http://www.etsy.com/shop/studiokmo
Ever since I saw these handdrawn, pen and ink city maps, I can't stop thinking about them. Black and white lines seem so insignificant, don't they? Then you see them reinterpreted in a meaningful way by an artist, and tada! A map of Rome...
From a distance, it is hard to tell they are even lines. It is such a neat graphical piece of art, don't you think?
There are maps for most major cities, including Paris, Amsterdam, Manhattan... and I am sure you could get your city made custom if it isn't already available.
In other O Chickadee news, it has been a busy weekend filled with much handmade love. Will update tomorrow with shower pics and news, and other loving handmade gifts that Zach and I have been lucky enough to receive lately. For now, settling in with a movie and letting challah sit out overnight for french toast tomorrow.
www.timelesspaper.com
I love, love, love these placecards by Timeless Paper. I think they could be beautiful for a wedding tablescape, but also nice for a Mother's Day brunch, baby shower, birthday party, tea party, or just an afternoon get-together. In person, the way they perch on the side of the glass is so charming.
Our good friends Neil and Lisa celebrated their daughter, Cate's, first birthday this weekend. Although I had to miss the party (Zach manfully represented the Holmboe's, bringing this book , which has the most amazing illustrations, as a gift and trying not to be the creepy single guy at the little girl's birthday party), her celebration did get me to start thinking about little girl parties.
Obviously, I won't be throwing any of these soon, but it is fun to imagine. And my friend Melissa is due with her first baby (a little girl!) in June, so little girl party planning will be happening in the near future, albeit from a distance.
I love these party hats for a little girl's party, don't you? They fulfill every little girl's fantasy, being bright and feathery and glittery, without actually being princessy in nature.
www.laylagrace.com
www.laylagrace.com
www.laylagrace.com
Also, Saint Cupcake, one of my favorite cupcakeries here in Portland, is now selling cupcakes online! For delivery! So you can celebrate little girl parties all over even if you can't be there yourself.
I love the package design...
www.saintcupcake.com
And the cupcakes look delicious, don't they? Trust me, they taste delicious too. And when you order online, you can pick the types of cupcakes, and the types of frosting, and even the types of sprinkles! The receiver of your thoughtful gift then gets to decorate the cupcakes themselves. A perfect activity for a little birthday girl (or boy. or grown up, for that matter).
www.saintcupcake.com
Cate, we hope you had a great birthday, cake and all!
I love the idea of non-nursery room furniture in the nursery. Things that can grow and adapt as your child grows seems so appealing. While my mom was visiting, we snatched up this piece from Pottery Barn for an incredible bargain. When we saw it, we immediately thought "drawings!". Unlike its original purpose (which was a photo display), it seemed perfect for a little boys room- to hang his drawings, clip leaves he collects out on nature walks, to hold seasonal decorations (I already have visions of the University of Southern California pennant that we can clip to it during college football season).
For now, we are using it to display some of the congratulation cards we received when we announced we were pregnant.
I think the idea of displaying art in an unusual (and organized) way in a nursery is very appealing. Other ideas- what about a red grosgrain ribbon draped across the wall with wooden clothespins displaying drawings and photographs? Or a row of old-fashioned wooden clipboards hung by nails across the nursery room wall?
In other non-nursery nursery ideas, this one comes from Zach. Are you familiar with Tibetan prayer flags, friends?
Featuring different prayers, the flags come in a variety of colors, and I love the idea of swagging them across the ceiling of a nursery.
Traditionally, the flags are hung outside, and the belief is that the wind carries the prayers through the mountains and down to the people. Such a beautiful perspective. Wouldn't it be nice to have your baby showered with prayers every morning?
In an attempt to finally have a real grown-up bedroom that will (hopefully) turn into a relaxing retreat once the baby comes, Zach and I have been working away to actually infuse personality and furniture into our bedroom. This has included new bedding (with European shams and a bedskirt- no more mattress sitting on top of a metal bed frame!), curtains, and most wonderful of all, bookcases. I wanted to do a whole wall of bookcases.
So even though our grown-up room is not done yet, and even though the bookcases still have a ways to go (I still need baskets to put along the bottom shelves, and I want to get some silver picture frames, and our wedding picture that is sitting on my desk at work is coming home to be added), this is what we have so far.
We decided to arrange the books by color, which I love and turned out better than I expected. Who knew I had so many books in the purple, gray and green color families? I think my favorite section is the yellow, followed closely by the pink/red/orange spectrum. I enjoy the green section too.
I like it because it feels less visually overwhelming to me than a whole wall of books with jumbled colors (albeit perhaps not as practical. The concessions we make to aesthetics). How about you, friends? Would you ever arrange your books by color, or are you a purely alphabetical-by-author kind of organizer?
In other news, this was Saturday morning's breakfast: Mom's very best Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins. Yum.
pull-apart sticky bread- it was a hit!
We had a baby shower thrown for us last weekend, and it was wonderful. Zach and I both felt so blessed and lucky to have such wonderful friends. The delicious food was just one homemade way friends and family have been showing their love lately. A few of my favorites from the day: fresh fruit with homemade grand marnier pastry cream...
White cake with lemon curd filling, buttercream and toasted coconut....
In keeping with the lemon theme, Sarah made lemon cupcakes with vanilla icing.
All in all, it was a beautiful and joyous day.
Other homemade gifts have been generously given to us lately. Like this little hat.
And the cradle Zach's dad made for him when he was a baby. I feel so lucky to have been gifted with this beautiful piece of furniture.
Friends, don't you think that handmade gifts are the very best kind?
