Gates of Devon, PA

Back to Devon and the gates of Main Line Philadelphia.  This place is a treasure trove for landscape architects.

Why are all these gates closed?
-R

Gates of Decatur Island, Wa

Driftwood, driftwood, and a little iron. All of these gates were designed and built by homeowners. Something about Decatur Island makes grown-ups want to play with driftwood and other found objects.
-R

Gates of Seattle, WA

2010 is coming.  Let's all pass through a new door, or in my case gate, and welcome the new year with high hopes.  This week I want to look at all kinds of gates.  I'll start in my own backyard and move around to other destinations near and far.

All of the examples above are from NE Seattle.  The styles on display are indicative of this place:  Asian inspired, funky recycled, artistic glass and metal, and the 3 foot high, painted, open board fence/combo.  I think they are good examples of the design aesthetic in this area and define the sense of place.
-R

Christmas Ships at Matthews Beach 12/23

Stand on the beach by the bonfire, drink the hot cocoa and listen to the choir on the big ship as they serenade the beaches along Lake Washington.

20 minutes of simple Seattle style christmas fun...

Well done holiday event ...
Thanks Decorno for this vintage Seattle Xmas ship pic..

Quiet

Ice, Ice Baby. Greenlake

Seattle, 2 weeks ago.

Let's Dance. Mt. Rainier.

Mt. Rainier brings out the best in
all of us. We will miss her as she
hides behind the winter skies and
rejoice when she returns for viewing
in the late spring.
Well Done Mother Nature.

The Johnson and Peters Tap Dance Carolers

Come see us for our final gig at the Seattle Center House.  This Monday at 5:30pm.
Well Done Christmas Cheer.

Fun with sticks

Easy, easy, easy Christmas decor. To make: prune your red twig dogwoods or, in my case, go to a local park early in the morning with your shears and prune "their" dogwoods. Place stems in beautiful vase. Hang your favorite ornaments on the twigs. No water needed.
 -R

CLICK HERE for a great article about planting your own Red Twig Dogwood.

Japanese Lanterns. Wedgwood.

These neighbors keep the Japanese Lanterns in their tree all year long.  Come Christmas time, they light up the whole tree plus the lanterns.  So lovely and So Well Done.
-R

Homemade, Northwest Inspired Wreath

Okay, I'm featuring my own wreath because, well, I do think it is Well Done.
I bought the form about four years ago.  Every year I pull it out of my basement, take off the dead stuff, run around the neighborhood collecting twigs and greenery, and design a "new" northwest inspired creation.  It's silly how happy the whole process makes me.
-R
Hey readers:
There are some other fabulous wreaths here on Design*Sponge.... So inspiring, Thanks Rebecca!

Christmas in L.A.

What more can I say?  This is some Well Done Christmas lighting.
-R

The Nutcracker, Seattle style

Anne here, went down to the Nutcracker 2 weeks ago with the girls and I just have to say WOW. There are plenty of bulging muscles to enjoy and fancy ballerinas to marvel at. Seattle really has perfected the not too long, not too scary, well designed Nutcracker. Somehow the Pacific Northwest Ballet has lessened the "pedofile" angle of the story and upped the "young girl and her dreams about growing up angle"...This gets two thumbs up from our household. Althought I felt snoozy and dreamy, it was not boredom, it was a trance brought on by magical music and indulgent visual input.

Well Done, PNB.

Cool Shit Re-cap

  











OK, let's sum it up people. Especially you, I know you haven't been paying full attention. We covered Knits and Purses from Peru by Emily, Ceramics by Amanda at Laurelhurst Community Center (see above), Jeweled Adornments in NE Seattle by Sue, Collage/sculpture & Painting from NE Seattle by Victoria & oh maybe I will throw a pic of my painting in too....Not quite the caliber of these ladies but you gotta have mentors...

If you ever need a handmade thing/present... let me know. I have a long list of people who make amazing things...

Have a happy weekend!

Victoria Raymond

Victoria Raymond is a mom in NE Seattle who so cleverly makes these amazing 3D images to be used in children's books. They are impeccable and fun and oh, you have to see her website.  I mean, she really has to have some focus + discipline+brilliance to do this shit!  Not only does she make these clay sculptures, she paints and makes other awe-inspiring stuff. A little birdie told me that she is having an open studio this weekend in her NE Seattle studio, Sat & Sun 1-8pm. If you EMAIL me I can give you her address.

Can you believe the amazing people that live in this little part of the world? 

Well Done Children's Books, Victoria. Thanks for making the world a bit more beautiful.

Sue Pess, another lady who makes amazing cool stuff

If you have never met Sue Pess before, you might think she was a local celeb, an actress or the first lady.
She has poise, kindness and a serious amount of creativity ready to burst. Last night she had a mini show at Theo Chocolate in Fremont and she normally shows/sells her work at Essenza in Fremont.  This is a woman who knows how to balance the ying/yang the heavy with the ethereal, the sparkly with the subtle...

Well Done Adornments

Amanda WIlton-Green, another chick making cool shit

Amanda can paint, make ceramic usable art ( she made her entire kitchen backsplash out of ceramic 2"circles dude), sew a mean felt stocking, paint an elaborate folk art chair, make an outfit, etc, etc etc...
She even laid the hardwoods in her condo. I dare you to find something she can't make. Seriously.
Come see her delicious new line of ceramic plates, bowls etc for sale this weekend at Laurelhurst Community Center (4554 NE 41st)  on Friday from 1pm-8:30 or Sat 10-3pm. This craft fair is small and sweet and has all the good handmade stuff. There will be refreshments, children's crafts and a marshmallow roast!.
Hopefully she will email me a pic of her latest creations for the blog soon so I can show you.
Well Done!

Women who make and sell cool shit week.

Hey folks, all week long I will feature women who deserve a little attention for making cool shit. These ladies are not sitting around on their lovely lady lumps, they are taking risks and Well Done Blog honors those who are brave. It's sorta like the army, but not. Ok, so bravery in design and art does not require that you risk your life for your country (which I totally admire) BUT you never know if a Peruvian Alpaca could trample you to death either. Just saying.

Emily will be showing her new line of Peruvian made accessories at my home tonight, email me for an invite....Well Done Accessories!


Here's a link to an article about Emily:

ARTICLE

The Philadelphia Story. Devon,PA.

Main Line Philadelphia. I lived there from age 8 until age 17.  I can't stand the new "I made a ton of money in the market" development, but the old homes and neighborhoods still take my breath away.  I'm talking field stone, and stucco, and hedges, and split-rail fences. They are beautifully crafted and timeless.  Well Done Old Money.

The Philadelphia Art Museum is filled with Treasures

I went to Philly last week for my 30th high school reunion. It was great to see all my BFFs who still call me Becky Dietz! While there, I went to The Art Museum. It is a treasure filled with treasures.
I saw:
Salvador Dali, Construction with Boiled Beans, 1936
Marcel Duchamp, Nude Descending a Staircase No.2, 1912
Vincent Van Gogh, Vase with twelve Sunflowers, 1889
Claude Monet, Poplars, 1891
Lee Krasner, Composition, 1949
Next time I am in town, I am going to spend the entire day there.

FYI Seattlites:  The Seattle Art Museum is FREE all day today, December 3rd.  Works by Calder and Michelangelo are on display.

Baking Oompa Loompa Cookies with "T"

Last week Catherine Peng and I assisted our friend, baker extraordinaire Teresa Howard, in making cookies for the concession stand for our school's production of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory".  T's son, Oscar, played Charlie. Catherine's son, Mason, played Mr. Buckett and Mr. TeeVee. And my son, George, was Mike TeeVee. Perfect casting!!!
Teresa owns her own catering business, Celestial Catering, and has the ability to feed large quanties of people really good food.  Below she shares her Oompa Loompa cookie recipe for 170.

Oompa Loompa Cookies for 170
Preheat oven to 300 degrees
Stir together in a large bowl:  13 1/4 cups of flour, 2Tb of baking soda, 1Tb salt
Cream together until light:  3lb butter, 4 1/2 cups of brown sugar, 4 1/2 cups of white sugar, 2Tb vanilla
Add 12 eggs to creamed mixture.  Slowly add flour.  Scoop into 2 oz cookies.  Decorate each cookie with
5-6 colorful M&M's.
Bake for 8 minutes.  Turn the oven off and let the cookies sit for 4 minutes

Guaranteed to please Oompa Loompas and all of their friends.
Well Done Sweet

Mix and Match. A Few Tips.

  

Mixing Prints.  Not always easy and not always Well Done. Here are a few tips that will help you master this skill.  Good Luck and send us some photos of your mix and match projects.

Stick to one or two main colors
Your prints don’t need to all be in the exact same shade, but they should have the same undertones.

Give patterns some space. Vary styles and scale. Mix a large floral with a small geometric print and a medium-sized stripe.

Mix up the types of patterns. Use a floral, a geometric print, and a classic stripe to give your look some variety.

If an interior or exterior space already has a lot going on in the way of color and pattern, keep furniture simple.

Add accent colors with accessories

Now, go practice.