Sycamore Street Press: 10.2010

sound + vision: Pepper Rabbit

Pepper Rabbit is a lo-fi pop band from the City of Angels. I'm loving the two songs streaming on their myspace page, and hope to get my hands on their album when it comes out next week...

via Three Imaginary Girls

Judging from the above performance, they'd sound beautiful at a live show...

Call Out for Contributor Bloggers!

Would any of you like to contribute to the Sycamore Street Press blog?

I'm due with our baby girl in less than two weeks (which means she could actually come any day now, right?!). If anyone is interested, I'd love to have a little help with the blog in the days/weeks following her birth. Even if you just have time for a one time post -- that would be amazing!

I cover design, art, travel, interiors, music, food, fashion, lifestyle, and more on this blog, so there's quite a bit of leeway as to what you could cover in your post(s). If you are interested, please email me at eva(at)sycamorestreetpress(dot)com.

Thanks!!!

our little life: Photographing People

Bottom two photos by Ellie. Other photos by me.

I wish I had more good photos of my friends and family. But it's hard to photograph people, right? Most of the time, they don't want you to take photos of them... they protest or get all uncomfortable and awkward. They flash that fake smile or turn away. I know -- because I'm one of the worst culprits at all the above tactics. And even if I have a willing and natural acting model -- I'm just lacking skills, I suppose. Many of my photos end up out of focus, with weird lighting or shadows, from an unflattering angle, etc...

This is definitely something I want to work on and improve. Any tips? I'm all ears.

Friday Favorites

///// a few of my current favorites /////

+ the photos and styling by Little Houses on Etsy

+ my mom/grandmother/great-grandmother's homemade chicken noodle soup

+ going to the chiropractor

+ seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with our renovations

+ the Swedish Ikea blog (via Sharon McMullen)

What are some of your favorite things right now? Any fun plans for the weekend?

poppytalk contributor post: Wrapping Paper Round Up

My weekly contributor post on Poppytalk is about wrapping paper this time. Someone brought up an interesting question in the comments section: Is there a website that can make custom wrapping paper to order the way that Spoonflower does for fabric?

our place: Family Bedroom Inspiration No.2

via Lonny Magazine

More inspiration for your bedroom and mine! Great colors, cozy feel, striped sheets, family photos, iron bed frame... okay, I just really love the above bedroom.

Home of Nicolette Owens via Design*Sponge

The stag fern between the windows, the color palette, the vintage furniture...

Design by Sarah Ruffin Costello, Photographed by Paul Costello, via House & Home

Although it's too fancy for me, the colors in this room are perfect and I love all the art on the walls.

via The House That Lars Built

The colors and that wood floor...

via Lonny Magazine

The colors once again, the natural fibers rug, the striped sheets, the vintage touches...

Jason Grant via Desire to Inspire

The bright, light, casual feel...

from Anthology Magazine via Oh Joy!

The eclectic, artistic feel, the records, the colors, the chair, the rug...

Light Locations via sfgirlbybay

Great idea to hang artwork at the kid's level. (And I'm pretty sure that it's a framed piece of wrapping paper. The same one I coincidentally bookmarked with the idea of framing it for Ingrid!)

Light Locations via sfgirlbybay

That white washed wood floor and the light...


Home of Elizabeth Roberts, via Brides.com, via sfgirlbybay

I love how this last bedroom is a bit minimal, but still warm and quirky.

Quote of the Week

A friend of mine recently wrote this in an email to me, and I had to laugh because I realized I'm the same way.

our place: Family Bedroom Inspiration No.1

When we got married, I requested a pink bedroom. Kirk obliged. Last year, we moved into a spare room at my parents' house, which was even pinker and girlier than our previous bedrooms. I'm talking hot pink bed nooks, fancy floral prints on the wall, and frilly bright pink and green curtains and valances all around.

So when we started turning my parents' basement into a live/work space for ourselves, along with all the renovating and re-decorating that requires, Kirk made a request: no more pink. Not that we couldn't have any pink at all... just that it wouldn't be a dominant color.

Fine by me! After 6 years of a pink bedroom, I'm ready for a change, too. I created a mood board inspired by the colors I see in the summer landscape on the hill where we live: the bright blue sky, the moss green of juniper trees, the golden yellow of long wild grasses, the warm brown of the dirt road and the washed-out beige of papery tree trunks. They're similar colors to the beautiful watercolor by Anna Emilia above -- only warm/pale browns and wood tones instead of cool grays and blacks.

It's not as if I'm going to go out and buy everything below... I'll use what I can of what I already have and try to find some things second hand as well. But this mood board serves as a good jumping off point.... I'm so excited to see how it turns out!

Clockwise from top left: bedding via Martha Stewart, Leran pendant lamp by Ikea, ombré rug by CB2, ticking stripe flannel bedding by L.L.Bean, velvet pintuck pillow by Urban Outfitters, cirrus rug by CB2, Sniglar changing table by Ikea, Sniglar crib by Ikea, and birdcage jewelry stand by Urban Outfitters.

our place: Bedroom & Workshop In Process

Imagine that the above nooks have built in platforms with mattresses sitting on top. They were the cozy beds that my sister and I dreamed of ever since we saw Mr. and Mrs. Claus' bed nook in Santa Claus the Movie. Now imagine Kirk taking a sledgehammer and saw to those beautiful nooks....

Yes, it was a sad day. But it had to be done. Kirk and I will be sharing this bedroom with Ingrid. In order to carve out a space for her, we decided to take out the bed platform on the left where we'll put her crib, changing table, etc... We'll hang a curtain across the opening, and -- voila! -- a room within a room.

As for the bed nook on the right... the future workshop/kitchen is on the other side of that wall. By taking out the platform, we could put in a door and move between the two spaces without having to walk outside or through the garage.

And here's the workshop. The wall on the left is where the kitchen will be. We're actually quite a bit further along than this shot shows... more photos soon.

3 weeks 'til the due date! I'm getting very antsy to finish this up and get moved in...

Friday Favorites

///// A few of my current favorites /////

+ family heirlooms (the needlepoint map and 19th century documents pictured above belong to one of my mom's good friends)

+ You Don't Own Me

+ our hospital cafeteria (Sounds weird, but it's honestly really good. I'm actually looking forward to my hospital stay so that I can eat their food for every meal.)

+ this adorable, stylish Swedish blog (thanks Michéle for the tip!)

+ the Chilean miners

+ Covet Magazine (via sfgirlbybay)

+ Trololo makes me smile (via my little brother)

poppytalk contributor post: Halloween Party Decor

Martha Stewart

I had fun looking for ideas of Halloween party decor. Not that I'm actually throwing one, or ever have for that matter.
But a girl can dream...

See the whole post over on Poppytalk.

at the table: Why I Could Never be Vegan

Does anyone else out there have a thing for cheese?

Except for a weird aversion to the stuff during the first trimester of my pregnancy, I've always had a love for cheese. When I was a kid, I'd even devour those fake slices sandwiched between plastic or the foamy kind you squeeze out of a can.

I've definitely become pickier as an adult. I don't like that American style of Mexican food where everything is swimming in globs of mild cheddar, for example. And I don't like anything labeled "cheese food". But I still love some good cheese. Brie, romano, jarlsberg, and feta are some of my staples. I wish I had the budget and access to buy small nibbles of all different kinds on a regular basis: gjetost, chevre, havarti with dill, aged gouda, etc... Working in a gourmet cheese shop would be amazing!

That being said, I've been cutting down on my cheese intake lately for health reasons. Oh - the things you do for a baby! But a little bit here and there doesn't hurt, right?

All images by Katie Quinn Davies. That top one is so beautiful... it looks like an old Dutch painting, don't you think?

looking lovely: Laura Resen Photography

Last week, I posted a photo by Laura Resen in my living room inspiration post. Out of curiosity, I decided to look through all the images from her website, and wow... She's had access to some amazing interiors, and her photographs are able to capture that (which is no small feat.)

our little life: A Shower for Ingrid

My friends Amanda, Kristin, and Stephanie threw me and Ingrid a fantastic baby shower the other day. It was so great having an excuse to get together with a bunch of girlfriends. We chatted, ate lots of milk and cookies, and then I got to open presents for the little one while everyone decorated little onesies for her.

Even a couple of Ingrid's future boyfriends crashed the party...

This will make a great welcoming banner for our little girl when we bring her home from the hospital, don't you think?

I wish I had a shot of this entire room so you could get the full effect. These ladies did such a great job! (But I just rushed around and shot a few quick photos... wish I would have planned that better. I do think my friend Nic took a few for me with my camera, though...because I obviously didn't take that one of myself. Thanks Nic!)

Thanks so much to everyone who came and/or was involved with putting together this little shindig!
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So -- I was actually lucky enough to have 2 showers for Ingrid! (I feel almost sheepish admitting this... and I definitely feel spoiled.) The other one was for family and family friends, and was put on by my mom's friend Renee with help from my mom, aunt, and granny. Although I can't show you photos of it just yet, I wanted to say thank you to everyone who helped and came to that shower, too!

All around, I've just felt so happy and overwhelmed by the love everyone is showing for this new addition to our family... and she's not even here yet!
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Also, I used a random number generator to choose a winner for the giveaway of Jen's print. Congrats to Karla of Zapol Designs! (email me at eva at sycamorestreetpress dot com). Thanks to everyone who participated!

poppytalk contributor post: The Cadillacs of Letterpress


The Arm

I've got Vandercooks on the brain.

For pretty photos and some handy information on these letterpresses, see my latest post over on Poppytalk.
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I hope you all had a lovely weekend! Although Friday ended up being a bad day for me, Saturday and Sunday made up for it. We made some good progress on the reno, relaxed with a couple of romantic comedies, got teary eyed while the children at church sang in their annual program, hung out with family, and ate some delicious food (calzones and trifle).

What did you do over the weekend?

Friday Favorites

///// a few of my current favorites /////

+ the details of a construction site

+ the striped top my parents brought back for me from a recent trip

+ Ingrid's baby showers! (more on this later)

+ fall weather is finally here

+ double chocolate zucchini cupcakes

+ turning 31!

our place: Living Room Inspiration

Photographed by Laura Resen for Domino Magazine

This is my favorite living room ever. I first saw it in Domino Magazine years ago and tore it out for my old-school tear sheet binder. What do I love? The white & wood color scheme with pops of color (mainly red), the rustic beams, the casually slip-covered couch with its varied pillows, the ethnic rug, the sheepskin, the books and artwork covering the walls, the red pouf, the and the fantastic light.... the only things I would add are more green plants and a TV.

Apartment Therapy

I do also love pops of yellow! But I think we'll be doing that in the bedroom.

Apartment Therapy

I'm on the lookout for affordable poufs. (Our space is too small for a coffee table, and we love to put our feet up on something soft.) This is also another example of a simple throw instead of a traditional slipcover. But I still think I'd like it to be white...