it's my darlin'

Remember Anthony? I took his photo a little over a year ago and to this day it is one of my favorite shots so far since starting the blog. Well, I was so excited to hear from him recently when he wrote to tell me about local jewelry designer Meghann Sommer. I checked out her website and immediately recognized her designs as the very same ones that I drool over every time I stop into Cairo for a little shopping. &c Jewelry is such a beautiful handmade mix of primitive organic materials and industrial chains and hardware. Each piece feels like it could go just as well with jeans and a t-shirt as it would with your little black dress on a night out. It is art like this that leads me to a question that I ask myself all too commonly: Why do people seek out mass produced accessories from big box stores??? Boys, next time you are looking to get your lady something that will send her over the moon steer clear of the mall and instead support a local artist like Meghann. Check out the &c website here and Meghann's blog here. Her jewelry can also be found at some of my favorite shops in Seattle: Cairo, Velouria and Fancy.

I caught Jason downtown while he was heading to work at Pike Place Chowder. I could tell instantly when I saw him that his clothes would have a story. After taking some photos, Jason told me that his bomber jacket used to belong to his uncle. A long time ago, his uncle's dog chewed up the fur on the collar. I like the faults in this coat. I have a few favorite items that have a hole here or there and even though I know they should be fixed I generally don't mend them because I like the way these flaws look. My very favorite item of clothing is a military jacket that I found in the shed behind Don and I's house in Boise about 5 years ago. It was in box with several other men's items that I believe belonged to Harold, the man we bought the house from. The jacket had outlines where there were once patches, a frayed collar and pockets and a small hole forming on each elbow. At the time I remember thinking I should cover the wear and tear with some neat leather elbow patches but I never did it. Now both elbows have wide open holes that are just a part of why I love the jacket. So much character.

I love how Seattle this shot is. Doc Martens, Flannel, and in front of Nordstrom... a great spot to watch all the hubbub of of the holidays. It has also been in the low 50's here lately, hence the lack of normal holiday bundling most are accustomed to this time of year.

Merry Christmas all ya'all! I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday filled with tasty treats and cozy days at home.

Absolutely stunning right? Sherri caught my eye immediately with her hertitage scarf and Angelica Houston-esque beauty. Check out my Hill Style post over at CHS that features Sherri.

She had just come from visiting her daughter at The In, an artist's community on 17th & Olive. This place sound pretty amazing. You can read about them in this write up on CHS and also on their Facebook page.

It's my Darlin' was featured today on Seattle blog Zipped. Chelsea posts daily about her thoughts on clohting, style and everything else that brings her inspiration. What an honor to be part of that. Thank you so much Chelsea for the ultra sweet write up!

When I stopped Linda for her photo she told me that no one has ever stopped her for something like this before... Well, I have a pretty good feeling that this is long overdue. From this outfit I found her style to be bold, effortless and totally unique. It should have come as no surprise when she told me that she is the owner/co-owner of Capitol Hill favorites Smith, Oddfellows (Yes, the same Oddfellows that is often featured on this blog for it's perfect cupcakes and stylish employees!), Linda's Tavern and King's Hardware in Ballard. All of which also have her signature stylings from top to bottom in the form of decor.

What a fun gal! And her dog Jack was such a sweet pup. He was the perfect gentleman and posed handsomely in every picture.

What a fantastic group of guys. Each of them had such a unique personality and sense of style. Evan and Garrett are both members of local band Secret Shoppers. Evan is also a hair model for Sassoon Salon downtown which reminded me of the photos I took of those lovely Sassoon stylists last year during the holidays. In fact, since my stylist moved recently I called and set up an appointment at Sassoon when I got home because I was so impressed with Evan's hair. Time to stop putting off going to a new salon...

Back to the photos... Third from the left is Jerrick; local actor and drag queen. He is currently acting in Red Ranger Came Calling at the Eve Alvord Theater. You can also see him performing in drag as Jinkx at Bacon Strip at the ReBar on the first Saturday night of the each month. And finally, can we talk about how wonderful Matthew's outfit is? Initially his hat was what caught my attention when I walked by this group but once I started taking photos and saw his boots up close they ended up being my favorite part of his look.

So glad I happened to pass these guys while I was walking home from work.

And if you want to check out Secret Shoppers they are playing tonight at Pony and on March 21st at the Croc!

Readers! For those of you still on the lookout for the perfect Christmas gift... Jene Despain got in touch with me recently and said that she would like to offer you guys a 15% discount on anything for her site! I feel so honored that she thought of us for this. To get the discount on your purchase use the code "Darlin" from now until Dec 20th.

You may remember Jene from an interview and photoshoot I did with her when she came to Seattle for the launch of her Black Honey line at Velouria. You might also recognize her Roaring 10's earring collection if I have stopped you for a photo because I wearing her Empire Earrings pretty much everyday. They are my absolute favorite! I feel like each piece she creates is so unique and timeless.

Jene has so much love for what she does. On my most recent trip to NYC I was able to meet up with her and see the seriously awesome Brooklyn apartment where she creates all of her amazing designs. Everything is made by hand with care and a whole lot of creativity. Since my write up and visit with Jene she has been featured in several magazines including Lucky and the cover of Notion as well as on some very well known blogs such as San Francisco's Daily Candy and Refinery 29. I am so excited for her and know that this is just the beginning for her jewelry.

So, get your lovely little selves over to her site and find your favorite piece of jewelry. If you are like me you might go on there looking for a gift and end up leaving with something for yourself too. That always seems to be my way during Christmas shopping season.

Gianna- Between Thomas & Harrison on Broadway.

Gianna found most of her outfit at her work; Capitol Hill's wonderful Crossroads Trading Co. Chatting with Gianna reminded me that I have a bag of clothes that I need to bring in for trade. I wonder what I'll end up coming home with??

More photos over at CHS on my Hill Style post.

University District Farmers Market

Single handedly fighting the sandals and sock stigma! I love this cute foot coverage decision... Anyone know the name this lovely duo? Another failure to write things down when I stop people for a photo. When will I learn? I have no memory.

I was contacted recently by the team at Tory Burch about her new series of city guides and invited to give some of them a try and do a post that might give all of you readers a tour of what Tory Burch likes to do when she visits Seattle. I, of course, am always up for trying some new restaurants and checking out shops that I haven't been to. Many of the places on her list of Seattle favorites are also some of my regular spots so I mostly focused on the places that I haven't been to yet. It made for a few great adventures over the last couple weeks!

Tory is a big fan of Capitol Hill restaurant Anchovies & Olives. Her go to item is the fresh oysters. Our waiter greeted us and gave us a little background on the restaurant and their menu which he explained changes regularly as items come into season and are locally available. We started with a couple signature cocktails. I ordered the Greta; A&O's brilliant take on the Manhattan. The Don ordered a Penelope; a drink that neither of us could quite find a comparison for. It was a delicious mix of Hornitos Reposado Tequila, yellow chartreuse, elderflower and orange bitters.

With a lot of guidance from our server we finally nailed down our choices from an expansive menu of enticing dishes. At this point we learned how fresh the ingredients were when our waiter explained that there would be a bit of a wait for the fish dishes because the daily fish delivery was going to arrive any minute. We started with an order of Gnocchetti that came out looking like a piece of art. Tiny shell shaped pasta topped with savory hedgehog mushrooms, bacon and a fried perfectly fried egg. The mushrooms gave this dish a unique nutty flavor that really stood out in a good way. For our entrees we shared the Branzino (similar to sea bass) with shredded brussels, bacon and chestnuts and the Arctic Char cooked with buttery black trumpet mushrooms, escarole and potatoes. Both dishes were heavenly and so full of bold flavors but the Arctic Char shined through as the star of our dinner. Hours later we found ourselves still talking about how perfect it was. From the ambiance to the ingredient choices that made up each dish everything about our dinner was spot on.

On the way home we made a stop at Tory's favorite dessert spot,and another Capitol Hill shop, Molly Moon's. As you all know I have a major soft spot for this place so when I saw it on the list I knew I would be having a little ice cream for dessert one night. When we arrived and saw that the seasonal flavor was Pumpkin Clove there was absolutely no question which ice cream flavor would be coming home with us even though I usually stay true to the Salted Carmel. To make it even more exciting we hopped next door to Oddfellows and grabbed some chocolate chip cookies to eat it with. Very good decision.

Another place on the guide was, of course, Pike Place Market. Yes, this is the go to location for tourists but no matter how long I have lived in Seattle I always find myself just as drawn to the market as I was when I first arrived here. There is an irresistible energy to it. I always go on a weekday in the early afternoon when the market is filled as equally with people working there and locals picking up groceries and flowers as it is with tourists. I love to spend time there a few times a month to look for subjects to put on the blog but often find myself stopping at one of my four favorite places: Piroshky Piroshky for a cheddar cheese and onion roll, Simply the Best for dried strawberries, Mischou Deli or Cinnamon Works for a vegan chocolate chip cookie the size of my face. Well, I can add another place now. Tory suggested Three Girls Bakery which I had only tried a chocolate chip cookie at previously. We picked up a loaf of Rustic French Sourdough and brought it home to make grilled cheese and, WOW, the bread was amazing! It was perfect for grilling and I still have a little left that I am looking forward to using for a veggie sandwich tomorrow. I also got a Palmier and a chocolate chip cookie. Both Delicious!

On a recent trip to Queen Anne I made a stop at one of Tory's favorite places to shop for gifts. I went to Stuhlberg's in hopes of finding a few Christmas gifts. The store was beautifully decorated for the holidays and filled with unique gift ideas for everyone. The front of the store was filled with holiday goodies like cards, ornaments and beautiful wrapping paper that could have been framed and hung on a wall. The back of the store was a whimsical room stocked from wall to wall with cuddly stuffed animals and timeless children's books. And the rest of the store... irresistible treats for all of us big kids. Cookbooks, glassware, bold industrial looking clocks, and home decor that looked like it had hopped over to Seattle from France. I left with a little for me, a little to give and some lovely napkins for Christmas dinner.

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I love apples. I eat one everyday for a snack. Since moving to Washington my apple standards have gone WAY up. The apples that we have access to at our farmers markets in the fall are truly magical. I wait all year for the Washington Honeycrisp crop and I pick up my supply for the week at the farmers market each weekend. Last weekend I found this immense, totally perfect Honeycrisp on our trip to the market and I had to get a photo. The person behind the fruit stand couldn't believe it either... especially when she weighed it and the apple weighed over 2 lbs.