A Homemade Life

First let me apologize for blog tardiness. My laptop is down with a virus and with one less computer at home, allotted blog time is limited.

I am filling a little of my extra time reading: A Homemade Life, by Molly Wizenberg. She is the genius behind one of my favorite food blogs: Orangette. The baker, homemaker side of me connects to Molly and her cooking. Recipes are woven into family stories and you quickly discover that her passion for cooking is evoked by the memories formed in the kitchen. There is a reason why they say the kitchen is the heart of your home!

I wanted to share this book with you because it's an enjoyable read, the recipes sound fantastic and you are immediately reminded of some simple concepts. My favorite one: "clean up as you go". What a great reminder to take a few moments throughout your day and tidy up as you go along = less mess in the end.

So that's all I have for today, a great book to pass along and a great reminder:

"Clean up as you go".

Kilim Ottoman

Restoration Hardware
Grand Oriental Rug Gallery
Grand Oriental Rug Gallery
Estate Sale

I know I should be happy with my giant coffee table. The perfect height, lots of storage and room on the table top for games, snacks and beverages. It has endured toddlers through teenagers and only has a few marks of wear. A little refinishing with a darker stain could revive the piece and may put it back in my good graces. I am just so bored with it.

Especially after I discovered beautiful, unique and vibrant kilim covered ottomans! Kilim rugs are flat woven, (no pile), and can be found in many different patterns and colors. While at an Estate Sale last week, I saw this beautiful ottoman upholstered with a kilim rug. Once home, I began my search for more of its kind. I have only included a few options in this post. Aren't they gorgeous? Could an kilim upholstered ottoman take the place of your coffee table?

"Furr - eliminator"

Like most homes with pets, there is fur around. Although our Havanese, Lola, doesn't shed, the cats, Pearl and Zoe do. Their favorite lounging spots are covered with their long black and white hair.

You can purchase many items for pet hair removal, special sponges, tape or vacuuming tools. Or you can try my inexpensive and foolproof tool: everyday latex gloves. Rub the glove over fur covered area and it will clump together making it easy to remove with a final step of vacuuming.

Little Touches

Bejeweled Stirring Spoons and Agave Nectar for Coffee

Butter in Butterfly Dish

French Glassware


Primroses and Floating Candles

Desserts on Stacked Pedestals

Perfect Baby Boy


Last Saturday a friend hosted a Grandmother Celebration brunch in her home. I had my camera with me to photograph the first grandbaby of our group of friends. The baby made a wonderful photography subject but also, the hosts' beautiful touches had me snapping away. We all oohed and aahed over the gorgeous baby, (who slept peacefully even while being passed from one person to another), and over the elegant "Therese" touches. Great friends, beautiful flowers, delicious food and thoughtful displays lent to the celebration. I am so glad I took photographs to remind me of how little touches can add so much to the atmosphere of a celebration. Thanks Therese for a wonderful afternoon.

Time Management

El Nino has been good to us in the Pacific NW. We are having spring like weather in February with daffodils blooming, birds chirping and weeds thriving. I love yard work but can often feel overwhelmed by all of the weeding that needs to be done, especially in early spring.

Instead of avoiding the monumental task of conquering weeds, I have devised my own time management system: 2 or 5 gallon buckets. Depending on time and energy available, I will grab either sized bucket and weed until it is full. Once full, I clean up and head inside. Within just a few days, you wouldn't believe how many weeds are pulled with seemingly little effort.

Bucket time management is my solution for those of you feeling daunted by yard work.

Closet Storage

Yesterday my sister-in-law, Wendy, blogged about closet storage at SimplyBrookes.blogspot.com. For me, a clean and well organized closet is practically nirvana. Worried that I am overstating, I looked up the definition of nirvana. "An ideal condition of rest, harmony, stability, or joy = nirvana". Exactly!

Wendy and I are on the same page when it comes to organization. I was inspired to add to her post.

Many of the closet storage options on the market don't fit the bill. Fabric covered cardboard bins lack durability. While slope-sided storage bins compromise valuable space, making it difficult to fit folded clothes. I love these polypropylene woven crates from Storables. They come in many different sizes and are true rectangles. A huge stack of nicely folded running t-shirts would reside there in my closet.

Cascade Crate, Storables

One of my favorite tips is to use photo storage boxes for shoes, adding a decorative touch to shelves. Photo boxes are available at craft and office supplies stores. Find a set that compliment your closet or room. A stack of black and white toile photo storage boxes house my "occasion" shoes. These boxes from Joanns are 3.89 for 6!

Decorative Photo Storage Boxes, Joanns

Finally, Nest for Two, is a beautifully photographed and inspiring home decor book. Their storage ideas showcase how mindful closet design can lend harmony and even an artistic quality to your home.

Nest For Two, Amazon

Buffet Built in

I have always longed for storage space in the dining room. A place for dishware, display and table top lighting. Unfortunately, there is not enough room in my home. However, I have recently had the chance to help friends with ideas on a great niche in their dining room. Believe me, it is a GREAT niche, over 11 feet long and previous home to an overwhelmingly large, floor to ceiling, 70's wood built-in. Although it seemed we nailed down a great option from Ikea, I decided to research a bit more (yes, I tend to over research everything).

Dining room niche with built in removed:



Additional options:

Beautiful custom sideboard with rattan insets on the doors from Appletree Woodworks.
Free upper wall space for art and counter space for table lamps. Example from HVilleScoop.com
Sunset.com. A perfect match to their kitchen cabinetry. Add a narrow depth wine fridge, some glass front upper cabinets for stemware and there you have a swanky wine bar.
Sunset.com. Houses dishware, stemware, linens and pottery worthy of display. They might miss having countertop space.
Hoping to achieve a built-in look with Ikea's modular options, we were able to graph out the room adding upper and lower cabinets from their Effectiv line. The line is part of Ikea's workroom furniture. At 17 in. deep, it won't overwhelm the room like the previous cabinetry had.

Ikea - Effectiv Series
Ikea - Effectiv Series

The extra research has lent more ideas to this project. I hope my friends find them helpful. I look forward to revealing before/after photos once their project is complete.