Unique IKEA rugs. Who knew?

When i think of rugs from IKEA visions of robots and black and white squiggly lines rush through my head. But recently IKEA is selling a line of rugs that is really unique and different from their typical geometric ways. I came across these rugs on my endless hunt for the perfect rug for my living room. I have the misfortune of living in a house where I cannot change the color of paint on the walls and they are not white. I never thought I would say this but 'I wish they were white'! The walls in my living room remind me of seafoam green and I have been having the hardest time finding a rug I LIKE that would work with seafoam green walls. I think I found it.

ALVINE RUTA from IKEA

I love this rug because it reminds me of Moroccon Berber rugs but without having as much white space (good for dog owners). They have another style of these handmade rugs, which I like but isn't right for my space.

ALVINE RAND from IKEA

January House Tour

As a way to keep up on my photography skills I contribute to a really cool blog, Apartment Therapy, by doing house tours in the Bay Area. The house tour gig is an awesome way to get an inside look at the amazing homes people in the Bay have designed for themselves. Who knew there were so man talented closet interior designers out there?

My latest tour is from the SOMA neighborhood in San Francisco. Praveen is a software engineer with a playful side who loves color. Check out his pad on Apartment Therapy.

New Name

I need a new name for my blog. The current name is too long and doesn't really describe what my blog is about. I am looking for something short and catchy that gives a sense of my interests in photography, food, anything and everything vintage, and respect for the ground I walk on.

I wish I could get away with just my first name but everyone would think I was blogging about yoga if it was called 'Lilias'.

Any ideas?

Happy Girl Kitchen Cafe

If you have been to farmer's markets in the Bay Area you have probably stumbled upon Happy Girl Kitchen's delicious pickles. They now have a brick and mortar in Pacific Grove, CA where you can buy their pickles, apple cider, and other canned goodies any day of the week. My boyfriend James is friends with the manager of the cafe and we stopped by on a recent trip to Monterey to check out the new digs.

Happy Girl Kitchen does all of their canning and pickling in this new cafe kitchen by hand. Yep, by hand. That means they hand chop everything and even use the same boiling water bath method I use in my home when I am canning.

With a lack of really great food in the Monterey/Pacific Grove area, Happy Girl Kitchen cafe brings a welcome change. They also bring workshops where they teach everything they know including cheese making!

I had to show these display shelves. This is such a clever idea with the ladder.

 And these mugs, so cute.

Gotta Love Holiday Dog Accessories

I am not one to dress up my dog on a regular basis but I could not resist putting Ryley in the jingle bell collar he received from Santa.

My brother's dog Copper had a matching collar. I couldn't believe these dogs didn't rip the collar off the moment they started walking around and jingling. I guess they love the sound of jingle bells as much as we do. (Copper doesn't usually look this crazy. I caught him at a weird moment)

And then there is Betty. This is the best dog hat ever!!