We are still working really hard to get our house spruced up for our home studio and I haven't had much time to post lately. Too many projects, too little time! We finally decided on the design we want for some of our landscaping and ordered all the supplies to be delivered. I'm no expert on doing this stuff, but I have experimented a bit with it in the past and I think I might be able to piece it together. Literally, I'll be piecing it together--like a ton of rock will soon be sitting in our driveway and I'll spend probably a couple of weekends digging and putting everything in its new proper place. In the meantime, I found a wealth of garden images I've been sighing over---too elaborate for my abilities and budget, but lovely aspirational outdoor spaces. Lots of pretty settings right here .

top photo by Jerry Harpur, bottom photo by John Glover

Couldn't help it!

I have been thinking about what to do with some of our furniture that doesn't work in our space but has to stick around anyway because we can't *quite* afford to replace it yet. Plain jane dining chairs from like 1973 with upholstered seats. (Thanks, Grandma-in-law!) I've been trolling craigslist and ebay for chairs that might work and told myself that I'll just keep my options open. The deal was, if I didn't soon find a pop-y little fabric I liked to put on the seats, then I'll just spend the money and but some real furniture. Well... I have found the fabric that I can work with--voila!

We have a lot of white but lots of strong colors in different rooms and these chairs need to be able to move from room to room--office, kitchen, living, and studio and this might work. Yay, Reprot Depot! Also, I bought some retro stripey material for a backdrop too because it's on sale 20% off through Sunday. Woot!

I'll post some pics of the chairs once I get them done. I've thought about painting the chairs a nice glossy white (which I might still do) but updating the fabric on them will be a big improvement.

Girl stuff

I'm heading downtown tonight with a friend to check this out. I've been meaning to look into it for my jewellry designs for awhile, but haven't made much of an effort. One of the gals from my entrepreneur group is a featured designer tonight: Lover Cosmetics. It will be nice to see how she puts some of the planning discussions in practice. Even better, I'm getting out of the house on a weeknight! Yay!

Happy Easter!

Pretty close

These shelves are almost exactly what I've had in mind for my itty-bitty living room. Up and over the door with a small amount of covered storage. Shown on Apartment Therapy. I've seen this done in a number of homes, but not on this small and modest a scale. The dimensions of this doorway look super close to ours. We won't be able to do this for a little while, but now I at least have an idea in my head before I try to get estimates from someone. There's no way I'm going to try this myself.
photo from Sunset magazine via Apartment Therapy.

Fun at the park

We spent some quality time with Millie at the park this weekend, taking some photos for a customer. I love this picture--a little dorky and that one lone dandelion seems lonely and cute at the same time.

Landscaping

It's been too cold here the past few days to get anything done in the yard, but I did manage to take a few pictures in between appointments on Sunday. I planted the green one last year and I haven't a clue what it is. By the time it really gets going, maybe I'll figure it out. Of course, I've tried that strategy before only to discover it was just a weed that probably choked away what I had planted. Huh.

More fabrics

I poke around at Reprot Depot occassionally for all the new fabric selections and always find something to love:

Visions of craft projects are dancing in my head...

Spring fling

I don't know if the husband would be cool with this much pink in the house but I really love these chairs. More than the last pink chair I posted. That was just a flirtation. I'm not about to buy them, but I really envy the person that gets to sit on these everyday. Right here on ebay.

Kansas City Snapshot

I came across this via Tony's Kansas City who, in typical grump fashion, had plenty to say about it. I think it could be an interesting project, but the trick will be if it will really be as inclusive as it aspires to be and not just another collage of fountains and Plaza shoppers, sprinkled with shots of landscaped Brookside lawns and First Fridays.
The idea is that over the course of the year, various elements of the area will be woven together through photography and writings around several themes. Public forums are also scheduled throughout the year based on the themes as well. Karrie Jacobs, founder of Dwell magazine, will be at the first forum in May.
I think this area could definitely use some more optimism, even if it borders on artsy naivete. I wonder though if anyone outside the architecture field will notice it much. (Is there any irony in my pessimism about optimism?)

More information on the project is at Snapshots.

Yodel-ay-hee-hoo

Is this the mural I saw on my gnome hunt earlier? It kind of looks the same, doesn't it? I expect Heidi to come bounding over any moment with her arms full of flowers. She's sweet that way.

sketching by Niki Kelce

Originally uploaded by I can't live without a Poni.

This flickr sketchbook came via Dooce. I would be content if my finished work looked like this artist's sketches!

Photo gardening

A few outcasts from a recent photoshoot:I managed to get a few things planted for a little early color and our porch is looking so much better for it. Both the child and I are anxious for the season to really start up because we both are craving lots of color right now.

Snowscreen

If I had a loft or a wide open space, I couldn't stop myself from slapping some screens around to partition off areas. After thinking about the partitions in that last post, I am convinced that we could really use some cool screens to divide out our work space from our home space, maybe even to incorporate in our work. I really love what this photographer and designer has produced:

image from Mark Finzel.

Isn't this an interesting idea? I like the photograph he used, but more than that, I like that it allows light through it. The craziest part? The color changes depending on the type of light passing through it, whether it's natural or artificial. It is amazing to me how drastically the color is affected in a photograph by the lighting and the lengths you have to go to in order to "correct" the color before the shot is even taken. As a photographer/designer, this guy managed to put all that together.

Spring styling

I am amazed by what designers can do and the ways they approach a space and incorporate color and design into the function of a room. I mean, look at these glossy candy colored work tables used for a cooking studio in Japan:

image from Frame by Emmanuelle Moureaux

The design just fits perfectly for the 20-30 year old woman looking for a fun cooking class. I would have fun just picking the table color I would work on--Periwinkle!

The same firm also posted pictures of a beauty salon they did--the colors seems the same, but I really like the long partitions hanging down. With the rest of the room so white, those vertical pops of color are really nice.

image from Frame by Emmanuelle Moureaux
Our next big project around here is trying to put together a functional but presentable space for our home studio, so pictures like these really get me going with ideas for our workspace. The big challenge for us is trying to do it ourselves and on a very minimal budget. I'm planning on working on it next week, so I'll try to post some pictures and see if I can get some feedback.

Toss 'em around

I am a huge fan of throw pillows but the wee little couch we have now for the new living room can really only handle so much. I guess that's a good thing for me because otherwise I would spend too much on decking it out with fluffy modern goodness.
So...even though I don't have the look all together yet, I'm still looking ahead at pillows for the final touch. My tastes are all over the place though and I can't decide.
Like this secret agent pillow by Habitat Home (available here) Not really going to be paired with these more serious trees from eleventwentyfive at 2modernThere are tons more out there that I'm looking at but I'm leaning toward something a little modern and irreverent. I may spend some more time on Etsy and see if there's something to be found there. Oh sure, I guess I could make some myself, but then what would I do with all this time I spend online?

Neet-o

This gal is one busy lady. She puts together an online magazine and focuses on independent artists, designers,etc. Everything in the magazine has a hyperlink that takes you directly to the seller's site. I found this jacket available at Vendima but it's more of a fall purchase.
There were dozens of things in there from designers and stores I hadn't seen before and Neet has an A-Z list in the back for all the sources. Very neat, Neet.

Little trees

The child took this shot. She wants a super large print of it hanging up maybe in her room.

New stuff

I just got my new etsy print and had it framed. Check it out:


The "Red Squirrel" print is by Erin Zamrzla. She's got lots more stuff in her store at Etsy, erinzam. Thanks, Erin-- I love it!
I'm trying to figure out where to put it now. We had planned on getting stuff framed and on the walls this weekend but it didn't happen. I did finally get to the mess of the planting beds in the yard and managed to make some good progress. I spent about four hours digging up a brick path I put in four years ago. It needs to be redone because it settled weird and it's hard to walk on in heels. I regret it now though--my whole body is super sore.

Deck the halls

I am having some serious fabric cravings lately which is odd because I can't really sew. I've done some embroidery and some basic things, but I think the last time I really tried to make something was for a Halloween costume in 2000 that started with dreams of Arabian nights and ended in staples and tears. In that order.

I am ordering the fabric for my curtains in the living room ( I didn't post it here but it's very sunshiney) and I'll just have to fake my way through those. In the meantime, I'm also loving some of the other Springalicious fabrics I've seen.
Amy Butler's fabrics are always perfect and I'm a sucker for lotus blossoms:

These crazy dots would actually work well with the colors in the room, but it is just way too crazy to put anywhere in my itty bitty space.

Marimekko Melooni (what my name would be if I were a Finnish fabric!):
This one wouldn't match the room at all but I love it: Urban Paint by Numbers

Can I just make a bunch of little pillows and toss them about in the manner of a decorator?

Fabric at Reprot Depot .

The home is blooming

Just some photos in the new living room. It's just amazing what fresh flowers will do for a space. One single orchid branch. I need to put some prints, art, something on the walls.

I bought these a week ago and they're just now becoming more papery. They smell gorgeous--like sunshine! Whole Foods' flowers really last a bit longer, I think. I've never been disappointed.These were from the grocery store and started to droop their little heads soon after I bought them. To salvage them for a few more days, I cut them all short and stuck them in a little fat vase (from my Merri Mail presents)so they could prop each other for support. I like this look better than the first arrangement.

I would if I could

Ebay is a dangerous place to be if you: 1)Have no money and 2)Have no space.
Fortunately this lovely blushing chair is pickup only so I know going in it can never be:Unless there are any scheduled road trips to Pittsburgh PA? hmmm, anyone?

Gnome is the word

Must be because the weather is warming because these little guys are everywhere--including on my deck now (hee!).

Totally natural gnome habitat at Abby's home toured at Apartment Therapy:Excuse me but has anyone even thought about showering with a gnome? Well, now you can, wierdos. Soap from Unica Home for $7

Kiet's kamer, originally uploaded by esthermokka.

Flickr is ripe with the gnome fever, but I really liked this shot corner shot and its beautiful mural. Check out the wee little gnome enjoying the scenery!

On a related note, this mushroom kitchen timer is almost too cute to use:
Sprouting up at Fred Flare for $12

eta: I don't know how I missed this, but look at this Gnome Breakfast set at Delight.com!

Birthday

I feel like I might have spent the weekend covered in frosting and not in a good way. We had a double birthday party and I made the cakes.
For my niece, a princess:
Her eyes are a little wonky but that could be because I don't work for Disney and I drew them with frosting.
For my uncle, a slightly more subversive cake--the original didn't really turn out well so this was the response:I made myself laugh out loud with this one. The text reads: "This 'cake' is not an indication of the importance of the birthday nor the abilities of the baker. It has rejected its role as a decorative object." Around the edge it says "I am not art just eat me." I can't even explain how much of a problem this cake was turning out to be until I decided to not even bother about it anymore and just make its pathetic state a part of the joke. I had to take a picture because I was still laughing about it over an hour after I made it. I must think I'm pretty clever.

Plant life, graphically

I must be getting Spring fever. It's a little too cold still to do much outside except clean and that's a bit ambitious right now. I've got the fresh flowers and a few houseplants, but I also really like the graphic botanicals right now--they seem so Spring!

I love the color in these coral plates by Thomas Paul. They're on sale here in a set of 4 for $28.50
Designer Marla Dawn has this little angled sugar and creamer set that are too nice for my house--we take it black anyway--but I like the dogwood blossoms she uses. (Available here for $39.60)
These Algues have been around for awhile and I still think they would be fun to snap together in a plant-y webbing all over our patio door. (Available here in a kit for $30)
Of course, this Bottna pattern by Marimekko has been all over in green, but I really like the graphic black and white too: Available in upholstery fabric here.