it’s week two of the view from here, and i’m really enjoying rounding up some randomness for you to peruse leisurely over the weekend. sometimes, things i’d like to share don’t necessarily fall into a neat little package appropriate for a whole post, or maybe might seem a bit off topic. but inspiration comes in many forms and i like looking at it ALL. i hope you do too. enjoy the view…

the view from here:

1. this is a really fun round-up of vintage toy cameras, like classic diana’s from how to be a retronaut. if you’re not checking out how to be a retronaut regularly, you should. it’s super cool.

2. have you ever seen the photography of nathan michael? you should. nathan lives in chicago and works as a designer and a photographer. he’s gonna be working with me, right here on sfgirlbybay. i’m super excited about that. oh, yes i am.

3. haven’t got a date for valentine’s day? well, just wallop somebody with a pillow!! nah, not like that — it’s san francisco’s annual pillow fight this february 14th. feathers start flying when the Ferry Building clock tower strikes 6 p.m. in the Justin Herman Plaza. thanks for the head’s up on that from the bold italic! photo via juicyrai.

4. miss moss. sigh. do you read her blog? it’s so rad it hurts me sometimes. i shouldn’t even tell you, cuz you’ll leave me for miss moss. (please don’t). she posted this work from Mikko Kuorinki. my chest bumps hard for this, too.

5. m.a.c. cosmetics has teamed up with one of my idols, fashion icon iris apfel. yeah for wrinkles, yeah for aging gracefully and full of style. good on you m.a.c.! never heard of iris? go check her out.

6. and last, but not at all least — there’s a super cool art workshop coming up at teahouse studio in berkeley the weekend of feb 18 + 19 with illustrators sarajo frieden and susy pilgrim waters. go learn something fun. you deserve it!

there’s so much amazing stuff out there on the interwebs. i often feel like i have attention deficit disorder, because i go to look at one thing, and that leads to another, and then, well i get utterly lost out there. but it’s good stuff, and it’s inspiring and motivational. so i thought i’d leave you with some links each friday as i sign off for the weekend. some things to peruse leisurely while you’re enjoying your weekend coffee. i hope you enjoy the view…

the view from here:

1. i think anabela’s blog fieldguided is one of the prettiest i’ve seen. she inspires me. i think she’ll inspire you, too.

2. i love hilda grahnat’s incredible photography. the lighting is perfect. take a look at her online portfolio — i don’t think you will disappointed.

3. photographer lara rossignol has a beautiful, newly designed website. her portfolio will make you hungry.

4. go gander at some beautiful photographs of meghan collison shot by ben toms for vogue russia, via trendland.

5. the by nord katalog from copenhagen is beautiful — download the pdf and enjoy the pretty pictures of their homeware collection and clothing, where design meets nature.

6. have you signed up for fab.com yet? some of the most fashionable deals i’ve found yet. and when you refer friends you receive $25 credits. sweet deal, indeed. and they keep featuring these handstitched saris, which are lovely!

7. traveling but not sure where to find the best shopping in cities like amsterdam, london, new york and paris? check out hipshops before you go — plus it’s like a virtual tour of the most fascinating boutiques around.

last week, i shared a round up of pia jane bijkerk’s “it list”, but i’ve also been hounding the poor girl to share some images of her new home in sydney, australia. even though pia may be delivering into the world a brand new baby this week, she was kind enough to share some little corners of her family’s home as she’s been getting it ready for the baby, and getting her home settled with their furnishings from Paris, and Amsterdam, where they once lived on a houseboat.

something else to keep in mind, Pia’s new book My Heart Wanders will be available in the united states early Spring — exact dates and shop locations to come, so check her blog for updates.

“Some things I’m loving about our new home: the garden where I’m now planting organic veggies and herbs, the front porch where the morning sun comes streaming in (my partner and I have our breakfast out there nearly every morning), and the light! There is just so much light in this house – quite a contrast to our cavernous houseboat living in Amsterdam over the past few years.”

“Some more notes about the house: it’s an old worker’s cottage in an inner west suburb of Sydney. We glimpse the famous harbour bridge from the front porch, and it’s in walking distance to some fabulous cafes, bars, farmers markets, antique shops and restaurants. We have two french patisseries only a stone’s throw away (which makes my french man very happy!), and the neighborhood is so friendly and laid back. I was at first a little concerned about moving back to my home town of Sydney, fearing I would miss the energy and eclecticism of living in Europe, but we’ve picked a great suburb and house, and I am enjoying it immensely. And it’s certainly nice to be near family and old friends at this time in my life, starting a family of my own.”

• all photos courtesy of pia jane bijkerk.

the february issue of Harper’s Bazaar features model Bette Franke photographed beautifully in palm springs by Lachlan Bailey. i couldn’t help but be reminded that this Palm Springs location will host its annual Modernism Week this february 16 – 26th. modernism week is an eleven-day celebration of mid-century modern design, architecture, and culture in Palm Springs, California. if you’ve never been, i highly recommend a visit — pop into the ace hotel and take one of the tours of these racquet club estate mid-century modern homes. plus, it’s warm down there this time of year!

• via trendland

it seems like eons ago, but last summer i spent some time in amsterdam, but i couldn’t chat about it because i was on a special assignment for anthology magazine to cover the city, so it was a bit on the hush-hush. but the new issue of anthology is out, and my story lives on its pretty pages, so now i can tell you what a wonderful trip it was! the story includes a shopping & dining reference guide, in case you happen to be headed to amsterdam anytime soon, including the amazing 9 straatjes (or 9 streets) — blocks and blocks of some of the best cafes, boutiques and vintage shops i’ve ever come across.

these photos above and in anthology magazine were photographed by marjon hoogervorst, but i took a whole bunch of my own as well, so i’ve been hankering to share just how beautiful amsterdam really is with you for a while now! for the full article, check out the latest issue of anthology, and you can subscribe here. you can also see all my photographs from the trip here on flickr.

i love the interiors portfolio photographer r. brad knipstein recently shared with me, including the home of the very talented stylist, Rosy strazzeri-Fridman. brad’s been sharing a bunch of his interior shots with me, and i’m excited that he’ll be sharing more with us from time to time! in the meantime, here’s rosy’s beautiful home ‘en blanc’. so pretty, right? brad has a blurb book out, too — so if you love his work i think it’s very much worth checking out.

the very lovely stylist, photographer and author, Pia Jane Bijkerk has been capturing my attention and imagination for years. her photographs of places like amsterdam and paris always make me long for travel, and drive me to create eclectic spaces that put me at ease, as much as they inspire. pia’s shared a few things she coveting with me, and now she’s got me wishing for them as well! i’m excited to bring you pia’s beautiful “it list”.

1. I’ve been coveting a cassandra ellis quilt for some years now. I love her choice of fabrics and her modern patterns, and I also love that she makes quilts from your own fabric collection. She runs courses on quilt making in the UK, and this October her first book, Quilt Love, will be published.

2. Armadillo & Co make the most beautiful woven rugs, each one is ethically produced and made by hand. The founders are Jodie Fried (from Bholu) and Sally Pottharst, who both have a lovely aesthetic. I love the entrance mats, bold striped runners, and I adore the flower mat, it would look so lovely on my cork kitchen floor.

3. I’ve been wanting to do a weaving course for ages – Harriet Goodall holds day workshops here in Australia, and I’m hoping to attend at least one this year. I’d love to learn about what materials I can use to make simple, loose baskets, and if I am daring enough, I’d love to try my hand at making a light shade for my office. (photograph of Harriet’s work by Chris Chen)

4. Speaking of workshops, I’ve also always wanted to do a ceramics course of sorts, creating free form vessels and small sculptures using modern and ancient techniques. I’d love to make things like bone china feathers, chimes, plant tags, bottles and tea cups. This collection by Una of House of Ceramics is so sublime. And I adore my friend Kylie Johnson’s work where she imprints her poetry into the clay – you may recognize some of her pieces in Anthropologie.  And one of my long-time favorite ceramicists is Emmanuelle Wittmann (who I featured in my book, Paris: Made by Hand) – Emmanuelle holds workshops, so next time I’m in Paris I’ll have to make sure I attend!

5. I am right into paper art at the moment, and I am smitten with this petit paper & shell sculpture by Erika Ekrem of Odelae. How sweet is this? And so creative, very clever. I’m inspired.

6. Island retreating. Yes, I love a bit of jungle living, and one such place is Langkawi, just off the east coast of Malaysia. My partner and I have been traveling there once a year for the past few years, staying mostly at the Bon Ton  which has two fabulous restaurants. I love to imagine myself living in such a place one day, surrounded by huge coconut palms, sipping iced tea in my jungle hut (dreams can come true, right?).

• photographs by Pia Jane Bijkerk.

even though it’s a holiday weekend, it’s been a busy one, ‘cuz i’m getting ready to speak at the altitude design summit this week! but, lucy and i were able to get out for a bit and clear our heads. a trip to fort funston on saturday — our regular weekend beach hang out, and then a great urban hike through the neighborhood to kite hill on what turned out to be a very chilly sunday in the city.

so, this is what my weekend has looked like so far, via instagram. today is a martin luther king day, so i’ll see you back here tomorrow for regular scheduled programming. oh, and if you’re wondering what that green concoction is just below, the folks at blueprint cleanse gave me a discount to try it out, and it was actually quite tasty. i felt really good and energized afterward, too, since after the new year i felt fairly toxic! see you tuesday, bright eyed and bushy tailed. whatever that means.

hilary walker is a melbourne, australia-based lifestyle and interiors photographer who shoots lots of interesting people in their very interesting, creative spaces. she’s photographed the likes of stylist emily chalmers, artist rob ryan, and designer donna wilson – all some of my favorites, so suffice it to say hilary has my dream job. here’s a glimpse into some of her work. hilary walker has an etsy shop called halker, a tumblr page for images that inspire her called halker stalker and a blog of her most recent work.

i did that little reader survey with y’all over the holidays (you can still fill it out if you’re so inclined), and i had to laugh outloud when someone commented that they’d like me to stop posting “oh, and happy, happy friday”. i feel ya. i started that like 6 years ago, so it was getting a little old for me, too. so i’m just gonna say welcome to the weekend. that may get old too. we’ll see. anyhow….moving ahead and more about what y’all had to say in the survey next week. until then, modern love.

• modern sign via william dohman, and a beauty of a photograph from matthew hranek.