but can I help it if ALOT of shopping, eating and playing happen at the same time? I mean, is there ever a bad time to go to Paris? My designer friends Julie and Misty are going with me this year - usually I go by myself - and Miss Cindy, who currently lives in Amsterdam will be joining us as well! YIPPEE! Girls week in Paris! I found the LOVELIEST hotel close to the Tour Eiffel - Hotel Ares-Eiffel. I can tell you that booking a room for 4 in Paris is a SERIOUS challenge! FYI.

Anyway...we will be gone Aug 30 - Sept 7. YAHOO! Of course, I will give a full report upon my return so stay tuned! Bon Voyage!

ALBERTA STREET SIDEWALK SALE TODAY AND TOMORROW!

DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE WAY COOL ALBERTA STREET SIDEWALK SALE TODAY AND TOMORROW FROM 11-6. DIGS WILL BE HAVING A SALE TABLE OUT FRONT ALONG WITH SPECIALS INSIDE! 50% ALL POTTED PLANTS AND 20% OFF ALL ACCESSORIES AND SOME ADDITIONAL GOODIES YOU WILL JUST HAVE TO COME BY TO SEE!

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE! YIPPEE!!!!

SIDEWALK SALE ON ALBERTA ST!

PLEASE COME DOWN AND DO SOME SHOPPING!!!

AGAVE AND THEN SOME!

I was on a crazy road trip recently from PDX to Salt Lake and then on to Berkley - I know it sounds odd, but the whole purpose was to buy plants. Seriously. Cactus, agave and succulents, specifically. I have so many pictures to show but I will start trickling them out slowly. One of the highlights of the trip was a visit to the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek, CA. Truly one of the most amazing places I have even seen. Ruth Bancroft is celebrating her 100th birthday this year and her garden, which she has spent decades curating has been donated to the Garden Conservancy and now they are tending the space for Ruth. I am a self-professed agave junkie, and this was like a pilgrimage to Mecca...LOVE IT! Here are some of the photos of the garden....

Agave Paryii Truncata - my ALL TIME FAVORITE!

more......

Feeling snarky amongst the agave........

Sharkskin Shoe Agave - Lovely!

OK.......more later...it's cocktail thirty, Frenchy and I are meeting the darling Miss Bridget and Doug the Wonder Boy at the new VINTAGE lounge on SE 78th & SE Stark. Cheers!