looking lovely ///// Virginia Pearson's Photographs

Beautiful, light-filled photographs by Virginia Pearson. See more here...

our little life ///// Ingrid's Many Faces

Click on Ingrid's face to see it alternate between a bunch of different expressions. :)
(If anyone knows how to make it move without having to click on it, please let me know. Thanks!)

looking lovely ///// DIY Garlands

image by Creature Comforts (who got the idea from Lovely Indeed)

What a great idea to make banners spell out a saying, phrase, or lyrics to a song!

image by Simply Radiant (who got the idea from Katie Did)

image by Lovely Indeed (via Creature Comforts)

our little life ///// The Light In My Grandparents' Apartment

 

My grandparents moved to an apartment in downtown Salt Lake City several years ago. It's in a great mid-century building with expansive windows -- the light and the views are amazing.

Where do you want to retire? In the country? The city? On the road in a motorhome?

looking lovely ///// Dining Room Inspiration

lonny magazine via sfgirlbybay

While I love our new space, I do miss having a proper table for eating. We just have room for stools pulled up to the kitchen island, but one day I'd love to have a room like one of these...

roman & williams via Miss Moss

no photo credit via Pinterest via baltares via Poppytalk

Superette via Remodelista

The Selby via Mint

sound + vision ///// Lovely Lullabies

I made a mix for February! It's full of love songs (I'm sorry, I just had to).
They're all very soft and pretty and could probably help you go to sleep.

1. Jet Ski Accidents ///// Blow
2. Half of You ///// Cat Power
3. Each Coming Night ///// Iron & Wine
4. Rest Your Eyes ///// Azure Ray
5. Cet Air La ///// April March
6. Say Yes ///// Elliott Smith
7. I'll Be Your Bird ///// M. Ward
8. Northern Sky ///// Nick Drake

You can listen to it here.

our little life ///// Ingrid's Birth Story, Part 4

(Find the rest of Ingrid's Birth Story here: Part 1 ///// Part 2 ///// Part 3) 

I was getting pretty far along at this point, so Danielle suggested I get into a warm bath. I laid on my side in the tub with a wet towel over me. It felt nice and relaxing. I was so exhausted at this point that I actually fell asleep a couple of times in the one minute break between contractions! But the contraction themselves were getting more intense. Up to this point, I had only breathed deeply and spoken one-word commands to Kirk, like "push!", "right!", "down!", etc... But with each of the last few contractions in the tub, a low groan came out of my mouth. Finally, I couldn't lay in the tub anymore. I needed to get up.

Mr. Crispy was Kirk's high school punk band. His sister Kari made this onesie for Ingrid.

Throughout my labor, Robyn and Danielle would come in to check on me periodically. They were always available just outside the door, but they let us have our privacy. I appreciated this. Labor took so much of my concentration and focus that I didn't want any distractions. The fewer people the better. I know some women want a whole support group in the room with them as they go through labor. I only wanted Kirk. No one else. But I didn't want Kirk to leave me for a minute. Even when he stepped outside the door for a few seconds to tell Danielle that I was ready to push seemed like an eternity. I remember thinking that he must be hungry, but I couldn't bare the thought of him leaving to go get food. Luckily for me, he didn't.

Now I was entering the pushing phase of labor, and I was glad for Robyn and Danielle to be there, too, with their expertise. They told me to start pushing on the toilet. My bag of waters was still intact at this point, so Danielle used something that looked like a crochet hook to break it. (Very convenient for that to happen while I was sitting on the toilet, don't you think?) Just a few minutes later, they told me I needed to walk back into the room and sit on the birthing stool. At that point, it seemed like a monumental task to have to walk from the toilet into the room, around the bed, and over to the stool. But Robyn and Danielle each took an arm and guided me there.

Let me just say that at this point, my hospital gown was long gone. If you know me, then you know that I am a shy person when it comes to nudity. I'm the one who changes clothes in the bathroom stall instead of next to my locker at the gym. So, for me to be 9 months pregnant, stark naked, and crouching on a stool in front of my nurse and midwife -- well, it's just funny. But at that point, I didn't care at all. It was the least of my worries. I just wanted to get my baby out!

As you can see in this pic, Ingrid had "Queen Elizabeth hair", so last week, I buzzed it.

I wanted her out so badly that I pushed and pushed and pushed. I kept pushing even when the urge subsided. Kirk later told me that he could feel every muscle in my body harden and strain. I pushed so hard that I began tearing fairly quickly. Robyn and Danielle had been putting warm compresses on me and doing all that they could to keep this from happening, but they couldn't stop me from pushing so hard. They moved me into the bed and had me lay on my back to try and keep the tearing from going too far. As Ingrid began crowning, Danielle had me reach down and feel the top of Ingrid's head. It was almost unbelievable to think that after 9 months, she was finally so close to coming out. Then Danielle asked me to slow down so that she could help stretch out my skin. I tried for about 2 seconds, but couldn't bare it. I had to push. She was worried that I would tear all the way, so she asked me if she could do a small episiotomy. As soon as she made the snip, I pushed again, and Ingrid came spiraling out into Kirk's hands.



Kirk laid Ingrid on my chest, and I distinctly remember the feel of her tiny, wet behind cupped in my right hand. It felt so surreal. "There's a baby on me!" I said in a daze. Kirk leaned over us and kissed us both, tears streaming down his face. That state of euphoria that people talk about so often in the moments following birth? To be honest, I don't think I really felt it. Yes, I was relived that labor was over, and yes, I was happy to have my little girl in my arms. But I had lost a lot of blood, I was still in pain, and I think I was in shock. I did see it in Kirk's face, though. I'll never forget how full of love and joy he looked at that moment.

Throughout my 12 hour labor, I had never complained or said anything negative. But now that I had the prize in my arms, I no longer felt that intense focus and determination. I winced as they stitched me up, and complained about the pain in my back (which was caused by the placenta that was still inside me). Once the placenta came out, I felt real relief. Kirk cut the cord, they cleaned Ingrid up a bit, then put her back on my chest and covered us in warm blankets. She latched on soon after, and I nursed her for the first time.

For the next several hours, Kirk and I held our little Ingrid and tried to take it all in. We were completely captivated by her. We felt no need to read, watch TV, or do anything for entertainment other than stare at our beautiful baby. If I had been in shock at first, that feeling had worn off and been replaced by a tired, but deep happiness. I knew that I would do anything for Ingrid, and that Kirk felt the same way.

We finally got to hold our baby in our arms, and it was the best feeling in the world.

Ingrid May Jorgensen.
Born November 16, 2010
8 lbs 9 oz, 20 in

Find the rest of Ingrid's Birth Story here: Part 1 ///// Part 2 ///// Part 3

style snapshot ///// Color For Your Phone

The iPhone finally came to Verizon! Kirk surprised me by ordering one for me. I tend to hold on to cell phones forever, so the one I had was kind of a dinosaur.

Anyways, I've been looking at cases to protect my new fangled contraption, and although I settled on something else, I'm still loving these colorful handmade iPhone cases from Virginia Johnson.

our place ///// Bedroom Shelves

We moved into our place the week before Ingrid was born. She's 3 months old now. And for 3 months, the boxes, unfinished renovation projects, and general mess have remained unchanged. It's been driving me crazy.

But in the past couple of weeks -- thanks to the babysitting skills of Ingrid's two grandmas -- we've finally found a little time to start working on our space again. What a relief!

Here's the first thing we tackled: hanging brackets and shelves in our bedroom. The top photo is from Ingrid's nook, and the photo below is from the nook leading to our workshop. I think we've actually done a pretty good job of sticking to the feel from my inspiration board!

See more of our bedroom here, here, here, and here.

Five Passed Down Favorites ///// dahlhaus

Hi there!  It's Heather from dahlhaus with five 'passed down' favorites from around my home in Vancouver, Canada.  We've all received and given away 'hand-me-downs' before.  Well I seem to have a house full of 'passed down' items that have made my home, well, more homey.  It can be sort of a mixed blessing to get someone's old love seat or painting.  On the one hand it might not have been quite what I would have chosen new, but sometimes it has just the right amount of character and good bones to keep around for a while.  Not only have older things stood the test of time, but occasionally I've been given things that have more of an 'heirloom' quality to them, something I can to pass on to my boys.

My grandpa was a hobby painter and a few years ago I was fortunate enough to get a few paintings of his.  While he's still around (he's 93), I'll be cherishing his art for years to come. 

 I know a lot of people who would gladly pass along old art supplies knowing someone might actually use them.  I recently got 3 boxes (the ones on the dresser above) of painting supplies from a deceased grandmother and her mother of a friend.  While not all the paints were in great shape, some of the tools and brushes will certainly come in handy for me or even my kids.  Plus the vintage hole punch and rulers were a little bonus!

I have recently started collecting wedding photographs of my family to put in some vintage frames I found at the thrift store.  Photographs are such a great way to make a house a home- way too often they sit in a photo album or stay in storage and we forget to enjoy them. And these days it's easier than ever to make digital copies, enlargements, or even just multiple copies for originals that might be too fragile or rare.

 I've been fortunate enough to come from a musical family.  All of the instruments I played when I grew up were passed down to me from someone else in the family.  Sometimes they needed new strings and a little TLC from an instrument restorer, but the cost of a new instrument would have been a lot more.  This violin was found in the attic of my mother-in-law's house after the family had opened its doors for a homeless man to live there.  The violin was in really rough shape when I first saw it, but it had an amazing tone and so I researched it's background online.  When you look through the f holes (the f shaped holes on either side of the strings) you can read the inscription of who made it, when and where.  I know all instruments would be different, but for violins, if it was made in Europe, you've probably got a fairly good instrument to work with!

Ok, kitty aside, we've gotten a whole lotta records passed down to us over the past few years.  After investing in a great record player, other people started hearing that we were collecting records.  It's amazing how many boxes of records we've sifted through from people who just had them taking up space in their garage.  We still buy new records at our local record shop, but all the oldies have been inherited from other people's collections.  Yes, storage can get out of hand, and the records we don't want end up at record swaps or thrift stores, but we've found some real gems in the process.  And I hear that 'record clubs' are the new 'book clubs'!

So there are my five favorite 'passed down' things.  While I certainly don't keep everything that comes my way, it's been really great to have things around me from people I know, just as it's great to know the people who make the things we buy.  That's what I think can be so inspiring about the hand-made online community- making personal connections to the people behind the objects we fill our homes with, both new and old.

our little life ///// Ingrid's Birth Story, Part 3

(Find the rest of Ingrid's Birth Story here: Part 1 ///// Part 2 ///// Part 4)

Ingrid may be my first baby, but I'd been in labor before. It's intense. It requires all of my concentration, and it tires me out. Contrary to what I heard in my hypnobirthing class, it hurts. But it's not scary, I've learned that I can get through it, and it's so worth it.

When I woke up at 2:30AM on November 16th 2010, I knew right away that I was in labor. For a second, I had the noble thought of letting Kirk sleep for awhile longer as I dealt with these early contractions. Only for a second, though. I woke Kirk up and had him massage my lower back as the next contraction came. Then I tried a warm bath for a while, but this seemed to slow contractions down. Although enticing, I knew that it would all be over faster if I just got on with things. So I got out of the bath and started walking in circles around our kitchen island. Each time a contraction came, I would drape my arms around Kirk's neck, and again he would massage my lower back until the contraction stopped.

Danielle (my midwife) had given us her cell phone number and told us to call when labor began. She sounded so groggy on the phone that we felt kinda bad. But it was so reassuring to be able to communicate directly with her that Kirk called her every couple of hours with an update and request for instructions. Finally, at around 8 in the morning, when my contractions were consistently 2-3 minutes apart, she gave us the green light to go to the hospital. I managed to shower and dress and grab a bagel for the road. We live downstairs from my parents, and as I was getting into the car, my dad happened to look out the window. He snapped a quick photo on his phone as I was looking up at him. He showed it to me later, and I look exhausted. Content, but exhausted.

It's a 30 minute car ride to the hospital from our house. Every time a contraction came, I came so close to demanding that Kirk stop the car. He told me later that he really wanted to stop the car, too. But neither of us said a word.

When we arrived at the hospital, we just walked right in and up to the labor and delivery unit (albeit at an excruciatingly slow pace). Robyn, our delivery nurse, introduced herself, and showed us into our room. She handed me a hospital gown and then left the room to let me get changed. I was grateful for the privacy. When she returned, she hooked me up to some equipment to run a few short tests, checked to see how far dilated I was, and that was it. She suggested I take a walk and that she'd just need to monitor Ingrid's heart rate every so often.

I tried walking back and forth across the room, but that didn't last long. At this point, I was having extra long contractions -- 2-3 minutes each -- and walking was too much effort. Danielle had arrived by now, and she had me sit on a labor ball (aka an exercise ball) and rotate my hips whenever a contraction started. This ended up being my favorite way to get through the labor pains. I'd sit there on the ball with my arms and head leaning on the hospital bed. Kirk would sit behind me and massage or push against my lower back until it was over. (He later told me he could feel my bones moving.) I'd breathe deeply, and think about something pleasant. Sometimes I'd pray intensely and think about baby Ingrid and how this was all worth it. Other times, I'd picture myself on the warm, sandy stretch of beach that I lived near as a child. Anything to get my mind off of things and try to get my body to relax. At one point, I said to Kirk, "I feel tempted...", but didn't finish the sentence. We both knew that I was talking about getting an epidural. But I had decided many months ago that I wanted to do this naturally, so I didn't bring it up again.

After laboring on the ball for quite a while, I was still having double contractions. Danielle said it was because Ingrid was coming down to the side, and my body was trying to move her into the middle. To help it along, she suggested I lay down on my stomach with one knee up, one arm in front, and one arm in back. Then she told me to stay in that position for the duration of 5 contractions. My 9 months pregnant belly was so huge, I didn't know how I would manage it. And I'll be honest -- it was pretty awful. I was extremely uncomfortable even when not in a contraction... and during a contraction I just felt so helpless and like there was nothing I could do to ease the intensity. But it worked! The second that 5th contraction stopped, I got right up and back onto the labor ball. Now I was having normal 1 minute contractions. And let me tell you, the difference between one and two minutes can be huge.

Part 4 coming soon...

Find the rest of Ingrid's Birth Story here: Part 1 ///// Part 2 ///// Part 4

giveaway ///// Malinovka Wins!

I used a random number finder to pick out the winner for the giveaway, and Malinovka is the one! Congrats! Please email me at eva(at)sycamorestreetpress(dot)com to get your $75 in store credit.

Thank you so much to everyone who participated! I really appreciate all your thoughtful feedback. I will definitely be taking it into consideration as I move forward with the blog. And thank you to everyone who has commented or just stopped by... I'm so grateful for each of you.

Five Mountain Favorites ///// dahlhaus

Hi There! It's Heather from dahlhaus with Five Mountain Favorites!  I'm surrounded by mountains here in Vancouver and am off to spend some time skiing, snowboarding and hiking in the mountains with my family! As a bit of inspiration, I thought it would be great to find ways to bring the mountains inside!

The 'Keep Calm and Carry On' trend has been going on for a little while, but I love how the Keep Calm Shop on Etsy makes the poster more specific.  Hiking in the mountains is one of my favorite ways to get in shape and this poster would really remind me to get out a little more often!

These Little Red Stuga Mountain bean bags look like a lot of fun!  Sized accordingly, Mount Everest, Kilamanjaro, and Fuji would make a great reading spot for kids of all ages.

 While I loved Fine Little Day's Mountains Wallpaper, I'd be quite thrilled to have a Mountains Tea Towel around my kitchen.

This original collage called Passage by Selflesh really caught my eye with the cross-stitched mountain.  Also available as a print on Little Paper Planes!

Jeremy Miranda's paintings have recently become a favorite of mine and his Iceberg series along with his lit Greenhouse series are becoming tough to choose between.  There's something so ominous and lovely about the white mountainous shapes reflected in the water.

our little life ///// Ingrid's Birth Story, Part 2

I felt sick day and night during the first trimester. I think it was my body's way of making me eat in a super healthy way for the growing baby inside me. Anything sugary, oily, fatty, creamy, cheesy or meaty made me feel worse. I lived off of grains, fresh fruit, and broth based soups. I needed at least 10 hours of sleep at night to feel halfway decent. At work, I would have to take breaks from the computer and just lay down on the floor. I'd slog through my work, wishing I could just lay on the couch day after day after day...

During the second trimester, I felt pretty fantastic. The timing was perfect -- it fell during the summer when we did all our traveling for our show circuit. New York City, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego... We made it home for my 20 week ultrasound, and found out that we would be having Ingrid (and not Lars). I began showing -- but a lot of people just thought I was fat. (Isn't that an awkward phase?) During this time, I started feeling Ingrid kick... and a lot! I loved her little movements inside me. Each week they grew stronger and stronger.

By the time I hit my third trimester, there was no question of my looking pregnant. I have a short torso, so my belly just stuck straight out. On top of that, I began retaining water. I couldn't wear socks without my feet swelling up like water balloons. My wedding rings no longer fit, and neither did a lot of my maternity clothes. I began having frequent Braxton-Hicks contractions. Nights were horrible. My weird body pillow didn't help much anymore. I had to sleep on the couch, pillows wedged everywhere. I'd spend 10 minutes getting into a perfect position, then have to get up 30 minutes later to go to the bathroom or turn over because my hip hurt. During this time, we were hard at work renovating our new live/work space and getting ready to move our studio. My lumbering body was too big and awkward to allow me to help out much. Instead, I was the fat overseer barking orders to Kirk and our poor family members and friends. (They all deserve medals.)

40 weeks came and went. My stretch marks were spreading larger by the day. My feet were growing puffier by the hour. Ingrid had to come out. I went in to get visit my midwife (Danielle Demeter) and get some tests run when I was 8 days overdue. We had an ultrasound to check things out. The technician estimated that Ingrid would weigh 8 lbs 9 oz. I commented that if she was that big, she must be running out of room in there. The tech replied that actually, my body had done a great job making room and fluid for her to move around in (in other words, my belly was gigantic). No wonder Ingrid was in no hurry.

Danielle decided to sweep my membranes to see if that would help move things along. That night, Kirk and I watched a silly movie to get our minds off of things (Days of Thunder) and drifted off to sleep. I woke up 2 hours later, and I was in labor.

Find the rest of Ingrid's Birth Story here: Part 1 ///// Part 3 ///// Part 4
 

sycamore street press ///// Find Us In Anthropologie

Both images by Anthropologie via The Decorologist

I've been dying to share this with you for the past couple of months!!! Now our cards are actually on the shelves, so I can let the cat out of the bag. Find our Hello Fox card and our Merci Beaucoup Frenchie card at any Anthropologie shop.