It's Friday link day a day late!
I dunno, prolly 3 pairs of glasses are enough. But I was reminded of Warby Parker glasses by this post from Oh Joy! Thought I would share them, too.
Saw this kickass "backyard hangout" last year on Apartment Therapy... still loving it. Massively.
DIY paperbacks into hardbacks
I have this idea for a community project... and this Map Book is perfect for it.
I tried earlier this year to makeover chairs w/some of that weird plasticy coating... it didn't work. The Vintage Cabin has waaay more patience than I and now has a nice chair/table set for her porch.
Along with Root Beer liquor & Jalapeno tequila... add this Gingersnap liquor to the list of booze I want to try.
I'm not sure which makes me giddier... these leaf cutouts or these pencil carvings
And finally, this beautiful video has been all over & it makes me smile every time I watch it:
Friday, August 13, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Chew Toys
About 3 years ago, I bought 2 brand new sofas. A month or so later, I bought a puppy named Goyle. Guess how that worked out? Needless to say, by the time I bought my house last year, I had 0 sofas. I've been making do with a very cool & comfy round vintage chair I bought a few years back. The problem is that I have 60 lbs of puppies who want to hang out on this chair with me... and that wasn't very comfy. Plus the cushion is now in pieces in another room. Goyle.
In my basement is another thrifting score - a knockoff Case Study Daybed. It's also cushion-less but that one isn't Goyle's fault. The cushions smelled like someone smoked 4000 packs of cigarettes on while sitting on them. No amount of Fabreeze would cure them so they went into the trash. The plan was to buy new cushions & fabric & switch out the peg legs for hairpin legs and voila! New couch.
Oh projects, why do you have to be so projecty?
I haven't really been looking for a new sofa because I have other $$$ priorities. I do, however, sit on most of the sofas when I'm at a store that sells such things (Crate & Barrel, West Elm, DWR, etc.). In my opinion, West Elm has not solved the comfy part of the perfect couch equation. The Petrie Sofa from Crate & Barrel has been my dream sofa since it came out. But that's $400 more than I paid for both the sofas that my dog ate! Last time I was there, I also sat on the Shelter Sofa. Holy smokes, that is one comfortable couch. But WHOA... $3K?! Nope. So, you know... a new couch prolly wasn't happening anytime soon.
Until...
Monday, on my 48th trip to Home Depot for my fence project, I stopped into my favorite local used furniture store that's closed on Sundays when I'm usually feeling thrifty. I was looking for a little mid-century dresser for a CD/DVD storage idea I have stuck in my head. No dresser. But a TV stand/cabinet for $25!! On my way to tell the guy to dig it out for me, something caught my eye.
"Oh," I said (to myself), "I like the shape of that chair." Walks over to chair. "HOLY SHIT! There's a matching sofa! And they're both ADORABLE!! Look at those cute legs! And they're in great shape! And, they look so clean!" (sniff) "They don't stink!" Lifts up sofa cushion. "Fuck. Sleeper Sofa. Those are HEAVY and friends & family won't help move them." Sits on sofa all pouty like. "Wait. I just moved. I'm not moving anywhere anytime soon (I hope) and plus, I hire movers when I move." Looks at price. "$169 for the set!?" To store guy, "Do you deliver?"
They deliver. :D
In my basement is another thrifting score - a knockoff Case Study Daybed. It's also cushion-less but that one isn't Goyle's fault. The cushions smelled like someone smoked 4000 packs of cigarettes on while sitting on them. No amount of Fabreeze would cure them so they went into the trash. The plan was to buy new cushions & fabric & switch out the peg legs for hairpin legs and voila! New couch.
Oh projects, why do you have to be so projecty?
I haven't really been looking for a new sofa because I have other $$$ priorities. I do, however, sit on most of the sofas when I'm at a store that sells such things (Crate & Barrel, West Elm, DWR, etc.). In my opinion, West Elm has not solved the comfy part of the perfect couch equation. The Petrie Sofa from Crate & Barrel has been my dream sofa since it came out. But that's $400 more than I paid for both the sofas that my dog ate! Last time I was there, I also sat on the Shelter Sofa. Holy smokes, that is one comfortable couch. But WHOA... $3K?! Nope. So, you know... a new couch prolly wasn't happening anytime soon.
Until...
Monday, on my 48th trip to Home Depot for my fence project, I stopped into my favorite local used furniture store that's closed on Sundays when I'm usually feeling thrifty. I was looking for a little mid-century dresser for a CD/DVD storage idea I have stuck in my head. No dresser. But a TV stand/cabinet for $25!! On my way to tell the guy to dig it out for me, something caught my eye.
"Oh," I said (to myself), "I like the shape of that chair." Walks over to chair. "HOLY SHIT! There's a matching sofa! And they're both ADORABLE!! Look at those cute legs! And they're in great shape! And, they look so clean!" (sniff) "They don't stink!" Lifts up sofa cushion. "Fuck. Sleeper Sofa. Those are HEAVY and friends & family won't help move them." Sits on sofa all pouty like. "Wait. I just moved. I'm not moving anywhere anytime soon (I hope) and plus, I hire movers when I move." Looks at price. "$169 for the set!?" To store guy, "Do you deliver?"
They deliver. :D
Monday, August 9, 2010
Project Monday: Gate
I've decided to start highlighting some of my home projects (big & small) on my blog... Monday seemed like a good day since most of these things get done on weekends, right? So here is the first Project Monday: In which I make a wonky gate!
I mentioned previously that I was working on fencing in my backyard so the pups can roam free & stop tripping me. Well, after months (yes *months*) of working on this very simple u-post & welded wire fence, I'm in the home stretch. And this weekend was going to be it. I was going to finish the fence. This included the gate, a 4 foot section where I'd run out of fencing, & the patio area (which I'll talk about another day). Um... I got the gate done! Heh.
At first, I wasn't going to do a gate... this temporary* fence is only 3 feet high & I figured I could toss my reel mower over for yard work. But then I realized there might be other times & situations when I need to access the backyard, like the tons of dirt & stone I'll need delivered for my landscaping projects or for the gutter guy to come & fix my gutter waterfalls, etc. So I left this 4 foot section open until I could come up with a plan. I'm good at coming up with plans... not always very good at executing them. The first plan was to make the gate all wood. When I went to make that, I learned a couple of things:
The gate design you see here is the gate I decided on... A cedar frame w/welded wire fencing sandwiched in the middle. The "posts" are also cedar. They're basically u-shaped covers around the u-posts that hold up the fencing. They are held on with hex bolts. Unfortunately, the original fence posts were not straight up & down and so the faux-posts are a little wonky. So wonky, in fact, that the gate doesn't line up right with one post. To fix this, I'll have to dig up the u-post & reset it & redo my post frame & blah blah blah... the gate works & I have other priorities. As long as I can latch it, it's good enough. For now. Whew, that was a long story about a gate.
*I want a "real" fence someday but it proved to be cost prohibitive this year w/the size of my yard. I used over 200 feet of welded wire fencing & that doesn't even count the patio area or where I'd like to extend the fence out on my side yard. This fence was easy enough that I could DIY it plus insanely cost effective at $3.00 a foot for ALL the supplies (that includes unexpected costs and many, many, many trips to Lowes/Depot). I'm saving my pennies for something prettier & permanent in the next 2-3 years. A wood fence will require posts set in concrete which will require labor costs plus an initial property survey... plus the fencing supplies themselves. When I estimated it out, it came out to 2-3K. Not in the budget, in other words.
I mentioned previously that I was working on fencing in my backyard so the pups can roam free & stop tripping me. Well, after months (yes *months*) of working on this very simple u-post & welded wire fence, I'm in the home stretch. And this weekend was going to be it. I was going to finish the fence. This included the gate, a 4 foot section where I'd run out of fencing, & the patio area (which I'll talk about another day). Um... I got the gate done! Heh.
At first, I wasn't going to do a gate... this temporary* fence is only 3 feet high & I figured I could toss my reel mower over for yard work. But then I realized there might be other times & situations when I need to access the backyard, like the tons of dirt & stone I'll need delivered for my landscaping projects or for the gutter guy to come & fix my gutter waterfalls, etc. So I left this 4 foot section open until I could come up with a plan. I'm good at coming up with plans... not always very good at executing them. The first plan was to make the gate all wood. When I went to make that, I learned a couple of things:
- Wood is not the size it's sold as being. This is, I guess, common knowledge. Example - A 1"x4" is actually about 1"x3.5". Say what? This was very frustrating lesson to learn after I'd sketched out a plan & bought wood & put half of my gate together. Only to find my measurements were all wrong & I didn't have enough wood.
- Whatever kind of wood treated lumber is, it's HEAVY. I was using cedar for the front of the gate w/2"x4" treated lumber as the back. There's no way this gate would work on the "posts" I was planning.
The gate design you see here is the gate I decided on... A cedar frame w/welded wire fencing sandwiched in the middle. The "posts" are also cedar. They're basically u-shaped covers around the u-posts that hold up the fencing. They are held on with hex bolts. Unfortunately, the original fence posts were not straight up & down and so the faux-posts are a little wonky. So wonky, in fact, that the gate doesn't line up right with one post. To fix this, I'll have to dig up the u-post & reset it & redo my post frame & blah blah blah... the gate works & I have other priorities. As long as I can latch it, it's good enough. For now. Whew, that was a long story about a gate.
*I want a "real" fence someday but it proved to be cost prohibitive this year w/the size of my yard. I used over 200 feet of welded wire fencing & that doesn't even count the patio area or where I'd like to extend the fence out on my side yard. This fence was easy enough that I could DIY it plus insanely cost effective at $3.00 a foot for ALL the supplies (that includes unexpected costs and many, many, many trips to Lowes/Depot). I'm saving my pennies for something prettier & permanent in the next 2-3 years. A wood fence will require posts set in concrete which will require labor costs plus an initial property survey... plus the fencing supplies themselves. When I estimated it out, it came out to 2-3K. Not in the budget, in other words.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Friday Links Saturday
I thought about my Friday link dump earlier in the day but, you know, work & stuff. So here they are now!
I starred a lot of houses this week...
There was a house built into a hill in Brunswick & everytime I would visit my friend, I would drive by because it was so cool... this house in a hill is cooler.
So is this other house in a hill.
Or maybe I'd like a place to hide.
Or, holy crap, look at this: house in farmstead.
Or maybe some shade for the Fit: House V
Or... this awesome houseboat
OK, enough w/dream houses. Dream clothes! Orly Kiely Fall 2010 - Love it all.
I like this little Sandra Juto house tour a lot.
I never get enough of photos of Camilla Engman's dog Morran - Puppies rock.
Speaking of puppies... I am obsessed with finding a bike basket that will hold Goyle. Le Tour de Frenchie has re-inspired me to find something.
Recipe I'm obsessed with trying this week: Huevos Rancheros
And finally, CAK local Amanda Johnson is a finalist for a new Apartment Therapy blogger job! Go read her first guest post & support her. NEO FTW.
I starred a lot of houses this week...
There was a house built into a hill in Brunswick & everytime I would visit my friend, I would drive by because it was so cool... this house in a hill is cooler.
So is this other house in a hill.
Or maybe I'd like a place to hide.
Or, holy crap, look at this: house in farmstead.
Or maybe some shade for the Fit: House V
Or... this awesome houseboat
OK, enough w/dream houses. Dream clothes! Orly Kiely Fall 2010 - Love it all.
I like this little Sandra Juto house tour a lot.
I never get enough of photos of Camilla Engman's dog Morran - Puppies rock.
Speaking of puppies... I am obsessed with finding a bike basket that will hold Goyle. Le Tour de Frenchie has re-inspired me to find something.
Recipe I'm obsessed with trying this week: Huevos Rancheros
And finally, CAK local Amanda Johnson is a finalist for a new Apartment Therapy blogger job! Go read her first guest post & support her. NEO FTW.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Herbs: Part 3
I have tried to grow my own herbs twice already. The first time, Basil, Cilantro & Parsley died a slow death in my sunroom. Where the sun would suck them dry & I would not notice because I barely went in my sunroom. The second time was earlier this summer when I grabbed an adorable basil plant at the Italian grocery. This one was over-watered & after I set it outside to perk it up i - guess what? - forgot about it & it died. Third times a charm? Let's hope so.
Enter this lovely pot:
Sagaform Herb Pot TRIO
I bought said pot believing in was a self watering planter. But then I read that it's for fresh herbs, like the kind you buy at the store. Which is weird. But then I read somewhere else it's for growing herbs. Uh... OK.
So it finally came (I bought it 1/2 off on Gilt Groupe) & well, it has little plastic inserts for planting plants so I'm gonna try that. The worse thing that happens is that I kill more plants. I'm gonna go w/Basil, Cilantro & Garlic Chives. I'll take a photo once I'm done planting.
Enter this lovely pot:
Sagaform Herb Pot TRIO
I bought said pot believing in was a self watering planter. But then I read that it's for fresh herbs, like the kind you buy at the store. Which is weird. But then I read somewhere else it's for growing herbs. Uh... OK.
So it finally came (I bought it 1/2 off on Gilt Groupe) & well, it has little plastic inserts for planting plants so I'm gonna try that. The worse thing that happens is that I kill more plants. I'm gonna go w/Basil, Cilantro & Garlic Chives. I'll take a photo once I'm done planting.
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