Mowing on......

Almost time to say goodbye to this house, moving on soon......

Mowing on to our next house in a couple of weeks.

Our beautiful home by the sea.... avoir!

GRAY Magazine Issue No. 7

A Magnificent Magazine 

Issue No. 7 of Gray Magazine - is a fitting name for a Northwest magazine! So simply stated.

Jessica Helgerson Interior Design is the firm featured on the cover of Issue No. 7, located in Portland, OR.

After drooling over this magnificent magazine, the article titled: Notes of Noir on page 26 has convinced me that I must buy a subscription to this fine magazine. I must add a quick note. Fantastic, I see a designer from North Carolina - Mira. For those of your who know me, know that Wilmington, NC is very close to my heart! xo

Wouldn't it be wonderful to drive down to Portland and be a fly on the wall at this firm! We could 'take it all in'. The photos in the magazine emit this incredible vintage VIBE, fine woodwork, handblown glass and this super cool ambiance. It is not your ordinary work space, by any stretch! Would you like to go? We can even stop by Anthropologie on the way back. 

The downtown Seattle, Wa Anthropologie - 5th Ave

On my way back from Seattle the other day I had a minute to run into Anthropologie on 5th, it's an amazing two story brick building with an expansive staircase that takes you up to the second floor. This is the only 2 story Anthropologie that I have ever been in & I've been in many....

Now that I'm thinking about it, let me count how many stores that I have been in all over the country. I really cannot stay away and would love to work at one but do not live close enough. 

Anthropologie visits to date:

Atlanta, GA

LaJolla, CA

Mission Valley, CA

Seattle, WA

Bellevue, WA

University Village, WA

Tigard, OR

Tampa, FL

Myrtle Beach, SC 

Raleigh, NC ?

Oklahoma City - in August 13

Photo, J Bevin

Carnival Cone Wall Planter - $20, I purchased the blue at Anthropologie a few days ago. Their display's are magnificant..... 

Photo, J Bevin

Taken on a GRAY December morning in Gig Harbor, WA.

A POP of PEACH

This adorable couple had a farmers market set up on their boat in Tacoma, Wa. I could not resist buying a few peaches. yum! Do you see the ANCHOR on their logo?

The stars of the show in my living room - for now, ha!  

1. My new peach herringbone throw 

2. Lobster pillow 

I bought the pillow in Tampa, Fl at maybe HomeGoods or TjMaxx while on Spring Break recently.

Our hatch cover coffee table has been in the making for at least 15 years now. Avery and I picked it up at an antique shop in NH, and have been dragging it around the country ever since. Not long ago, Ryan Dehart made the hatch cover into a coffee table for me. It's a masterpiece! Thanks Ryan!  

Just a little bit different angle. Architectural photography is not all that easy for me. There are lots and lots of options for the placement of things, and camera angles as well. I think that I need a wider angle lens. 

My New Church Pew

 It is 5 feet long with a little bend in the middle.

I have been dreaming about owning a church pew for years and years. Maybe it was the New England influences that came from my first 14 years in Vermont?  I was on my way to Metropolitan Market to buy a cup of coffee when I noticed a church pew sitting on the grass. Quickly I pulled over to inquire. After one lift & quick look at the quarter sawn oak, it was the pew for me:) I overheard the owner mention to a women, $50 bucks. I couldn't believe it. I probably would have paid $150 bucks.

It was a tight fit, but thankfully fit into my Honda Pilot :)

The new home for my pew may be where the vintage record player is now. The pew matches perfectly with our tiger oak table. Don't you just love the legs on the table? Avery and I purchased it in New Hampshire when we were first married. I think that the pew will fit the space below the painting, a bit better than the record player.....Though that record player is a definite head turner. Did I mention- $50 bucks on that at an Estate sale. 

A little refinishing will be necessary before it comes into the house. I think that I can do it myself - AMEN!

The gentleman who sold me the pew also included this neat book in with my purchase. 

Thank you GOD! 

My new Tj Maxx coffee table

HERE SHE IS~

My home is full of stories. I'll begin with the sofa. I picked out the fabric while living in Bankers Hill, San Diego (downtown). If you have ever flown into San Diego you would have flown right over our old house and truth be told, only about a few 100 feet from our roof. Yikes

This couch called my name while I clicked around on an interior/ furniture website back in 2001 - the name slips my mind (it was one of the 1st sites).

A nice man at a furniture store in San Diego let me borrow the fabric swatches for the night.  It didn't take long to narrow down the fabrics. Walla.... both the couch the sofa were ordered from NC. 

Unbeknownst to Avery and I, our next move would be to Wilmington, NC. Years later we would end up buying lots of furniture from the factories in Highpoint.

My tastes have changed over the years and as you can see 'this look' is far from the Seaside Style that I am craving these days. I have just not had the heart to get rid of either piece of furniture.  

The braided rug from Garnett Hill seem to de-modernizes the room? 'Son of a gun' I think it works! 

Thanks Laura for the rug suggestion.

She caught my eye over the holidays at our local Tj Maxx. The GOLD legs and beautiful PATINA on the wood - made me look ;} A month or so later she was still sitting in the store and on SALE! I bought her and now am really having a hard time parting w/ the sofa. 

She is heavy and from Indonesia. One day I hope to travel to there and buy lots of furniture! Erin will you go with me?

The Design Cottage

My new vintage brass crawfish with a neat story attached....

The Design Cottage, Tacoma, WA

Jury Duty ended for the day and I needed a little 'decor infusion'. 

The ladies at the shop mentioned to me that the brass crawfish had been sitting in The Design Cottage for a while...So I asked the girls to tell me the story, and they did..... 

Erin who writes the Clementine and Olive Life Style Blog, decided a bit ago to head out of dodge and begin a new life in Portland, OR. The owner of The Design Cottage, Diane Ryan... gladly sold Erin's cottage treasures. Erin was/is a smarter women than I. She knew that she could always find new stuff to fit into her new space. The vintage brass crawfish was included in her 'I am moving on' pile. Truth be told... I am a sucker for anything to do with the SEA. 

Sooooo I had to have this cute sea critter.... 

Thank you Erin! He now has a wonderful home in Gig Harbor.

I asked the ladies in the shop if they thought he was a lob-stah or a crawfish. 'Definitely not a lobster', his pinchers are not big and juicy enough. Diane grew up in Portland, OR and she assured me that he used to live in Oregon.

Great story....

Can you see the difference in the claws? This is a display in my home. Seems like I purchased my silver lobster from Williams-Sonoma, at least 5 years ago......

What is truly astonishing is while putting this blog entry together, I came across an email from Match Book Magazine. They are also featuring a big beautiful vintage lobster...

dwell Bath & Spa

COLOR TRENDS - 2013

As I was waiting for my yummy ruben to be toasted at Metro Market, this striking magazine cover -dwell Bath & Spa-  and this fun TOWEL, caught my eye.

photo, J Bevin

This is my own towel creation in our master bathroom. It all began with a trip to San Diego. My girlfriend showed me her latest washcloth purchase, and of course, I had to have one too. 

She bought her Sechura washcloth at Anthropologie. There is a really neat shop here Gig Harbor, WA called the SAMPLE SALE, where I found the DOT fringe towels that you see above. They are both sold at Anthropologie, which is one of my favorite stores of all time. I think a dream job would be to work as a 'special projects buyer' kinda like Patty Isen's or a 'merchandiser' for Anthropolgie. 

Sechura (wash cloth) and the Candy Dot towel (fringe)

 Images via Anthropologie

Isn't this painting 'icing on the cake'? Oh, I just love the little black tug boat.
 It was found at an Am-Vets in Tacoma, WA with my friend Corena.
 I only go there with her 'cause it's a little shady... not Seattle cloudy shady but the other shady...

photos, j bevin

Here they are sitting so nicely at the La Jolla, Anthropologie waiting for you!

A casual close-up of my new towels:) 

The Marni brand has always appealed to me. Yesterday I found 'this tote' at Meg's and Moe. oh lala...

SHELL mirrors & Richard Abbot's ART

Lobsters, Crabs, Shells + friend's

My Richard Abbot lobster is by far, one of my favorite treasures. When we lived on the East Coast we'd vacation in Maine. My best friend Laura and I would head out in her vintage car(s) to the Brunswick Farmer's Market and that's when I fell in love with Richard's art :) 

Laura & I off to the Farmer's Market....

~Kate Spade ~ 

Did you happen notice this bag hanging in the bathroom mirror?

Thank you Erin for your chic birthday gift! It hangs on the closet doorknob so that I can see it as soon as I walk into the house :)

I just picked up this rug at TJ Maxx for $10 bucks. I love that it's washable and VERY nautical. It fits the space just perfectly. The best part of all is that Laura bought one too at a Maine TJ Maxx. I couldn't believe it when she told me.

Here is Laura:) Aren't those glasses hip! Laura's most recent interior design job is for a gentleman who builds boats.  She is very very talented with color, layout, space and true New England design. I just cannot wait to see the AFTER shots. Please email me if you would like Laura Lienert's contact information. She may be doing a law office now along with the shipbuilder's home, but the shipbuilder's home sounds much more appealing to me.... Laura please take pictures so that I can show everyone - K :)

If only I lived in MAINE I could be Laura's assistant....oh that's another story for another day....

My 12x12 crab  - by Richard Abbot of Windsor, Maine.

He sits on the wall to the right of our sink. You can him crawling up the wall in the picture below. 

If you own a home near the water, Richard's clay sculpture's are a great addition to any indoor or outdoor space. 

I happened upon them at the Brunswick, Maine Farmer's Market many years ago, as mentioned above. It's close to Freeport, Maine if you are a

L.L. Bean fan. 

I got a 'wheel of a steal of a deal' on this mirror. My guess is because the shells kept breaking off TJ Maxx just wanted to get rid of it. They sold it to me for $14. I still can't believe it..... Thanks, Felix.