we labored...

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over labor day weekend. labored long and labored hard. and just because you only see pictures below of steve laboring, don't think i was sitting around watching the real housewives and eating bonbons........ the tennis u.s. open was also on.

we braved ikea first thing saturday morning. the swedish cattle pen as steve called it. it frustrates me also. it's so huge, i get overwhelmed with the selection. but then when i go to find something (like curtain rings for the rods we bought), we find out they don't sell them.

above is a pretty, styled version of the stolmen shelf system we got for my office. hopefully one day mine will be styled also and i can show you an "after" shot, but for now, here's the "during" shots of it.

my two printers will sit on these cabinets, like this. paper in the drawers. in the store, i was displeased with the off white color of the shelving. but once we got it home, i realized it was more white and blends nicely with the wall color. i like it.um, and here's the dining room. yep, we're still overwhelmed by boxes.
and look what i have in my office..... a tv! we got this free as a promo when we bought our king size bed last year. never hooked it up in the old house. now i can be entertained while i work.
speaking of work.... i'd better get to it. happy short week!


***image from here

i'm impressed

this west elm parsons mini desk showed up on the front porch today. well, it didn't just show up... i ordered it. to use as my sewing table. in a corner of my office.
and i have to say, i'm terribly impressed with it. i guess i kinda had low expectations. not sure why. but it's gorgeous! it's sturdy. and heavy. and white. and shiny. with a drawer that slides smoothly. best yet, it's $199 right now.

randomness

this just excites me.
4 years ago i wouldn't have taken a second glance. because of the pinks and blues. thank goodness tastes change... and that mine have. i love it. the pattern mix. the colors. doesn't the couch look super comfy? (ok, i just noticed this... the stripes on the left cushion match up but don't match up on the right cushions. hmmmm. kinda bothers me. does it you?)

i only had time to glance at the pictures last night in the new lonny issue. it's on my list to read this weekend. along with this book. i'm halfway thru. very good so far.

in other news, this is our current back porch. until monday, when the concrete is poured. they tore out the old concrete patio yesterday. it involved a jack hammer and lots of noise.
steve designed the layout of this one. along with a roof over it. here's his drawing.
the beams and rafters will be cedar. shingle roof. wood underside. and the final element (which will end our run of 2010 home renovations...thank god) is replacing a large window in the dining room with french doors out to the new patio. i think i need a pretty chandelier to hang from under the roof. or maybe lanterns. this ensures that we can use our outdoor space even in the rain.

next week i'll post photos of my new office. here's a sneak peek.
i love my new space. mainly because it's finally totally enclosed and i can shut the doors and forget about work for the evenings and weekends. it's amazing how a physical barrier helps create a mental barrier.

and secondly, i love it because it's got one of these. does your office have one? if not, i highly recommend one. super cute and hours of entertainment.

and finally.... my last piece of news. this happened yesterday. it's one of a pair. i'll be on the hunt this weekend for something else for that space. (yes, i didn't fill the entire pot with dirt. i weighed it down with cinder blocks because we get extremely high winds here. )
have a great weekend!

Orange Crush

I used to despise orange. Never wore it, never decorated with it. In fact, never ate an orange because of the texture. Things change. I now love orange. I have accents of it throughout my home... from the front porch to the powder room to the family room. I LOVE orange. And I tolerate a glass of oj (no pulp of course).

My favorite pot on the front stoop, filled with ranunculus, pansies, new zealand flax, western sword fern and ivy.






The guest bathroom. A silver sage paint with orange accents. The small landscape oil paintings were done by an artist on Maui. We picked those up on our last trip there and they're the perfect accent by the orange orchid.









I also got this beautiful fish drawing at a map store in Maui. And I had it framed with the orange mat and thick dark wood frame.



Moving on to my office...orange moorish tile rug from Pottery Barn. And lookey there, a very tired orange and white puppy (even the pet complies with my color scheme). Her name's Pixel (more about Pixel later as she deserves a post to her own). She had just completed 6 weeks at bird camp and was very exhausted.



And finally, our family room/kitchen is painted Sherwin Williams Rustic Adobe.