California and a haircut

Matt and I are in Istanbul as I type. It's fairly early in the morning. So far, the trip has been wonderful! The only gripe would be the voltage conversion issues I've been having, but no other complaints! This is a quick post and I promise to have pictures of Turkey in the next post. I thought I should catch everyone up on the goings ons in M & M world. Last week, we went to Napa, San Francisco, Sacramento, and St Helena. Here are some photo highlights (oh! and many haircut pictures!)

Woodhouse... our favorite chocolates.

Break at the cafe for refreshments.

New short hair!

Lots of bounce!

It was hot in California... over 100 degrees! I was sweating!
More pictures to come!

A Charmed Life & A New Book

Australian born Author and fellow blogger Vicki Archer seems to live a charmed life in the South of France, the place she has found and now calls home. Like many, I adored her first book "My French Life" and her new book "French Essence", continues to drag me into her dreamy world. The photography by Carla Coulson is divine and Vicki's styling is second-to-none. I have posted my absolute favourite page in her new book above. I decided on this one page as I don't want to spoil it for you. This book is definitely one to add to the Christmas wish list! Congratulations Vicki on another huge success!!

Nb. French Essence is available now in Australia & New Zealand and will be sold on Amazon later this year.

Black & Spiro Today

Here is our current window display at Black & Spiro {above}. It's very bright, I must say, even for me! It's been a crazy week here at B&S. Usually the September school holidays are a quiet time for us. It is usually a time we call the lull before the storm with the onslaught of Christmas coming! However, for some strange reason these September holidays have been crazy. Lots of deliveries arriving as you can see below. A few clients will be very happy at the end of this week once they receive their beautiful armchairs!!

A Summer Table

This lovely table setting screams Summer to me. I love the fresh green and white colour palette. I also love the little succulent arrangements. They actually reminded me of the lovely succulent arrangements Chelsea over at Frolic created recently as below.

image 1 - victoria pearson via brown turtleneck sweater,

image 2 - frolic

Grand Final Day

I figure when you own the shop you can wear whatever you like to work!!

It's one of the perks. Especially when you have to work on the day your team is actually playing in the Grand Final.

(And yes, I am in fact wearing a footy jumper!)

Bathroom Shelving & Stools

The concept of open shelving in a kitchen or lounge room is often talked/blogged about but I do also like the idea of open shelving in a bathroom. These images above, which I have saved in my files, certainly show this concept very well. I like the idea of soaking in the bath tub looking at my beautiful things in the shelving surrounding me.

Another great idea for a bathroom, if you have a bath tub, is to use a drum stool next to the tub to put a book or a glass on. We have some lovely blue and white stools {and other colours too} in the shop at the moment which would do the job. I use one at home next to our bath and it is fabulous. I often have a pile of magazines on mine...nothing like reading some magazines in the bath at the end of a long day!!


image 1 & 2 via the lettered cottage, image 3 - anna spiro

I Spy Bags

These I Spy Bags are so much fun for little kids. They make a nice gift that parents are happy about too. I found the instructions for making them at this blog. As I was stuffing them with all kinds of fun trinkets, I started thinking about things around the house that would be fun to fill them with. Think you don't have anything to use? Think again! Use some of your scrapbooking embellishments.

Here are my embellishment recommendations:
• Bridgeport Chiplets & Petals
• Christmas Mint Designer Brads (Fold the metal ends back or break them off)
• WinterSong Chiplets
• En Route Metal Accents & Epoxy Stickers (Put 2 stickers together or put tissue on the back so they don't stick)
• Playday Fuzzies & Chiplets
• Black Orchid Buttons

Have you made any I Spy Bags? What do you put in your bags?

-Maria

YWPS ART SHOW

I think we must be involved with the greatest school in the Western suburbs! (Slight bias) During the last week of term The school puts on the most amazing Art Show which also doubles as a ripper of a night out. Everyone has a fantastic night with food, wine, and great music adding to the festivities. The kids produced amazing work and get a real thrill out of showing off their efforts. Next up - The Christmas Concert!

Ormiston House Sneak Peek

I thought I would share a few photos of a job I have been working on lately for some very lovely clients at Ormiston. It's quite a funny story actually. When Brad, Harry and I lived at Ormiston a few years ago this house was one we used to drive past and comment on. The gardens were always so beautifully kept and the house was picture-perfect. I was thrilled when I arrived at the front door earlier this year at my first appointment with the clients to walk inside and see the house we had long admired and to be asked to be involved with the renovation and update of the home.

I helped the clients with the concept for the kitchen. One of my favourite things in the kitchen is the 3 vintage light fittings we found for above the island bench. I took them to one of my little vintage lighting haunts and we spent a good half hour there looking for the perfect lights. Two of the lights match and the third is slightly different. The clients were a little unsure of this at first but after my re-assurance they were happy to go with them. When I visited them at the house last week they couldn't have been happier with the lights. I actually love the size of them. Being smaller they don't dominate the kitchen which I really like.

We installed some of the furniture last week including their old sofas which we recovered in a plain pale blue linen with contrast white piping. The two Antique French gilt chairs I found for them and had covered in a beautiful pale blue and white stripe fabric to work with the blue/white/taupe floral fabric we selected for the scatter cushions. We are still working on a few more pieces of furniture including barstools, dining chairs, lamps etc.

Once we have completed the house in a few months we will be photographing it for our Black & Spiro website. I'll be sure to let you know once it is up on the portfolio page.

Oh, and look at the beautiful afternoon tea my client had prepared for me when I arrived to install the furniture. So lovely!!

Sarah Has Popped

Charlotte Grace Prinze - she's here and she's all good.

Congratulations Sarah and Freddie.

It's Never The End Of The World

I can't believe we actually lost! Well I can believe it as I am a supporter who lived through the '80s and survived loss after loss with the wooden spoon usually the only reward. I am so proud of the Saints and although sad, I'm so impressed with my team.

Go Saints.

Now to really perk up my day - GREASE is on. No matter how often I watch it I can't help but get sucked in all over again. Thank you channel seven

I've just been catching up on all the Twitter I have missed since being away and wanted to show you Miley's new Twitter icon. I think it is a fabulous picture and although it doesn't show up when it is small, enlarged it is a ripper.

What do you think?

CARN THE SAINTS

3/4 time - 7 points up

Come on Saints - You're killing me!

Hello

Hello again. I thought I would let you know that I will be back to blogging on Monday. We had a lovely break away and I am looking forward to sharing some wonderful things with you next week including a few photos of a beautiful job I have been working on lately.

xo
Anna

Beautiful Cake Design :: Myriad Cake Design

Matt and I loved our wedding cake that was created by the talented Marion of Myriad Cake Design. She is incredibly talented and her cakes are the most delicious wedding cakes around. You know how wedding cakes can look beautiful but sometimes don't taste the greatest? Not Marion's cakes.... they are super moist and flavorful. Matt and I often try to think of reasons to have another one of her cakes created just so we can eat it again!

Marion works out of a lovely studio and kitchen a few blocks from our home, conveniently located near downtown Salem, Oregon. I was so excited when she asked me to create a cake topper for a gorgeous cake she was creating. It is a three tier cake with eyelet and ribbon details in the cutest color: white and yellow. The cake topper I created features two handmade silk flowers, millinery details and an angled birdcage veil. I just got a picture today:

Photo credits: Fred Molesworth of Encore Photography

If you are in the Salem, Oregon area today, stop on by her studio for their open house. I would be there if I wasn't traveling. Thank you, Marion!!

Custom Order Update

I apologize for not getting the last custom orders from the previous post listed or emailed. Matt and I were running super late after dropping off Indy with my parents and stopping by the post office... we nearly missed the flight by minutes. ALSO, you know how you always forget something on a trip? I forgot my CF card reader and data port cord so I can't get the photos off my camera! I need to find an electronics shop here in Napa... I will post pictures as soon as I can find one. Thank you for your patience!

So far, everything has been lovely! Matt is in a seminar here in Napa and I'll be working on this portion of our trip. We visited the old homestead in downtown Sacramento last night. Has anyone been to downtown Sacramento recently? We haven't been back here for 3 years and things are so similar yet so different. I cannot believe how many new restaurants there are. We ate at Zocalo for dinner... delish! After, we went to Yogurtagogo. Oh my goodness... this place wasn't here when we were living in Sac but if it had been, I would have gone everyday. It is so yummy! Highly recommended!

ALSO, I cut my hair again. It had grown so much since last time. I cut off around 7-10 inches! I will post pictures soon. I was ready for a change and I LOVE it! Bishops Barbershop in NW Portland is the best. VERY affordable... quick... walk-ins only... see Asmah. She is the sweetest and very talented. Pictures coming shortly.

3rd Thursday

Next month Club SEI will be featuring Sophia. This beautiful collection is currently only available to club members. Click here to see all the goodies included in the kit. The flocked papers have an amazing texture and the colors are cozy and inviting. Don't worry, if you aren't a club member, you can still sign up and receive this kit.



These projects were made using the click-n-prints available to club members on the club website with each kit. Just another reason to join today!

Orders I'm working on right this moment....

I'm leaving for Napa Valley tomorrow, but I'll still be shipping all remaining made to orders and custom orders tomorrow. I'll be back briefly for one day, this Sunday (September 27th), and will ship any custom or ready to ship pieces that are purchased from now until then. New made to orders will ship after I return the first week in October.

I should have these custom orders finished and listed tomorrow:
1. ashleyvernette
2. heatherpants
3. bel143
4. BarellaS.
5. HauteOffthePress
6. MariaF
7. zoyichka

I'm going to try to finish more while we are in Napa Valley the next few days and I'll post updates here.

Also this week, I'll be dropping new lovely pieces off to The English Dept. in Portland and the new San Antonio Bella Bridesmaid. Contact those locations for details.
Thank you so much for your patience!!!!

Two beautiful Twigs & Honey features!

The cats out of the bag... Twigs & Honey has a new collection (available online very soon!) and I am so giddy over the photos of the pieces by Elizabeth Messina. I've been on cloud 9 looking over the photos... each one is really a piece of art (no, literally! I was telling Matt how you could print any one of them out and frame it for lovely wall art). So dreamy. It was a HUGE amount of work and creative energy to complete the new collection and I thank everyone for their patience with me these last couple weeks! Especially, I'd like to thank Elizabeth Messina for her always, gorgeous photography. I also want to thank Kathryn of Snippet & Ink for this lovely inspiration board today that includes a Twigs & Honey piece:

And I want to thank Abby, of Style Me Pretty, for the beautiful posts on Twigs & Honey and the lovely words. You can view them HERE and HERE.
THANK YOU!!!!!

Elaine Teo + grab bag giveaway!

Wow! We love Elaine and are so glad you guys do too. She has such a unique and beautiful point of view on our products. We hope you guys got tons of inspiration like we did. Keep dropping by her blog and saying hello, she's a sweetheart!

Our two lucky winners, as chosen by random.org are:

congrats to Monika and Greta!


send us your mailing addresses at seiblog(at)shopsei(dot)com for some goodies. Thanks again to the wonderful Elaine for another fantastic week of guest blogging!

Mt. Angel Oktoberfest 2009

Last year, when Matt and I went to the Mt. Angel Oktoberfest, we said that the next year we would eat even more... and I think we accomplished that goal. The food there is consistently delicious and was actually fantastic relative to a few duds in terms of food at events this past summer (carnival food is so hit and miss). We started out the weekend of food by heading over to Oktoberfest Friday night where we indulged ourselves with bratwurst and sauerkraut and then apple strudle for dessert. I didn't want to mess with taking night photos so no photos of Friday, but here are the Sunday highlights:

Watching the German dancing.

The baker's dance.

Posing in front of the Harvest Monument.

Checking out the arts and crafts booths... similar to last year's photo.

Tourist shot in front of the entrance.

First food stop on Sunday... baked potatoes with everything.

Next came the corn of the cob.

This was really delish, but I always hate how it gets stuck in your teeth. I forgot to take a photo, but it was accompanied by marionberry lemonade.

Matt got the marionberry pie with ice cream...

... and then strawberry shortcake with ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate, strawberries and a cherry.

We also ate some apple fritters...

...with mango lemonade.

A nice and enthusiastic couple took this lovely shot.

At the car show.... and who's in the backseat?

Dapper bunnies!

St. Mary Parish

Taking a little break.

I had to get a full length shot of this cute dress, which I snagged at Loyale's sample sale that I found out about through Unruly Things blog. And Joanna says it's the new trend... legs! This is paired with the Anthropologie Sandy Stretch Belt (I had to punch a new hole in it because the small was too big) and Me Too shoes.

Another shot of the hubby.

Sunset.... goodbye, Oktoberfest! Until next year...