Portland, Oregon: Powell's Books + Portland Art Museum

I hope you all had a merry Christmas!  

I apologize for not posting before leaving on my Christmas vacation to

PORTLAND, OREGON

(well, Kelso, Washington actually),

but life just whizzed by those last few days before I left.

Here's a quick recap of a day trip we took into downtown Portland:

We went to 

Powell's City of Books

...and I decided I want to move in. I could spend a life time perusing their shelves.

This place had not only newly published books

but hard to find VINTAGE books as well. Oh. My. Goodness.

We grabbed a quick bite at Baja Fresh:

(I know it's probably nothing special to a lot of you out there, but for us Utahans, 

it was AWESOME to have good gluten-free, dairy free food. Mmm....)

...then headed to the Portland Art Museum.  We saw some of my favorite artists, like...

Mark Rothko...

 ...& Franz Kline.

Amazing.  

There were also some artist's works that I didn't recognize but were inspiring none-the-less:

... and some pieces that were down-right creepy (in my opinion).

We couldn't tell if this installation was a real person or not. 

Since he looked like a serial killer, I avoided getting too close.

Did I mention there were Franz Klines?

Seriously, I fell in love with Portland.  

I am smitten with all the cafes, shopping, culture, the hustle and bustle, 

and you just can't beat their scenery.

Who knows, maybe the hubby and I will end up there one day?

What did you do for the holidays??

Get Cozy: Reindeer Hide Rugs

I'm sure you have seen cowhide rugs everywhere these days in modern interior design.  

I still love the organic and chic feel they give to a room but when I stumbled across some

REINDEER HIDE RUGS,

my heart skipped a beat.  

Maybe it stems from my Nordic heritage, or maybe it's the whole Rudolph thing since

Christmas is a week away, but I can't get enough of these beautiful skins.

Before you call PETA on me, know that the people of Lapland hunt wild

reindeer herds, use the meat as their food source and use their skins for clothing, blankets, rugs, etc.  

The reindeer hides I'm posting are the by-products and complete the sustainable recycling process.

Aren't those colors to die for?  

The whites, beiges, taupe greys and charcoals would fit PERFECTLY in my living room.  Just sayin'...

If Rudolph isn't you thing but you want to add the same color palette through a fur, 

why not try some naturally dark Nordic sheepskins?  

Or while you're at it, why not have a reindeer hide in one room a coordinating sheepskin in the next?

Adding either would a be great way to cozy up any space to get us through winter.

{images via Toast, Cox&Cox, Style Garage and Graham&Green}

Alice Lane's 2nd Annual Blogger Social

If it's possible to have a crush on a store, my true love would be Alice Lane.  This past week, I attended

Alice Lane's 2nd Annual Blogger Social

and had an absolute blast.

It was held in Alice Lane's beautiful showroom with good food and great company.

 Local bloggers were invited to mix, mingle, and even swap handmade gifts!

(don't mind my goofy face.  Sometimes candid shots aren't the most flattering...)

Look what I scored in the gift exchange:

 

Some of the cutest wrapping paper I have ever seen from Fifth & Hazel.

Alice Lane sent us home with a gracious gift of homemade biscuits and strawberry basil jam. 
I didn't try the biscuits, but the jam made my gluten free toast 10 MILLION times tastier.

It was so fun to visit and see all those who attended!

Thank you Alice Lane!

I had a wonderful evening.

Pink and Tiffany Blue Christmas

I stumbled across a single image of this 

PINK AND TIFFANY BLUE CHRISTMAS

on Pinterest and instantly feel head over heals.  

Call me crazy but I have a thing for non-Christmas Christmas decor and 

this home is one of the best examples I've seen!

Check out this eye candy:

Makes you want to buy some sheepskin throws and some candy colored confetti, no?

View even more amazingness at

Sitting In a Tree.

{images via Sitting in a Tree}

Brooke's Black Friday Christmas List

I survived my first G-free Thanksgiving!! 

I think I deserve something nice as a reward, don't you?  Here's a quick 

CHRISTMAS LIST

of objects I can't stop thinking about. 

1. Made By Girl Lulu Clutch

2. West Elm Mongolian Fur Pillow

3. Diane Von Furstenberg's Night Gold Tone Flatware

4. West Elm Faux Fur Throw

Maybe Santa will be extra nice to me and get me EVERYTHING
 since all the items look so great together.

My fingers are crossed!

What are you asking Santa for this year?

Did you go Black Friday shopping and did you survive?

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Only two more presents to wrap before I'm 100% ready for the big day!  You know you are an interior designer when you spend just as much time (if not more) wrapping and garnishing presents than you did selecting the actual gift.  That and all the presents you wrap are color coordinated and you hide the ones that aren't in the back far reaches under the tree.  Not that I do these things... 

I wish all my readers all the warmth this season has to offer! 

{images via Martha Stewart and weheartit, edited by Brooke Jones, Allied ASID}

Dreamin' of a Red Christmas

It's not to late to decorate! And what says Christmas more than the color red?

Don't forget to add a little rouge to your holiday attire, too!

{images via Martha Stewart, Alice Lane, Houzz, Canadian House and Home, FRG}

Sarah Richardson's Country Christmas

Remember my recent post on the fabulous Sarah Richardson?  Well, she's decorated her country home for the holidays!  Take a look at these photos from Canadian House and Home (**hint hint Santa** I'd love a subscription for Christmas!).