March 11th, 2010
I guess it’s time I divulge a little of what I’ve been up to as of late. I told you months ago, I would share what I’ve been working on. Now seems to be just as good of time as any. Some of it will be personal, my house is a work in progress friends, some of it will be client base. All of it will be candid. My attempt is not to hide the flaws and show you perfectly styled photos but to give you an idea what the process was like, minus the step by step instructions. I don’t follow them, so you probably don’t want me writing them. Maybe you do, let me know.
I bought this ottoman for $25 and lived with it, pleather and all for 3 years. I really don’t know why I torture myself for that long. The entire project took me under two hours to complete. The fabric is a wool houndstooth and ran me all of $5. An ottoman is just about the simplest thing you can reupholster. The perfect place for me to start. All you need is a sewing machine (or needle and thread), thread, staple gun and staples, screw driver, scissors and fabric. Be sure to get extra if you have a pattern so you can match ends.
When buying furniture you want to reupholster, first and foremost, make sure it has good bones. No wobbly legs, missing parts, broken pieces, you get the idea. Because if you aren’t handy, it takes money to fix these issues and often it costs more to repair than it does to purchase. There’s a reason that table on Craigs list is only $15. Be weary my friends.
If you are going to pay to reupholster, as an example, the ottoman above would cost me about $100-$150. A medium size chair that is modern in style, without any tufting or many details, and excluding fabric could run anywhere from $400-$1000, depending where you live. With that said, it makes sense to really love the piece. The great thing about reuphostery is you have an original piece.
Photos: the K.I.D Collective
Tags: before and after, fabric, furniture, Interiors, vintage
Posted in projects, reclaim | 1 Comment »
March 10th, 2010
Photos: clockwise from top left. 1. 1945 Warner Brothers, Inc.; photograph from a private collection 2. 3. 4. the big sleep
Lauren Bacall, a true beauty. Classic, timeless, elegant while sexy, sultry and seductive. Her famous look, chin down, eyes up was a way to keep her from quivering when nervous while onscreen. The Look became known as her trademark.
Tags: inspiration
Posted in inspire | 0 Comments »
March 9th, 2010
1. Naval Crewneck 2. Thomas Paul Lobster Pillow 3. 3sixteen Deck Chukkas 4. Folding Wine Barrel Chair 5. Vintage Brass Whale 6. Sailor’s Knot Bracelet 7. High Sea Wedges
Not sure how to spend those precious summer vacation days? These maritime inspired pieces will get you excited for a cruise or at least checking out Love Boat reruns on Netflix. Deck shoes, knots and sea crustaceans will give you that nautical chic edge you’ve been looking for. I don’t recommend all the pieces at once, think overboard, but one or two could put a little wind in your sails, just in time for spring.
Tags: furniture, nautical, stripes
Posted in design, inspire, wear | 1 Comment »
March 8th, 2010
A few years ago Jevan and I decided to go paperless in the kitchen. We noticed how many napkins and paper towels we were going through on a monthly basis and were a little embarrassed. And, shocked at how much trash two people could generate from paper alone. At some point in our lives, it became second nature to grab a paper towel to wipe one little spill on the floor or a handful of napkins for dinner. After thinking about all that waste I didn’t want it to be second nature.
So we gave up paper. Just like that. Although I can’t say it was completely easy. I felt a little guilty wiping a spill on the floor with a clean towel then tossing it in the laundry. But over time, we’ve worked out a method that makes sense for us; we still have a stock of paper napkins for when we have more than 12 over for dinner, and we don’t wash napkins and towels after each use unless they are obviously dirty. We also accumulated enough hand towels and napkins, for cleaning, hand drying, and for meals.
Each time I head home, my mom always tries to give me something from the house. This last trip was no different. She let me dig through her stash of vintage linens. I came up with a handful of things I crammed in my carry-on. My favorite is above, the vintage blue and white table cloth. It’s well worn. Scattered with tiny holes and patched in places. You can tell many meals were had on this table cloth. I remember it from when my brother and I were tiny. Other finds were a matching set of 8 napkins and a table cloth with a yellow and green border, almost a full set of 70’s Vera Neumann napkins, and a purple, blue and yellow table cloth. All very springy.
If you are searching for your own, you can find a number of vintage Vera Neumann on etsy. She also does more than just napkins, she’s known for her bold patterns and color schemes. You can find her fabric on dresses and scarves at Anthropologie. Here’s another great set of vintage napkins or just check around at local antique shops. If you are feeling crafty you can pick up a few yards of fabric and hem all sides. Voila, new napkins or hand towels.
I also love these Printed vintage napkins with Georgia O’Keefe’s Irish soda bread recipe.
Photos: 1,2,3 and 4. the K.I.D Collective, 5. Pilosale
Tags: dining, fabric, kitchen, vintage
Posted in design, reclaim | 1 Comment »
March 5th, 2010
We are checking out this place at some point during our little weekend getaway. Can I say I’m more than a little excited? Scratch that, I’m down right giddy. It will be perfect after a day of doing this. And I have to admit, I’m excited but also nervous. Something about the unknown that gives me jitters. What about you, are you up to anything fun this weekend?
photo: Strawberry Park Hot Springs
Tags: travel, weekend
Posted in travel | 3 Comments »
March 4th, 2010
Jevan and I are heading out of town to officially celebrate our anniversary. The actual evening was spent with friends drinking beer and listening to some good ole rock and roll. Not exactly the most romantic of evenings, fun nevertheless. Here’s a quick list of what I plan to pack for the car. Do you have any road trip favorites?
1. A heavy weight utility tote to carry everything and keep it all organized. 2. The Drums and Fanfarlo will be on heavy rotation. We saw Fanfarlo last Sunday night and I’ve been listening to them on lastfm all week. By the way, are you on lastfm? Wanna share music? Look for me here. 3. You can’t go on a road trip without a great pair of sunnies, these Ray Bans are classics. 4. A camera to document the trip. 5. I hate to admit it but Doritos and a Coke are my all time favorite road trip snack. It’s probably a good thing I don’t do this very often. 6. I’ve really been into non fiction lately. My current read – Mountains Beyond Mountains. If you are interested in what’s going on in Haiti, I highly recommend this book. Paul Farmer is truly inspirational.
photo: a song under the sugar sun. Check out the website for more gorgeous photography.
Tags: listen, photography, travel, weekend
Posted in travel | 1 Comment »
March 3rd, 2010
My office has been a bit of a disaster the past few months. I never properly set it up and now, I’m paying for it. To be honest, I’ve been avoiding cleaning and instead, opting just to work around the mess. This week, I finally hit a breaking point and all the clutter made me a little crazy. Maybe it’s the unprecedented spring like weather?
I’m trying to spend a little time each day to organize, purge and clean. I have open book shelves, inspiration boards, 2 desks, 2 computers and need lots of storage for drawings, project notebooks, fabric, patterns and material samples. So I did a little perusing to find some inspiration. Maybe, just maybe I’ll show you the end results. Would you be into that? Once that’s done, I still need to paint, get a new ceiling fixture and rip up the carpet. Never ending I tell you.
Photos: 1. New York Times 2/24/10. 2. Peter Murdock, Metropolitan Home, 3/08 3. Elle Decor March 2010 4. Elle Decor 3/10 5. Interior Design 2/00
Tags: home office, inspiration, Interiors
Posted in design, projects | 9 Comments »
March 2nd, 2010
I was catching up on one of my favorites, Julia (always tons of amazing inspiration), and came across Jen over at Simply Photo. I was immediately smitten with these photos. Jen, photographer and blogger over at Simply Photo, has a new book, Simply Paris, almost ready to launch. You can preview it here. After cruising through her blog, I must admit, I have a new girl crush (sorry Jen), I can’t help it. You are super talented and my kinda girl. Hope you don’t mind, I’m sure you get this often. Enjoy everyone.
Tags: inspiration, Interiors, photography
Posted in inspire, read | 0 Comments »
March 2nd, 2010
I always rolled my eyes when adults said “time flies”. It took me 32 years to understand this saying and man, were they right. What seems like just yesterday but was actually three years ago today Jevan and I were married in Crested Butte, Colorado. All of our closest friends and family were there despite the blizzard like conditions. It was a wedding suited perfectly to us; simple, casual and perfectly cozy. A foot of new snow for our post wedding day on the mountain didn’t hurt either. I designed and made my wedding gown, a simple silk charmeuse number of the most perfect silvery color. The rest of the wedding party wore black and there were pops of magenta and turquoise with a few peacock feathers for added drama.
We were married here and stayed the entire weekend at the CB Retreat with friends and family. A few hours before the wedding, the snow let up and the sun came out, it couldn’t have been a more perfect mountain setting. That day was such a blur of emotions, I’m so happy to have had the weekend to celebrate with friends and family. And, I look forward to not only the next 3 years but what the next 30 will bring. Happy Anniversary my love.
photos: 1. the K.I.D Collective 2. Suzanne Shaff Photography
Tags: family
Posted in glimpse | 4 Comments »
March 1st, 2010
Believe it or not, I’ve always been a bit of a hippie. Summers in college were spent living in a tent, I didn’t eat meat for 9 whole years and I had a garden since my early 20’s. While these days I prefer Rachel Comey to Patagonia and I now eat meat, one thing that still holds true is my garden.
The past handful of years I bought plants from my local nursery and planted everything in mid May. It was an easy, no hassle way to start a garden. The problem with buying all these plants is they get expensive and you’re limited to what the nursery carries. And even more limited if you are looking for something organic. This year I decided to venture out and buy some seeds and start my plants indoors (the Colorado growing season is too short for tomatoes, peppers and other heat loving plants). Granted it takes much more time and energy, I’m hoping the payback will be the Lacinato Kale, the San Marzano Tomatoes, the purple tomatillos and all the other heirloom and organic varieties I was able to find. That is if I don’t forget to water everything.
If you are interested in starting your own seeds indoors, you still have a little time. Check out the Farmer’s Almanac for your last frost date and work backwards. Here’s a good guide for you and also check the back of your seed packets. I also found this chart handy for determining seed planting date indoors and out. If you have any tips, I would love to hear your thoughts.
Some good places to find seeds are:
the Rocky Mountain Seed Company - Denver
Bounty Beyond Belief – Boulder
Lake Valley Organics – Boulder
Seeds of Change
Abundant Life Seeds
photo: the K.I.D Collective
Tags: garden
Posted in grow | 4 Comments »