summer adventures

so much to catch up on from the past week!

but for now, wrapping up my work week--and letting this beautiful weather spark ideas for some outdoor adventures this summer...


::photo from the nytimes, ansel adams at yosemite

the worst of craigslist

craigslist is good for finding just about anything from furniture to apartments to a new job. but finding the great listings involves sifting through a lot of junk. especially in the furniture department, there is a whole lot of dirty, old, or just plain weird.

but finally someone has started celebrating those awful listings!!

check out d-listed decor: design with retch. [via apt therapy]

::images from d-listed decor

recycled blankets

check out these beautiful blankets by ladak. repurposed wool with some dashes of color, made from recycled materials & supporting a local homeless shelter in amsterdam.

i would love cuddle up under one of these... or would love to try making something similar!

[via bloesem]

::images from ladak

more before & after

a simple lovely room from this incredible before & after home.

love those green walls. and the chair with its grey uphostelry.
and the succulent plants. and the jampacked bookshelf.

and i love seeing how far the whole place has come from its Before.

another recent find - Thread & Butter - features two single ladies who moved from apartments in the big city to a fixer-upper home in the countryside. it's fun & interesting to track their progress as they strip, paint, and renovate. and i love thinking of the secrets discovered in old houses, the strange things found hidden under the carpets and inside the walls...



::images from designsponge [top] and thread & butter [bottom]

before & after: bookshelves

on sunday morning, i found a new bookshelf (far right) at a nearby yard sale. really simple wood. just $5!

so with a new addition to our living room, i was inspired to do a little bookshelf rehaul. i'm still not 100% happy, but it's definitely an improvement!

first, emptied all the books/etc onto the kitchen table. (considering we started with nothing, i can't believe we've collected this many books & things in just a year!)

then, slowly reorganized the bookshelves -- by color!! i love this look. even with our small collection, the little book rainbow gives such simple visual organization.

finally, added some new houseplants to liven things up... lookin good!

now, that darn chair is still a work-in-progress.


PS i need to learn how to take better pictures of my apartment (more tips).

little things in the kitchen

wanting: milk glass cakestands (for a landing strip?) & colorful pyrex bowls

making: those cool cork coasters with these easy directions!

using: my new mintgreen coffee cup (just .70 at the local thrift!)

sweet greens

busy busy this week. but still looking at lots of pretty things online.

apartment therapy featured the pantone-style paint job of this house in munich [see more photos!]. each room is painted in gradiated blocks of color. like a house-size paint sample strip!

i love these greens. i've been thinking of adding some green (a wall? the curtains?) to my room. great inspiration.

five links from my week

1. love these posters for Herman Miller's annual employee summer picnic

2. inspired by spring cleaning tips, room-by-room

3. thinking about fashion designer must-haves , a great list of fun supplies to have (including a good sewing machine recommendation!)

4. learned that food scraps can go in the green bin in LA! so we can compost fruits, veggies, and grains, alongside our weekly trash

5. still thinking about how to make a terrarium

international daydreams

above: James Estrin/New York Times. below: Daryl Visscher for New York Times

thanks to two beautiful nytimes slideshows...
why we travel & a touch of france in pondicherry

and two more

love these loud prints.

left to right: viva frida, volksfaden; right: leopard landscape, volksfaden

fabric overload

one of the my many spring projects is (finally) completing the refinish/reupholster of a great midcentury-style arm chair for our living room. we've been using it for the past year, cushioned by a sleeping bag and supported by a milk crate. agh!

sanding & restaining are the most timeconsuming (and not fun) parts, but i'm making some progress on that.

but the toughest part is choosing a fabric for the cushion. !!??

in just 10 minutes online, i found a hundred options and hit sensory overload. i'm not sure if it would be better or worse to actually go to an actual fabric store...

left to right: deep forest fern, reprodepot; zig zag sunshine, hancock fabric stores ; notari pollen garden, reprodepot; rose damask orange, volksfaden; baskets, volksfaden