Sandy's Design Blog

My Dish Addiction - New Find

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy) — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 14:24:00 +0000

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Yellow Greek Key Dip Cup from The Mane Lion

There's something about the Greek Key motif that I am drawn to.

Look what I just discovered - The Mane Lion Greek Key serveware with a porcelain lion's head. How fun!!

All the colors in the line are rich and beautiful. The pieces are hand painted in Italy. These designs just speak to me.

Problem is...I just can't decide which color is my favorite.

Chocolate Platter with Lion's Head from The Mane Lion

Red Platter with Lion's Head from The Mane Lion

Blue Greek Key Shell, Chips and Dip

Great New Postage Stamps - Industrial Design

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 10:46:00 +0000

One of the cool new USPS Stamps

I like sending out letters, cards or even just a quick note. I like receiving them too!

How cool will these stamps be on anything that I send out??

I found them at the Post Office yesterday. I bought some, walked to my car, pondered for just a second and then turned around and went back in to buy loads more.

They're "Forever Stamps" so why not stock up?

Pioneers of American Industrial Design from the USPS

Timberframe Lighting

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 00:35:00 +0000

I saw these wonderful lights from Currey & Company while at Highpoint in the spring and knew exactly who should have them - Lawry - my wonderful Timberframe client. I think these two fixtures would be perfect for the stair leading to the loft and the loft itself.

Lawry is winding down work on the interior of his Timberframe home. He has offically moved in and we are working together on those last few items for the interior.

Loft and exterior lighting are a few of open items and I just love these fixtures for his home! Lawry is concerned that they might be a tad too modern...hum?

I will spend a bit of time look for some alternate fixtures...it is difficult when you think that you have found just the right ones.

Ernesto Single Light Pendant - Currey & Company

Ernesto 4 Light Pendant - Currey & Company

Stay tuned to see what other options I find and which fixtures Lawry will choose.

More to follow...later this week - laundry room cabinets, custom made mirrors and a custom made vanity sink base.

Paint that dark, heavy, old wood - it's okay!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy) — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 14:20:00 +0000

So many times I have seen dark, outdated wood paneling, beamed ceilings or even floors that cry out for a simple coat of paint. Think...crisp and fresh.

Be not afraid - paint is the easiest and most economical way to make miraculous changes in a room.

See the photos below from Coastal Living - what a difference! The window wall was opened up to take advantage of the great ocean views. The fireplace was renovated to be bright and in balance with the space and then a wonderful nook was added to the left of the fireplace to take advantage of the view. Fresh light floors and a cozy seating area finish off this ocean front space nicely.

Now imagine that they had kept the heavy wood beamed ceiling??

Paint is the answer!! Don't be afraid - paint that old, dark wood and let in the light!

Before Picture - too heavy, too dark, too bulky

After - Light, fresh and perfectly in balance

The Girls Have Arrived - how sweet are they???

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy) — Thu, 05 May 2011 00:58:00 +0000

I have been doing my research for months. I ordered the "girls" in February of this year. I selected my breeds for a combination of calm temperment, cold hardiness, body color, egg color, and availability. I ordered Buff Orpingtons, Ameraucanas (blue eggs), Dominiques, Delawares, and a single Barnevelder (all that was available.) I received a call on Monday letting me know that the Barnevelder didn't hatch. I could wait until August for everyone if I wanted another Barnevelder or I could accept another breed. The hatchery offered a Black Copper Maran as a substitute.

Can I tell you how much this sent me into a tail spin? I thought I had this all designed and planned out ... and was thrown a curve on the phone at the last minute...they had to ship that same day - the other girls had hatched. I had to decide right then. A quick look on line and I thought the Black Copper Maran would be a terrific substitute.

As I began my quick research on the Black Copper Maran I found out that this French breed has a bit of controversy around it. Pure breed French variety vs. other. I love that they are calm, good foragers, and lay the yummiest, dark brown, highly desired eggs. Okay, that's perfect for the well designed egg basket. :)

In my fantasy, the Post Office calls me and says "The girls have arrived, come and get them." HA!! No notice at all. I tracked them on line and knew that they were in town Monday at 6:03 p.m. I couldn't pick them up until the next morning at 8:30 a.m. I fretted for them overnight.

The post office never called me. I simply was there at 8:30 a.m. exactly. The post person found the box and we opened the box together and peeked inside. They all looked good!!! Yeah!!!

I placed them under the heater in the car and zipped home to their waiting warm brooder box. I dipped each beak into the sugar water and they were on their way.

They LOVE mashed egg. They are too funny with a meal worm. They are super active racing around and then...crash! Their bodies collapse, their head bobbles down and they are OUT.

The chicks are the softest thing I have ever felt! They have personalities right away. I have named the bravest girl already - Coco. Coco Channel. She has a lovely rich brown strip on her head and back. She is the first to do everything.

The Buff Orpingtons and the Delawares are so mild and sweet. The Black Copper Maran is the smallest, she's a bit of a loner, maybe even delicate - such a rare breed.

I am a nervous new Mom. They already know me when I enter the room. Well...maybe they would know anyone who enters the room. Seems they have a sixth sense about this - even sleeping, they know that you are there.

So far, I am in love with them. Even though I had to clean pasty butts this morning. Seriously....

As of today...we do not have a coop for them. The pressure is on...Steve is under the gun now.

Here is his latest design for me and the girls:

Restoration Hardware Aviator Aluminum Collection

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 11:58:00 +0000

Restoration Hardware Aviator Chair

I just happened upon the latest offerings from Restoration Hardware and ... I like them!!

Great vintage look and feel.

The style is bold, fun, and invokes a strong retro feel. Used in moderation, I think it can make a great focal point for a space.

Restoration has made a departure from the mainstream furniture offerings in the past few seasons and I applaud their efforts. While it's not right for everyone...that's exactly the point.

Be bold, be different - lead the way, don't follow.

Read the company philosophy from their chairman, Gary Friedman here.

Restoration Hardware Coffee Table

Restoration Hardware Spitfire Leather Chair

Amazing Art Glass

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy) — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 18:48:00 +0000

Glass Octopus - instyle-decor

Just spotted this amazing piece of art glass from instyle-decor.

Love the curves and detail!!

CHICKEN COOP DESIGN by Steve

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy) — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 18:06:00 +0000

Steve has been working on my chicken coop design.

Stay tuned for possible revisions to the design and a follow up video as Steve builds the coop this spring.

I am soooo excited.

Please let us know your thoughts! Thanks for watching.

A Life Filled With Design

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy) — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 18:51:00 +0000

Photo by Pamela Van Nough

We are the designer of our lives.

How much time in any given day do we spend considering what we are creating?

I see design everywhere in my world and throughout my life, from my first passion for graphics and photography, through my current work in interior design, to my personal life as expressed through my hobbies; wine making, baking, gardening and now...my new budding enterprise, raising chickens for eggs and compost.

I have been longing for chickens for about ten years or so...long before raising urban chicken came into vogue. I don't know why I have procrastinated about getting started. No more procrastination...now is the time! If not now...then when?

Golden Lace Polish Chicken

I have been spending vast amounts of time researching the different breeds to determine the best suited to our location and lifestyle along with information on the best type of coops, feeders, nesting boxes, how to care for day old chicks, and how to keep them safe outside from predators...the list of things to know is endless. There is clearly way more to keeping chicken than I had first thought.

Silkie

Enter the design factor. I am designing my chicken experience, designing my flock, their product - the egg basket, and their new home and playground. Lots of fodder for though and creativity.

As I select my breeds I am considering the climate tolerance of each breed, their egg production, the egg color (so cool), and their temperament - no aggressive, loud, flighty girls for me - read high maintenance. :)

Our cold climate limits the breeds that will do well here. No large combs to freeze in the Ohio artic climate.

The Fab Golden Lace Polish Chicken and the gentle Silkie breeds are not cold hardy. (pictured above) Too bad as they are truly a treat. They are not good egg producers but oh so pretty and would give just the right "punch" to the style and look of the flock.

Ameraucana - blue eggs and old breed

I have also considered the look of the egg basket. Going for the perfect color palette - mixed blue, brown and deep brown.

See the design factor emerging??

Here are a few of the breeds that I am considering. They are cold tolerant, have a wonderful friendly disposition, fairly good producers and are more or less calm and quite.

I have run into a bit of a dilemma, I need to order more chicks that I really can handle. The chicks ship in batches of 25 to keep each other warm and I can really only handle 6-8 hens, especially to start. Hum, how to handle this???

My partner in crime and resident carpenter is working on designing the coop for the girls. There are NO plans out there for great looking coops...what's up with that??? Enter my architect hubby.

I will detail our coop adventures in future blogs. Scroll to the end to see a few design ideas for coops that I did discover on line.

Dominique - brown eggs and old breed

Faverolles - brown egg, french breed (photo by poultrykeeper.com)

Delaware - brown egg

Buckeye - brown egg, endangered, bred for the Ohio climate

Langshan - brown egg

Barnevelder - brown egg, very rare breed, endangered

Of course I want this rare girl...

Brahma - brown egg

One style of nesting box with easy access

The girls in their nesting box :)

Very cool coop - would the neighbors object to something so nice????

Nice style coop - note the pull out tray

Just looks like a coop for this Western Reserve area

Spacious coop and run

My favorite - click on image to visit site detailing construction

Here are a few resources that I have discovered thus far:

My Pet Chicken

Mother Earth News

Meyer Hatchery

BackYard Chickens

Hendersons

Check back often as I share the design process for our chicken coop.

Here is the beginning peek as Steve is drawing away in sketch up. Hum....

Happy Holidays!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy) — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 17:10:00 +0000

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Kissing Ball

Wishing you a warm, wonderful Holiday Season and a healthy and prosperous 2011!

Wonderful Chocolate Mint Coffee

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 13:46:00 +0000

The college student is home. The coffee cake is sending a wonderful scent through the house as it bakes. I just heard the coffee grinder downstairs in the kitchen. All is right with the world this morning.

As I perused one of my favorite cookbooks this morning, I came upon my favorite after dinner coffee recipe and thought I would share. Just in time to accompany the pumpkin pie.

It is really quite an awesome coffee recipe and I ALWAYS have these ingredients ready and the recipe handy for holiday times. Enjoy!

Chocolate Mint Coffee

1/2 c. whipping cream

2 tbs. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla
1 oz. german sweet chocolate - grated
2. c. strong hot coffee
8 tbs. peppermint schnapps

chocolate curls

Beat cream with sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Fold in grated chocolate.

Pour hot coffee evenly into 4 mugs and add 2 tbsp. schnapps to each. Spoon on whipped cream. Garnish with chocolate curls & serve immediately.

*Recipe from Susan Branch - Christmas From The Heart Of The Home

Oh, so yummy and warm!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Fun Finds for Today

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy) — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 13:48:00 +0000

While perusing for fun items for my timber frame client, I found a few gems that I thought I would share.

I love searching for unusual antique items. I feel a little frustrated by the offerings here in Cleveland. Where are the wonderful shops?? We have a few on the near west side but...nothing like the offerings in other cities.

Oh, to have an architectural salvage yard here in town! Here is a local niche that needs to be filled.... :)

So, I search on-line for antiques and here are a few of the gems that I found today.

Garden Park Antiques - Hand Forged Antique Andirons

Garden Park Antiques - Antique Wooden Brackets

I think I'm feeling the need for a good antiquing trip. Anyone game?

Bunching Table

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy) — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 21:09:00 +0000

After a long break in my blogging due to an incredibly hectic fall, I am back at the computer and thinking about furniture and design. I miss it!!!

Marge Carson, Kallisto Bunching Table

While searching today for an unusual end table I came across this baby. I like it!

Something about it appeals to me. Put a couple of these together in front an oversized sofa for a nice, earthy look. Maybe combined with a wonderful linen sofa or sectional???

It feels good to be thinking design again. More to come.... Missed you!

The Scalamandre Umbrella - Part II

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 15:02:00 +0000

From my last post, it is clear that I am smitten by the funky and fun Scalamandre Zebra Umbrella. I love the fun zebra motif, the rich red color, and the heft and quality of the piece - it's just an all around winner in my book.

Lisa Amiri - friend extraordinaire

Last night we held our ASID Ohio North Annual Meeting hosted by Marble & Granite Works. It was an evening filled with wonderful food from Marigold Catering, yummy drinks, good networking, and warm friendship.

Marble & Granite Works is a beautiful new showroom here in town - fyi!!

During the evening we held a Chinese Auction with donations from many of our local friends and Industry Partner with all proceeds going to benefit the ASID Foundation.

Can you guess where this is headed...we had one of those wonderful Scalamandre Zebra Umbrella's as part of the auction.

And now for the part that let's me know exactly how lucky I am to be part of this local design community/family....

As I wandered around the tables perusing all the terrific items that we had for the auction, the umbrella kept calling to me and most of my tickets found their way into the umbrella ticket box. I did put a few into the Cleveland Browns vs. Cincinnati ticket box - hubby is from Cincinnati after all.

Fingers crossed...the ticket was pulled and...I didn't win. Instead, my good friend and fellow designer, Lisa Amiri was the lucky recipient. Yeah! I knew it was going to a good home. :)

Scalamandre Zebra Umbrella

And then my wonderful friend walked up to me with a big smile and a hug, and handed me the Scalamandre Zebra Umbrella. "Happy Birthday, Sandy!"

Fantastic Scalamandre Zebra Print Umbrella

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy) — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 20:10:00 +0000

photo of Gino's, courtesy of the New York Times

I am in love with the Scalamandre Zebra Print Umbrella. It's a wonderful, happy print and ... I think I just have to have one!!

After some research I have uncovered a bit of history about this Scalamandre pattern. Story has it that the zebra print was first designed as a wall covering for Gino's Restaurant located in New York in the 1940's. It went out of print over the years and was recently re-introduced into their line.

The wall covering is available in five color ways; red, brown, yellow, green, and black. I adore the red!

And now, the pattern has been made into a wonderful umbrella that's available in two sizes. I had a peek at them in our local showroom. The travel size is just right for me.

Scalamandre Zebra Print Umbrella

No sad rainy days with this little number protecting you.

UK Pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo - Plants

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy) — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 13:35:00 +0000

image by Woetan

While checking one of my favorite blogs this morning, TileEnvy, I discovered a post on the Shanghai World Exposition 2010. I love looking at these architectural feats. Wonderful and engaging! Wish I could be there.

What really caught my interest is the UK Pavilion by Thomas Heatherwick. It is fascinating to look at, but the story behind the design is what really engaged me. It is based on seeds and the Kew Millennium Seed Bank in the UK.

I am beginning to think more and more about seeds and our dependence and connection to them.

I have hollyhocks in my garden that I grew from seeds given to me by my California beach buddy, Patti. I believe that they are from her grandfather's garden and she grew them from his seeds. I love the connection and the variety; its pinkish red color is relly wonderful. Every time I look at them I am reminded of my girlfriend and her family. :)

Check out this video below for a peek at the UK Pavilion.

I would love to visit the Shanghai exhibit, but what I would love even more is to visit the Royal Botanical Garden, Kew.

What an amazing and ambitious undertaking! The Millennium Seed Bank is working toward the goal of collecting and storing seeds to preserve 25% of the worlds plant species by 2020 (and on and on.)

Royal Botanical Garden, Kew

Millennium Seed Bank, UK

Osborne & Little - Maharani

All this thinking about plants has made me search out a few Botanical Prints. Here is a Osborne & Little print that I think is great.

Scalamandre, Florentina

This Scalamandre print has been around for awhile but I still like it a lot. I used this in a wall covering for a client in their mud room and it was wonderful!

Enjoy your day! Thanks for reading!

Fun Shower Curtain by Thomas Paul

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 17:04:00 +0000

I have a few strange quirks; one of my quirks is checking out bathrooms.

I judge a place by its restroom/bathroom.

Clean and neat are of course important, but I want to see something wonderful that surprises me - tile, towels, lighting, wallcovering, cool fixtures, etc.

It may be a little strange, but I have met others with this same system for judging a place by the bath.

I like good, interesting design. Restrooms or baths seem to be one of the locations, maybe because it's a somewhat private or secret spot, that affords the oportunity to surprise or delight guests.

Can you relate?

Restrooms can be kitchy in my book - that's okay. Visit Pickle Bill's ladies room (lift the fig leaf for a surprise.)

Restroom at the Slanted Door

I love the unisex restroom at the Slanted Door on the Pier in San Francisco. There are wonderful big chunks of wood incorporated as a shelf in each individual toilet room.

In my mind the restooms at Jackson Triggs winery in Niagara-On-The-Lake stand out I love the long concrete trough sink (it doesn't hurt that there is a heavy fermenting grape smell wafting through the building. ;)

While perusing on line this morning I happend upon this fun, funky graphic shower curtain by Thomas Paul. (Great designer by the way.)

Just the thing to liven up a bathroom!

Go big or go home. I love it!!!

Thomas Paul Octopus Shower Curtain from Design Public

Only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to fun restooms. I may have a new misssion...find the coolest restroom/bath.

Or better still, design it!!

Early Fall Garden...or is it Late, Late Summer???

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 01:25:00 +0000

Some years I am so busy by late summer that I do not fully enjoy or use the bounty from my garden. Not so this year!

We decided to scale back our lifestyle this year and the benefit is more time available to spend cooking and hanging out in the yard and garden.

I think I might be a bit obsessed - I have been visiting the garden several times a day just to see what's going on (and trying to keep up with the weeds, bugs, and critters.)

Coleslaw, gazpacho, stuffed pepper, cucumber salad, fresh corn and beets, carpaccio, brocollini, eggplant pizza.... It has been a real treat!

Every morning my breakfast has been a chopped tomato with feta. Yum!

So here is my early fall garden update...or is it a late, late summer update???

Green fried tomatoes are so yummy - see the video below. My Mom made these every summer and I always loved them!

Green Fried Tomatoes

Cherry Tomatoes after the recent rain. The rain causes the tomatoes to split. Rats!

The flavor from the early cherry's was not so good and I vowed to find another variety. They are tasting better now - sweeter. The jury is still out on whether I should grow this variety again.

Broccoli for dinner tonight. Perhaps we'll have Steve's Hot Broccoli Fettuccine. Yum! It's perfect because it uses cherry tomatoes too.

The cabbage is great this year.

I had a visitor while I was working away in the garden, Oliver, the neighbor's cat stopped by for a visit. I picked beets and Steve and I had them for dinner last night. Very tasty. We ate them all!!

I harvested most of the black beans. Seems like some of the pods need to dry a bit more so that they will break open easily. I love black beans and can't wait to see if they taste different being home grown.

Ah ha! Someone has been raiding the garden - someone with four legs and a good appetite. Rascals!!

We have had a few muskmelons that we harvested. They are out of this world, crazy good.

Whole melon from the garden. Can you believe that this would come from a home garden? Or should I say that I can't believe this came from my home garden.

Isn't it lovely???

White pumpkin. Pretty cute.

Cool orange pumpkin. I just labeled the pumpkins generally and I am guessing that this is the Rouge Vif D Etampes Pumpkin. I like it! It's the Cinderella pumpkin.

I am disappointed that we don't have more pumpkins for all the garden space that we devoted to growing them. The cucumber beetles are so difficult to defeat. They are out there now in abundance and I am not comfortable spraying at this point - too many bees and too late in the season.

Peppers ready for harvest. They are so large that the peppers are pulling the plants over. Time to use them!

Some turned red while others went to an orange and a light green. Actually, the green peppers seem to have a better flavor - go figure.

Made this recipe up last night and it was yummy!!! Happy harvest!

VEGGIE STUFFED PEPPERS

1 C. uncooked rice

1 (15 oz.) can black beans drained and rinsed
1 T. olive oil

1 Tbs. Chili powder

1 Tsp. Cumin

1 Clove minced garlic

1/2 C. chopped onion

3 C. grated cheese (cheddar)

2 Chopped tomatoes (or equivalent)

6 Peppers - tops, ribs and seeds removed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a saucepan bring 2 cups water to a boil Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

In a small skillet, saute onion and garlic until soft. Add chopped tomato and continue to saute for 5 minutes or so.

Combine cooked rice with black beans, seasonings and tomato mixture in a bowl. Fill pepper half way with rice mixture, then 2 tbs. of cheese. Repeat layer ending with cheese on top.

Place in baking dish loosely covered with foil. Bake for 40 minutes until pepper are just soft.

10 Amazing Pools (from Zillow)

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 11:57:00 +0000

For me, pools and summer just go together. There have been many days this summer that I longed for a pool in our back yard.

Checking e-mail this morning, I discovered a wonderful blog post from zillow.com that lists their top ten pools. OH...how wonderful!!! Eye candy for sure. Yes, I could swim happily in any of these. :)

Beverly Hills, CA - $28,500,000

Boston, MA - $14,950,000

Miami Beach, FL - $27,000,000

Rancho Santa Fe, CA - $12,400,000

Hollywood, CA - $12,950,000

Atlanta, GA - $25,000,000

Beverly Hills, CA - $21,995,000

Fairfield, CA - $13,950,000

Mercer Island, WA - $23,800,000

Kihei, HI - $12,995,000

I have my favorite. What's yours???

It's Tomato Season!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:57:00 +0000

YES!!! The tomatoes are ready!

I have been anxiously awaiting the first tomato of the season and...this was the weekend for it.

Our first tomato came in at a whopping 2lbs, 4oz. and it tasted FANTASTIC!!

See the weight on the photo at right.

Notice how the tomato is shaped - almost in lobes. The shape makes picking and cutting the fruit a little challenging. Of the 4 tomatoes that we have picked so far, they have all had this twisty shape.

I wonder if the shape might make the Mortgage Lifter variety difficult to grow for commercial use as it is time consuming to cut the fruit up around all the nooks and crannies.

I think that the sweet, full flavor is worth the few extra minutes that it takes to work with the shape. Would folks at the local farmer's market care if the shape is odd??

Our first Mortgage Lifter Tomato from the garden. Looks like two tomatoes but it was only one.

Look at how huge our first tomato was. This is the fruit from one tomato!! Doesn't it look perfect?

Note the nasturtium and the basil from the garden. I really, really like this nasturtium variety - Caribbean Cocktail. It appears to be a double and has a wonderful range of soft yellow and pink colors.

I am so excited!! I have to find my recipe for fresh peach and tomato salad. Oh, and we have to have gazpacho...and a fresh pasta sauce...and stuffed tomatoes...and.....

Recipes to follow. :)

Music to Design By

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 18:09:00 +0000

I am working away in my home office today. On the to do list is to design window treatments for my wonderful clients, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith."

They like clean simple lines, nothing too fussy, with not a lot of trim or embellishments. We have installed Hunter Douglas Silhouettes in the family room and the living room - and they love them.

Silhouettes provide just enough softness, light control, and privacy. In fact "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" could probably stop at the Silhouette level but I think that the space needs softness that drapery panels will provide.

It is a beautiful summer day and I am enjoying a little music as I sketch a few ideas. i am a huge fan of sketches. Sketches really help work out all the little details and are a wonderful tool to help clients get a feel for how something will look.

I thought you might enjoy some music for your work day too. A little something to design by...

A little John Mayer

"Mr. and Mrs. Smith's" Living Room

Kasmir Silk 1040 in Caramel for the window treatment and I am hooked on this Kasmir Taj Mahal Finial.

I love glass finials!!

Sketch 1

Sketch 2

I will keep working away....

ENJOY YOUR DAY. :)

Fun Stuff for the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy) — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 12:49:00 +0000

I, like other designers, am constantly on the look out for "things." I am constantly searching and scanning for what is beautiful, or unique, or what just speaks to me.

On one level I receive instant gratification from seeing something wonderful; my heart skips a quick beat and I smile - just to see something pretty. And on another level I am always working, always searching for new materials or ideas for my designs.

Funny how the creative mind works. Or maybe it's just my mind...I see a chair, or a table, or a piece of wall covering, and in a flash ... I can feel and see the imaginary room weave together.

Interior design is tactile too. When I shop, I am touching everything. I probably drive store owners absolutely crazy. I need to know how it feels. Smooth, rough, sharp, soft, fuzzy....

We designers are so fortunate! We have one of the BEST JOBS IN THE WORLD!!! We have the opportunity to work with all the FUN STUFF!!!

And in that vein, I thought I would share a few fun things that I saw this morning while perusing a catalog with my morning coffee. Hope you like my Tuesday morning pics. :)

Viva Terra Butaca Chair.

Okay, I like this chair. Take off on my all time favorite - the classic Mies van der Rohe Barcelona Chair.

I need to feel the upholstery - love the coffee sacks as fabric - love the graphic (ex typographer that I am) but are they itchy?

(and the lamp - its gotta go!)

Viva Terra Hammered Drum Stool

Love this stool! I know... I know... stools everywhere...overdone. I still like them - especially this one. Good size @ 16"d , flat top, indoor and outdoor, recycled aluminum, and a good price.

Viva Terra Meadowflower Rug

How fun is this?? In my fantasy world I could make all these individual flowers in my spare time. Continuing with my fantasy, I will sew them together this winter while the snow is flying outside and I am curled up in front of that new fireplace my hubby is going to install.

Viva Terra Rabbit Bag

This bag is available in yellow and brown. I would opt for the brown - I like the contrast. Could be fun to change the scarf.

Hope you like my pics for the day.

I am off to design pillows. Seriously, I am!

Early August in the Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 19:32:00 +0000

Guess who's coming to dinner at Sandy's garden???? Yep! Bambie.

Our main garden is fenced. I dug down 9" and buried chicken wire to keep our monster groundhog and the deer out. Our far back garden is not currently enclosed. It's trouble.

We have deer droppings all around the corn. They are just waiting for it to get ready. I was that close to having corn this year. Our plants have quite a few ears and I was so hopeful.

My friend Mark suggested that I try Liquid Fence around the corn - so I ran to the store and bought some. I marched out to the corn and began spraying. OMG - how disgusting is this stuff. Smells like a mixture of urine, feces and skunk - if you can imagine that. It is supposed to stop smelling after an hour or so...and it did. Thank goodness (I expected a visit from our neighbors.) It was just difficult to apply - not for the faint of stomach.

And perhaps it will work. I have not seen damage from the deer. I did however catch someone else chomping away - big as life on Sunday morning. Read on to see who....

Liquid Fence

My happy crop of tomatoes. Look out, we are going to have a ton. In the past I have canned tomatoes but lately I have just frozen them - seems easier.

The tomatoes are growing well. I have just a few brown leaves. The vines are heavy with fruit, and I do mean heavy. The mortgage lifter tomatoes are huge! Can't wait.

One of my favorite summer breakfasts is an egg, cottage cheese, fried potatoes and FRESH TOMATOES! YUM!!

We have harvested some new potatoes and they are the creamiest potatoes I have ever eaten. These are replants from last years crop that sprouted. It worked! I just dug the trenches and planted the sprouting babies. They grew like crazy and have now died back.

The evil, wicked cucumber beetle.

It eats the leaves, stems, and root structure, destroying plants. See the squash stem below.

I have gotten a few squash from my plants and they taste great but my supply is about to end. The cucumber beetles have attacked the plants and left behind wilt. Note the stem - it is totally disintegrated and the plant will starve and fall off. :(

Black beans. They are growing like crazy and have lots of beans on the plants. There is damage from the Japanese Beetles. The bean pods are starting to turn yellow. I will keep tracking them to determine when to harvest for drying.

What is happening this year with Japanese Beetles??? It's like a plague or something.

Black beans in the pod.

Blue Lake Green Beans.

We have had a wonderful crop and it's still going strong. We keep picking but can barely keep up. I think they are on the menu again tonight. I need to search for an exciting green bean recipe.

Red Peppers.

These are growing well. The shape is throwing me off a bit. I thought that I planted red peppers...and these may get there but the elongated shape makes me think of a hot pepper.

Wonderful crop of cabbage. We had coleslaw last night that was so fresh and tasted excellent.

Yummy Coleslaw

1 small head of cabbage, shredded

1/2 c. chopped green pepper

1/2 c. chopped onion

3 tbs. mayonnaise

2 tbs. vinegar

1 tbs. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

In a large bowl combine cabbage, green pepper and onion. In a small bowl combine mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar and salt. Pour over cabbage mixture and toss to coat. Cover and chill for 4 hours. Stir in bacon just before serving.

Muskmelon.

It's outside the fence so it's in the danger zone. I think it has a week or so to go. Will it survive?

THE GROUNDHOG! %$#@&%!@*&!!

Seriously, this creature has tortured me for 5 years and he just won't go away. Why should he? I feed him so well.

We bought a have a heart trap to catch him and take him away to a groundhog playground somewhere else. Instead we caught a possum, many squirrels, a raccoon, and then a skunk. That was the end of trying to catch him. The skunk was difficult to get rid of.

I hadn't seen him all year and hoped that he had passed away from old age and we were FREE!! Not so. I saw him early Sunday morning chomping away on the fallen apples.

An hour or so later...I saw a stalk of corn waving in the distance just above the ground...I crept over to see what was happening. The fat groundhog was merrily eating away at an ear of corn with the stalk broken over. UGH! He ran for his hole and dived in.

I, in turn, ran into the house and collected all the used cat litter that I could find to pour down the hole. A pioneer would simply shoot the thing and make it into stew or something.

I helped my uncle skin one when I was about 8 or so. Maybe that's why I'm a vegetarian now.

See video below for how I feel. It's a fantasy.

So, I checked the Internet once again for remedies. I suppress the fantasies of buying a gun and shooting it; instead I bought Epsom Salt and went around the garden (on top of the gross liquid fence.) Gun...Epsom Salts...Gun...Epsom Salts. I would probably shoot myself - it's safer with Epsom Salts.

I will reapply often. :)

My happy corn waiting to get ripe. Out of desperation to beat the rodent to our bounty, we cooked some fresh corn last night. It was just a bit early but still yummy.

Nice size corn patch this year. Wish it was fenced.

See where someone has eaten the silks?

And on a happy note...the marigolds that I grew from seed are huge and lovely.

I was able to cut flowers last night and make a few vases for around the house. That's what brings me joy.

Happy Summer!!

PS-Just returned from New Hampshire and Cape Cod. Did you see that they have sharks in Cape Cod? I had heard about the sightings and I understand that the sharks are in the area to dine on seals. I saw 3 seals at the pier in Chatham swimming and playing last week. Hope they stay safe.

Monomoy Island

Early Summer Garden Update

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 17:53:00 +0000

I think that it's time for a quick update on my garden's progress.

If you are following my garden posts, you know that I have been plagued by pest and soil born nasty stuff that makes my leaves wilt and die.

I have been a pretty strict vegetarian for most of my life, and am currently a light pescetarian (mostly because I feel too busy to pay close attention to my balanced nutrition as a veg.) I subscribed to Mother Earth News way back in 1978, studied the use of medicinal herbs (the legal ones,) and had a compost bin long before being green was in vogue.

Why do I share all of this? Because I long to be an organic gardener and I don't use pesticides lightly.

The organic methods didn't work...the spray is doing the trick. I hate to say it...but it's true.

Hopefully I sprayed in a super limited area, none of these items are even close to harvest, and I won't have to preform the dastardly deed again. Fingers crossed.

Happy lettuce. We had the wonderful Sizzling Goat Cheese Salad last night. YUMMY!!!

Cabbage is coming along nicely. You can still see the bug damage on the older leaves.

Broccoli looking good. Where are those heads?? They need to form soon as the heat will be too much for a cool weather crop.

Kohlrabi - I grew this for my Dad. He loves kohlrabi. I remember eating it with him as a child.

The eggplant is still struggling. Again, you can see the older damaged leaves - but the new leaves are looking good.

Yellow squash just about ready to be harvested.

The Mortgage Lifter Tomatoes are almost ready to be tied. I do have a few tiny tomatoes on the vines. :)

The Black Beans are coming along too. They should start blooming in a few day.

Muskmelons are trying to come back from the bug attack. They like the heat so we are going to be stalled for the next few days.

Pumpkins - not sure how successful I am going to be.

I am keeping a close eye on the corn. It seems to be doing well.

We are well past the "knee high by the 4th of July" point. Whew!

Now for my sad story - look at my sunflowers!!!! Rascals have eaten them all. All I have left is stubs.

Okay...who did?? Fess up. Was it the deer or the groundhog?

More damage by the critters. My blackberries are looking pretty sad too. :(

And because I always like to end with a happy picture - here is a shot of my flower basket that I planted and that I look at many times a day, just outside my kitchen window. It makes me smile.

SEA GLASS COLLECTING - ANOTHER ADDICTION

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 22:16:00 +0000

I wonder just how many things one woman can collect? I love to collect sea shells, great recipes, miniature chairs, baskets, flowers, dishes, and on, and on....

There are so many beautiful things in the world and it brings me great joy to surround myself with just a touch of that beauty - so I collect.

Sea Glass Lobster by Debara Hafemann - pictured right

Recently, my friend Patti and I have started to collect sea glass. It's such fun to have a partner in crime! When we are on vacation together we hit the beach early in the morning to find the beautiful treasures that the ocean has given forth overnight.

I think that we are drawn to sea glass because the ocean tumbles the glass to a soft finish and the colors are just so wonderful.

Patti just sent me this picture of a Fort Bragg, CA beach that she visited this weekend. Can you believe all the tiny sea glass? Wish I was there!

Picture of yours truly in my usual stance if there is a beach around.

Red is the rarest color for sea glass.

I am just a beginner in the sea glass world. I recently discovered this video on the best sea glass shapes for jewelry.

Sea glass sizes and shapes lend itself beautifully to jewelry making.

Sea Horse Necklace by Sevtlana Rasuleva from Etsy.com.

Sea glass bracelet by Sue Gray.

Optic Sea Glass table lamp by Crate & Barrel.

Aren't these AMAZING!!! Glass Float Junkie on Etsy.com

I love the colors and the way that the glass sparkles. These are another marvelous thing that washes up on the shore - GLASS FLOATS!

NO!!! Not another beautiful thing to collect. :)

Deauville Sea Glass Lamp by Jamie Young.

This glass lamp has the soft worn finish of the real thing.

What to do with all of those pieces of glass???

Here is an idea. You could try making this yourself or...again...visit Etsy.com for this "Light My Way" Hurricane Candle Holder.

How sweet are these? Reproduced in just the right colors and soft finish to imitate sea glass.

Available from Charmed Favors.