Hi...Anybody Still Out There?



The Dream

Wow

I can't believe how long it has been since I've visited this site. Sorry. My life has been so hectic that dealing with my home and/or reading shelter mags and websites has gone by the wayside. You will not believe what my apartment looks like now. No, not good. Not good at all. Every single surface has something on it, most likely something that should be stored somewhere else.

I have been sewing so a lot of that stuff is pattern pieces, fabric, and in-progress garments. My living space has become the messiest garment workshop ever!

Not only do I want to corral this stuff to its proper place but I also want to eliminate the other non-sewing related visual clutter. Years ago, I embarked on the Apartment Therapy Cure which was only successful in theory. Then, I moved onto the exceedingly hopeful Throw Out Fifty Things... program, however I failed that one too. I still believe in the author Gail Blankes' book and hopefully will get back to it one day. My goal is to simplify my life and get rid of about 50% of the stuff I own. I can't believe I once lived in an efficiency! Now my 550 square foot apartment is packed to the gills with stuff I use now, I once used, and stuff I'm holding onto for the life I'll one day have. Um, yeeeeaaah...right.

• You might like to read an earlier post on my problem here: Could I Stuff My Stuff In A Little House
• Oh and here are pictures of my home in much better days, after the Cure (2006-10).

I hope that I'll be able to keep you up-to-date on my progress but that's something I can only say I'll work on. I do know that if I find articles that I think might be helpful to others I will be posting links to them here.

Here's an example of somewhere cute that I just don't think I'm capable of, in this New York Times article and slide show about living in a small space. Check out that under mattress storage!

Image: Martha Stewart Living via Blueprint magazine, March/April 2007.

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Documenting Our Family China

What would we do without the Internet, right? Now you can look up the meaning or whereabouts, or history of almost anything.*

I once made a promise to myself that the man who would/could track down the soundtrack to a particular Hungarian movie, The Time of the Gypsies by Emir Kusturica, would be the man that would win my heart. (Sappy, yes) Well, I own that soundtrack and it was a simple google search to get it for myself. Figures. (Best song: Ederlezi, named for the Romani Spring Festival**)

Anyway....

That story was to illustrate how almost anything can be found nowadays. During a trip to see my Dad last year, he tried to hand off the family china and flatware sets to me. My sisters had already refused and had their own already. I have no use for them but I did want to know more about them. The majority of this post is more for my family than anyone else (others, see story and music links above)

First set: white with green flowers and scrolls by Sango. Information inscribed on bottom of all pieces:

Sango, Japan, Debutante, 3699

Second set: White with pink roses and gray leaves by Royal Doulton. Information inscribed on bottom of pieces:
Royal Doulton, English translucent China, Pillar Rose, T.C. 1011, copyright, Doulton + Co. Limited.
Yes, Royal Doulton, but no handpainted periwinkles. Darn.

Glassware: A large set of forest green cocktail glasses that graduate in translucency from their thick solid green bases to thinner, more delicate, and almost clear glass at the top. Purely cylindrical, no stems, indentations or lips. In highball and lowball sizes. No markings or engravings whatsoever on these. Gorgeous, though.

Silverware: Unfortunately, there were no distinctive marks or engravings anywhere on the silverware or its box to give me even a tiny clue to go on. One thing is known though, my father must of picked it out. The style is very dramatic incorporating the silver with angular gold and wood (mahogany or teak?) handles. Very modern for the time, mid-sixties and would look more in place now. However, they would obviously look out of place with either of the demure and proper dishes above.

*Of course, it is always our own responsibility to do our due diligence and not just take one source as an authority, but look to responsible sources of information.
** Link to an awesome Ederlezi dance mix version here.

SHELTER Sets: Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer

Relativity Media (2011)
Jordana Beatty, Heather Graham
Set Design: Cynthia Charette, Don Diers

I have never seen this movie, but the images on the Set Decorators Society of America (SDSA) website captured my attention. The look of this film is the work of production designer Cynthia Charette and set decorator Don Diers. The designers took their inspiration from the Judy Moody books written by Megan McDonald and its black and white illustrations, drawn by Peter H. Reynolds.


Image: Suzanne Tenner

Adorable house, even more adorable to me if the door was orange and the shutters leaf green.


Image: Ken Haber

I could move right into this living room without changing much. I could even stand the wallpaper, but I would need a richer, spicier rug. That sofa is a dream; the color, the comfy shape, and well, come on - it's velvet! I like that the furnishings used were from a myriad of sources; Pottery Barn, Home Goods, LampsPlus Crate & Barrel, Target, CraigsList and even local thrift stores.


Image: Ken Haber

This pass-thru shows the eclecticism of the decor, with the whimsical and graphic grandfather clock and the folksy, hand-painted secretary desk on the other side of the entrance.


Image: Ken Haber

The kitchen is a room where I might make a few more changes. Love the floor, not the rug, Change out the table and chairs for a round wooden table and black Windsor chairs. I would also exchange the chandelier for a old-time surface mounted light fixture, remove the quaint wallpaper, and paint the walls a nice cake batter yellow.


Image: Ken Haber

Here is their imaginative take on a thrift/antique store. Check out that orphaned old teacup car and the seven foot tall legs! I want to go to there!

Images: by Suzanne Tenner, Judy Moody Productions and Ken Haber. Set Decorators Society of America website

Something To Remember In The Future

This is a local story of a grass-free xeriscaped* yard. The owner removed the grass in his front yard and replaced it with plants that don't need to be mown (saves gas, electricity, man power) or watered by artificial means (city water through hoses or rain barrels). These plants (mostly sedums) can exist on natural rainfall, even in near-drought conditions.

Richmond graphic artist Noah Scanlin posted on the continued progress of his front yard on his blog Another Limited Rebellion here.

Here are pictures of other xeriscaped lawns using rocks and drought-resistant plants:





Since I already know that I am lazy (and eco-conscious) this will be the #1 way I will landscape when I get that sweet cottage in the future.

Images: landscapes-design.com, luxuryhousingtrends.com, landscaperm.com

*xeriscape = Greek for xeros = dry, -scape = view or scene

Those Easy Quilts of Summer

Okay, looking through the archives of this blog it seems every year I talk about making a quilt. I now have so many saved tutorials and patterns that it is truly ridiculous.

But one day...one day it will happen.

Update: It DID happen, see finished quilt here.

In the mean time, here are a few I want to share with you. If you make any of them please let me know. Perhaps, I can complete a quilt through you.


The Purl Bee's Zig Zag quilt

Here's a handy tutorial on an easier way to construct the triangle blocks.

 Still want to make this one.

And from the Bee Square Blog, here is another great way to make a zig zag quilt without using ANY triangles.



Another design from the Purl Bee blog is this unique Sunny Tied quilt. I love how it is constructed.