home: sky photos

here is another little corner of my apartment. in my bedroom, i recently posted a collection of my favorite views of the sky. simple, just printed, no frames. a nice morning reminder to look up.


:: images from lillieinthecity / flickr

home: cast iron skillet

trying to be a conscious consumer (and also being very picky), i tend to overanalyze and consider new home/kitchen purchases for weeks at a time. crazy sometimes, but i'm always very happy when i finally make a purchase this way. no buyer's remorse here!

my latest buy was this cast iron skillet. i've been wanting one for months. stopping at surfas (my amazing local restaurant/kitchen supply store) on idle saturdays and staring at their selection. and after all that thinking and staring, i finally made the leap: a lodge 10" chef's skillet.

the size is just right--small enough for a single serving, but big enough to include extra for a few friends. the sloped sides are nice for easy plating. and the cast iron is beautiful and weighty and working quite well with garlic and onions and eggs and veggies of all sorts. a good buy!

home: the landing strip

so truthfully, the home front has been a bit disheveled lately--not forgotten, just a little overlooked. but there's one spot that i can share that's usually in pretty good shape: this little table in the kitchen, our landing strip.

this little spot is the first place that we land when arriving home and the last spot we hit before walking out the door. it's where our keys and our mail live--plus other fun things like our salt&pepper shakers, the occasional bunch of fresh flowers, and our two home cities represented by the neighborhood maps that we so love. it's the filter between the inside and outside worlds.

do you have a landing strip at home? was yours purposeful, or did it come about on its own? admittedly, i got a little obsessed with the idea of a landing strip after reading the apartment therapy book (which is awesome, by the way). it seems inconsequential, but i'm convinced that it's a key to balancing life at home and out in the world.

listening to: you're gonna make me lonesome by madeleine peyroux (listen)

:: image from lillieinthecity / flickr

reviving the succulents

one of my new "at home" resolutions is to be a better plant keeper. in the past two years, allison & i have brought a lot of little plants into our home--especially succulents (and many from trader joe's, because we were charmed by their cute & colorful pots). we've only lost a few, but thanks to chronic pests and overdoses of sun/water, most of the survivors have been living at about 60%.

so in an attempt to save the succulents, i spent a long, messy morning last week cleaning and pruning and, in the end, cutting them up for parts. (check out this intro to propagating succulents for more step-by-steps.) currently, all the plant bits are drying on my windowsill. now i have to buy some rooting hormone (sounds a little scary) and special potting soil to get the new little plants started.

and to battle future pest attacks, i'm thinking of trying neem oil or food grade diatomaceous earth--or maybe a special plant spray from whole foods? not really sure about this. let me know if you have any ideas!

hopefully in a few weeks, our indoor plant colony will start growing again, and with some ongoing TLC, i can keep them thriving at 100%. fingers crossed...

listening to: somewhere over the rainbow by israel kamakawiwo'ole (listen)

:: image from lillieinthecity / flickr

keep calm & carry on

hello! it's been a while, once again. and although things have been quiet here, some good little projects are in the works--and i'm excited to get back online to share more of them!

this week marked the second anniversary of life in the city of los angeles. two years ago, allison & i landed at the beach in santa monica at sunset. and wow, when i stop to think about it, the time here feels like both forever, for all the changes & ups & downs--and then, like no time at all, as it still feels like college just ended. but i'm happy to say that this ongoing california adventure has been unfolding in the best (if sometimes unexpected) ways possible. and i'm excited for year #3, whatever it has in store.

just about a year ago, i bought this keep calm poster for its upbeat message and sunny color and solid design. february is a good time of year for a cheerful pick-me-up, right? it's based on a british poster from WWII. [poster is available here & here.]

one of my latest little "projects" is a new site for collecting the photos / words/ links that i find on the web : lillieinthecity.tumblr.com. if you ever considered blogging, then you should really check out tumblr. or at the very least, come visit me there!

more soon. xo lil

:: images from lillieinthecity / flickr

shop: terrarium, dwr

i still have a fixation with terrariums. simple little worlds.

available at dwr.

in the city: silverlake salvage

a new-to-me LA discovery is silverlake salavage where i found an incredible collection of everything and the kitchen sink--old cabinets, tables and chairs, moldings, hardware, windows and doors, tubs, and on and on. the place is HUGE, and the collection endless and constantly changing.

i didn't come home with anything on my first visit (a bit overwhelmed by possibility), but i will definitely be heading back soon.



Silverlake Salvage
1085 Manzanita St.
Los Angeles, CA 90029
323-667-2875
open daily, 11-6


:: images from myflickr

apartment decor - on the cheap

two great articles in the nytimes this week talk about creative apartment solutions on a budget with a slideshow of new yorkers' ingenious home hacks and creations .

check out...
+ a wall of drawers and a bartered bed
+ on the cheap - design lessons from students

the drawers-turned-shelves [right] are such a fun idea, especially sweet with the plant spilling over the edge and the sunglasses hanging off the handle.

and i LOVE the turquoise & rose color palette [left]. it's the exact combo that i've had in mind for my room for the past few months. gotta make that happen.


:: images from nytimes

exploring the rose bowl

we explored the rose bowl flea market today...

left || this cabinet locks shut with a big key, and each section folds up for excellent storage. [zoom]
right || i love that abstract orange/red/yellow landscape in back.

left || tulip chairs. sigh. (the purple cushions are questionable.)
right || another abstract print to inspire.


:: images from myflickr

don't try too hard

this house tour by the selby reminds me that a really great space isn't full of the coolest namebrand furniture and artwork and appliances. a really great space is all about color & light & personality. it feels lived in. and it looks like home.


:: images from the selby

a little backyard party

we hosted our very first bbq this weekend.
here's a little glimpse of the yard as the night was coming to an end...

i love my cafe lights (i found them here!).

from curbside to beachside

within days of sharing my love of curb crawling , i did score a great treasure on my way home from work.

two perfect (well, almost) french beach chairs were begging for a new home & some TLC. so i scooped them right into my trunk, and now they're sitting pretty under the tangerine tress in our backyard.

ok, they are a bit beat up--but with a few dabs of wood glue and fresh colorful seating fabric, they'll be ready for the summer in no time!

so started looking online for some inspirations for new seat covers...

i'm wondering: quirky english prints? or classic french stripes?



[left] thornback&peal deck chair from the handpicked collection
[right] les toiles du soleil from basic french online

flock - framed!

excited to have a new print in the house!
here is flock by good shape design.

i even have it in a frame already!!
this is major progress...

thank you nana!

inspired spaces

some visual inspiration for the day...
1. chalkboard portrait 2. full bookshelf 3. reading railroad

bowls

nina in vorm creates these beautiful organic-shaped, handmade bowls.
available in her etsy shop for just under $40!

plus she posts colorful images & interesting info on her blog~

some new favorites for the walls

i've been looking at these prints for the past weeks.
i really want to buy! but can't decide...

the top two i've seen in many blog posts & home tours lately... and each & every time, i fall in love a little more. below, i discovered devon kelley yurdin this week when i happened on charmingwall inc via decor8. and i saw dan-ah kim's work at project:gallery last month and wanted to take it home immediately

i'd be delighted to own any (or all!)... thoughts?

+ the bird lady by jess gonacha ($15)
+ flock by good shape design ($30)
+ october by devon kelley-yurdin ($20)
+ too alive to stay by dan-ah kim ($30)

animal lover?

i don't think of myself as a bigtime animal person.
i never had horse posters or furry backpacks or kitty notebooks.
BUT something about these little guys caught my attention...

wild book dividers [via happy mundane]
+
COINK! bank [via shelterrific]

home inspirations (aspirations?) for the weekend

some visual inspirations for the home this weekend...

i love the pop! of these red chairs against the grey wallpaper. the fitted chairs & table set. and that awesome bubble turntable. [from design*sponge]


it takes a special something to create a simple space without it feeling empty. (i need to learn this.) [from design*sponge]


love the blue. the sofa. the big plants. those windows!! plus we're almost neighbors here in culver city. [from design*sponge]


more lovely blues + greens + splashes of yellow. i want this coffee table and the neat little puff-topped wicker seat/ottoman. [from blackeiffel]


here's to an inspirational & aspirational weekend!

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).