A friend posted a link to this site on her Facebook page recently. Garage Sale Tracker looks like a neat resource for finding great garage and yard sales wherever you go. Use it online or on your iPhone. You can search by your zipcode or location name, specify the date range, and specify how far you're willing to drive. You can even filter the results based on what's for sale, and have the site create driving directions for you to get you from sale to sale. Provided there's a critical mass of sellers in your area using the site, this looks like it should be a great tool for bargain hunters!
P.S. If you enjoy a good bargain, check out Freecycle as well. There's nothing cheaper than free!
May 28, 2010
May 27, 2010
design in the nursery
I've met my godson, and he is fabulous! My head is still all full of baby this morning, so here for your perusing pleasure are a few pictures of great nurseries courtesy of Houzz...
May 26, 2010
the mazel tov tree and other landscaping
I'm a godmother! Or whatever the Unitarian Universalist equivalent is. (We haven't quite figured out the best language yet. I'm open to suggestions.)
Two of my very dearest friends welcomed their first child into the world last night. When I got their call late yesterday afternoon that they were on their way to the hospital, I was walking through the grounds of a nearby garden center looking for a tree to go in a big new planter I'd bought at Ginter Botanical Gardens (and that another dear friend helped me wrestle home in her partner's truck). I instantly decided that we'd plant the tree in honor of our soon-to-be godson.
So what's with this "mazel tov tree" thing, you might ask? Here's the story:
Back at home with my new Japanese maple, I started preparing the pot, with my friends in my thoughts and a candle burning on the deck in their honor. (Many of us were burning candles last night. We had a whole phone tree thing set up to notify folks that labor had started so they could light a candle and send good thoughts and/or prayers for a smooth delivery.)
For drainage at the bottom of the planter, I put in a few broken bricks left over from construction, and shards of broken clay pots. Some of the shards were initially more like giant hunks, though, so I started hurling them down into the planter to break them up. They shattered festively as they hit the bricks and other clay pieces. There was something really celebratory about the whole experience, and this noisy voice inside my head started shouting "Mazel Tov!" each time another hunk shattered. (My brain was obviously making a connection to the old Jewish wedding tradition of breaking a glass at the end of the ceremony.) So I decided to let the voice out of my head. More hunks were hurled into the pot, and each time I'd shout "Mazel tov!" People driving by must have wondered who the crazy lady was, breaking things and shouting.
Bob arrived home just in time to help me lift the tree into the planter. We initially decided we'd name the tree after our godbaby, but somehow we just started naturally referring to it as the mazel tov tree. Someday, though, when little Eli is big enough to understand, I'll tell him the story of how we planted the tree in his honor.
Here's a photo of the tree in its new location. (The garden center lady tells me we can leave it in the planter for three years or so, and then we'll need to move it. Perhaps Eli will "help" us move it to a more permanent location in a few years...)
I was also excited to get some other work done in the garden over the weekend. Did some weeding, some mulching, and some serious digging to prepare and plant this bed that features a smaller planter to match the one that is now home to the mazel tov tree.
The yard is just beginning to lose that construction site look now. I'm eager to continue restoring order before mosquito season gets into full swing. But meanwhile, here's one more definite sign of construction recovery: our new hummingbird feeder. The old one was accidentally broken by workers when our deck was being built. Hanging the new one somehow felt momentous. Heck, everything felt momentous yesterday. Mazel tov!
Two of my very dearest friends welcomed their first child into the world last night. When I got their call late yesterday afternoon that they were on their way to the hospital, I was walking through the grounds of a nearby garden center looking for a tree to go in a big new planter I'd bought at Ginter Botanical Gardens (and that another dear friend helped me wrestle home in her partner's truck). I instantly decided that we'd plant the tree in honor of our soon-to-be godson.
So what's with this "mazel tov tree" thing, you might ask? Here's the story:
For drainage at the bottom of the planter, I put in a few broken bricks left over from construction, and shards of broken clay pots. Some of the shards were initially more like giant hunks, though, so I started hurling them down into the planter to break them up. They shattered festively as they hit the bricks and other clay pieces. There was something really celebratory about the whole experience, and this noisy voice inside my head started shouting "Mazel Tov!" each time another hunk shattered. (My brain was obviously making a connection to the old Jewish wedding tradition of breaking a glass at the end of the ceremony.) So I decided to let the voice out of my head. More hunks were hurled into the pot, and each time I'd shout "Mazel tov!" People driving by must have wondered who the crazy lady was, breaking things and shouting.
Bob arrived home just in time to help me lift the tree into the planter. We initially decided we'd name the tree after our godbaby, but somehow we just started naturally referring to it as the mazel tov tree. Someday, though, when little Eli is big enough to understand, I'll tell him the story of how we planted the tree in his honor.
Here's a photo of the tree in its new location. (The garden center lady tells me we can leave it in the planter for three years or so, and then we'll need to move it. Perhaps Eli will "help" us move it to a more permanent location in a few years...)
I was also excited to get some other work done in the garden over the weekend. Did some weeding, some mulching, and some serious digging to prepare and plant this bed that features a smaller planter to match the one that is now home to the mazel tov tree.
The yard is just beginning to lose that construction site look now. I'm eager to continue restoring order before mosquito season gets into full swing. But meanwhile, here's one more definite sign of construction recovery: our new hummingbird feeder. The old one was accidentally broken by workers when our deck was being built. Hanging the new one somehow felt momentous. Heck, everything felt momentous yesterday. Mazel tov!
May 25, 2010
diy art: book pages
A page in the latest West Elm catalog caught my eye. Over an upholstered bed with a cheerful yellow "bloom" duvet, the stylist had tacked a series of pages from old books. Complemented with a few snapshots of yellow flowers, the pages are artfully arranged, but it looks like it's nothing more than yellow pushpins holding them up. Talk about cheap (yet creative) art!
Here's the image from their website. It's a little harder to see than the one in the catalog (which is cropped and blown up big enough to reveal that one of the books used was Rollo May's Love and Will), but you get the idea.
Here's the image from their website. It's a little harder to see than the one in the catalog (which is cropped and blown up big enough to reveal that one of the books used was Rollo May's Love and Will), but you get the idea.
May 24, 2010
win a kitchen makeover
Here's the link: "Starbucks at Home" Kitchen Makeover
May 23, 2010
our almost architect
On Friday, The Wall Street Journal featured this gorgeous Charlottesville home designed by David Day, "the architect who got away".Back when we were first getting serious about our renovation project, we interviewed David, who was then working with Watershed Architects here in Richmond. We liked him instantly, and we loved the suggestions he made about the project as he walked through the house with us, so we offered him the job. We were sorely disappointed when he -- gently and politely-- turned us down.
The story has a happy ending, though. We're grateful to David for connecting us with Scott Broaddus, who worked so collaboratively with us to produce a design that we're still delighted with and that we're constantly getting compliments on. Scott, who is a friend and former 3North colleague of David's, graciously incorporated the ideas from David that we had liked so much, and then added many ingenious touches of his own.
May 22, 2010
classy modern
Over the last crazy couple of months, I've had little time to enjoy purely recreational reading. But the few minutes I did steal recently were spent with last month's copy of Dwell magazine, which was entirely devoted to the topic of small homes. It's an interesting issue and worth checking out to see some thoughtful approaches to using space economically.
But small spaces is not my topic here. I want to focus instead on just one of the small spaces featured in the issue: Tom Bayley's "Sky Ranch" home that he built atop a (pre-existing) warehouse he owns. What enchants me most about it is not the ingenious use of space, the innovative location, or the great views -- although those things are all cool. Instead, I fell for the look of the interior design. Take a peek at Bayley's central living space, pictured below. Isn't it classic? In a very clean, modern way. (Note: If you're as charmed as I am, head over Dwell, where you can see a slideshow of images of the house.)
My love affair with this look is actually a longstanding one. Although I've never had enough restraint to replicate it in my house (I love playing with color too much), many of the pictures I've been clipping and saving from magazines over the years share a number of elements in common with Bayley's decor: A neutral color palette, with a splash of color added by a red Oriental rug. Modern furniture with clean lines. Walls of books. Lots of windows and natural light. And wonderful art.
I don't have it in me this morning to go digging through my clippings to find and scan the photos I'm talking about, but here are several I found online that share a similar kind of look.
But small spaces is not my topic here. I want to focus instead on just one of the small spaces featured in the issue: Tom Bayley's "Sky Ranch" home that he built atop a (pre-existing) warehouse he owns. What enchants me most about it is not the ingenious use of space, the innovative location, or the great views -- although those things are all cool. Instead, I fell for the look of the interior design. Take a peek at Bayley's central living space, pictured below. Isn't it classic? In a very clean, modern way. (Note: If you're as charmed as I am, head over Dwell, where you can see a slideshow of images of the house.)
My love affair with this look is actually a longstanding one. Although I've never had enough restraint to replicate it in my house (I love playing with color too much), many of the pictures I've been clipping and saving from magazines over the years share a number of elements in common with Bayley's decor: A neutral color palette, with a splash of color added by a red Oriental rug. Modern furniture with clean lines. Walls of books. Lots of windows and natural light. And wonderful art.
I don't have it in me this morning to go digging through my clippings to find and scan the photos I'm talking about, but here are several I found online that share a similar kind of look.
By Feldman Architecture, via Houzz
By Kanner Architects, via Houzz
By Griffin Enright Architects, via Houzz
By Hammer Architects, via Houzz
By Stephan Jaklitsch, via The Contemporist
Like me, do you find yourself drawn to a certain look again and again? How would you describe it? I've dubbed this one "classy modern".
May 21, 2010
sculptural succulents and Flora Grubb
I stopped in to Lowe's recently to pick up some batteries for the garage door opener. (Yes! The garage is now actually holding my car! For months and months, it was only a storage space for our furniture, other belongings, and miscellaneous construction supplies. We're still working our way through the remnants of the construction chaos, but half of the garage at least is now being used as intended.)
I got trapped in the store when an intense thunderstorm rolled in, so I spent the time strolling through the houseplants section and fell in love with all the charming varieties of succulents they had on display. Many of them had a beautiful sculptural quality, and the variety of shapes, colors, and textures was delightful. A few of them even made me laugh out loud with their quirkiness. (I'd swear one stumpy little oddity
was actually a creature from an alien planet and not a living, growing plant.)
I'd love to fill a sunlit windowsill with a whole landscape of these plants, but there's no good location in our home. Instead I bought one little pot of mixed succulents to sit on the counter top in our bedroom next to a gorgeous white orchid (which I got half price when our local family-owned Ukrops grocery store closed down and converted into an -- in my opinion, inferior -- Martin's). The tiny succulent garden will stay there until I begin to see signs that it's suffering from lack of light, and then it will need to get moved outdoors.
Now that I have a few more minutes, I thought I'd head online and see what else I could find. A search for "succulents" immediately turned up the work of San Francisco plantswoman Flora Grubb, who owns and operates a popular garden store / coffee shop. And I realized right away that I'd seen and fallen in love with her work before. I spotted the following photo last year in Garden Design magazine, and I remember it sending me into a frenzy of Googling to learn more about "living walls" like this one. (For instructions on making your own wall of succulents, head over to Sunset. Or you can buy a kit online from Flora.)
But now I'm discovering Flora (and her partner Susie) all over again as a goddess when it comes to working with succulents. Here are a few more of the fabulous images I found on her website and blog:
For more ideas on playing with succulents, see this article from Lowes on creating succulent centerpieces, this Martha Stewart how-to on creating succulent wreaths, or this Cutting Garden Blog post from Flora Grubb Flowers on how to incorporate succulents into flower arrangements.
I got trapped in the store when an intense thunderstorm rolled in, so I spent the time strolling through the houseplants section and fell in love with all the charming varieties of succulents they had on display. Many of them had a beautiful sculptural quality, and the variety of shapes, colors, and textures was delightful. A few of them even made me laugh out loud with their quirkiness. (I'd swear one stumpy little oddity
was actually a creature from an alien planet and not a living, growing plant.)I'd love to fill a sunlit windowsill with a whole landscape of these plants, but there's no good location in our home. Instead I bought one little pot of mixed succulents to sit on the counter top in our bedroom next to a gorgeous white orchid (which I got half price when our local family-owned Ukrops grocery store closed down and converted into an -- in my opinion, inferior -- Martin's). The tiny succulent garden will stay there until I begin to see signs that it's suffering from lack of light, and then it will need to get moved outdoors.
Now that I have a few more minutes, I thought I'd head online and see what else I could find. A search for "succulents" immediately turned up the work of San Francisco plantswoman Flora Grubb, who owns and operates a popular garden store / coffee shop. And I realized right away that I'd seen and fallen in love with her work before. I spotted the following photo last year in Garden Design magazine, and I remember it sending me into a frenzy of Googling to learn more about "living walls" like this one. (For instructions on making your own wall of succulents, head over to Sunset. Or you can buy a kit online from Flora.)
But now I'm discovering Flora (and her partner Susie) all over again as a goddess when it comes to working with succulents. Here are a few more of the fabulous images I found on her website and blog:
For more ideas on playing with succulents, see this article from Lowes on creating succulent centerpieces, this Martha Stewart how-to on creating succulent wreaths, or this Cutting Garden Blog post from Flora Grubb Flowers on how to incorporate succulents into flower arrangements.
May 20, 2010
who's really in charge?
I walked through the living room this morning and spotted this sight. It's clear that we don't own this new sofa, our two cats do. Kinda makes you wonder how long this thing is going to hold up, doesn't it?
May 15, 2010
gorgeous miso-porcini soup
Isn't this the most beautiful bowl of soup you've ever seen?
I came across this (and the recipe for making it) over at The Improvised Life, one of my all-time favorite blogs. Definitely want to try this one soon! Particularly because, as with all of Sally's recipes, it's very flexible, and you can float anything you want in that broth of miso, caramelized shallots, Madeira, and dried porcini mushrooms. Sounds like a great starting point for working with some of the things showing up at the farmer's market these days...
I came across this (and the recipe for making it) over at The Improvised Life, one of my all-time favorite blogs. Definitely want to try this one soon! Particularly because, as with all of Sally's recipes, it's very flexible, and you can float anything you want in that broth of miso, caramelized shallots, Madeira, and dried porcini mushrooms. Sounds like a great starting point for working with some of the things showing up at the farmer's market these days...
May 14, 2010
featured architect: Hugh Newell Jacobsen
The Washington Post Magazine article I was looking at last night inspired me to head online to look at some more photos of homes designed by Hugh Newell Jacobsen. We actually looked at a number of his designs back when we were planning our renovation and seeking ideas and inspiration for the look of our home. Some of his structures feature simplified barn-like forms and were very attractive to us for that reason. Here are some of the images that had me oohing and ahhing today...
All photos are courtesy of Architectural Digest.
All photos are courtesy of Architectural Digest.
celebrating with modern design
Phew! As of today, I have a little more breathing room with my work schedule. My plate is still quite full with flipcharts that need to be typed up, reports that need to be written, interviews to be conducted, proposals to be developed. But at least I can start sleeping again now...
And what's the first thing I did to celebrate when I got home at 9:45 last night after facilitating my last session for a couple weeks? Tempted as I was to crack open a bottle of champagne, instead I stood in the middle of my office and read a Washington Post Magazine article that Bob saved for me from a few weeks ago about an award-winning 1970's Hugh Newell Jacobsen house that had been restored / updated by a young couple (and a team of interior designers). It felt so luxurious to read something that had nothing to do with work! And great to immerse myself back in the visual world again.
To read the Washington Post Magazine article and view the related slide show, you can click here. There's also a great blog post about this house over at DC By Design which features some additional photos of the home, including these great shots below:
And what's the first thing I did to celebrate when I got home at 9:45 last night after facilitating my last session for a couple weeks? Tempted as I was to crack open a bottle of champagne, instead I stood in the middle of my office and read a Washington Post Magazine article that Bob saved for me from a few weeks ago about an award-winning 1970's Hugh Newell Jacobsen house that had been restored / updated by a young couple (and a team of interior designers). It felt so luxurious to read something that had nothing to do with work! And great to immerse myself back in the visual world again.
To read the Washington Post Magazine article and view the related slide show, you can click here. There's also a great blog post about this house over at DC By Design which features some additional photos of the home, including these great shots below:
May 11, 2010
update and gratitude
Thanks for hanging in there with me, folks. I've been pushing myself to the limit recently and doing some radical experiments in sleep deprivation in my attempts to get all my work done. (It's hard to turn paying projects away when you work for yourself.) Blogging has had to be put on the pack burner for a while, but I miss it and will be back as soon as things quiet down a little further.
Meanwhile, Bob and I went to Floyd last weekend (along with my laptop and a heap of work) to spend some time on the 16 Hands studio tour, and we came back with a bunch of beautiful pottery. Pictures will appear here sometime soon.
As always, our Floyd trip involved a stay in a tiny log cabin on a farm, with a tiny porch overlooking a broad pasture full of wild grasses, birds, and cattle, with a small stream cutting across it. We love this cabin for its location and view, but it's about as close as you can come to "roughing it" in a cabin with electricity, running hot water, a mini-fridge, and a coffee maker. It was even rougher this year, as the previous occupants had obviously been heavy smokers.
Ever since we got home, I've been reveling in the luxuriousness of our everyday lives. Beautiful art and pottery on our walls and shelves. Soft carpeting underfoot. A piano in my living room, for goodness sake. As I write this, I'm sitting in bed, propped against the red brick chimney that serves as our headboard on one side, and wrapped in a soft blanket my parents gave me for Christmas. Next to me on the bed is the pile of work I've set aside for the moment. On my other side is a cinnabar colored nesting table from West Elm, holding my glass of white wine and a spinach pie made by the local Mediterranean Bakery, which is itself atop a charming blue and yellow square plate by Donna Polseno (a 16 Hands artist and one of the nicest people you'll ever meet). Soothing music from Pandora is streaming from my computer in the background.
Tired as I am, my life is really good. I'll look forward to being back to sharing it with you again soon...
Meanwhile, Bob and I went to Floyd last weekend (along with my laptop and a heap of work) to spend some time on the 16 Hands studio tour, and we came back with a bunch of beautiful pottery. Pictures will appear here sometime soon.
As always, our Floyd trip involved a stay in a tiny log cabin on a farm, with a tiny porch overlooking a broad pasture full of wild grasses, birds, and cattle, with a small stream cutting across it. We love this cabin for its location and view, but it's about as close as you can come to "roughing it" in a cabin with electricity, running hot water, a mini-fridge, and a coffee maker. It was even rougher this year, as the previous occupants had obviously been heavy smokers.
Ever since we got home, I've been reveling in the luxuriousness of our everyday lives. Beautiful art and pottery on our walls and shelves. Soft carpeting underfoot. A piano in my living room, for goodness sake. As I write this, I'm sitting in bed, propped against the red brick chimney that serves as our headboard on one side, and wrapped in a soft blanket my parents gave me for Christmas. Next to me on the bed is the pile of work I've set aside for the moment. On my other side is a cinnabar colored nesting table from West Elm, holding my glass of white wine and a spinach pie made by the local Mediterranean Bakery, which is itself atop a charming blue and yellow square plate by Donna Polseno (a 16 Hands artist and one of the nicest people you'll ever meet). Soothing music from Pandora is streaming from my computer in the background.
Tired as I am, my life is really good. I'll look forward to being back to sharing it with you again soon...
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