to have and to hold

Jake's grandmother Tinka and I got along right away, bound by our mutual love of things... beautiful, handmade, thoughtful things that make every day a little more pleasant. So for her birthday, I wanted to make her something simple and lovely that could live up to both of our high standards - and I knew just where to look.

Inspired by the PurlBee's beautiful Wedding Clutch, I chose a classic starched linen as a base and a muted Liberty for the lining. For a special touch, I created an embroidery pattern based on the wood and wire fences that line the beaches near her family home in Sagaponack. 

It was a meaningful project and well worth the effort - I was flattered that Tinka loved it so much, she immediately commissioned two more for friends!

selling wares

The time has come: I've opened an Etsy shop! It's a little itsy bitsy step, but it's an important one. I hope you'll check it out and tell me what you think! 

Some other big news: our home has been featured on the lovely blog Sacramento Street. The post was written and photographed by our good friends Material Lust and we couldn't be happier with how they captured our home. Take a look!

susie's sachets

Let's admit it, it's way more fun to shop for someone who shares your taste. The same goes for handmade gifts. Not only are you spending time on a project you're actually inspired by- an opportunity that can be rare in the life of a "creative professional"- but it's also gratifying to know that someone out there is enjoying something you've put energy into.

I'd been wanting to make sachets for a while, now that I'm on this little drawstring bag kick. Jake's mom Susie likes simple, rustic elegance as much as I do, so her birthday was an ideal opportunity. The combination of lovely high-quality linen, simple free-hand embroidery and Green Market lavender produced a set I would have loved to keep in my own drawers... but I was more than happy to pass them along to her.

to market

We go to the Green Market A LOT. And while we’re generally good about bringing our own re-usable bags, it’s hard to walk away without a few flimsy plastic bags for loose produce like cherries and fingerlings.

So when Design Sponge posted DIY instructions for produce bags, I pulled out my vintage linen collection and got to work. With four small drawstring bags and two full-sized totes, we’re now 100% market friendly. And as it turns out, the small bags are the perfect size for a bottle of Bulleit Rye... so it looks like we’ll get even more use out of them than originally expected.

Note: Stay tuned! I'll be opening an Etsy shop with more market bags soon!

simply stated

I've never met a pattern I didn’t like. In fact, I've never met a pattern I didn't want to chop up and combine with more patterns to create a larger bordering-on-too-much-but-just-balanced-enough super medley of pattern.

But when I saw this Japanese oil cloth at Purl, I immediately realized the best way to honor the delicate repeat was to leave it alone. A simple turned hem on each side easily transformed two yards of fabric into an elegant tablecloth.