Urban Cartel

 simple, beautiful utilitarian pieces with modern appeal fill the virtual shelves of Urban Cartel. I am smitten with the soft glazes and the controlled organic nature of this "contemporary porcelain" from the melbourne, australia shop. 

 I have mostly white dishes & prep bowls in my kitchen and any of these would easily accompany them. The thought of using the lipped bowls in my next (and probably unsuccessful) baking endeavor makes me quite happy indeed.  

Soon

 ........

Cottage Farm: A Winter Collection

i hope everyone has had a lovely week. i have been having a wonderful time on the east coast seeing family and friends. It has been an amazing vacation thus far. Im excited to get back to san francisco and put up my holiday decorations. Have you done anything special for the holidays yet?

There are some changes to the look and organization over at Cottage Farm and lots of new items being listed as part of the winter collection. look for them over the next few days.   

sneak peek

whats to come at Cottage Farm 

shop sneak peek

 the crazy pace of the weekend has finally tapered off. I love running around doing things but its nice to have a quiet day too. a few new additions to the shop and a little preview of whats to come for the fall

 a little peek at a new harvest collection thats brewing ...... texture, rich color, simple shapes and simple goodness. 

four etsy favorites

four etsy favorites; for home and for wardrobe. im loving the play of very rustic organics mixed with the glamour of a bit of glitter. 

clockwise from top left: magdalinen home, allencompanyinc, bluegrotto, diterra

farmhouse inspiration

i was craving some farmhouse inspiration - a few basics. simple and elegant.

love the handcrafted pieces above.  coat hooks: chair

the bowl reminds me of the bottom of a walnut shell and there is something of edward hopper in the farmhouse painting 

this assembled stool is full of necessity in such a chic way and the big fat raindrops remind me of the first few that always mark the coming of a summers heavy rainstorm 

for lemonade at summer garden parties a sleek vintage decanter and a bit of extra warmth after the sun goes down these pretty muted colored cowls are just stunning. 

and i love this bookish painted portrait -the perfect stand-in for a long ago relative of the farm and simply carved jet black rocks full of tiny light. 

just a few things im loving at the moment.

Bett Norris Illustration

rather liking these quirky collages of imagery by uk base illustrator Bett Norris -representing three talented women: edith piaf, sylvia plath & frida kahlo. sweetly drawn but with a darker focused. the drawings conjure each woman but are strangely personal to the artist.  i especially love the piaf - the longer i look at them the more captivated i find myself 

white walls

as you may have seen yesterday there is a new apartment space in my life & first on the agenda: a fresh coat of white paint on the walls. at the moment, they are a horrid pale yellowish. this is something i will have to do myself but i dont mind, i find painting a room with a fresh coat very satisfying.

 I had to have my paint color (benjamin moore, snowfall) approved, but thats the good thing about white paint - its not scary to landlords. While deciding on a paint color i flipped through lots of my glossy archives in the hopes of garnering a few ideas about wall color - 

what i began to notice was that almost everything i've blogged, archived, tumbled and torn has white walls. i once read a decorators quote that commented on her belief that white walls make rooms to feel unfinished.

i must admit that i grappled with this though for a while and my conclusion: if thats true than perhaps i like the freedom that comes with a room feeling unfinished- possibility is everywhere, styles can be mixed and matched on a whim, texture is important for adding depth & anything is likely.

 white walls, boring and unfinished or simply possibility?

images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

moving!

we got some great news on friday ~ our application for the apartment (the one with the tiny patio) was accepted! thanks for all your good luck wishes, they must have worked. we are going to be moving in 2weeks...that means lots of packing and a big sale at cottage farm. 

i already have tons of ideas for the new space that ill be sharing over the next few weeks, but first on the agenda is getting the space painted a fresh coat of white. 
hope you all are having a lovely memorial day/monday. 


images:1 & 2 

a- fair & a house

rounding out the recap of my weekend, sunday was spent at the maker fair and the 2011 decorate showcase house. at first it seemed like two radically different experiences but really the focus of the day seemed to be all about pushing the boundaries of design.

the maker fair was a bit of a trip. there were a million things to do, see and participate in. i sat in on a sauerkraut seminar and you can bet ill be looking for a few little crocks in my travels to try out the recipe in, i also got tips on trying a modified plan for other veggies. ill share in about 4 weeks! 

it was a lovely day and we spent most of the fair wandering in the sunshine and taking in the fun of the whole thing. 

everyone was in on the action at maker as you can see. little kids, BIG kids.

in the afternoon it was a trip to the 2011 san francisco decorator showcase. it serves as a fundraiser for one of the local high schools and i look forward to it each year - 2011 didnt disappoint. my favorite was the kitchen. designed by tish key. it perfectly married modern and clean with a hint of farmhouse.

i was so tired by the time i got there i sorta walked around in awe and only took a few pictures, sorry about that. but it was truly beautiful and i cant wait to go through and check out each of the designers portfolios.... dont you love that papyrus print on the roman shades in the kitchen! 

i also loved the champagne room, ya thats right - the champagne room. sounds divine doesnt it. it was previously the walk-in safe. a room full of bubbly sounds like so much more fun - and speaking of, the tile really got me in this space - designed by jutehome. 


if you are in the bay area the decorators showcase is open everyday, except monday, until the 30th of may.

tied up

long and lovely, i cant help but melt a little at these romantic braids. they seem to always suit even the most unruly hair and make it look sweet and tidy. i came across this elegant collection of styles at brooklynbride - i love that each begins with the same 3 strands and yet each outcome is so different. 
ive also been loving these hair tutorials over on acupofjo. have you tried any yet? the braided crown seems an adorable way to keep hair out of my eyes while working this summer ~ 

Cottage Farm is 2

cottage farm is 2 today. i cant believe it!  i first opened the store to help me with the material expenses of grad school and since i graduated last year cottage farm has become a full time endeavor for me. thanks to everyone who has helped me along the way, it has been at times challenging but also very rewarding.  i hope the next two years are as much fun as these have been. 

flowers for friday

 flowers for friday. purple artichoke, dusty miller & white ranunculus. i love this combination, rustic but refined and almost a black & white photo quality