The Luckiest Kid in Town

I have yet to meet someone who can top me in a "why I had the best childhood" contest. Why is that so?

Indoor swings. I have a cool dad who hung a swing from my ceiling in my childhood bedroom. My siblings and I would host circuses for my parents and my babysitters swung in my bedroom until I fell asleep. I recently ran into a friend from elementary school and she even remembered the swing. Yes, that was about the only thing that made me cool in elementary school. Behind the swing was the same shy girl with a slicked back ponytail and overalls. 

My mother was kind enough to put aside all her pretenses and design sense and allowed the swing to stay hanging. She allowed it, that is, until I foolishly came crying to her one afternoon because I fell off. What a pathetic way to end such a magnificent era.

Thanks, Casa Sugar, Sea of Girasoles, So Fawned, Ouno

Fear Factor

I once had a conversation with someone about the weird, irrational fears we each have. This conversation was held in the most covert of circumstances in the most hushed of voices, but I am going to break that confidence for the sake of a new post.

His fear was aliens.

He said when he was young he watched a movie on aliens and since that time, the fear of an unknown creature from another planet walking (hovering?) into his bedroom at night has haunted him. I laughed aplenty.

With a hesitant voice, I told him my fear. My most irrational fear is that someone would seek to avenge me for some wrong doing and cut off my eyelashes. He stared at me with a puzzled look because guys don't generally think about their eyelashes, but I tell you what, I have had very realistic nightmares about needing to rewrite my entire "getting ready" schedule to work around a new lack of eyelashes. I have a feeling only girls will sympathize with me in this.

Another fear that I have is the 1990's. Especially the 1990's style of home. It makes me claustrophobic walking into a peach room with blue tone-on-tone striped sofa sets and scalloped valances. Very little good came out of the 90's.

The indian boy in the corner is the perfect touch.

This room reminds me of uncomfortable birthday parties with elementary school classmates.

And this - this room has a poignant reminder of those late nights babysitting in a home that does very little similar to the way your own home runs. I always wished those parents would come home early.

Cane. Cane and no area rugs. Even the sunshine was grosser in the 90's.

Collecting these pictures was the most unpleasant way I could have spent my time.

But this makes me wonder about the trends. They are good at the time that they are good (great sentence, Emily), but come a new decade they are generally frowned upon. Great efforts are taken to rid ones home, wardrobe, fridge and hair roots of what was once all the rage. So, people, are there things you can see now becoming a forbidden and embarrassing trend of the 2010's? I have some ideas that I will share at another time.

Never Forget This

If you learn only one thing from me let it be this.

Never. Never ever ever. Ever. Have a colored toilet.

Ever.

Thank you for your time.

Acoustic Night

I didn't realize how badly I missed doing design-related things until this past week.

So there I was, right? Working the fitting rooms at Anthropologie when the visual director of the store comes to me with a project in mind. I've kept no secrets of how much I'd like to someday be the display coordinator at Anthropologie, so the one at my store has promised to let me help with displays when it is needed. Today was one of those days and I was happier than a clown. What did I get to do, you ask? Punch circles into painted paper. That may be considered menial work to some, but my heart reveled in each circle I punched. I'll share some pictures as soon as the display is up. You'll be able to tell which circles I created because my smile is all over them.

A few nights later I helped my brother with the set design of an acoustic show his band was hosting (I still can't figure out a way to say "my brother's band" without making it sound dumb. Just believe me when I say it isn't dumb.) He had all these wonderful ideas of painted backdrops, crescent moons, theatre curtains, and arm chairs with a homespun feel swimming around his mind and though he had the ability to do it  well on his own, he humored me and let me help. The results, like everything he puts on, were quite good.

We started late one night with the linen canvas hanging on a wall in our garage. I had mixed up a few blue paints that Oliver liked and the rest of the colors (yellow, tan, black, white) we already had at home. Using somewhat unconventional brushes to get more texture, we started painting in swooshes. We listened to Jonsi's album Go Do and Coldplay's live album LeftRightLeftRightLeft to keep us awake and creative and kept Van Gogh's Starry Night Over the Rhone in the back of our minds.

The venue was the roof of my aunt and uncle's loft in Las Vegas. One of the first things Oliver thinks whenever he goes to a new place is "could this host a show?" A few months of patience allowed him to finally use this roof, and it was a perfect location.

 Three favorite things in this picture - Tyler, his new left handed guitar, and the moon.

The talented Miss Ellen Tingey

This behind the scenes picture is the only one that shows the lights on the plants

Tyler and Aubrey

Brumby did two of their own songs then they invited some friends up to do their cover of The Killers "Read My Mind"

It was a joyous, musically filled summer night. Who's ready for another?

Ett hus utan gränser

With my extensive knowledge of foreign languages, I deduced that this home is in Sweden. Also, with the help of an online translator I figured out that this is the home of two empty nesters looking for less space. They built this one story, one interior wall home together to "facilitate their every day lives".

Thanks, Hus & Hem

I'm quite taken by the charm in the home, the collections that date back to their entire lives together, and the simple details in the raw finishes. You go Sweden, you go.

Why is this such a secret?

Sometimes when people ask me to do a project for them I think "really? me?"  This quote explained to me exactly why that is the case. I have the potential, but right now I don't feel capable of creating my best. I suppose it will come, like everything, with practice and hard work. I'm excited for the day when my hands are able to create and my tongue is able to explain the things my mind comes up with.

Saving Space in the Kitchen

Thanks, House Beautiful

Last night I asked my dad a very serious question. "Pa", I said, "if I'm a take-out dinner wife, will you disown me?" 

The kitchen is a place full of potential. Some people (like every other girl in my family) have the patience and ability to create that potential. Me? Well, I longingly smell their food and eat their leftovers. It doesn't take much space to create those delicious masterpieces but for some reason we have it in our minds that a lot of space is needed. I came up with a few tips for opening up a smaller kitchen:

• The Right Color. Softer colors allow light to bounce around a reflect, creating more depth and life to the room. Darker shades absorb light and will only make the room look smaller. Whites, pale blues, soft yellows, and light grey's would be great choices for kitchens. Try to stick with a one or two colors for simplicity and cleanliness.
• Declutter. The task may be daunting, but if everything in the kitchen has a specific space it will make for a much smoother system. Try to have uniform containers if things like cereals need to be kept out, avoid knick-knacks and other decor around the tops of cupboards and on fridges, and put away appliances when you are finished. Extra shelving within cupboards can be added to most effectively use space.
• Emphasize Light. If you are lucky enough to have windows in your kitchen, emphasize the light it provides by keeping the window uncovered, clean, and freshly painted. Allow the kitchen to become a focal point. Under cabinet lighting is a practical addition to add to any kitchen. In the photo above, mirrors are used as the backsplash to create the illusion of more space.
• Multiple Purposes. Try to only purchase necessary things in regards to food and furnishings. Meal plans can be planned ahead to use the same ingredients multiple times throughout the week, saving on money and space. Consider how the furniture you have or are looking to purchase can double up in purpose - coffee table as kitchen table, bench seating with storage inside, a roll away island that can be hidden away when it's not in use.

Do these tips help? What unsolvable problems do you have with your kitchen?

Thanks Tidy Stuff and Great Interior Design

By the way, my dad's response to my troubled question was simply, "that would get boring, expensive, and unhealthy". Which I translated to "you better not".