News from the Salvage Studio

Hope you are all enjoying our long-awaited summer!

We have some big news for you – we are retiring Salvage Studio. We have both decided to focus on new directions, are still good friends, and don’t want to lose track of you. We had the time of our lives doing Salvage Studio together, and are so grateful for all the friendships we made with our customers. We hope to stay in contact with each of you through our new endeavors.

Lisa’s new blog, http://www.lisaslittlehouse.blogspot.com/, will keep you up to date on all her activities and plans.

Beth’s new blog, http://www.bethevansramos.wordpress.com/, will function as her website/blog combo. A sidebar calendar will have the venues she’ll be appearing at for speaking engagements and teaching workshops.

Both blogs will soon have a section to sign up for our new email newsletters. You’ll also learn more about our new businesses.

We’ve also decided to cancel our Art Party that was scheduled for October 2. If you signed up and paid, you will be receiving your refund soon.

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for all your heartfelt support!
Beth and Lisa

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to you and yours!

Carla's Cat

One of my 2010 goals (yes, I have them and yes, I am still working on them!) was to take some workshops. For the past four years, we have been teaching up a storm...now it is my turn to fill myself up. Plus, being a student makes a better teacher.

Carla Sonheim is an Art Girl (a once a month meeting of some of the kindest people and most creative minds we know) and she recently moved back to the Seattle area. She is also one of the most delightful artists. I have been wearing her little cat charm on my Fork Pendant Necklace for years.

You may remember it. I love it!

She is teaching an online class...I signed up the minute I read about it. You can find the information on her website here. Care to join me? -- Lisa

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Here is a bit 'o green from my garden.

Have a Lucky Day! -- Lisa

Birds and Blooms Magazine

Our book is featured in the April/May issue of Birds and Blooms Magazine. We haven't seen it yet but Stacy Torino, the editor of the magazine, says it looks "phenomenal". For a sneak peak, you can see one of the projects here.

My Favorite Spa

I returned just recently from a week-long visit with my mom in Dayton, Washington. We call her place our favorite spa. We sleep good, eat great and relax.
Mom is famous in our family for her homemade bread. She has been making brioche dough lately and 3 out of my 7 mornings I awoke to fresh, hot beignets. Oh. My. Goodness.

We tried to get artsy with our shot. I juiced some organic blood oranges and we had that with champagne with our light as air pastries. -- Lisa

A flower for you!

A 'friend' (she is shy) sent us these photos of flowers made from cut-up, painted plastic bottles from the downtown Anthropologie. She knew we would enjoy them and we hope you do too.

Wouldn't it be a blast to spend a day with the creative team that puts these ideas together. Hint, hint! -- Lisa

ps...even though she is shy, she asked permission to take photos...always good ettiquette.

A new Flea Market in town...

Our buddy Timi, of Come Junk With Us fame, is putting together her own vintage inspired flea market.

The Collection

Friday, March 5th

Early Bird Shopping from 5 pm - 8 pm

$10 entry

Gift bags for the first 30 people

Door prize drawings

Saturday, March 6th

8 am - 4 pm

$8 entry

Gift bags for the first 30 customers

Prize drawings every hour

Knights of Columbus Hall

Bothell-Everett Hwy

Bothell WA

Visit her site for more details, a discount coupon and all the scoop
on her upcoming Junk Junket to The Farm Chicks.

Five

Does this building look familiar? Yep, it is the old location of the Salvage Studio. After the Northwest Flower and Garden Show last week, Beth, Raoul and I popped into Five, the delicious new restaurant that went into our old location. Summer and Ted Clark were loyal and fun customers and they loved the feel of the space. So when they were looking to open their hip new bistro, it was a no-brainer.

Summer is one of the most talented people we know...just look at this place!

Ted on the right in the new bar area. There were some Saturday's we could have used that amenity!

A great collection of frames add sparkle and light.

Cavallini gift wrap behind old windows. Stunning and easy peasy.

A new wall with mirrors to reflect light. And we love the whiskey barrel rings on the wall.

Simple branches with pendant light bulbs.

Did we mention how talented Summer is? We kinda have a crush on her, can you tell?

And last, but not least, the food was delicious and beautifully prepared. -- Lisa

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

I made these little Button Flower Bouquets for a Valentine's Day Swap with a group of artists we hang out with: Women of the Arts or WOTA for short. Easy peasy and oh so darling.

Hope you get to spend some quality time with your loved one....YOU! -- Lisa

Northwest Flower and Garden Show Recap

Just to start us off...Crops for Clunkers. We loved this garden. The chicken run was on the driver's side and the nesting box was accessable from the passenger side window. You can read more about this project at The Seattle Urban Farm Company.

The theme for the show this year was Sustainability. Seattle Tilth has been a pioneer in that realm for ages. And designer Jessica Bloom created a beautiful "Family's Little Farm in the City' complete with goats and chickens.

Two innovative planter systems: Coldframe and a raised bed from concrete and old bottles. Both will capture heat for your plants.

And a beautiful rain chain made from cut-off blue bottles.

We saw this wall structure throughout the gardens. Handsome and practical.

I have loved the JohnBob Cool Junk booth for years. We finally got to rub shoulders with these two at Farm Chicks last year and that makes me love their booth even more.

Beautiful vintage goods and great presentation.

This booth made us stop in our tracks. Each Rotoluxe planter is made of recycled plastic and made in the Pacific Northwest. Durable, attractive, lightweight and a great product. Visit their website for more information.

Fun container exhibit vignette by Sunnyside Nursery.

So now you can sit in your easy chair, puruse gardening magazines and dream of your garden possibilities. -- Lisa

PS...thanks to Beth for the great photos and a super duper presentation of Outdoor Entertaining Salvage Style. She rocked the room!

Taking a break...

I'm taking a break from blogging for a while. Lisa will continue to post some entries to keep us on the blogging map. I have a couple of challenges going on in my personal life, am overwhelmed with preparations for listing our house for sale, and need some time to figure out where I want to invest my energies professionally. Sort of the usual, every day chain of events.
But at this moment, it's feeling like too much. I have great faith that it all will work out.
In the meantime, I'm still addicted to reading all of your blogs, and will be keeping in touch that way! -- Beth

Neighbor Lisa's House

I was so happy when my neighborhood Lisa moved into our little cul de sac.

She and I share a love of decorating our homes. Plus she and her family are supremely nice! Our styles are similar in some ways, and different in others. I really admire her decorating sense, and love seeing what's new her way. This eye-catching array is what greets you in her foyer.

A lovely arrangement in her living room.

She created this stunning vignette on the other side of her living room.

Such a pleasing mantel composition.

And the final wall in her captivating living room.

Now we are in the dining room. Lisa's sense of scale is dramatic and so darn tasteful.

Even her laundry room is quite attractive. She is fearless with paint, and with touches of black.

I fell in love with this lamp! And ordered one through her wonderful shop, Elegant Clutter, in Mill Creek. So even though you don't live in our cul de sac, you can see more of Lisa's decorating style there.

In the master bedroom is this leopard chair, which used to live at our house in my studio. With all our downsizing, I had it in our garage waiting for the next garage sale. Lisa spied it and bought it on the spot. I am so happy the chair has such a classy new home, and I can still visit it now and again. -- Beth

Friday Fun at the Northwest Flower & Garden Show

Here’s a sneak peek of a new creation for my upcoming seminar at the Northwest Flower & Garden Show.  I’ll be there Friday, 12:30 p.m. in the Hood Room.

I am really tickled with this idea for a Junk Bar – a picnic cooler for your beverage, a meat grinder holding your bar towel, a Christmas tree stand for your ice bucket and more!  There will be pretty pictures, lots of helpful info, and I hope plenty of chuckles.  Lisa will be there as my technical goddess.

We would love to see you!

Ballard Blast

Recently, my friend bj and I had a wonderful time playing in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle.  I have to confess that I have lived in the suburbs of Seattle for nearly 13 years and I haven’t been keeping up with how hip certain neighborhoods have become.  But I have loved Ballard Avenue with its’ amazing shops for a long time.  It was huge fun to discover new ones, and visit my favorites like Curtis Steiner’s Souvenir . These dreamy blue bottles displaying jewelry just made my heart beat a little faster.

Curtis graciously let me take his picture.

Vintage game tiles surrounded this display case.  He is a master of the vignette.

These necklaces were perfection.

Local artist, Patty Grazini created these incredible paper shoes.

Curtis fashioned these window display mannequins with grand hair-dos and attire.  He is so supremely talented!

Lunch was at the Puerto Rican restaurant, La Isla.  Tasty, tasty, tasty!

Another wonderful shop we visited was Tableau.

These burlap bottomed branches were great.

Faux candleholders.

I covet this sophisticated loveseat.

And then I started clothes shopping at Horseshoe and my picture taking went to the wayside.  We had met the owner, Jill, when we did the fall Sand Point Antiques Market.  Unfortunately, she was out of town that day, but lucky for me, her clothes stayed behind.  More coveting ensued, and I left with a swingy new skirt!