Friday Finds: Geek Love
Neat New Product: Sugru
Here's something for the not-so-handy among us who would still like to repair and modify items around the house: sugru. It's a kind of modeling clay/epoxy that can repair anything from a door handle to a pair of shoes. This goes along with my philosophy of using sturdy vintage items rather than buying new, cheap, disposable ones. Now, we've got options if that vintage item happens to need a little 'tweaking'.
DI-Wednesday: Knock Off Wood
Monday Inspiration: Clutter Control
Brilliant in its simplicity! We're working on a more functional coat rack area for our house, and adding a clipboard for notes and reminders would help save us from the flood of paper that ends up getting lost in the shuffle.
Friday Finds: Mid Century Modern
Mid Century Modern Color Palettes
Original Eichler Exterior Home Color Palette from retro renovation
Let's face it--picking paint colors is hard. Especially if you're trying to keep the home's original character. In our case, that means some ranch-style mid century modern color research. Luckily, there's a lot our there on the subject of house colors, with most examples using the source material from the time. There are also plenty of re-invigorated color palettes out there, such as the "Suburban Modern" from Sherwin Williams.
I love what Modative did when looking for colors to compliment a mid century modern car wash renovation: they turned to ads and palettes from the period to choose the most complimentary and accurate colors.
DI-Wednesday: Heart Shaped Envelopes
Valentines is approaching, and what better way to give that with something you made yourself? This great DIY from Instructables shows you how to make a heart-shaped Ang Pao (envelope), just in time for the holiday. Are you making anything for that special someone?
Tasty Tuesday: Girl Scout Delights
It's that time of year when you find yourself greedily perusing the brochure of Girl Scout cookies and heartily cursing your New Year's resolutions. I end up buying a few boxes every year, and attempt to eat only a handful and distributing the rest amongst friends. If you find yourself in a cookie situation, why not try some of the Girl Scout's dessert recipes, derived from their famous cookies? Enjoy (the guilt)!
Monday Inspiration: Comfy Office
I love the mild sage green in this room combined with the pops of orange from the chaise and accessories on the desk. This looks like the perfect office to work and relax!
Friday Find: Cavalcade of Desk Lamps
Great Blog for Mid Century Modern Design
I'm always looking for solid Mid Century Modern sources, and this blog has everything--great finds, history, restoration, and purty, purty pictures. Check it out: Mid Century Modern.
DI-Wednesday: Cleaning your own vintage finds
Apartment Therapy strikes again with this handy guide for cleaning your vintage finds--so, next time you hit the flea market or thrift stores, you don't need to pass on an item out of fear that you won't be able to clean it! And don't forget to check out the user comments--there are some real gems for getting rid of the muck.
Tasty Tuesday: King Cake
Those of you from Louisiana probably know what King Cake is--and as we've passed Epiphany (January 6th) we can officially eat it once again as we approach Mardi Gras! I typically order one through the mail, but this year I may try my hand at cooking my own...though I must admit that my baking history with yeast is spotty at best. Hopefully this recipe will guide me to success--bon appetit!
Monday Inspiration: Old and New
I love this combination of the old and the new--the classic wood floor and intricate molding combined with the modern bench and ghost chair--I long for the skill to effortlessly make things look this way, but I have a feeling that making it effortless takes work!
Friday Finds: 'Tis the Season for Cleaning
A re-purposed storage crate from Vakuoli
For what remains, however, we will need someplace to put them, and I'm determined not to simply shove them away until next year's resolutions. So, I'm looking for storage that's inexpensive and has a little bit of style. Luckily, there are a lot of options.
I can hang prettier finds rather than keeping them hidden in the closet (from half pint salvage)
I know this book can't store much, but it's just too pretty to pass up (from TealStripes)
Jars are a classic, inexpensive way to see everything you have (from
Undercover Storage Gadget
I've been looking around for organizational gadgets and I came across these switchplate/entry caddies on Apartment Therapy. But at a whopping $32 each, I don't know if it's worth it. What do you think? Would you ever try to use something like this, or would you rather a shelf?
DI-Wednesday: Staining a Concrete Floor
After the intense rock-spreading and fan-installing jaunt that was the holidays '09, I'm looking for our next project, preferably one that's relatively easy and quick, and with big impact (yeah, I know--do I want fairy-dust with that?). I think I've found it in the back porch. It's a slab of concrete that's seen better days--and since we've improved the area about a year ago by adding a great porch-covering, the porch floor is in sore need of attention--and it looks like staining is the way to go to get a more transparent/rustic look that's durable enough to survive the dog and his Scooby-do running-in-place antics.
I found a great instructional on Young House Love, with pictures! I think I'll be trying this soon--
Tasty Tuesday: Grilled Veggie Panini
It's that time of year again, when the overindulgences of the holiday season have me squeezing into pants that I swear fit just a couple of weeks ago. So, I've been looking for some recipes to help increase my veggie intake and cut back on the calories. I found this great panini on Self.com that allows for some tasty, cheesy, toasty indulgence without the guilt. And, it's simple to boot. Enjoy!
Monday Inspiration: Organized Office
One of my first resolutions for the new year: organize my office! August Vintage is doing pretty well by my estimation, so I need to make my workplace more efficient. A visit to IKEA over the weekend should help with storage and workspace--now if I could only make it look like the office above, I'd be golden.