A Decadent Sellwood Sunday and Secret Rooms

Yesterday, I headed into the neighborhood of Sellwood, in southeast Portland, Oregon, to spend a much-needed afternoon away with a lovely friend.  Danielle never stops short of showing me an amazing time each time I visit her neck of the woods.

You want to know about this secret room, don't you?  

Well, it all began down on the corner of SE 13th.

Danielle and I were minding our own business when we walked into the fabulous storefront,

Justin and Burks. 

Translation: massive vintage chandeliers, taxidermy at its finest, exquisite antiques, crystal, unusual sea life, and an aroma that will stop you at the table where it's burning before you continue on drooling. 

It was in that moment that I realized,

deep within me, the appreciation for the luxurious life lives.

...a life beyond chicken poop, paw prints and peanut butter faces.

I stood and stared. 

On our way out, the fabulous owner, who was wearing leopard print and drinking from a bottle of sparkling water, invited us upstairs.  "Go two doors down and up the stairs," she said.  "Everything is for sale but the books.  My son hoards them." 

Another book hoarder?  The stars had aligned.

And even though they weren't for sale, I had to see them.

Now I might just start hoarding collecting coffee table books. 

The walls of books and book shelves were stunning.

 Danielle, has been accumulating photos of her in yoga poses in the most creative of spaces.  Posing in this space couldn't be passed up!  Such a beautiful combination.

Over the next thirty minutes, we fell and fell harder in love with what I call, 

the secret rooms.

 

Justin & Burks is located at 8301 SE 13Th Avenue Portland, OR 97202,

and is ran by a mother and son.

 Make sure you ask to see the upstairs!

Thanks, Danielle!  It was the most decadent afternoon!

A DIY Vintage Button Lamp Shade

Hello!  Did you have a great Father's Day weekend?  Friday, we headed to Long Beach, Washington, to visit Husband's parents, and we stayed up talking and laughing late into the evening.  Saturday, we lounged around watching documentaries. We loved Surfwise.  Have you seen it? And yesterday, the kids and I treated Husband to coffee, Dutch Babies (family recipe here), and a garden stake sign and heart banner taped across the doorway made by the kiddos to express their ginormous love for Dad. 
It was a good, full weekend.

While Husband was taking in a Father's Day nap, I worked on a project that I've had in mind for weeks.  Remember those vintage buttons that I found?  Or the fab idea that I said I had for them? 

Finally, a project has been brought to fruition.

A DIY Vintage Button Lamp Shade

Scour flea markets and garage sales for some vintage buttons,

pick up some great lamp bases and shades--I got mine at Home Goods,

and grab your glue gun!

 

 After much consideration and no opinion lended from Husband, I settled on the green/gold/silver buttons--most of which are patina covered, with their edges worn and rusty. 

I was afraid to bring in too much color, especially since our bedding has a lot of color.

I used hot glue to adhere the buttons, and to make for a smoother side to apply the glue,

I used my metal cutters to remove any backs of the buttons that wouldn't allow them

to lay flat against the lamp shade.

Then I went to town, rotating various shades and sizes of green, gold and silver.

I am happy that I started with only one line around the base,

because that is all my collection would allow!

I was near the end of my supply.

What do you think?  I think they are a perfect accessory for my Anthro bedding.

Did you do any fun projects this weekend?

xx, Cassie

a winter {penguin} baby shower

This last weekend, I had the opportunity to host a baby shower for my sister-in-law who is due in less than a month.  Since, it's not every day that I host a party, and never had I hosted any sort of shower, I was thrilled to seek inspiration and bring to life such a party for this lovely lady.  

Since it is January, and the weather is forecasting snow all over the map, I had to capitalize on the season. 

But of course, with snow, there should be penguins!

Penguins, penguins, penguins!

ice blocks and flurries of fake snow centered the table,

with decorative penguins

and edible penguins scattered about.

Husband made these little guys.

Aren't they sweet? And him, too?

He complained when I asked him to clean the bathroom,

but jumped on making edible penguins.

He can't resist a session of creativity.

There were chocolate and vanilla cupcakes topped with fluffy cream cheese frosting

and plenty of snowflake sugar cookies, too.

This black stemware was a must,

and I have my Mom's best friend to thank.

Now, if I could only get myself a set of 12 or 18!

I'm becoming my mother...but black is SO versatile!

The candles added to the winter ambiance.

I had such a fun time making this banner.  I just loved making the tiny snowflakes and the wee little 

paper-pieced penguin in the center.

It was inspired by one of Brooklynn's children's books.

The papa penguin on the mantle is my new favorite winter friend.  I eyed him at the store for at least a couple months, and finally snatched him up for $11.99.  Unfortunately, he only had two arms for about a day.  The kids were after him like a new puppy.

I hung glistening snowflakes from the light fixture above the table

to add to the snowy theme.

When I saw these pails, I had to have them for the shower.

I searched high and low for 22 of these white Target pails.

I had three people purchase them for me, and even had help from a friend in Arizona!

Filling them was the tricky party, but I finally settled on hot cocoa and marshmallows and a couple chocolaty treats.

We played a few games, including this

icebreaker game...

I think I made a few dumb jokes about the ladies preparing to get fast and furious,

and they didn't know what to make of me.  But by the end, an icebreaker it was.

We played the 'Dirty Diaper Game'

and the 'Name that 'Baby' Song game,' where you name the song and the artist of the song with 'baby' in the title.  Oldies are perfect for livening up the group. Ice, Ice, Baby, and Hit Me Baby One More Time are sure to spur a sing-along.

And of course, we showered the honoree with plenty of gifts and love.

It was a lovely afternoon and plenty fun to host!

Maybe in another post, I'll tell you all the things I learned not to do when preparing for the big day.

xx

the best clearance I ever did shop...and purchase

A year and a half ago, Husband and I splurged on a lovely bed quilt from Anthropologie.  Because the quilt itself was a splurge, we didn't buy the rest of the set, and made do with the euro shams that I already had from another quilt set that matched pretty darn good. 

But when the heavens open, and you find the rest of your bedding set half-off at Anthro a year and a half later, there is no question in the matter. 

Now, may I present to you the Alhambra bedding set in its entirety...

and 50% of what will be wrapped under my tree...

"Spend 1001 nights warmed by fiery medallions amidst lush foliage. Decorative stitching accents and patchwork-striped shams are trimmed with tall tales and perfect patterns."

Ahhh. 

Some things are worth waiting for,

in the name of a good deal--

especially when it is this lovely.

Merry Christmas to me!

P.S. A handful of the beautiful clothbound penguin classics are on sale!

What are you hoping for this Christmas?

loves from the weekend.

the salvation army bell ringer singing jubilant Christmas carols.

the four year old Holiday Tea Party that Brooklynn enjoyed on Saturday

(it was so cute watching them steep their tea).

Asher went with a big boy friend to watch the motorcycle races, and loved every minute of it.

the kids' Christmas lists.  I hope to share soon...

my chiropractic brother's selflessness when he arrived at my door
to adjust my out-of-place-ribs-ajar back.  How kind is that?!
I was more than grateful and sent him out the door with some fudge.

did I say fudge?  Yes, I did!  And it is the most delicious Rocky Road Fudge.  Go here for the recipe.

a Sunday message on Hope and how it transforms the heart.

this digital Christmas album, originally shared on Rockstar Diaries,

and currently, hearing my children sing Christmas carols, with four and two year old perfection.

receiving the recipe for ginger pancakes!  sounds good, eh?

finally, this tree from Pistols and Cupcakes
{and yes, this blogger is just as sassy as her blog title implies!}

Love it. 

Have a merry Monday!

vintage finds and three beginner lessons on antiquing

Good Monday morning!

I hope your last weekend of August settled golden rays upon you,

and your activities were full of summer pleasure.

Saturday found me in an empty house without two busy toddlers or a husband to care for.  My family spent the day and the evening in Long Beach, while I remained home preparing cookies for a baby shower and enjoyed peace and quiet.  Well actually it wasn't that quiet.  I looked to Pandora for tunes whilst in the kitchen and phoned various friends and family members to liven my afternoon.

As you might remember if you read my last post, and for those of you who asked what I bought,

I started Saturday with an last minute remembrance and trip to the Camas Vintage Street Faire!

Boy, it couldn't have started my day off any better!  Afraid I might scare some into thinking I was there to steal ideas, I ended up leaving my camera in the car.  So, I haven't extra pictures of the Faire in general.

I'm fairly new at this vintage/antique shopping madness.  I've been a fan of Camas Antiques for some time, but this was my first 'vintage show.'  I get it.  I throw my hands in the air! 

Antique shows and vintage finds = heaven.

The booths were amazing and I believe I walked the street up and down at least four times, scanning for the perfect finds and deciding on specific purchases.  There were a few that I couldn't pass up:

Milk crates.  I've been wanting a few of these babies for a couple years now.

{Think golden glazed pumpkins adorning the shelves.}

Mom--I'll need your decorating expertise soon.  Real soon.

This lovely shelf is chipping lead paint in light pink.

When I retrieved this pick from the back of my vehicle, I was overcome

with the reality: rust stains, lead paint and MOLD!?!

Heavens.

It looked so precious in the booth, eye-level, holding various vintage treasures.

Lesson 1: Things aren't always what they appear to be.

But still, there is a vision...

{hang in Brooklynn's room for sweet things to rest...like fake cupcakes and filled jars of sorts}

This duo comes from a Mennonite farm in Hubbard, Or.

Lesson 2: The history is half the fun!

I'm not sure what you are thinking about these, maybe--I hope she didn't pay more than $10 for those...ouch.  Well prices are for only me to know.  Not you...or Husband.

Upon picking up these benches, (with the help of the neighbor boy who works for Husband)

I was once again overcome with the reality of what these pieces of wood had to offer.  It didn't help that the boy laughed, informed me of more lead paint, and told me I needed to sand and repaint.  Would Husband kill me?  "Yes," he replied.  Then I recalled a trick of the trade~

Lesson 3: Remember your vision!

because you will most likely have to explain yourself.

Because I couldn't talk the boy into visioning with me, ( he also laughed that I even had a blog, and questioned if I was too old for that?)

I retreated in my mind to the place where I met these two:

{at a picnic table covered in a burlap tablecloth, with fine place settings about the table. 

Perfect for my love affair with outside dining, which I plan to do plenty of next year.}

Moving on.

A few dainty treasures that accompanied me home:

two sweet fabric headbands for Brooklynn

a bead and ribbon bracelet. 

a fabric pin-cushion bracelet for a special quilting fanatic...

and this large, green Mason jar whose future is to hold many fresh-cut bouquets.

So there you have it.  My first real shot at vintage/antiquing. 

After all the trial and error and the lessons learned, I still had a great time.

Don't tell Husband, but I'm looking forward to the next show in September!