Schoolhouse Electric and Supply Co.

 

 

Well, I'm smitten with Portland, Oregon.  On my recent trip to this great city, along with my friend and partner in crime, Kelley, from the Hidden List, I fell in love with this beautiful place.  The people were so friendly and I'm all about the relaxed atmosphere the Pacific Northwest has to offer.  An added bonus ~ this time of year, the leaves sport a plethora of color and the weather was absolutely gorgeous.  

At the top of my list of favorites was Schoolhouse Electric and Supply Co., a store that my friend Holly, a Portlander, told me was an absolute must for us to see.  Situated on a corner in an industrial part of Portland, this fabulous shop (housed in an old red brick building), had us lingering for hours.  The owner has taken iconic pieces from the past and replicated them so beautifully that they gel masterfully with the latest design trends. Below is a glimpse into this fabulous store.

Here's a couple examples of some of the store's wonderful lighting ~ I hope to own one of these amazing lamps someday ~ note the Edison bulb!

I also love the assortment of colors the Radar Lamp comes in!  You can watch a video about this cool lamp here. 

The store also boasts a wide assortment of beautiful textiles ~ from bed and bath linens, to blankets, pillows and throws.  

Additionally, they carry kitchen accessories, linens and unique tableware.  

Here's one of the many beautiful upholstered pieces of furniture.  I love the pop of mustard yellow!

 

And last, but certainly not least, they also house a yummy coffee shop that is a absolute must part of your visit!

Quite obviously, I don't have time or space enough to tell you all the wonderfulness about Schoolhouse Electric.  So why not pay a visit to their online store here?  You'll be glad you did!  Thanks for stopping by!  XO

Christmas ~ Kitchen Window & Wreath

 

This is my kitchen window ~ I spend a fair amount of time in this very spot during the holidays.  So why wouldn't I want to make it a place worth being in?  I always hang my favorite wreath right above the sink to enjoy.  I'm enamored with square wreaths ~ I found mine here.  They come with pine cones already wired on and they smell heavenly.  I vacillate every year whether or not to tie on a floppy ribbon ~ but I think the wreath is so beautiful in and of itself, I always talk myself out of it.

Underneath the wreath on the window sill I line up some vintage scale weights ~ I think they look artistic, stately and strong.

 

My decorations by choice for Christmas ~ pretty + simple = a calmer me.  :)

A white ironstone pitcher (thrift store find ~ for only a dollar!) holds "candy cane" spoons.

Old silver glass ornaments lay nestled in a milk glass compote bowl ~ it belonged to Nana.

A little helpful hint:  I spritz the wreath with water every couple of days and it holds up nicely until the new year rolls around and it's time to pack Christmas away. 

That's all for today ~ I'm off to tackle some Christmas shopping ~ I hope you've gotten more done than I have.  I don't have one present bought yet ~ yikes ~ nineteen days and counting! 

P.S.  Be sure to check out my last post about my Ladder Christmas Tree.  XO

House Tour ~ Breakfast Nook

I thought I might share a few pics of the breakfast nook today.  My favorite French cafe chairs surround the table.  It's nice that this pretty scene greets me each morning since, I'm sorry to say, I am not a morning person.  It kind of helps ease me into the day.

 

It's a simple spot ~ but so comfy and inviting.  The light comes pouring in during the day.  The farm style table is a flea market find. 

The handwritten recipes, worn with age, were given to me by Nana and are a real treasure.  I framed them up in simple black frames and attached ribbon to them to add a little more presence.  Read more about this project here.

 

When we first moved here all of the cabinets were stained ~ but over time the stain had yellowed badly.  They really dated the house, so I decided instead of going with typical white cabinets, to do something a little different and paint them black.  The built-in originally had glass covered doors on it, but during the paint process we took them down.  I liked the open shelving so much, I opted to leave the doors off which makes for easier access to the dishes.

*Note ~ always keep your eyes peeled for others castoffs on garbage day.  The floor lamp was a freebie ~ found curbside on trash day.  A couple of coats of spray paint covered over the dingy brass lamp and now here it rests in the nook's corner.  The stool at the end of the cabinet - was something my neighbor, Pam, no longer wanted and I was happy to find.  The vintage rug is courtesy of my friend Barb :) ~ something she chose to part with when she moved to her current home.  Thanks to my friend, Amanda, for all the great photos.  See more of Amanda's beautiful photography here.  And thank you for stopping by ~ I hope your week is filled with good things.  

Vintage Classroom Door ~ School Daze

Vintage classroom doors like this one conjure up images in my head of years spent in elementary school.  It seems like a lifetime ago and then again it seems like only yesterday. The sights and sounds and smells of William B. Travis Elementary come flooding back to me ~ an era of time when life seemed slower and so less complicated.  

Originally the adjoining room to our kitchen was the den/family room and there wasn't a partition between the two.  When the boys were younger they would have sleepovers and would always end up camping out in the den.  Nat and I would usually wake up early ~ and the caffeine would be calling our name (mine was of the hot chocolate variety).  We would tippy-toe around the kitchen, hoping not to wake the kiddos ~ and selfishly hoping to have a few quiet minutes before the hungry brood would awaken.  Invariably, we would clink something together and our moments of solitude were no more.

 

We finally decided we needed to install some type of partition for a little privacy ~ but we wanted something that wouldn't completely block the room off.  We toyed around with many options.  My first choice, a pocket door, was going to run $1000.00 ~ we decided to look further.  That's where the vintage door enters the picture.  One day I was treasure seeking and came across this wonderful old classroom door at Lots of Furniture.  It was love at first sight and it only set me back $45.00 ~ a sweet deal!  

My hubby and I installed the door using a barn door track system that we purchased from Elliott's Hardware.  The guys there are always so helpful in assisting with projects.  

I also attached an inexpensive garage door handle to the door (I didn't bother to patch the holes from the previous handle ~ I think they add character).

My favorite features:  1. The original room number ~ Room 316 (my elementary school had only one floor, I'm supposing this one had three :) AND ~ 2. The wire mesh glass.  

The room adjacent to the kitchen is no longer our den/family room ~ I have a habit of flip-flopping rooms, so now it's our dining room.  And though this room probably won't see anymore sleepovers, I left the classroom door intact.  It fits the space so perfectly and I couldn't bear to take it down.  Besides, periodically it causes me to reminisce about those school daze gone by ~ smile.

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