Special Guest Post: by Design is Mine

Good afternoon everyone! It's Summer from Design is Mine and this is my last guest post here on Poppytalk. I have had such a blast doing this- thanks so much for reading!

To wrap things up, I would like to share something that shares three of my biggest loves: interior design, art, and Portland. I spend such a large portion of my time browsing through beautiful interiors online and have found that not only are Portland artists extremely talented, but they tend to have some pretty gorgeous homes. I find few things more wonderful than seeing little corners of the homes of some of my biggest inspirations.

And so, here you go: ten peeks into the homes of Portland illustrators, bloggers, photographers, and crafters.



Who: Alicia Paulson of Posie.
What: A crafter and blogger.
Where else: her personal website and blog.
More images: "Corners of My Home".



Who: Jill Bliss of Blissen.
What: An illustrator and crafter.
Where else: her portfolio
More images: "sneak peek: jill bliss".



Who: Matte Stephens of Matte Art.
What: An illustrator.
Where else: his shop and blog.
More images: "home and Portland".



Who: Susan O'Connor of Sulu Design.
What: A blogger and jewelry designer.
Where else: her shop.
More images: "susan's home" (photos by Abby Powell)



Who: Chelsea Fuss of {frolic!}.
What: Blogger and photo stylist.
Where else: her portfolio and market.
More images: "my home".



Who: Stephanie Congdon Barnes of stephaniecongdonbarnes.com.
What: A crafter, blogger, and photographer.
Where else: her shop, blog, and book.
More images: "Knock, Knock: Nature Inspired Home".



Who: Nubby Twiglet of Nubbytwiglet.com.
What: An artist, designer and blogger.
Where else: her shop.
More images: "Haus & Belongings".



Who: Andrea of hula seventy.
What: A blogger and photographer.
Where else: her shop and flickr group.
More images: "home" and "hula seventy: Show & Tell Home Tour"



Who: Julie Dutton of Studio Olivine.
What: A stationery designer and printer.
Where else: her shop and blog.
More images: "sneak peek: julie dutton of studio olivine".



Who: Andrea of scout.
What: A blogger, crafter, and photographer.
Where else: Her photostream.
More images: "new nest".

Thanks again everyone!

xoxo,
Summer

Special Guest Post: by Design is Mine

Bonjour! It's Summer from Design is Mine posting again. Have I mentioned that I am having a ton of fun guest blogging? I really am.

One of my favorite ways to spend my time has always been hanging around bookstores, but being a mum of two little ones, this now means always being led over to the children's section. Here I am almost always asked to flip through the same picture books over and over and over again. Usually, I find this to be somewhat of a chore, but recently I have been finding a large amount of beautiful kid's books that I truly enjoy looking at. As it turns out, many of my favorite artists (ones who are known for album art, posters, and prints) are now illustrating children's books, which I must say is quite a pleasant change from what I think of as the general boring book art.

Anyways, it is quite late here in Portland. I could really use a sweet good night story myself.

1. "All In A Day," illustrated by Nikki McClure, 2. "School Years," illustrated by S. Britt, 3. "Little Hoot," illustrated by Jen Corace, 4. "The Composer is Dead," illustrated by Carson Ellis, 5. "Where You Came From" and "When You Were Small," both illustrated by Julie Morstad, 6. "The Lonesome Puppy," illustrated by Yoshitomo Nara, 7. "My Family, My Journey," illustrated by Susie Ghahremani, 8. "The Octonauts," illustrated by Meomi, and 9. "There's No Such Thing as Ghosts!," illustrated by Emmanuelle Eeckhout.

Special Guest Post: by Ladies and Gentlemen

Light bulbs: You light up my life



Dylan and Jean here again from Ladies and Gentlemen…

We know we should be replacing all of our bulbs with compact fluorescents, but we can't help but be enticed by the glorious forms of vintage incandescents…the intricate filaments, the beautifully diverse shapes, the packaging...




Our bulb love began when we came across these unique projector bulbs (complete with original packaging too…). Until we come up with some awesome way to use them (maybe a giant hanging lamp!), they're piled up in our glass bowl for simple display.



We gathered some cute everyday light bulbs with great packaging for our L&G Vintage Shop. Come see!



Also check out these links.

Gaze:
Bulb Collector
Bulb Museum
Illustrated bulb history
Buy (repros):
Tube Depot
House of Antique Hardware
Niche Modern Lighting

Thanks for reading!!

Jean&Dylan
ladiesandgentlemenhome.blogspot.com
wwwladiesandgentlemen.etsy.com

Special Guest Post: by Ladies and Gentlemen

Here's to the Sparkling New Year!


This is a public service announcement from Ladies and Gentlemen:

Friends don't let friends succumb to another New Years of guzzling bottles of cheap champagne (we all know how that kind of evening ends…). Take the high road (but affordable) and toast the years past and forward with an artful array of tasty mix-your-own cocktails that are guaranteed to get the next 52 weeks off to a good start.

Here are some ideas to set up the ultimate mix-your-own cocktail bar:



-Set up a bar: Have a designated area. We like to use our vintage ironing board for this purpose. It's portable and stows away, is the perfect height, and has an interesting form.

-Vessels with personality: Pick vessels with various forms and characters to mix things up!


-Typewritten tags: You know that vintage typewriter you bought just because it looks so cool…Now here's a good excuse to USE IT! Get some simple tags and type an individual mixing instruction for each drink. You will be rewarded by the praises from your guests. We guarantee it.



-Personalized cups: Pre-mark or allow guests to mark their glasses by getting rub-on letters (by Letraset or Chartpak). Not only does this assure that no mix up happens, it will also keep your guests entertained for good 10-15 minuets. THEN you can bust out your Wii or your good old karaoke machine for the real fun.
Pssst! The letters also come right off in the wash when you scrub it, so don't worry about your glasses!

-Top it off: Provide various toppings and garnishes for drinks loose and nicely arranged: Pomegranate, mint, lemons, cocoa powder, cinnamon or whatever you feel like! This will allow everyone an opportunity to customize and expereiment making their own drinks.

Here are some drink recipes to jump-start your ultimate New Year celebration party!



Irish Coffee (via Drink Mixer)
15 oz Irish whiskey or Irish Cream
10 tsp brown sugar
60 oz hot coffee
Heavy whipping cream
Cocoa powder

Make the coffee (stronger the coffee the better), add sugar and mix Irish cream or whiskey (or both!). Mix.
Whip the whipping cream. Put whipping cream and cocoa powder in separate bowls on the side.

Click here for our other drink recipes!

If Martha taught us anything, it's that it's all about presentation and involving your guests…this is no time to forget that lesson…bust out…go the extra mile. These mixes don't take long, they can be prepped in advance, and will make your bar look totally stocked and glistening! The best part is that now you don't have to spend the whole evening mixing drinks for everyone else…the guests can mix their own darn drinks!
Enjoy and we hope that this can come in handy for any celebrations! Happy New Year!

Jean&Dylan
ladiesandgentlemenhome.blogspot.com
ladiesandgentlemen.etsy.com

Editor's Note: A huge thank you to Jean and Dylan for this amazing idea! We are off to buy some new vessels!

Special Guest Post: Stephanie Levy

Munich Christmas Shopping Tour

We're in a real treat today, as Stephanie Levy (an american living in Germany), takes us on a shopping tour of her Munich neighborhood!


I moved to Munich’s Haidhausen district 2 years ago, and I love the artsy, unique shops and cafes that have popped up everywhere. Although Haidhausen has become a somewhat trendy neighborhood, it remains laid-back and friendly.

A great place to start doing some holiday shopping is Doppler on Sedanstrasse . This little store is always full of fun, trendy goodies to brighten up your living space.

www.doppler-muenchen.de
www.doppler-shop.de

Across the street is the equally clever and kitschy Hubercraft store and cafe. Gift items for those with a sense of humor are found abundantly here. I love these alternative Advent wreaths and wind-up Santas.

www.hubercraft.de

For something more elegant, Anne von Waechter makes beautiful, hand-crafted jewelry, presented in a lovely gallery situation.


www.annevonwaechter.de

If you get hungry while shopping, the German bakeries do not disappoint, and even sell real mini gingerbread houses at this time of year.


The Bakery, however, doesn’t sell bread and cakes as the name might suggest. It’s an art gallery specializing in photographic art, installations, and site-specific art projects.

www.thebakery.de

If cooking is your passion, Kochgut is a designer store selling fresh, funky utensils for your kitchen.

www.kochgut-muenchen.de

One of my favorite places to window shop is Le Bazar de Cusine, a store specializing in French and European housewares. Check out these great garlic Christmas ornaments and the red gnome with glitter boots! Here I also spotted a creative idea for placecard table settings.

www.bazar-cuisine.com

Engel und Bengel (“angels and brats”) is one of the best-known children’s stores in all of Munich, and here are a couple of festive, handmade lamps sold in the store and online.

www.engelundbengel.com



A nice place to take a break and relax on your shopping tour is the charming Wiener Platz (“Vienna Square”), where you can sit outside in the sun with your cappucino and croissant, people watch, and find these great rubber boots and Madonna at Living Room.

www.livingroom.la

I sighted these trendy stags and fun hooks at Curtis and Curtis, also located on Wiener Platz.

(Their website is also in English!)
www.curtisundcurtis.de

I love bringing home fresh flowers, and I find that the German florist shops are especially creative. Perhaps the long gray winter here makes everyone crave color. Here are a few refreshing floral ideas from “Blumen, die Leben” (“Flowers that live”) to brighten your day.


www.blumen-die-leben.de

Happy shopping online – or better yet, come visit Munich!

***
Note: Most of the above listed websites are unfortunately in German only. However, addresses and opening times are listed, making the websites a good resource for anyone visiting Munich in person.

Thank you so much Stephanie!

stephanielevy.com
stephanielevy.blogspot.com
stephanielevy.etsy.com

Special Guest Post: by Stephanie Levy

German Christmas Market
by Stephanie Levy



Munich, like most German cities, is full of Christmas markets in December. Each neighborhood has its own outdoor Christmas market, where one can find seasonal culinary specialties ranging from freshly made crepes and waffles to hot mulled wine (called Gluehwein – “glow wine”) as well as tasty grilled sausages and hearty pastries. While munching on all of these treats, there is a huge selection of handmade crafts and holiday items to browse and purchase.



We’ve already been out visiting a few Christmas markets this month. Our first stop was a Middle Ages themed market, where the vendors sell their wares in costume and the little huts are all made of rustic wood.



The “Rahmfladen” (pastries topped with sour cream, onions, and ham, then baked in a wood-fired oven) looked too tasty to pass up, and we had our first taste of Gluehwein in a charming terra cotta cup.



The next stop was the Christmas market at the “Residence” – in the courtyard of the former palace of the Bavarian king. A modern day Santa Claus was playing music at the entrance, and there were stands selling beautiful starlit lamps and delicious crepes served with Nutella, chocolate, or powdered sugar.




Even the trash containers were all dressed up as gingerbread houses.

The largest Christmas market is at Marienplatz, the center of Munich with historic buildings, cobblestones, and shops galore. Upon arriving, we couldn’t pass up the “Zimtsterne” (cinnamon stars) – as you might have noticed, the Christmas season is not a good time to be on a diet in Germany – and I found lovely stands selling beeswax candles, honey, and handmade soaps.




More delightful craft items were everywhere, like these handmade ceramics, traditional straw, glass, and wooden Christmas ornaments, and hand-painted ceramic candleholders.



For anyone trying to win a sweetheart with sweets this Christmas, there was a huge, multi-lingual assortment of decorated gingerbread hearts.



We went home tired and happy and full of Christmas goodness – in body and in spirit!

stephanielevy.etsy.com
stephanielevy.blogspot.com
tephanielevy.com

Editor's Note: Thanks Stephanie!

Special Guest Post: Three Potato Four

by Stu + Janet of threepotatofourshop.com



It's our final post here at Poppytalk. Thank you Jan for inviting us as guest bloggers this week! Today we thought we would share another little collection we have of some favorite packaging of everyday random objects both old + new. From old office supplies to praline treats, chinese tin toys to vintage avon cosmetics - you can find fun packaging everywhere. Here are a few that we've collected. Enjoy!

no. 1 Acco Regal Clips 100#1
no. 2 Stencil-It Alphabet and Numeral Lettering Set
no. 3 Chinese Bluebird Tin Toy (similar tin toys here)
no. 4 Aunt Sally's Creole Pralines (new orleans famous praline)
no. 5 Revere Rubber Bands
no. 6 Avon Small World Cream Sachet
no. 7 Ryohei Yanagihara Toy (an homage to the classic 60's Japanese Suntory Ads)
no. 8 Complete Matchless Matchbook Games

Stu + Janet
Three Potato Four
threepotatofourshop.com
threepotatofourshop.com/blog

Editor's Note: Thank you Stu and Janet for a most interesting and enjoyable week, we loved your posts! They were awesome!

Thank you Lisa Solomon!

A HUGE thank you to Lisa Solomon for all the interesting posts from her neck of the woods in Oakland, California this week! It truly was an honour to have her with us as our special guest and we just wanted to point out a few things that's coming up for her:

lisasolomon.com
Underdogink.net (shop) - where she's having a HUGE sale and just listed her holiday cards!
monkeybrains.net/~dietrich/musings (blog)

Books:
IIllustration Play;
Contemporary Textiles



Shows:
Current - through Dec. 13th- Crossing the line at Santa Rosa Junior City,
College Art Gallery
santarosa.edu/art-gallery

Soon - a new piece will be at Richard Levy Gallery's booth at Art Miami
Dec 5-9
levygallery.com

Soon - Nov. 22 - Dec. 20 - Gifts from the Studio at Kenise Barnes Fine Art,
Wechester, NY
kbfa.com

Next year shows at: Little Bird Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, Pharmaka, Los
Angeles, CA, Sonoma County Museum of Art, Sonoma, CA, Ulrich Museum of Art,
Wichita, KS, The Steinbeck Center, Salinas, CA

lisasolomon.com
Underdogink.net (shop)
monkeybrains.net/~dietrich/musings (blog)