A Little Neko Connection

Opening up the latest issue of Country Living, I was not only thrilled to see the article showcasing Neko Case's wonderfully eclectic and beautiful farmhouse, but I was equally thrilled to see that Neko and I shared the same Mushroom Pot!

Do you see it? Sitting on her kitchen counter next to her very cool vintage stove?

There it is...

I purchased mine at Anthropologie several years ago prior to building 24Corners, and packed it away in the hopes of one day using the little pot in our new kitchen as a utensil holder, just like Neko. But after two years with 24C's completion not yet on the horizon, and us moving to a different, temporary location where I'd be able to use some of my things, I freed my little pot from it's storage packing box, and chose to use it instead as a foresty sort of home for a little maiden hair fern that had been struggling in a pot obviously not to it's liking.

The little fern thrived in it's new home! I put some smallish rocks on the bottom of the mushroom pot for drainage purposes as there wasn't any hole for such purpose...and being that ferns love a bit of excess moisture, it was perfect...and a very happy match!

What goes better together than mushroom's and ferns anyway...a natural pairing if there ever was one, wouldn't you agree?

I love the two above...they look a bit like mother and child. ♥

Here is the mushroom's view into the kitchen (or a wee little person's that happens to be sitting on our table top), where the other reason for not using the pot as a utensil holder sits.

Right there next to the stove...

My beloved Guy Wolff pot that I'd had and used *forever* as a utensil holder. It was purchased at Smith & Hawken (oh, how I miss them) for a very good price as it has quite the chip inside rim, which made it perfect for this task.

The thought of using anything else, and of separating long time friends (the utensils and the pot) after so many years, just didn't feel right.

I keep a folded piece of paper toweling on the bottom to cushion the dropping in of the utensils...and so far, so good...no damage yet after fourteen years!

The pot and fern have only recently been placed on the dining table (which I'm hoping we'll find the leaf for soon, it's still hiding in the storage unit). They had been living on the corner of the fireplace hearth for the past year or so, and I thought they might be getting a bit bored, so I gave them a new vantage point...we'll see how they like it, especially the fern.

I've only focused here on this one tiny, little shared piece of pottery in Neko's farmhouse, but there is soooo much more to be seen and admired! She loves design as well as designing, and has a wonderfully quirky and sweet style sensibility that just permeates every square inch of her home. It reminds me a bit of Sheryl Crow's Hollywood home, which also has the same kind of unique, personal, and vintage air about it. I wonder if they've ever hit the flea markets together, now wouldn't that be a fun outing?! They did share the stage together here (my favorite Neko song~extremely touching)...and I bet they did a little design chatting back stage, love to be a fly on that wall!

You can read about and see Neko's amazing home in the New Country Living magazine or, as it's not yet posted on their website...you can take a peak at it here...enjoy!

Champignons Galore

Several years ago, right before we started building our house, I had fallen in love with and purchased this 'vintage' French scientific study of mushrooms at Anthropologie, and immediately had to pack it up and send it away to our storage unit, along with all of our other belongings until the completion of our home would allow me to finally enjoy it properly in all it's colorful and curious glory.

Also around that time, I purchased another mushroom laden treasure at Anthropologie, this one being a ceramic pot painted with beautiful fungi specimens...it too was packed away and taken off to storage.

Well due to extenuating home building circumstances, we ended up moving out of the place we had been living for two years where we had only taken the bare essentials with us, to a much more spacious abode that allowed us to get a few things out of storage to make the place feel more like 'home'. Needless to say...the mushroom treasures were one of the first items brought to our new, temporary cottage and since then (another two years) we've been happily able to enjoy them.

Once the house was finished, I immediately knew that I wanted the picture to go above the fireplace on the dining room side where it would be visible from the kitchen and be at home amongst the rocks and reclaimed wood that will *one day* be our mantel. For now though...it's just propped up in the general vicinity along with some other items, pot included, that are still awaiting their proper placement.

I never really had a thing for mushrooms, I had just loved the artwork and detail on both items, but since having them to look at everyday...I've really come to admire these delectable, unusual beauties and would love to see more varieties, if they still exist, in our grocery stores.

Can you imagine coming across these lovelies in the produce aisle...would you eat them or just pile them up in a bowl and display them on the dining room table, or even on a window sill?

Last week...our local grocery store decided to display several varieties of the glorious little morsels in a few very stunning and thoughtful displays that quite impressed me.

They brought in rocks, moss, branches, bark....

and of course, the ever popular, mushroom loving - Fungisaurus!!

All enhancing the mushrooms strange and earthy natural beauty.

These are Lobster mushrooms...they definitely have the color, I wonder if they also taste like lobster...I'll have to give them a try sometime.

These next two images I'm dedicating to my mother...who's love of the sweet Chanterelle, or Pfifferlinger as she like to call them (their German name), is legendary. Here in the Pacific Northwest they are quite abundant and we are fortunate to be able to purchase them frequently, and at a very low price I might add.

Cooking with mushrooms adds such a meatiness and wonderful depth of flavor to so many dishes and it's applications are endless. When I saw this tart in the last October issue of Martha Stewart Living...I thought it was one of the most beautiful and creative uses of mushrooms I had ever seen and I am determined to make it very soon. I'll let you all know how it comes out.

I wonder...is the delicious mushroom going to play a part in your Thanksgiving feast?? I hope so!