Aussie Rules

this past year, i've been lucky enough to meet one of those people who you know you will be friends with for the rest of your life. sounds dramatic, i know. but we've all had those moments when you cross paths with someone new and realize how much you have in common, how much you enjoy each other's company, and how much this person just...gets you. ya know? good friends are hard to come by, and making a true friend is worth celebrating!

kay is from australia and we met after she moved to Northern CA with her husband to be closer to his family. i love talking to kay about life in australia (she's actually from tasmania, a tiny island off the coast of the aussie mainland) and hearing about all that her country has to offer. one of the great things to have come out of our friendship is that she introduced me one of her favorite stores from home - witchery.















witchery's website is chock full of inspiration. the "great looks" tab at the top of their page is just one place to start browsing through the ensembles that they've put on display. what's fun is that the australian winter is our summer (and vice versa), so witchery is previewing spring looks as we get ready for fall.







its strangely refreshing to see another part of the world pulling their shorts, skirts, and sunglasses our of the closet when we've been sporting them for a while now. and as we've still got another few weeks of summer left here in the states, its never too late to think about new ways of putting together a breezy, summer outfit. here's to good friends and new finds!

Fist is for "S"

these new necklaces from lorena barrezueta are enough to make one's heart throb. antique porcelain frames, with tiny sign language gestures inside, look so classically victorian. i'd love to see what the "j" looks like, and snag one for myself!














lorena also has a fine selection of bracelets that play off of retro wrist-watches. what's best about ms. barrezueta's work is her ability to blend so many different images and materials into one playful piece of jewelry. thanks, lorena!

Our Treehouse

it's been a while now that I've wanted to post pictures of our apartment. behind this blog is a canvas (our 1B/1B in Northern CA) where I get to try out all of the ideas and inspirations that I write about here. most of what is in our place is an eclectic mix of antique/thrift store finds accentuated by modern, colorful tones. take a peek...i hope you enjoy!

crash couch:


breakfast nook with a side of pirates:


all good things:


cookbook collection:


1970's hot plates (from my great aunt!):


work space:


my favorite dresser (lined with aged newspaper!)


beer and book collection:


living room vignette:


our guard-giraffe (keeping a lookout):

milk bottles in a tree house

As someone who likes old stuff, I think these milk bottles are killer. What’s more, they came from current owner's dad who worked as a milk man! I love the idea of having family history worked into your home/apt./desk life and this shot is a shining example of how to do it. The best part about finding this beautiful display, though, was not the bottles themselves (nor that great desk they’re sitting on!) but the HOUSE that they reside in!



Graphic design couple joyce hesselberth and dave plunkert are the folks who own (and designed!) this home. They are also the creators of spur design, illustration/design company extraordinaire. Bright colors, high ceilings, a keen eye for incorporating natural materials into this synthetic space make this home a place I'd love to be.







My hands-down favorite part of this house is that bark slab converted into a dining room table (directly above). 100% cool.

Pretty Prints

Julia Rothman is an artist I've been meaning to show for quite a while. Julia has a bunch of patterns, illustrations, and paintings on her website that just tease the eyes. Her style is whimsical and takes ordinary objects only to transform them into great designs. My favorites here are the camera and cityscape prints. Especially those cameras, which I could find a million places to hang in my place.

there's a pineapple in my wig, and other thoughts on paper.

A new favorite: Lauren Nassef's sketch-a-day.

I (heart) Heartworks

The following is a collection of embroidered objects created by men and women from South Africa. These pieces were created as the result of one woman's attempt to showcase art made in Africa. Margaret Woermann began with an idea to open a gallery, Hearworks, to sell furniture and art that she found while traveling through Africa. After visiting an art fair, and finding the local African art table to be dismally empty, she opted to ditch her original plan and instead bring together women who were unable to earn a living wage but had beautiful skills as embroiderers. Heartworks has now become a buzzing "factory" of local South African artists who gather together in the gallery to create and sew. The embroidery circles first started by Margaret in her gallery shop now supply to buyers as well-known as Gap. But the original goal remains, says Margaret: "to use my shops to give enthusiastic and dedicated, but marginalised people an opportunity to earn a living." Congrats, Margaret!


a local artist displaying her work




Margaret Woermann




Margaret and the Heartworks artists have begun to expand the gallery. Embroidered works now include various textile backgrounds like leather (here) and cotton (below).