It was a bit of a push, but we began the New Year in crisp, fresh sheets and a brand-new bed. Aron’s parents watched Hudson for a few hours while Aron disasembled and reassembled our old bed in a guest room for our friends, and I ran off to Macy’s to splurge on sheets* for our new one.
It’s been a long-time coming… starting with that headboard we picked out in Bali.
<strong>Read more…</strong>
{ 57 comments }
These photos are from a couple of weeks ago–biking in the Davis arboretum, and hanging out in the backyard with friends who were visiting from New York… in our new chairs! It wasn’t even cold, but we thought the scenario was deserving of a midday fire. Slowly but surely, new furniture is making its way to us. We found these chairs at Room & Board and are really happy with how they look with and without the cushions (especially key since we went with white). And we just learned that the rest of our outdoor furniture is arriving next week! More accurately, it’s arriving at the port of Oakland sometime next week–having made the long, slow boat ride from Bali, where we ordered most of it in August. I’m so excited! We pretty much just showed them photos of what we wanted and, a month or so later, they emailed us photos of a finished chair, table, etc. But it still feels so, well, unknown. On top of that, we had only seen our house once when we made the decisions we did. Fingers crossed!
Here are a few other things I’ve been thinking about lately:
Another anniversary today: Aron and I have been together 11 years as of today. Wowzers! Happy anniversary, love.
It’s been a long time since I’ve visited the Huntington Gardens. These lovely photos have me pining for a return trip.
What a thrilling installation! I wish we could see it in person.
Does anyone recognize this photo from Pinterest? I’d love to know the source.
A gift guide featuring Kids’ toys on Etsy.
Next weekend, San Francisco will play host to the Renegade SF Craft Fair and the Kindred Pop-up shop. If you’re in the area, you should check them out! Here are some photos from Renegade Brooklyn 2012 (and 2010).
Kelly put together her fantasy Christmas dinner–amazing!
Honey Buns. When I was a kid, I used to regularly eat something from the frozen section called Honey Buns by Morton and they have suddenly been on my mind again. Sadly, when I looked them up on BrandlandUSA:
“…There were Morton Pot Pies, Morton Creme Pies, Morton Cinnamon Rolls. But the real star was Morton Honey Buns. Morton Honey Buns came four to a package, and there was so much sugar on each that when you pulled the buns out, the sugar frosting was all over the package and the four came out like a brick. But the brand is gone, nowhere to be found. And since the launch of the BrandlandUSA blog, we have discovered it is one of the top searched for dead brands on our site. People far and wide are searching for Morton, but cannot find it. While we knew Morton’s was a personal favorite, until we launched the blog, we didn’t know how many others loved the brand too. Apparently, they are mostly searching for the Morton Honey Buns, and not so much the Pot Pies, though those get requests too.”
Do you remember them? The closest thing out there? Krispy Kreme donuts, microwaved for about 7 seconds. Now I’m hungry.
Have a good one!
{ 9 comments }
I may have mentioned that being in San Francisco on Saturday for the Remodelista market made Aron and I wax nostalgic for New York–just a little bit. (It happens. No surprise, right?) So I don’t know if it was better or worse that Heath’s display space was filled with goods for the home and table by Brooklyn-based artisans and designers (many of whom we have featured on Hither & Thither in the past–like leather satchels by Marlow Goods, and a canvas tote featuring our favorite restaurant, candies by Liddabit Sweets, and Ginger Syrup by Morris Kitchen).
But in fact, what’s remarkable is that the handmade culture that really started thriving in places like Portland and Brooklyn has taken hold across the country, and we can enjoy these makers–as well as so many others–right here in California. I’m looking forward to discovering a whole new set of “makers” on this coast.
{ 6 comments }
Speaking of gifts, I’ve been playing around on Luvocracy a lot this past week and I think the new shopping site has enormous potential.
My impression: It’s a little like looking through a wish-list board on Pinterest–if you could shop the pins directly. (And it’s always verified that you can, which can be nice because it’s such a bummer when you follow a pin to Nordstrom or A.P.C. and then find that the item is out of stock.) And it could also a nice place to keep things for purchasing if you don’t want them on your purely inspirational Pinterest boards. It’s one of those sites that, when I read about it, I thought “Of course!” And usually that’s a good sign, right?
What I really like about the site and concept: you can shop recommendations of people whose taste you trust; lists and catalogs can be curated from anywhere on the web (anything from JCrew to Etsy, the well-known large retailer and the independent boutique); once you create an account (as you would on any retail site), you can shop directly through Luvocracy and they will source the item for the best price available online; any interest can be represented (you could create a list of vintage toys or handmade furniture if shirts and shoes aren’t your thing). And, of course, recommendations are rewarded: everyone can get a small percentage of a sale if it’s based on his or her picks.
What could be a bit of an obstacle: it takes more time to recommend something than it does to pin it. You have to slow down and really consider what you’re recommending (at least that’s my experience), but that might not be a bad thing.
It’s also a brand-new and currently has a small community of users (as a social site, it will work best when its user base is large) and it may take some time to earn the trust of users who need to set up accounts.
My original plan was to wait and say more about it after having gathered more recommendations and after having used it for longer, but they’re having a promotion right now–free shipping and no sales tax through December 13th–so I thought it best to tell you about it now.
What I can say for certain: it’s beautiful, and when I read about it I requested an invite immediately (and now that I think about it, that’s something I did when I first heard about Pinterest, too). Check it out.
{ 2 comments }
We drove into San Francisco on Saturday–it was gorgeous there–and headed straight for the new Heath shop to see what was on display for Remodelista’s third annual holiday market. A regular follower of the website, I had a feeling I would like (and covet) a lot of what I saw and of course I was right. There were some fantastic vendors–many of whose wares I recognized from online (often from Pinterest)–and all would be great inspiration for Christmas shopping if you’re a little stuck still. (I’d like some of those Turkish rugs and bright pillows, and some Book/Shop bookends, thank you very much!)
We walked out with Blue Bottle coffees in hand, talking about beautiful everyone there was (and maybe feeling a little nostalgic for city-life). Hudson walked hugging a new Peruvian teddy that looks a little like Chewbacca and that we all agreed was just about the softest thing we’d ever felt.
Pictured from top–Textiles: Virginia Davidson; Linen clothing and dolls: Jess Brown Design; Pillows: Whim and Caprice; Tree stamps: Brendon Farrell for Keeps; Caramel Corn: CC Made; Bookend/stands etc: Book/Shop; Alpaca Teddy Bear: MINT; Floral: Louesa Roebuck; Birdhouses: Studio Chad Wright; Dishtowels: Studiopatro; Ceramic Speakers: Joey Roth; Riding Boots: Steed Fine Hoarding and Tack; Airplant in frame: Airplantman Designs
(Also in attendane/not pictured: Ambatalia, HBG, Dagmar Daley, Erica Tanov, Heritage Culinary Artifacts, Julia Turner, June Taylor Jams, Le Feu de l’Eau, Lemon Twist, Maki Yamada, Muhs Home, Parfums DelRae, Plantspeople, Pope Valley Pottery, Richard Carter Studio, Rough Linen, Sara Barner, Small Trade Company.)
{ 5 comments }
