The Tannery Bar

I'm the weirdo who tries to nonchalantly whip out my phone and take photos of things like this in a bar, because it's just so pretty!

I'm falling more in love with Portland every week; five years here and I keep tacking on more reasons I adore this city. And yes, some of those reasons are bars. 

Last weekend I grabbed a drink with a few friends at The Tannery, one of Portland's newest drinking establishments (only 8 Yelp reviews "new") on the city's eastside. I had been wanting to check this bar out for a while, mainly drawn to its tiny size and potential coziness for a cold rainy night. When I walked in the door on Saturday, I was met with a great rustic-Portland vibe, super nice bartenders, and a stellar drink list. Some of the notable design elements included School House Electric lighting, long communal wooden tables, oil lamp sconces and old-timey accents reminiscent of saloons of the Wild West. And just as I hoped, it was really cozy.

I tried one of the beers on draft called "The Cowboy," a tasty Smoked Pilsner by Danish brewer Evil Twin, and it hit the spot. Unfortunately, like really unfortunately, I had already eaten dinner because the food menu looked bomb: bier wurst or monte cristo, anyone? Next time.

I snapped some pics with my phone which I've posted below; know it's killing me that a couple of those photos are as grainy as they are. Lesson learned that I should be carrying my big camera with me at ALL times. 

My new favorite place to eat, drink and be merry....

The Tannery. That's it, folks!

where the drink and food making magic happens, open for all to see

Evil Twin's "The Cowboy"

What bars/coffee shops/cafes in your city do you particularly love?

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!!

Lovin' Landscapes

How was everyone's weekend?! I was one of the lucky ones who had three days off of work, and I'm happy to report that I did quite a bit! I went estate-saleing and came home with some really cool Victorian silver, cross-country skied for the first time ever and watched, ummm, eight episodes of Breaking Bad. In a row. Whoops. Laundry, unfortunately, is yet to be done.

I also hit up some antique stores and came home with an old de-silvered mirror and a 1925 landscape painting. I'm going to put the painting in my bathroom because I think the mossy hues and aged patina will work with the rustic vibe I'm going for, inspired by this shot. More to come on that later.

I have a soft spot in my heart for landscape artwork in general, so I thought I'd do a round up of some of my favorite examples... enjoy!

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via Elle Decor 

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It's so hard for me to pick a favorite style!

What things did you get into this weekend?

And now I have the travel bug...

Never has a house tour made me want to pack up my bags, grab my passport and totally peace out more than this one. Featured on Design*Sponge, it is the Soho, Manhattan home of twin sisters Lizzie and Kathryn Fortunato, of the incredible accessories brand Lizzie Fortunato. I admit I had never heard of these two talents before, but now I am daydreaming about owning every single thing in their collection, especially this little duo. And just as their world travels have clearly influenced the colors, textures and shapes of their jewelry, the same kind of style is found all over their home. And I am in love! Below are some of my favorite shots from the house tour, but make sure to check out this Design*Sponge post to hear the details behind all of their treasures.

Fabulous, no?

Have any of your travels influenced the look of your home?

A Favorite Thing: Open Kitchen Shelving and Cabinets

No matter how hard I try to go for lamps, artwork, chairs, or vases - when I get to the checkout line I always end up with a mixing bowl in one arm, a cast iron skillet in one hand and a fluted cake pan in the other. I just can't get enough of kitchen stuff!

Most kitchen things (especially if you make a point of collecting them) are worthy of display, but so many kitchens don't have enough counter space to have items sitting out and prepare a meal. That's why I love open shelving and cabinets so much; stored items look great and everything remains out of the way. Unfortunately the new apartment I'm moving into (next month!) has standard cabinets with doors, but I wonder if a little do-it-yourself kitchen enhancement would be worth the consequences.

But until I have some open cabinets of my own, I'll just be crushing on the photos below...

via Pinterest

via Design Sponge

via Apartment Therapy

via Courtney Lane

via Design Sponge

via Apartment Therapy

via My Paradissi

via Etsy

And a few of these kitchens have another feature I lust after: apron sinks. But that will have to wait until another post...

Are you kitchen crazy like me? What things do you tend to gravitate toward?

I like old things

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you probably know that I'm a little bit crazy for old things (antique, retro, that dusty stuff in your grandparents' garage) and like decorating my apartment with the eclectic "treasures" I've snagged at flea markets and antique fairs. I am unable to go home next month for my favorite thing in the whole entire world because of work commitments, so I convinced my mom to make a trip out to Oregon (two weeks ago) for the next best thing: the Coburg Antique Fair. The shopkeeper at one of my favorite Portland antique shops, Madison Park, insisted that we sign up for the early bird opening to scavenge for steals with the big dogs before the fair officially started. But this would have involved leaving the house at 3 am and wearing headlights to sort through piles of stuff in the dark so my mom and I decided to leave that amount of hardcorocity to the pros.

We did, however, drive two hours from Portland to Coburg and then walked for seven straight hours from antique booth to antique booth looking at everything from old Civil War rifles to Victorian hat pins to Roseville pottery. Twice we called it a day and went back to the car, started driving away and then decided to pull over and shop a little more. The apple does not fall far from the tree. In the end, I came away with a pretty set of silver plated serving utensils, an antique card table, some colorful vintage table cloths and a 1950s baby pink Sunbeam mixer.

Overall it was an incredible day and I'm so glad my mom was there to enjoy it as well. The pictures below were taken at a variety of booths at the fair, and although I've enjoyed fawning over them every night since I took them like a schoolgirl in love, I totally understand how to some people it just looks like old junk. I get it, I get it and I don't judge - it just means more for me! The last picture, however,  is the Sunbeam mixer I came home with and I think everyone can agree it's pretty dang cute.

Thanks for checking out my photos! 
What interests do you share with your mom or close family member?