Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Cut-Off Lacies, Just for Fun

Cut-off jeans are such an easy wardrobe boost.  I had an old pair of dark blue jeans from 
a clothing swap a few months back and decided it was time for a pair of comfy 
boho cut-offs.  I sewed lace into the leg openings to add a little something special.  



This was such an easy project, and it was quick.  
I wore these jean shorts all summer long!



The finished product!  Match the shorts with a skinny belt, tucked-in shirt, and wedges- ooh la la!



Saturday, September 8, 2012

New Found Love

Oh my, I love love love these sliding doors!  
They are made from reclaimed wood and 
stitched together with old nails.  Subtle and 
earthy paint tones have been sanded down, 
and a three dimensional quality is present 
with the layering effect of wood.  I found 
these beauties at a newly opened store near 
Capitola Village, called Charley & Co.  
Put it on your must-see list, they have some
very unique pieces and a total cohesiveness 
to the shop.  I foresee The Alibi recreating
a pair of these ...!


Saturday, September 1, 2012

Catching Dreams~ Happy September 1st !


After being completely inspired by this
image, I decided I would create my 
own dream catcher, just in time for 
autumn dreams.  
It has been incredibly enjoyable 
traversing around Santa Cruz 
finding bits here, pieces there, to 
include in my design. I hope my 
project stimulates your own ideas 
for a dream catcher!  What a 
beautiful moment for the bedroom, 
especially suspended from the 
ceiling, which I plan to do!

Happy September!  
Enjoy this time~ xxo




I was thrilled when I stumbled upon the web of my catcher in an antique store down by the sea in Capitola Village.  I love the thought of incorporating someone else's hand sewn piece, 
loved once a long time ago, into my own creation.




The color of this leather is delicious.  
Not only will I use it as details on my 
dreamcatcher, but also for more leather 
feather earrings- which are currently 
selling at Zen Trading on 41st.  A beautiful 
chestnut color accessory for the fall time.





Yarn, ribbon, leather, shells, sea glass, lace, feathers, hemp, old keys,
sticks from the garden, pebbles... everything that represents me
and the things I love will be designed into the catcher-
I can't wait! Check the blog for the finished product.
In the meantime, originate your own!





Tuesday, August 14, 2012

The Blackest of Berries

The blackberries are ripe !
I wait for this time all year long- my first 
creation of the season was lemon 
blackberry bread.  

Winner!




Nuggets of gold found in
our backyard.


The lemons came from our trees as well, Myers of course.


Seasonal Calendars by YoungAmerica

Every kitchen in California should have this practical, handmade, piece of art calendar.  
Two San Francisco based architects collaborated their sense of graphic design, art, and their love of food, to feature an in-season produce guide specific to every month of the year.  
YoungAmerica . Creative is owned and operated by friends of mine, Brian Friel and Meghan Dorrian. 
These calendars have a singer sewn binding with a beautiful pressed cover, each month a colorful depiction of the season and its current fruit growing in Northern California.
I've enjoyed and been inspired by these images on the wall of my kitchen for two years, and hope that they continue to be available for 2013 and the years to follow! 

Check out their shop on Etsy:
www.etsy.com/shop/YoungAmerica




A simple list tells you what fruits and 
vegetables are in season.  The bold letters are
indication of that month, in which they are the ripest.
The month shown below is October- autumn, my favorite season of the year.






My favorite month features hot air balloons of fruit in August.
The designers are brilliant with the simplicity of the graphics.




I've fallen in love with the colors of September!



Saturday, August 11, 2012

A Deep Breath of Island Air

Ahhhhh, Oahu was a breath of fresh air!  
And the fact that it was so spur of the moment 
made it that much sweeter.  I've posted some of my 
favorite pictures from the trip- keep in mind they are from 
my phone and not the best of quality.  For me they captured color,
light, compliments, patterns, and the simple island lifestyle. 
I'm sure you'll get the idea ... 

xx  P

First sunset on island- this was taken at Waimea Bay on the north shore.
The golden sun setting on the left side of the image fades into the blue of the
ocean and sky on the right side.  Compliments!



Pipeline is a flat lake during this time of year
{which, honestly, I prefer}.

 





My little sister, Camille,
caught peeking through
a picket fence to someone's beach front home.  I loved the washed out greens with her salmon colored pareo in this shot.



 I was thrilled to stumble upon this road sign, I thought it was so beautiful.







My pretty island sister who taught herself how to play the guitar.  She was born to harmonize. This image captures everything about the morning time: early light, rumpled sheets, quiet acoustics, untamed curly locks, and the solitude before beginning a new day.



The incredibly scenic Mokuleia islands.  
This shot was taken from a much higher altitude- we hiked to a 
place called Pill Boxes, nestled in the hills far above the sea.  It was truly a perfect day.




My last day was spent alone at four different beaches on the north shore.  I was able to reflect, give my gratitude, and prepare myself for the journey back home.  I had taken one very deep and full breath... and was ready and happy to be 
going home~

Monday, July 30, 2012

Oahu Spontaneity

I decided to take a spontaneous vacation to Oahu {!} - to visit my twin sister Lauren {who lives on island} and to spend time with my little sister, Camille.  I am currently expanding my collection of photos from the island- vivid color schemes, beautiful beaches, details of shells- stay tuned! 
I fly home August 7th, and although I love the slow pace and mellow life style of the islands, I miss my home on Terrace and everything that includes it~

Aloha!
 xx Paige

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Good Morning Summer

Peaches are incredible right now, the sweetest juiciest ripest fruits in season!
I baked these little sweets for breakfast this morning... 

Cut them in half, and fill the empty pits with raw oats, cinnamon, and 
a pinch of brown sugar.  Sprinkle them with a little h2o and bake for 
about twenty minutes or so.  They are such a sweet and simple summer treat! 
I'll bake them for dessert too, and with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it's as
good as it gets~










Included in our CSA baskets from Fog Line Farm, have been Eight Ball
zucchinis- bold, round, forest green in color, and with a buttery nutty flavor {in other words:
delicious}.  I grated three of these squash and turned them into two loaves of zucchini bread: one for my family, the other for Chris and I.






Thursday, July 5, 2012

Hello Anthro

Los Gatos welcomes the newest
Anthropologie store to it's Old Town, as of last Friday, June 29th.  And Anthropologie welcomes a new harvest of employees, myself included {!}
to collaborate with their exceptionally imaginative, innovative, and brilliant team
of designers.  As part of the opening crew, I was involved with visuals {the interior
design behind the scenes at Anthropologie} and was nothing less than positively thrilled
about it.  I've been so eager and excited to share these images with you {there will be
more... as the seasons change, so do our displays} and will continue to inspire the blog, and everyone who follows, with
photos and more photos.



xx Paige




This dreamland bedroom installation was created in just two days.  
The angular canopy of wood creates a juxtapose of sharp 
and soft, vibrant and subdued, interior and architecture.






Each room in Anthropologie transitions seamlessly into another moment of life. This room is referred to as Upstairs/Downstairs, where the kitchen {think Saturday morning, spatula, plates, apron, timer, coffee, coffee cup} fuses with the dinning room and the food collaborates with the friends,


... and life is enjoyed.















The rug below was hand made in Morocco {one of my favorite pieces}.  
Every mood-setting prop at Anthropologie is hand picked by Keith Johnson, who travels 
the world buying beautiful objects to stock and furnish each shop.  Dream job?!  That's my goal!















.




This display took hours of cutting up old jeans that were
salvaged from a nearby thrift store.  Each square was
individually {and mindfully} pinned to a cardboard circle,
thus originating this denim contained sphere.
Highlighting it is an antique yet operable spotlight..!




The hostess of the party is the grand chandelier in the front entry of the store.
It is constructed entirely of paperclips, some that have been painted to give it a hue 
of violet.  This display might have been the most time consuming- although I personally 
found stringing hundreds of paper clips together to be therapeutic ~




Our beautiful store front!  

The window display on the right reveals apricot blossoms made of paper mache, 
colored with natural dyes we made from beets and turmeric.  Apricots were a major export of 
Santa Clara County during the early 1900's {insider's knowledge on the motive behind the display!}.  

Walking through these french doors will offer an experience of many things, 
each person taking away something unique.  Come be apart of it!  
Visit us at Old Town Center: 50 University Avenue in Los Gatos.


Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Happy Fourth O' July

Happy Independence Day !
I snapped a few 4th o' July inspired pictures,
mostly of America's red, white, and blue theme colors
that I found around our house.




Left: An old iron door knocker I found at Atillia's Antiques on Soquel- one of my favorite antique shops.  I fell in love with it and now get to enjoy it on our front door everyday.  Right: A pair of cowboy boots I got for my birthday, another item of mine that I adore.
Below: Stars and stripes










Our neighbors gave us a
fourth of July paper weight
that looks more like a funky hand held firework.


Enjoy the holiday! xx






Monday, June 18, 2012

Breakfast and Sweet Peas

I am always looking for color in the natural world-
This morning I made a fruit salad for breakfast, and
the vibrancy of each piece of fruit could not go
unnoticed!  To add a unique quality of taste,
I used small brown turkey figs, bits of mint from
our garden, a big squeeze of a fresh orange, and
a drizzle of local star thistle honey.

Enjoy the week!  x P





My bouquets of choice lately have been
sweet peas- they smell aaamazing and provide a
moment of pastel color to our home.  
They've also been my favorites for graduation gifts:
a lose arrangement in an old mason jar, tied with a ribbon or raffia. 

p.s.- The florist told me the lighter the flower, the sweeter the smell!





Sunday, June 17, 2012

The Alibi Brings You Reclaimed Wood Frames

The Alibi has recently taken on a lot of orders- for frames, for window sill boxes, for chalkboards- and I thought I'd take a few pictures of the process to share.  
This order was for Stripe, a boutique downtown Santa Cruz that I've featured in past posts {if you haven't been to Stripe, sign off your laptop and drive to Walnut Avenue now}.  
Stripe carries our reclaimed wood frames in four different sizes, as well as unique little 4"x 4" thick frames, and the now popular {again} shadow boxes.  Everything you see is for sale!  Simply contact Chris or I, or comment on any of the postings.  

Like what you see?  Tell us! 

x P







Focused frame maker at work











I was framed, that's my alibi.



 The frames finally find peace at their new home, Stripe.
Check out the collection!


Monday, June 11, 2012

Local Designer: Tacti Design by Montana Shrader

Tacti Design by Montana Shrader is a
merge between technology and  design using tactile materials.  Each design is approached uniquely and inspired by patterns in nature, architecture, and culture.  Montana lives in Los Gatos where she designs and generates the jewelry with the help of modern technology, using computer aided drafting techniques to formulate patterns, and a laser cutter than "burns"through the material.  The result is a soft, touchable material with a modern twist and computer-like precision.

These one-of-a-kind pieces are
versatile, distinctive, and beautifully
ornate.  Their bright colors make for a
perfect accessory for the summer time!
Shop around at Montana's store on Etsy
for your favorite piece of jewelry this
sunny season!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TACTIdesign



Did you know that felt is the oldest textile known to man? 
 Each Tacti Design creation is produced from 100% wool, 
giving it an incredible softness and light weight feeling.





The inspiration for this design derives from naturally occurring patterns and shapes created by intersecting circles- so simple, yet so intricate. 



A bright splash of deep red




The bracelets are my absolute favorite!
And their brass snap enclosures are antiques, adding a pinch of vintage.





One of Montana's models showing off the blue collection.




 I have these earrings in red and I'm craaazy about them.  They seem to go with every outfit I put on.



Get online and check out Tacti Design...  Right now!  
Your new summer collection is waiting to be mailed to your doorstep.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TACTIdesign