Elena likes to sew, Rosa like to draw several self portraits a day. I have a couple of kid tables from IKEA that they use, but I’ve been hankering for something a little different. I would love to get one desk or table that they can both use (even at the same time), particularly one that’s big enough for Elena’s sewing.
None of the options I like are cheap (they never are) but here’s what’s on my mind:
The elfa kids desk has drawers for their supplies, and they could sit on either side:
This morning I saw a post on Apartment Therapy about the Tiny Living shop in New York City, which sells space-saving products for people who live in small spaces. I don’t even live in a particularly small space, but there’s something about the idea of living efficiently that really appeals to me. The first post I wrote for this blog was about living in a “Tiny House” and of course I’ve just written about having a small cabana as a space of my own.
When I am older, and the kids are grown and out of the house, and we live in the house of our dreams with a beautifully-landscaped backyard, I want a Modern Cabana as a little space all to myself. The cabanas come in pre-assembled panels that two adults with some construction knowledge (that rules me out!) can put together in a few days; and since it rests on concrete piers (like a deck), it doesn’t require pouring a concrete foundation. Check out the gallery on their website.
Why does this appeal to me so much? Well just look at it, fer cryin’ out loud! Sunny and warm and cozy and uncluttered and modern. Silly question.
The Fabulous Flower Clutch from Boden comes in four colors. I love it, but do the flowers get crushed the more you carry it around?
This Silk Gala Clutch by J. Crew (comes in five colors). Really love the “bright spearmint”:
This one is a little smaller than the other two: the Golden Flower Frame Clutch Wallet from Kailo Chic on Etsy, which I originally saw on Print + Pattern
You may remember that I was very excited about the prospect of making my own sugar scrub, after my favorite Etsy sugar scrub shop closed. So I took this recipe from The Small Object and gave it a shot.
First try? Not so good. The recipe was way too oily for me; my hands felt like I’d been washing my body with a stick of butter, and I worried that it would ruin my towels. I even dumped in a bunch of extra sugar to try to soak up the oil, and that didn’t work. So, I used up the first batch as quickly as I could (it still felt good to use, of course!) and decided to reduce the oils in the second batch.
Here are the ingredients:
You can get them at a health food store, or perhaps at a grocery store with a big natural foods selection. Quite honestly, I had no idea what to look for when I went to the store, but managed to find the lecithin and the vitamin E at the regular grocery store and the almond oil at the health food store. The liquid lecithin was surprisingly cheap (about $3 for a big bottle), and the vitamin E was surprisingly expensive (about $10).
Sprouts! We don’t know which are which – we planted sunflowers, zinnias and sweet basil. The girls are very excited to see their seeds growing.
I have been dreaming of the pool, our summer spot, for weeks now: loading up the cooler with sandwiches and fruit and snacks and beer and soda, throwing sunscreen and sunglasses and hats and towels into a tote bag, piling into the car, and finding a good table and chairs before the big afternoon crowd gets there.
Since I got the pool membership renewal in the mail yesterday, I figure that gives me permission to post the Mini Boden swimwear I am drooling over, despite the fact that the pool won’t open for what feels like an eternity three more months.
Hm. Am I going to start seeing Robin’s Egg Blue and Yellow together everywhere now that I’ve found the room of my dreams?
Check out this post on Apartment Therapy, which looks at Robin’s Egg Blue for design inspiration.
I’m a card carrying member of the Orla Kiely bandwagon, and I’m happy that Target is making her designs accessible to the masses.
I don’t know if the masses want Orla Kiely, but I am thrilled that Target seems to have its finger on the pulse of what the hip design scene loves. These are a few things from her line that I liked and managed to find (I guess there aren’t too many rabid Orla Kiely fans in Piscataway):
Ceramic mug and tablecloth
Dessert server (it’s melamine)
Orange pear tumbler
Kitchen mat (which I love because it covers up a dent in our floor!)
Update: This post was featured on Print & Pattern (my favorite blog), after I sent some Orla goodies to P&P. See her sweet blog post about it here.
In the first week of the spring cleaning challenge, I spent one hour (just one) in the basement and managed to pack up not one, but SIX trash bags. I also broke down a mountain of boxes. I took them all straight out of the house, and immediately it felt better. We still have a long way to go but it now feels just a wee bit more sane down there.
I also started re-reading Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui by Karen Kingston for some practical inspiration. “Most people keep things because they believe they will come in useful one day, but in fact the stagnant energy that collects around unused things causes stagnation in the life of whoever owns them. So instead of being an asset, clutter is in fact a liability. That’s why people who have clutter are always stuck in their lives in some way.”
So, for week 2: I can commit to taking at least one more bag of crap out of the house.
What one small thing are you doing to declutter this week?
