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Traditional Woven Baskets From Maine

Katy Elliott — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:03:44 +0000

Spotted at the Common Ground Fair last fall beautiful woven baskets from Moose River Handcrafts; I’m kicking myself for not picking one up. The baskets are perfect for keeping potatoes and onions through the winter and for household organization. I called up Moose River this morning and asked if I could use the potato basket for kindling? They said I should be fine as long as I “don’t overload it”. I think the brown ash would be beautiful in my den and little different then the rush style baskets we’ve been seeing over and over.

Each basket is made by hand way up in Jackman, Maine on a first come basis specific to your needs. Many of the baskets are offered with wood or leather handles and can be ordered by mailing in an order form. The baskets do take time so order far an advance.

I have my eye on a few more including the picnic basket (leather handles!), laundry, car and pack baskets. The kindling basket is gorgeous with birch bark “weavers” but a little smaller then the potato basket. Maybe they can make my potato basket with birch too?

Moose River Handcrafts
PO Box 205
Jackman, Maine
mooseriverhandcrafts.com

Top photo by Katy Elliott, bottom photos courtesy of Moose River Handcrafts

Coterie

Katy Elliott — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 16:40:23 +0000

Have you check out the new online shop Coterie? Launched earlier this year from design blogger Jane at Ill Seen, Ill Said; the tightly curated collection features handmade goods and home accessories. Melin Tregwynt throws from Wales mix well with a collection of handmade rolling pins, muddlers and cutting boards from Prince Edward Island. Beautiful unlined marble notebooks from Ireland remind of my college years when I actually kept a real journal, not just a blog. Above a few of my favorites.

Clockwise from top: Walnut Round Slab $170, Pine Cone Candle $13, Knot Garden teal throw $230, Tiger Maple Muddler $40, St David’s Cross throw $250, Vermont Sky Scarf $60, Maple Pin and Wood Slab, Medium linen notebook $30, and Stripe Cup $30.

My Favorite Shops in PDX

Katy Elliott — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 18:21:04 +0000

Chelsea from {frolic!} was sweet enough to be my tour guide for the day in Portland. In the morning we headed up to the Columbia River Gorge and then came back to city for lunch at the Swedish style cafe, Broder. We cruised around town checking out a few of Chelsea’s beloved neighborhoods and popping into her favorites shops. Below my picks for home/lifestyle shops in PDX.

For lunch: pickles, potato pancakes and Swedish meatballs on a challah roll at Broder.

Broder
2508 SE Clinton St
Portland, OR
503-736-3333
broderpdx.com

Ink & Peat a floral design studio and home decor shop; shares my love for textiles and patterning with a beautiful selection of ceramics, bedding, and linens. I picked up a pair of Kerry Cassill pillowcases in the purple teal water floral pattern.

Ink & Peat
3808 N. Williams Avenue — Suite 126
Portland, OR
503-282-6688
inkandpeat.com

Vintage french linens, ceramics and well-edited accessories can be found at Marguerite. I picked a vintage French chemise with a beautiful lace accent. The chemise was handmade by nuns in the 1920′s embroidered with a custom monogram for new brides. The crisp white linen had me thinking of Jane Austen and wearing it on hot summer nights on the beach in Maine this summer. Yes, I realize my imagination is getting away from me…vintage linen can do that to ya!

Marguerite
1520 Southeast Bybee Boulevard
Portland, OR
503-234-9202

Alder & Co located downtown in a beautiful light-filled space offers a selection of home goods, fashion and accessories. I picked up a few necklaces, bracelets and beautiful rose French linen apron.

Alder & Co
537 sw 12th Avenue
Portland, OR
503-224-1647
alderandcoshop.com

I found this shop on my own wandering around the neighborhood near my hotel. Utility style accessories, saws and gadgets feels like a designer hardware store. I picked up a stripe apron by Pointer Brand for working in the garden and around the house. The staff was super sweet and let me test the apron filling the pockets with tools before purchasing.

Core77′s Hand-Eye Supply
23 NW 4th Ave
Portland, OR
503-575-9769
handeyesupply.com

Small Rope Mirrors

Katy Elliott — Wed, 04 May 2011 14:02:55 +0000

I spotted this rope mirror in the recent Ballard Designs catalog. I really like it. So cute for a small bathroom, hallway or an odd wall. It’s nautical without being over-the-top. It reminds of something John Derian would pick up at a fleamarket for his house in Provincetown.

Below a rope mirror my mom found at L.L. Bean. The round is pretty cute too! Or try to make-your-own via Nate Berkus.

Handmade Products from Maine at Common Ground

Katy Elliott — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 14:43:48 +0000

One more quick post about the Common Ground Fair. I finally got all my photos and business cards organized and thought a would share a few of my favorites. Above a gorgeous display of baskets from Maine Indian Basket Weavers Alliance’s table showcasing basketry made from ash and sweetgrass. Gorgeous, right?

I’m a wool blanket fanatic. I first met Nan at the Portland Flower show in 2009. She creates gorgeous seacolor yarns she makes into blankets, sweaters, hats, and mittens. The wool blankets are beautiful and the stripes are in the most amazing variegated colors.
getwool.com

Woven baskets from Moose River Handcrafts from Jackman, Maine are beautiful and affordable. I had my eye on the potato basket made from brown ash in the middle. I was this close to buying it but decided to wait till my house renovation moves along a little further. I really like that the baskets are offered with leather or wood handles.
mooseriverhandcrafts.com

I saw the most amazing hand turned wood bowls I have ever seen by David Lancaster. I didn’t take the greatest shot of the bowls because there was so many people in the booth – sorry. His bowls are outstanding and heirloom quality. Adding to my must-get list once my kitchen is done.
heirloombowls.com

I scored some yarn from Bartlett Yarns for the afghan I’ve been brainstorming. I really wanted wool in natural colors. Bartlett’s yarns were beautiful and reasonably priced. I got all the yarn needed for project (not all yarn is shown) for around $90 —which sounds expensive but the most affordable option I found when pricing out natural bulky wool.
bartlettyarns.com

Typeface Drawer For Beach Treasures

Katy Elliott — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 16:47:41 +0000

When I was growing up we had an old typeface drawer full of treasures. I remember spending hours looking at every tiny little piece. My sister’s vacation house in Maine had one displayed in the stairwell. It was gorgeous filled with tiny little shells and rocks from the nearby beach. The bird feather tucked at the very top was great contrast.

You can find old typeface drawers at fleamarkets, antique fairs, ebay for under $50. Most are rectangular or square.

Whale Bottle Opener & Stripe Cotton Towels

Katy Elliott — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:50:31 +0000

Two recent purchases that I am totally in love with. Above a whale bottle opener ($21) that I picked up at Liberty Henry & Me in Marblehead and cotton herringbone stripe towels ($20) I picked up on Amazon.

I probably didn’t need the whale opener but it’s so freakin cute and looks pretty adorable resting on my windowsill in the kitchen. I picked up the stripe towels for all the bread baking I’ve been doing. I use to buy the ikea version by the dozen but decided to try a more industrial towel. The amazon towels are bigger, stronger, and more absorbent. I found similar towels even cheaper on large kitchen supply websites but the shipping usually ended up costing more then the towels. I’ll have to keep investigating…

Just got this tip. Available in red, green and blue stripes: $3.95 dozen.

Liberty Henry & Me
139 Washington Street
Marblehead, MA, 01945
781-631-0550

Ben Pentreath Ltd.

Katy Elliott — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:12:51 +0000

I came across Ben Pentreath’s flat in the book, Perfect English over the weekend. His style is what I aspire too. Layers of pattern, antiques, and art that is approachable but classic. The small chair in the upper right of the photo is upholstered in men’s suiting. I love the gray field with the red stripe—a color a combo I think would be perfect for my den.

Ben runs a great shop in London offering accessories, art, and furniture with a nod to classicism. The store is filled to the brims but finds flow through patterning and symmetry. For those of us unable to make the trip across the pond, Ben has a great online shop filled with all his favorite essentials.

Ben Pentreath Ltd.
17 Rugby St
Bloomsbury
WC1N 3QT
benpentreath.com

Porthole Mirror

Katy Elliott — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:39:14 +0000

Image from Authentic Models

I have a thing for portholes. When I did a search on Amazon this afternoon I found all kinds of different versions from nickel, brass and bronze plated. So cool. I love the idea of putting a few in secret spots throughout the house. Prices range from $34-$300 each depending on size.

Bronze porthole mirror $212.

Nickel porthole mirror $255

Custom Indoor Shutters

Katy Elliott — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:32:20 +0000

I’ve been trying to come up with a solution for the windows in my den. Do I put up curtains, shutters, or just leave them bare? Last week I came across The Shutter Store; a custom online shutter company.

I spot shutters all over Marblehead. Most of the houses in the old town neighborhood are at street level. You can see right inside—so sweet and small town. Instead of covering all the windows with drapes I noticed most of the house just put shutters on the bottom. You can still see in but you have to really tall or get up on your tippy toes—which is just creepy. The older homes look like they have originally solid paneled shutters. I’ve searched for months for similar styles and turned up empty.

I spotted solid paneled versions on The Shutter Store’s site. I wonder if they could make a version for me to cover half my window? More like a cafe style? I’ll have to investigate. Above and below a few photos from their site. Shutters are so cute for traditional or more modern homes. Find out more: theshutterstore.com.