Arriving Soon...

Dear Blog of Mine,

I regret to inform you that you are more of a challenge than I had imagined. When do I write? When do I post what I need to say? When do I just refrain? Are my photographs good enough for you dear blog of mine? These are questions you cannot answer for me. This is fine. I understand.

I get the sense that having you can be a rather selfish pursuit. And selfishness is not a value I wish to pursue.  How can we have fun together dear blog of mine and not make it all about me, me, me? This will be the challenge. I think we can do it!

Posting my own photography is probably the safest bet in the blog world. There is a lot of talk recently about not infringing on other people's property, and photography if I didn't take it, is another person's property. This is been noted, will do my best.

Goals accomplished so far:

• Purchased digital SLR camera.

• Took a photography class at New Space Center for Photography in Portland, OR. Check them out at http://newspacephoto.org/classes It's a really great creative space located in SE Portland. Classes are taught by professionals and there is a large variety of classes to take.

• Set up etsy shop! Open for business! Check it out, tell me what you think, tell me what you want to see and buy. I would love to hear from you! www.etsy.com/shop/nicolebvintage

• Working on graphic design/branding for Nicole B Vintage. Whew! The really challenging part.  But so much fun in seeing a little dream turn into reality.  Hold on for what's to come!

Dear blog of mine I wish to thank you for being patient while I create you and get to know who you will become.  Until next time!

Peace Out,

Nicole B

Geometrics Happy

When it comes to decorating a vintage house, the fabrics that make it feel the most fresh and modern are by far the geometrics. Don't give me the stripes or the checks. No scrolls or paisely, which makes floral out completely. It must be a shape followed by another shape, in a fresh modern color with some crisp white.  Contrast, contrast, contrast...Check out these fabulous Geos from Schumacher by Trina Turk.



Zig Zag Weave in Laguna

 

Trellis Print in Watermelon





Arches Print in Bamboo



Sunglass Print in Parrot

Santorini Print in Persimmon



Carmel Coastline Print in Tobacco



Trellis Print in Pool

 Fresh.  Modern.  And mixes great with vintage.  Don't they just make you happy?

A Bright Day

Winter blues have come to the Pacific Northwest.  And nothing quite beats winter like color. Color is so much a part of our every day lives, we don't even pay attention to it most of the time. Color is how we see. The more contrast the better we "see" something.  And during the winter months, the outside world provides us with little more than shades of grey and green.  Some of us can't live with color, we get too much stimulation from the people, cars, signs, houses and television around us that when we return home, neutrals are our comfy retreat.  But, some people enjoy the color that can be found inside the house. And now is the best time of the year to appreciate it!

Designer Angela Adams lives in Portland, Maine and this is her house featured in Coastal Living Magazine. Angela makes me feel like I want to paint.  She makes me want to live in a coastal town.  Angela inspires me to live with color.

 Angela Adams makes me want to add more turquoise to my house. She makes the ocean and the forest floor look like things I want to roll around on. She makes them soft, plush and abstract. She makes me want to stare at the ocean until I see what she sees.

 This room inspired me to put a vintage needlepoint owl on top of a floor pillow.  Our cats now call it home.  

 Angela's bedroom all dressed in hot pink, magenta. It's simple and wonderfully colorful.

 Blue and green make for a comforting dining room. And finally, a guest room dressed in shades of turquoise, green and yellow, grounded in chocolate. Does it get any closer to nature than that?

And what about you, do you like living with color?

New Year, New Goals

 A new year has arrived and with it, new goals. New ideas and ways to improve myself. New things I might want to accomplish or give a try.

As I browse the isles at the local Fred Meyer I can't help but notice the obvious goals for us all...workout time!! Only this year, not for me. I am five and half months pregnant and for the first time, don't really care if I loose any weight. Wow! What a liberating feeling. I am relishing in not having to worry about how un-flat my stomach is.  I look forward instead to having a baby.  A wee one to hold, feed and change it's diapers. Snuggle time!

And yet, with all of the new stuff that comes with motherhood, I can't help but make personal goals for my mental health.  Goals I want to share with all of you for the year ahead.  Number 1 priority is being a fantabulous mother! After that I wish to conquer the world!! Ok, I'm kidding. Not really.

What would goals be if not lofty.  And so with motherhood and all of it's future challenges, I wish to embark on a journey through the blogging world.  Where I might discover that writing is all at once fun, challenging and a life-long learning process.  I hope to share my vintage interior design ideas with you.  Future posts include stories about those that live the vintage modern life, nursery design, my own vintage wedding, creative ideas for your collections and color schemes for your interior. To inspire your creativity (we all have some!) and get you talking about living a vintage modern life.  

Next, to expand on my knowledge and ability with a camera.  I have dreams of purchasing a digital SLR camera so I can share what I see with you too.  Because words sometimes just don't do the trick.  And because honestly, I love pictures.  If I ever wrote a book, it would most certainly contain 90% photographs!  

This year, with the hopeful arrival of a baby, I am filled with a little fear of the unknown, lots of excitement for what could be and joy deep down in my soul for the opportunity to even get to do something like this.  Now that I've told you and the universe what my goals are for the new year, off I go!

Happy New Year!

Cheers,

Nicole

"You have to make mistakes to find out who you really aren't. You take the action and the insight follows:     You don't think your way into becoming yourself." Anne Lamott

Grey Day

Oh Grey day of mine. I would like for you to go away. Find another grey girl to make grey. Even in my sun shiniest 1950's yellow cardigan, you still remain.  After viewing a sunny transformation of a heavily saturated red condo turned into beige buyers heaven and still I am grey.  It's all because I sat with you Grey, first thing this morning. What, what's that you say? Don't paint our dining room grey? But grey is the perfect neutral to modernize that room.  It will go so well against the mod yellow 60's light fixture I have picked out. And what about the Saarinen tulip table? Um hello?? Grey, yellow and crisp white. How much better can it be.  A quick consul with Mr. Adler and he says, grey + yellow + white is FABulous! The room needs to sparkle. And no, I won't bedazzle it like Debbie does to Dallas in her new show on HGTV. Dallas can keep their jewels, they are not for me. I will push through this grey haze, through the NW grey skies into a dining retreat of modish spectacular proportions.  You will not take me down today Grey! But please please can you go away?

A photo of my many grey paint samples and Jonathan Adler's book, Happy Chic Colors

  

Nouveau Debuts

How can one not be at peace when the universe hands you gifts?  Maybe sometimes I forget to see them, those large perfectly wrapped gifts with a red bow atop. I've had so many in just this one year that it took someone saying it for me to see, and the year isn't even over yet.   I knew meeting my husband, Sam was a gift. I knew that and that's why I married him right away, but I quickly began to think that a wedding was more of a curse than a blessing.  But in the actual moment when we stood there facing each other with 130+ people staring at us, I regretted nothing. I knew I was just where I was supposed to be.  A gift, that I have waited for for a long time.  Our magical garden wedding filled with friends, family and vintage decor. Also a huge gift. My Sam even purchased an adorable vintage house for us to live in. Dreamy. Absolutely dreamy.

What I have discovered through all of this is the freedom to be myself. A trusting partner to enjoy life with and the knowledge that finding and expressing my passion is so important. 

I have been in love with vintage finds for a very long time and they are a part of my everyday modern life. Things that remind me of others and things that just bring a smile to my face.  Cause they are cute!  Uh oh! I said cute! I'll try to refrain from such lingo.

I hope this to be a place where I can express my vintage love, try out my new adventure in photography and writing, as well as engage in conversation with others who might find a connection to such things as well. So I am off on my Nouveau Debuts! I hope you will join me. 

Cheers,

Nicole B.

Fresh cut Dahlia's, hand picked blueberries and three glorious eggs from the neighbor's chickens! Yummy!