hey d...

perhaps you could build one of these...





oh that barbara bestor. that domino 2006 issue has a permanent spot on my bedside table.

yard to do list. part I.

drill holes in that old artwork leaning against the fence and turn it into a vertical garden like that clipping from the LA Times on my inspiration board. (swap out the vegetables for succulents.)



think out the plantings around the pool. think native.



figure out what to do about the outdoor table. can it be saved? paint it grey to match the shed... or say hello to something new?

pup bowls

we adopted a new puppy - Moxie. and with that the search is on for accessories in keeping with our home decor. I saw some great looking plastic bowls - but have been trying to reduce the amount of plastic we bring into our home - and a nice ceramic one - but worried about breakage. The stainless steel ones seemed the best bet - but how to make them fit into our kitchen decor?

trust David.



he cut two circles out of a piece of cherry and finished it to match our cork floor and cabinets. perfect. (And utilitarian too. they don't tip over.  and it is easy to pop out the bowls and stick them in the dishwasher at the end of the day.)

adobe oven

we ate outdoors tonight for the first time in a long time. as things started to cool down I started thinking of the fabulous outdoor fireplaces at the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs:


via Ace

and how lovely it would be to be sitting by one as the sun set. in our own backyard.

I think we will adapt their design with that (with instructions) found on Sunset:


via Sunset

I'm imagining pizza dinner and gazing at the stars by the fire.


will let you know how it goes...

ahhh summer nights!

From the archive - Corners of our Home

first posted 2/2/06 11:06 a.m. at jumilla stories



This is my first post relating to Amanda's wonderful Corners of My Home pool on Flickr.

This is probably the busiest corner in our house. And rarely does it look this quiet - or tidy! The corner bench was one of the first things Papa built for the house when we moved in. Originally there was a door to the right, and between it and the window were the hook-ups for a washer and drier. The narrow galley kitchen had nowhere to sit - a priority in a kitchen for me, as it seems to be the spot where all my friends and family end up when they visit. We converted an unused storage area into a laundry room, removed the door (which adjoins a door onto the outdoor breezeway anyway, so was a bit redundant) and inserted this. It is wonderful. All storage drawers underneath full of art supplies and cookie cutters! It is where we eat almost every meal. It is where most activities take place. It is where games are played and stories told. In the morning it receives a perfect sunbeam. We still have a little work to do on it. The wiring for the light fixture needs to be redone (hidden) and the clock moved. And it is in the works this spring to re-plant the yard, including doing something outside this window so there is more to look at than fence.

See more corners here.

I've said it before

i ::heart:: barbara bestor

from today's LA Times Magazine

our kitchen

veni

vedi

vici

we purchased our home from its original owner. they had completed a redo sometime in the early 80s - but the kitchen had remained fairly original. complete with slide-out stove-top - which we perhaps foolhardily kicked to the curb. (it no longer worked.) the narrow kitchen upper cabinets had sliding pegboard doors. cool. but filthy. we replaced them with plexi. the counter top was a fab green and pink boomerang. very cool, but again had aged poorly and was replaced with baltic birch and white laminate counter tops. d rebuilt all the wooden cabinet doors and upper cabinetry, replicating them in the dining room. the carpet (!) and original lino underneath were replaced with cork. the 80s light fixtures were replaced with simple globes. the only real footprint change was moving the washing machine out to a newly created laundry room and building a breakfast nook where the dryer, and another door once stood. (details to follow.)