Thanksgiving....

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Francisca & Meeghn

Bedroom....

I stayed home today due to a nasty chest cold

that made it almost impossible to breath.

I haven't move much, mainly between my bed,

the coach in the living room and the love seat in my bedroom.

As I have laid here I realized other than my own bedroom,

which I may say is pretty darn cozy and a nice place

to have to be sick in, is there a bedroom out there I wouldn't mind being sick in.

Let me tell you there are not a lot of them.

First of all, I don't like a super cluttered bedroom but I do like 

things that are personal to myself and my husband.

I must have books in my room, and no tv.

A lap top or discrete computer is fine you never know when you

may have the urge to blog.

I am not partial to things hanging above my head. This must come

from years living in earthquake country. A little paranoid I guess.

Here is what I found for my mood today.

all images Elle Decor


Stay healthy
Ciao,
F 

Plaid....

Plaid.

I found these wonderful wool plaid blankets awhile ago 

and they have been sitting in my "studio" waiting to be 

re-discovered when the weather turned cold.

Well, the weather has certainly turned cold these last few days

and after spending some time pondering the use of a stack of wool blankets

I realized I couldn't use all of them at the same time.

This really didn't sound like a bad idea though since

it was pretty darn cold out, only going to get colder

and I have a cold but that felt a little to much

like the princess and the pea for me.

I realized that maybe the next best thing to snuggling under one of these

beauties was to snuggle on top of or on one.

Pillows it would be.

My mom and I set up a little cottage industry like assembly

line and made these lovely's right up.

28ea. at Found on Fremont

They were all finished and that evening I went downstairs 

and found my husband cuddling up with them on his sofa

in his man cave.

I asked him what he thought and he said he loved them and

that they looked great on his coach.

I had to inform him that they were for the shop and he 

sadly said, "So, your telling me I shouldn't get to attached to them?"

Yes, honey don't be getting to attached.

He regrettably gave them back to me and to the shop they go on Wednesday.

I think they will make a warm addition to our Holiday set up.

Ciao,

F

Growing....

Great news,

We are expanding.

That's right Bee & Mason is expanding.

Not our waist lines, well hopefully not that.

No, our little shop in shop at Found on Fremont is growing.

The girls gave us a call the other day and informed us 

that the space next to us was being vacated and would we want to 

expand our space.

I called Meeghn right away and left her a very lengthy, rambling 

message with the news of the great opportunity that had been given us.

We both spoke with our husbands and this morning decided to give it a whirl.

We are very excited but also very nervous.

This is a bigger commitment than what we are already have.

We love the idea of being able to really express our ideas and creativity

and also share more treasures with all of you

but to be honest we are nervous.

This means more space, which means more treasures to find,

more time to commit and more money. 

We both have very full time jobs that keep both of us extremely busy.

All very honest concerns.

But what we realized is that we both love

Bee & Mason.

It brings us so much joy and peace

that we couldn't turn down this opportunity.

We wouldn't know if we could do it if we didn't try.

That's how we started this whole thing in the first place.

Take a risk and if it doesn't work you can always go back.

If it works, holy moly look out there is no stopping these two girls.

We go in on Wednesday to set up for the holidays

and can't wait to merchandise the space with all

the wonderful treasures we have been collecting and have been given 

to us by friends and family wanting to help and support our habit.

So, look out these two girls are growing

not just literally but also figuratively.

We promise to post pics of the space after Wednesday.

Here we go!

Ciao,

F

Textures....

I am a bit of a texture junky.

You will find me constantly touching fabric, furniture, wood

pretty much anything that might have an interesting texture.

It's not just about seeing them but feeling them as well.

There is so much to be said about textures.

They make everything interesting.

Can you imagine a world with no texture.

I would cry.

My mom gave me a beautiful table cloth for our Thanksgiving table

and a very dear friend gave me a roll of burlap.

They were both laying on the table and I kept

finding myself stopping to look at them and touch them.

 I realized I needed to photograph them and share my addiction.

It's not just the texture but colors, the feel of rough and soft.

The table cloth looks rough but is so smooth to the touch

and the burlap just screams feel my roughness, my loose threads.

They both are reminiscent of fall and the all the seasonal changes

we are experiencing right now.

  I can't wait to decorate the table for Thanksgiving.

I have a funny suspicion it maybe all about textures and shades of brown.

I might even remember to cook the turkey.

Ciao,

F

Cooking....

Cooking!

It's that time of year again

when we pull out the family recipes,

look through all of our cook books 

and tear out every yummy looking recipe from magazines 

so we can plan the perfect Thanksgiving meal

for our friends and family.

There is something satisfying knowing you are

going to make people feel good by feeding them.

In our family eating is very important.

It is about conversation, good food and time 

spent with loved ones. 

We have been know to sit around the table eating, 

drinking and talking for hours.

I love it.

I hope all of you find the same joy 

we do in cooking, eating and drinking.

It is the joy of sharing and loving.

Ciao,

F

Country Side....

Well I am now heading North on the train to Manchester, England.
I opted for the train because I wanted to see the country side.
There is something magical about the English country side.
The sheep grazing in the fields, horses wearing blankets to keep warm against the cold wind.
The clouds are grey but the sun keeps trying to break through highlighting the emblazoned trees lining the rolling hills.
Small villages built of brick and the occasional grand manor dot the greens.
There is even the occasional canal lined in colorful boat houses.
I want to come back in my next lifetime as a lab on an English farm. Running after rabbits and pheasants while romping through the fields with my farmer. What the perfect dog life.

I'm really not making this up. This is what I see as we speed by on the train.
I wish I could just stop the train so I can just soak it all up and maybe even take a few pictures to share with you.
You'll have to trust me on this one.

Now back to watching my country side.

Ciao from the English country side,
F

Sent from my iPhone

Reading....

Being in England makes you feel somewhat a bit of a romantic.

Not sure if it is the weather, architecture, the history oozes out of every pore

in this country or maybe the accents

but what ever it is it works.

Found this picture and it spoke to me.

I so long to curl up in the library these books live in.

A comfy chair, large windows looking out at the woods

with a warm pot of tea.

Mmmm...

warm tones, lush textures and pretty writing.
courtesy of Selby

Ciao from London,

F

Liberty....

I love Liberty prints.
They are romantic, colorful,
Whimsical and oh so ever English.
Ciao from London,
F

Pumpkins....

My sister and nephew found this very cool shop

owned by an event/wedding planner, Michael Hensen.

Last weekend my nephew decided I needed to see it  because

it had the coolest pumpkins. 

Now I have seen many a pumpkin patch and plenty of

Halloween decor in my life time but nothing prepared me 

for these pumpkins.

These were giant size pumpkin ghosts.

They are absolutely gorgeous.

If I had the money let alone the front yard space I would have one of these,

maybe more than one. Can you imagine having a group of them.

Oh how the little kiddies would scream.

Happy Halloween.

Ciao,

F

Quote....

My husband loves fall, well actually he loves all four seasons

but he finds something magical about fall.

It's the love child of summer and winter.

I read this quote the other day and it made me think of 

Dave and his love affair with fall.

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it,

and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth

seeking the successive autumns."

George Eliot

Ciao,

F

Updates....

Well, we finally did it.

We updated our profile with a picture of both of us.

Aren't we cute. (lol)

My husband kept snapping away and we took some pretty funny

one's. I guess you can say we like to have fun

and don't mind laughing a bit either.

The other change you will see is Meeghn blogging.

I can't wait to read one of her blogs.

She's a pretty smart cookie and has a great sense of humor so

I think we are in for a treat.

Please give her the same warm welcome you all gave me.

I am going to be traveling quite a bit over the next 4 weeks 

so will do my best to blog but am sure

Meeghn will fill in where I can't.

Ciao,

F

Miracles....

Sometimes life dictates what we need to focus on other days

we get to decide.

Tonight life has dictated.

There is a very large miracle occurring in this world tonight,

it is the rescue of 33 miners trapped  2,ooo ft below the surface

in a mine where they have been trapped  for 68 days.

It is a miracle celebrated by the men, their wives and families,

a country and the world.

Today they come home.

First miner to be brought up.

Ciao,

F

Sewing....

While in Europe the last two weeks

I got to see a lot of retail.

Some not so interesting others absolutely beautiful

you just wanted to move in.

One particular store caught my eye,

All Saints Spitalfields.

Some of you may know it from your own travels.

What I love about it is it's use of vintage and old items

to create an environment that evokes 

the old garment industry world.

They have a particular signature item you will find

in every window and in every one of their stores,

The Old Sewing Machine.

We happen to have one of these in our shop

and I always thought what a beautiful item

to have for it's artistry and history.

I can only imagine how long and how far the 

visual team of AllSaints had to go to find

so many vintage sewing machines.

I can hear them humming, imagine the many women

and maybe men who spent hours bent over them

sewing their families clothes, clients new wardrobes

and maybe mass producing garments in the garment

district of many of the large cities of the world.

Ciao,

F

Back.....

Well I am back.

 It feels like it has been a very long time since I wrote last.

11 days in Europe for business not pleasure.

Oh, if it had been for pleasure I would have so much more exciting things to tell

and show you.

It was fun though and we did get a chance to eat some pretty fantastic food.

Saw some inspiring retail as well. Maybe more on that later.

The more important reason I am writing today is to 

remind all of you that tonight is Harvest Fest at

Found on Fremont 

to celebrate their first birthday.

The store looks fantastic and there are lots of fun finds

that you will definitely want to take home.

So come on by and help us celebrate.

Hope to see you there.

Ciao,

F

 

Mud....

A funny thing happened on the way to the forum,

um I mean the Barn House.

It was the season finale at Barn House today

and the girls and I decided to do some shopping.

My girlfriend Kristen showed up at my house this morning at 7am 

behind the wheel of a U-haul.

That's right a U-haul. 

This girl means business.

Meeghn showed up nursing her coffee after a very, 

and I do mean very rough week.

She was in desperate need of some fun and deserved it as well.

We had a goal, well, several goals.

1. A farm table for Kristen's new dining room

2. Possibly chairs and benches for this new table.

3. Goodies for the shop

4. Inspiration and a darn good time.

We were off.

First stop Vintage Gatherings where we scored some

very fun stuff a long with two chairs for the table we hadn't found yet.

Next stop Barn House.

Now I told the girls this could be a little muddy and wet sense 

both markets were on farms so be sure to wear appropriate footwear.

They did,  we all did.

This ended up not being the problem.

When we got to Barn House we pulled into the field

and low and behold it was muddy.

This was no problem for our boots but let me tell you 

that U-haul did not like it one bit.

Don't laugh we got stuck. That's right stuck.

This is when Kristen put that bad boy in park and 

asked for the boys.

Luckily the King of Tarte came to the rescue.

He wasn't having much luck either and we realized

we were all going to have to push.

We are started pushing and nothing was happening.

"oops," said the King, he was in neutral.

Push!

It came unstuck.

Yeah!

He then spent the next 15 minutes trying to get it up the hill 

and out of the wet field and parked.

Much thanks to the King of Tarte.

We couldn't have done it without you.

We did find a bench, a phenomenal table,

much inspiration and had a darn good time.

The U-haul

The muddy hole we were stuck in.

Yeah!

The King of Tarte

The Girls

One for all and all for one!

Thanks girls for a great fall morning.

Love ya!

Ciao,

F

Tables...

Since we started this endeavor I have been obsessed with tables.

It doesn't matter the size it just has to look and feel right.

See, the problem began when we first set up our space

at Found on Fremont and had no table.

It is really hard to make an impactful presentation 

without a flat service. 

A mason jar doesn't look so good sitting on the floor.

You know what I am talking about.

Anyway, every sale I go to I look for tables.

Well today was going to be my table day. 

I decided this once I spied a stack of tables in a picture for an estate sale.

This was it. I just knew.

I was #10 on the list.

This is a good number. 

Nice and round, divisible by 2 and the first birthday

with a double digit number.

We were all lined up and they opened the doors.
I was off.
There she was in all her glory just waiting for me.
I slapped a sold sticker on her and well everything else I  found
this morning was icing on my table cake.

Here are the pics of my new sweetheart and all her little friends
that came home with me.

Farm Kitchen table/120

Children's wooden blocks/2 ea.

Blue metal sewing container/28

Christmas houses/3-8

Alpenrose Dairy Milk box/30

I love days where everything you find you just want to keep.
My house just isn't big enough.
Oh well.
I know someone out there needs a darling farm kitchen table
and I will be again on the hunt.

Ciao,
F

P.S. See you at Barn House and Vintage Gathering tomorrow. I'll be shopping with the girls.

Things....

 

10 Common Household Items and their  Uncommon Uses:

1. Mason jar as a vase (my favorite)
2. Clothes pin as a chip bag clip
3. Wine bottles to keep your boots up right
4. Coaster to sit your pepper grinder on
5. Wooden crate to hold fire kindeling
6. Metal colander as a luminary
7. Vintage tins to hold lipsticks
8. Butter pat dish to hold little earrings
9. Clothes drying rack to dry homemade pasta
10. Vintage tray to sit  muddy boots on.

Ciao,

F

Letters....

We were doing a little estate sale shopping on Saturday

on our last estate sale of the day we found an envelope filled with letters.

They were a little more than we normally would have wanted to spend

but something told us we needed to take these home with us.

When I got home I showed them to my husband who couldn't wait to read them.

He read a couple out loud to me as I puttered around the house.

I couldn't believe what we stumbled across. 

These were love letters from a Dr. in the military stationed in France in the early 50's

to his wife and new born son back here in Portland.

As I read them I felt almost guilty for doing so.

 It feels a little like voyeurism or eaves dropping.

They are so intimate, tender

and full of love.

Some of them are even a little racy and so honest.

They all start with "My Darling Faye"

and end with either "All My Love, Ralph"

or "xoxoxo, Ralph".

Here is a little snippet of one so you can see what I mean.

"Received another of your wonderful letters this morning. 

Gee, they make me feel so darned good.

You are wonderful honey. 

So thoughtful and such a perfect girl for a guy like me.

I know you will be the best mother always to our "heir"".

(They just had their first child, Marky.)

Almost all the envelopes are numbered and he dated each one 

with the day, month, date and year.

The language is so of the times.

It is truly a time machine into a marriage during post war

in a time so different from today.

Here's to love and romance.

Ciao,

F

Harvest....

Tonight it was vendor night at Found on Fremont

which means the store is open late for vendors

to come in enjoy beverages, a little snack and re-merchandise their spaces.

I made pumpkin cupcakes with maple cream cheese frosting.

Mmmm!

We took out everything white in the space, 

added in new pieces and rearranged some existing.

I think it turned out quite nice. We even got some very nice complements

from one of the other vendors who plans on coming by to shop 

our space after we were done.

Some how we ended up with a Victorian cowgirl on the prairie

theme. Not intentional but we liked it.

And we hope you do to.

Not to keep you in any more suspense here are some pictures.

CanCan meets cowboy

Boxes to store secret treasures

Children's  costumes

Meeghn's favorite, trays

Books to read on a cold, wet day

Farmstand signs

A night in the kitchen

Ciao,

F