Teacup & Tulips

Last week, I had the pleasure of having tea with a lovely mom from Grace’s school. This was no ordinary experience. She took Grace and I to a real (as real as it gets in my town) British tea house.

We sat in a sweet little tea room. The walls were lined with a tea-cup collection (of course) and pictures of Princess Diana held center court over the tiny fireplace mantel. We were served by a darling older woman, who looked right at home and we ate fresh scones with jam and butter. The main course was cucumber finger sandwiches and cream of asparagus soup. Desert was an array of tiny tarts, slivers of cake and other delicacies. It was perfectly delightful!

Grace sat next to her little friend and they happily munched on cheese toast and sipped orange soda from their dainty tea cups. It was too cute.

If you are wondering where my photos are….well they didn’t turn out. I was so excited, I couldn’t focus on picture-taking and my little camera couldn’t handle the low light. I promise I will go back and take some soon with my big camera!

Since then I’ve been completely obsessed with finding the perfect tea-cup. I went on the hunt with my friend, Amy and finally I found one. I love her…here she is…

Isn’t she pretty? Paired with gorgeous, blush colored tulips she is looking fit for a princess…or just me.

xo,

Vintage Love

So sorry I haven’t been posting. Its been crazy. Today is my birthday, but I’ve been celebrating all week! I finally have a little quiet moment to share with you some images from the most lovely Portland vintage boutique, Xtabay. My dear friend Amy introduced me to this little gem of a store last Saturday morning. So inspiring and glamorous!

Light filled, oh so feminine and utterly enchanting, visiting Xtabay is a must for lovers of vintage attire. Go meet Liz, the delightful store owner and check out her beautiful blog too. For those of you who don’t live in Portland, you can also shop Xtabay on Etsy here.

I couldn’t resist buying a gorgeous 1940’s necklace, I may need to go back and get a dress to go with it!

Hope you have a happy Friday!

xo,

In love with Sahlia Michelle

Okay, everyone knows I love sparkly things but these beauties really took my breath away.

One of my favorite jewelry designers, Amy Olson introduced me to Sahlia’s work and as usual, Amy’s impeccable taste has not led me astray.

Her organic aesthetic, unique combination of textures and materials and an undeniable *swoon* factor, makes her work highly desirable. Half untamed and half refined, her designs strike the perfect balance between the good girl and bad girl in all of us.

The fact that she’s from Portland is rather fabulous too!

These are from her Bridal collection but I think I would wear them everyday…why not?

Go to her beautiful site to explore her entire collection.

You won’t be disappointed.

xo,

Images via: Sahlia Michelle

Creative minds and french macarons

Monday night was pretty amazing. I got to meet some wonderfully creative women, sit at the open air bar & patisserie of Pix and brainstorm on how  to further pursue our passions.

The three lovely ladies that I met there were, Barbara Soule, Amy Olson and Jen Lees. Each one brought inspiration, encouragement and knowledge to the table, making it a fabulous evening. The only one missing was Sarah Leoni, creator of Coco & Co Chocolates, although we are looking forward to seeing her at the next meeting!

Barbara Soule is the creator of B Hive Designs. Check out her amazing hand screen printed textiles. Her great blog is definitely worth a visit too! Each design is derived from her own  beautiful illustrations.

Amy Olson, organizer of this meeting of the minds and local jewelry designer creates the most lovely pieces. Timeless, unique and ultimately feminine…you deserve to own one of her baubles. Get them at Etsy!

And finally, Jen Lees, who is an incredibly talented paper artist. Her collage pieces are a thing of beauty. I just ordered myself several of her cards, each one its own little piece of art. Get yours here.

So that was the gang…and as you can see, I was in the company of some impressive creative energy!

It was Movie Night at Pix and they were playing “Say Anything” which is fitting, since it’s Amy’s favorite movie. When we weren’t reminiscing about 80’s movies we were jotting down tons of info about how to better our crafting businesses.

Then we ordered a lovely selection of Pix’s famous french macarons.

My fav – the fleur de sel (salted caramel). Yum!

They didn’t last long…

After we said our goodbyes, I drove home smiling, inspired and thankful that I had the opportunity to connect with such fabulous women, who are both artists and business owners! I know I am going to learn a lot from each of them.

xo,

Ivy

p.s. thank you to Amy for bringing us all together! xx

Jewels of Portland

Such loveliness. I heart Amy Olson’s jewelry. Check out her Etsy store here.