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High Desert Diva

March 12, 2010
4:14
All things Alice
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Alice window display - Charles Anatase
This charming film is the earliest version of Alice in Wonderland
The art of Karen Otto
Disney takes over the LA Times
March 11, 2010
4:37
Car Shots
» ‎ High Desert Diva

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Driving East...So impressed with all the wind turbines in this part of the state. Got wind power?

Changing scenery.Favorite traveling companions.Driving West.
Crossing the Columbia River.
The Columbia River Gorge

Day's end.
March 10, 2010
4:35
Exploring Palouse
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The road from Pullman to PalouseEastern Washington.
a bit blurry...I'll think of this as an impressionist photo

Tile detail outside The Green Frog, a deli.
Loved the old sliding door and hardware on the outside of this building. What do you suppose the door was for? It is up about 15 feet from the ground.And the detail on this former bank.
March 09, 2010
1:18
Garden Inspiration
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The Sweet on Spring sale at Living in the Garden.Inside the conservatory, Suzanne St. Pierre in yellow.Carla Wesson Scotty Thompson's mosaic masterpiece.

Exterior detailsSeen in the garden...Talk to the hand

this blue pot = yummyand these...

This bench seat (and the pillows) came home with me...Sigh.
March 08, 2010
5:34
Wesson's Bunkhouse
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We were invited to stay at the Bunkhouse of friends Carla & Rich over the weekend. Our 7 1/2 hour drive took us to Pullman, Washington, a college town/farming community smack on the Idaho border.
The Bunkhouse as seen from the driveway.Welcome.Love the vintage leather chairs and the cozy fire place.Rich & Carla made the Murphy bed (which also folds out into a table).The details...Carla made the quilt. The pillowcases are vintage with embroidered flowers.
Trux wanted to go chase rabbits.The entry hall has a built-in bench and storage. Ladder to loft.The bathroom countertop is brass which is turning a charming speckled verdi-gris. The faucet and metal wash tub used as vessel sink are vintage.
Details.Looking out at the morning frost.
Our hosts: Carla and Rich Wesson.
Sometimes one hears people say they built their home. In reality, they had it built. Carla and Rich are professional do-it-yourselfers. They built the bunkhouse and did all the finish work. The carpentry by Rich complete with vintage square nail detail. Carla is a master tile setter and did all the tile work, mixed her own paint color for the walls which she refers to as Palouse Green, and handmade the quilt that adorns the bed. The thoughtfulness that went into the building of this space is remarkable. Heavily insulated, impressively wired for sound and lighting. Connection for Ipod available as is wireless internet. There is both a front and back deck where one can sit and listen to the creek. We'll be back!
For info on renting the Wesson Bunkhouse, contact carlawesson@msn.com
March 07, 2010
4:35
Through the car window
» ‎ High Desert Diva

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Whitman County, Eastern Washington.
“The fight to save family farms isn't just about farmers. It's about making sure that there is a safe and healthy food supply for all of us. It's about jobs, from Main Street to Wall Street. It's about a better America.”

~ Willie Nelson
March 06, 2010
6:03
Field Shadows
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“To the attentive eye, each moment of the year has its own beauty, and in the same field, it beholds, every hour, a picture which was never seen before, and which shall never be seen again.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Eastern Washington field shadows
Find more shadow shots at Hey Harriet
March 04, 2010
0:47
Sweet on Spring
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photo blatantly stolen from Suzanne's blog
Getting excited! We leave for our road trip tomorrow to the Sweet on Spring sale AND we get to visit blog friends Suzanne & Carla (and their hubbies).
Here they are last summer when they came to visit me...

How many of your favorite bloggers have you had the opportunity to meet in person? Thinking back on it, I've actually been lucky enough to meet quite a few. But I'd like to meet so many more. Michelle: all of our e-mails back and forth aren't enough! Tameka: we're not that far away. Why is it that the state that is a half-way point for both of us, has to be Nevada? M.Kate: you know I want to visit Malaysia. Willow: I'd like to see the Manor, and hit all your favorite second-hand book stores. Sharon of the Pink Chateau: a junking trip with you would be so much fun! And all the rest of you...GW: showing so many photos of the ocean and getting me through long high desert winters. Many thanks for opening up the world to me.
March 03, 2010
0:51
Velvet, baby
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I recently ordered a Roman shade for our master bath...finally, the bathroom looks complete. I chose a simple, brown nubby fabric so it wouldn't compete with the metallic wall paint and the Victorian velvet drapes hanging around the shower stall. A bit of gold decorative trim along the bottom fancies it up a bit and mimics the trim on the velvet. I like it.~~~~~~Here's a before shot of the bathroom. We removed the tub and large window and put a smaller window on the other wall so we could put in a shower stall.
Post remodel - pre fabric
March 02, 2010
4:54
Whitman County
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Our upcoming road trip will take us to a beautiful part of the Northwest, Eastern Washington. Scotty Thompson (part of the creative duo at Living in the Garden) takes gorgeous photos of his part of the world and shares them on his photo blog.
Photo by Scotty Thompson
March 01, 2010
0:17
A Giant Mosaic Saguaro
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and other expressions of creativity....this coming weekend at Living in the Garden's Sweet on Spring sale; an annual event/road trip for Mark and me.
We've been invited to stay in Carla's bunkhouse...soon to be B & B. How cute is this?
Can't wait to get there...even if it is a 7-8 hour car ride.
February 28, 2010
5:03
Staging
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Last week, Martha Murray (a designer from Bend) and I picked through existing furnishings at Complements Home Interiors to assemble enough borrowed goods to stage a few rooms at the Design Center in Redmond.

See the slideshow here.
It was a fun project and hopefully will be beneficial to many of us. The Design Center looks less like an empty warehouse, Martha and I got to show off a bit, and Patti from Complements has a secondary, temporary venue to display her furnishings.

Mark made me a curtain rod (so handy having a metal artist as a husband) so I could hang fabric behind the bed in an attempt to cover the existing (and to my eye, horrible) wall treatment. Can't tell in the photo, but I used vintage door knobs on the end of the curtain rod as finials...I wanted to mimic the circular theme found in the bedding.
All in all, a very satisfying project.
February 27, 2010
5:27
Mag Wall
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Raw iron powder + paint primer = magnetic wall

From the creative minds at Parliment in Portland.
Check out the photos of their world headquarters...Love the design of their work space.
February 26, 2010
4:13
Idea Box
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Leaving for Portland to attend the Home & Garden Show. Most interested in seeing the new Idea Box model.

Click here to see other pics of this pre-fab home.
February 25, 2010
5:11
Planted potholes
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Public installations taken to a new level. I like this.

From the imagination of Pete Dungey
found via here
February 24, 2010
0:05
Busy Time
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Staging some of the rooms at The Design Center today with furniture on loan from Complements Home Interiors....
February 23, 2010
0:52
It's puzzling
» ‎ High Desert Diva

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Back in November, I posted about The Standard Grill's copper penny floor on the High Desert Design Council blog.

So when I saw this photo on the Apt. Therapy site, at first glance I thought it was pennies...raining money on the wall. So clever. But it is actually puzzle pieces. Which I like as well.

But I still think pennies would be cool.
February 22, 2010
7:21
Friendship
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I met my friend Julie when we were 15 years old. We could talk for hours on the phone...literally. Sadly for our pocketbooks, it was always long distance. No such thing as internet in the early 80's.
We pose in 1986 in our big hair glory...
and again at my wedding in 1991...hair was even bigger. Oy.
Happy 43rd birthday Julie! I can't believe it either.
0:02
Slide show
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Ingenious.
Determination paid off. Lots of little holes and chain links applied to vintage Kodachrome slides and a pair of curtains is born. Love the jewel tones!
Instructions via the Craftster
February 20, 2010
7:10
Random
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Stumbled across this listing while browsing...
Free church pews on Craigslist.

Might be worth the drive to Burns, Oregon...otherwise known as the middle of nowhere.
February 19, 2010
0:11
Here we go
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Before pics of the master bath remodel I'm working on...

Working on a new layout, estimates, etc. Going to be fun...
February 18, 2010
5:03
Happy Birthday Mom
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"Most of all the other beautiful things in life come by twos and threes, by dozens and hundreds. Plenty of roses, stars, sunsets, rainbows, brothers and sisters, aunts and cousins, comrades and friends - but only one mother in the whole world."
~ Kate Douglas Wiggin
February 17, 2010
0:12
Quirky
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The perfect set of playing cards for the slightly quirky...(I qualify)
Tim Burton's Playing Cardsavailable at MOMA
February 16, 2010
4:55
El Cosmico
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Marfa, Texas has a boutique trailer hotel.El Cosmico opened last fall.
Y'all know I love good trailer design!(see before & after photos in left side bar)

We have company coming in a few weeks...they'll be staying in our "guest cottage".
February 15, 2010
5:10
Lan Su
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Portland's Lan Su Chinese Garden has been open for 10 years and I've yet to visit....must rectify that....
February 14, 2010
18:49
GONG XI FA CAI
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Still Water Art Studio
February 13, 2010
5:06
Barely there
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Corner shadows
Hey Harriet has more shadow shots...
February 12, 2010
4:57
Links
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Maybe there is something to social media.
Like blogging and the connections formed, I'm starting to see the use of Facebook as another way to stumble across inspiration.

Take for instance, the Steel Toe Studios website.

Mark knows Erica, the owner, through the Northwest Blacksmith Association. Erica has an interactive website where one can design their own belt. Check it out.

So cool.
I became a fan of Erica's on Facebook, and found a link to her friend's site, Crafting an MBA which is fascinating.

Read the first post here, and then learn....
February 11, 2010
0:23
Mirror
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“Mirrors should reflect a little before throwing back images”
~ Jean Cocteau
Three mirrors help bounce light around a narrow hallway.
Vintage white framed beveled mirror found years ago at the Roadium flea market near LA for ten bucks.
Click here for other Theme Thursday mirror shots
February 10, 2010
19:47
Silly shot
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Messin' around with the computer camera. A Mac shot of Mark and me.
He says I look like I'm 27.LOVE this man!
0:54
Nap time
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“No day is so bad it can't be fixed with a nap.”
~ Carrie P. Snow
These soft daybeds were found while browsing Royal T in Bend, Oregon
via Table Tonic and Obdeedoh
Love the casual cleverness of this pallet daybed with the door as headboard/backrest. And I can't even begin to tell you how happy the collection of paper lanterns and flowers makes me!
Designed by Shirley Watts via Sunset
February 09, 2010
0:13
Monday's hike
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We drove out Peninsula to hike along the rim of Crooked River Canyon on Monday. Since I didn't bring my waders, we turned around and drove to Deschutes Canyon instead.

Living between these two canyons is convenient for hiking.One never has to go too far for spectacular scenery.
A nice, dry trail.
The Deschutes.Trux is always so happy to be off leash.Nothing like a smiling dog.
February 08, 2010
0:51
Look twice
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Chandeliers by Madeleine Boulesteix I've seen teacup chandeliers before, but I had to look twice at these to realize what they were constructed from...the clear glass works.
February 06, 2010
18:42
Home shadows - evening
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"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before."

~ Edgar Allan Poe

More shadow shots at Hey Harriet
February 04, 2010
6:22
The power of paint
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Just back from the Bay area. A trip to visit friends and check on the progress of Teresa's kitchen make-over.
Cheerful paint can do wonders to transform a room.Next step: decoupaging maps onto the cabinet doors.
I also attended the White Elephant Sale; a fund raiser for the Oakland Museum. The line to get in was over 2 1/2 blocks long...this photo was taken as we neared the entrance.

An extremely well organized jumble sale.
February 03, 2010
4:30
Sitting pretty
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I was sitting by the fire last week, looking out the French doors at all the snow. On the ground, the back deck, the ramada, the tree branches. Cammie was even over by the door looking out. Sadly, the photo doesn't show the snow at all....just a glare.
I'm sure there's some technical gobbly gook that explains why the eye sees differently than the camera. Wish I could figure it out...
February 02, 2010
7:35
Color!
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Pantone's color of the year - Turquoise
S.R. Gambrel
Erin from House of Turquoise has an impressive array of gleaned photographs showcasing the many shades of this color.
February 01, 2010
9:15
Why?
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A Walter Van Beirendonck creationAFP/Francois Guillot
January 30, 2010
5:24
Ten o'clock shadow
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Bundled up for a 35 degree high desert winter hike. Down coat, scarf, hat, ski gloves.
I refer to this as the Michelin Tire Man look...
See more shadow shots at Hey Harriet
January 29, 2010
0:10
Leavin' on a jet plane
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I'm leaving tomorrow to visit friends in the Bay area. If only the plane I will be flying was as roomy as this vintage 747.

Image via Life - Getty Images
See the rest of the slideshow hereLove the go-go boots as part of the stewardess uniform!
January 28, 2010
1:05
Plantings
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Winter in the high desert has me longing for fresh growth...something green, something besides sage brush and juniper.

Herb mirror by H20 Architectes

Sedum planter at EuroAmerican Propagators in Bonsall, Calif.
Photo: Debra Lee Baldwinvia LA Times
Too bad the deer are so fond of succulents. Maybe I could get away with some on the front porch...
January 27, 2010
3:19
A hike
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This juniper tree is struggling...lots of moss, but only one branch still living.
Playing spot the dog.Nearing the canyon.We can hear the water by this point...and finally, the Deschutes.
January 26, 2010
1:36
Genius
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I love this concept. Much better than a bunk bed!

via Real Living & Table Tonic
January 25, 2010
0:37
Penthouse Airstream
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I do love a good trailer design.Afro-Funk by Carla Soudlen forThe Grand Daddy Airstream Penthouse Trailer Park

See other trailer designs here via Curbly
January 23, 2010
5:43
Shadow play
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Cast iron shadows - patterned beauty

More shadow shots featured at Hey Harriet
January 22, 2010
19:35
Looking West
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“May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.”

~ Edward Abbey

Our front yard with mountains in the distance.
0:04
Online shopping
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I do love creative reuse.

These vintage items are available online at Napa Style
January 21, 2010
3:42
Sweet Indie
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Today marks the 10th birthday of the second youngest of our ten nieces.
Happy Birthday India!

When India was a baby, my sister Cherise lived in Seaside, a northern Oregon coastal town. My aunt and uncle and a handful of cousins also lived there. One night as I was getting ready for bed, my aunt called and said, "Honey, I have some bad news. Cherise had a surfing accident and is in the hospital." Evidently, (in what must have been a spectacular wipe out) the board's fin came down on top of Cherise's foot and sliced through her wet suit bootie. By the time she got out of the surf, blood was pumping out the wound. An infection set in and spread up her calf. My aunt, a nurse, said it wasn't good.
My mom was in Michigan visiting my older sister. By the time I called there, it was after midnight eastern time. I told her I was driving to Seaside in a few hours; I had been tapped to take care of the children while Cherise was in the hospital. Me: the childless one.
India was about 7 months old at the time. I think the hardest thing for my sister was having to abruptly stop nursing her baby due to all the medication the doctors were forcing into her body to fight the infection.
And I was left taking care of small children I barely knew while my sister was hospitalized fighting a nasty infection. But a bond was formed that week in my semi-desperate care giving frenzy. Sweet Indie has a special place in my heart.
Cherise and her girlssummer 2009
January 20, 2010
0:20
Jack rabbit
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Having a dog around keeps the rabbits from invading our property, but we occasionally still see one.

"People's dreams are made out of what they do all day. The same way a dog that runs after rabbits will dream of rabbits. It's what you do that makes your soul, not the other way around."

~ Barbara Kingsolver
January 19, 2010
0:22
Winter doldrums
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Nothing like a bouquet of tulips to brighten one's day.

"If I were to name the three most precious resources of life, I should say books, friends and nature; and the greatest of these, at least the most constant and always at hand, is nature."
~ John Burroughs
January 18, 2010
0:16
Making a difference
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“Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'”

~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Craft Hope is a collaborative Etsy site with proceeds benefiting Doctors Without Borders
A couple examples of the rapidly changing stock:
Halter apron from Yellow Bird Aprons
Man Cowl by Happiknits
To see more items, click here
January 17, 2010
4:57
Score!
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I love Craigslist.

After haunting the online resale site for at least six months, we scored this French door fridge for less than half the original price. Patience paid off.
Looks much better than the big, white beast we had for 20 years.
January 16, 2010
5:20
Architectural shadows
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Night time shadows on metallic paint.
More shadow shots at Hey Harriet
January 15, 2010
5:01
Farm life
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“Cows are amongst the gentlest of breathing creatures; none show more passionate tenderness to their young when deprived of them; and, in short, I am not ashamed to profess a deep love for these quiet creatures.”

~ Thomas De Quincey
Our niece sent photos of the newest addition to Bochsler Farm
January 14, 2010
0:06
Moving East
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image from here
Musing on earthquakes and tectonic plates. Three significant earthquakes in a little over a week; Solomon Islands, N. California, Haiti. They seem to be moving east. Is this normal?
Update: Friday, January 15th, earthquake hits Venezuela, 5.6 on the Richter scale.
January 13, 2010
0:39
What I'm reading
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Set in medieval Cambridge, this is a tale of a female Italian doctor (medical examiner) who is sent to England by the King of Sicily to investigate a series of murders. From the website: In a backward and superstitious country like England, Adelia faces danger at every turn. As she examines the victims and retraces their last steps, Adelia must conceal her true identity in order to avoid accusations of witchcraft.
I enjoyed this so much, I've now moved on to the second in the series, A Serpent's Tale.

Read anything good lately?
January 12, 2010
7:08
And people wonder
» ‎ High Desert Diva

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why we moved...

Watch the video...it all becomes clear.
0:44
Physalia
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Vincent Callebaut
A floating, whale-like ship that cleans the world's rivers...This is fascinating.
January 11, 2010
0:23
It's Complicated
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It's funny, too.Steve Martin - dancing!

I loved Meryl Streep's character's home...the decor...who says claw foot tubs have to be white?

And the garden...
ItsComplicatedMovie.com
A bit surreal in the money sense...I couldn't have even afforded to buy all the paper lanterns in the outdoor party scene...but the fantasy is nice...Hollywood!
Elle Decor has a slideshow of some of the best spaces
January 09, 2010
5:03
Lack-o-sun
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No sunshine this week, so a night time shadow was in order.
Click Hey Harriet for more shadow shots.

On another note:We've had black ice for the last few days. Ice everywhere. Walking is a trial.
January 08, 2010
5:33
Retrofit
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Stylish stereos ~
image from Life Magazine
My niece and her husband are currently restoring a Sylvania stereo cabinet. This solid piece sold for $300 in 1963...quite a chunk of change for that time period. The cabinet had been left outside by the previous owner, so there was rain damage and the radio no longer works. An ipod connection is being installed to bring this piece up to 21st century technology.
Cool project.
January 07, 2010
18:31
Man & dog
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"Dogs have given us their absolute all. We are the center of their universe. We are the focus of their love and faith and trust... It is without a doubt the best deal man has ever made."

~ Roger Caras
3:30
Guess who's coming to dinner?
» ‎ High Desert Diva

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I posted this in 2008, but wanted to repost since I have so many different readers now. Such an interesting question. I look forward to reading your answers.
If you were to host a round table discussion, and could invite anyone (dead or alive), who would you include?
A lively dinner party ~
image from here
“Conversation should be pleasant without scurrility, witty without affectation, free without indecency, learned without conceitedness, novel without falsehood”
~ William Shakespeare

I'd like to have a discussion with:Leonardo da Vinci Stephen Hawking Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Jane GoodallandRobin Williams (for levity)
What about you?
2008 comments here
January 06, 2010
0:21
Feather Headdress
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Need a feathered African hat to complete your decor?
One of my favorite interior shots of '09...
Photo: Marc Rogoff
Click here for other images from 40 Winks
I found similar ones at Tucker Robbins
January 05, 2010
4:31
Bordello chic
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This article in the LA Times led me to Etsy to see what I could find...
Rusty Rose Petals
Ann's Lights
Lise Vintage Lighting
Eamartin 6
Vintage Glitterati
Sheri's Crystals
What fun!
January 04, 2010
0:25
Cammie cat
» ‎ High Desert Diva

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Looks as if she's inside my Georgia Jar...

“The cat is above all things, a dramatist.”
~ Margaret Benson
January 02, 2010
5:36
Through the window
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"Character is like a tree andreputation like a shadow.The shadow is what we think of it;the tree is the real thing."
~ Abraham Lincoln
More shadow shots at Hey Harriet
January 01, 2010
5:16
Welcome Twenty Ten
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“For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice.”

~ T.S. Eliot

Vintage postcard from Swan Creek Cottage
December 31, 2009
5:17
Revelry
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Photo: Torsten Blackwood/AFP/Getty Images

rev⋅el⋅ry [rev-uhl-ree]
–noun15th century
unrestrained merrymaking, boisterous festivity
Happy 2010 to the folks down under!
Happy New Year's Eve - be safe tonight
December 30, 2009
5:31
Rear view
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Ever witness an accident in your rear view mirror?I did last night.
The worst part was knowing the car being hit and forced off the road was my husband's; the person I love most in this world.
I think my heart literally stopped.
I was in Bend for a meeting. Mark called and suggested I meet him at work afterwards so we could follow each other home (30 miles). He was worried about me driving in the snow. He was right to worry. I slid into an intersection on a side street on the way...couldn't stop at the stop sign. Luckily, nothing happened. I told Mark I thought we'd be fine once we got off the side streets onto the highway.
Five miles out of town, poking along about 35 miles an hour with the rest of traffic. The roads are snowy and icy. It is dark. No street lights on this highway. I see headlights pull out behind Mark and move into the fast lane. In the rear view mirror, I watch the car lose control and start sliding. Eyes forward momentarily. Eyes back. The car hits my husband's and both cars spin and slide off the road. Eyes forward. Trying not to panic, trying to find somewhere to pull over. I finally get off the road about 1/3 of a mile up, and start hiking back. The snow along side the road is half-way up my calves. It is slick. I can see both cars, and a pick up off the road, along with flashing lights. A policeman was a couple cars back. The combination of police lights and oncoming headlights keep me from spotting my husband until I am right there. He's fine. But the tears start as soon as I see him. He's fine.
Mark works for the Oregon Department of Transportation in the Heavy Equipment Shop. His job is to keep equipment like snow plows and de-icers running so other people can travel safely. He left for work this morning at 5:15 am. It is 15 degrees outside. I can't quite breathe.
December 29, 2009
0:19
High desert nights
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“Loneliness adds beauty to life. It puts a special burn on sunsets and makes night air smell better.”

~ Henry Rollins

This is the view from our front porch. Doesn't get much better than this!
December 28, 2009
0:27
Snow dog
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"Dog. A kind of additional or subsidiary Deity designed to catch the overflow and surplus of the world's worship."
~ Ambrose Bierce
Perfectly content to sit in the snow for hours...waiting...watching...there just might be a rabbit to chase!
December 27, 2009
4:15
The Drive
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I don't know how many times we've made the drive over the mountain (to the valley where our families reside) since we moved to the high desert...a hundred? More? Every time we make this drive, it looks different. Familiar places, ever changing.
Starting out, close to home; freezing fog crystalizes the trees.
The summit - blue sky!
Hoodoo ski area - not much snow this year
The burn -
Lost Lake covered in snow -
The lava flow under snow -
Low clouds near Idanha -
Photos through the windshield and side windows...gotta love 'em!
December 26, 2009
20:04
Sisters
» ‎ High Desert Diva

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Not the best photo quality,but a treasured day with family and two of my sisters.
Hope your Christmas was wonderful!
December 24, 2009
0:28
Happy Holidays
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Wishing you all the very best of the season.

I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.
~ Charles Dickens
December 23, 2009
0:53
Cocktail party
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"To me, being grown-up meant smoking cigarettes, drinking cocktails, and dressing up in high heels and glamourous outfits."
~ Lorna Luft
This dress...
adorned with this pin...
and this apron while serving...
while balancing on these kitten heels.
Champagne cocktail, anyone?

“When her guests were awash with champagne and with gin,She was recklessly sober, as sharp as a pin.An abstemious man would reel at her look,As she rolled a bright eye and praised his last book.”
~ William Plomer
December 22, 2009
4:39
Christmas cards
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First time ever...I didn't get my Christmas cards mailed.

image from Vintage Cru
Instead, a virtual message for you all...
Christmas gift suggestions:
To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect.
~ Oren Arnold
December 21, 2009
20:26
Winter Solstice
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+
4:42
Why I prefer vintage
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The style...
the details...
1940's swing coat from Nifty Vintageperfect!Velvet tam beret from Southern Bella Vintage
December 19, 2009
0:40
Camera Obscura
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I neglected to take any shadow shots this week so I'm sharing a link and photo to a gallery of Abelardo Morell's pinhole photographs.
Thanks for the introduction, Rachel!
“The belief that one's own view of reality is the only reality is the most dangerous of all delusions.”
~ Paul Watzlawick

More shadow shots can be seen at Hey Harriet
December 18, 2009
5:10
Pretty in Peace
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The owner of one of my favorite shops on Etsy, as well as the creative writer of Tea and Honey Bread, T. Allen-Mercado creates jewelry and revels in the written word.
I treated myself to a new necklace, the Nirit,

and received many compliments last night on this stunning piece!
December 17, 2009
0:26
Santa Baby
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Ok, I've got a thing for Santa Claus.

It started in first grade.
Mrs. Rosendahl (first grade teacher extraordinaire) was into making crafts so she had the entire class of 6 year olds make Christmas ornaments that year. She put a big pile of Christmas images on the floor, had us all sit around it in a circle, close our eyes, and reach in to pick out an image.I cheated.
I had spotted Santa and I wanted him.
This is the first ornament I hang on the tree each year.

I don't know what to tell you about the rest...they keep accumulating...
December 16, 2009
8:59
Reusing vintage linens
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This idea isn't new, but it's a good example of what old linens (you know the ones, they're stained and torn, but the lace is so beautiful you can't throw 'em away) can be made into.
My sister-in-law, Nancy, made me this tiny stocking with old linen, lace and buttons.
December 15, 2009
10:13
Photos that reach out and grab you
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Scotty Thompson, part of the creative duo at Living in the Gardens, has started a photo blog.

Bright color for winter doldrums...

and photos that make you look twice.I saw the ocean when I first looked at this photo.(maybe I'm projecting...)

I sit listeningTo the surf as it falls.The power and inexhaustible freshness of the sea,The suck and inner boomAs a wave tears free and crashes backIn overlapping thunders going away down the beach.It is the most we know of time,And it is our undermusic of eternity.
~ part 4 of Spindrift by Galway Kinnell
In reality, it is fields in Eastern Washington.Just beautiful.
For more of Scotty's work, click here
December 14, 2009
20:22
Creativity
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"Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known."

~ Oscar Wilde

What to do with empty toilet paper rolls?Wall art.
Found at Growing Up Creative~Scroll for tutorial
via here
December 13, 2009
21:05
Not typical
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"I wanted an electric train for Christmas but I got the saxophone instead."

~ Clarence Clemons
Holiday Train ShowNew York Botanical Gardens

Not your typical train set railroad decor.I'd actually really like to see this...
5:21
Christmas dresses - redux
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Whispering secrets to my sister, Chantele....(I have no idea where this photo was taken...)

In our 1970's era living room, my mom's frugality shows.(I'm in the back, sans bangs.)
She added wide yellow ruffles to the bottoms of our dresses to compensate for our rapid growth...and we were able to wear them for one more year. Initially, the dresses had red ties at the back of the waist. She switched them out to yellow to match the ruffles.
December 12, 2009
4:36
Ramada shadows
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“Lovers, forget your love And list to the love of these She a window flower And he a winter breeze ...”
~ Robert Frost
Ramada shadows...Looking out the kitchen window.

Click Hey Harriet for more shadow shots
December 11, 2009
3:27
Borrowing ideas
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Design article
An idea borrowed from here, with a fresh spin, perfect for the youthful Santa Land decor.
Where do you find inspiration?
December 10, 2009
0:04
Best wreath design
» ‎ High Desert Diva

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Ever.
Available here
“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.”

~ Jimi Hendrix
December 09, 2009
3:20
Room for shoes
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Imagine having a room devoted to shoes....
Found this image at Ikea Hacker, a fun site where readers submit photos of hacks done on Ikea furniture. In this case, a man named Philip hacked some pieces and built a shoe room as a surprise for his fiancée, Cat.
Nice.
December 08, 2009
0:21
Prize worthy
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photos: Getty Images

Glasgow painter Richard Wright wins England's Turner prize for his large scale gold leaf fresco. See other entries here

Beautiful, but sadly, temporary.The work will be destroyed once the exhibit is over.
December 07, 2009
4:07
Give it a chance
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"We shall find peace. We shall hear angels. We shall see the sky sparkling with diamonds."
~ Anton Chekov
December 06, 2009
7:23
Christmas dresses
» ‎ High Desert Diva

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Rockin' the go-go boots1970

The Four C'sChantele, Charmaine, Cherise, Cherelle
December 05, 2009
5:52
"Behold!"
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Afternoon sunlight dances through window glass,casting a shadow on Mark's Charlie Brown tree

Swift as a shadow, short as any dream;Brief as the lightning in the collied night,That in a spleen unfolds both heaven and earth,And ere a man hath power to say, "Behold!"The jaws of darkness do devour it up:So quick bright things come to confusion.
~ William Shakespeare

Click Hey Harriet for more shadow shots
December 04, 2009
17:44
Hospice tree...finished
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The tree I designed for the Mariposa Lily Garden Club's annual donation to the Hospice auction is finally finished. Auction is Saturday night!

All ornaments are either vintage, handmade, upcycled or donated.
This year's tree is in memory of Penny Ferraro, a local decorator who designed many trees for our club. Along with the coordinating wreath, the lucky bidder will also receive weekend lodging at The Vista House, dinner for two at the Sandbagger, and two rounds of golf and golf cart rental at Crooked River Ranch Golf Course!
3:51
Rickety
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For years we had an old, rickety wooden ladder, complete with paint stains, that we used - holding our breath as we climbed lest it break. This would have been a much better use for it:

Found at Dude Craft
(gotta love that name)
December 02, 2009
18:01
Visiting Santa
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Clearly, this Santa was frightening...as this 40 year old photo shows.

That's two year old me having the melt-down, being consoled by my mini-dress wearing mom.
She made us all matching dresses every year at Christmas...love this color combo.

~~~~~~
A couple years later, and I was no longer scared, but this qualifies as the second most memorable Santa due to the pathetic costume. Construction paper wrapped around legs to mimic boots. C'mon....I was 4 years old and I thought it was lame. Note this year's matching dresses.
What are your most memorable Santa moments?
4:04
Far out
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Terrariums are back in style.
Photo: Liz Hafalia, SF Chronicle
A Terradome at Modernpast, San Francisco
December 01, 2009
2:32
Wolf on the trail
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"The wolf is neither man's competitor nor his enemy. He is a fellow creature with whom the earth must be shared."
~ L. David Mech

On last Thursday's hike, my family met a wolf. A rescue animal; one of the most beautiful creatures my husband had ever seen.
I love the way she blends into the rock wall.
Photo via David Slater's camera phone
November 30, 2009
0:05
Past life
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I must have had a past life where these items were surrounding me....I'm so drawn to them.

Why is it that all the shops I seem to like, are on the other side of the continent?
Red Chair Antiques, New Hampshire
November 28, 2009
5:47
Seeing shadows
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Click Hey Harriet for more shadow shots
November 27, 2009
5:17
Washed ashore
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One of our favorite pastimes while vacationing at the beach, is to look for treasures that have been washed ashore. I think that's why I like the creations of Uri Eliaz. He creates art from objects found along the shore.

Image via Treehugger
4:38
Misery Ridge
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Yesterday, the women in my family spent the day in the kitchen. Cooking, laughing, (drinking), essentially putting on a feast while the men took the kids (two of our nieces) and Trux on a hike up Misery Ridge.
A hike with a 700' climb at Smith Rock State Park. Nothing like keeping them out of the way!
photos via camera phone....
November 24, 2009
13:50
Putting it together
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We have company coming for Thanksgiving....actually, they all arrive Wednesday. Problem: our dining table seats 4, and I only have 6 place settings. There will be 10 of us for dinner...the scramble is on!
Folding table brought in, 3 tablecloths, a mix of chairs, dishes, silverware and glasses. I also decided I wanted to use chargers, but only had 6, so I improvised. Last year, my friend Karen sent me this album:
I borrowed a couple pages out of it,
traced a pattern from my other charger,
and created my own. (Technically, these might be placemats...but I'm going with charger)

I like the mix of glitz: silver tray, glass candlesticks, depression glass pedestal cake plate and beaded garland, with the slightly decrepit: rusted film reels salvaged from the metal scrap yard and used under tea lights, a bronze gear with a wonderful verdi gris finish that just happens to coordinate with the homemade chargers and one of the leaf colors in my autumnal dishes.
Pinecones used as place card holders...I think I'm set!
Happy Thanksgiving!
4:56
Distractions
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One of the ways I distract myself from gloom and doom news, is to follow the fashion pages. A slightly distorted reality to take my mind off serious subjects; climate crisis, economy, war, etc.

The Obama's just hosted their first state dinner at the White House. Photos of past state dinners and first ladies' gowns have been floating around the internet for days. This photo of Jackie Kennedy caught my eye due to the flower hair adornment and dress color...
photo from here
...reminded me of my mother's wedding ensemble 44 years ago.
November 23, 2009
4:27
Snow fall
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"I love snow, snow, and all the forms of radiant frost."

~ Percy Bysshe Shelley
November 22, 2009
19:46
Countdown to Copenhagen
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Tell world leaders what kind of deal you want them to make at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, December 7-18, 2009.
Vote
3:35
Windstorm
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We're having an epic windstorm....which begs the question...Why don't we have wind turbines here to harness all this energy?

"No one but Night, with tears on her dark face,
Watches beside me in this windy place."

~ Edna St. Vincent Millay

Image by Gothicrow
Crazy wind has brought us snow...

"Lo. sifted through the winds that blow,
Down comes the soft and silent snow, White petals from the flowers that grow In the cold atmosphere."

~ George W. Bungay
November 21, 2009
3:24
Environmental design
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Designer Michelle Brand uses the bottoms of recycled plastic bottles to create works of art.

The image, via Recyclart, fits the shadow shot theme

"To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle,
Every cubic inch of space is a miracle."

~ Walt Whitman

Click Hey Harriet for more shadow shots
November 20, 2009
5:59
One year later
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We adopted Trux, a four year old Aussie/Border Collie, exactly one year ago.

Lookin' good as a slim 5 year old, eh?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cammie, on the other hand, is not a success story. We adopted her two years ago when she was almost nine. Two years of rationed, diet food later, and she is still the fattest 14 pound cat I've ever seen. Poor baby.
4:05
Business cards
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The Victorians had it figured out.

Victorian trade card via Vintage Vendor
November 19, 2009
5:04
If only...
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...these were real...aren't they fun?

Embellished slippers from A'Musements~~~~~~~~

Paper heels from Jennifer Collier
November 18, 2009
4:56
Elf re-do
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I was asked back to Santa Land...this time for help decorating the exterior. Working outside in 40 degree-snow-any-moment weather is a bit interesting. Manual dexterity goes out the window when your fingers are frozen.

On another note, remember how nice the inside looked when we were finished?

Now it is trashed.

The local ski resort has been selling lift tickets out of this building. Evidently, customers have been allowing their children to run amok. Packages are knocked over, fluffy snow is destroyed, the spray snow on the windows now has finger marks and smiley faces drawn in it and will have to be washed off......the little darlings.
November 17, 2009
4:45
Nada
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I've got zilch today....

photo from here

“I love talking about nothing. It is the only thing I know anything about.”

~ Oscar Wilde
November 16, 2009
4:51
Charlie Brown Tree
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This is what I saw when I walked into the kitchen this morning:

Mark had finished the Charlie Brown Christmas tree!How fun is this?
Mark made the ornament out of copper.
(I'll get some better shots later when the sun is out...)
Manley Metal WorksSteel and copper Charlie Brown tree
November 15, 2009
4:17
Where the rivers meet
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We hiked out Peninsula on Saturday...
Crooked River Canyon on one side

Deschutes River Canyon on the other

Gorgeous!
November 14, 2009
6:21
Don't fall
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Hike to the edge...

Crooked River Canyon

"Should you shield the canyons from the windstorms you would never see the true beauty of their carvings."

~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Click Hey Harriet for more shadow shots
November 13, 2009
4:53
Color!
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I went to a Yolo Colorhouse presentation last night. Its official....I really am in love with one of their new colors...

Which is probably why I'm drawn to Jan Fabre's Heaven of Delight at the Palais Royal Bruxelles.
But then I found out it was made from jewel beetles...ummm....no, not for me!
images from here
Thanks for the link Martha!
November 11, 2009
19:09
Mark's show
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Opening night:Thursday, November 12th, 6 - 9 pm

Twilight Artist Collective
4306 SW Alaska StreetSeattle, Washington

One of Mark's decorative metal sculptures is featured in this show.
Click here for other images from the show.
November 10, 2009
19:39
When it works
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I know items from the late 60's and early 70's are all the rage, but I normally don't care for them. I was raised in a sea of harvest gold and avocado green, polyester knits and shag carpeting. I'm happy not to revisit that...but I do like this pendant grouping:
Photo: Ricardo DeAratanha/LAT
Similar pendants easily found on Etsy at Lovintage
5:58
The Bomber
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I was raised in Milwaukie, Oregon, home to The Bomber,
an iconic gas station and restaurant.

The gas station is closed now, but The Bomber is still there, going through a slow renovation process. And the restaurant is still owned and operated by the family who started the business in the late 1940's.

For more information, click here
November 09, 2009
16:04
No watering necessary
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Mark's latest ~
Steel and copper countertop Christmas tree.
November 08, 2009
18:19
Hiking the canyons
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We hiked both canyons this weekend.

Deschutes...

and Crooked River.
They are only about 6 miles apart, but so different in appearance.

Trux - elated to be off leash.
A little further along...
that's what I keep going for...the view of the water.
November 07, 2009
4:10
Afternoon shadows
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“Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen.
Keep in the sunlight.”

~ Benjamin Franklin

More shadow shots at Hey Harriet
November 06, 2009
4:02
Climb
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"The tree is more than first a seed, then a stem, then a living trunk, and then dead timber. The tree is a slow, enduring force straining to win the sky."

~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Up a Tree from Rum and Rubies
I adore autumn
November 04, 2009
17:43
Art in place
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A visit to The Design Center...
my favorite stairway...love this.

Artwork within...
Line Dance With a Circleclay and hempCheri Harris
Lunaire 1, 2, 3acrylic and paper on canvasPam Jersey Bird
November 03, 2009
18:44
...Yawn!
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The individual elements of the tree I'm designing for our garden club to donate to the Hospice auction seemed like a good idea...

the reality...quite the snooze.

More ideas are in the works to glitz up the tree:

Recycled-paper flowers with tiny, vintage Christmas ballsand
Handmade paper cones & vintage bead strands used as icicles
3:14
What do you see?
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We all see things differently...especially with art.

Karine Swenson a blogger from Joshua Tree, California, posts about her art and life in the high desert. In a recent contest, she asked for help naming her new diptych (picture the paintings below side by side).

What do you see?

I see autumnal reflections in calm water...my title suggestion of:
Lake Reflections, Autumn
was the winner of this contest and this quail linocut:
Thanks Karine!
November 01, 2009
14:43
Ever been to prison?
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I can now say I have been.

A group of girlfriends went with me to a woodworking sale at the prison in a neighboring town.
The inmates work with wood in a vocational rehabilitation program and then the items are sold to the public for the cost of the wood.

Good deals are found. This fairly elaborate birdhouse was $60.

$35 for the barn birdhouse

This lidded box
with removable tray was $15
The inlaid, cedar-lined blanket chest...
$78
Next sale is in April!
October 31, 2009
16:57
Happy Halloween
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More shadow shots at Hey Harriet
~~~~~
When people resemble their pets.....
October 30, 2009
22:04
Halloween
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'Tis now the very witching time of night,
When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out
Contagion to this world."

~William Shakespeare

Halloween 1971Cherelle, Chantele, Cherise & Charmaine
October 29, 2009
19:43
Done!
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I'm turning in my elf hat...

We finished decorating Santa Land....whew!
The antique Russian sleigh is for sale, by the way. Contact Scott Brown for more information. (thanks for the loan Scott!)

Martha: exhaustion has set in!
October 28, 2009
10:20
The other hat
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One of the hats I wear is Co-President of our local Garden Club. Every year, our club donates a decorated Christmas tree to raise money for Hospice. I was asked to design the tree this year. I said I would do it, if I could design it using recycled, upcycled ornaments....to prove that one doesn't have to buy new.
With a theme of Garden Memories in mind, I've been on the hunt for vintage costume jewelry insect pins. We attached them to recycled coiled copper wire to look as if the bugs are flying off the branches.
We had a work party at my house with us all bringing loose beads and wire that we had on hand to create these dragonflies...
and scraps of fabric to make fabric flowers...

A few more ideas are in the works....I think this will be a beautiful tree!
4:22
Brom Bones
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"A pleasing land of drowsy head it was,
Of dreams that wave before the half-shut eye;
And of gay castles in the clouds that pass,
Forever flushing round a summer sky."

~ Washington Irving, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Mannequin & horse from Obsolete
I'm decorating Santa Land, but thinking All Hallow's Eve...
October 27, 2009
0:08
Elf update
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Santa Land is slowly coming together. We've got a fabulous antique Russian sleigh on loan...now we're working on turning the inside of this bare commercial space into a winter wonderland worthy of such a piece.

Too bad the walls aren't finished...nothing like exposed insulation...
For those of you worried Christmas was coming too early, Santa won't be arriving until after Thanksgiving....this was the time available to decorate.

The Elf
October 26, 2009
4:23
Elf duty
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I've got elf duty this week...

Photo: Martha Murray Design
I'm helping another designer turn an empty commercial space in Bend's Old Mill District into Santa Land...wish me luck!
October 24, 2009
4:46
Shadows in The City
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Tree shadowLooking back to Fisherman's WharfSan Francisco, California

Hey Harriet's Shadow Shots
October 23, 2009
16:12
Grazie
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I'm in San Francisco visiting my friends Teresa and Sue. I haven't seen either of them since our trip to Italy in May.

Sue, Teresa, Mary Ellen (and Coco) and AmeeFlorence, Italy, May 2009
click image to enlarge
As a reminder of our trip, I had Debra Graham make a Lifescape, or word journey. Copies were made for my traveling companions and hostess. Now that the copies have been delivered, I'm sharing the Lifescape.

I adore it!

Thank you Debra....what a special momento.
4:59
Halloween decorating
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Got your Halloween decorations up yet?

Charmaine, Cherelle, & Cheriseprobably 1972
When I was little, my sisters and I would tape up Halloween prints on the inside of the front porch window. Year after year....the same decorations.
(If I were to decorate today, I would use a collection of these ornaments from A Dose of Alchemy....ghoulishly brilliant!)
Photo: A Dose of Alchemy
We would then sit on a newspaper lined kitchen floor and carve our pumpkins. Today, the smell of the inside of a pumpkin and its seeds is an instant sensory memory to those distant pre-Halloween preparations.
"The sense of smell can be extraordinarily evocative, bringing back pictures as sharp as photographs of scenes that had left the conscious mind."
~ Thalassa Cruso, To Everything There is a Season
October 22, 2009
3:35
Caramel apples
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Autumn, to me, has always seemed the perfect time for a caramel apple. (Here I am, oggling my sister Cherelle's....probably 1971.) Crisp apples picked fresh off the tree, the smell of caramel as it heats up, the sweet-tart first bite....
The soon-to-be defunct Gourmet magazine has a scrumptious red wine caramel apple recipe listed here. Mmmm...
October 21, 2009
15:50
ArtPrize
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Can art rejuvenate a town?

Yes.

A competition for $449,000 in prize money received over 1200 submissions and re-energized a region in one of the most depressed states in the union, Michigan.

Photo Lori Niedenfuer Cool for The Grand Rapids Press
After 330,000+ votes were cast, "Open Water, no. 24" was named the grand prize winner and $250,000.00 was awarded to the artist, Ran Ortner.
Click here to see other winning entries and read the article

"A generation raised without the awareness of the arts, without the opportunity to experience the arts themselves by making music, making drawings, making poems, is a disenfranchised one. Art is the essence of who we are and our society is strengthened whenever young people are given the opportunity to directly share this legacy."
~ Micheal Tilson Thomas, San Francisco Symphony Music Director
4:49
Random
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Came across this Polaroid yesterday.

My bachelorette party at Darcelle's, April 1991. What a hoot!
October 20, 2009
4:54
Gallery piece
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Mark finished his piece for an upcoming group show featuring Northwest blacksmiths.

Nifty, eh?
Twilight Artist Collective4306 SW Alaska StreetSeattle, Washington
November 12th through December 4, 2009
October 19, 2009
5:45
New fave
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I'm in serious lust with this wall color...

image from Flutter
Yolo's Dream .06Makes an impact, doesn't it?
Photo: Douglas Adesko for NYT
October 18, 2009
19:49
Details
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October 16, 2009
4:48
The Fun Theory
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What if....

a flight of stairs was turned into piano keys?

The Fun Theory
click here to watch this short, brilliant video

Making things fun can change our behavior!
Thanks for the link Martha!
October 15, 2009
8:31
Social
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I hosted a Chamber of Commerce social tonight at our house.

I always forget how long it actually takes to prepare food and clean house. Where's the maid and caterer when you need them?
Hot apple cider and autumnal decor...Basket of fall goodies for one lucky attendee...Full house!I need to entertain more!
4:45
What's your dream job?
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I'd take this one: Keith Johnson, buyer for Anthropologie, travels the globe in search of treasures for this hip store.

Photo credit: William Waldron for Elle Decor
Recent trips include the Netherlands, France, Turkey and South Africa.
Sign me up!
“Find a calling you love and you will never work a day in your life.” ~ Confucius
Click here for images of Johnson's New York apartment
October 14, 2009
5:01
Leonardo
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A forensic expert has recently identified a finger print on the canvas of "La Bella Principessa" as belonging to none other than Leonardo da Vinci.

Which makes this painting, purchased in 1997 for $19,000 now worth an estimated $150 million. How's that for art investment?
October 13, 2009
7:52
Delight
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The first snow of the season.

"The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world & wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?"
~ J. B. Priestley
4:56
Repurposed Linen Closet
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In order to use this small space to its best advantage, a custom linen closet was added to the narrow hallway. Vintage drawers and a cabinet door were found at Aurora Mills Architectural Salvage. The wood and stain matched perfectly; all that needed to be done was trim the sides of the door to fit the width of the drawers, then build it into the wall and line the cabinet with tongue and groove cedar.
October 11, 2009
18:42
Mark's shop
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Last winter, the blacksmith shop was a little too cold to work in, even with the forge running constantly. Mark decided to build a wood stove for supplemental heat. Most people buy, Mark builds.
In progress...
with decorative details.
He's currently working on a wall sculpture for a gallery show in Washington...details are vague, but I see textured lattice being formed
and leavesand flowers being forged...this is going to be cool!

Random shots from the shop
October 10, 2009
5:40
Sunlight
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“Sunlight is painting.”

~ Nathaniel Hawthorne

Hey Harriet's Shadow Shots
October 09, 2009
4:37
Windowless
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Brightening up a basement laundry room with no windows and a 6 1/2' ceiling height required one trick: lime green paint. Using this bright color on both the walls and the ceiling, visually lifted the room and made it seem larger than it was.
Photo Philip Clayton-Thompson, Blackstone Edge Studios
The laundry chute was built in 1968 by a previous home owner. A bright coat of blue paint and hand painted 'laundry chute' liven it up. The concrete floor was painted bright red, and then painted with colored circles to mimic the ironing board cover fabric. The area rug was found a year later....
Photo: Timothy J. Gonzales for The Statesman Journal
The front load washer and dryer were raised to an ergonomic height. Basket storage was built in above to free up floor space. Cubbies were also cut into the stairway wall to maximize storage space.
While this may not be a color choice for many, it brightened up a former gray basement and made laundry fun.
October 08, 2009
4:24
Re-Purposed
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One of my favorite vintage furniture stores is going out of business due to the recession. RD Steeves Imports is having a clearance on their remaining stock. If you're anywhere near...run over and snatch something up before its too late!

A sampling of furniture we've bought over the years, and repurposed into something new:

Oak armoire to linen closet
Walnut wardrobe to coat closet/ironing center
Oak buffet/sideboard to master bathroom sink cabinet
Photo: Philip Clayton-Thompson, Blackstone Edge Studios
and at our old houseoak sideboards set into the attic wall for extra storagePhoto: Timothy J. Gonzales for The Statesman Journal
October 07, 2009
0:08
Paint it
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Eventually, this kitchen will be entirely redone. For now, it needs a cheerful facelift. Teresa, a world traveler, wants to incorporate maps into the design. She envisions them decoupaged onto the front of the cabinet doors and drawers.
Photo used with permission from here
She'd also like to replace the worn vinyl floor. I'm recommending a paint job to tide her over until the kitchen is entirely redone. My advice: tear out the vinyl, sand, paint and seal and then hire an artist to paint a compass on the floor...like this:
Photo: Robert Bach for The Oregonian
Portland, Oregon artist Tim Stapleton painted this compass on his nephew's floor years ago. I still love the design.
I hired Tim to paint a faux rug on the bathroom floor at our old house in Silverton. I painted over the peel-n-stick vinyl, sealed it, and let it dry for a couple days. Then Tim painted the faux rug, and we sealed it again. Not only did it hold up beautifully for more than 15 years, it was a favorite find of visitors to our home.
Bathroom photos: Marv Bondarowicz for The Oregonian
October 06, 2009
5:37
Back to The City
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I'm going back to San Francisco!

My friend Teresa wants a cosmetic kitchen make-over. We're going to decide on a low-cost fix up to brighten up the space until she's ready to demo and start over.

Can't wait to get my hands on this!
October 04, 2009
10:55
Fifty thousand
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I marvel at this number: 50,000
We live in a tiny town in the high desert of Central Oregon-population 4,500
Globe via Vintage Zen
Yet 50,000 people from around the world have found my blog.
Blogging has literally opened up the world to me.Thanks for allowing me to be a part of your day.
Keep your writing, photos and creative inspiration coming.
October 03, 2009
12:58
Trail shadows
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Hey Harriet's Shadow Shots
4:39
Creativity
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Grant K. Gibson, an Interior Designer in San Francisco, turned a mass produced iron bed from Pottery Barn Teen into a comfortable one of a kind bed with the addition of an upholstered headboard.
Creativity at its finest.

Photo: Peter DeSilva, NYT
More photos of Gibson's apartment here
I'm also quite fond of Gibson's use of dark color for the bedroom. The perfect spot for saturating a room with color; ceilings and walls.
A trick I use myself:

Room: Charmaine Manley Design
Photo: Philip Clayton-Thompson, Blackstone Edge Studios
October 02, 2009
5:00
Autumn
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Crisp autumn days are here. Time for warmer, textured clothes.

Click mosaic to enlarge

Vintage goodness from Etsy

Swing coat-Bitter Sweet Design
Blazer-Purple Deer Vintage Brooch-Pink Sugar Ninja
Vest-Spun Sugar Vintage
Earrings-Vintage Eye Fashion
Skirt-Evolve 2 Love
Hat -Hey Viv Purse-Stiletto Girl
Shoes-Nod to Mod Vintage
October 01, 2009
5:57
Hiking Foley Waters
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After living in the high desert for 2+ years, I still don't understand weather forecasts of 55 degrees with chance of snow showers. Happily, yesterday turned out to be a beautiful, crisp fall day. I took my cousin (and Trux) on a hike to Foley Waters.
September 29, 2009
4:01
40 Winks
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The not-at-all-boring boutique hotel I'd like to visit....designed by owner David Carter.

Click here to see the slideshow from Met Home

Photo: Marc Rogoff
I now have a strange fascination for feathered African hats....
September 28, 2009
9:28
Tyler's coming
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We've been hosting parties, friends and relatives all summer. On Saturday, we had our first party of the fall season when the High Desert Design Council came over for a BBQ.

Tomorrow my cousin Tyler is arriving.
(Tyler with my sister, Cherise-2008)

This will be his first visit to our desert home....sadly, rain and cool temperatures are expected this week. Puts a crimp in my scenic tour plans....

What to do to entertain a 31 year old for a couple days.....
September 26, 2009
8:22
Canyon shadows
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Steelhead Falls-Deschutes River, Deschutes Canyon, Central Oregon

Hey Harriet's shadow shotsClick here for more shadows
September 25, 2009
4:53
Day's end
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I never tire of looking at this...

"After a day of cloud and wind and rain
Sometimes the setting sun breaks out again,
And touching all the darksome woods with light,
Smiles on the fields until they laugh and sing,
Then like a ruby from the horizon's ring,
Drops down into the night."

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
High Desert sunsets...
September 24, 2009
4:53
Ramada
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We finished the deck and ramada...this is how it looked before:

And after...I like the curve against the straight line of the house. Next summer, we'll put in a flagstone patio.

Spent some time looking for comfortable furniture....found an ad on Craigslist for vintage cast iron chairs. They were very comfortable and I knew the white iron would help tie in the white vinyl windows.

After I paid for the chairs, the gentleman I bought them from asked me, "Would you like to know a little history about them?" I said, sure. He told me he had purchased them from Red Button's estate. If true, I now own a little bit of Hollywood history.
How's that for a Craigslist bargain?
September 23, 2009
4:29
Balancing
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“Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.”

~Thomas Merton

I'm still here, reflecting, balancing what is important to me right now.
What about you?
August 02, 2009
20:35
Adieu
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I sit, looking out at the light after a thunderstorm, and realize like the weather, I am unsettled.

Last month's health scare is somewhat resolved. Tests came back "basically normal". Yet here I am wondering what is next. What is important in this life? I want to surround myself with friends and family. I'm going to look for things that bring me joy. Right at this moment, blogging isn't one of them. So I'm going to say adieu...for a while anyway...
July 27, 2009
5:08
Cherish
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Summer flowers

Time with my sisters

“It's so clear that you have to cherish everyone...that every soul is to be cherished, that every flower is to bloom.”

~ Alice Walker

I'll be taking a little time off from blogging. Some unexpected health issues have come up. I need time to contemplate.
July 24, 2009
0:25
Time off
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The ocean is calling...

Temperatures will be hovering around 100 for the next few days.I'm heading to the coast.
A cool getaway by the sea...
“The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient. One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach - waiting for a gift from the sea.”

~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh
July 23, 2009
4:27
Simply brilliant
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Switch Flops by Lindsay Phillips

I live in flips all summer. This is such a fab idea. Perfect for traveling. Wish I would have known about them before I went to Italy!
Theme Thursday = Shoe
July 22, 2009
3:40
Decorating with white
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Using a ceiling tin as a frame for a mirror,and an old set of drawers to hold miscellany.Suspending a starfish from the window.Simplicity
Faded Charm's White Wednesday
July 21, 2009
4:32
View from the back deck
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After a suggestion from my mother, we decided to stain the boards for the top of the ramada before putting them on...progress was halted a bit this weekend due to lack of stain.
Everything gets a bit brown and dried out come summertime.
Life in the high desert.
July 20, 2009
4:58
Lost
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My creative spirit.
If found, please return at once.

art found here

“Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.”

~ Henry David Thoreau

*waits...somewhat impatiently*
July 19, 2009
4:11
Winner!
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I attended this block party the other day,

signed up to win a gift certificate here and guess what?
I won!!!
I have $100 to spend at their store!How fun is that?
July 18, 2009
4:52
Palace shadows
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Stairwell at the US Consulate, (Palazzo Canevaro) Florence, Italy
The photo is a bit blurry, but I wanted to show off the consulate...
the place I was fortunate enough to stay while in Italy.

Hey Harriet's shadow shots
July 17, 2009
0:42
New fave
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I stumbled across a great site...
thought I'd share some favorites
July 16, 2009
0:55
Refreshing
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Canard Inc.
Temperatures in the 90's again today...this sounds fantastic:
White winefresh fruitjalepenocilantroand club soda
July 15, 2009
5:03
When bloggers meet
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Monday night, Carla & Suzanne arrived in the high desert.

It is always fun to meet people you've been virtually "talking to" for months. In this case, I met both of them when Mark & I drove to Eastern Washington in March for Suzanne's Sweet on Spring nursery sale. But it's always fun to see people in your own hometown....show it off a bit.

Tuesday morning we headed to Bend for a shopping trip. We were gone for eleven hours. First stop Pomegranate, a charming antique/home decor store. Then we headed downtown for hours of shopping and lunch.

Finally, we hit the Mill Quarter Design District.

Pillow inspiration for Carla at Haven Home Style Eye candy for Suzanne at Evergreen Plantscapes....we stumbled across this shop as we were headed to the car-an excellent finale!

They're leaving this morning for their 7 hour drive home.
~~~~~~Finally, a shout out to my sister, CheriseHappy Birthday!41 looks good on you!
July 14, 2009
5:15
Going up!
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The ramada is starting to take shape....

Trux got tired of his supervising job
July 13, 2009
4:45
Not so boring
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Years ago, I painted a closet door in our old kitchen with black chalkboard paint.

Photo credit-Philip Clayton-Thompson
I loved having a giant chalkboard to write on...reminders, to do lists, love notes to my husband....it was great! I liked the black, but I like the idea of color choices even better. There are endless uses for this paint...and it isn't limited to vertical surfaces. Vases, clay pots, napkin rings, table tops, frames...let your imagination soar.

Chalkboard paint from Hudson Paint.
Not just basic black...they have over 30 colors available. Cool!
July 12, 2009
0:16
This...I like
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Love the shape of the chairs and the table legs. The height of the back of the chairs....perfect for this tall girl. Not crazy about wicker, but I'd love something similar for the (soon-to-be) flagstone patio out back.

These beauties were found here
image from Atik website
July 11, 2009
5:21
In the shadows
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"People's dreams are made out of what they do all day. The same way a dog that runs after rabbits will dream of rabbits. It's what you do that makes your soul, not the other way around."

~Barbara Kingsolver
Hey Harriet's shadow shots
July 10, 2009
4:27
Vertical Gardening
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I found this photo while reading a design article.
The nifty wall pockets are found here.

Can't seem to get enough of the vertical gardens. I must figure out a way to incorporate some for our new deck...
July 09, 2009
0:49
Ghost
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image from here
“We all have ghosts, remorse, dreams, things we love and hate. One day something in life - a word, a phrase, something in a book, a beautiful woman - clicks, and part of that world takes on a special meaning. And you realize you have a story to tell.”

~ Arturo Perez Reverte

Theme Thursday=Ghost
July 08, 2009
0:20
White water
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“A river is more than an amenity, it is a treasure”

~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

Deschutes River, Steelhead Falls
WW ~ here
July 07, 2009
17:28
Lavender festival
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Got plans for this coming weekend?

DAFFODIL HILL LAVENDER FESTIVAL
July 11th & 12th
Enjoy food, wine, frosty drinks, gourmet baked goods,
wreath demonstrations, u-pick lavender, and many talented artisans from the Northwest
(including Carla from Perpetual Pillows!)

Not to mention live music all weekend!

Click here for more info
0:05
That's My World
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The High Desert of Central Oregon

From our front yard...
to a park 10 miles awayor the nearby Deschutes Riverand the Crooked Riverto a curving road a few miles from homethat's my world.
How is it different from yours?
A meme ~ found here
July 06, 2009
0:04
Virtual shopping
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Browsing online for outdoor furniture inspiration-
didn't find anything for our new deck, but wouldn't these be fun all together....

Garden Party Bench Loop Leaf Ottoman Moroccan Chandelier Lamp Gypsy Basket Chairs Magazine Table
July 05, 2009
6:20
Getting there
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Framing

Mark got the arc figured out

Next step: build platforms under doors,
build ramada, build new steps, stain deck....
July 04, 2009
0:09
Independence Day
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Americans celebrate their independence each year on the Fourth of July
Are you ready?You might need this necklace from Two Dog Pond,at the very least, the flag skirt...
I'll be wearing Flossie,an amazing gift from the talented Karen
Since the necklace cast such a shadow....this will be my shadow shot this weekend!Check out the others at Hey Harriet Happy 4th everyone!
July 03, 2009
0:28
What's on your picnic table?
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Biodegradable partyware available at Branch Home

No more guilt throwing away paper plates & plastic forks. Hooray!
July 02, 2009
0:56
Funky photoshoot
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I found this image from a 1960's photoshoot in the LA Times, which led me to the photographer's site.

So many wonderful images. Take a few minutes to view these visual masterpieces.

~~~~~~~
Theme Thursday = Funky

funky (fuŋ′kē)SLANG unconventional, eccentric, offbeat, etc.
July 01, 2009
4:13
White...a shop
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There's this shop called White....

that I really think I need to go to...its only 1500 miles from my house.

Iowa is not exactly a neighboring state
But wouldn't it be fun to meet Sharon

and Lorie

the "two crazy blonde junkers" who run this delightful shop?

~~~~~
White Wednesday...join in!
June 30, 2009
0:38
Backyard inspiration
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Now wouldn't this look nice in the backyard....

I like how part of the cement seat isn't covered in pillows-makes nice built in side table areas.
June 29, 2009
20:57
20 years later
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Remember the catastrophic Exxon Valdez oil spill?

AP file photo
Exxon has to pay interest on damages....

Read the news article here

Finally...a little justice for the region that has yet to recover!
13:13
Art in public spaces
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Bend Gate by artist Lee Kelly

photo found here

I'm all for art in public spaces....let everyone enjoy it!
June 28, 2009
5:17
Ironwork of Italy
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“He who allows his day to pass by without practicing generosity and enjoying life's pleasures is like a blacksmith's bellows: he breathes but does not live.”
~ Proverb