How do handmade mugs, fine crystal, creature comforts like tea and gin, all while supporting handmade artisans selling on Etsy, sound for Mother’s Day?

How do handmade mugs, fine crystal, creature comforts like tea and gin, all while supporting handmade artisans selling on Etsy, sound for Mother’s Day?

by | Apr 27, 2024 | DESIGN TRENDS, INTERIOR DESIGNERS THAT INSPIRE, STYLE TIPS FOR DIY, THE CREATIVE ENTREPRENEUR

Have you shopped for Mother’s Day? What do you usually do on that day?

As a mother of 17 year old twins, I pretty much just don’t want to have to lift a finger come Mother’s Day. I want to put my feet up, maybe take a bath.  No thoughts about meals, dishes.   We usually make an effort for the awesome Mom’s in our lives – a fancy brunch with crepes, a trip to a beautiful garden or the beach.  How about you?

I don’t need much, just a break from the daily burden of life.  As I write this I am home alone for the weekend, which is rare. And such a treat. I’ll be melancholy for them by tomorrow. Just me, the cats and the dog. My husband took the kids to the coast to visit his parents.  I wanted to buckle down and get some work done. I stocked up on food to make food prep easy. I watched 2 episodes of Dream Home Makeover with Studio McGee in bed with coffee until 10:30 AM.  Dreamy it was. I am coming to appreciate the subtleties and freshness of white, neutrals, earthy accents. It’s all new builds, with few antiques, and in Utah, a world away from Oregon so it is an escape.

Now, I’ve got Brandi Carlisle on, a little more writing to do, and then a movie of my own choice. No science fiction, Avengers, Star Wars or action packed movies for me.  Most likely an historical drama.

In fact, this song about being a Mother, ‘I am the mother of Evangeline’ by Brandi Carlisle brings me to tears every time. Check it out:

Mother’s Day. A day to treat one’s self as a mother, whether of children or furry ones. And/or a day to honor your Mother, Grandmother, Aunt, or any other divine being kind enough to treat you in a maternal way.  When I think about it, there have been many: neighbors, friends, colleagues, teachers, relatives.  It’s also a day to feel honored for the opportunity to be a Mother. Now that is a cause for celebration.

Need gift ideas? There are so many great artists/vendors on ETSY if you know what to search for.  We all need to support small businesses and makers more than ever.

So here are just a few that seem extra special, with a few other sources thrown into the mix, to get this party started.   What are some favorite shops for you?  If you have any, please comment and let me know.

Here is my round up in a nutshell…

tsy round up for mother's day

Here we go…

1.CALHOUN & CO. COCKTAIL PARTY TEA TOWEL

You need to check out this New York based boutique. The towels, throws and other graphic gifts are so whimsical and fun.

2. JULIUS ROBERTS THE FARM TABLE COOKBOOK

I discovered this British gent on Instagram and love the way he cooks. He started out in a posh London restaurant where he was soo burned out by the stress and long hours.  He ended up moving out to the country where he now has a farm, hunts and fishes, raises pigs and goats, and grows fresh herbs and vegetables.  The cook book is divided into the four seasons and it is beautiful.  I am once again inspired to cook as he keeps it simple with a gourmet touch.

3. SPECIAL LEATHER GIFT

How cute is this?  Send in your photos, pick your leather color and have a custom gift back to you in no time.

4. LINDA RENEE POTTERY

This potter makes beautiful pottery and also reinvents vintage mugs with her touch. So cool, don’t you think?

 

 

5. MOTHER HOPE

I love this concept of asking your Mom to recount family history and stories of her life in a beautifully cohesive way. If you are lucky enough to find a time to do this, these are the kind of questions one might want to ask.  And this can be personalized with color choice.

 

6. HENRICKS GIN

A personal favorite; always a nice treat. The different gins and the cocktail recipes that can be found on the website are super inspiring for Summer time gatherings.

 

 

Boodles is also a favorite.

How festive are these?

 

 

And if you want to add lovely crystal barware, Williams Sonoma is always a great place to look…

 

 

7. CELERIE KEMBLE, ISLAND WHIMSY

One of my favorite designer’s latest books. Pretty exquisite.

Paradise by the Sea is right.

 

 

8. FLORAL LINEN PILLOW, STUDIO TULLIA

Shameless plug for decorative pillows by STUDIO TULLIA.

And you know there are many more where these come from.

9. JOYE MADE CLAY

Love her aesthetic – modern and lovely.

STEVEN SMITH TEA MAKER TEAS

By the way, a few teas that I really love, by a company from Portland, are also available online.  These make great gifts with beautiful mugs.

10. CALHOUN & CO. PATCH WORK THROW

Again, the same NY company I mentioned before. Great colors and design.

That’s a wrap of some nice ETSY finds of late with a few other items thrown in.

Thanks for following along!

 

All the Best,

Suzanne

 

 

 

 

 

BLUE AND WHITE TEXTILES, CHINOISERIE & POTTERY

BLUE AND WHITE TEXTILES, CHINOISERIE & POTTERY

by | Feb 18, 2019 | DESIGN TRENDS, INTERIOR DESIGN

Chronicles from a Well Lived House...

I’ve been into the blues lately…

The above swatches are some of my recent favorites, all from SCHUMACHER except the grayish swirl fabric by Kate Spade for Kravet.  I Love the soft grays in the mix. That might be a nice direction for next Fall.

 

Last Spring I did a collection with THE ENCHANTED HOME that we never really formally introduced.  A softer, more watery palette with light blues and aquas that I think is pretty lovely for Spring.  

Pick a floral pattern or “anchor” fabric that you love like this VECCHIO SPA, and pull out the colors that speak to you like lavender, turquoise, green, gray…

How lovely is this pattern in curtains?   (I am working on a curtain program for Spring…)

This HARU in Bluebell would also be lovely as curtains. This is a really large scale pattern:

As you can see in this pillow from STUDIO TULLIA:

The pictures below feature the front and back porch of Tina (of THE ENCHANTED HOME)’s newly built home in Palmetto Bluff, SC.

 

The lovely linen floral VECCHIO SPA with the JALISA coordinating pillows look so inviting with the blue shutters, topiary and bench above.   

 

BLUE & WHITE POTTERY (as shown above from WS HOME) is a great layer to add to a blue and white color scheme. The cobalt pigment is one of the very few that can withstand the highest firing temperatures that are required, in particular for porcelain, which partly accounts for its long-lasting popularity 

Blue and white decoration first became widely used in Chinese porcelain in the 14th century, after the cobalt pigment for the blue began to be imported from Persia. It was widely exported, and inspired imitative wares in Islamic ceramics, and in Japan, and later European tin-glazed earthenware such as Delftware and after the techniques were discovered in the 18th century, European porcelain. Blue and white pottery in all of these traditions continues to be produced, most of it copying earlier styles.  For more information on blue and white pottery go HERE 

(per Wikipedia)

You may also find a wonderful collection of porcelainware sets for sale at THE ENCHANTED HOME:

And here are some pillows from THE PAGODA COLLECTION that we curated together a year or so ago, beautifully displayed at her home in New York, that still look as fresh as ever:

A lovely floral fabric by Schumacher on the chairs and pillow below with coordinating prints and plaids in this room by ALEXANDER REA:

The use of CHINOISERIE, seen in the decorative arts since the 17th century, is still as classic as the combination of blue and white.

 

Chinoiserie (English: /ʃɪnˈwɑːzəri/, French: [ʃinwazʁi]; loanword from French chinoiserie, from chinois, “Chinese”) is the European interpretation and imitation of Chinese and East Asian artistic traditions, especially in the decorative arts, garden design, architecture, literature, theatre, and music.[1] The aesthetic of Chinoiserie has been expressed in different ways depending on the region. Its acknowledgement derives from the current of Orientalism, which studied Far East cultures from a historical, philological, anthropological, philosophical and religious point of view. First appearing in the 17th century, this trend was popularized in the 18th century due to the rise in trade with China and East Asia.[2]As a style, chinoiserie is related to the Rococo style.[3] Both styles are characterized by exuberant decoration, asymmetry, a focus on materials, and stylized nature and subject matter that focuses on leisure and pleasure. Chinoiserie focuses on subjects that were thought by colonial-era Europeans to be typical of Chinese culture.  – Definition from WIKIPEDIA 

This is a gorgeous room featuring chinoiserie wallpaper in a Texas home done by MILES REDD:

And another gorgeous example as seen in Architectural Digest:

I first saw this room by Celerie Kemble and Kristen Wilson in THE BULLETIN by SCHUMACHER last Fall.   The details and subtleties of colors are so exquisite.  And the brighter cobalt chinoiserie panels are a nice contrast to the softer blues.

SCHUMACHER TEXTILES:

CITRUS GARDEN works with so many colors and coordinates…

  

 

 

Though I feel I’ve been in an eternal slumber for the last few weeks with the ever present gray light and rainy weather in Portland, I am hopeful that February is almost over and then we are through the worst of the Winter doldrums. Spring, here we come.

MORE FROM THE BLOG

How do handmade mugs, fine crystal, creature comforts like tea and gin, all while supporting handmade artisans selling on Etsy, sound for Mother’s Day?

How do handmade mugs, fine crystal, creature comforts like tea and gin, all while supporting handmade artisans selling on Etsy, sound for Mother’s Day?

by | Apr 27, 2024 | , , , | 0 Comments

Mother’s Day. A day to treat one’s self as a mother, whether of children or furry ones. And/or a day to honor your Mother, Grandmother, Aunt, or any other divine being kind enough to treat you in a maternal way.  When I think about it, there have been many: neighbors, friends, colleagues, teachers, relatives.  It’s also a day to feel honored for the opportunity to be a Mother. Now that is a cause for celebration.

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