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.