Love the black windows, subway tiled wall, open shelving, and the stainless steel farmhouse sink!
Monday, October 19, 2009
To Do List
Aaah, sewing projects. The list is getting long. Here's a look at what I'm planning for this winter. I hope...
Floor Poufs (pattern from Amy Butler)
Matryoshka cross stitch (for Missy's baby's room)
I hate to say it, but this project is my nemesis. Melissa, I hope I finish it. :)
I hate to say it, but this project is my nemesis. Melissa, I hope I finish it. :)
Thursday, October 15, 2009
perfect gray
Bridget, I think I found the ultimate gray for you. Dutch Boy's Colonial Cobblestone. Warm and cool at the same time. A great neutral backdrop.
White trim and ebony floors really make this pop.
White trim and ebony floors really make this pop.
let it blow, let it blow, let it blow
I love junk shop art! Naturalist prints of fish, oil paintings of ships - if it's mildly ugly, nautical, and costs $3....I'm there. My latest obsession is old oil paintings of volcanoes. Real fire and brimstone action too.
The paintings below are of the Mount Vesuvius eruption in 1771. Krakatoa (1883) would work well too. Don't ask me why I remember these dates. I barely know my wedding anniversary.
The paintings below are of the Mount Vesuvius eruption in 1771. Krakatoa (1883) would work well too. Don't ask me why I remember these dates. I barely know my wedding anniversary.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
gimme
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Kitchen of the Day
I know...another kitchen with red cabinets. And I tend to loathe heavy use of the color red in decor. But this kitchen is super charming. Farmhouse with sass.
virtual fan deck
Those bulky paint color fan decks are a thing of the past. Benjamin Moore has a great virtual fan deck online! You can easily browse colors based on collection (e.g. historical) or just by general category (e.g. gray).
Bridget's post about gray walls lead me to the virtual fan deck. Check it out below. I think Winds Breath and Smokey Taupe are my favorites.
I also love the Canterbury sofa from Crate and Barrel that she posted about - the basketweave fabric has great texture and the shape of the couch is very classic. But with gray walls, the sofa would definitely need to be a different color. Maybe the blue? Or even the brown.
I'd spice up those muted colors with a bright rug and throw pillows.
Bridget's post about gray walls lead me to the virtual fan deck. Check it out below. I think Winds Breath and Smokey Taupe are my favorites.
I also love the Canterbury sofa from Crate and Barrel that she posted about - the basketweave fabric has great texture and the shape of the couch is very classic. But with gray walls, the sofa would definitely need to be a different color. Maybe the blue? Or even the brown.
I'd spice up those muted colors with a bright rug and throw pillows.
Pottery Barn
Maybe a Pendleton plaid blanket thrown in for coziness
Bridget, we totally need to learn how to make Mood Boards. At the end of this post, I'm now confused about what look I was going for. :)
Maybe a Pendleton plaid blanket thrown in for coziness
Bridget, we totally need to learn how to make Mood Boards. At the end of this post, I'm now confused about what look I was going for. :)
Monday, October 12, 2009
nick's cove
last weekend, kevin and I went to point reyes with two of our friends to enjoy oysters at nick's cove and beautiful scenery. while there we went on a pseudo hike over the san andreas fault line and a walk on the beach. the whole experience and especially nick's cove has stuck with me since we left. the place has a new england feel and some of the best damn oysters I have ever slung down my throat. located on the water's edge, made completely of wood, with a great back "porch" dining area, a pier off the back, and a cozy fire going at all times, nick's is an ideal afternoon oyster stop -or- weekend stay, they have rooms! and they are really cute, but I can't pull pictures off their site, bummer. regardless, I had to share about this place. erin, when you are next here, we are going. this place is you.
savage detectives
this post is about what i am reading. aside from the things they carried, dubliners, the house on mango street, this boys life, and oedipus plays, all of which I am reading in order to teach -phew-, I am also about to start the savage detectives by roberto bolano. I am really looking forward to this book as my friend kristen talked about it on her blog, a kind of library, and in the introduction he is compared with the great gabriel garcia marquez (one hundred years of solitude, love in the time of cholera). also, I love the word savage.
if you are in the market for a beautiful, poetic, bright escape into life after war, I just finished the guernsey literary and potato peel pie society by mary ann shaffer and annie barrows. the characters in this post world war II story make it feel magical and helps us to believe that at the end of every dark tunnel there might be some version of home out there waiting to be found.
if you are in the market for a beautiful, poetic, bright escape into life after war, I just finished the guernsey literary and potato peel pie society by mary ann shaffer and annie barrows. the characters in this post world war II story make it feel magical and helps us to believe that at the end of every dark tunnel there might be some version of home out there waiting to be found.
grey walls
the creamy off-whiteness of our home is starting to bug me. when we first moved in, i knew i would have to wait until after the wedding to make any real changes. that did not stop me from painting our bedroom a lovely avocado green (scotland isle by behr) :
but now i want to paint the rest of the house - or, at least some of it. especially the living room/dining room. as i have said, we have a sort of fall color combo happening, all of which, i do not love. i am planning on painting the bookshelf with one of the blue options erin posted. and we are hoping to replace our couch someday soon and are sort of liking the idea, if not the actual canterbury sofa from crate and barrel. i like it in grey:
that said. i am also thinking grey walls. in which case, i am not sure about grey couch, or else, it would need to be different shades of grey. regardless. what do you think about grey walls? especially in a living room, which in my mind should be soft, vibrant, eclectic and cozy. is grey too cold, distant, neat and lazy? this grey ideacompletely argues against my earlier amelie post, but i don't think i can paint my living room red.
and if not grey, then what color?
but now i want to paint the rest of the house - or, at least some of it. especially the living room/dining room. as i have said, we have a sort of fall color combo happening, all of which, i do not love. i am planning on painting the bookshelf with one of the blue options erin posted. and we are hoping to replace our couch someday soon and are sort of liking the idea, if not the actual canterbury sofa from crate and barrel. i like it in grey:
that said. i am also thinking grey walls. in which case, i am not sure about grey couch, or else, it would need to be different shades of grey. regardless. what do you think about grey walls? especially in a living room, which in my mind should be soft, vibrant, eclectic and cozy. is grey too cold, distant, neat and lazy? this grey ideacompletely argues against my earlier amelie post, but i don't think i can paint my living room red.
and if not grey, then what color?
Sunday, October 11, 2009
october in salem
Nick, June, and I took a day trip to Salem today. The weather was gorgeous - sunny and brisk - and the tourists were nutty! Every weekend in October, the place is mobbed. And this Sunday was no exception.
We walked around, went by the rotunda on the Common where we were married, and saw some friends. Also I'm working on a post about early American architecture, so I took tons of pictures. Here's a taste of the eye candy...
And June trying to dive into her first sushi...
We walked around, went by the rotunda on the Common where we were married, and saw some friends. Also I'm working on a post about early American architecture, so I took tons of pictures. Here's a taste of the eye candy...
And June trying to dive into her first sushi...
Saturday, October 10, 2009
cooking light yummy salad
i gave kevin the best of cooking light for his birthday this past year. it is a great resource of over 500 of cooking light's best recipes. yum. we made this salad last week, it was grand.
field salad with roasted leeks, mushrooms, and feta:
1 cup thinkly sliced leek
1 teaspoon olive oil
cooking spray
3 cups trimmed arugula (about 3 ounces)
3 cups fresh spinach leaves
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup crumbled feta
3 tablespoons bottled light dill-mustard dressing (we actually made our own dressing with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, juice from 1 lemon, and a tablespoon of dijon mustard)
1. preheat the over to 450
2. combine sliced leek and olive oil. spread leek mixture into a jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray. bake leek mixture at 450 for 10 minutes or until browned. combine the leek mixture, arugula, spinach, sliced mushrooms, and crumbled feta cheese in a large bowl. drizzle with the dill-mustard dressing, and toss gently to coat. yield: 4 servings
field salad with roasted leeks, mushrooms, and feta:1 cup thinkly sliced leek
1 teaspoon olive oil
cooking spray
3 cups trimmed arugula (about 3 ounces)
3 cups fresh spinach leaves
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup crumbled feta
3 tablespoons bottled light dill-mustard dressing (we actually made our own dressing with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, juice from 1 lemon, and a tablespoon of dijon mustard)
1. preheat the over to 450
2. combine sliced leek and olive oil. spread leek mixture into a jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray. bake leek mixture at 450 for 10 minutes or until browned. combine the leek mixture, arugula, spinach, sliced mushrooms, and crumbled feta cheese in a large bowl. drizzle with the dill-mustard dressing, and toss gently to coat. yield: 4 servings
holmes on homes
My husband and I own a 118 year old house....so this guy gives me a total boner.
Mike Holmes is a renovation expert who has a show on HGTV. He helps homeowners fix problems, often due to botched work by other contractors - uncovering issues with plumbing, electrical, roofing, etc and shows how it should be done. Like a house detective.
I would die to see this dude at my door.
Mike Holmes is a renovation expert who has a show on HGTV. He helps homeowners fix problems, often due to botched work by other contractors - uncovering issues with plumbing, electrical, roofing, etc and shows how it should be done. Like a house detective.
I would die to see this dude at my door.
throw-down
Of course, Bridget's post about the Restoration Hardware tables only makes me want to find her a cheaper solution. Nick and I bought our farmhouse table at a naked furniture store for $150 - we stained the top and painted the legs/apron white. But that was a fair amount of work...and the thing still looks brand new, unfortunately. "No, you don't have to use a coaster."
Cost Plus World Market has some beautiful dining tables - although they are darker than the ones she had her eye on - for under $500.
Cost Plus World Market has some beautiful dining tables - although they are darker than the ones she had her eye on - for under $500.
Friday, October 9, 2009
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