kitchen aides

i am moving soon to an apartment with a much larger kitchen than what i am used to...meaning i can fit more than 2 people (uncomfortably) in it at a time. there is space for an eat-in table, which i have no use for, so i've decided to fill it instead with a portable island. naturally, i spend a couple of minutes here and there searching for them. luckily i came across this article in the kitchn, a division of apartment therapy.

the island is nothing fantastic, except that it works exceptionally in this cute little kitchen. kitchens and baths (and naturally, tile) have always been some of my favorites and i could look at photos for hours. this particular kitchen i've seen before in apartment therapy, and after a while of scrutiny (apartment therapy must have a thousand writers because they post so many entries a day) i found it. chris and heather, whoever you are, you have a great kitchen.

first of all, they pulled off the painted cabinets exceptionally--especially using a color besides white. on top of that (literally) are beautiful marble countertops. sometimes marble can be yuppy, but with all this, it looks fantastic. the color palette is fantastic. i would not normally think to use it in a kitchen. gas stove, fogged glass doors, pine floors, and lets not forget that tile! i can't tell if its silver or gold, but i want it. i wish they would note the manufacturer. apparently i'm not the only one. they have a lot of people wanting to know the same thing. and for good reason!!

two things i love

old trucks (betcha didn't know that) and wood houses.

what a great photo. i think i'll frame it and put it somewhere.

my grandmother has a painting of a woman in an apron with her elbows resting on the open driver's window of an old truck. she is apparently talking to her husband, the driver. from that one picture i sometimes live out my whole life like that. sometimes i think all i need in life is a good ol truck, a good man, and a good dog to ride in the back of the old truck with us. and in the meantime i'd be making biscuits, somehow always covered in flour, and working in my garden. i can hear the sound of the screen door creaking open...can't you?

i need to take a picture of that painting.

yes, i now own crocs

no, not the classic ones that i hate so much (i know they're comfortable--i've put my feet in them, but you couldn't talk me into wearing them even in sweats).

i got these. i'm in love. they are so comfy. my favorite part is the heel guard. if you're a narrow-heeled girl like myself and find your shoes flapping on your heel and getting blisters, these guys are the cure. i've been telling everyone.


they are on sale at piperlime right now. the whole line - you, by crocs - is pretty dang cute, i must say. i want the red ones, next.

found you!

i've seen stools of this sort in magazines and articles before, but never had a clue how to begin looking for them or what they are called. i just knew i liked them. but, as luck might have it, i was browsing some of my favorite sites and stumbled upon this guy.

the contact stool can be found at cb2, a division of crate and barrel. i am not sure if they have stores anywhere, but online shopping is as good as any.

i would love to have this guy paired with a clean-lined, white lacquered desk. maybe some christmas/birthday funds can help with that.

pennies from heaven

holy moly, they've done it. there are 2 tiles (of many, many) which i love: penny tile and metal tile.

daltile has combined the two in a fantastic creation. metal penny tile. i just wanna eat it up! imagine that as a backsplash...or a fireplace surround. i'd love to get my hands on some of that!

ok, carnegie!

the carnegie rep (joyce west--love her) came in to visit us this week and brought some surprisingly vivid upholstery patterns with her.

the new bright side collection is something i might expect from maharam, but it looks like carnegie is trying something new. i have always loved carnegie and during school they were always very helpful, but their name usually involves beautiful window coverings, silky sophisticated solids--super nice, but not necessarily something you would want as a conversation piece. every once and a while they come out with a good pattern that makes a name for itself, but its known for the pricey stuff. but these guys surprised me.

whimsy

imagine

its hard to pull off floral without going grandma--but this. this is good. and the red...i might be ordering some of that!

a breath of fresh air

fabulous. its a room in villa bussum, featured this week on arch daily. what a view. don't you just want to sit down and pick up reading that book. i would do it for hours i think (that or blog...i see an outlet!). i don't know if i would have done the black window treatments, but when i pictured in my head any other color, black was the only one that worked, so i don't know.

doesn't it just make you relaxed? that or envious, probably.

i'm finally back!

it has been almost a month since i posted. greatest apologies. work has been insane, and i went on a national globe-trot during christmas. someone asked me how many christmases i had...seven. seven christmases. it was great--but wore me out.

then i got myself into this situation and rescued this poor little guy from a trip to the pound. he melted my heart (and ate my bathroom teak mat...oh well). after a week of stress and heartache, i found him a home through dixie dachshund rescue (www.dixiedachshundrescue.com)--where i got my weenie dog mix. thank goodness for them!

in an effort to catch up, i am doing a post on some of the favorite things i got for christmas.

1. land's end slippers. they have hard bottoms so i can take the dogs out, and cushy insides. love them.

2. sock monkey slippers (from my monkey) from target. they are great for indoors, but also have hard bottoms in case quick darts outside. and they are so cute! have you picked up on my love for slippers? i perpetually have cold feet in the winter. the more slippers the better.

3. bamboo sheets, also from target. these things are like 250 threadcount but they feel like egyptian cotton and satin mixed. i found them on sale for $40 (whole set) and snatched them up with my christmas money from the grandparents.

4. bamboo yarn, to make a bamboo scarf. you could swear it was cashmere. since joining the design field, i've become sort of a bamboo skeptic (as far as the real environmental facts), but bamboo has got it going on in the fiber department.

5. need to breathe--the outsiders album. these guys were a new discovery and this happened to be the first album i picked up, on the way to get the feller's sister the brandon heath cd. i got a little something for myself too, and let me tell you something. this album is delicious.

6. my christmas present from the feller. there's this guy we know, craig dupuis (http://dupuisian.blogspot.com/) who is a super amazing artist. being that i cannot (nor can the feller) afford a whole painting, he commissioned out 3 photo frames to craig, who so kindly (with a very pregnant wife) painted them for me. i love them. i don't even want to put photos in them.

7. the alang lamp from ikea. you can't see the shade, but its a woven pattern. best of all, the height is adjustable. seeing as how my living quarters aren't too extravagant (i don't get the pay for extravagance that i want), its not too heavy of a floor lamp. its just right.

i still have some money left from the grandparents and other various relatives that i have yet to find something to spend on (wonder why they gave me money...maybe because i don't know what i want).

i hope everyone had a marvelous christmas and new year!