My Parisian Baby Shower

When it came time to pick a theme for my baby shower, I couldn’t think of anything more suitable (or pretty) than Paris! After all, this little baby was with me on my adventure to the City of Light and her nursery is Paris inspired, so why not just run with it? My hostesses were kind enough to oblige and together we put on a lovely day! I felt so incredibly blessed to be surrounded by so many fabulous friends! Plus, I also got to use all my vintage goodies to decorate with – such fun! Here’s a peek at how the day turned out…

Obviously the dessert table played a lead role in the decor! What’s Paris without sweets? Oh and pink champagne!

My dear friend Katie was kind enough to make up a batch of petal pink macarons for the event! Aren’t they gorgeous? They tasted amazing too!

Speaking of sweets these lemon bars were to die for and made up fresh by my gracious hostess, Kathy! Thank you Kathy – I now have a new addiction. I will be making up a batch of these this week for sure. The recipe is here.

Here are my beautiful hostesses! Thank you Lauren and Kathy – I could not have wished for a better shower…

And to all my friends, thank you for all your love and support. My life is more beautiful because of you.

Feeling like a lucky girl…

xo,

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May Flowers: Tulips

Hello there. How have you been? Lately, Portland has been soaking up the sun but – alas – the rain is back and it looks like it’s staying for the whole week…ugh. Baby and I are doing well, for the most part – my back and hips are not exactly pleased with my growing tummy, so I’ve been trying to take it easy but the nursery is 95% complete so look for a post with pictures coming up soon! In the meantime, I thought I would share with you some shots I took when we visited the Tulip Farm in late April…I just loved all the vibrant colors!

As much as I admire the bright, cheery hues of the other tulips, this dark and moody violet one is my favorite. Such a beauty, isn’t she?

When I asked Grace what her favorite part was….

the Pony Ride, of course!

We are planning on going to the local Peony Farm this weekend. Can’t wait! I adore Peonies!

What’s your favorite flower? Hope you are enjoying Spring wherever you are.

xo,

Inspired: Studio Visit with Amy Olson

Hello there! How are you all? Hope you enjoyed the weekend. Portland is rocking some serious sunshine and I’m soaking it up. Me and my cankles…yes, third trimester swelling has begun. Oh joy! Only five more weeks to go – so excited to meet my little girl!

Anyway, today I wanted to share with you a little behind the scenes peek into the studio of Amy Olson Jewelry. I don’t know about you but I love seeing where people create. There is an intimacy and beauty to witness where creativity, inspiration and vision come together for an artist. To see their dreams become reality…

Lucky for me, Amy is a dear friend so getting backstage access to her jewel filled studio was no problem.

Filled with natural light, the white washed walls play backdrop to an eclectic treasure trove of jewels, bits of gold and silver, vintage artifacts and of course all of Amy’s tools.

I must admit…it was hard to keep my paws off all these dazzling bits of loveliness. Like a little kid, I was tempted to play with all the beads, chains and gemstones. Who could blame me?

Amy’s beautiful apartment relates to her jewelry and her favorite hues and textures can be seen through out her sweet home.

So gorgeous right? Feminine, delicate, nostalgic and refined…these are the words that come to mind when I think about Amy and her precious creations.  She truly designs unique and authentic jewelry that reflect her aesthetics. Each piece is hand crafted with such care and detail! Be sure to check out her Etsy store here.

Thanks Amy for letting me into your studio! Keep creating girl!

Hope you enjoyed that little tour…do you have a place in your home where you create?

xo,

A litte gift for you..

Hello! I just wanted to do a quick post and give you a little gift. I created this print for Claire’s nursery and I thought you might like it. I have attached it below as a PDF so go ahead and download it if you like, print it out, pop it into a fabulous vintage frame and voila, you’ve got a fun piece of graphic art…

Download PDF here.

We are off to the coast for Mother’s Day weekend and the weather forecast is actually good! Can’t wait to get away and relax with my little family. Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mamas out there! Make sure you get some pampering!

xo,

Learn and Bloom…

Hello everyone! How has the week been for you? I’ve been super busy working on my business and trying to get the nursery finished…but it’s all starting to come together. I have taken moments to run out into our yard, when the light is perfect and snap some pics of all the beautiful blooming flowers and trees! I love this time of year. It’s funny to think that before blogging, I never used a camera creatively and now I can’t imagine being without it. Which leads me to want to share with you my thoughts about learning something new…

Firstly, to all those creatives out there that have their own business or dream of beginning one, I cannot recommend enough that you take this online class with Jeanne Oliver. I’m almost finished with it and not only has it inspired me to really tie up loose ends and improve my business but I have met an amazing network of supportive and caring women! Full of ideas, questions and yes, fears…we have all been able to help each other out! That’s a pretty cool thing to happen these days. So check it out…

Secondly, I wanted to share a list of the other online classes I have taken that have brought me so much inspiration and joy! Sometimes I just NEED someone to tell me what to do and then I really take flight!

1. Unravelling with Susannah Conway (photography, reflection & writing)

2. Blogging Your Way with Holly Becker of Decor8 (blogging, marketing, business, photography)

3. Creatively Made with Jeanne Oliver (mixed media art, creative exploration)

4. Beyond Layers with Kim Klassen (photography, photoshop, inspiration)

These are just a few classes avaliable online. They have done wonders for my spirit, my creative energy and the best part of all, is that I get to share that passion with my daughter. I truly believe that learning something new is the cure for the blues. There is nothing like that wonderful feeling when you open your heart and mind and things become possible, achievable. Hope fills your day and you start to grow in ways you didn’t know before. Feeling stuck? Go out there and learn. Expand. Grow. Bloom. I promise, you will feel better.

As I get closer to having this baby, I feel comforted that I now have an incredible source of inspiration, one that will hopefully nourish me through the more challenging parts of being a mother…

Sending you all the best and thank you for supporting me and my endeavors.

xo,

Claire’s Nursery – in the works…

Hello. I am a wee bit tired today but my inspiration (and a cup of tea) is keeping my energy up. Yesterday, I worked a bit on preparing Claire’s nursery. I’m sure you will be utterly surprised to hear that it will have a Parisian flair to it..done in a palette of soft grays and pinks. Let me share a couple of shots with you of the work in progress. Still waiting on draperies, some bedding and other items so bear with me…it’s not done yet.

Toby thinks the changing table pad is his new bed! Not for long, my little fur-ball.

Grace donated her favorite rose flower to Claire’s room. She found it at a thrift store on one of your treasure hunting trips. It’s kinda hilarious but she just loves it – so it came home with us. At least it’s the right shade of pink…

I bought the antique, pink books at one of the flea markets in Paris. They are so pretty! I need to photograph them by themselves, so you can see them.

This little bunny followed me home from France too. I have been told that in French culture, babies will often receive bunnies as first toys, instead of teddy bears. So I’m going with it…

Grace’s old glider has survived but needs a little TLC. I actually ordered a Shabby Chic cream-colored slip cover for this…can’t wait to get it! The vintage, pink chenille blanket was a great vintage find! I love the little white pom-poms.

I know, I know, I’m not really showing you much…but I promise when it is finished I will give you a full reveal. What you are not seeing are the boxes of hand me down clothes from Grace’s stash, unassembled bits for the crib canopy and other unsightly things…so trust me you are not missing anything at this point.

Last night, I did create this piece of digital art work for above the changing table. I’m going to have it printed on canvas so I hope it turns out okay!

Hope your week is going well!

xo,