Miss Modish- Mojo Maker

outfitted

outfitted: week 13, originally uploaded by jena:rator.

because the calendar may say it's spring, but man, it feels like fall out there.

sweater: free people
necklace: vintage
blouse: ruche
skirt: vintage
tights: american apparel
boots: steve madden

Pocket Carnival

Pocket Carnival is a great little shop with a name that's almost as adorable as the goodies that it contains! Everything is handmade by Penny in her Melbourne studio and all the cute patterns and little critters you'll find decorating the goods are hand drawn by her. She creates art prints, pencil cases, greeting cards, tags and lots more & everything is eco-friendly too! I especially love these new raincloud cases she just released as Portland has certainly been living up to it's rainy reputation lately!

{Shop her $AU shop here or $US in her etsy shop}

Eco-Friendly Find: Loglike

How adorable are these candle holders from Loglike? Each is made with a vintage saucer and reclaimed wood,  and each is super-cute. I would love to have a few of these on my table top!

And if candle holders aren't enough, Loglike has all kinds of other fun, sustainable products to offer, like sew-it-yourself recycled crafts kits and this awesome reclaimed wood & colored pencil fruit basket! Sweeeeet.

Liz Grotyohann is a co-founder of cosa verde, a marketplace for handmade, environmentally-conscious goods.

The coveted kitchen table...

The planning, plotting and pining for all the all the things we want to fill our new home has begun. It was built in 1950 so we are hoping to find some vintage mid-century modern and retro furnishings to fill it with- it'll take time (and luck finding the right things!) of course to build up our home to the cuteness potential we know it has, but for now it couldn't hurt to dream about the kind of space we hope to have someday.

First, we're on the hunt for a dining table. The kitchen is 50's retro perfection already with yellow and black tile counters and green checkerboard flooring. So we're looking for the perfect little kitchen table to match- it'll go right by that big window under the funky light fixture. Ideally, we'd love to find a great little 50's era dinette set in minty green or yellow formica with chrome edges.

This would be perfect! & just look at those chairs!
(by Opal in the Rough)

I just gasped and clutched my chest. I might have to steal this from whatever small town diner it's currently residing at, it's too good!

(by edition of one)

A little fold down table like this would work and not take up too much space- actually, everything in this photo is pretty amazing- can I take one of everything please?
(Casper James' incredible little kitchen nook) 

And look at this one prettied up with Fiestaware. We may have to get some of that too.
(by astralbeing79)

Hold the phones- this one's the perfect size and that pattern on top is adorable! I may have to steal this one instead (because apparently my perfect table fantasies involve kleptomania)
(by House Obsessions)

I'm really itching to go shopping now. We found a few good tables at an antique store this weekend, one was mint colored and perfect! But it was $275 for just the table and we'd have to still find chairs somewhere so...too much for us. The hunt continues!

Dreaming of a beachy weekend getaway...

Hot damn it's been a loooong past couple weeks for us around here, verging from the pretty awful to the overwhelmed to totally excellent! But although it ended well, long is long and we are exhausted.

I wish I could hop into one of these pretty watercolor paintings by Laura Trevey for a few hours to just relax, close my eyes and listen to the waves, drink a tropical cocktail concoction and pass out in the warm sun. Ahh...

But that's only gonna happen in my dreams, because tomorrow we start packing up the house for our move. Packing and moving is pretty much the suckiest way I can think of to spend a weekend (and another weekend, and probably another weekend) but at least it will be the last time we have to move for (hopefully) a very long time! 

Well thank you for stopping by the blog this week to enter the awesome toy camera giveaway from Four Corner Store & share in our excitement about the house! I hope you have a lovely weekend and I'll see you back here on Monday!

<3 jena

Start your garden growing: Transplants vs. seeds

A few weeks ago I had a hankerin' for some flowers for my yard so I went to the hardware store to pick up some cold hardy plants. I was surprised they already had all of their vegetables out for sale {but no pretty winter flowers, grrr}. We still have a few weeks til our last frost date so it made me wonder how many people know the tomatoes they're about to spend hard earned dollars on are still susceptible to a quick and frosty death.

{Find out your frost date on the Farmer's Almanac site--then fill it in on the worksheet I've made for your next shopping trip.}

If you fall prey to the beautiful wall of veggie transplants, keep an eye on the weather. Also know that some of the things they're offering prefer you to keep your paws off their roots, which means they'll be much happier if you just spend a buck on a pack of seeds instead of a couple dollars on a transplant. {See? I'm saving you money!}

You can put your transplants out, but if there is frost (or an especially tender plant) they'll need protection such as a cloche or a blanket draped over a rudimentary frame (so the blanket doesn't squish the little buggers). I know you want your tomatoes and you want them now. Well, just remember you're up against mother nature and her crazy weather patterns. Take heed! Instead of jumping ahead, why not plan a little, make a shopping list of which seeds and which transplants you want?

Or go ahead and play with your seeds. Some still have time for a good start indoors, others are okay with a little bit of frigid temps. Either way, do a little planning. To get you started I've made a PDF worksheet and a basic chart of what to buy if you haven't started them, and what are okay to put in the ground as soon as it warms up a bit.

Click to download: *  {Chart, as seen above}  *  {Worksheet, as seen below}  *

Alrighty, any questions, comment, or tips? Feel free to post them in the comments section!

Renee Garner has a passion to make things grow, although her brownish thumb wants her to believe otherwise. When mud pies aren't on the menu, you can find her doodling the days away at Wolfie and the Sneak.

It's official...

WE'RE HOMEOWNERS!!!

I've been dropping hints for awhile, but I didn't want to say anything outright until I had this shiny little key in my hand...and now I do! We closed yesterday and saw the house empty for the first time and it all became very real- we own a house! An adorable, totally-perfect-for-us house!

We're so excited to make it our home and truly settle in somewhere for the first time. And we can paint! And plant stuff! And build stuff! And it will all be for us! Woah man, I can't even believe it! 

So you can bet there will be more talk of decor and homey stuff now here on Modish as I suddenly feel much more interested in all that. ;) I hope to also share some diy projects as we will certainly be taking on some in the future. I look forward to sharing our home with you more as we grow into it!

But now...time to start packing! 

(psst: if you're interested you can see more pics of the house in my flickr set)

oufitted

oufitted: week 13, originally uploaded by jena:rator.

67 degrees and sunny!!

tee: very worn vintage tee from boyfriend's closet
cardigan: H & M
necklace: made by me
belt: vintage
cut-offs: old 7 for all mankind
tights: american apparel
shoes: vintage

On Mountains and Rainbows...

Rainbows and mountains, rainbowy mountains and mountains of rainbows. They're all more than welcome here.

1 :: andre azevedo  2 :: alexander binder  3 :: liesl pfeffer

Eco-Friendly Find: Hydra Heart

Pardon the pun, but I've been on a bit of a shoe kick recently. And I adore the sustainable flats made by Hydra Heart. Not only do they combine awesome fabrics for the exterior and interior—often you can choose your own combination!—but the soles of these shoes are vinyl, making them completely vegan.

And, if you've been blessed, like me, with funny-shaped feet, never fear! These shoes are custom made for your feet! Just send your measurements, and you'll get an awesome pair of eco-friendly flats. With buttons and sweet details to boot. (oops...another bad shoe pun...sorry guys.)

Liz Grotyohann is a co-founder of cosa verde, a marketplace for handmade, environmentally-conscious goods.

Inspiration A-Z: F is for Funny

I think that most days, there's nothing more get-you-out-of-bed-inspiring than some funny, hmm? Here are some things that have been making me laugh lately: 

1. catching my broken shouldered boyfriend privately dancing to bad pop music with his arm still in a sling

2. I was told there'd be Cake by Sloane Crosley

3. You are my fave. She's probably the most likable blogger ever.

4. Akward family photos

5. any David Sedaris segment on This American Life

6. Cats. Well, my cats. 

7. Well, this cat too (via @moteviolence on twitter)

8. Ok, all cats.

9. And this cat camera that I just got! It makes cat noises (and makes dogs leer) It's meowing action was excellently demonstrated by Anabela of fieldguided right here... (oh oh and ps: you'll have a chance to win one of these here on Modish this Wednesday!!)

10: "literal" music videos, like this one: (via @NellaDesigns on twitter) 

11. Dogs. Especially dogs in the snow. I was cracking up over these happy doggies (and little lamb!) on Ellen last week.

What about you? What's been making you laugh lately? Share a link to a funny site or video or share a story in the comments below so we can all have a bit of a brighter Monday! Let's keep 'em nice-spirited and pg, hmm?

Happy Weekend

Ever have one of those weeks that sucks all the life out of you in an utterly exhausting way and you just kinda want to crawl in a hole and die for awhile and you have PMS on top of it? Yeah, me too. But I'm very glad it's almost over. And hey, at least it's sunny outside!

To give a little smile to my Friday I went and picked some flowers from the yard. Hoping they'll give you a smile too! Have a good weekend & see you back here (hopefully in re-inspired, well-rested spirits) on Monday. Oh oh, and I have an AMAZING giveaway for you next Wednesday. Seriously. You're not going to believe this one.

ps: anyone know what those little pink flowers are up there? A bulb flower of some sort... they smell incredible!

Bump on a Log Bird Feeder

Attracting birds to your garden has many benefits, and the greater the variety of feeders you have up, the greater the variety of birds you'll see. Suet feeders attract birds my seed feeders won't but I've avoided suet feeders for a long time since suet {the link has a pretty gross picture of fat, so if you're squeamish just trust me on this} is rendered beef fat, a byproduct I assume largely comes from industrial farms.

This week I decided to change my suetless status and add a different kind of feeder to my birdy buffet: I made a log suet feeder with hardware I had on-hand, a log from the firewood pile, and food from my kitchen.

For the feeder I used: a drill, a 1 1/2" drill bit, a phillips screwdriver bit, the aforementioned log, sturdy chain (squirrels will chew through rope to get the goodies on the ground), a swivel clip to keep the chain from kinking (optional), a wood screw to attach the chain to the log (an eye hook would also work).

Drill plenty of holes in the log--you don't want to go all the way through, you want them about 1 inch deep. Make plenty of them--the more holes you have to fill the less filling up you'll have to do. Yep, it's that simple.

Make a loop at one end of the chain so you can loop it over a branch or snag, then attach the chain to the top of the log. I just screwed right through a link in the chain with a wood screw coated for outdoor use.

I'm still not ready to go out and buy suet, but I found plenty of online recipes for suet substitute. Should you have leftover fat from a beef based dinner you can make your own suet, but I'm not one to mess with meat, so I went for a protein-packed, vegetarian "suet" substitute: peanut butter. Many recipes suggest peanut butter and corn meal, which is what I did, but I also added some bird seed just like we used to do with pine cones in kindergarten. You just stir it all up adding the corn meal and seed until the mixture will clump but is not sticky like straight up peanut butter.

Stuff the mixture in the holes and voila!

Now you're ready to find a tree branch and hang up your new feeder!

There is no doubt in my mind squirrels will find the nutty goodness, but that's okay, there will be birds, too. According to the Audobon Society, peanut butter will attract: woodpeckers, jays, chickadees, titmice, bushtits, nuthatches, brown creepers, wrens, kinglets, northern mockingbirds, brown thrashers, starlings, and yellow-rumped and pine warblers.

Renee Garner has a passion to make things grow, although her brownish thumb wants her to believe otherwise. When mud pies aren't on the menu, you can find her doodling the days away at Wolfie and the Sneak.

Vintage Fantastic Friday: SeeSaw Vintage

She sells sea shells down by the sea shore. Well, ok- replace "sea shells" with "vintage" and "sea shore" with "see saw" and give me some coffee because I'm obviously still asleep today and I'll just stop rambling so you can look at this pretty stuff!

{all goodness above from SeeSaw Vintage}

Handmade Spaces: Jillian Frances

Jillian Frances is a jewelry designer and grad student of interior design who creates lots of lovely goodies to fill her shop from this cozy little upstairs studio: 

See more wonderful craft and studio spaces in the Modish Handmade Spaces pool! And feel free to add your own photos to the pool and you could see your creative space featured right here!

Color Me Happy in Spring Green

I do love me some green and since I seem to have forgotten to actually wear any today (I have green eyes, I'm covered right? :) I had to put a little dose of green on here in honor of St Patrick's Day. And this luscious springy green, so fresh and pretty, is definitely one of my favorite shades...

vintage bolero jacket at Frecklewonder

foliage necklace by Bellissima Jewelry

"Yachtt" boat shoes by Steve Madden on Piperlime

Flower language- daisies by Miki Sato

garden tunic by Stewart & Brown

outfitted

outfitted: week 11, originally uploaded by jena:rator.

Today we're headed to a very important appt. to sign some very important papers!! ;)

batwing blouse: thrifted, Buffalo Exchange
circle scarf: handmade, Urban Revisions
bracelets: from travels
leggings: Rebecca Beeson
flats: Steve Madden

Miss Quite Contrary

Entering the Miss Quite Contrary shop is like heading deep into the forest of a fairy tale land- you'll find photographs, jewelry, mixed media pieces and more that embrace that dark, woodsy aesthetic. Thanks for supporting Modish, Gillian! {SHOP}

Eco-Friendly Find: EveldasNEVERLAND

I love these big, statement-making collars from EveldasNEVERLAND. The designs are so different, and the colors are just so rich. Lovely, deep, understated colors that let the texture of the designs take center stage.

And the best part? Those luscious yarns used are natural fibers—combinations of wool, cotton, bamboo, soy and silk.

 Liz Grotyohann is a co-founder of cosa verde, a marketplace for handmade, environmentally-conscious goods.

Dress your Desk

These colorful desk and office accessories will help brighten any dull day at work.

I'm not sure clipboards have ever looked prettier than these from box 64 studios...

And pins + paper will keep you colorfully organized with their pretty fabric mini-binders, magnetic clips and envelope organizers... 

And papermash has perfect desk accessories, from cork "pen pots" to notebooks for all your to-dos and tape so pretty you'll rip things on purpose just to be able to put them back together again...

I hope you have a happy workday today, where ever you spend it!