Meet Luna

We adopted our third (and final!) cat Luna a couple months ago from the Denver Animal Shelter. She is fitting in great. Every cat I’ve adopted, I expected a different type of cat than I ended up with. If we had what we originally imagined, we’d have a brown tabby, a black cat and an orange tabby. Better to go for a cool personality than get stuck on a fur color in my opinion! Luna is really sweet, loves to snuggle and is totally fearless. She's attempted to taste every house plant and loves wand toys.

Mid-Century Inspired Window Hardware

I decided in our new house, I would put the same curtains and curtain rods on every window for continuity. That sounds like a way bigger deal than it is… we literally have five windows that need curtains. I think it was more laziness than design aesthetic to just do them all the same. That did mean I had to find something that would look good in every room. I have gone the plain white or plain black curtain rod in the past (and I do love B&W), but I want to incorporate more wood in this house for a warmer, cozier look.

A Gem of a Pillow | Part 2

Remember like three and a half years ago when I made a diamond shaped pillow? And then NEVER followed up about painting it? Yeah, that is because I never did! Until now!

Bathroom | The Plan

When we decided to re do the bathroom, I Googled “small bathroom” on the internet for design ideas. This is how I discovered most everyone seems to think 40 sq feet is a tiny-ass powder room. I guess people aren’t talking about or designing city-small type bathrooms. I understand why, there is not much to it! Our bathroom is just wide enough to fit a full size tub and just long enough to fit a toilet and small sink. THAT’S ALL FOLKS.

Bathroom | Before

We have one bathroom and it’s tiny. Like 30 sq feet tiny. The bathroom was not in terrible shape when we bought the house. It seemed reasonably functional (aside from its tiny-ness) and everything worked. Unfortunately once we moved in we realized it wasn’t functional for us.

Painted Cloth Napkins

In an effort to be less reliant on consumable paper goods, I decided to wean us into using cloth napkins! The ideal cloth napkin for everyday use is pretty enough to set the table with, but not so fancy or precious you can’t wipe your hands on it.

Bedroom | Before & During

For the last couple of months we have been pretty consumed with house stuff. As most people are who have recently moved. One of the main things we liked about the house we bought was its potential. It wasn’t there yet, but it could be great. Well, ‘great’ takes a lot of work and money and TIME.

New House

I’ll be taking a brief hiatus while I get our new house (and my brain) in order. More fun stuff to come later this summer!

Painted Ring Cone

Everyone who wears a ring daily should have a home-base for that ring. Just like your keys! If you put something in the same place every time you set it down you’ll spend less time searching for it on your way out the door. For me, that also decreases the chance it will vanish into the world of lost things (with all those socks). I thought about making a ring cone out of clay (like this ring dish), but I wanted something crisp and something faster to make.

Black Tea & Woods Soy Candle

‘Tis the season for fir trees! Before the holidays I went to a craft fair and man- there are some good candles out there. I didn’t leave with a candle, (I chose this fun smoky salt) but I did leave inspired to try a woodsy scented candle of my own. I know for many this probably comes too late, as fir is most associated with Christmas (and that is almost upon us-yay!) I think fir needle also goes really well with a cozy blanket, a cup of tea and snow falling outside. There is no reason for the winter ambiance to die after the 25th.

Beeswax and Olive Oil Candle

I’m not a huge candle person. Most of them smell too strong or fake, and I generally just forget to light them. As a craft it didn’t appeal to me because it seemed too easy. (I know, I know). I mean, what is there to it? You melt wax and pour it! That is how all the non-specific-crafty blogs make it seem. They make lovely pure beeswax container candles and make it look easy.

Wittle Kitteh

We added a new kitten to the family! Please welcome Poncho.

Spring Time!

Heeeeyyyy. I'm still here! I haven't forgotten about you! Please accept these flowers as a make up present?

Citrus Room Spray

I've seen a few ways to make room/fragrance sprays. Some use alcohol, some a light oil like cyclomethicone and some use water. They are all fairly simple and a room spray can come together quickly and without heat.

Some Bar Basics

There are a LOT of bar tools out there. Everyone will tell you what you need to have. Well now I'm here to tell you what I actually use and give a few product recommendations. Of course all of this depends on if you make cocktails often enough to make these tools worth it. I guess if you're trying to do something and think, 'bah! why is this so hard?!' there is probably a tool to help make it easier and faster.

Finally, FINALLY

I now have a curing rack for soap. I have wanted a real designated spot for curing soap that is airy, cool and, frankly, out of my personal space. I was very tired of them taking up my kitchen counter space, closet space and even floor space (they were in boxes, never fear). Now that Nate and I live in a larger place with a guest room, I carved myself out a little craft corner. It's not a big house for two people and one cat, but it has enough extra seldom used space to fit this area in. I seriously envy those who have large basements with curing racks and whole dedicated craft rooms. Someday.

Copper Is the New Gold

HA! While I do love copper and the copper trend that is in full swing, nothing can replace shiny timeless gold. But what if that gold isn't that shiny? I like a tarnished look but I thought I would do something fun this time and copper something up with some spray paint.

Quick Embroidery Floss Tassel

Nate and I have our spare key all alone in a dish by the door where it is destined to be lost. I know a key chain doesn't keep a key from getting lost (if only!) but a colorful key chain will distinguish it from any other random keys we have floating around and make it easier to spot if it gets misplaced.

A Gem of a Pillow | Part 1

Let's take a shot every time I say PILLOW. No, no just kidding, you might die*.

I love interestingly shaped pillows. Especially ones that are fairly literal. For instance, this mountain pillow from Design Sponge last year (see below picture). A triangle pillow shape turned out to be surprisingly more awesome to cuddle with than the standard square so I really wanted another cool geometric pillow.

It's a Wrap! (or ouch, ouch my aching back)

Months ago, September 2013 to be exact, I decided I wanted a new hanging lamp. I have a paper shade and cord set from Ikea that are cute, but my design style is veering away from all-white-everything. I wanted something metal, more architectural. MAN, those types of lamps cost an arm and a leg and some toes.

Enter Topiary Art Works. I bought two wire spheres, one 14", one 12". After shipping it was about $50, plus two black Ikea cord kits, $60. I was pretty excited, they look like a nice light gold in the picture! Womp, womp, womp... not so nice in real life. Yes they are topiaries made for plants and outdoor use but they arrived dirty and a very raw looking silver color. The horizontal bands were very uneven at the tops and bottoms, making stringing a cord through (like I foolishly imagined) impossible. I was so angry and disappointed in these I set them aside until a few weeks ago.

Enter my boyfriend Nate! I told him I was thinking of permanently giving up on them and he said he'd like a crack at wiring them for me before I threw in the towel completely. What did I have to lose? Well he did a great job. Hands down. It was a different story then! They were still really industrial and dirty, but I don't have anywhere to spray paint them (sad apartment face...) So I decided to just embrace the silver color.