the haystack needle

westcoast love: westcoast canada by jane flanagan

Welcome back Jane of Ill Seen, Ill Said, who's sharing her love of another west coast (today a look at Canada's west coast!) while I'm on vacation. 

 

Later in life, I landed on a new continent, looking for freedom the way only a twenty-something can. I wanted to see wilderness, epic landscape and feel abandon. Once again I was pulled west. I wonder is there some ineffable thing about this orientation. Maybe we've always been moving westwards and by the time we get as far as we can go, we've given up the urge to conquer. Instead, we let ourselves become wholly arrested by landscape and just savour it. 

So far from my Irish west coast, yet so many familiar feelings: Rain and sea and ruggedness. All different, more epic, bigger in every possible way. But reassuringly similar. The pull west, the beauty of arrival and going as far as you can go. Then rest.

Image information / links:

1. 18Karat 

2. Nicole Bridger 

3. Photo by Nikole 

4. Martha Sturdy 

5. "The Burrough, Broughton (Shoal Bay)" by Drew Burnham from Bau-Xi 

6. Tannis Hegan 

7. Osburn / Clarke Productions 

8. Herriott Grace 

9. My photo 

westcoast love: westcoast ireland by jane flanagan

I'm so excited to welcome a favorite person of mine in the blog world, Jane Flanagan. Jane has a brilliant way with words and we share a mutual obsession with many things, including this little sofa and Nightwood. If you haven't stopped by Jane's daily musings on Ill Seen, Ill Said or checked out her style inspiration on Readymade, you're missing a real treat. She's awesome. Thanks, Jane!!

Hello! Jane here from Ill Seen, Ill Said. When Jen asked me to blog on the theme of the Westcoast, two images formed in my mind; one of the west coast of my homeland Ireland and the other of the west coast of Canada, where I now live. Lovely Jen indulged my less literal interpretation and so here's the first of two parts... why I love to go west, no matter what country I'm in. Thanks Jen for having me!

There's something about moving west that feels natural. Growing up, Ireland's west coast represented a blissful escape from Dublin. It meant beaches, rugged country and the Atlantic, booming and lashing at the coast. Wild as it can be, this landscape never filled me with fear... only a sense of freedom, surrender to the elements and saltiness....  everywhere saltiness; on my lips, my clothes and in the periwinkles and dilisc seaweed we bought on the beach and snacked on.

Those west coast textures and colours live deep down in my psyche. I surround myself with things that remind me of them.

Image information / links:

1. Home by MacGabhann Architects 

2. Blarney Woolen Mills 

3. My photo 

4. Scarves by Lisbeth Mulcahy 

5. "Always a Little Too Slow I" by Michael Flaherty from Kenny Gallery 

6. Dubarry shoes 

7. Home from World of Interiors, via my blog 

8. My photo 

9. Man of Aran movie still

westcoast love: guest post by ruby press

While I'm on the West Coast (in San Francisco) for a wedding and a visit with family and friends, I asked a few guest bloggers to stop by this week and share their love for the West Coast. Today, I'm thrilled to have one of my favorite people on board, Melissa of Ruby Press. I like to call Melissa one of the very few publicists who "gets it", a rare gem in the world of PR. I think part of the reason she's so awesome at what she does is because she once was on the other side, working as a fashion editor in New York. She's been camped out on the Left Coast in San Francisco for a decade now, and she's someone I look to for advice on what to do and see in San Francisco.  

When Jen asked me to write a guest post about what I love about San Francisco, I stopped and thought about how I felt when I moved here a little over ten years ago from New York... I always thought of myself as a die-hard New Yorker, but I was careful not to compare New York to San Francisco when I made the cross country move. They are SUCH different cities, but I quickly found there was so much to love about San Francisco...the gorgeous Victorians, Musee Mechanique, wine country, vintage shopping on the Haight and at the Alameda Flea Market, but strangely, what I fell hardest for {besides my husband, whom I met 4 months after arriving on the West Coast!!} was something that doesn't exist anymore- Cliff House. Well, I should actually clarify...my favorite incarnation of Cliff House was built in 1896 by Adolph Sutro {who also built the amazing, and sadly also gone, Sutro Baths}. This 8 story Victorian Chateau-style building was the third of five incarnations of Cliff House and housed restaurants, dance halls, art galleries, and of course the most amazing views of ships passing by and a vast coastline. It stayed intact through the big 1906 earthquake, but sadly, burnt to the ground in 1907. P.S. The Cliff House today is much more modest, and must have the same amazing views, but of course lacks the grandeur of the Victorian version. Right up the hill, you can visit the ruins of the Sutro Baths as well, which I recommend.



{this image from here, but for more, fabulous photos of the old Cliff House click here}

surprise field trip

Yesterday, I met my friend Chris in Astoria, and she took me on a surprise field trip. She wouldn't tell me where we were headed until we reached our destination. I had no clue where we were going. Can you guess?

Chris took me on a surprise adventure to Build It Green! I've heard about this non-profit resource, but I'd never been there before. I wish I had a photo of the look on my face when I walked in — my mouth dropped wide open when I saw just how enormous the warehouse is. I skipped around with my camera all afternoon, poking through rows and rows of reclaimed and low-cost salvage finds. I love how even the quiet, unmarked entrance makes it feel like a secret spot.

One of the first things that caught my eye was this massive diner sign! That gorgeous mantel is 150 years old, and it's a salvaged antique from an old Park Slope brownstone. A big piece of history.

I wish we had space for one these vintage file cabinets. I love the old cabinets with wood drawers and the metal ones with industrial style handles.

I fall in the category of weird people who don't like to take a bath (showers only, thank you.) But I do appreciate a beautiful bathtub. I could see this gray clawfoot tub looking amazing in a new bathroom.

Some of the salvage pieces made me laugh — like these mannequins.

There was an entire room of books and painting supplies (new brushes, new paint, used paint, buckets, you name it.) You could save a lot of money on supplies for a painting project.

Now this is my kind of theater seating for the home! I love these old movie seats (you can get an entire row of five connected seats for $200.) These seats would clean up so well.

 

Build It Green is the perfect place for a new homeowner. You'll find doors, windows, moldings, kitchen cabinets, and even appliances. What's more green than renovating with reclaimed building materials. 

And there is a ton of furniture at Build It Green!! Here's a peek at a truckload of furniture that had just come in. Since it's a nonprofit, the pricing is fantastic. You can really get a great deal. I found the prices to be right in line with a junk shop or a flea market. And the people that work there are so nice. Build It Green's mission is fantastic, and I love the idea of reusing found objects and materials that will work for you. Here's a list of their common inventory. And if you're planning a renovation, you can work with Build It Green to do deconstruction — so your old materials don't go to waste.

Thank you, Chris! I had the best time. What an adventure! And I sure love a good surprise.

in the strangest of places if you look at it right

On Sunday, I stumbled on a junk shop in my neighborhood. It's on the pricey side for a shop full of finds that look like they came off the street (no surprise, since it is New York, after all.) And I wasn't as charmed as I was when I walked into a little junk shop in Connecticut with my friend Erin. But no matter, I still found myself hooked: walked down every row, looked on every shelf, and peeked inside buckets and bins for an hour. A junk shop always has a certain mystery. You just never know. You dig hard enough, and your persistence sometimes pays off with some unexpected treasure. You find the most amazing something. But many times, like on Sunday for me, you walk away empty-handed.

I love shopping in a junk shop. I love how you're left alone by the owner — left to explore at your own pace. And I don't mind how it's hit or miss — sometimes shops like Anthropologie are too tempting because you know you'll find a bunch of things (not on sale, of course) that you love. Every. single. time. A rare discovery at a junk shop makes you want to do a happy dance. You don't know when, but you know if you keep looking, you'll find some cool gem that feels perfect for you (or screams project!).

And it may sound all a little cliche, but recently, I've had a few conversations with friends about finding something new, something unexpected, something kind of wonderful in this mess of a recession. It's felt a little like an endless string of nothing good (so sad to hear of Gourmet and Cookie closing.) But then so many people around me are discovering and trying new things. "Once in a while you get shown a light"  (from the amazing song, Scarlet Begonias.)

sounds from the raspberry fields

Turns out, we got lucky and found a you-pick farm where we could go apple picking + raspberry picking on Sunday. This is just a quiet post as I get situated back into city life. I took this little video, below, from my spot in the raspberry fields. If you listen closely, you can hear the crickets and the birds and the quiet sounds of the country. Dan thinks I should find an internship next summer at a farm. I think he's right. Thanks for all the sweet comments wishing us a great anniversary weekend — you guys are the best!

brimfield market

I'm back from a whirlwind weekend which included walking the amazing, rather overwhelming Brimfield antique market. It's huge! Being the type A person I am, I expected to walk all of the fields and cover the entire show. But we had a tough Friday: by the time we made it up to Massachusetts on Friday, the rain was coming down, it was cold, and many of the tents closed early. Saturday we rallied for a full day and that was the big day for major scores. Here's a peek at some favorite things I saw.

+ so many lovely botanical prints (above)

+  Wire locker baskets were everywhere at Brimfield. Many dealers used them for display, but a few booths were selling them, too. (I picked up four to use for storage in our apartment.) If you're on the hunt for these industrial style baskets, search eBay under locker baskets. A few of the Etsy sellers that have carried these locker baskets: Thrift Store, Change of Plans, Vintage Carriage House, Austin Modern, and Lucky Little Dot.

 

+ quirky finds, like these hands

+ a cool vintage stove

 

 

+ I spent a long time browsing the booth of Archtiques & New York Salvage (and this dealer sells off a website, too.) They had a huge supply of botanical prints and rustic style frames made with reclaimed wood. I also loved how they turned salvage tin tiles into hook racks and lamps. That turquoise hook rack was my favorite. And if you don't see what you want (they didn't have a frame in the size I needed), they do custom work, too.

 

+ A tent filled with vintage spools and yarn reels. I walked away with a few small spools that I'm hoping to repurpose as hooks in our closet.

 

+ There's my friend Erin (in pink) considering a shelf. Check out that vintage Hobart industrial mixer in front (going for $1300) and the cute vintage bike.

 

 

+ And here's a peek at a few finds I took home! That simple schoolhouse chair (circa the 1860s) is now in our bedroom. And I'm excited to have those locker baskets for organizing all my little bits and bobs. The photo above is one part of a two-piece apothecary style cabinet that I scored. I'm planning to use the cabinet to house all of my hardware + crafting supplies. I'll share a photo when it's all set up in our place.

My advice if you make your way to Brimfield next year: I think the J&J field (which is the only field that typically charges admission) was rather hyped up. When I read up on the Brimfield show before heading to the market, everyone made it out like J&J is the it field. I did find some treasures there, but it wasn't my favorite field, and I wish we'd spent less time walking it. I was a big fan of May's and Quaker Acres, and I hope to walk more fields next time. And pack a lunch: I thought the food court options were pretty slim.

Special thanks to Yolanda and Erin for a memorable weekend. Our Brimfield adventure wasn't all fun and laughs though, as our van broke down along the Hutchinson Parkway (a highway with no shoulder!) coming home. That was a truly scary (and exhausting) experience. But the important thing is we finally did make it home safely. Yolanda, if I ever have to go through a car losing its transmission on a highway again (hopefully never), you're my girl. What a bonding weekend!