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!

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...

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.

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!

Oh hello Spring

I suppose you're expecting me to do some work around here now? I can't even make my own bed let alone yours. You'll just have to wait a couple more weeks.

Sneak Peek

It's usable, but I haven't exactly finished it so I'm only putting a few pics up of the living room I've been working on. If anyone has any suggestions, please holla!Here's our new bar. We did have all the bottles carefully tucked away in a cabinet we no longer have room for and now our debauchery is out for the world to see. The little stackable tables and trays were picked up at a vintage flea market in Westport. Top print is by my hubby and bottom two are cheap Eggleston postcards in cheap Target frames.
Look at this! I love this! I thought it was totally cute and only $8 at Target so I bought it and the hubby made me put it in the back. He wanted me to return it--what!? Look how comfy this little gnome is on our deck! (ignore the shovel!)

Shot of one corner. This is our best solution right now for shelves though I'm not entirely happy with how I've arranged them. Only art books are on these shelves--I think about half of them. What about that green, eh? It looks both rich and serene at the same time. Another of the shelves. Lots of old family items and wedding gifts on these shelves. I have kind of a thing for different bowls and vessels (what do I want to hold...?) and hubby has antique and vintage cameras. See that little old guy sitting on the shelf? When you flip a switch, he stands up and puffs on his cigar before plopping crankily back on his bench. Kind of creepy, really, but there he is. His name is Mr. McGregor. There's a painting by me and some photos by the hubby and driftwood from a vacation and blah blah blah. You get the picture.

I'm still sort of working on the rest of it (the opposite side of the boxy space) and want to figure out what to hang on the walls before I get pics up. Any suggestions?

Sake to me

I have this thing for sake cups--and we rarely drink sake at home so I have very little justification for accumulating the little things. They're just so cute and delicate and will hold only a teeny amount of things. Sometimes they hold only a teeny amount of dust, which means from time to time I've engaged in some spontaneous dusting. The cups I have are sort of randomly displayed in the house. We have a couple in our bathroom that have become homes for orphaned earrings (someday I know I'll find the mates--how do I lose so many?) and I have another in the kitchen for my rings when I'm getting messy with my hands. I've had some near-misses swiping my rings into the disposal so the kitchen cup has been the most useful.

The child even made me a minature version in art class. Okay, she probably wasn't designing a sake cup, but it is still a teeny-tiny vessel. She made the itty-bitty heart in there, too.




When we do drink sake, we use these hilarious cups the hubby gave to me for Christmas one year. Get it? Drinking sake out of a fish while eating sushi! Brilliant.