the haystack needle

flip & tumble produce bags

I cannot wait for all the spring fruits and vegetables to make their first appearance at the farmers market. Last Saturday, it was slim pickings at our market with pretty much just the meat, cheese, and milk stands set up in the snowy park. I never go anywhere without my purple Flip & Tumble bag stashed inside my backpack, as you never know when you'll wind up needing an extra tote bag. So I was excited to see that Flip & Tumble now carries produce bags! You can skip the plastic bags for your veggies and opt for a reusable set. I love the idea of these produce bags for grocery store runs, too. I hate to use the plastic produce bags, but I also get grossed out putting my veggies in a dirty basket (and then they still have to go through the cashier at the end.) And since these bags are see-through, it will be just as easy for the cashier to identify what you're buying.

cubbie organizer

I wanted to make room in my little workspace for a vintage Elna sewing machine to come out of hiding. I'm determined to face my fear of threading the sewing machine and move onto sewing victory number two. But first I needed to clear up space — my crafting table was forever covered in supplies. I searched flea markets and junk shops for a while, but then I wound up finding my solution at Pottery Barn. My new cubbie organizer has keyholes in the back, which made it easy to mount in the wall. I love it — super functional and just my style.

african prayer mat baskets

I spotted these African prayer mat hampers (in all different colors) at the Swahili Imports booth at the Gift Show. Simply stunning. At their largest size, the baskets fall a bit short of my hips. I'd like to adopt one to stash all the clothes waiting to go to the dry cleaner (or maybe store towels in the bathroom.) These coil style baskets have been made for generations in Senegal. The modern baskets are crafted used a local grass bound with strips of plastic recycled from old prayer mats. I've never been a big fan of using wicker baskets for storage (wicker feels dusty to me with all its cracks and crevices), but I love these woven African baskets as a unique alternative basket.

more space, please

Last night, I came home feeling a little restless in our apartment. You know when you look at your space and just feel it's not quite working to its potential? We need to reshuffle some stuff around, and mostly we need more storage (story of my life.) And so the quest begins for some vertical, modular storage that lets me stash things I want to keep but am tired of seeing out and about cluttering our table, lining the top of our bookcase, or sitting in piles on the floor. My idea from last night: maybe a stack of wood crates would do the trick.

{photograph by MR + G}

tubtrug of flowers

When I was flipping through the book Simple Home yesterday (by Mark and Sally Bailey, photography by Debi Trelor), I stumbled upon this photograph. Wait a sec, I think that's a Tubtrug! If you're not familiar with Tubtrugs, they are the best rubber buckets ever invented. I have three of them in different candy colors, and I keep finding new uses for these rubber tubs. So far I've used my Tubtrugs:

+ to stash recyclable cans and bottles

+ as a party bucket filled with ice (for chilling soda, beer, and wine)

+ to soak fabrics in soda ash before tie dyeing

+ as a temporary depot for mail that's in limbo

+ to contain my large collection of tea towels and aprons

This photo makes me want a simple black Tubtrug to fill with flowers from the market. So simple and pretty.

{photograph scanned from Simple Home, photograph by Debi Trelor}

wishlist: luggage to make packing and traveling easier

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! I scooted off to Maine on Christmas Eve without a second to spare. We came THIS CLOSE to missing our flight which caused a cloud of stress to circle us for the better part of Thursday afternoon. Sure we left too late, hit too much traffic, got stuck with a cab driver who didn't know his way, and met a Delta representative who seemed to have never heard of Portland before, but I always struggle with the bags when we travel — making the path to the gate through check-in and security that much more chaotic. Here's a little wishlist of what I'd love to have on hand to make flying a little easier and more organized.

+ luggage: We have one mini bag on wheels that's too small to hold a weekend's worth of stuff for both Dan and me. I'd love one medium-size suitcase for packing both of our clothes (and not get socked with paying a checked bag fee twice.) I've fallen in love with Steamline luggage — the Editor Series Stowaway suitcase in yellow is my wish bag. Just look at that gingham lining!

+ laptop case: My current laptop case is fine for toting my Macbook to the coffee shop, but it's bulky when it comes to traveling. I'd love a sleek laptop sleeve that easily slides in and out of a bag. I've seen many cool options, including this quilt laptop case. 

+ backpack: I'm like a schoolgirl again ever since I got this backpack for my birthday (and promptly substituted a backpack for a purse when I'm running around the city during the day.) It's nice to have free hands when you're traveling. I spotted this backpack on Unruly Things — looks like the perfect bag for traveling with laptop. (I'd toss my laptop with sleeve plus cords inside the backpack and be ready to go.) 

+ carry-on bag: I have many many totes of different sizes and patterns and they all share one thing in common. I wind up feeling around the deep pocket for an excruciating 5 minutes every time I need to find something. I think Jane may have turned me onto this cool site and I love the idea of this simple (tool) bag as a travel companion to keep my passport, hand sanitizer, iPod, et al, in easy-to-grab pockets. 

+ caribiner: I've almost lost my favorite water bottle a few times in the same way. I walk with water bottle in hand, set bottle down, and then promptly forget it. I need to start traveling with a caribiner to attach my bottle to me! This wing caribiner is super cute.

We head down to DC on Friday for a friend's wedding. This time we're traveling by train. I'm hoping for smoother travels!

vintage soda crates + cheese moulds = display

I love the look of simple, boxy 3-D displays on a wall* — it feels more modern than putting everything behind glass. I've never wrapped my head around how to do a modern shadowbox, either. But hanging a couple wood soda crates or vintage cheese moulds on the wall to display a few favorite things — that's just my style.

*And I think the idea looks so lovely, without feeling like a catalog, when you use found vintage pieces rather than the laminated cube shelves you see in stores.

(images: a nook in our loft, pale and interesting, design*sponge)