Monday Musings: Vintage Portland

I am obsessed with the website Vintage Portland. I cannot stop looking through the archives to find new places that I recognize or that I never knew existed! I find it incredibly exciting to see all of the original buildings that have metamorphasized over the years. I think every city should have a website that allows its citizens such awesome access to their history! Below is an example of a building that I have spent many hours going to the Portland Opera, seeing the latest Broadway Musical, Singing along to James Taylor, or watching the magical Christmas time Nutcracker performance from the Oregon Ballet Theatre.

{Portland Municipal Auditorium 1958 Courtesy of Univ. of Oregon Libraries}

{Keller Auditorium Circa 2010 Courtesy of Wikipedia}

“Keller Auditorium, formerly known as the Portland Municipal Auditorium, the Portland Public Auditorium, and the Portland Civic Auditorium, is a performing arts center located on Clay Street in Portland, Oregon, United States. It is part of the Portland Center for the Performing Arts. It first opened in 1917, [then changed names] in 1968, being renamed again in 2000 in honor of a $1.5 million renovation donation by Richard B. Keller. The Keller Auditorium is the home of many performances of the Portland Opera [and many other Fine Arts Events].” (courtesy of Wikipedia)

Hopefully, I will only visit this site occasionally rather than the hours I spent on it this weekend! :)

Fresh Finds Friday: Etsy The Nightjar

I am in a watercolor phase right now and I absolutely love these still lives from The Nightjar.

I love her use of shading and that they aren't too bright. Just lovely!

The Designery by Emily Chessar

I love me some Ruthie Sommers! She perfectly mixes styles, eras, patterns, color palettes, etc. The list goes on... Which is why I am counting down the days until Saturday. One Kings Lane will host a tastemaker tag sale curated by the one and only Ruthie. People you have a chance to own something that was once hers! Or at the very least stored in her garage. If you are not a member of OKL; run, don't walk, to sign up. If I score anything on Saturday you can be sure I will show off my good(s) next week.

Monday Musings: I love lucite and acrylic!

For several reasons I really love lucite. Most importantly it is clear and shiny and easy to clean. The only problem is that it is often times expensive. So I have found that little bits and pieces of clear acrylic does the trick. If you have been over to my details page, you have seen that I am obsessed with The Container Store. They have such an amazing array of acrylic items for organizing.



{The Container Store}




Here are some fun examples I have seen that do a great job of mixing traditional decor with a more modern aesthetic.





{Traditional Home via Decorpad}

{Decorpad}

I also love City Southern's post "Lovely Lucite"! So fun. :)

The Designery by Emily Chessar: Susan Lazar

I am truly, madly, deeply in love with pillows. Every piece of furniture I buy is white, tan, black or grey to accommodate this affliction. So when I saw the line Egg by Susan Lazar I didn't immediately think kiddie clothes. Instead I imagined the fabrics strewn across my black velvet couch with the corresponding fringe jauntily draped across the arm. I may have a problem.

House buying: The before process...

Everyone who has bought a house knows that the waiting period between "technically buying" through appraisal, inspection, addendum and "officially buying" is a killer. I am so ready for Friday to get here! As far as I am concerned this has been the longest 10 days since my 9th month of pregnancy!

But, I am also so excited to be buying a house with so much potential and the bones that I really love. I am actually (don't tell my husband!) looking forward to the sweat equity work that we are going to be putting into it. Well, sort of. :)

Here are some fun pictures so that you can truly get an idea of the scope of what we are getting ourselves into! Now just hope that we get the seller to agree to our addendum!

{Love the open floor plan and coved lighting in this room.}

{Can we say white cabinets!}

{Hello floral wallpaper! But I love the built ins...}

{Gorgeous 1940's windows and lots of light.}

{I actually cannot believe what good shape this original bathroom is in!}

{Yes, that is a wood panelled bar. }

{This is the only section of the house that is not on the main level. We think it was an add on for a caretaker.}

{More wood panelling and neon lighting.Yikes!}

{I love this yard!}

{The view from the family room.}

{Dining room windows to the covered porch.}



I am really looking forward to getting my hands on this house! As you can see, we really have our work cut out for us... More on this soon...

The Designery: My Enchanted Forest

Bhldn might be the answer to all my prayers. Anyone who knows me can tell you that I am no Martha Stewart. Instead I support the economy by purchasing copious goods made by all you crafty folks out there. Enter Anthropologie's new wedding centric site. These bright folks have gathered together a well edited assortment of items for MY next party. Let's call it the Enchanted Forest. Stay tuned. If it comes to fruition you can bet I'll be posting some pics.

Emily

Monday Musings: We bought a house last night!

I am so excited I can barely stand it... Happy Mother's Day to me! :) We bought a 1940's super fixer-upper, one level ranch, in an adorable neighborhood! I cannot wait to share my "before" pics. from inside with you later on this week. We have a lot of work ahead of us. In the mean time check out the rmls listing pics.! I love the light, the large sized rooms, the one level living and the amazing property!