We have been working very hard at making our upstate wilderness a little more tame. I love this outdoor living room featured in Elle Decor. The sunken firepit is wonderful and the curve of the bench is very inviting. I may want a few more cushions though…
The details are what make a good house great. I was drawn into many of the residential projects done by Shipley Architects, but the detail above is one of my favorite things. So simple and beautiful. It is what separates the meh from the amazing.
When I was in jewelry school, I didn’t have lots of money to be spending on silver so I made everything out of copper or brass. The problem is, copper takes on a dingy kind of look to it. This cuff bracelet, a collaboration between Marcus and Nicole Fischer of dustbreeding.com, is a wonderful way to take that dingy quality and put it to work! With the grain and the color you have something that looks very much like wood. And I of course love the felt lining. As Marc points out it gives it a mossy feel. The site is a real inspiration. Make one thing a day for a year.
One day I dream my “pond” will look like this. Yes, this is from Sunset, what can I say, they have a lot of great ideas!
In the spring and early summer we have some major water moving through parts of the property which can make areas so muddy you risk losing your shoes if you don’t watch your step. We have already talked about drainage options and how we can bury a french drain to encourage the water to move along a certain path, but what fun is that? I think it would be cool to have a river of rocks to show us when the water is flowing and of course we will want a way to get across this rock river and what better than stepping stones. For some reason I haven’t been able to get this across to anyone yet but luckily Sunset has a picture of almost exactly the thing I am envisioning.
While out little house in the big woods is coming along, I feel like we are still missing a comfortable outdoor hang out space. We just recently finished the deck which is a big step forward and we have another deck under our gazebo roof started (and it is about time!) but we still need some outdoor furniture. Sunset Magazine is a long time favorite of mine and while I don’t get the print version I do like to poke around online and see what is cooking. I found instructions for this outdoor lounge made of PVC pipe and curtains, but to me the framework is not the most wonderful part. The chairs pictured here are fantastic! Low to the ground with pillows as back cushions they seem like just the think to sink into at the end of a day of work. I can’t see the couch in this view, but I imagine it to be a longer version of the chairs. And the coffee table is so simple but fits in perfectly! I have no idea where to purchase these beauties, but I am already figuring out how I can make them on my own.
In 1997, after graduation, I took a two month trip to Europe. This is where I caught a bad case of wanderlust that has yet to work its way out. I had many amazing experiences and saw a lot of amazing things. Today I was vividly reminded of one of my experiences in Sicily. I was traveling alone and decided while in Europe wouldn’t it be cool to look up my Italian cousins. Can I just tell you that although they had never met me before, they were so wonderful and inviting that a few years later I went to back to visit. Among the many things they introduced me to was arancini. What is arancini? Since I don’t speak Italian, and they didn’t speak much English I just had to trust it would be good. Oh man were they good. Basically an arancini is leftover risotto, breaded with a hunk of mozzarella cheese in the center which then gets fried. YUM! I haven’t had one since that time in Italy but I saw a recipe today and thought that maybe it would be worth a try, although I am going to hunt down a baked version to make them a little more healthy.
These vintage silver garden markers are wonderful! I love just about anything that has letters stamped into it. At $8 each they would make a lovely gift for the gardener in your life. Personally, I think I am going to grab some of those flea market finds I have been hanging on to and my stamps to bang out (pun intended) a few of my own. I knew that jewelry making degree would come in handy! via
Calling all chefs, NPR has a great challenge for you. Feed four people for $10 or less with bonus points if you can make your meal seem expensive. There are already 318 comments with some great recipes. Since we are only two people I could get a dinner and two lunches for $10. Sounds good to me. And don’t expect everything to be tuna noodle casserole. There are recipes for Coriander Meatballs with Yoghurt-Mint Sauce, Fresh Crab Spring Rolls and Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce, Sweet Potato Kale Quesadillas, Brined Pork with Chutney over Greens & Rice… you get the idea. If the recipe you post is a favorite you may get a chance to be on All Things Considered.
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