Handmade Friday

This Sunday is the start of Shark Week on the Discovery channel. I'm pretty excited about it, for as long as I can remember I've been watching Shark Week. I've mentioned before my fascination with sharks. It's a love/fear thing. I can't not watch specials on them and I sit terrified at the same time. Once I was playing a video game (Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time if you must know) and there was a shark in the game you had to swim past and I kinda freaked out. It's at that level of fear...like I can't be in a pool and not think about sharks. Thanks Jaws.

Anyway, Isn't this necklace awesome? I love it. It's from Crave Jewelry Design. If you're my husband and you happen to be reading this you should get this for me (oh and I love you!).

Have a great weekend and Happy Shark Week!

Things We Love July Recap

Jose's Fish Plate 7/8/10

Lynn-Anne's Planter 7/15/10

Adelle and Justin's Tiles 7/22/10

If you would like a treasured item featured on a "Things We Love" post. Email me or submit your photo to the flickr group.

My how you've grown!

 Here's the latest version of the art gallery in my office:

It's come a long way. First in the old apartment and even since we moved here. I think I'm done, barring the ceiling I don't have anywhere else to go with it.

So, I'm buying a house...

We found a house in L.A. and since B's work is based there it makes sense to buy a house there. We found the perfect one...

 Oh did I mention that it's $3.6. Million? Oh and it's most likely to be in a bidding war. Oh AND it's Marilyn Monroe's house, you know the one she died in...


Like most people I'm a little obsessed with her and I've always been intrigued by this house. I'd love to just tour it, I suppose the photos will have to do.

That bathroom is amazing, something about that arch over the shower really takes my breath away. Take a look at the house and the listing.

My second choice is Jonathan Adler's Shelter Island house which is also for sale. This one is only $1.6 Million...

Listen, if anyone wants to chip in a few million I'll gladly let you stay there a few nights.



photos courtesy David Offer and shelterpop

House Tour July Recap

Yvonne 7/5/10

Pernilla 7/12/10

Gil 7/19/10

all photos courtesy of homeowner. If you would like to have your home featured please send me an email or submit pictures of your home to the flickr group.

Manhattan Nest

Isn't this bed gorgeous? I'm kinda-sorta in the market for a new bed. We've had our Ikea bed since 2002 and it's held up through the ten thousand moves we've done, being taken apart and put back together. So sometimes I think "Wow it's an Ikea piece that's 8 years old and it's still hanging in there" and it makes me want to see just how long I can hang on to it.

and sometimes all I see is the chipped veneer and the ugly legs and the barely there headboard and I want to chuck it in the trash.

So, when I see beds like the one above it makes me want to grab a screwdriver and start demolishing my bed but get this the bed above is an Ikea bed and one of their plainest, nondescript ones.

Amazing right? Well this is the work of Dan from Manhattan Nest. I discovered his blog a week ago when Anna from Door Sixteen did a post of his incredible desk. Dan and his girlfriend are NYU students and doing amazing things on a budget (did I mention the bed project cost less than $100?)

Check out his blog and add it to your reader.

photos courtesy of Manhattan Nest

Things We Love-Adelle and Justin's Tiles

Some of our favourite items at the moment are these vintage Kenneth Townsend designed tiles we’ve started collecting recently. We did a blog post a couple of months ago about his ‘Menagerie’ series of animal tiles http://hisforhomeblog.com/ceramics/on-the-tiles/

Much as we love his animals, we prefer the ‘London’ series that he produced http://www.kenneth-townsend.co.uk/pages/t-london.html The way he illustrated these quintessentially British subjects, with such a sense of fun and humour, makes them immediately identifiable as his.

We picked these 3 up on eBay, all separately, over a period of several months – we’ve lost count of the number of times we were outbid before we managed to bag these – they’re always hugely popular!

We’re still on the look out for the Lifeguard and the Grenadier Guards – we’re keeping our eyes peeled!

Adelle & Justin

H is for Home/@hisforhome/facebook.com/hisforhome

If you would like a treasured item featured on a "Things We Love" post. Email me or submit your photo to the flickr group.

Act one, scene one

 Scene: Interior, Thrift Store. A couple is arguing over a $13 chair. The husband says it's ugly, the wife ignores his protests and rolls the chair to the cashier.

Despite B's protests the chair came home and went into his office. How could he hate it? Well he did, then two days later came a "you know I kinda like it"...sigh

$13! I officially have too many chairs and lamps...

Seattle Square

This weekend B and I headed to Occidental Park for the first Seattle Square market this past Saturday. It's going to happen every Saturday until September. It's crafts, food, furniture, vintage goodies. Tons of great stuff. 

Since it was the very first one it wasn't too big, there was about 30-40 vendors but totally casual and free! A few that really caught my eye were Tako Fibers. Who make really cute DIY needlepoint kits, ilee papergoods who had a couple of cards that I fell in love with and Slide Sideways who I featured back in April (who were very nice and super cute!).

Gotta love food from an Airstream, makes me long for one even more. They're still accepting vendors and I put in an application, here's hoping they pick me!

We walked across the street and found Laguna Pottery where I fell in L♥VE with Heath Ceramics Summer limited pieces.

                           photos courtesy Heath Ceramics

I can't decide if I want the bowl or the vase also I can't figure out how I'll pay for them but oh man are they drool worthy.

It was a good Saturday, if you're in the Seattle area some Saturday this summer be sure to check it out.

House Tour-Gil

Name: Gil Garcia
Location: Austin Texas
Square Footage: 1998
Years Lived in: 5
Rent or own: Own
Describe your style: World Market Modern. Ha! I say this because I like to blend art from world cultures, specifically: the Southwest American Indian, Meso American, and North African cultures, with modern furnishings and minimalistic design.
Blog/Website/Twitter: www.garciablog.com

What's your favorite free/found item?
I have a lot of items that I procured for damn near nothing. I could go on and on about the "steal of a deal" story that most of my furnishings come with, but when it comes to straight up "found/free" there are only a few things that I have that fit that description. My favorite has to be a sculpture that my mother gave me. It's by an artist named Wayne Snowbird. It's a piece of Santa Clara Pottery from New Mexico. I love American Indian pottery and I love this piece especially because Wayne takes a modern and unique approach on the traditional art of blackware and stone polished figurative sculpture. This sculpture represents so much for me, personally and stylistically.


What's your favorite purchased item? 
Eames Lounge Chair, hands down. It's the 50th Anniversary Edition and has a Santos Palisander Rosewood finish with Edelman Dream Cow leather. Herman Miller was selling them at cost to the trade in celebration of the 50th Anniversary. I had an architect friend who already had one and I asked him to buy one for me. I sold a few lamps an coffee table and a cymbal from my drum kit to raise the $1200 dollars needed to get one. You could get a standard one for $700 but I upgraded leather and veneer.

What has been your biggest obstacle in decorating/design? 
Budget? but beyond what's probably the standard obstacle of money, I would have to go with my two children. It's hard decorating with them in mind. Keeping them from breaking things, and keeping things from breaking them.


Is your design style organic or planned? 
Totally planned. My sister once complained of an early apartment of mine, "this place is like a movie set. I feel like I can't even sit anywhere or put my drink down because I'll ruin the scene!" That being said, sometimes my kid will move something and I'll keep it that way.

What is your favorite spot in the house? 
Sitting on my "Faux Togo" couch in the living room with my Eames Lounge Chair in front of me. I would rather sit on my couch and have the Eames chair's beauty grace my view than to actually sit in the chair itself. I only sit in it maybe once a week or so, but I look at it every day.

How has your style changed in the past 5 years? 
more color, more plants, more modern, less contemporary, less minimalist and industrial.

What is your favorite resource or store? 
Craigslist! also the University of Texas surplus auctions. Lots of good finds there of Steelcase and Herman Miller. For stores, Ikea is my favorite. I like Design Within Reach too because of their design events at the store.

What is your biggest decorating/design pet peeve? 
People that think there are rules. I equate design to parenting. Does it work for you? great! Would you tell others that they had to parent the same way? of course not! I see design in the same way. I tell my friends and clients, (I used to decorate on the side) "there are no rules, you are the person that lives here, don't let a magazine or anyone tell you that the couch HAS to be atop the rug by one foot. Geez.

What has been your favorite design trend? 
modernism has slowly been coming into favor these past 5 years or so with the general public. I like that.

What is the biggest influence on your design/decorating style? 
Midland, Texas. It's such a conservative town. Nothing but paintings of guns or cowboys on lobby walls. I grew up there and spent a lot of time in libraries. I found libraries to be an escape from Midland. I was buried in art magazines from a very young age. And once I found Architectural Digest it was all over. I fell in love with all the modern homes and stories of Bauhaus and Wright. Skipping over the stories of French country design of course. But really. I think my disdain and rebellion for trite Midland and it's conservative design drove me to where I am now.

What in your home dictates how you design/decorate? 
Function

What is the simplest thing you have done that has made the biggest impact? 
Paint. It's so cheap, fun, dramatic and so rewarding. And on top of that, can take a room from good to great all in an afternoon!

all photos courtesy of homeowner. If you would like to have your home featured please send me an email or submit pictures of your home to the flickr group.

Here goes...

Well I thought about it and now I'm doing it. 

I put up some photos on etsy. 

Check out the photos here and please, feel free to buy some.

Hell, I'll even give you free shipping if you tell me you read the blog!

Things We Love-Lynn-Anne's Camel Planter

A recent favorite vintage find is this vintage ceramic camel planter. i meant to use it in a project, but i fell in love with it and i have got a busy lizzie busily growing in it now. i like it because it's got a clean, sculptural quality, and a cool creamy glaze. it's also a camel, which is an unusual subject (think of all the rabbits, birds, pigs, dogs, heck, even penguins you see . . . not too many camels, though!) and although it's probably at least fifty years old, it still has its paper label and a certain current, maybe timeless, feel. jonathan adler, anyone?!

-lynn-anne

fergusandme.blogspot.com/lakbdesign.com/@lakbdesign

Check out Lynn-Anne's House Tour.

If you would like a treasured item featured on a "Things We Love" post. Email me or submit your photo to the flickr group.

Have you seen me?

I found this drinking glass on etsy and fell in love. When it came in the mail I was sick and B served me many Shirley Temples in it (a must have when I'm sick). It perked me up and made me smile.

The trouble is it has no markings on it at all. There is no way to tell where it came from. An etsy seller/friend Pardon My Vintage found a matching plate on flickr and all it says is "Taste Setter Collection". I've searched in vain for it. You can't imagine what comes up when you do a search for 'vintage yellow glass'.

So, if you have any info or clues about this let me know!

Memories and Silver Polish

Sometimes I will leave a tarnished item tarnished. Other times I'll polish it and wonder in it's shine. It's amazing how quickly something can go from junky to cherished isn't it?

I think my general rule is to leave brass tarnished and polish silver. No rhyme or reason that's just how I roll.

I've had this little silver bowl for such a long time. It belonged to my Uncle and it's been hiding out in my cabinet for years holding chopstick rests. The other day I was doing a random ebay search for those 80's plastic charms. We didn't have a specific name for them but it was a plastic chain necklace and you clipped these charms to them. Toilets, Coke Cans, Telephones, Baseball Bats etc. It had a million charms you could collect or trade. I remember girls being weighed down by the pounds of charms they had around their necks! My favorite charm of all time was a little teal abacus, I loved it and it was the jewel of my collection. Then one day when I got home from school I realized it was missing and I was beside myself. My Mom drove me back to school and we searched the playground for it. It never turned up.

So as an adult it's one of my random ebay searches and I've gotten my hands on a handful of them and they've been sitting in a Ziploc baggy doing nothing but collecting dust so I decided to put them and my neglected bowl to use.

Here is the before polish:

and the after:

I see them both everyday now and it finally feels like they're being loved.

House Tour-Pernilla

Name: Pernilla Andersson
Location: Luleå, (north of) Sweden
Square Footage: 169 (1,819 sq ft)
Years Lived in: 3
Rent or own: Own
Describe your style: Colourful, flea market, bazaar style
Blog/Website/Twitter: www.skonahem.com/blogg/persiljas-hus

What's your favorite free/found item? 
My favorite items is (now) my three BIG school maps. I found them at a flea market for nearly no money.


What's your favorite purchased item? 
Our labradoodle. He made our family complete. He moved in when we bought the house.

What has been your biggest obstacle in decorating/design? 
Not a lot of money. But it has also been a blessing. With less money I get more fantasy.


Is your design style organic or planned?
Not planned at all! It´s all made of gut, heart and coincidence.

What is your favorite spot in the house? 
I think it is the kitchen.


How has your style changed in the past 5 years? 
More and more colour and more and more pattern. It´s like I have to increase the dosage!

What is your favorite resource or store? 
Flea markets!


What is your biggest decorating/design pet peeve? 
With four kids it is always a big challenge to make the hallway practical and good looking at the same time. I still search for the best solution in the entrance. A good looking and practical entrance...I´m not there yet.

What has been your favorite design trend? 
I love that old, vintage wallpaper is hot again.


What is the biggest influence on your design/decorating style? 
My parents home when I was a kid.

What in your home dictates how you design/decorate? 
The life with four kids, a dog and three birds. I want my kids (and pets) to have a home where they can play and have fun in every room. I want them to have things around them that educate them, like maps, books, movies and art.


What is the simplest thing you have done that has made the biggest impact? 
The use of colour! Much colour.

all photos courtesy of homeowner. If you would like to have your home featured please send me an email or submit pictures of your home to 

the flickr group.

Handmade Friday

This photo is mine. I took it last month while experimenting with a Diana Edelweiss camera. This is my favorite of the bunch. I'm debating on selling them or not, I'm not sure anyone would really want it other than me.

I'm sharing it with you because Wednesday was my 5 year wedding anniversary and I thought it was fitting.

Have a great weekend!

Things We Love-Jose's Fish Plate

I always have been interested in ceramics, but never found the time to do something with it. One year ago I found a ceramist near to where I live in Torrevieja (Spain) and started to follow some classes with her. I have a special interest in mid century ceramic designs. The plate with retro fish design has been made by Gustavsberg ceramics in Sweden. It's attributed to Britt-Louise Sundell. I have tried to make something similar and I’m quiet happy with the result.

-Jose Manuel








If you would like a treasured item featured on a "Things We Love" post. Email me or submit your photo to the flickr group.

I totally forgot...

My own blog's birthday...It turned 4 years old on Monday!

A big thank you to all who read it and comment (I love the comments, let's me know you're out there). 

$0.02

Help! I just rescued this off my street. What do I do with it? The drawers are wood but the top is a weird laminate woodgrain. There's some deep scratches on the drawer fronts that are so worn down they are basically white now. I'm debating between staining and painting, but the weird laminate top is throwing a wrench in my plans!

-Kelli

Kelli,

Well there are a couple of things you can do.

If you want to paint all you have to do is prime that laminate. If you want to keep it wood I just discovered this product; Howard's Restore-A-Finish.

It really works wonders for scratches. Or you can do what I did with a similar dresser; paint the body and stain the drawers.

If you have to paint it, I would do something really cool with it like paint each of the drawers a different color...like a white body and the bottom drawer magenta and go lighter each drawer up so the top is baby pink or paint the body dark brown and paint the drawers orange, blue white and yellow...Check out this for inspiration.

If you're going to paint do semi-gloss it's awesome and my new 'go-to' paint choice.

It's a great find, let me know what you do with it.

-Ana