Life's Big Blessings

Anyone who knows me well knows that there was a time recently when I thought I would never have this. This being a loving husband, a house of our own and a child. I had begun to think that these "things" were not going to come my way and I would have to accept that and move on.  But God has plans for me that I just don't know and I can't predict and this is so true now that I look down at my sleeping baby next to me. 

I couldn't have prepared for motherhood, and at the same time, all of my life up until now has prepared me for this experience. The biggest lesson that having Hank has taught me was to just be. Be in whatever circumstance you are in when it comes your way.  At first when Hank was born I was worried about loosing him.  The thought of something bad happening to him petrified me. That soon melted away and I begun to feel sad about how trapped I was.  No longer could I just do what I wanted to do.  Now my life was about someone else.  It wasn't until I accepted that fact that I was able to be free. And freedom came because I realized that I made the choice to get pregnant and have him.  I had planned and hoped and dreamed about him, now here he is.  It's my job to care for him and raise him. How lucky am I?

 After acceptance came joy.  Joy that I'm blessed with a healthy little boy who I get to share life with. And my actions changed too.  I've since found ways to get out of the house with him, to do household chores and some days, just to shower.  Whatever the day, whatever the activity I know it is going to be great because I get to share it with my little Hank.  

Latest Vintage Finds

Spring is here! When a new season arrives I feel a sense of discovery coming. I love color and it tends to be the focus of whatever I am selling or desiging. So it's not strange for me to find an array of objects in a certain color scheme. Once I see these certain colors, I start to see them everywhere! As my aunt Gwen would say, "the universe brings them to you"...

Here is my color scheme: Mint green meets Hot Pink with Splashes of Buttery Yellow finished off with a Crisp White 

Yummy!

Inspiration:

I snagged "grandma barbie" (as I used to call her) from the barbie play pile at my mother's house. She is looking fabulous and wanted to model this amazing mint carved plastic bracelet. The day I found the bracelet I had my nails painted hot pink, I was wearing the yellow carved ring and thought it made an amazing color scheme! Check out Living Threads Vintage on etsy or at their brick and mortar shop in Portland, OR for more great finds.

A jade cream and sugar set with matching square bowl. It's heavy like Fireking, but without the markings. I feel in love with it, tried to walk away but walked right back. Too good to pass up. 

A hot pink vintage samsonite travel bag from the same local Vancouver, WA shop. I'm going to use it as my diaper bag!! So excited!!! 

Check out Most Everything at their brick and mortar store in downtown Vancouver, WA or on etsy.

Conffetti ice bucket from my etsy shop!  Just in case you want a little of this fun color scheme...

And finally, a Singer Sewing book on dressmaking. It's in mint condition and I have a thing for vintage sewing books. Will I ever use it? Will I ever pursue learning how to sew clothes? I don't know, but a book like this does inspire me. I love that someone kept it and took good care of it, which means that they didn't use it! Haha! 

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