Awesomeness

This is definitely one of the coolest home design items I have seen in a long time.

Ragtime

Michealangelo Pistoletto – Venus of the Rags

I really need a new rug for the kitchen. Buying a new rug is definitely not in the budget. Being a seamstress, I have tons of fabric scraps, and being a mom of boys, I have plenty of clothes that are too worn out to donate... so, I think I'll be making my own rag rug! This seems like an especially good way to use old sheets. Also, one made of old towels would be great for a bath mat!

Bubblicious

Bath products are expensive and most of them are filled with harmful chemical fragrances and skin-irritating detergents.

Well, there is good news! You can make your own from all-natural ingredients and it won't cost much at all! These make EXCELLENT gifts, too!

From Apartment Therapy:

What You Need

Materials:
4 cups of Water
4 oz Castille Soap (like Dr. Bronner's which you can buy scented or unscented and it's totally green and can be used for cleaning around the house and your body)
3 oz of either Glycerin* or Coconut Oil (both lather well and are skin softeners)
Essential Oil (use your imagination to come up with fun and exciting combos!)
Container for your concoction (non glass is best for near the bath)
Bath Tub

(you can also add a couple-- and I really do mean just a couple, because too many could stain the bathtub-- drops of food coloring to the mix to make the bubble bath just a little more fun)

*Glycerin is any pure soap, normally a transparent bar, made without synthetic detergents. You can buy it online or sometimes at the drugstore. Pure vegetable glycerin is usually available at Whole Foods Market. If you buy drugstore or craft store glycerin, be aware that it is likely petroleum based.

Instructions

1. Mix water with castille and glycerin or coconut oil.

2. Add 4-5 drops of your choice of essential oil.

3. Mix well.

4. Pour your bubble bath into the container. It should keep for quite a while.

5. Fill bathtub with water and pour in a couple of ounces of bubble bath.

6. Take a deep breath and soak.

Inspirational Attic

I have recently begun dabbling in the daunting task of organizing the attic space. After coming across this amazing attic and am feeling more motivated and inspired to get things ship shape up there!

The Stinky Rose

I planted garlic today! And the rosemary I transplanted about a week ago is so far doing really nicely in its new spot.

Planting by the book

Here it is, the middle of a dreary Southern California winter rainy spell, and here I am, dreaming of greener pastures. Or vegetable gardens, as the case may be. While I hope to some day install raised veggie beds in my front yard, I don't think I'll get it together to do it for the next growing season. I do plan to get a little kitchen herb garden in by the back door and several hanging plants going, too. And I've found the perfect tool to help me! An online Vegetable Planting Calendar to guide me about when to start seeds and when to transplant (you can find a calendar for your own planting zone on the site, too).

The Short List revisited

Paint trim for the boys' room
Paint stripes in the boys' room
Paint chalkboard wainscot in the boys' room
Clean and turn on the heater
Buy area rug for living room
Strip and paint trim in master closet
Strip doors
Hang succulent baskets on front porch
Build compost bin
Paint dining room walls
Begin door repairs
Strip door frames

I managed to complete a fair amount of stuff on my short list before my parents arrived. It is raining in Los Angeles now, and might be for most of the week, so we might not get too much done on this visit, but it is the holidays, so I'm happy to have some relaxed family time!

It's Alive!

Next year, I am going to consider renting a live Christmas tree... they drop it off and pick it up 30 days later and keeps right on growing!

Rug

Finally ordered an area rug for the living room!! It is a Nourison Country Heritage H505, 5'3"x8"3" ordered from Rugs Direct . So excited for it to get here! It will really help with selecting paint colors and fabrics. It is 100% hand hooked wool, so there will be no off-gassing and no scary chemicals were used to manufacture it (although I suppose the dyes might have scary chemicals...)

The Short List

Here's what I hope to get done before my parents come to visit/work again in 2 weeks:

Paint trim for the boys' room
Paint stripes in the boys' room
Paint chalkboard wainscot in the boys' room
Clean and turn on the heater
Buy area rug for living room
Strip and paint trim in master closet
Strip doors
Hang succulent baskets on front porch
Build compost bin
Paint dining room walls
Begin door repairs
Strip door frames

And yes, I am laughing at myself as I type this. There is just no way. But one can hope!

The List: Backyard

So, my original List was woefully inadequate. Thus, I'm making a new one! One section of the house at a time, starting with the backyard because a couple of things back there are currently priority #1. The List is somewhat prioritized... although once I get past the first few things it is hard to know what will feel most important.

Finish assembling playset and put in wood chips Make composter Finish clearing out dead vines, runaway trees Make raised garden bed
Plant ornamental landscaping, including privacy screen vines
Fill in holes, backfill along play perimeter
Reseed grass
Build shed
Paint clothesline poles
Install pavers under clothesline area
Prune fig tree
Create seating areas
Create hanging planters

We actually have a friendly little squirrel who hangs around. Maybe we can get him to pitch in?

Hanging Gardens

I first remember hearing about Hanging Gardens when studying world history. The Babylonians built them waaaaaay back in the day, and the idea really struck me as one ahead of its time, and one that we could benefit greatly from in today's urban areas. Then, the Topsy Turvy hit the market, opening the world of gardening to anyone with the ability to hang a plant in a sunny space. I came across an informative NY Times article all about upside down, DIY gardening, and I am getting pretty excited about the idea! This summer my "garden" consists of a potted basil, some potted arugula, a potted tomato, a potted nasturtium, and some potted chard. They're actually doing fairly well, but they would look a lot cooler hanging upside down!

The Dish

Ever since stumbling on the image of the satellite dish gazebo for my post about offer #8, I have become absorbed with the idea of making one of my own. It is enough to get me excited about the idea of having one of those tech-dinosaurs in my new front yard!

I love the fantasy-land vibe of this one

I like the solid structural look of this one

And this one comes complete with the how-to nitty-gritty.

Offer #8

I don't really want to get into the nitty-gritty, but it looks like our long-held offer #7 is falling through. Let's just say I am sick of banks. So we're back to making offers and we submitted #8 today.... for your consideration:

Bungalow with swing-worthy front porch
Built in 1907
Two stories
large lot
large dining room
large kitchen
two bathrooms
bonus room
FIVE bedrooms.

And it has one of these in the front yard:

which I think would be really awesome used for something like this:

It's in the bag

In my house, we're really good about taking our own bags when we go shopping. There is only one downside to this, and it is that we use those plastic shopping bags for our trash cans. So, we've been running out of bags, but we're not running out of trash (unfortunately!). While looking for biodegradable or compostable bags, I found that they were either not as biodegradable or compostable as one would hope OR they were outrageously expensive (as much a $5 per bag!). But now I have discovered Trellis Earth products and I am very excited to order my trash bags from them from now on! Their website is incredibly informative and details exactly what they mean when they claim a product is "biodegradable" or "compostable". And they sell wholesale to the public with free shipping, it can't be beat!

Green Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Instead of the wearing o' the green, here's a little decorating with green... as in environmentally friendlier furniture from Viesso.