Seattle Archives - Page 11 of 20

It’s About Time

March 19, 2009 By Paola 1 Comment

FINALLY I get to pick some daffs out of the garden. It’s been a long, cold winter here in Seattle.

Sabotage – or You Just Died and Went to Cupcake Heaven

March 18, 2009 By Paola 13 Comments

I’m back doing Weightwatchers and getting back on the Wii Fit again as, due to extreme laziness, I haven’t lost any weight since I posted this.

This has of course led to every blog I read to enter into a conspiracy to see who can post up the most enticing/intriguing pictures of cupcakes they can find.

So, in a spirit of ‘if you can’t beat’em, join ’em’ and with apologies in advance for sabotaging your diets here they are.

First up gorgeous things from Aussie Hello Naomi {via Whorange}

Then cupcakes that look like burgers, so you can beat two junk food cravings at once (from here {via Twig and Thistle}

Chocolate Guinness cupcakes with Bailey’s buttercream (I am SO stealing that idea) to celebrate St Patrick’s Day from Trophy Cupcakes (available through March 31st for all Seattleites).

Finally this has been around the blogsphere a bit but I am DETERMINED to make him some day {via Violet Posy}.

Public Service Announcement – Matte Stephens Giveaway

March 4, 2009 By Paola 6 Comments

When we were talking paint colours recently (still dithering about that and waiting on a couple of samples) a couple of you mentioned my little Matte Stephens painting, which I picked up when Matte gave his talk at the Lab last year. It was originally intended for the Minx’s room, but I’ve decided that I love it far too much to waste it on her.

I bought the picture because, although it’s supposed to be a picture of Matte’s wife Vivienne, it reminds me of the Minx, and the fir trees and umbrella are just SO Seattle.

Those of you who spend a lot of time in the American blogosphere will certainly have seen Matte’s work before – much of his talk at the Lab was about how he had been quietly plodding along with his art for years, before becoming something of an overnight sensation, with lots of interesting projects in the works.

However, for those of you who don’t know him so well he has an Etsy shop here full of prints, and a blog here. You can also buy original works here at Velocity. And as of today he is giving away these three new pillows on his blog.

I hope you appreciate how much I love you, as by telling you this I am severely impacting my own chances of winning.

Here’s Matte and Vivienne at the Lab last year

Just updating to say that, just in case you’re not lucky enough to win, the pillows are on sale at Urban Outfitters at a very reasonable price.

Fabulous Lampshades – Insatiable Studios

February 25, 2009 By Paola 4 Comments

The wonderful lampshades in the house featured below are handmade by Seattle-based designer Jill Smith, owner of Insatiable Studios.

The shades are all meticulously crafted using a papier-mâché process and then decorated with found papers. Her lampshades are available to buy online and her work also adorns several commercial spaces, such as PCC and the Dahlia Lounge here in Seattle and Nordstroms in Chicago.

Two of my favourite places to go – the Dahlia Lounge and PCC

I really want one for the lucite lamp base I found on Ebay last year which is currently adorned by a VERY dull Ikea lampshade. It’s going to have to wait a bit though as I’ve just had a nasty bill for camera repairs.

This is NOT a fabulous lampshade

Seattle News

February 7, 2009 By Paola 4 Comments

Just a quick heads up for Seattle peeps. Firstly there’s a sample sale TODAY at the Seattle Design Center in Georgetown. Normally it’s open to the trade only, but today it’s open to the public with hopefully loads of sale goodies available. We’ll be there later this morning.

Secondly the best Italian restaurant in Seattle has, very excitingly, recently opened two blocks from our house in lower Wallingford (just north of Gasworks Park). We went to Cantinetta last night and had the most amazing time – fabulous buzzy ambience, friendly and knowledgeable service, a rustic but airy space in a converted corner brick house and incredible food and wine. The rabbit with wild mushrooms and polenta was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten in Seattle.

I’ll try and do a proper review with photos next time I go, but in the meantime I advise you to run there as fast as your legs can carry you.

Tees Made

January 26, 2009 By Paola 2 Comments

If your daughter is as obsessed with bright colour as mine is then I suggest taking a look at Little Overcoat on Etsy.

Made by a woman living on an island in Puget Sound, just a short boat trip from Seattle, these tees and dresses are patched together from vintage and recycled materials, with some new European prints added to the mix.

There are also some boys’ designs and some women’s tees and skirts which I am VERY tempted by.

They’re Back!

January 18, 2009 By Paola 1 Comment

Pssssst! All Seattle readers. The Obama cupcakes are back at Trophy Cupcakes for your inauguration celebrations.

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow…

December 19, 2008 By Paola 4 Comments

This was the snowscene inside…

And this was the snowscene outside…

Very early this morning we were woken by a ‘thundersnow’ – a thunderstorm and blizzard in one. All very rare for Seattle and particularly for us being so close to the lake. Seattle is now of course completely paralysed with more snow expected at the weekend- will we be able to escape for Christmas?

Toys for Seattle Kids in Need – Can You Help?

December 11, 2008 By Paola Leave a Comment

I know many of you are from the Seattle area, so I wonder if you could consider the following letter from the Superintendent of Seattle Parks and Recreation {via the Instant Hausfrau}. If you’re not from Seattle I would imagine the situation will also be pretty much the same wherever you are. Please spread the word if you can.

Here’s a picture of the Minx to get you in the mood.

Hello everyone

Each year, several of our community centers host holiday parties for under privileged children. At the parties, children from low-income homes receive toys provided to the community centers by Toys For Tots. This year, Toys For Tots has received so few donations that they have been unable to fulfill our community centers’ requests. You can read more about it here:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008478478_toysfortots07m.html

As a result, some community centers have had to cancel their holiday parties, and others are scrambling to gather toys.

Seattle Parks and Recreation has more than 650 children this year who are pre-registered for the holiday parties, and who hope to receive a toy. Were it not for this annual party, some children would not receive any presents.

I am asking you to consider donating a new, unwrapped toy to help us meet this overwhelming need. Our most urgent situation is for Garfield Community Center. More than 150 children are pre-registered for a holiday party THIS Friday, December 12. That’s tomorrow. (After center staff were turned away from Toys For Tots this past week, they stopped registering children for the event. So there will probably be more children who just show up for the party without having been registered. We won’t turn anyone away.)

Four other community centers still have holiday parties scheduled in the coming weeks and hope to fulfill their need for toys for these children. If you cannot find time to shop and donate a new, unwrapped toy by tomorrow, there’s still time to help the other community centers.

If you would like to donate a new, unwrapped toy, you can do so at the following locations:

Parks Headquarters, 100 Dexter Avenue N — Kathleen Shaw (684-7050) or Patricia Young (684-4369)

RDA Building, 800 Maynard Ave. S — Jacqueline Tabor (684-7044)

Densmore Building, 8061 Densmore Ave. N — Brenna Clausen (233-7011)

Thank you for considering this donation.

Tim

p.s. Please forward this email to any friends or family you think can help.

Tim Gallagher

Superintendent

Seattle Parks and Recreation

Bits ‘n’ Bobs

November 17, 2008 By Paola Leave a Comment

A few small announcements.

Holly at Decor8 has excellent taste in blogs.

The next meeting of the Grassroots Business Association is this Thursday at 7pm at Vermillion in Seattle. Set up by Megan of Not Martha and The Organized Knitter and Kristen Rask from Schmancy among others, it’s for everyone currently owning or thinking of starting their own small business. I hope to see lots of you there.

The fourth annual Urban Craft Uprising is taking place in Seattle on December 6th and 7th at the Seattle Center. I last went two years ago and it was a typically Seattle mix of the homespun, the bizarre and the fabulous, so I’m much looking forward to going again.