sprung

it is freezing here, but mother nature has other ideas.

i love that little hints of spring are popping up!

pennies from heaven

i have seen penny walls and penny floors before, but seeing this little before-and-after version on design sponge got me all fired up to make my own penny wall!  the big question is, where in the house will it go?  i'm still working on figuring that piece out, but this project is officially on the list!

visit this amazing floor next time you are in nyc!

everybody reads

right now i am reading the girl who fell from the sky, which is the multnomah county library everybody reads book this year.   the book itself is sad, but beautifully written, and is set in my north portland neighborhood in the 1980s, which is especially interesting.   i probably would have ended up reading this book anyway, but i think it is such an amazing opportunity to read it at the same time as thousands of other portlanders.  it makes me wonder about the effect heidi durrow is having on our city's collective consciousness.  interesting stuff, for sure.
have you read it yet?  

top chef portland

these ladies don't cook on the show...or do they?!

we don't have cable television, and that is usually not a huge deal (except for days like tomorrow when i won't be able to watch the oscars red carpet from the comfort of my couch- sad!).  we do, however, pay to download the occasional must-see shows, and top chef is one of those.   

so as of this week, only two chefs remain in the competition,  and it has been such fun to watch the final group compete in vancouver and whistler after most of the season was shot in texas.  

i was really excited when i heard that my fair city of portland was a frontrunner for the next season of top chef, but now it sounds like it will probably go to boston next.  oh well. either way, we'll be watching!

my top chef made me the perfect medium rare burger & yam "fries" last night- yum!

dream homes

maybe it's the cold, wet weather that has me dreaming of so-cal sun.  or perhaps i have watched too many episodes of californication, but when i saw that this past weekend was the venice modern home tour, i was really excited to look at the featured abodes.  i love seeing the insides of people's homes, even though places like these make me kinda jealous...!

rooftop deck heaven

this place was my favorite of the nine on the tour...and little kids & dogs live here!

LOL

if you don't have kids you probably wont think this is funny, but it made me laugh out loud.  during naptime.

found it here

just another reason to love gap

  

i have been a huge fan of gap, like, forever. 
i remember buying a red, oversized cardigan there in the late eighties that became a staple of my middle school wardrobe, and i have been a devoted shopper ever since.  these days, i love them for their great quality staple pieces, their amazing sales, and the fact that in their clothes i am a size 8 and a C-cup (gotta love vanity sizing!).
i also love shopping for my spawntourage at gap, and couldn't be more excited about the diane von furstenburg line that's coming out next month.  i mean seriously, my little girls each need a DVF dress, right?

 

yes, i think they do.

beautiful ambiguity

flipping through vanity fair the other day, this ad got my attention.  it is striking and beautiful, and i had no idea what it was even really selling.  come to find out, edun is a clothing company that bono and his wife ali hewson started, and a big part of it's mission is to encourage fair trade with africa.

i love this ad campaign!

orchids rule

my valentine knows that i prefer a potted orchid to cut flowers, any day. 
i'll get to enjoy these stunning blooms for weeks.
thanks, sweetie!

sweetness in seattle

i have a sweet tooth that would win medals if eating chocolate was an olympic event. 
and a couple of my most favorite treats ever hail from the fair city of seattle.  have you tried theo chocolate?  it is amazing stuff, and they have fabulous flavor combos and it is all sourced fairly without being crazy expensive.  i lust after the milk chocolate with salted almonds.  and i seriously can't believe that i haven't been to tour their factory yet- it is in the phinney ridge neighborhood, right up the street from some of our besties.
and then there is the candy bar of the gods- fran's gold bar.  it is pure heaven.  enough said.

blue belle

i love awards season- it's all about the red carpet dresses! 
there is no one that can rock blue hair like katy perry, and her ice blue lace gown is stunning.

eat cookies

i saw this in my neighborhood and i just couldn't resist bringing it home.  though i wouldn't want it sprayed on my fence, i do kinda love this graffiti.  it made me think about the creator's intention- to me, it is quirky, positive and silly.
i have a friend who is a genius when it comes to word-hybrids.  SKF, what do you think about "positiviti?"
the huff post has a nice little slide show of more "positive graffiti,"  if you need some inspiration to make your own...

fashion week

once upon a time, i was in a little runway show at my local nordstrom store, and i LOVED it!  the hair, the makeup, the racks of clothes, it is all part of a huge fantasy that i now live out by watching project runway and reading fashion mags.
did you see any of the new stuff that showed this week in NYC?  new york magazine has a good online section that is fun to look through.  so does elle.


lela rose:

 the prints, palette and classic shapes of the lela rose line were amazing.   i loved pretty much every piece!

libertine:

the unexpected sequins that adorned the libertine collection were really cool

who did you like?

sicky

i have been wallowing the past few days.  it's a full-on pity party around here.  i have a head cold that is a serious bummer, and the only thing i am fantasizing about this week is a quiet house where i can sit in bed and drink tea and read all day. 
i just wanted you to know that i have been missing my little blog.  better posts are coming soon. 
xo,
hvk

FNL

did you watch the Superbowl yesterday?  i didn't, but i did watch Friday Night Lights, does that count?  (and if you did see the superbowl, then you probably caught a glimpse of FNL's hottest commodity, taylor kitsch, as he has two new movies coming out whose trailers were both featured ads during the big game.)
anyway, i just wanted to fess up that i have been watching A LOT of friday night lights lately.  i am nearly done with season two and i just cant get enough of this show! 
i also wanted to fess up that i have googled "i love tim riggins."
seriously.

toy store dreams

i have always thought it would be fun to own a store that sold toys, shoes, clothes (new and resale, of course!) and other fun things for kids.  in our north portland neighborhood, there is a great shop called spielwerk toys, and i enjoyed reading more about the woman that owns it.  besides owning a cool shop with an amazing play area, this lady has some serious nopo pride- love her!
maybe someday we'll team up...

ok, kendall, you win!

did you hear about the woman in des moines that just gave birth to her 13 pound, 13 ounce baby boy?  she did it completely au naturel!
nice work, kendall!