clarabellanyc.com

If you haven’t started to notice, I’m on quite a Portland kick. I’ve been here for a few weeks now and feel like I’m just starting my exploration. I like knowing my surroundings… knowing where to look for new discoveries. Finding great independent designers, great music. It’s just part of who I am. The first one I’d like to share with you, however, came to me from a reader of this very blog, a shop owner in Upstate New York by the name of Donna (hi Donna!). She wrote me a lovely note about the closing of my shop and my move up here to Portland within which she mentioned a Portland based designer, Brook There.

Created by Brook DeLorme, Brook There is dedicated to organic and sustainable fabrics and local manufacturing. Brooke has been creating her gorgeous pieces for about 8 years and works right here in Portland, ME. Her company name was inspired by the idea that “there” often represents a place we’d rather be, and that fashion is the vehicle that can transport you from fantasy to reality, or from here to there. I just love that;). Anyway, she’s even got her own shop right down on Wharf Street in the Old Port. I’ve been peeking at her blog and am looking forward to checking the shop out in person. From the looks of the photos, I know exactly what space she’s in as I was peeking in the vacant windows a few short months ago. I may just need to snatch up one of the super cute items you see below. Congrats on the new shop Brooke, and best of luck!!

About Brook

Online Shopping

a nice hit in Boston’s Daily Candy

and in my beloved, NY-based Refinery29

There are a whole slew of things I could say about this one, but for now I’m actually just referring to the website. It’s going to be a slow process that involves a slew of backup so that I don’t lose any of my precious words, but get ready for the site to change. Now that I’m no longer a shop, I feel that the website should reflect that; reflect my new life, my new direction, my new ideas. I have no idea how it’s going to lay out, but I’m curious and excited. I started moving a few things around, but it’s temporary. I’ll keep you posted for sure, but if you’re a regular reader, you’ll see it for yourself anyway. If you have any suggestions at all… things you’d like to see, colors that you particularly love, etc, drop me a line. And thanks, as always, for reading!!

You’ve heard me mention Baggu before… Back in the Fall of ‘07, Clarabella brought them in. They were an instant hit and you all came by in droves to stock up on different colors and rave to me about how much you loved them. I mean really… they’re genius. I know there are a hundred different types of reuseable shopping bags out there right now, everyone wants to promote the ‘green’. But these fold up into these handy little pouches that you can easily throw into your handbag or (gasp) even your back pocket. I’m never without one and might honestly have about 8 different colors at this point. Anyway… why am I revisiting this now? Well, even though Clarabella is no more, I still get loads of news about what’s coming up next. I may have just seen something about a new canvas bag from the darlings at Baggu and I’m so excited that I had to share it with all of you. They’re not yet available for purchase on the Baggu website, but I’m thinking that they may be come mid-October or so. So, if you think these are as great as I do, set a little reminder for yourself to check one out in a few short weeks. I know I’ll be snatching up a few of my own!

I’ll give you a heads up on size and color once the date draws a little closer. I don’t want to give too much away all at once!

Well, almost… I still need to do something about the cupboards and work on getting some artwork up, shelves organized, hanging baskets hanging, etc. But… the initial painting is done!! I have to admit, I got a little nervous during the painting yesterday. I used Benjamin Moore Aura again, but this time I went for the Satin rather than the eggshell. It’s recommended for kitchens and bathrooms as it’s easier to clean. It also doesn’t go on as smooth as the eggshell, or maybe it’s just that new coats of paint don’t take as well to old coats of satin paint. Who knows. All I can tell you is that as the ‘orange’ was going on, it looked shiny and too dark and I started second guessing my choice. The ‘blue’ looked too faint as well. But, I’d started, so all I could do was cross my fingers and hope for the best. In the end, the ‘one-coat’ Aura didn’t let me down and I learned a lesson again… ALWAYS wait for the paint to fully dry and the paint tape to be removed to make judgments. It changes everything! My lower wall coat of ‘Silver Mist’ and upper wall coat of ‘Raspberry Parfait’ gives my kitchen that exact retro look that I was hoping for. It brightens everything up and even makes me smile a little when I walk in. I can’t wait to finish setting everything up and you can be sure I’ll be posting new photos once that’s done.

So, a few photos to keep you interested;)

Before:

During:

After:

[the upper right photo in the after section is likely the best representation of the true colors… I’m loving it!!]

So, that’s today’s installment. I start taping for the Living Room as soon as I finish quarterly sales tax receipts for Clarabella. Not entirely finished with the shop yet!!

xErin

Since moving, I’ve heard a train’s whistle a few times a day. I just assumed that it was the ‘new’ commuter train that runs from Portland down to Boston - actually called the Amtrak Downeaster . I assumed wrong! My dad popped by this afternoon and upon hearing the whistle said, wow… even though you can’t see it, it’s nice that you can hear the Narrow Gauge Railroad down there! He then went on to tell me about special events like the Polar Express around Christmas. I got curious and looked it up to find the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co. website and this awesome photo:

I’m pretty sure that’s just down on near Fore Street where the museum is located.

Anyway, it’s an old school train on a more narrow track… looks like something fun to do if you’re curious about the area, visiting, or need something different to do with your kids. Trains run daily from 11am - 4pm on the hour until Oct. 25 at which time they flip to a weekend schedule - 11am to 3pm on the hour. You can find out more by checking out the website:   www.mngrr.org.

I’ve still got a long way to go, but am feeling pretty excited after painting the bedroom! J came in for a few nights and was nice enough to help me out with the taping of the walls (my least favorite part of painting… only barely edging out laying the dropclothes) and also with the painting. I don’t think I’ve shared any photos of my apartment before, so I’ll give you a little ‘before’ photo of what the walls used to look like:

Compare to now…

Oh what a little coat of paint can do!! I went on over to Maine Hardware on St. John St here in Portland where the folks were extremely pleasant and helpful. I was in the market for Ben Moore paint and was directed to the ‘Aura’. It’s a little pricier, but to get the look above I didn’t have to prime the walls and I only used one coat, so I actually ended up saving money. There are absolutely no streaks even though we thought there might be when we were rolling the walls. Everything dried perfectly and I couldn’t be happier with the new look.

Like I said, I have a long way to go. I’ve still got the kitchen and the living room to do. I think you’re going to be impressed!! Here are a few teaser before photos to get you ready:

I’ve also got a lot of styling and setting up to do. I’m planning on changing the fabric on my desk chair, constructing a bed frame from 2 shipping palettes that J has agreed to grab for me, working on a makeshift headboard since I don’t have the actual bed frame, hang up all the art work, arrange the living room, etc etc etc. If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know I love projects!! You also know that I looooove Design Sponge so get ready to see a slew of projects inspired by the DIY section… including (but not limited to!) Paint Can Planters (got to do something with all of these paint cans!!), Drawer Hangers, Coat Rack (think of all of those old wall hooks I had for the bag displays at the shop!), and the Wall-papered Medicine Cabinet. Let’s see how many of these I’ll actually get to.

Don’t forget… it’s all this + close up the shop + finish unpacking + find a job!! Lots and lots of things to do, but I can’t wait!!;).

Hope you’re all well this crisp Fall day. I’ll talk to you soon

xE

So… I haven’t named her yet, but I wanted to introduce you to the newest part of my Maine life…

My ‘94 Nissan Pathfinder - YAY!!

More on her soon:)

So, I finally went over to pick up the last two drawer pulls earlier this afternoon and the dresser is complete. [well, I may add some decorative paper on the top and inside the drawers, but as I’ve got lots of other stuff to do… I’m going to leave it as is for the moment]

To refresh your memory… I started with this:

sanded and primed to reach this:

I then added 2 coats of Benjamin Moore ‘Santa Monica Blue’ and some brand new drawer pulls from Decorum in Portland ME (thanks Melissa!!) and ended up with this:

I’m so pleased with the results and think it’s going to look fantastic in my bedroom:). It’s sitting out on the deck for a few more days while I paint the bedroom. Stay tuned for some new before and after photos while I slowly piece my little apartment together. Fun stuff!!

A little teaser… it’s *almost* done. Here it is all sanded and primed… it’s currently out on my deck with a gorgeous blue sheen, smiling at me;). It’s just missing 2 drawer pulls as I guessed and miscalculated. Updates and more words coming your way tomorrow!

I’ve got a few little ones in my life. While living in New York, I had the chance to head down to the Jersey shore to spend time with my cousin T and her little sweethearts A and A. The oldest is just about 27 months and the youngest is just over 4 months. I was lucky enough to be around for the births of both little girls and was able spend a good enough amount of time with them over the years (months) that A knows exactly who I am, asking for Auntie En-ay, or Auntie Erin when I’m not around. I feel so lucky that I was able to do that… do get to know them and to be an integral part in their lives for at least a little while. That’s not something I was able to do with my sister’s kids, S and L.

I first met S when she was maybe 4 months old. My sister was still living out in San Diego and I was out there for a visit - maybe for L’s birthday? L lived out there with her (now) husband and S until the summer of 2002 when they packed it up and moved back to Maine right before my nephew L was born. I lived in NY this whole time. West Coast or Maine… it didn’t  make too much of a difference. I was a bit of a workaholic (always) and didn’t take as much time off as I could or should have. I did get to spend time with the kids whenever I was home, but I was the occasional Auntie, rather than the regular one. I would swoop in for a night or two and then swoop back to NY as fast as I’d come. Now that I’m in Maine, I live about 15 minutes away (maybe less) from my sister and her family. I’ve already seen them twice in the 4 days that I’ve been here and they’re likely already on their way here again now!! For the first time EVER, I’m having an Auntie sleepover.

S (10) and L (almost 7) are coming to stay with me tonight while my sister and her husband are at a wedding. To be honest, I’m a little nervous. I want to make sure that they have a good time and actually want to come back. As a result, I might be over-doing it a bit. I’m planning on bringing them to the park for a few hours before heading to Target to pick out *one toy* to leave here for whenever they come. From there we head to Seacoast Funpark [I actually worked there when I was 16!] where we’ll meet up with J who will help me keep them entertained for the rest of the night. As a treat, we might even get McDonald’s on the way home (ewwwwwww - but they love it) and top the night off with Ice Cream Floats and a movie. Pancakes are on the menu for the morning (blueberries for one, chocolate chips for the other) before L picks them up and takes them home for the day. Whew. I’m tired just thinking about it all;). Anyway… it should be a fun night and hopefully the beginning of something a little more regular. My new position as ‘Full Time Auntie’!