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Just Ducky

April 26, 2012 in best thing ever, farm | 1 comment

I thought I’d share a picture of the new duck and the progress made on her pond this last weekend. She’s a muscovy, the only domestic duck not evolved from wild mallards. She can’t quack, and only makes the sweetest gentle whistling sound. Isn’t she a beaut?

And here’s how I spent Saturday, arranging rocks around her pond. The rocks actually serve a more functional than decorative purpose, they secure the pond liner in place and cover up the unsightly rubber edges. I still need to put in lots more plants, but hopefully in a year or so, the whole thing will look like it’s just always been there.

This weekend was our first real sun in Portland for almost six months, and being outside all day lugging rocks and digging out grass was the best vacation I’ve had in a long time.

Tags: duck, pond

Goodness

April 13, 2012 in art, farm | No comments

Hey there, happy Friday!

This fantastic piece is by artist Lisa Congdon, and it’s available as a print at 20×200. I became a fan of Lisa’s work just a few weeks ago, when she tweeted a picture of herself wearing a Skyline necklace that she had just purchased at Rare Device. One look at her Twitter profile, and boom! instant mutual admiration society.

So, what are you all up to this weekend? Matt and I adopted a duck, and we’ll be spending our time attempting to build a pond for her, inspired by the images on this website.

Yes, we are now crazy duck people. But she is so pretty, and so smart! I’ve started collectively calling the chickens “the shrieking harpies” because they seem so mindless by comparison. Sorry girls.

Anyhoo, I’ll work through the rest of my livestock issues on my own. Here are some fun links to get you through to the weekend:

Double dutch dog. This puppy has more rhythm than three or four of me put together.

These DIY giant paper flowers are the coolest. Oh wait, these are pretty cool, too.

Ahh, vintage pottery from Hindsvik. Gimmee.

Must-read essay for any Sopranos fan.

Oh my. To be transported there. A floating movie theater. Caution: You will be filled with longing.

The Spring editorial for Summerland, shot by local photographer Anja Verdugo. Perfection.

Tags: goodness, Lisa Congdon, Rare Device

Flower Girl

September 6, 2011 in farm | No comments

Do you want to know a neat little trick that doubles the life of a dying sunflower and makes it work with a whole new type of flower arrangement?

These sunnies, though not without their own bedraggled appeal, are on their way out. Here’s how to rejuvenate them for a brand new bouquet. First, pull off all the dying petals, like so:

What you’re left with is something entirely new, an earthy, spiky flowerhead that will ground an arrangement and bring in a lovely pop of green:

I gathered up some flowers from the yard just to give you a sense of how one could incorporate the sunflower heads into a bouquet. I’m a total amateur here, so just use this as a starting point for your own creations. Before:
And after!
What other kinds of flowers do you think these neat-o naked sunflower heads could go with? I’m thinking perhaps zinnias or some pom pom type alliums, no?

Tags: sunflower

Weekendish

July 5, 2011 in farm | No comments

We did it! We finished the movie screen for the side of the barn. There we are with our dirty toes, relaxing and enjoying the look of our handiwork.

On Sunday we had a big party to celebrate the mister’s 31st birthday, and inaugurated the screen with his favorite childhood movie, The Empire Strikes Back. And bonus—instead of being annoying, all the explosions of neighborhood fireworks blended perfectly with the movie.

We learned some valuable lessons for the next film showing, which include:

Don’t Stretch the Speaker Cords Out Across The Lawn Whilst Children and Dogs Are Running About.

There is No Such Thing as Too Many Blankets.

There is Such a Thing as Too Much Food.

Another busy week ahead, with new shipments of jewelry to both Unfurl and Presents of Mind, a wedding party to outfit with enamel necklaces, and a new batch of web orders, thank you!

And I’m really feeling the urgency to design a new collection; I’ve got sketches and ideas galore, but still need to block out the time to sit down and see what actually works. It’s that first move that’s the scariest, inevitably discovering that what you thought were your best ideas aren’t really that good, moving through the disappointment, then (calmly, anxiously?) waiting for the next unscheduled flyover of the idea blessing fairy.

Tags: weekendish

Weekendish

June 28, 2011 in farm | 3 comments

The very first head of lettuce at our new house. Crunchy!

Our new friend Cooper came to visit. He liked that rug. Maybe a little too much.

A trip to the Rebuilding Center to buy recycled wood for the next project: an outdoor movie screen for the side of the barn. So geeked out about this!

The Rebuilding Center always has the coolest trucks parked outside.

No trip to the Rebuilding Center is complete without a visit to yummy Por Qué No just across the street. The place is always packed, but I managed to get this shot of the tiny interior right as they opened. Rice and beans!

And per Vera’s suggestion, a jaunt out to Uwajimaya Asian Grocery for new candy to add to your jewelry orders. Get ready for ice tea drops, umeboshi plum suckers, ginger chews, gummy ice cream cones and mystery fruit sweets.

There’s also a great list of ideas going on Facebook right now. So far it’s looking like butterscotch is winning for the next round…

Tags: weekendish

Weekendish

June 20, 2011 in farm, travel | No comments

Multi-color California poppies, so much better than expected. These will now be planted everywhere.

Jenn Rawling Trio and Fast Rattler at the Alberta St. Pub. I love seeing shows there, it’s such a mellow scene, and they recently replaced most of the seating with vintage pews. Music church!

Lazy Sunday backyard potluck. I brought these tasty gluten-free cookies.

And the mister went to Colorado for a week. I feel so tiny now in this big old space.

Oh, and this happened.

Tags: jenn rawling trio, poppies, weekendish

Weekendish

June 13, 2011 in best thing ever, farm | No comments

So many excellent events in Portland this weekend, and I did nary a one of them.

What I did do, was practice being a farmer-in-the-city homebody married lady. Pulled weeds, babied a sick chicken, installed some curtain rods…you get the picture, thrilling stuff.

And as long as we’re being honest, there was more than a little basking in the glow of all the sweet comments on my Cup of Jo giveaway. I must have checked Joanna’s blog at least six times between last Thursday and Friday, and I’m pretty sure I read every last one of the 1560! comments.

It felt good, really good, to see how much you all enjoy my work, to read your generous descriptions of my style. A sincere thank you to everyone who commented. One of my favorites: