named for grandmother

 I kind of knew I'd love the name Kate and Ben would pick for their little girl when I saw their awesome nursery (so soothing and soft  for the delicate senses of a newborn, don't you think?), and I do. so much. 

Nurseries are just my favorite rooms to dream up and view, though neither of our girls had one.  I wasn't in rush to create rooms since we knew our babies would sleep with us for a while. Then life took over, and we had talking toddlers before rooms were ready. I kind of feel like I missed something wonderful -- I imagine planning and executing a space is a great way to connect to and prepare for  the birth of a baby, even if it's not used right away.

I've found that my favorites are nurseries that could just as easily be rooms for adults, with little touches for young children.  Peppering our own bedroom with those kid touches has been such a happy bit of bunking with our girls and kind of took over as a basic design philosophy for the whole house: every room for every family member.

Anyway, this nursery and name are sure favorites of mine (and if we end up having a third, I just might finally indulge in my favorite room!)

Congratulations Kate and Family, albeit a bit late!

images: Kate Lindello 

furoshiki

Recently Nona and I packaged up a sixteenth birthday package for a special family friend. I wanted to wrap with something she could repurpose, of course, something that could be part of the gift, itself.  I love the various tying methods of furoshiki.  It's basically a simple cloth for toting, wrapping and wearing, super easy to make. But they become special when the cloth is lovingly crafted, don't they?  These organic cotton, hand printed ones from Etsy shop Forward Fabric caught my eye, and I couldn't resist. We kept one for ourselves, too, and it's doubled as a tote and blanket for our summer picnics (it's also been in heavy rotation as dress up garb). 

We're renting a sweet, mountain house next week in upstate New York for my birthday, hoping to catch some cooler temperatures, icy lake swims, farmer's markets, and long walks in the woods.  We're taking our time getting there and may pull over near Brooklyn.  It's a big maybe -- we like to be super flexible with car time and when/where we stop, depending on the moods of all involved -- but I'd love to hear about your favorite shops, dining spots and must do's near the area.  The Noguchi Museum, a bite to eat and one shop seems perfect for our time budget.  I may be overly ambitious, though! 

 I'll have a post or two lined up for while we're gone, but I won't be able to be too responsive as we'll be completely without internet service (isn't that wonderful!)  I'm really looking forward to our little get away. 

Do you have vacation plans for the summer? 

images: © Kristen Gregg

katie's girl

I've been a fan of Katie's photos and paintings for a while. And I have to admit, I've been eagerly awaiting the announcement of her new baby girl's name as Katie powered through a hot, summer pregnancy.  Man, it's beautiful: Pheobe Sue Irene, 'Bee'.   And boy is she cute! 

I love 'Bee' with big brother's name, too!

Congratulations Katie and family! 

imgaes: by and courtesy of Katie of Katie's Pencil Box

Clémence

Clémence Cabanes at Oeuvre. 

Clemence is one of my favorite names, and these pieces are just as pretty; I'm looking forward to longer hair so I can indulge in pretty hair combs.

  Similar names Clemency, Clementia, Clemente, and Clement (one of my favorites on a little boy) are all lovely variations. 

The beautiful pouches are are Julia's of Rennes (pronounced like Wren).  Both Julia and Wren are loves of mine, too.  And Rennes is about the prettiest place name to be found anywhere. 

images: by Oeuvre

Ilsa

Ilsa Acke is one of my features today over at Design for Mankind. 

Lovely weavings, lovely blog, lovely name. 

images: Ilsa Acke

Ask - Jennifer Sarkilahti of Odette New York

I'm such a big fan Jennifer Sarkilahti's line, Odette New York. Jennifer designs and hand sculpts each piece using inspirations ranging from nature to architecture.   

Additionally, the names Jennifer selects for her collections are such perfect fits for their smart-ancient-organic leanings; they are (like her jewelry) strikingly beautiful, strong and evocative. Athena Divinus, Minerva Divinus, and her most recent Eye of Ra come to mind as ready examples.  The names of the pieces themselves are no less inspired: Ojos, Eos, Kronos, Hera, Klaia, Galatea, Fortuna, Demeter, and Arrow, to name more than a few. And of course there's the delicious Odette, itself. 


 Jennifer obviously has fantastic taste in names, and she is fortunate to be well-traveled and stocked with family gems, as well. You name lovers will definitely want to take out your pens to jot down some new favorites you've never heard before.(It almost goes without saying that the jewelry and sculpture lovers amongst us are in for a treat!) 
  


-What's your largest source of inspiration for your jewelry designs? 


A combination of traveling, book reading, museum going, and image viewing. For my new collection, Eye of Ra, a recent trip to Greece and Turkey was the starting point for the collection.  I took in a lot of visual inspiration from the unusual architecture and the textiles, and the rough Mediterranean terrain. After that, I spent time at museums looking at ancient tools, weapons, and artifacts.

-How/when did you begin to design your own jewelry? 

Seven years ago, I had finished my MFA in Painting and moved to New York City from Virginia. I had just moved out of one painting studio and was searching for another. I started making jewelry as a smaller scale creative outlet I could work on in my small apartment, but eventually it just sort of took over.

-Is there a favorite part of your process or a material you're partial to working with? 

I work in lost wax, an ancient casting process that has remained relatively unchanged over the centuries. What is sculpted in the wax is cast into metal. The wax comes in different forms like tubes, sheets, and wires and different consistencies from hard to soft. You can draw into it, build it up or carve it away. The wax is cast into metal exactly as it is carved, so my favorite part is that you can see every mark made by the hand in the final metal piece. 

-Is there something that always makes it's way onto your inspiration board?  How often do you change it? 

Things I pick up on my walk over to the studio; leaves, bark, seedpods, and pinecones. I try to take everything down twice a year; I just changed it last week. The new board has a lot more geometric inspiration so we’ll see how that influences the next collection. 
 

-Do non-visual experiences ever find themselves being translated into your work (smells, the feeling you get from a great meal, moods set by the weather?)

Yes, I’m sure they do. When I absorb inspiration, it’s always more than just the visual. I’m drawn to rough textures for example. I like a tactile quality in jewelry. I want to feel the texture etched into a piece, not just see it.
 

-What do you need going on around you to work? 

Music is a must! I’m a little Pandora-obsessed.

two favorite things in/about your home (other than family/pets)?

The view. Even though we live in the city, our windows look out onto trees and a park so it feels a little like an oasis. I also enjoy cooking in the kitchen when I have the time. 

-Favorite drink and snack for busy time?  

Rose wine and something a little salty…Marcona almonds?

-Favorite song to sing?  


Shoop.

-Your photography is really beautiful! Do you have a favorite trick/technique/tip to use? 

Natural light and depth of field.

-do you like photo editing or do you prefer to leave your photos natural?  

I prefer not to edit and keep things natural. Generally the only time I edit is for look books to emphasize atmosphere.

-The last beautiful thing you paid close attention to?

Emma Kunz drawings

-You can go anywhere in the world and can leave today -- where are you going? What must you do there? What must you bring back?

This is tough, I have a lot of places on my punch list. Today I’d like to go to Peru and hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, hopefully bringing back something colorful and woven.

-other makers/artisians past or present that you're excited about right now?

Mina Perhonen, Kiki Smith, Emma Kunz, Eva Zeisel, Victoire de Castellane, Eva Hesse.

-I love the names of your line and collections; why did you select them? 

Since what I do is primarily visual, it’s a nice to have a chance to consider the way things sound and to figure out a way to tie things together with a broad idea or concept.

-Do you feel the names to be an important part of the aesthetic of each collection? 

I never used to name pieces, I’d just call them what they were, like Fox Necklace, Circle Earrings, etc. When my styles became more abstract and less literal, I had to think of names to distinguish them. Now I’m kind of enjoying giving them an identity.

-Are there any names that stand out from your travels -- people you've met or places you've loved?  

So many, I love the names Anais, Mena, Celine, Simrin, Naxos, Mirabai, Ines, Katrin, Petra, Orlean, Ingrid, and Annika.

-Any other names out there you love right now?

I am a Jennifer from an era of so many Jennifers, so I am always happy to hear something a little more unusual. I love my mother’s name Leni, and my grandmother’s name Minerva. Her middle name was Theone.

My last name is very Finnish. My dad recently sent some family history and I fell in love some of the names found in my family tree: Evert, Juho, Amalia, Seyard, Henrika, Signe, and Heikki.

My friend Lena has a lovely throwback name. I feel the same way about Agatha, Beatrice and Frances. My friend Natalie’s last name is Wyeth, which I’ve always thought would make the coolest first name for a little dude. I also like the names Sanna, Lula, and Samuel.

-Name Game: please help us create a name by answering the following:

1.  For the first name, what is the name of a beloved material for jewelry making that you also find to be a pretty word)?

Mandrel. The tool I use to measure and shape rings.

2.  For the middle name, what is a favorite name from mythology not yet used in your collections?

A tie between Circe and Persephone.




*****************


Readers, any new favorites here for you? Isn't it neat to hear about Jennifer's process with wax; it brings a new appreciation doesn't it? 


Anything you're excited to check out now? I can't wait to really dig into those Ema Kunz drawings, which are completely new and inspiring to me (one of the things I love most about Jennifer's blog is that I always find new and interesting bits like this there).

I'm pretty blown away by the beauty of all of these names! 

  This was such an inspiring chat. Thank you for talking to us today, Jennifer, and congratulations on such a beautiful collection! 

images: from Eye of Ra look book by Jennifer Sarkilahti.

summer storm turned weekend get away

Friday night a massive storm hit our area and took out the power until last night (it's still out for some). Driving around our neighborhood on Saturday morning (sweating and exhausted with two grouchy little ones), we quickly got an idea of just how serious this had been and how long we'd be looking at going without power. Then when we started thinking about how crazy the city was going be, we decided to head for the Pennsylvania hills.

We just drove north until the prettiness beckoned us to stop. The first sight that lulled us from our  drive was an organic farm stand, right on the farm property (images one - four). We found baked and jared goods by the load, fresh organic corn and flowers. We stayed a while at the picnic table to eat and watch the rain roll in.  We were happily treated to fresh, warm blueberry muffins and delightful conversation. We finally landed in Brandywine Valley, took the girls for a swim and then headed to a restaurant I've been itching to try since reading about it here last winter.

Terrain is a nursery, cafe and gift shop (images five - twenty one) (holy moly, lots of images). I've never seen a nursery so beautifully put together: entire shed walls covered in flower beds, hanging terrariums and wood-mounted wall ferns, canvas tents draped in lights, and the most unexpected plant combinations in giant outdoor vessels.  If you've ever doubted that gardening is an art form, just park it at Terrain's nursery. The gift shop was beautifully curated (I didn't see one book I don't want), and the dining experience was pretty much perfect.  Who doesn't want to eat a beautiful meal in a cool green house at dusk? Every detail was simple, organic and breath taking.  We were so taken with it all that we came back for lunch on Sunday before heading home (to our stinky fridge, sticky air and warm to the touch floors).

The contrast of our lovely get away and our sweaty homecoming was pretty pronounced, but the experience of our weekend in Pennsylvania really managed to decorate our home and minds as we adjusted to a lack of electricity for just a day and a half.  We enjoyed a diet of fruit and water, walks in shady parks, showering in our clothes (so fun for the kids) and sheets sprayed with rose water. June took a four and a half hour nap and Nona was happy to watch the crews from multiple states work on the power lines from the porch and read books with her daddy (his office was closed like so many others). Which meant I got to enjoy a quiet reading of the latest Kinfolk on our damp, rosy mattress.

Amidst all those who really suffered after this storm, I'm pretty grateful that we had it so good. This said, when the power finally returned I leapt up and outside with a wet dress and a dripping washcloth on my head to thank the crew.  It's times like these when I sure wish we had some fruit trees or readymade jars of preserves to give as gifts -- I'd have showered that crew with everything we had. It's DC, so certainly people were hot and angry, but we got to see a fair amount of camaraderie, too.

All in all, I think this affair will go down as a nice memory in our book.  Now Chris and I are busy  guessing what the local media will choose to name the mini-disaster. With this being a name blog and all, here are our best (where best = most likely) guesses:

Burn This Mother Out 2012

Stormageddon 2012

Electrifamine Summer '12

Derech-oh no you didn't 2012

Any guesses of your own? 

Stay tuned for a fantastic interview coming up next! 

images: all taken on my phone. © Kristen Gregg

june

 June turned two! It was such a happy day. She awoke softly, walked out of our room, and uttered her first sentence of the day in her sleepy, raspy voice, "balloons are EV-ee-weh-yurh!" (third image).  We sang to her at the exact time of her birth, in the exact spot where she entered the world. As this will be her last birthday in this house -- we plan to move before her next -- that part was extra special this year.  She ate her favorite, chocolate cake, opened some little gifts and entertained her guests with her generous sense of humor and hearty attempts to blow out her candles. She has lived up to her name through and through, such a dreamy little light beam!  

p.s. The photo on the table is of my dad at my fourth birthday party. He dressed as a clown for our parties, which I thought made him the coolest man alive.

What were your favorite birthday parties and memories? Favorites for your kids? 

images: © kristen gregg