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The weekend again? Already? Yippee! I have no plans for it at all, and that's just how I like it. Above is a little outtake from our engagement photo session. I just want to thank everyone so dearly for all the congratulations and kind words you've been sending our way. It fills my little heart up so much! I find myself smiling from ear to ear, all day long. We're so excited about getting married, and it's been really fun to share it here with you all!
Hope you have a happy weekend!
<3 jena
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Pretty Handy Girl isn't joking when she calls herself pretty handy, huh? Brittany, a fellow North Carolinian, whips up gorgeous upcycled concoctions left and right, complete with easy to follow directions.
Her recent bed-turned-bench reminded me of my own want for a bench to place by our fish pond. One unfortunate fact has kept me from investing in a bench: people steal our stuff out of our backyard. But a bench out of a bed? That's right up my alley, especially since I have a nearly identical bed (painted a nearly identical color!) functioning as a plant border in my backyard right now. It seems fated I make one, doesn't it?
Full instructions and lots more inspiration here .
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.
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I'm actually a little nervous to show you guys this since it seems you were all fans of the vintage wedding dress that I found. And I love that dress and I'm going to keep it and probably turn it into a mini and just have it as a cute everyday dress. But it wasn't entirely me and you can't get married in something you don't feel 100% comfortable in- right?
So we went hunting, stumbled into The English Department and snatched this fine little frock right off the mannequin.
As soon as I tried it on, it felt like me. All the way. It's handmade, one-of-a-kind and different than anything I've ever seen before. Made by Elizabeth Dye here in Portland, it suits me better than I thought a wedding dress ever could.
The linen bodice gives it a really natural feel that not only reflects my personal style, but also where we'll be getting married (on the bluffs overlooking the ocean! I'll share more on our plans later :) It's embellished with lace flowers, beadwork and pretty velvet ribbon.
I'll probably accessorize with some silk flowers in my hair (maybe by twigs and honey? another local designer), some simple earrings and really natural make-up. Oh and shoes! These shoes in the pics are not what I'll be wearing, I still need to find some. I think these way too expensive dream shoes would be perfect, but alas, the way too expensive part is a hindrance.
And the skirt is amazing up close in tulle with floral appliques placed perfectly randomly. I just think the whole thing is so unique and pretty. And comfortable! It's fun to twirl in, it'll blow in the ocean breeze and it's not too weddingy really, which is my favorite part about it!
It needs to be taken-in just a smidge and then it'll fit me perfectly. I can't wait!!
ps: I'd love some less expensive shoe recommendations if you got 'em!
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I just wasted the first few hours of my morning in utterly fatiguing frustration (over websitey things, ugh) and I wish I could just find a big July 29th reset button, click it, and start this day all over again.
But I can't. So instead I am making a pact with myself that I will just "reset" from here and move the eff on with my day.
I will drink a big cup of coffee with cocoa in it.
I will make myself a fatty and delicious fried egg sandwich on an english muffin.
I will breathe.
I will stretch.
I will water the garden.
And then I will come back to the computer with a new mindset and won't even think of touching the project that had me wanting to pull my brain out of my earholes this morning. I will just get. to. work.
And I will get shit done.
I'm taking this day back. I will not let it be a bad one.
And if all else fails there's always a chimichanga from my favorite Mexican food cart and Top Chef on demand waiting in the wings to save the day.
ps: This is so my life.
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We watched Roman Holiday (1953) last night starring Gregory Peck and beautiful Audrey Hepburn in her first major Hollywood movie, and let me just say, I thought it was faaaaantastic! It's so funny and charming and Audrey, oh Audrey...she sure knows how to light up the screen. Her adorableness is off the charts! The whole film is intoxicating with a simple plot that is really well acted- it's subtle and engaging and feels so fresh. And with Rome as the backdrop, it's gorgeous to look at, even in black and white.
And the ending! It's somehow happy and a little heartbreaking at the same time. This movie makes modern day "romantic comedies" seem even more cliche and barfworthy- it just blows them out of the water. If you haven't seen it- do. And if you have seen it, what do you think of it? And which Audrey Hepburn movie should I watch next? (I've only seen Breakfast at Tiffany's other than this)
{images from google image search}
edited to add: ps- check out this Roman Holiday kitty print by Jaime Shelman! hah!
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Note to self: check SPAM folder way more often because goodies like these may be hiding inside!
I just found a kind hello from designer Erin Flett in my spam folder- oh no! I hate when legitimate mail goes in there, but I'm glad I found it. And even more glad that I clicked thru to check out Erin's shop because holy moly, she makes awesome things! Like these gorgeous hand silk-screened pillows in luscious colors and patterns, printed with eco-friendly water based inks. Pretty pretty.
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Oh, summer. Being reasonably fair-skinned, my two summer necessities are sunscreen and a good hat. Which I generally lose almost immediately. (Seriously. I seem to be making it a personal goal to lose a hat over every major body of water in the world.) But if I had one of these awesome salvaged material hats from Flipside Hats, I'd hold onto it a bit more carefully.
Not only are the hats handcrafted from reclaimed fabric, but they are reversible too! How perfect is that?
I found Flipside through the Trillium Artisans Etsy Shop. If you're not familiar with the group, Trillium Artisans is a collective of crafters in Portland, OR, all working in recycled materials. There's a lot of talent in the group, and a lot of lovelies in the shop. And a lot of super cute hats.
Liz Grotyohann is a co-founder of cosa verde, a marketplace for handmade, environmentally-conscious goods.
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Summertime in Portland means spiders, and lots of them. It seems like every time I step out of the door, there is a spider web across it. We get a spider in the house every other day (thank goodness for our kitty patrol squad!) There are spider webs all over the trees, in the garden, and I've seen spiders literally floating thru thin air attached to a silky strand that is being carried on the wind.
This is not a good situation for someone who is totally and irrationally freaked out by spiders. But I must say, seeing so many, every single day now, is helping me become a little more used to them (a little.) And no matter how creeped out I am by the actual spiders, I am completely fascinated by their webs.
{by zigotica}
{by decor8}
{by Carlos Thomas}
{by Mrs. French}
{via weheartit}
{by citrushearts}
{by abbytrysagain}
{via weheartit}
{by pawel szczerbik}
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I think this "when toast met bagel" print by TopHat Society is so cute! And the perfect way to start the week- with a good breakfast. I think I prefer english muffins (or um, donuts. ok, or buttery croissants) to fulfill my bready breakfast desires- how about you? Or perhaps you eat (gasp) fruit or (double gasp) granola or something healthy and non-bread like for breakfast? I shudder at the thought (obviously project healthify has come to a screeching halt!)
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Happy weekend! This week flew by for me. Guess that's what happens when you have marriage on the brain! This weekend we'll be shopping shopping, and hopefully getting outside a bit too- it's gorgeous! What are your plans? Maybe go play some badminton, inspired by the adorable shuttlecock print above by my ever-so-talented guest writer Renee! I haven't played lawn games since I was a kid, how fun! Do you have any lawn game favorites?
See you back here on Monday!
<3 jena
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I love when my interests overlap and complete a circle; it's an "aha!" moment. This weekend, if all goes according to plan, exactly that will happen: I'll have time to play with plants, while enjoying the air conditioning crafting up a storm. Several weeks ago I ordered the Natural Indigo Tie Dye Kit from Dharma Trading, and this weekend I plan to remind myself of the shibori techniques I learned so long ago.
See, I spent my early 20s {errr, late teens to mid twenties, actually} studying fibers but haven't used the knowledge since. This will be the perfect reminder of what got me fascinated enough with the subject to get a degree in it while contemplating the extraordinary, often unseen nature of plants. The beauty this time around comes from the dried and ground leaves of Indigo tinctoria, a legume that likes temperate climates and grows in shrub form.
Natural dyes often come from plants, so they can be a sustainable practice, but also an affordable hobby for the gardener {as if we gardeners need another hobby}. While I'm not going to go bezerk and start an indigo farm, I do have an Oregon Grape to prune; the bark and berries of which produce a brilliant mustardy yellow {roots and bark} and lavender {berries}. The colors alone seem worthy enough of another experiment for another weekend.
How about you? Have growing in your garden that's to dye for?
This article from Pioneer Thinking has a ton of information and a comprehensive plant list for your own dyeing experiments. If you really want to geek out on plant based dyes, check out this article.
A little bit o'credit where credit is due: Fabric example created from my very favorite bits of eclectic echoes shibori sampler; indigo flower photo courtesy of dermoidhome via flickr, Indigo dye lump and color sample photos by Evan Izer.
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.
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Jori Baldwin is an illustrator who has been inspired by my outfitted posts and decided to start an outfitted series on her own blog, only she paints hers! And they're gorgeous.
And she was polite enough to ask me beforehand if I'd mind her using the term "outfitted" on her blog as well- which I don't, because she was so considerate to ask and is obviously doing her own thing with it. A little kindness and courtesy go a long way in blogland!
Keep up with Jori's future outfitted posts over on her pretty blog.
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I was a lucky ducky last week, invited to an estate sale "pre-sale" which is for dealers only- they get to go in a a few days before the public estate sale starts and get first dibs on all the snaggable items! Who knew? And how did I get to go to such a thing? Because my awesome realtor Jeff is putting the house up for sale and knows how into vintage stuff I am, so he had the estate sale folks invite me. Thanks again Jeff!
I got to walk around a home FILLED with stuff to buy and no estate sale crazies to compete with! It was pretty much a dream come true. And buy I did- mostly just little stuff, there weren't any big ticket items I was interested in. But want to see what I got?
{a tea towel with a little sticker that says "Belgian Linen"- gorgeous and looks untouched}
{more little linen tea towels and a cute planter}
{binoculars in their original case, which is so so awesome and smells like cigars- was it once a secret hiding spot?}
{these adorable ceramic owl tiles which have a notch in the back for hanging on the wall- I have the perfect spot for them!}
{a sunny little apron and another linen tea towel with a hand-embroidered flower}
{a handful of cute vintage earrings- this is only half of them!}
{this pretty skirt + the skirt I was wearing in my engagement photos, a super soft and thin Pendelton wool cardigan and a pretty shawl scarf}
{this rug, which my dog promptly ate a big hole into the first night after I brought it home- thanks Otis!}
{this amazing necklace which is now one of my favorite finds ever!}
{and a wedding dress! Will it be my wedding dress? Probably not, although it fits me perfectly which is a little freaky. I had to get it just to get it!}
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A lovely reader (thanks Andi!) pointed this out to me in the comments about my engagement and I thought it was too cool not to share:
This is a wedding ring by artist Luke Jerram, created with a local jeweler- it has tiny photos of him and his wife on one side of the band, and in a darkened room, you can shine a light or hold up a candle to it and the photos actually project onto a wall! So innovative and special, don't you think?
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Summertime for me means travel on my mind... and the need for a really big bag to tote along with me on my adventures. Which is what I love about the repurposed totes from VintageChase.
Each bag is crafted from vintage leather and cloth rescued from clothes headed to the landfill. And the bags are wonderfully big—just right for a summer weekend away!
Liz Grotyohann is a co-founder of cosa verde, a marketplace for handmade, environmentally-conscious goods.
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If I seemed at all distracted or busier than usual last week, it's because- I'm engaged! After 6 amazing years of growing together the mister popped the question, and I said yes! Miss Modish is going to a Mrs., by golly!
We went engagement ring shopping together and found this perfect-for-me handmade one by Kamofie- I love its simplicity, its low profile and organic shaped band and find myself frequently distracted by its sparkle! I also got a wedding band by her for the big day.
Now we're dress shopping, suit shopping and planning our wedding getaway for this fall (I'll tell you more about that later!) Feeling floaty and more in love than ever!
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The shining star in my garden right now is definitely this lupine flower. So gorgeous! I bought it on a whim when it was a little green baby not knowing a) what the heck a lupine is, or b) what color it would be. So to see this amazing stalk of violet and white shoot up was a really lovely surprise. And watching the bumblebees bob around and pollinate each little bloom is so awesome. Now I wish I bought half a dozen of them!
Well, this week has been one of the most awesome weeks I've had in a long time and it's not just because the weather has been uh-mazing (which it has.) I have a big surprise to share with you next Monday, so be you check in to see what's goin on! Until then, hope you have a happy weekend!
<3 jena
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We're in the middle of thunderstorm season and all that water plus getting my 'maters in the ground a little late means I'm bracing for blossom end rot as the first fruit sets. You've seen it: that ugly brown to black spot on the bottom of the tomato. I actually expect the first tomato or two to have some end rot, I don't know why, but it just happens each year and I pick those tomatoes off at the first spotty sign. That way the plant doesn't keep giving its energy to forming bad fruit and can move on to making me some pretty food.
What I don't want is every tomato coming off the vine to end up with blossom end rot {BER}. BER can affect eggplant, peppers, squash and melons, too, but my tomatoes seem to be the most effected. Now, one thing I've learned from playing with plants is that advice flows freely and readily from anyone and everyone that's ever kept a plant alive for more than a week. {Same goes for raising children, but that's a whole 'nother topic altogether.}
So if you ask around or use the Google, you'll see there are a billion ways to attack BER, and everyone swears their way is right. I've listed a few ways to keep it at bay, but what works for me may not work for you, and I'm okay with that. Just keep trying methods until you figure out what works.
First things first: when your plants are in the ground, fertilize responsibly. Don't overfeed with nitrogen heavy fertilizers. I feed by adding an inch of compost, which doesn't overload plants with nutrients. It's that sudden boost of nutrients that jolts the plant into growth but doesn't leave enough of the good stuff for the fruits, causing BER.
A preventative step is to monitor watering as the plant develops, making sure to really let the water seep deeply into the soil. Use a rain gauge to see exactly how much water your plants are getting, if you're using a soaker hose, drape the hose over a bowl to collect the water and measure it with a ruler. Tomatoes need about 1 1/2 inches of water a week. Use mulch to ensure the soil doesn't dry out and keep even moisture.
Once the rot sets in, some people swear grinding up eggshells and working the powder into the garden soil works. I tend to wait 'til the rot has already shown it's ugly face, so eggshells don't work quickly enough for me, the lazy gardener. I put my eggshells in the compost to add calcium to the soil before it ever makes it to the garden. Others use gypsum or lime (depending on soil pH), but you should use a soil test to see which one is appropriate. Calcium chloride can be sprayed directly on the plant (AKA foliar spray), but every site I've read says it's only for treating tomatoes and not for treating other plants susceptible to BER. If you need a quick fix, water down some old milk and pour that around the base of your plants, or sprinkle powdered milk around the base of the plants. Again, some say that doesn't work, but I swear it's worked for me, and I'm not messing with the tomato growing progress.
Even after years of experience, gardening can feel like a great big experiment. Remember, sometimes your plants are just leveling out their nutrient issues so the first fruits don't get what they need, but the second batch will. Yes, even if you don't do anything.
Funny how gardening goes: just like regular life, you gotta find what works for you.
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.
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From all of my selections for the etsy article, I really have a growing fondness for Tree and Kimball Market. It's a new discovery for me and it's filled with amazing casual summery goodness, from shoes to shorts to sunhats. Love! And the shopkeep also has another store filled with gorgeous lacey handmade jewelry. She's a swoonfest, she is.
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I was invited to be a guest curator for the etsy blog and I had so much fun compiling finds that would make up my perfect summer patio and backyard paradise. The picks involve lots of vintage goodness in minty green, yellow and aqua blue. And lawn games! Go check it out & say hello in the comments over there!
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