I love fabric

I love fabric and I always think others should too!
Sooooo.....here are some shots of why I love fabric:

they make great pillows like these

and it is an easy pick-me-up and way less calories than ice cream! (your thighs will thank-you!)

so let's start getting rid of our beige..

so how about taking this bedspread from urbanoutfitters.com and making the medallion in the middle into 1 pillow while putting these pillows next to it:

just a little re-make and re-purpose...I think it's going to be adorable!

Caitlin Creer Interiors: to market, to market

Caitlin Creer Interiors: to market, to market

LOVE in the U.S.A

Summer is my FAVORITE time of year! lemonade stands, cookies, popsicles and did somebody say cocktails? All that and the love of red/white and blue!

could just jump right in...

can you believe its all from IKEA

PILLOW TALK!

[image by 6th street design]

I want you all to read this post about how to arrange pillows. Because your pillows matter, people.

Spotlight On Tag Home

Spotlight On Tag Home

I'm in LOVE

I live in Southern California and for a quick couples get-away it seems we usually go to the Bay Area. Don't get me wrong...many a people have left their hearts in San Francisco! However, I think I have officially left mine in Portland Oregon!

Our trip started with an amazing stay at the HEATHMAN hotel right in the heart of Portland. Besides the cozy and very quiet rooms, my favorite thing about the Heathman was that it was within walking distance of everything!!!

Right next door was a store called the HABADASHERY where you buy the best men's hats around....except many women are also clientele (like myself) and it summond me of course so I just had to go inside and browse!

So....what do you think of my choice?

The blocks are all smaller blocks, so when the map says 10 blocks, its as if that means 10 stores! So walking is a must in that town! The more you walk, the deeper my mad love grew for Portland! As I walked on, I ran into a store called Powell's book store.

Powell's is located on the entire block! They carry used books as well as new ones! I mean I could have spent the entire day in here! (mainly because it's like a maze getting out!) You can read yourself silly in this place. They also have a coffee/pastry/goodies area in the way way back corner of the store! No need to ever leave!

Next it was on to the food carts! This part was the best idea I have ever seen! How many times have you said, "we should open a restaurant?" but never really could because of the expense? Well, Portland has solved this with a row of trailers all stacked next to each other called food carts that all open for lunchtime! SO, What does one do when one stumbles upon these at lunch time? You eat at the one that has the longest line of course!!!!!! So we settled on this one:

NONG'S KHAO MAN GAI

In an increasingly competitive scene, that's what the best carts produce: not just good food, but something worthy of obsession. And no cart better summons the beast within than Nong's, which opened in late spring.

"Nong" Poon Sukwattana Narumol works in the style of a Bangkok vendor: staking her reputation on one dish. Her labor-intensive khao man gai (pronounced "kow mon guy") could bring a picky Thai grandma to her knees.

Each serving is a ritualistic pleasure and a steal at $6.50. On a square of white butcher paper, Nong first unmolds a heap of superior rice, cooked with giant knobs of ginger and footlong, vanilla-esque panadaus leaves. Each grain is flavor rich and moist. She adds rough-cut chicken slow-poached until succulent as a peach, plus cucumbers and cilantro, then bundles it all into a package bound with a rubber band. As is Thai custom, a delicate broth comes on the side to wash it all back, to keep the throat moist. But the stairway to heaven is the sauce: a deep thrash of fresh ginger, Thai chiles, fermented soybeans and Nong's cane sugar syrup.

This colorful cart looks right off the Bangkok streets, with hanging baby bananas, a Buddha shrine and imported Asian drinks (don't miss the sweet-creamy Palm Juice). But the infectiously bubbly Nong, 29, is clearly a Portlander now: her spot-on made-to-order Thai iced coffee is fashioned from Stumptown beans.

(Southwest Alder Street between 10th and 11th avenues; 10 a.m. until sold out Monday-Friday, 971-255-3480; khaomangai.com)

Yum Yum is all I'll say about that experience!

Next I'll be posting about Portland shopping, the pearl district and of course, MORE Great Portland food!

TTFN! (ta-ta-for-now)

Pick-Me-Up

Besides melting away lately in this heat, I could use a little pick-me-up. Soooo after a cold ginger beer with gin and a few limes I'm good! But at this rate I could use a little more to pick-me up! Soooooo I decided to go to my swatch library and make something!


My daughter has been wanting a little room re-do and so....
we made some very cute pillows to add to her bed:



and I found 2 new quilts at HOMEGOODS


and a cute little foot stool as well to sit on while playing american girl dolls

I know it was a pick-me-up for my daughter, but it helps me out a lot when she is happy! (did I mention the ginger beer gin and lime drink?)

Happy Day!
Kellie

Hi, I'm Kellie and I am obsessed with pillows! Hi Kellie, (I couldn't resist!)

My obsession with pillows has gotten so bad that I can't even walk into a room without fixing the pillows on someones couch or chair or heaven forbid their bedroom! And forget about trying to refrain myself from exclaiming to whomever is around that "this pillow situation is just not working people," is nothing short of a huge accomplishment for me! In fact, when people ask me, "What do you think"? My husband just hangs is head low and says, "Oh no, here it comes"!


You see, bad pillows and bad pillow placement and too little pillows and fake fuzzy stuffing and and and and.....the list goes on! Which is why I probably started a pillow company early on. To rid the world of improper pillows and establish pillow harmony in one's personal space. Wow! I am sort of sounding like I could be a pillow superhero or something. (Not that I'd want to, I'm just saying, in case there were to be a superhero proper pillow person, I would perhaps apply...perhaps) So are you empathizing now with my husband when I get asked the question, "What do you think?"
Never fear ye pillow listeners....I have made rules that I would hope you would all love to follow. So here goes:

1. NEVER EVER EVER and I mean EVER use the small insignificant matching pillows that come with your couch...EVER! in fact if you still have those pillows on your couch at this moment, kindly take them next door so your neighbor can sell them at their garage sale this weekend or donate them to the trash. I dispise those little pillows so much that when I have couches and chairs made for my clients, I won't even let then make those small matchy matchy pillows for them...ever!

2. Please use the proper amount of pillows:
I never understand why people only will have 1 or 2 pillows on their couch or sectionals...or bad satin ones on your bed filled with poly fiber? This really saddens my heart! I mean other things sadden my heart but this is definately up there! If you have a couch you should have at least 3-5 pillows on them as we speak! Not 2 not 1, 3-5! if you have a sectional then you need to have 5-7 (7 being my preference) on them! And if your chair is sitting all alone, you must, and I repeat, MUST put a pillow on it!!! For your bed, I think a person should have 3 Euro shams on the back of their bed if you have a king and 2 for queen/fulls and 1 for a twin. In front of those Euro Shams should be at least 2 pillows of 1 pattern and 1 of another for the king and queens and for a twin 1 more 22' pillow in front of the euro sham. This way the beds all look cozy and loved!

see how there are the 3 Euro shams in the back with 3 pillows in front? I LIKE!

3. Here is a hard one for people to grasp: You must have at least 3 of the pillows on your couch and 5 of the pillows on your sectional be in some sort of eco-friendly down and not that fuzzy little stuff you used to use to stuff a 2nd grade home economic project with.

4. PLEASE what ever you do, Do not buy pillows smaller than 22x22 inches unless there are at least 3-5 on your couch or sectional or bed. It only makes your look seem as if it's missing out on friends! I do like smaller pillows though, and rectangle ones....but not as stand alone ones. They look better with their larger counterparts!

5. You can buy pillows online or any store if you remember some of these simple rules. If you can't find the pillows you are looking for then try searching for fabrics online or at a fabric store for something that feels special to you and have them made if you don't want to attempt them yourself. For a seamstress, try craig's list or ask your dry cleaners. They are usually willing to do that for you at a very small fee.

6. Breathe! You can do it!

Dwelling Bliss!

Dwelling Bliss! Sort of like design heaven! Can't you just smell the freshly washed linen sheets as you slip your body under them? or maybe its that crisp white down filled comforter in a white linen duvet cover? Or those body form pillows you are about to snuggle into. MMMmmmm just getting sleepy thinking about them.

Your bedroom....your sanctuary, your dwelling place. It is always the last room that you seem to always focus on. Why is that? I feel that it is a reflection of neglect that you are projecting onto your poor little bedroom! It should be the first place to start! Afterall, you need to take care of you and you starts in the sanctity of you're own personal private space.

Let's start at the very beginning (a very good place to start ....I couldn't resist!) What kind of duvet do you have for the summer? If it has some crazy pattern on it or you are still using what's called a "comforter" from college....PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD....TOSS IT and get yourself a down alternative comforter or eco-friendly one.

Next comes the duvet cover . If you don't know how to pick out a duvet cover, Let's just start with plain white! You can buy them online anywhere from West Elm to IKEA. White is the perfect base to build your new bedroom wardrobe upon. If white is not your fancy then anything neutral will do! Next, I like to add a bedskirt in a natural linen color or plain white. If this is getting a little to plain for you, PILLOWS are what's next!

Pillows, Don't even get me started on pillows! I adore pillows and can guess that is why I have a line of pillows myself! Rules of pillows go as follows:

1. Pillows must be at least 22x22 large on bed and filled with eco-friendly down or a down alternative. You must have a total of at least 3 decorative pillows on your bed PLUS 3 EURO sham pillows in the back. On a queen or full bed, 2 Euro sham pillows in the back and 3 decorative pillows in the front. Like maybe 2 of these from redefinehomestore.com

then add 1 more of these:

in the middle of them!

You will find that you can now facebook your friends on your new dwelling blissful space!

Oh Happy Day!