southbound

we are gearing up for our big road trip down to the southwest. i'm not sure if and when i'll get a chance to post but i'll definitely take some photos to post when we get back. for the time being, here are some great shots i found on-line to get us all in the mood.


the resort we'll be satying in.
(source take great pictures)


the perfect vehicle for this road trip.
(source find atlantis)


a southwestern traffic jam.
(source bruce garret)


the lush southwestern flora.
(source take my trip)

the only thing we need is the soundtrack set to happy trails!

bye bye blanca

with our upcoming road trip to the southwest, it's clear that it was time to say goodbye to blanca, my volvo. oh she was certainly there when i needed her but as these things happen, we had grown apart the last few months. i think it started the day the driver side window wouldn't roll down. i know, that's not the worst thing that could happen but i went over a year with my bmw without the window rolling down and you know what, i like it when i can roll down the window. who ever decided that power windows were all that great, anyway? oh yes, it's all fine and dandy until you can't get your burgerville pumpkin milkshake without looking like a total dummy! so that and that fact that it had started overheating recently, a good road trip car it would not make. so thank you blanca for a good year, i will miss you but i have to let you go.


so blanca has been replaced with a very responsible jetta stationwagon. i have had jettas in the past and i really like them and know all of their quirks so i went with the old stand by. is it glamorous? no. practical? yes. it will fit all of my needs and for that i am thankful. but help, what are we going to call her? i don't know if i can ride around in a car without a name.

a beaker and a flask

what more do you really need? well, i guess i don't really need a beaker, but a flask, that's a definite must.

my friends and i have been dying to stop by beaker and flask but since they have been named the willamette week restaurant of the year, it's been pretty packed. that's a great thing, though, as they definitely deserve it.


it's been here about a year now and getting rave reviews. i was happy to see my old friend doug behind the bar when i came in. he is a great bartender and has always been so sweet. with all of portland's attitude, it's so refreshing to go into a place where you don't have to deal with that. and kevin, the owner, makes it clear that he wants your experience to be a good one. YES! i think portland is experiencing a revival of new restaurants without the attitude.
(photo source the portlander)


it's a great new place in a funky location that otherwise would never have amounted to much. it reminds me of a used car showroom that has had a second chance in life. it's so nice to see an old building being utilized in such a way. the designers did a great job at turning this lofty space into an intimate setting.
(photo source annen design)

it's located at 727 se washington (the corner of washington and sandy)
503.235.8180
reservations are recommended for dining.

and oh yes, you must try the grilled romaine salad. delish!

a rather blustery day

oh in the words of pooh, the wind is lashing lustily and the trees are thrashing thrustily and the leaves certainly are rustling gustily. yes, it's a rather blustery day!

it's barely 4:30 and it's already dark outside. and while it's not pouring down rain, i have a feeling that it's just a matter of time.

and as much as i would love to get out there and take photos of our blustery day, i was inspired by the photos of others, and they are so much better than mine would be anyway. besides, i don't want to get my hair all mussed.

so this is what it's like on a portland blustery day.


the streets turn to lakes.
(source about portland)


the raindrops fall sideways at cathedral park.
(source flickr manyfires)


the willamette river gives us an icy glare.
(source about portland)


and this is the grey of willapa bay.
technically not portland but still a beautiful photo of the northwest home of my favorite oysters.
(source seattle times)

i can't wait to get home and make a warm dinner and cuddle with little lulu who was very worked up this morning and i couldn't figure out why. she must have heard the far off rustling and bustling of leaves!

indigo continued

this morning i received some more photos of the indigo project taken by a professional. the lighting is so much better and i'm so happy he took one with the fireplace lit.

overall, i was very happy with the way things turned out. there is always more you could do as a project is rarely ever finished but i thought that for the time i had to get this done, we did a really nice job. yes, i did have some help by two of my coworkers, lorenzo, and the amazing guys over at rose city moving who did all of the grunt work. i could not have done this without their help.


the living room with the city lights and glowing fireplace.


the colorful dining room


i love this shot of the guest room with more of the amazing view.

indigo part two

and here is the "after" of my indigo project. my theme was contemporary western. i wanted to do something different than you would normally see in such an urban setting. my company makes the blankets, bedding and some of the home accessories and i also had a lot of help from my good friend kathleen at design within reach with additional furniture as well as artwork contributed by my friend cecily over at quintana gallery. thank you both for all of your help, i could not have done this without you!

so let's check it out. (sorry for the quality of some of the photos, with our grey day, the light wasn't very good).


here is the entry. i chose the art work and rugs as the focal point and added the flowers (by city flowers) for that extra touch.


the living room with the amazing view behind.


the living room and the balcony


the living room with fireplace. darn, i should have lit it!


i even put a few pieces from my house out on the patio.


i loved the way the dining area came out. this is one of my favorite photos of the condo.


the "guest" room with our new riata bedding.


here is the master bedroom in the daytime. the bedding is a new collection out in the spring called prairie flower.


another day time shot in the master bedroom. i had to get one in with the great design within reach egg chair.


i loved the way the master bedroom looked at night.


i thought the candle light made such a difference. too bad the fire marshall came and made us blow it out. party pooper!


i gathered a few pieces from anthropologie for the master bathroom.


and you know lulu had to make an appearance since she couldn't be there in person. the flowers were by city flowers.


i found the drape at anthro and thought it would make a perfect shower curtain.

so what do you think? could you live here?

i had a lot of fun putting this together. it took all day wednesday to decorate and a few hours on friday to break it down. and three days to recover afterwards!

thank you to soler productions for giving me this fab opportunity.

indigo part one

ok so here it is. my long-awaited post on my big project at the grand opening of the new indigo building here in portland.

the indigo is a new condominium building downtown at sw 12th and washington and it takes downtown living to a new level. the views are amazing, the wind turbines generate 30% of the building's power, it has an eco roof, a roof-top patio that rivals the one at departure with 360 views of portland and they have an in-house theatre and gym. they are within walking distance to shopping in sw, burnside and the pearl. and the list goes on and on.

i've always considered myself a small city girl and thus my choice of living in hawthorne and not downtown, right in the middle of the action but i have to tell you, i could live here!

i was asked but the production company putting this fete together if i on behalf of my company would decorate a penthouse for the one night only grand opening event. and as these things usually happen at the worst possible time, i was worried if i could pull it off. so i called on a few of my friends and colleagues and we made it happen.

so here is the first half, i'll post photos of the building and the empty penthouse and then follow-up with photos of the after. otherwise, it would be a lot to take in at one time.

so here goes, enjoy your tour of the indigo 12 west.


the outside of the new indigo building


the zoobomber bike sculpture


the lobby


more of the lobby


the roof-top balcony


more of the roof-top


the roof-top lounge


seating outside of the lounge


the eco roof


the wind turbines


view of the big pink


the fremont bridge


the entry into the penthouse (23rd floor)


the living room


the living room


and more of the living room


the "guest" bedroom


the amazing view up burnside towards northwest


the view towards i-405

so here are the before shots of the condo.

narcisse me

i've posted about the wonderful store narcisse before but i have yet to give them their very own post, so here it is.

have you ever walked into a store and instantly felt that it was put here on this planet with you specifically in mind? well, narcisse is one of those stores. i walked in and thought, damn, if i had a clothing store, this would be it. it is so beautifully decorated, the color palette of the clothing is smoky and soothing and the clothes look like they belong to a woman who just got off the train at montparnasse in the '30s or '40s. think anais nin in "henry and june". they carry the danish line noa noa and are the only retailer for this line in the us. and let me tell you, the danes have style!

i met the girls from narcisse last week at the indigo event and they are just wonderful people and i want them to do really well so they will be here in portland for a very long time. so go forth and shop, shop, shop. here are some images from the noa noa catalog for you to ooh and aah over and give you an idea just what i'm talking about.

narcisse is at sw 10th and washington.