Apartment Therapy (& my upcoming maternity leave).

I am thrilled to report that my husband and I are expecting our first child (a boy) any time now. We are over the moon, but this means I will be closing my shop for awhile for maternity leave. I hope to have it open again in time for the holidays, but please stay tuned...

On a non-press related note, our little man's nursery was featured on Apartment Therapy on Friday! The site has inspired me for years, so this honor is very flattering. I hope you will take a peek at the photos they have posted.

Thanks in advance for your patience as we grow as a family! :)

Current Etsy loves.

I love making a list of my current Etsy loves. Here are some goodies I've been eyeballing as of late. Enjoy!


arrow necklace


i like to rock print


wanderlust necklace (which makes me want to travel!)


big bow tote


block printed notecards

All you need is love.

Just wanted to share a peek at some cards a good friend of mine designed recently. We printed them on my vintage letterpress in a soft gray ink on luscious Crane Lettra. I never seem to tire of seeing the end results... To those who celebrate it, Happy Hearts Day. =)

It's my birthday, I can buy if I want to.

Guess who turns 36 today? Moi. I'm officially in my "late 30s". Can't think of a reason not to share a list of my current (and ever quirky) Etsy faves. On that note, I'm off for a little getaway. Enjoy! ;)








Shops from top to bottom: ika bags, little brown pen, tru.che, fruitfly pie, flutter budget, berkley illustration

Details in the new living room...

Now that I've posted the living room as a whole, I thought I'd share some detailed photos. We worked in collections of photo booth photos, postcards, white vases and European travel patches. I added a Cathrineholm roasting pan to the side table to act as a catchall for magazines, remote controls and so on. These fun (and colorful) little details give the room such a happy feel. Thanks for letting me stray off topic. Be sure to check back later in the week for news about a big, exciting giveaway!

The living room is done!

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that my husband and I have been making over our living room to create a mid-century inspired space. We put the finishing touches on everything last week, and are pretty pleased with the results. Our tiny house feels more open (thanks to the lower profile of our new sofa) and certainly more us.

The room was decent before, but it generally lacked color and interest. So what did we do besides purchase a sofa? We splurged on an Eames rocker and found a vintage sideboard, coffee table and side table on Craig's List, which we stripped and refinished. Two things we already owned (a chair from the side of the road that we refinished/recovered and a bookcase from my Grandma) fit in nicely with the new pieces. Accessory-wise, I chose a few things online and thrifted some goodies, too. Although more sparse than its inspiration, I especially appreciate the way the (primarily thrifted) plate wall came together.

Anyhow, my apologies for the quality on some of these photos. It hasn't been sunny in Seattle much lately. Regardless, I think it shows that we love our house again, and that feels good. Please check back later today for some detailed shots.




and...

Making mine a mid-century inspired home.

I'm the kind of person that likes to keep busy, busy, busy. Planning our wedding six years ago was a labor of love that kept me engaged for well over a year. Since, in my spare time, I love planning trips and focusing on our home.

Over the winter, I shared the studio remodel my husband and I completed. Now, I thought I'd give you a glimpse of the living room makeover I'm currently obsessing over. Our kitties had essentially destroyed our couches, so we opted for a less spendy, but still stylish sofa. Overall, we are working towards creating a mid-century modern space with the goodies below as the main inspiration. I hope to share the "before" and "after" in the next week or so. Stay tuned, and have a great weekend!


From top right:
Orla Kiely for Target pitcher, Karlstad sofa in sivik beige, our collection of white vases, Henley pillow in mandarin, Stars gig poster by Jeremy Wilson, Cathrineholm platter, Eames-inspired rocker

4 good eats (as seen in Paris).

It's no secret that I love food. Even though this is a little off-topic, I thought I'd share some of the good eats I discovered in Paris. If you're going on vaca or taking a honeymoon abroad, take note! Paris isn't the most affordable place for eating, so we alternated between eating out and preparing meals in our apartment. I'll be back next week with patisseries and more, but until then have a great weekend.

La Tartine
24 Rue de Rivoli, 4th
We chose a sunny seat on the sidewalk where we could enjoy this gem of a café. In addition to the herbed cheese tartine we began the meal with, my friend and I both ordered the superb chevre on toasted bread and a divine tarte tatin. Yum!







Pancake Square (aka Crêperie des Canettes)
10 Rue des Canettes, 6th
Despite its goofy name, Pancake Square was a sweet little creperie with meal options at a decent price. I enjoyed a lovely mushroom and cheese crepe for less than $10. Sigh...





Cafe Constant
139 Rue Saint-Dominique, 7th
I read about Cafe Constant in several places before I left and was excited to try it. We scored the last table downstairs and were surrounded by nothing but locals. A good sign, for sure! The artichoke heart and mushroom salad was so fresh and clean tasting that I think I'll be dreaming about it for years to come. I also ordered a roast chicken with what might have been the most flavorful and tender fingerling potatoes I've ever tasted.





Le Bonaparte
61 Rue Bonaparte, 6th
This was the first place we stopped after arriving in Paris last week. Located just around the corner from our apartment in Saint Germain-des-Pres, Le Bonaparte offered us very friendly service and a great, unpretentious meal. I ordered a croque madam and my vegetarian friend had a nice omelet. Both were delish and at a much lesser price than the dishes found at the famous Cafe de Flore sitting one block away.

You are here.

Since it's been such a busy week, I think I'll start fresh with blogging on Monday. In the meantime, how great is this rug from Anthropologie? I love its bright, happy colors and paint-by-number theme. Happy weekend!

Positively dreamy.

I'm super excited to be leaving for a much needed vaca in a few weeks. Guess where I'm going? Anyone have leads on memorable meals or must-sees for me?

These dreamy images were taken by photographer Irene Suchocki, and can be found in her Etsy shop. Aren't they incredible?

Building a tiny studio (part 4 of 4).

Now that you've seen the "after" photos, I thought it would be fun to share some detailed images of the finished studio. I placed a collection of blue glass (including a sweet little jar my mom used to keep change in) along the window sill for a lovely pop of color. A couple of inexpensive kitchen rails from Ikea added even more storage on the wall next to the press. We hung a miniature type drawer (from my childhood home) and topped it off with a custom piece created by Victoria of Ex Libris Handmade. She appliqued a globe featuring Europe per my request and I just love it.

If you want to see more photos from the beginning to the end of the project, feel free to visit this set on Maida Vale's Flickr stream. Thanks again for following along, and have a fab weekend. I'm out tomorrow, but I'll be back to weddings on Monday.

Building a tiny studio (part 3 of 4).

If you have stuck with me through the past two posts, thank you! I'm excited to finally show off our handiwork.

As I mentioned in my initial post, our goal was to create a space both my husband and I could use. He's a musician and a foosball fanatic. His equipment is stored in a space just outside this room and can be easily moved in and out when needed. Although I work with a wonderful printing vendor to create the Maida Vale line of letterpress invitations (and will continue to do so), I'm hoping to introduce smaller scale products to my shop using the new Kelsey 5x8 press shown here. All in good time... Regardless, we think we have achieved our goal and are quite proud of the final result.

Detailed photos coming later today...








Visit Flickr to see the entire set of before, during + after photos.