February Favorites

Wowza this week went by fast! I just finished cleaning up after having some friends over for fajita night (I made homemade tortillas for the first time, so there was extra cleanup) and I am dying to hop into bed. These past few days have been non-stop and I am thisclose to turning into a pumpkin! I decided, however, that before any more time goes by I will use my last ounce of human strength to share some of the best house tours I've laid my eyes on recently. Even if only one of you is seeing these for the first time, I'm glad I shared it. They're that great, and they all happen to be from the oh-so-wonderful Apartment Therapy.

Last summer I met up with some college friends in San Francisco for a little reunion and we had a great time wining and dining and exploring and spending way too much money. I loved visiting, but this SF house tour actually left me in a daydream about how I will decorate my own future Edwardian era apartment in The City by the Bay. Because obviously I will be moving there if it means I can live in a home as sweet as this one...

to see more of this beautiful home and read an interview with the homeowner, check out the original tour here

Now onto the second tour... You may or may not know, but I grew up in Texas and it has definitely had an influence on my decor style, but perhaps not in the way you would think. Living a border away from Mexico has left me with a nostalgia for the folk art and culture of the colorful country that permeates Texas style. When I saw this house tour below, it made me giddy because of the homeowner's love for vintage and their Texas roots.

 To see more of this very cool tour please go here

Finally... I will simply describe this next tour as wild. It's one of those homes that I imagine people either love or hate; just seeing it gave me a rush of excitement but I'm sure for some it gives them a rush of anxiety. :) What I love most though, is that the homeowner obviously went with what she felt and loved, and in my opinion it totally works! Sometimes you just gotta do you...

 You should probably see the rest of this tour for the backyard alone, check it out here

What home do you like the most? I hope everyone has an awesome weekend!!

The Best of Lately

After years of knowing it was coming eventually, my punishment for openly loving The Bachelor finally showed its annoying face. In an attempt to get over a ruthless cold, I used Oregon Trail logic and went to bed at 8:30 last night, only to be awoken by text after text after text with my friends' live Bachelor premiere commentary. That's what I get for being a passionate fan (not the hopeless romantic kind) and forgetting to make a public announcement that I was going to bed early. So I just spent the past hour (omg was that two hours?) hacking and sneezing through The Bachelor premiere a day late, understanding my friends' texts a day late, and I realized - if I can spend this much time watching something that absolutely adds no kind of value to my life, I think my blog deserves a little time too.

It's been a while since I've done a house tour post, or any post for that matter, so I'm going to play a quick game of catch-up and share a few of the best homes I've seen lately. Because frankly, these aren't ones to miss.

First up is the ultra-cool L.A. home of Interior Designer Jason Martin and Jon Brockett featured just today on the much-adored Apartment Therapy. What made this place really stand out to me were the unusual color palettes, bold artwork (with an emphasis on photography) and stylish pieces of furniture. I have been wanting to fill my apartment with oversized photographs and now I'm even more convinced that it's a must-do. On another note, I've never seen denim done better. I encourage you to check out AT's full tour, interview and source list here. Photos by Bethany Nauert

Next is another tour by Apartment Therapy showing off the incredible Hollywood Hills home of Parks & Recreation writer Alan Yang, designed by Sally Breer of Commingle Home. The best part about this tour? Alan's interview had me laughing out loud like a goon and his house has a real speakeasy tucked behind a secret door! Of course there's much more to love (must. have. that Lichtenstein!) so you should check out the rest of AT's tour, interview and source list here. Photos by Bethany Nauert

Okay I should just call this post The Best of Apartment Therapy Lately because this last house tour is from there too. Except we're not in Los Angeles anymore; this house is in my home state of (Austin) Texas. Homeowners Levi Dugat and Evette Richards have done a really nice thing with the abundant use of primary colors, which you honestly don't see very often. It feels good to just look at those youthful hues. I also love the airiness and simplicity of the space... something I appreciate mainly because it doesn't come naturally to me (for better or worse) when decorating my own home. Check out the rest of the AT tour, interview and source list here. Photos by Chris Perez

As I went through all the photos I've saved from house tours I've drooled over the past couple of months, I realized there are many more to share. Coming soon... after I catch up on all of my trash TV.

Which of these house tours appeals to you most and why?

Happy Father's Day!

I hope everyone is having a great day with their dad! Since my dad's in Texas and I'm in Oregon, I just get to wish my dad a Happy Father's day over the phone, but I think he appreciated the gift my siblings and I got him since he spends a lot of time outdoors and has a thing for hats!

I've already honored my dad a little bit by going estate saleing this morning (something he also enjoys) and I think I'll continue celebrating Father's Day by listening to The Byrds and perhaps watching some Charlie Chaplin - he used to make my siblings and I watch CC as a kid and I think I might appreciate it more now. ;)

Here are some entertaining pics of my Dad over the years, beginning when he was a child. While you can't see it in full-effect from these photos, I think I got my tendency to ham it up in front of the camera from him.

 Halloween 1955

My dad in the middle, around 1957 

1966 

Galveston, TX (I think) not sure the year - high school?

Austin, TX 1973  (my dad's in the back on the left with that wild long hair and beard)

El Paso, TX ... late 70s

around 1980 

About ten years ago, working on his parents' property in Montecito, CA

My siblings and my dad and I several years ago

Hope everyone has a wonderful Father's Day and wrap-up to the weekend!

Favorite Things: In My Apartment

In an effort to incorporate more of my own home's decor and design into this blog, this post is all about some of my favorite things currently out and about in my apartment. Since I've been into decor for a long time, and am the type to feel at home when surrounded by lots of clutter unusual/beautiful things, it was difficult to narrow it down to this little group. So in an effort to keep it interesting (okay actually that was never a thought in my head, it just turned out this way), all things are pre-owned, living, or once living. Yup, it's about to get weird.

We'll start off with something pretty: this Scandinavian floral kilim is the first thing I step onto in the morning as I zombie-walk my way out of bed. It was a very lucky find at an estate sale in NW Portland, and since this purchase I've been convinced that when I go estate saleing I'm in fact a modern day treasure hunter. (Career counselors recommend you revisit the interests you had as a kid, in order to discover your "dream job" as an adult. I remember getting a metal detector for Christmas when I was about 9, and I was stoked. No sarcasm. So this whole thing makes sense.) I'm obsessed with the colors in this rug, and the man who sold it to me said all of the flowers are local to the region it was made. Who knows if that's true, but I'm choosing to believe it. 

 And... guess what that is. Just guess. No, not the sunglasses, the thing that they're sitting in. Yes... it's a bone. An ostrich chest bone. Cool huh!? I blame my mom for raising me to think this is normal. See, this is what happens when you spend your weekends as a kid at your grandparents' farm and one of the most looked-forward to and encouraged activities is "hunting for cow bones" in the brush. Bonus points if you find a skull and it still has all of its teeth. So when my girl scout troop went on a weekend retreat to "the farm," you bet that was one of the activities on the schedule. That's Texas, y'all. Sunglasses from Nordstrom BP and Forever 21, beaded wrap bracelet from Ten Thousand Villages, coins from the bottom of my purse.

This is my little piñata friend (omg I just realized he doesn't have a name! not okay) that I found at a vintage shop here in Portland. "How has he survived all these years?" is my question. I love how he's neon colored, and he's Mexican so, duh, I like him. Plus there's that whole 4th grade birthday party vibe he brings to my apartment - I don't like to take things too seriously with my decor. (See above) Peter Max print from ebay, maracas from the Round Top antique festival, and Design Sponge and Decorate decor books from anywhere you can buy a book.

This vintage set of mirrored fuschia roly-poly tumblers is something I was very happy to stumble upon at the Etsy shop Relevant Vintage. So far I've made all of my friends drink out of the blue Ikea glasses instead, but one day I might let them hold the pink ones. When they're pregnant and drinking mocktails. Silver beaded mat from Pier 1 Imports, the Vintage Cocktails book in the background was a Christmas gift from my sister. 

And this is a gastropod fossil that I bought from a man in Texas who was like, 127 years old, and he said he'd been collecting them from the Red River since he was a little boy. Of course, I got all sentimental on him and ended up buying a few. I love this kinda thing. Rocks, fossils, shells, crystals ... bones apparently. I could totally be a witch. I'm not into taxidermy though - I will make that clear! And... since I'm honest on this blog... I've never been able to get past like, page 10 of Catch-22. I've tried three times and I just can't do it. Way too many unpronounceable characters.

Finally, we end with something living (always best to leave on a good note). This is a staghorn fern that I call Staghorn (I swear I'm creative I just felt weird naming a plant anything that seemed like I actually thought about it), and although he doesn't get a cool name I still show him love by talking to him like he's my pet. Yes, there is a special voice. I purchased him from Pistils Nursery after deciding I needed some kind of houseplant, and since my mom has always had staghorns (except they were in the backyard, massive, and hanging from giant oak trees) I thought I should get one after learning they do okay indoors. Hopefully he'll have a long and happy life. Ignore that ugly, brown area. I googled it and it's totally normal.

What are some of your favorite things in your home?

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Fave Find: Alexandra Valenti Photography

I came across Alexandra's work through a Design*Sponge post featuring her series shot in Wimberley, Texas entitled "Leslie Crow," and immediately started thinking about all of the things I'd be willing to give up if it meant I could own one of these prints (thinking about that art wall project, people!). Happy hours? Done. Magazines? Yup. Gilt Groupe membership? Sure. Fancy Starbucks coffees? Yes. Netflix account? Ummmmm for how long? See, I just started the second season of Friday Night Lights and I have to know if **SPOILER ALERT - jk, I know everyone but me has already seen the whole show** Julie Taylor and Matt Saracen get back together. (Even though I am definitely not a Julie fan right now and think he deserves waaay better.)

I decided to email her. 

And she was so, so nice! I found out that she was in the process of setting up an online shop and that prints could be ordered there. And they are affordable! My compulsive gut feeling was correct - it was meant to be. 

This is the photo I ended up purchasing because it is just so Texas and since I'm from there, creates a real since of nostalgia for summers back in the day. I also love the whimsy of the colorful pool below and I know that seeing this photo in my apartment every day will be a very smile-inducing thing.

 If this one ever becomes available to purchase, it may become #2 in my apartment. It gives me a totally different feeling than the rope swing photo; it's mysterious and I'm getting a sort of celestial sci-fi vibe. Love it.

This is just a tiny, tiny bit of this gracious and talented artist's work. Isn't it so cool?

Do your life a favor and check out her website here: http://www.alexandravalenti.com/