tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44946886182419426452024-03-19T04:05:08.225-07:00Designing the NestOne feather at a time, on a Craigslist dime.designingthenesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15826857219483229928noreply@blogger.comBlogger108125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494688618241942645.post-53012691103823068682020-09-23T17:49:00.003-07:002020-09-23T17:54:10.914-07:00Bathroom Updates<p>The transformation continues, slowly but surely...new mirror who dis?</p><p>Purchased this huge round wooden mirror online and loved how it changed the whole vibe of our bathroom. The door hooks are from Anthropologie.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKmdtgDrplzdjVzEu1LTFzfoMTXKF3Y78oX3tbCo5avYap4SO-XPuhCqs89V6gKZ11vrPeCY8gZRQLlo4cy_lWPhPV_gqGEhMW91d7_FqeJ4g3wSIiu4hsKmE4Fw5u9CLnVUvBNg7fqMw/s1602/Screen+Shot+2020-09-23+at+5.35.32+PM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1602" data-original-width="1204" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKmdtgDrplzdjVzEu1LTFzfoMTXKF3Y78oX3tbCo5avYap4SO-XPuhCqs89V6gKZ11vrPeCY8gZRQLlo4cy_lWPhPV_gqGEhMW91d7_FqeJ4g3wSIiu4hsKmE4Fw5u9CLnVUvBNg7fqMw/w480-h640/Screen+Shot+2020-09-23+at+5.35.32+PM.png" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH7md6hWZ-wSTHN_aRmwP2xugkLIJ_LxkCL54LXQLziwPf6W58S-hpWiJUtJUvIrdo8LdZfI2JJfVTgp0qJQ0EN7MP5Xya5a8FjxqDxM8MBTKb3kNskQ9ObPuOYm41BphhlWAluUPUV9tI/s1476/Screen+Shot+2020-09-23+at+5.46.01+PM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><span style="color: black;"><div style="text-align: left;">here's the old mirror again with the beveled edge. I love blending into my woodland log wallpaper.</div></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH7md6hWZ-wSTHN_aRmwP2xugkLIJ_LxkCL54LXQLziwPf6W58S-hpWiJUtJUvIrdo8LdZfI2JJfVTgp0qJQ0EN7MP5Xya5a8FjxqDxM8MBTKb3kNskQ9ObPuOYm41BphhlWAluUPUV9tI/s1476/Screen+Shot+2020-09-23+at+5.46.01+PM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH7md6hWZ-wSTHN_aRmwP2xugkLIJ_LxkCL54LXQLziwPf6W58S-hpWiJUtJUvIrdo8LdZfI2JJfVTgp0qJQ0EN7MP5Xya5a8FjxqDxM8MBTKb3kNskQ9ObPuOYm41BphhlWAluUPUV9tI/s1476/Screen+Shot+2020-09-23+at+5.46.01+PM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1476" data-original-width="894" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH7md6hWZ-wSTHN_aRmwP2xugkLIJ_LxkCL54LXQLziwPf6W58S-hpWiJUtJUvIrdo8LdZfI2JJfVTgp0qJQ0EN7MP5Xya5a8FjxqDxM8MBTKb3kNskQ9ObPuOYm41BphhlWAluUPUV9tI/w387-h640/Screen+Shot+2020-09-23+at+5.46.01+PM.png" width="387" /></span></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj54tN7s_L6aCx67fAzc6csitrHLECxrxA4mrTBf1v0WMMRcqy3r-LBYy3rNZyDCqju_m-2LvKAfrVOEYoTnBsfntww33-Fx5s3cd059h8-ZI-kmpfKKxpjb-i4fDfR-qu7m4GQ-g3g7t0/s1276/Screen+Shot+2020-09-23+at+5.46.43+PM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj54tN7s_L6aCx67fAzc6csitrHLECxrxA4mrTBf1v0WMMRcqy3r-LBYy3rNZyDCqju_m-2LvKAfrVOEYoTnBsfntww33-Fx5s3cd059h8-ZI-kmpfKKxpjb-i4fDfR-qu7m4GQ-g3g7t0/s1276/Screen+Shot+2020-09-23+at+5.46.43+PM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1276" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj54tN7s_L6aCx67fAzc6csitrHLECxrxA4mrTBf1v0WMMRcqy3r-LBYy3rNZyDCqju_m-2LvKAfrVOEYoTnBsfntww33-Fx5s3cd059h8-ZI-kmpfKKxpjb-i4fDfR-qu7m4GQ-g3g7t0/w602-h640/Screen+Shot+2020-09-23+at+5.46.43+PM.png" width="602" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/" class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal">Pin It</a>
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script></div>designingthenesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15826857219483229928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494688618241942645.post-63495439068525531972019-01-09T17:52:00.003-08:002019-01-09T17:56:24.046-08:00Bathroom Transformation: Wallpaper<i>Edit: Hi. I know, I know, it's been 3 years! I'm sorry I've been remiss. I'm still as ever obsessed with interior design and making my house a home. Stay tuned!</i><br />
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After years of dragging my feet, I finally did it. I found a wallpaper I actually liked and decided to pull the trigger on revamping our guest bathroom. Goal: To feel like I'm a little critter living on the inside of a log in a forest.<br />
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My original bathroom isn't bad. I like the simplicity, but it's all so white and sterile. I do like our white hexagonal tiles and our marble countertops. But I want a bold, vibrant pattern, because it's such a little room. I've always loved dark florals, so I decided to go for that. Here's the original:<br />
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It's a very tight space with very little natural light, so going with a dark floral paper is definitely a bit of a toss up. But with the help of my friend Dan, who was in the market for wallpaper and wanted to use my bathroom as a guinea pig, I figured removable paper couldn't hurt. If it looks bad, I can just take it down.</div>
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So I found a pattern I loved on this great Etsy wallpaper store that specializes in removable wallpaper, <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/musewallstudio?ref=l2-shopheader-name" target="_blank">Muse Wall Studio.</a></div>
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First, we laid out all four rolls to make sure the pattern matched up.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSwFrHUOR2iMQjGM65TIx34zGQs77XLXJsxgPtOQEIC59BbWc7QXkP_sXMxoYLosDtdjsIi61b1gcHCr9dyqygbxnjU4_V5G3o50xFtcH3MeEk7Y_CNe7w1PXyIh1qNUpBm76EvQxMJpYw/s1600/IMG_4786.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSwFrHUOR2iMQjGM65TIx34zGQs77XLXJsxgPtOQEIC59BbWc7QXkP_sXMxoYLosDtdjsIi61b1gcHCr9dyqygbxnjU4_V5G3o50xFtcH3MeEk7Y_CNe7w1PXyIh1qNUpBm76EvQxMJpYw/s640/IMG_4786.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Like I said, woodland log.</div>
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Then, we just had to go for it. Starting from the top corner, going from right to left (against the instructions, but I figured I'd do the most visible area first in case my final cutting down was a failure) I slowly and very carefully began to peel off the sticky backing and using a hard edge window washer, methodically wiping out any air bubbles.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4mkROzf2ZUT98ng5UjtOGNSuY9z0Hjzm3JvA87daN3qq3KqQ48z192jWwsLHaRI4C21menu2pyxfq9E8BzEoHNDAMSTkiBF-nGE3qpQ2BWPpMI7pMklV6WmzMW2NGIIvYtgTHhIBNeMYZ/s1600/IMG_6943.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4mkROzf2ZUT98ng5UjtOGNSuY9z0Hjzm3JvA87daN3qq3KqQ48z192jWwsLHaRI4C21menu2pyxfq9E8BzEoHNDAMSTkiBF-nGE3qpQ2BWPpMI7pMklV6WmzMW2NGIIvYtgTHhIBNeMYZ/s640/IMG_6943.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Using painter's tape to roughly figure out the lineup of pattern, it was actually very simple. If I messed up, I simply had to pull it back up and restick.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8P1EG6IfJC8dteVfzaOyRPPYS9Notx8MsRxChX002dH2tXWcKZISm-q8Gazedjf2G7ucGT0H8MlPA9jpDB35zGJgswmwq8yVHIBIe-5_2U9SHEbfvqbROC0meEHB6nd9e7pwMfAU7Vbig/s1600/IMG_6945.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8P1EG6IfJC8dteVfzaOyRPPYS9Notx8MsRxChX002dH2tXWcKZISm-q8Gazedjf2G7ucGT0H8MlPA9jpDB35zGJgswmwq8yVHIBIe-5_2U9SHEbfvqbROC0meEHB6nd9e7pwMfAU7Vbig/s640/IMG_6945.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>
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What to do about the towel rack?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyuDVnlhQtuUyE_n39cc0YdDaLdMwSsaE3UMxMEvI7YODB_a5BFgYbA7X0LuZSMsvApHyA90FdtoOv9hoalgPnoQfGfFiaEo-garw_cbqAErDpLEQQrRa5m_MMsmFuoxrV26iDj3Yccfzk/s1600/IMG_4789.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyuDVnlhQtuUyE_n39cc0YdDaLdMwSsaE3UMxMEvI7YODB_a5BFgYbA7X0LuZSMsvApHyA90FdtoOv9hoalgPnoQfGfFiaEo-garw_cbqAErDpLEQQrRa5m_MMsmFuoxrV26iDj3Yccfzk/s640/IMG_4789.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Dan removed the towel bar and we very carefully used an X-acto blade to cut holes around the screw posts. Then voila, stuck the rack back on: seamless!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKtsjnn8gu0H499xce7gD1IdRdCX-_o7eIdTTo1DR-Km3PNAz9Kx4y5JNGmhTUSPOJjP6C961QXkK_YHElkd1tw5bVKrHVZKNUZHhTOfVY1F9V2rosd819H3LMec-m039EG1bPB6LTUNRY/s1600/IMG_4797.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKtsjnn8gu0H499xce7gD1IdRdCX-_o7eIdTTo1DR-Km3PNAz9Kx4y5JNGmhTUSPOJjP6C961QXkK_YHElkd1tw5bVKrHVZKNUZHhTOfVY1F9V2rosd819H3LMec-m039EG1bPB6LTUNRY/s640/IMG_4797.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>
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The wallpaper was amazing. We trimmed the excess off the corners with the same X-acto knife, and voila, it was done in less than 3 hours.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ev7IusfmXR0S15qkAp_IMTZGo_4foedG8nVcBUz5G2QzmwEC7FgeELCYT3uCgtHkBIC_gBLaTa5rDc5xZS-nsm5DiUMSJOUCXZ73Q9d43wDh4kc7Bl5jVC9Ggp8woSd8PtWaCRmxNkJJ/s1600/IMG_4806.mov" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ev7IusfmXR0S15qkAp_IMTZGo_4foedG8nVcBUz5G2QzmwEC7FgeELCYT3uCgtHkBIC_gBLaTa5rDc5xZS-nsm5DiUMSJOUCXZ73Q9d43wDh4kc7Bl5jVC9Ggp8woSd8PtWaCRmxNkJJ/s640/IMG_4806.mov" width="358" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTp4eLfY5QGz9K3GNjjLxTPNk0qMUjG4xPq2WKiJou9WxIj5YDw7E5-oz-9atz949XNOYv9z1BdX91GKlcM6cB4_D4lmNRBPRXzjCQF6iBR9CfFxUCrqPFVxRlzD6UJLDn-GI9mFmGij5P/s1600/56593151837__F285360F-B517-4908-8670-075E732370ED.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTp4eLfY5QGz9K3GNjjLxTPNk0qMUjG4xPq2WKiJou9WxIj5YDw7E5-oz-9atz949XNOYv9z1BdX91GKlcM6cB4_D4lmNRBPRXzjCQF6iBR9CfFxUCrqPFVxRlzD6UJLDn-GI9mFmGij5P/s640/56593151837__F285360F-B517-4908-8670-075E732370ED.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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I can't get a good angle, but here's the finished product. We only did one accent wall so as not to overwhelm.<br />
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Here's the before again...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggkYJe9LKx_Q2LZ-3W64mMT9TZ5Pdb9os-Bu6IwK-F_G2xXt3S1YMREcqq2dM9qFz1IESrVnb8BXJtMqPYjsC64qH2Y_weyvLGfquAfDrd_BmxR7KnRqN4DL7kVgePazxXkvM6rzc9QL45/s1600/IMG_4780.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggkYJe9LKx_Q2LZ-3W64mMT9TZ5Pdb9os-Bu6IwK-F_G2xXt3S1YMREcqq2dM9qFz1IESrVnb8BXJtMqPYjsC64qH2Y_weyvLGfquAfDrd_BmxR7KnRqN4DL7kVgePazxXkvM6rzc9QL45/s640/IMG_4780.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>
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And here's the after!<br />
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I love the results!<br />
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One of my favorite things is that when you look at the (soon to be changed) mirror, you see a sea of forest pattern behind you, essentially giving you a visual rectangle of wallpaper on the opposite wall.</div>
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Would I use temporary wallpaper again? Absolutely. But this one is sticking around (no pun intended) for a few years while I get my pretend-i'm-a-squirrel-in-a-log-drinking-tea-out-of-a-mushroom-cap kicks.</div>
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In the meantime, I will continue transforming our guest bathroom. Next step: revamp that mirror and the vanity. More soon.</div>
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<script type="text/javascript" src="http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script></div>designingthenesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15826857219483229928noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494688618241942645.post-58347923405653267192016-07-05T09:00:00.000-07:002016-07-05T09:00:10.098-07:00Weekend Treasure Hunt: Estate Sales!One of my favorite things to do on the weekends is to scour the local estate sales and see if I can find any treasures before the collectors do. The usual chain of predator>prey in LA goes: Estate sale > collectors > vintage stores / flea markets > us. If you want to get a good price, the early bird gets the worm.<br />
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This particular estate was a film director's home in Eagle Rock. There was some fabulous stuff here and I got to peek into the house of someone who was obviously a fan of chinoiserie and laquered, bold colors. Recall in an <a href="http://designingthenest.blogspot.com/2014/11/estate-sale-treasure-hunt.html" target="_blank">earlier post </a>I said that rich people love Asian stuff? Well, true here too.<br />
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The company running the sale promised a "mid-century pagoda in the sky..." and the pictures were promising!<br />
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A few of my fave highlights...<br />
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This amazing black and white Hollywood regency bathroom with nothing to buy, but what a gorgeous peek. Those striped marble floors!<br />
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This cool velvet flocked damask wallpaper that went all the way up on the slanted ceiling. Not my style, but fun to look at.<br />
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Lots of books to choose from in a very red library...<br />
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A pair of very pretty faux bamboo nightstands...</div>
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...A peek inside the drawer told me they were Drexel, a very respected mid-century brand.<br />
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And my favorite stuff, the waspy tchotchkes like these horse head book ends and this greyhound figurine.<br />
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I loved this vintage Italian brass letter opener, but couldn't bring myself to spend $55 on it when my fingers open letters for free.<br />
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Walked out of this one empty-handed, but the best part of the treasure is the hunt!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/" class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal">Pin It</a>
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script></div>designingthenesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15826857219483229928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494688618241942645.post-53144912235288592312016-04-05T10:56:00.000-07:002016-04-05T10:56:08.461-07:00Mangoes and Oranges and Loquats, Oh My!Growing up on the East Coast, I was obsessed with growing my own food. One of the things I always dreamed about was having fruit trees in my yard - but alas, the closest we ever got was some juniper berries. My dad caught me eating flowers once, but that's another story.<br />
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Enter California! Dun dun dun!<br />
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When we first moved in to our house here in Los Angeles, one of the most fun things was figuring out what all the mystery trees around our yard were. I prayed for fruit.<br />
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Turns out the one cloaked in shadow on the right is...<br />
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Ta da! A mango tree!<br />
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Anyone who knows me knows that mangoes are my absolute favorite-est fruit and I would marry a mango if fruit-human relations unions were legal. My lifelong dream is to have a mango tree in my yard, and here it is. Dreams really do come true! *sob!*<br />
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Unfortunately, I didn't foresee the asshole squirrels...<br />
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Every morning, I would find one of my mangoes torn off the tree with one bite taken out and the rest discarded. I mean, one bite? ONE BITE?! Didn't your parents ever tell you there are starving kids in China, squirrel?<br />
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I still don't exactly know what kind of tree is on the left in that same pic up top, but fingers crossed it's a loquat tree:<br />
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My mother grew up eating these fruits in Taiwan. Here in LA, I've never seen anyone eating them, but I definitely see a lot of these trees dotting our neighbors' yards.<br />
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We also have a tree by our driveway. For the longest time, I thought it was a lemon tree, til I noticed the fruit were all staying green. Then I thought it was a lime tree, but come spring...<br />
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Oranges! Complete with fragrant and beautiful white orange blossoms!<br />
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Since there were so many oranges we couldn't keep up, and they were beginning to weigh the top branches down, I picked a little harvest a few weeks ago. A quick bath in our farmhouse sink...<br />
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And off they go to the neighbors.<br />
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Ahhhh...fruits. Is there anything they can't do?</div>
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Future plans: an avocado tree, a lemon tree, and a fig. But one thing at a time.</div>
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<script type="text/javascript" src="http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script></div>designingthenesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15826857219483229928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494688618241942645.post-38676644088965044492016-03-28T11:34:00.000-07:002016-03-28T11:34:14.886-07:00Great Danes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Had a chance to stay in the adorable <a href="http://www.thelandsby.com/" target="_blank">Landsby Hotel</a> in Solvang, California, a <strike>weird</strike> adorable little Danish town nestled in Santa Ynez Valley (of <i>Sideways</i> fame) that was settled by Danish pioneers in 1911.</div>
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Having been to Solvang previously, I never understood why the town didn't capitalize more on the trendiness of the Danish and Scandinavian aesthetic and interior design. The majority of the buildings feel like they're out of a Hans Christian Anderson storybook, replete with windmills and thatched roofs. The majority of the hotels are motels, and the stores are stuffed with touristy tchotchkes with little windmills and angelic dolls. It's cute and all, but certainly on the campy side.</div>
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But then in sweeps the Landsby, like a hurricane of interior design and good taste. Somebody realized that Danish modern was, like, a thing, and finally decided to capitalize on it. And they did it beautifully!</div>
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The hotel is decked out with some seriously gorgeous design choices. Check out the waiting area by the check-in desk:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga7-SipHIsng3u70XVmPo0YyGPS_FIhVdt3Ql-88BD9TipuOY54gOfgY9EOvOggD9BCm0YE2uigUTycFU0hvElRtqBsvJYfiDnhWK-bXI7BfWYzB6ubyfqRVxRcVwsP7U29kBmI2j6qPH-/s1600/IMG_1041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga7-SipHIsng3u70XVmPo0YyGPS_FIhVdt3Ql-88BD9TipuOY54gOfgY9EOvOggD9BCm0YE2uigUTycFU0hvElRtqBsvJYfiDnhWK-bXI7BfWYzB6ubyfqRVxRcVwsP7U29kBmI2j6qPH-/s640/IMG_1041.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Love that bench! The hotel bar...</div>
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Small tile details on the stairs...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdAtW9xHoijR5gAwHG9rgQ1ze1nYrKvx7LjtUxbmJEOEBNLBy3uWvMzLEmkxCrvPDN7FOPvw9BGhqu4cK9Na7axnrfT1AiJ-mV9YDY0ja0IH_FR06FpM2NFEqDhZW1UeR1CgEBwX2kwT-Y/s1600/IMG_1044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdAtW9xHoijR5gAwHG9rgQ1ze1nYrKvx7LjtUxbmJEOEBNLBy3uWvMzLEmkxCrvPDN7FOPvw9BGhqu4cK9Na7axnrfT1AiJ-mV9YDY0ja0IH_FR06FpM2NFEqDhZW1UeR1CgEBwX2kwT-Y/s640/IMG_1044.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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The restaurant/breakfast room:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZbrlYArYxd-esEs5i28Ru0ZVMB8fxqoPI6EQGiojCV9zeEKdmnT6xEfyyzvigFL2NnGWg_E8L2uxFaChCzSKVOGMAjNB2ACZcFt7HMXBsCkk4qtqX0z-hPStbtOkb1kZv-yU2-js8gL2V/s1600/IMG_1045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZbrlYArYxd-esEs5i28Ru0ZVMB8fxqoPI6EQGiojCV9zeEKdmnT6xEfyyzvigFL2NnGWg_E8L2uxFaChCzSKVOGMAjNB2ACZcFt7HMXBsCkk4qtqX0z-hPStbtOkb1kZv-yU2-js8gL2V/s640/IMG_1045.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguqkYVOil9vGieCGyyTvyEdLeVWPD_6hKPaLf7i0jxII1yQcd0gdsNjVjQckVkXJwe2fIfooWQ3F-Xnf4Zsjse-Pq4FyC9Ab_N2Td64wDMuquYZ8aCQ_tP8pG55RrL7WdTGxKegWqTlhWh/s1600/IMG_1046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguqkYVOil9vGieCGyyTvyEdLeVWPD_6hKPaLf7i0jxII1yQcd0gdsNjVjQckVkXJwe2fIfooWQ3F-Xnf4Zsjse-Pq4FyC9Ab_N2Td64wDMuquYZ8aCQ_tP8pG55RrL7WdTGxKegWqTlhWh/s640/IMG_1046.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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...and the gorgeous lobby:<br />
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Well done, Landsby! For this appreciator of modern Danish furniture, you certainly pressed a few buttons. Of course, when I wanted my thirst for camp quenched, there was still plenty of that in the rest of Solvang. Plenty of quaint little streets and adorable stores:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_20nOBmZYZfJSu6L_nqjRXJ_rED_OxzJ7g5HVA0FmytcwrMNVaC-ge-tMDRXC1dUiLXlnspxpt6Z0gp6X0UB4KLLRi-x0fgH7ZrdX8HBvb2aq_FjiY9WezewPePLGsCn9E_tRCeZGxxy/s1600/IMG_1085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_20nOBmZYZfJSu6L_nqjRXJ_rED_OxzJ7g5HVA0FmytcwrMNVaC-ge-tMDRXC1dUiLXlnspxpt6Z0gp6X0UB4KLLRi-x0fgH7ZrdX8HBvb2aq_FjiY9WezewPePLGsCn9E_tRCeZGxxy/s640/IMG_1085.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
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In an old book store, I found these awesome old Time-Life Mysteries of the Unknown books- a series I used to beg my parents to mail-order for me (they didn't).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenDX8tozEzfS-UbukmYuDaCRHbMZxUnNX-L7Uukw9GysQUBnGlOSzKwRk4R_KkzA5qoPus_VMsJwicRRDwDDcrzwtzAOgW91iRCnnlCfURQXJIbFwTWjCGBQ88Ted3fDPlC6tgAiQzxzf/s1600/IMG_1056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenDX8tozEzfS-UbukmYuDaCRHbMZxUnNX-L7Uukw9GysQUBnGlOSzKwRk4R_KkzA5qoPus_VMsJwicRRDwDDcrzwtzAOgW91iRCnnlCfURQXJIbFwTWjCGBQ88Ted3fDPlC6tgAiQzxzf/s640/IMG_1056.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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What's that, you say? You want a toy that was made to capitalize on a NASA launch that later became a national tragic disaster? Here you go:<br />
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Who wants a horse-drawn carriage ride? How about a trolley ride? No? How about a <i>horse-drawn trolley ride</i>? (Has anyone called the ASPCA about this?)</div>
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Last but certainly not least were these delicious Danish pancakes with Danish sausages and cinnamon-spiced apples from the historic <a href="http://www.paulaspancakehouse.com/" target="_blank">Paula's Pancake House</a>. If you go, make sure to go early, or else expect to wait in line.</div>
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<script type="text/javascript" src="http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script></div>designingthenesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15826857219483229928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494688618241942645.post-42352483727171966842016-01-04T22:22:00.002-08:002016-01-04T22:22:26.958-08:00The Cord WranglerThey call me...the Cord Wrangler.<br />
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I'll say it once and I'll say it again. I'll shout it from the top of the mountains:<br />
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I! Hate! Cords! Die, cords, die!<br />
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With our ever-growing dependence on technology, our house is slowly becoming a rat's nest of wires and cables from our multiple computers, laptops, monitors, hard drives, routers, speakers, and the like. So messy. So ugly. So... cordy.<br />
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I was reminded of this when we moved. Behind our TV was a huge tangle of cords, cables, AC adaptors, and plugs leading to who knows where. My OCD was triggering.<br />
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In an effort to make the home theater look cleaner, we'd already upgraded to a media console with closed doors (had to install an infrared remote to get the remote to be able to work <i>through</i> the doors). But man, just LOOK at the hellish landscape of wires beneath the thing!<br />
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In an attempt to remedy this...er, situation, I bought me a swiveling surge protector on the advice of my dear technologically inclined friend, and some 3M Command Strips, which I've decided are the spice of life. Isn't that how the saying goes? Command Strips are the spice of life? Seriously, these things can do EVERYTHING. Organize boots. Hang curtain rods. Show art. Did I mention rid your life from the rat's nest of cords that are plaguing you every time you look at your television?<br />
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I hired a professional electrician to mount the TV on the wall and hide the cords behind the drywall. Then I promptly let all those other organizational tools sit on top of the media console for another 2 months, further exacerbating my problem.<br />
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Finally, today I broke down and did it. I cracked it like a mathematical proof, piece by piece. I'm Beautiful Minded this dilemma!<br />
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First I unplugged everything and labelled the cords with washi tape and a Sharpie - yep, all 12 of them. That way, when deciding what to unplug, I'm not randomly pulling power from, say, the Wifi in the middle of a live stream about Star Wars. Just for example.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin5LYlVr-UOVCT9JccYfW_byJVkgWLpU6KSnKQ-_CkbXVLbe7tY1ExrJgJLqKn6lsmgm4SvucuiHt7P7HHw9Ooz-JG9hR8XNgkRSrK3a3Q8uRb6iBE2iedhL0SGrSTdUsyknbXfj4JKvQY/s1600/IMG_1241.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin5LYlVr-UOVCT9JccYfW_byJVkgWLpU6KSnKQ-_CkbXVLbe7tY1ExrJgJLqKn6lsmgm4SvucuiHt7P7HHw9Ooz-JG9hR8XNgkRSrK3a3Q8uRb6iBE2iedhL0SGrSTdUsyknbXfj4JKvQY/s640/IMG_1241.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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Then using the sticky strips from Command Hooks...<br />
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<a href="http://2ikc3m3oz5zz2pux0y38nfzr.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/hooks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2ikc3m3oz5zz2pux0y38nfzr.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/hooks.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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...I attached the surge protector to the back of the console. (Forgot to take a pic, whoops.) Then, using zip ties, I wrangled each cord so it was the minimum length needed to reach the plugs to prevent confusing tangles. Lastly, I stuck more command hooks to the back of the console and used them to hook any loose wires or wrangled cables together so it would be tidier. Phew!<br />
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I'll be honest, it ain't pretty to look at from the back...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGi6YKb-zTyWyCY75u5SYplA3ti7VagguzMJ30fK1CeWt7XQMDQ_VNA87CXE1CiHwFSrE3gqaZeJ2BK0V49FHBSV7JudvRIUnbetL-TlJzkhhQa38bcAkImINnj-737RFi-oRKc-v8iG9O/s1600/IMG_1244-2.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGi6YKb-zTyWyCY75u5SYplA3ti7VagguzMJ30fK1CeWt7XQMDQ_VNA87CXE1CiHwFSrE3gqaZeJ2BK0V49FHBSV7JudvRIUnbetL-TlJzkhhQa38bcAkImINnj-737RFi-oRKc-v8iG9O/s640/IMG_1244-2.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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... but it's a party in the front.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnFznNcTPVxUKqtd5WAK6ivIGEg0T-XyjEgO4qzeQJk-SfJb6xJP6_1GnEbsC0C7TgGGWzp9YwV449rM7t8AvSoc6ftc1Z_AmgLmG2SvfxTdli8q2viiKKJY9e46-VFkjcaThjCO1jnRLF/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnFznNcTPVxUKqtd5WAK6ivIGEg0T-XyjEgO4qzeQJk-SfJb6xJP6_1GnEbsC0C7TgGGWzp9YwV449rM7t8AvSoc6ftc1Z_AmgLmG2SvfxTdli8q2viiKKJY9e46-VFkjcaThjCO1jnRLF/s640/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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Here it is again! I hate to see you go...<br />
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...but I love to say hello.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMrWPMzTO1pPxbiJHaLnuE-crXVPMB9LMtJKVMKSuDHcXvuNlmNwVnRzVAWRisB-Qn65U3oXSIP8OBuD_D4U-e5j1D0TLETR5qbwLqhbfa6xvqT6qcAwYs4OXsKz5dlA-pIeVcyHrQwd9l/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMrWPMzTO1pPxbiJHaLnuE-crXVPMB9LMtJKVMKSuDHcXvuNlmNwVnRzVAWRisB-Qn65U3oXSIP8OBuD_D4U-e5j1D0TLETR5qbwLqhbfa6xvqT6qcAwYs4OXsKz5dlA-pIeVcyHrQwd9l/s640/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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Next up, I've got to wall mount that sound bar and hide the wire behind the dry wall (the single cord is killing me!) <i>and</i> figure out a solution for the fugly router and the bass amplifier. If anybody has any ideas for pretty-making that won't compromise sound and/or wifi access, let me know! And yes, I know it probably involves getting rid of that damn tattered cat scratcher.<br />
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Til then, death to cords!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/" class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal">Pin It</a>
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script></div>designingthenesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15826857219483229928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494688618241942645.post-28006943627610597882016-01-03T16:35:00.001-08:002016-01-03T16:35:31.399-08:00#ShelfieWell, a month ago I promised a look at our new built-in bookcase (and then I promptly didn't update the blog for a couple of months. It was the holidays, sue me. (Please don't.)<br />
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So as I mentioned in my past post, we brought in our contractor to build in some floor to ceiling bookshelves, fulfilling one of my (and Alex's) lifelong dreams of having a big-ass bookshelf. I know, we're easy to please. I scoured photos of hundreds of photos of bookshelves til I finally decided that having a white and solid walnut unit with adjustable shelves would be perfect for our new space - modern, but still warm.<br />
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Here's the before again (unfortunately I don't have a <i>before</i> before, but you can imagine: it was just a big blank wall, just screaming for someone to fill it with something):<br />
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And here's the finished product. Drumroll...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXFaCAEoSUE2h1qJvXOqbmU58KxsP8aPBL0fizRCBHyNr-sfDbx63QF2P_rJx5wrs_bkj8P-01zunn18h9Ux0MvMAoatA_Mzgx4ffv2kddKTegLn3teCavN2hYoYeixBhH5rQ3LOhiu9HD/s1600/IMG_1249.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89cg54nxtqwMT7Z6g_7rWFlQa3blpDzYogrkSnai0JLj2pxhsDuoeX4aQ3jCJFp2Q0hFeB79IcMz1IIODX7RBYzWoGg-3Nhtqg36XfG-49OgIijpn89h9fmRRGGMQpoWh0rUvLOFU2BHR/s1600/IMG_1250.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89cg54nxtqwMT7Z6g_7rWFlQa3blpDzYogrkSnai0JLj2pxhsDuoeX4aQ3jCJFp2Q0hFeB79IcMz1IIODX7RBYzWoGg-3Nhtqg36XfG-49OgIijpn89h9fmRRGGMQpoWh0rUvLOFU2BHR/s640/IMG_1250.JPG" width="640" /></a><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXFaCAEoSUE2h1qJvXOqbmU58KxsP8aPBL0fizRCBHyNr-sfDbx63QF2P_rJx5wrs_bkj8P-01zunn18h9Ux0MvMAoatA_Mzgx4ffv2kddKTegLn3teCavN2hYoYeixBhH5rQ3LOhiu9HD/s640/IMG_1249.JPG" width="640" /><br />
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<br />
<span id="goog_387345331"></span><span id="goog_387345332"></span>I haven't properly styled the shelves yet; right now they are pretty much just stuffed with books grouped loosely by genre (most of my books are still in storage* in New Jersey). But gimme a few months, I'm sure I will have plenty to blog about as I figure out the perfect combo of books, pretty things, Peabody Awards, and random tchotchkes. Note we finally put in a new chandelier light as well. I can (and will) fill dozens of posts on Why I Hate Light Shopping.<br />
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It's been my favorite addition to the house because it makes it truly <i>us - </i>if there's anything I have that I feel is a true reflection of me as a person, it's the books I have read, as they represent parts of my mind and how I think, as well as different phases of my life (cf. my illustrated Strunk and White's <i>Elements of Style</i> vs. <i>The Complete Poems of Emily Dickenson</i> v. <i>Not Milk? Nut Milks!)</i><br />
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Anyway, ta da! Gonna work on my #shelfie skills as we get settled; in the meantime, I'm tackling more important and timely issues, such as Cable Management 101 and How to Fix a Leak In Your Very First Grown Up House.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*By "storage," I mean my parents' basement, amidst what I'm sure are dead cricket spider carcasses that I don't want to know about.</span><br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/" class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal">Pin It</a>
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script></div>designingthenesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15826857219483229928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494688618241942645.post-91373032238914554482015-11-08T12:34:00.003-08:002015-11-08T12:34:31.604-08:00Blank SpaceBut not like the Taylor Swift song. This blank space is our new house.<br />
When we first saw our future home, it was beautifully staged.<br />
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Of course, that's very different from how it looked when we moved in.<br />
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But ya gotta start somewhere, right? I'm not one to buy out the entire living room section of West Elm and have our house polished from head to toe the first week we move in. I like to go slow and take my time with each piece, moving and changing things, switching out pieces of furniture or decor, as we grow into our home. My first move: make this home <i>ours.</i><br />
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If there's anything Alex and I have in common in terms of our background, it's our mutual love of books, books, and more books. We both wrote (multiple) novels and were avid readers at young tender ages.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlf3pFukjdi3xhN7MgRjP2Ox4WBUq42A-tWlPAQZamvAhfiNaQjSU6lxL-2XujoW9svLyUoMqxSXfYk4W8PbItgxbMogsby85QfOkssFyOgCleAsl8RavsqBD_18oJlUQKrhjxitvQd7AE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-11-08+at+12.12.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="638" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlf3pFukjdi3xhN7MgRjP2Ox4WBUq42A-tWlPAQZamvAhfiNaQjSU6lxL-2XujoW9svLyUoMqxSXfYk4W8PbItgxbMogsby85QfOkssFyOgCleAsl8RavsqBD_18oJlUQKrhjxitvQd7AE/s640/Screen+Shot+2015-11-08+at+12.12.32+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My third grade bestseller, <i>Mr. Mole's Glasses</i></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKCRta99IufTyH0kgXXCWMwsLTL5d5RgOlvvdQQW0Bcr-rS_1bDbOiPwOgpPp-aDIrQh1esq248_6rz78f9Dn0GqMoqYkaIdV-0lO9HhpeyrMj-uETJ6Gt4ATWKsQIIFlfpMmMmjI78-ej/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-11-08+at+12.15.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKCRta99IufTyH0kgXXCWMwsLTL5d5RgOlvvdQQW0Bcr-rS_1bDbOiPwOgpPp-aDIrQh1esq248_6rz78f9Dn0GqMoqYkaIdV-0lO9HhpeyrMj-uETJ6Gt4ATWKsQIIFlfpMmMmjI78-ej/s640/Screen+Shot+2015-11-08+at+12.15.32+PM.png" width="562" /></a></div>
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And so, sans furniture, sans appliances, the one thing we decided to splurge on to make this home truly ours--even before we had anything else-- is to build in the bookcase that we have always dreamed about, using this <a href="http://www.designsponge.com/2015/07/an-artistic-couples-toronto-home.html" target="_blank">Design Sponge pic</a> as my inspiration:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWYJDjldp9Q1NMagJvxowJHRlYqHW-WzhdKjeQxuZ_IxkYo2hKikIpiphoxBbkE2COXTaOna-GNwU-pcaAkG_P6vNGbl7RfUdZSjw8HkE2LB1WxVYoTdj60hjIxCpqjKIUPs52NniE4DZN/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-11-08+at+12.24.26+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWYJDjldp9Q1NMagJvxowJHRlYqHW-WzhdKjeQxuZ_IxkYo2hKikIpiphoxBbkE2COXTaOna-GNwU-pcaAkG_P6vNGbl7RfUdZSjw8HkE2LB1WxVYoTdj60hjIxCpqjKIUPs52NniE4DZN/s640/Screen+Shot+2015-11-08+at+12.24.26+PM.png" width="474" /></a></div>
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I asked our contractor, who's also a carpenter, to build in a floor to ceiling shelving unit right by our dining area. This way, we can pull books at random off the shelf while we eat, or they can be topics of conversation when we have guests over. Here it is, in progress. He used solid walnut for the vertical inserts to match our floors.<br />
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Wait for the reveal on the finished project in my next post! In the meantime, this is the blank space we were starting with.<br />
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And here's me, waiting in an empty house for the refrigerator delivery guy to come.<br />
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Just me and my vintage salmon handwoven Persian rug.</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1fwGXZYeL5xcatnxhjndJkQnjv6f4Qv30FYnKvPXj1wVotCqoTog912OiBECZRbdU6402Ijk48bdYg4_geUfHPAIqxcXgbACxr1l1RHdtZtvpilLBfe_N2X05wyjQTRrmPbfvRIQk70la/s1600/IMG_4367.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1fwGXZYeL5xcatnxhjndJkQnjv6f4Qv30FYnKvPXj1wVotCqoTog912OiBECZRbdU6402Ijk48bdYg4_geUfHPAIqxcXgbACxr1l1RHdtZtvpilLBfe_N2X05wyjQTRrmPbfvRIQk70la/s640/IMG_4367.jpg" width="640" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/" class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal">Pin It</a>
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script></div>designingthenesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15826857219483229928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494688618241942645.post-66590766804491557192015-10-05T21:14:00.001-07:002015-10-05T21:14:31.990-07:00Hello, GoodbyeThree years ago, I started this blog with ambitions of documenting the process of turning the new apartment my fiance and I had just moved into...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiElooj0kZKeuroSWyZvI3rFhV_bV-I_jpFWILKve4H34jIcIO52LdwwpIlL3NkswCVBDGek-flw5yHuUIZ3SsVKrYdDSeFue35aUemZAGuNNziMtSJRGYw0ikELp0ZbT_7fGMmZ1eq2VJJ/s1600/IMG_5372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiElooj0kZKeuroSWyZvI3rFhV_bV-I_jpFWILKve4H34jIcIO52LdwwpIlL3NkswCVBDGek-flw5yHuUIZ3SsVKrYdDSeFue35aUemZAGuNNziMtSJRGYw0ikELp0ZbT_7fGMmZ1eq2VJJ/s640/IMG_5372.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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..into a first home for us.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwbdXOnpkS4feqnV3WBPJQu2cnJ__74cwuNdhtAFQ6VdiEaaN5p2w2CGQztLuIHDXSQ79uLA33HyCnqQYhxruZuAxKt-kPpXmjxvsqdLmJypkYtoZ4KXrk5uYwIishVFLi8opETaDolvrO/s1600/IMG_4989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwbdXOnpkS4feqnV3WBPJQu2cnJ__74cwuNdhtAFQ6VdiEaaN5p2w2CGQztLuIHDXSQ79uLA33HyCnqQYhxruZuAxKt-kPpXmjxvsqdLmJypkYtoZ4KXrk5uYwIishVFLi8opETaDolvrO/s640/IMG_4989.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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From weird, leftover furniture...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-fXMKTyJcuMFK8wenP6d1GJWgN97x2t9XTOmWX10w6eggJcsShbSkO-YWuZDQtcGS8i8UYXB1b7humCOWaWhiCIj-rpu7PV_BbHk3WNL3ZDwNqm2v4cuhiGUBD7dsBL9-nhSCQTuxxSMQ/s1600/IMG_5360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-fXMKTyJcuMFK8wenP6d1GJWgN97x2t9XTOmWX10w6eggJcsShbSkO-YWuZDQtcGS8i8UYXB1b7humCOWaWhiCIj-rpu7PV_BbHk3WNL3ZDwNqm2v4cuhiGUBD7dsBL9-nhSCQTuxxSMQ/s640/IMG_5360.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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...to sunny, colorful afternoons.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipCy_qTNmDdIQnfM4DGpS_VO3eQ4SM4ad6pI1-HWvNSQkETkg6fDCsSPAR9b-aBEEoIrOsGtMDcw07NYn_QHBPrE1QQ3oGXrtjebl5KIcjMNel5D4WkeRDlHOTqzQr1uL5cDGcwrG5m-Ay/s1600/IMG_3469.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipCy_qTNmDdIQnfM4DGpS_VO3eQ4SM4ad6pI1-HWvNSQkETkg6fDCsSPAR9b-aBEEoIrOsGtMDcw07NYn_QHBPrE1QQ3oGXrtjebl5KIcjMNel5D4WkeRDlHOTqzQr1uL5cDGcwrG5m-Ay/s640/IMG_3469.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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It wasn't a lot to look at from the outside. </div>
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But I still loved the little things that made it home to us. </div>
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Dew drops in our garden in the winter...</div>
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...and mornings spent in the garden writing and drinking coffee.<br />
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Taking it from <span style="text-align: center;">slightly creepy...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggCW5ghPOE0kryF0nivPDfpUVSk5jXozEBF0ZXBfvKQMyEFdf95Fy9dfyVR2LX2fnQy8hmsZPETpEf7x9Rf6wWaETe1RkR7e9rEvntqnBfNJxoP-SO66oNLXW-x7rEw9ELDqhHBRejVFFu/s1600/IMG_5378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggCW5ghPOE0kryF0nivPDfpUVSk5jXozEBF0ZXBfvKQMyEFdf95Fy9dfyVR2LX2fnQy8hmsZPETpEf7x9Rf6wWaETe1RkR7e9rEvntqnBfNJxoP-SO66oNLXW-x7rEw9ELDqhHBRejVFFu/s640/IMG_5378.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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...to very sleepy.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_p6tKiCU1mQqFtiVOwnemalidBatbyGTREGxmfIu8LCHuFlY3jYfZZ14H0dAJzueGlAaVMhMK8o0JF65QZe4_xoxrkKBbLvsgaG9Dw2jVZlfYX2vdzr-37hyphenhyphenO3GTxuSEY31I-EmOdgtPP/s1600/IMG_3429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_p6tKiCU1mQqFtiVOwnemalidBatbyGTREGxmfIu8LCHuFlY3jYfZZ14H0dAJzueGlAaVMhMK8o0JF65QZe4_xoxrkKBbLvsgaG9Dw2jVZlfYX2vdzr-37hyphenhyphenO3GTxuSEY31I-EmOdgtPP/s640/IMG_3429.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
...where it was impossible to get out of bed some mornings.<br />
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I embarked on lots of weird, crafty adventures trying to make our home as "us" as possible.</div>
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After three years, it's time for us to move on. You've served us well, home.<br />
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Next up...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZTT7yd_pt_qD0kA7Ft5Gx8TOr9Iwb0c_KGLeogfJh2WV6cxSQGcVaIQp2La6AAGI-TJFZgCqLl8QhSsHIHHXJEUjG6zMrGKC9sUogalKcMgVjuMHHKRIh7UDwmQVUGydCzII0kC93yGD_/s1600/IMG_4561.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZTT7yd_pt_qD0kA7Ft5Gx8TOr9Iwb0c_KGLeogfJh2WV6cxSQGcVaIQp2La6AAGI-TJFZgCqLl8QhSsHIHHXJEUjG6zMrGKC9sUogalKcMgVjuMHHKRIh7UDwmQVUGydCzII0kC93yGD_/s640/IMG_4561.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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We begin again.</div>
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<script type="text/javascript" src="http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script></div>designingthenesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15826857219483229928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494688618241942645.post-39907921368669699542015-09-30T20:23:00.000-07:002015-09-30T20:23:44.531-07:00Puerto Rico Si! Hollywood No!Yes, yes. I know it's been a long time. I have big posts coming, I swear. But in the meantime, I'm working out in Puerto Rico on a new show!<br />
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Here's my temporary home for the week:<br />
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It's a historic hotel in the Condado neighborhood, the "Fifth Avenue" of San Juan. </div>
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Not a bad place to blog from...</div>
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...although I just can't tear myself away from this:<br />
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<script type="text/javascript" src="http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script></div>designingthenesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15826857219483229928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494688618241942645.post-84349799933962261192015-08-18T17:26:00.002-07:002015-08-18T17:27:07.188-07:00Ch-ch-ch-changes!It's time, y'all. Goodbye old home, hello new. Updates coming soon! 'Til then, here's pretty much what's happening:<br />
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<script type="text/javascript" src="http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script></div>designingthenesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15826857219483229928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494688618241942645.post-57974813618428855042015-05-09T15:29:00.001-07:002015-05-09T15:29:10.736-07:00Simple ThingsPeonies, a new mint green tray that reminds me of childhood, and a sunny yellow candle. Together they make my Saturday a cheery one. <div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7bIv4W7t_1-KsEUCgAlCBj3RO4Nbz_q8fdpDoGR5fQbc0YTUCSou7wCBRMd2wRW1iuNU1oTIQWTfETnPIOPEFVHtx3U3TipKN5JO0ug8u7rA2oMtChrnOhgXDXvJZ_wUEjPq17OjiYRQ6/s640/blogger-image--988889873.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7bIv4W7t_1-KsEUCgAlCBj3RO4Nbz_q8fdpDoGR5fQbc0YTUCSou7wCBRMd2wRW1iuNU1oTIQWTfETnPIOPEFVHtx3U3TipKN5JO0ug8u7rA2oMtChrnOhgXDXvJZ_wUEjPq17OjiYRQ6/s640/blogger-image--988889873.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGqUEL7WhdF_hSACI4gJySrWc6YEanj2_DFmW-9psf6iRXoeXuCOppC1JIPzoWlHOHCRSxrv-_gkwqIe7cKoXKDN1-5DVDVhSdiBgj5MogcsKL08S9MnNPGdXW4b9HPYOzavIJMAO5ItW1/s640/blogger-image--653868044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGqUEL7WhdF_hSACI4gJySrWc6YEanj2_DFmW-9psf6iRXoeXuCOppC1JIPzoWlHOHCRSxrv-_gkwqIe7cKoXKDN1-5DVDVhSdiBgj5MogcsKL08S9MnNPGdXW4b9HPYOzavIJMAO5ItW1/s640/blogger-image--653868044.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTPmtyTCmcLHa_yyeJHcaUTpY-dszqUyreo2KmlXGu9hMKWYwz9eDVG3QNxGmMAth3Yg3VRh93CuRDEM8sHTlbmErkFhnQ93VU43QCcr0jSOCWE0Y41N4PO0tirzGdQlE4FHVwtEXJjMDg/s640/blogger-image--1921628525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTPmtyTCmcLHa_yyeJHcaUTpY-dszqUyreo2KmlXGu9hMKWYwz9eDVG3QNxGmMAth3Yg3VRh93CuRDEM8sHTlbmErkFhnQ93VU43QCcr0jSOCWE0Y41N4PO0tirzGdQlE4FHVwtEXJjMDg/s640/blogger-image--1921628525.jpg"></a></div><br></div><br></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/" class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal">Pin It</a>
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script></div>designingthenesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15826857219483229928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494688618241942645.post-60822141569636069332015-04-16T11:22:00.003-07:002015-04-16T11:22:22.937-07:00I ❤ New YorkI was in my old hometown of New York City a couple of weeks ago for Passover. It's spring there right now, my favorite season - and I remembered why I love the East Coast. Here, a few random reasons why I heart New York.<br />
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Crocuses in Central Park, the first sign of spring.<br />
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In just a few months, you'll be picnicking in the sun on Sheep's Meadow lawn, hoping those frisbee guys move further away from you.<br />
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The skyline. Still one of the best. (Chicago's a close second for me).<br />
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The animals (minus the rats and flying rats, aka pigeons)<br />
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Can you believe this was on Roosevelt Island? Looks kinda familiar...<br />
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Oh yeah, Van Gogh's wheat paintings, in particular, Wheatfield with Sheaves.<br />
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Guess ol' Vince liked the view from Long Island City.<br />
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I've always wanted to check out this spooky old abandoned smallpox hospital. It appeared in the 2002 movie Spider-man when the Green Goblin and the eponymous hero have a showdown, and every time I drove past on FDR drive, I'd look across the river and try to see ghosts.<br />
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Spooktacular from afar, and beautiful up close.<br />
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The gorgeous view from the Roosevelt Island Tram. I never bothered to go there when I was living in New York, but coming to visit makes you do weird things.<br />
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Another one of my favorite things about New York City: Bodega cats.<br />
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"Whooooaaah, man. I'm soooo high right now."</div>
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We spent some time at an old bar I used to love but had forgotten about, <a href="http://www.stdymphnasnyc.com/" target="_blank">St. Dymphnas</a>. Great burgers and beer. In the daytime, it's practically all Brit, with open windows, rustic wood, and hydrangeas in the window.</div>
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Speaking of burgers, my favorite thing about New York: The food.</div>
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Here's a cheese plate from the Seder dinner. Yes, that's six types of cheese. All for one person. The third course. <i>With more to follow.</i></div>
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I love classic New York apartments. (Not so much my overpriced fifth-floor walk-up with vermin, though).<br />
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Walking on air in my old hood, the Lower East Side.<br />
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See ya next time, New York! Back to sunny and 70.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/" class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal">Pin It</a>
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script></div>designingthenesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15826857219483229928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494688618241942645.post-77510718114750353112015-03-21T16:53:00.001-07:002015-03-21T16:54:18.313-07:00The Hobbit House of Culver CityI love me some Lord of the Rings. Yes, when Gandalf shows up for battle as Gandalf the White or when Aryan hottie Legolas surf-glides down a pile of orcs, I get chills down my spine. Embarrassingly, I get equally excited for the part with Bilbo Baggin's hobbit house, because it's just so damn quaint.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://cynicalscribble.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/p1020492.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://cynicalscribble.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/p1020492.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Cynicalscribble.wordpress.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So when I was on my way to an audition in Culver City and happened by this...<br />
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...my head exploded.<br />
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Turns out, it's the Lawrence and Martha Joseph Residence and Apartments, and yes, there are real <strike>hobbits</strike> people living in there.<br />
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The cottages, nicknamed "The Hobbit Houses," were designed by former Disney artist Lawrence Joseph, who was also a skilled carpenter. He worked on it from 1946-1970, and apparently there are no right angles in the complex.<br />
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From the LA Conservancy's <a href="https://www.laconservancy.org/locations/lawrence-and-martha-joseph-residence-and-apartments" target="_blank">website</a>:<br />
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<span style="background-color: #f7f6f5; color: #4d453d; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">The Joseph Residence and Apartments is one of the most significant examples of Storybook architecture in Los Angeles. The sweeping shingled roofs, diamond-paned windows, and clinker-brick chimneys exemplify the fanciful Storybook style, which took inspiration from idealized interpretations of European cottages.</span></span></div>
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Can you see the little turtles in the pond?<br />
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One of the apartments opened up last year, and prices were $2,595/month for the 2-bedroom, 1-bath cottage.<br />
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I wouldn't actually want to live in there, but I could just imagine Bilbo welcoming Frodo and Gandalf in for a cup of tea or a few drags of the Shire's finest pipe-weed, then just talking for hours about that one time when they went all the way to Mount Doom in Mordor, wasn't it a blast? And then getting some munchies for Elven bread and watching Space Ghost til 3 in the morning.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/" class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal">Pin It</a>
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script></div>designingthenesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15826857219483229928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494688618241942645.post-75814127173947997322015-03-16T16:15:00.001-07:002015-03-16T16:18:08.322-07:00Flower Power and Fleurish<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As much as I love fresh flowers in the house, I'm not so great at arranging them. </div>
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My usual MO is to just buy a bunch of whatever's in season from the farmer's market on Sundays, cut the stems, and stick 'em in a vase filled with water.<br />
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Or, when someone gives me arrangements that I'm not too keen on, ahem, carnations...<br />
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I'll try to do my own editing to keep what I like and edit out what I don't.<br />
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But lately, on Instagram, I've been very inspired by @swallowsanddamsons, a beautiful little flower shop in England run by florist Anna Potter. Here's some of the eye candy she gives out on Instagram:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi69ytKpsNP3poVg4sqK-Y0Et2CcUbWfw-JkfacBpis-bkrv5xSrMPw-wMOgiH-98I0mw33uD2CkZKECxYrpfLRPNOGnJHwECw8RGbOozBLpIB78OzEoE79_la2jF1f3ESqA-WgytNYSazC/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-03-16+at+3.32.58+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi69ytKpsNP3poVg4sqK-Y0Et2CcUbWfw-JkfacBpis-bkrv5xSrMPw-wMOgiH-98I0mw33uD2CkZKECxYrpfLRPNOGnJHwECw8RGbOozBLpIB78OzEoE79_la2jF1f3ESqA-WgytNYSazC/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-03-16+at+3.32.58+PM.png" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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It's the stuff of Shakespearean dreams.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_MavpZoYjIlZN5ksLnOssDm4hc7vauJA5sQGhogYfKk0Wsi3VBqL38AW73fRbBLAgSD7nc6WcVDuaf8tiHjwJiU_tBPAqTHy9xdmWZr62wRzF9rpTy4MAuRr_6o3-K2ijC2nWXegxNO1b/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-03-16+at+3.33.21+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_MavpZoYjIlZN5ksLnOssDm4hc7vauJA5sQGhogYfKk0Wsi3VBqL38AW73fRbBLAgSD7nc6WcVDuaf8tiHjwJiU_tBPAqTHy9xdmWZr62wRzF9rpTy4MAuRr_6o3-K2ijC2nWXegxNO1b/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-03-16+at+3.33.21+PM.png" height="632" width="640" /></a></div>
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There's something so dark and lovely - so British! - about these arrangements. I'm hard pressed to find floral arrangements like that in Los Angeles. So ever the DIYer, I set out last weekend to try my own hand at flower arranging in the style of Swallows and Damsons.<br />
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Problem #1: The farmers market doesn't have all those beautiful dusty green cabbages and blood purple tulips that abound in their stuff. It's all so...so...cheery. Yeesh, California. I'm trying to be emo here.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9pXkhoY8oc6YLs5Av0XvdldJPfTc6uELEbNUpIS_gGFC7vuudP2bdHOamKvcWNviNIUva4OZksM3LstDrfHSQicvfvXb8HXTu3OdO3t8irrplJ0oL78ahtvWlHq1EoyCrtbe1aqCmBavE/s1600/IMG_2487.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9pXkhoY8oc6YLs5Av0XvdldJPfTc6uELEbNUpIS_gGFC7vuudP2bdHOamKvcWNviNIUva4OZksM3LstDrfHSQicvfvXb8HXTu3OdO3t8irrplJ0oL78ahtvWlHq1EoyCrtbe1aqCmBavE/s1600/IMG_2487.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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But I tried. Here's my bounty:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigY9NfmUgMW7N47JthKG_K2vyF86N8pIgha6AvMyKjJJuFEqy-watc0m1fQKk6Klrvwc-OzuEHihWgXi7ZfbqCatSkXogLXll0lJNuIFbs6FsN2jnNCViR9UXVwb3-FZ0tsuRNcI_7lhXs/s1600/IMG_2488.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigY9NfmUgMW7N47JthKG_K2vyF86N8pIgha6AvMyKjJJuFEqy-watc0m1fQKk6Klrvwc-OzuEHihWgXi7ZfbqCatSkXogLXll0lJNuIFbs6FsN2jnNCViR9UXVwb3-FZ0tsuRNcI_7lhXs/s1600/IMG_2488.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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After some squishing and cutting...it's okay, but I just couldn't make it look so nice and full!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9PlahGfeRzEfVKNWaEbOKFRrS1yX1bCTRsQKv4NLCvlcXvPcdBZPWbShxn8mSiyyk_HalYip-xaimw9kV9ONdtFHetTga7rAQm-JyWl5GL7Xry3B4M77u-6XVVj4xi3Mi0f9EUQOOn6qp/s1600/IMG_2496.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9PlahGfeRzEfVKNWaEbOKFRrS1yX1bCTRsQKv4NLCvlcXvPcdBZPWbShxn8mSiyyk_HalYip-xaimw9kV9ONdtFHetTga7rAQm-JyWl5GL7Xry3B4M77u-6XVVj4xi3Mi0f9EUQOOn6qp/s1600/IMG_2496.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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Afterwards, A. laughed at me because I was all bummed about my flowers turning out ugly. He's like, "You're sad you weren't able to make a flower arrangement like an internationally known professional florist on the <i>FIRST TRY</i>?" Well, yes. Yes I am.<br />
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Attempt #2: Yesterday, my friend Cyn had a floral arranging party for her birthday at this cute little flower shop in Brentwood, <a href="http://www.youfleurish.com/" target="_blank">Fleurish</a>. You can go to buy some stems, or an arrangement, or you can sign up to take a little in-shop tutorial where they guide you in how to arrange flowers so you can become a pro yourself at home.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrKZ_wwdOspCCL130LWdvH1aPlTo8zV2sZGL2vNCCRTCpz6Ny3QH3GJ3YU0BfsQEmIDtmY7VuFc6kPqnR_CfQAsoauG9A_xZwuzb32u3GCKxrnOy5SR5DY-uFhKisEt2yKSFH9SIyfnN3j/s1600/IMG_2611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrKZ_wwdOspCCL130LWdvH1aPlTo8zV2sZGL2vNCCRTCpz6Ny3QH3GJ3YU0BfsQEmIDtmY7VuFc6kPqnR_CfQAsoauG9A_xZwuzb32u3GCKxrnOy5SR5DY-uFhKisEt2yKSFH9SIyfnN3j/s1600/IMG_2611.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
It's the Drybar of florists!<br />
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There's a bar where you can take a seat to play with your blooms, and a giant walk-in fridge where all the flowers are kept.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyJQYvgI0g33-efXHvIzuIQgeSvcWN-1nT4KQppMNXYCGewSHenWA3iJMYzUcoyxBGDwyyluascRqspGAEPB03Z1BCd56chxXEdYkQ6uZkC8-EQjx_YtQRwVpy545Hs6pTFV9ZPRPGLHba/s1600/IMG_2606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyJQYvgI0g33-efXHvIzuIQgeSvcWN-1nT4KQppMNXYCGewSHenWA3iJMYzUcoyxBGDwyyluascRqspGAEPB03Z1BCd56chxXEdYkQ6uZkC8-EQjx_YtQRwVpy545Hs6pTFV9ZPRPGLHba/s1600/IMG_2606.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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They even have drinks, or you can bring your own pick of drinketty drank.</div>
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Wine in hand, we took a seat at the bar...<br />
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...and were handed our personal fleur-kits, containing what we needed to create our own bouquet (which we pre-ordered). You can also opt to do your own custom arrangement, and they charge you by the stem.<br />
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I chose "Snow Drift," since it seemed sort of reminiscent of a wintry English garden. Can't you just imagine The Dowager Countess walking through her garden in the snow, being all, "First electricity, now telephones. Sometimes I feel as if I'm living in an H.G. Wells novel!" Inside my kit were these tools:<br />
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And armed with an iPad and the guidance of our Fleurish helper, I went step by step.</div>
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Once we got our vases set up, we braved the frigid flower case to choose our own blooms. Mine included hydrangeas, roses, cymbidium orchids, and this fuzzy looking leaf.</div>
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One of our party chose to do a terrarium, so she got her pick of succulents. She (rightly) chose an adorable panda plant, among others.<br />
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Let the fun begin!</div>
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Here's my final product. Not exactly Swallows and Damsons, but not too shabby! Plus you get to keep the vase.</div>
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And here are the other arrangements made by some of the other girls:<br />
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All in all, it's not a bad way to spend a Sunday, chatting with girlfriends, drinking wine, and surrounded by beautiful flowers. Fleurish is a great place to <strike>get drunk </strike>learn more about flower arranging, have a bridal shower party, a birthday party, or just hang with friends. Their available arrangement kits vary with the seasons, so you can keep going back with different offerings. I wouldn't mind returning and trying out a custom arrangement to really test my skills. Prices for arrangement kits run from roughly $30-60. Check out more about Fleurish <a href="http://www.youfleurish.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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International professional floral design, here I come!<br />
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<script type="text/javascript" src="http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script></div>designingthenesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15826857219483229928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494688618241942645.post-11887096624156945142015-01-22T00:07:00.002-08:002015-01-22T00:19:03.146-08:00Paris PerfectHappy new year! I have no excuse for not writing for a whole freakin' month except to say that I've been gathering inspiration all around the world: New Orleans, New York City, and Paris. Tra la la!<br />
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Now that I'm back and settled in 2015, I've had some time to go over some of the lovely moments I've had through December. </div>
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The hubs and I finally made good on an age-old promise to go to Paris together for a romantic getaway. I was beyond excited to go - not only for the fashion, the shopping, the <i>pastries - ooh la la</i>! - but also because Paris epitomizes so much of the vibe I strive for in my home and my life. It's romantic, it's cultured, it's simple, it's elegant, it's historic, yet cutting edge. Zey talk like ziss. You wear red lipstick, and you eat croissants and drink wine without gaining a pound and somehow walk all over the cobblestone streets in sky-high Louboutins. You buy baguettes and ride on bicycles and le Metro, and you buy fresh flowers and roast chicken and cheese at markets and you smoke cigarettes outside cafes while discussing philosophy with your friends into the wee hours of the night. If only I could somehow manage to bring this life to my home in Los Angeles - if I could be effortlessly fabulous, if I could find joy in fresh flowers and roast chicken and high heels, if I could indulge in cheese and wine and bread without worrying, if I could keep my home airy and shabby chic and uncluttered yet filled with objects that have history, romance, meaning to them.</div>
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<script type="text/javascript" src="http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script></div>designingthenesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15826857219483229928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494688618241942645.post-39346812122412243452014-11-26T16:59:00.000-08:002014-11-26T16:59:05.749-08:00A Year of Gratitude in PicturesI'm grateful for moments of grandeur in the state of California, when everything is so very big...<br />
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...small things from California's farmers market that make me happy on Sundays...</div>
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...and the rights and privileges that I've enjoyed in that state - rights that everyone should enjoy, but these days, seems hard to come by.<br />
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I'm grateful to have someone who'll share a hammock, a view, and a kiss with me...</div>
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...and I'm grateful to be someone else's hammock.<br />
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And I'm grateful for family.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_xbGmU39QENjNrDzyeUJugiNhA2LD6G7RRnnYZsywt5BJ41-f_HpK2w9Hf-UKf7LbAm5MkRmXdkuM4EtCwCV_7EP-11PmMel-Pwg5Vvh8HKHXgzNHWDXqURepDgkPP0-bNLzjcZzQkDP1/s1600/IMG_3155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_xbGmU39QENjNrDzyeUJugiNhA2LD6G7RRnnYZsywt5BJ41-f_HpK2w9Hf-UKf7LbAm5MkRmXdkuM4EtCwCV_7EP-11PmMel-Pwg5Vvh8HKHXgzNHWDXqURepDgkPP0-bNLzjcZzQkDP1/s1600/IMG_3155.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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I'm grateful for the delicious joys of this year...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj94RERMJmbl3HuASVLT7i3UOcheC84nW8rYHe7jRNzbU-qOP-7FuSY02Ez9xcMVC6kXVyyD_pvgozznhrekQ9Te58j3VDCenWjLbsiWL0vDVpy_tHSjJc1EvFWh7pB421vBb12nmWxgQjd/s1600/IMG_9078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj94RERMJmbl3HuASVLT7i3UOcheC84nW8rYHe7jRNzbU-qOP-7FuSY02Ez9xcMVC6kXVyyD_pvgozznhrekQ9Te58j3VDCenWjLbsiWL0vDVpy_tHSjJc1EvFWh7pB421vBb12nmWxgQjd/s1600/IMG_9078.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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...the lost battles of Double Dragon...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCphyphenhyphen-QzgkNQDynpHA0YxPNVQUkaS1T2n1WLVNERQnuysGXYRyJQ-rVmCcWgxrOQAAEKDolWSI8A2A9m_0XQEaJiAbziBq05g2XBI5lk1BAs9eXqR8rbhtZ0SccRtNnAZVRSnQQ3uNgEoT/s1600/IMG_8165.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCphyphenhyphen-QzgkNQDynpHA0YxPNVQUkaS1T2n1WLVNERQnuysGXYRyJQ-rVmCcWgxrOQAAEKDolWSI8A2A9m_0XQEaJiAbziBq05g2XBI5lk1BAs9eXqR8rbhtZ0SccRtNnAZVRSnQQ3uNgEoT/s1600/IMG_8165.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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...the reunions with old friends from 7th grade...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8eL6dMA82bFr3JZZngkclXRmjHC7Eb0ITnxCuv11tfoP4JNs3W9Eq4QF6RMIPm_EioJpKHym7MeLMTuAfnC_27Fgpf721VARQ-q33mR5aJ3sXSOqDHhuIwqrDH-xwApwniI-SxMNnG_4b/s1600/IMG_9410.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8eL6dMA82bFr3JZZngkclXRmjHC7Eb0ITnxCuv11tfoP4JNs3W9Eq4QF6RMIPm_EioJpKHym7MeLMTuAfnC_27Fgpf721VARQ-q33mR5aJ3sXSOqDHhuIwqrDH-xwApwniI-SxMNnG_4b/s1600/IMG_9410.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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...and the happiness of even older ones.<br />
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I'm grateful for the journeys I didn't know I'd be going on, destination unknown...</div>
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...the weird, blood-soaked adventures I ended up embarking upon....</div>
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...the victories I had this year...</div>
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...and even the misses.</div>
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I'm grateful for a home that isn't perfect but is ours...</div>
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...where afternoon light glazes everything in spun gold and nostalgia.<br />
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Lastly, I'm grateful for the glimpses of beauty and peace this city gives me....<br />
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...and the reminder that everything is going to be okay. No, better than okay.<br />
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Party on, Garth.<br />
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<script type="text/javascript" src="http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script></div>designingthenesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15826857219483229928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494688618241942645.post-3651596023254485892014-11-14T19:20:00.001-08:002014-11-14T19:23:19.495-08:00Estate Sale Treasure HuntOne of the best things about living by Larchmont Village is the gorgeous neighborhood of mansions in Hancock Park. Just about any Sunday of the month, you can drive around and find signs pointing you to an estate sale.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRD1hGvcSl4qxqBieNItNJdZ1TDJJrcMfMq91MzEGf_xbMUJt4N8SIaK0nB5gAU1A-IkfMjessvRfptpVuzaiKr-78X6NJnNI9BsYEPpZ9U8Xtr1S7LavnGGBzz5bySfBGVFKE9heFHEVN/s1600/IMG_0555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRD1hGvcSl4qxqBieNItNJdZ1TDJJrcMfMq91MzEGf_xbMUJt4N8SIaK0nB5gAU1A-IkfMjessvRfptpVuzaiKr-78X6NJnNI9BsYEPpZ9U8Xtr1S7LavnGGBzz5bySfBGVFKE9heFHEVN/s1600/IMG_0555.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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These sales aren't your regular run-of-the-mill yard sales with castoff Ikea furniture and old VHS copies of <i>The Money Pit.</i> Since the hood has been historically ritzy (read: rich people live here), there's plenty of rich people stuff: antiques, collectibles, nice furniture...meaning it's score-central for treasure-hunters like me. I recently wandered into a neighbor's estate sale and found some of these delectable goodies:<br />
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This tall Shaker-ish ladder-back antique farm chair:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB8IDWeNNpEnCqbz93MmsrwySV9fQNwZEGrOqyNUJOoWnVhMYfdaHcF6J1cJRk4-YemxCgfYgl6CfUwRkaBBdJ-V_JBt2oZJOTLZatHQSwGwOjvjISObb6WrLxYtTTFkWCCnjcjUvNX-Ki/s1600/IMG_9808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB8IDWeNNpEnCqbz93MmsrwySV9fQNwZEGrOqyNUJOoWnVhMYfdaHcF6J1cJRk4-YemxCgfYgl6CfUwRkaBBdJ-V_JBt2oZJOTLZatHQSwGwOjvjISObb6WrLxYtTTFkWCCnjcjUvNX-Ki/s1600/IMG_9808.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A chair for Yao Ming</td></tr>
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And this cool leather tufted Chesterfield sofa.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCxWiZTEDie_i0WMypo_IOBIxutsB6JXg9zER0EB0ZRFyVPQ7KKBRSgbcrD8scluqSG93S2PPUWdmK2H25y34m4VNVm5bqe5RaWzTROtMdRQOWgyBKAXtm8W0eK6A2PEquaF0ufuLmAX72/s1600/IMG_9810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCxWiZTEDie_i0WMypo_IOBIxutsB6JXg9zER0EB0ZRFyVPQ7KKBRSgbcrD8scluqSG93S2PPUWdmK2H25y34m4VNVm5bqe5RaWzTROtMdRQOWgyBKAXtm8W0eK6A2PEquaF0ufuLmAX72/s1600/IMG_9810.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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This thing looks like a turn-of-the-century torture device...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRII_U5vHgr21s1YqePgiOSQFA9UE41DBYJ-6102sqXq6_XjSuQUBflG-PIgjWoY8gPQaRdmYl6lyegQYBbCUmeNLB2t4OC3Z_jXxnGY63-poJY9vaFuEQbyEKWTujc6I5I7S1mZ8iqUu/s1600/IMG_9811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRII_U5vHgr21s1YqePgiOSQFA9UE41DBYJ-6102sqXq6_XjSuQUBflG-PIgjWoY8gPQaRdmYl6lyegQYBbCUmeNLB2t4OC3Z_jXxnGY63-poJY9vaFuEQbyEKWTujc6I5I7S1mZ8iqUu/s1600/IMG_9811.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rosebud!</td></tr>
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I would've <i>loved</i> to take home this gorgeous Chippendale-style bamboo chair and repainted/reupholstered the seat cushion...but I'm outta space!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7_EquiWjklxIE4k-WD8zOKwWCIlp7XjdiQNnLHKAwb71CwzuoW8WnPN9E2AsssfvImwjy473Ft8W2QRJwkXbTlXxk-Xmfv_azK1rUSNXUlEWJTlfdNQ4acLHmJ_DNjmrO2CZfwJyh5YX3/s1600/IMG_9812.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7_EquiWjklxIE4k-WD8zOKwWCIlp7XjdiQNnLHKAwb71CwzuoW8WnPN9E2AsssfvImwjy473Ft8W2QRJwkXbTlXxk-Xmfv_azK1rUSNXUlEWJTlfdNQ4acLHmJ_DNjmrO2CZfwJyh5YX3/s1600/IMG_9812.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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I would've liked to have done something along the lines of Jonathan Adler...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCIbrkn-SALEyxVJiYkSTjT5SjWnwj4lRyw8Pg1m7Ycb1WG3AhbwKMOKkgYOfwo_fiuwHA4au8wzPSDjgRUr9TtRW0tmklTgMFYON-_VdnfLm__E6Ne3b_nPCbtZ-WxC5o6C5dq26oYsNy/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-14+at+7.06.08+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCIbrkn-SALEyxVJiYkSTjT5SjWnwj4lRyw8Pg1m7Ycb1WG3AhbwKMOKkgYOfwo_fiuwHA4au8wzPSDjgRUr9TtRW0tmklTgMFYON-_VdnfLm__E6Ne3b_nPCbtZ-WxC5o6C5dq26oYsNy/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-11-14+at+7.06.08+PM.png" height="556" width="640" /></a></div>
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Speaking of Chinese Chippendale chairs, almost every estate sale I walk into has a ton of Chinoiserie. Dunno what's up with that...except maybe it's a thing that rich old people like. At least it's pretty to look at...<br />
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Like this blue and white floor vase (sold in a pair):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_NF-dlgGonmaaAr_zut_V3p6fOHwTQNHBk7GOagOwrtSKyBEpjNt9hqzxYFjnP2KPDCotSTq-qgpc8pi3Vs3Hped8fTB4mrpaBt1vTJHjiKuV6GWo9WdGQ71x1BHyF7rkcWUNRg7rVQbw/s1600/IMG_9813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_NF-dlgGonmaaAr_zut_V3p6fOHwTQNHBk7GOagOwrtSKyBEpjNt9hqzxYFjnP2KPDCotSTq-qgpc8pi3Vs3Hped8fTB4mrpaBt1vTJHjiKuV6GWo9WdGQ71x1BHyF7rkcWUNRg7rVQbw/s1600/IMG_9813.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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...these Asian tchotchkes:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPHRA2ZKtWUd-h0UnFdxtbzIg7J4pMt7JAA_He9z7S-zpOPkRfl5p3ysQfMACuk9HMOFf5N1_aJPflwFg3_BqZ88njdm-PIMQveR6g8M-3r61exap6BS1ohvnB7jslRS-qoJvgfJCC59-4/s1600/IMG_0551.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPHRA2ZKtWUd-h0UnFdxtbzIg7J4pMt7JAA_He9z7S-zpOPkRfl5p3ysQfMACuk9HMOFf5N1_aJPflwFg3_BqZ88njdm-PIMQveR6g8M-3r61exap6BS1ohvnB7jslRS-qoJvgfJCC59-4/s1600/IMG_0551.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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Even these cool Louis XV French armchairs have...yep, you guessed it, little Chinese people embroidered on them.<br />
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Of course, one of my fave things about going to an estate sale is getting a peek into the houses of the rich and famous (in LA, it's not impossible)...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Antique iron twin beds for the creepiest of twins</td></tr>
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This weird dog painting is the only thing I regret not buying.<br />
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Well, that and this random magazine cover of Hillary Rodham Clinton dressed as a dominatrix. Don't ask.<br />
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Overall, lots of good stuff but I left empty-handed. Onto <a href="http://designingthenest.blogspot.com/2013/02/estate-of-mind.html" target="_blank">the next</a>!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/" class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal">Pin It</a>
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script></div>designingthenesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15826857219483229928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494688618241942645.post-87628528108664652742014-09-08T11:50:00.001-07:002014-09-08T11:53:18.845-07:00Nature By Design: The Atlanta Botanical GardenIn Atlanta, I've been living close to Piedmont Park, home to the <a href="http://atlantabotanicalgarden.org/" target="_blank">Atlanta Botanical Garden</a>. So on another day off, I took a solo stroll after breakfast and went for a 3-hour adventure through the lush and verdant grounds of this plant mecca.<br />
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The outdoor gardens have these giant plant sculptures, which are...well, weird.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plant of the Apes?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giant plant dog</td></tr>
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Ummmm...okay. Moving on. I was pretty hungry by the time I got to the edible gardens. Here's a vertical herb garden, which was watered by an intricate vertical irrigation system that would drip through all the plants from top to bottom to reduce water waste.<br />
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Wait, you mean tea doesn't come from Starbucks?<br />
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But by far, my favorite was the Fuqua Orchid Center. It was basically a magical wonderland of weird and gorgeous orchids way beyond your regular ol' Trader Joe's phalaenopsis orchids.<br />
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Look at these cupcakes: </div>
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Next to the orchid display greenhouse was the high elevation house, which showcased the diversity of plants in the Cloud Forest of the Andes Mountains in South America. Did I just make that up? No, but I wish I did. </div>
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Check out these rare pitcher plants, which are carnivorous and eat insects and flies. I need ones of these guys in our house. Although I wonder if they have a taste for curious felines...</div>
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They also housed cool stuff like this curare plant, which is used for anesthesia and muscle relaxants during surgeries as well as a paralyzing dart poison by some indigenous tribes in the Amazon.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">yowch!</td></tr>
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But let's get back to design, shall we? Check out these graphic prints that occur organically in nature, and the pops of color. On leaves, petals, flowers... Design inspiration is everywhere!<br />
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Love the graphic pop of white stem against the rich dark green....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuBDHQOOXHNMJ2M65S8k8Yo-KYzBUehvnAkXl-dT_jvmAutqbrd-BM7Eahs06iS1553Yx0BeEY3B0aIM4WfoO9fp-mb_DfEb1YKy1tirNDvJmJrHRAWGT3PwAjygOm-kMU1sYlyRErlM0N/s1600/IMG_9750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuBDHQOOXHNMJ2M65S8k8Yo-KYzBUehvnAkXl-dT_jvmAutqbrd-BM7Eahs06iS1553Yx0BeEY3B0aIM4WfoO9fp-mb_DfEb1YKy1tirNDvJmJrHRAWGT3PwAjygOm-kMU1sYlyRErlM0N/s1600/IMG_9750.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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These above two leaf patterns remind me of the Marimekko print and the general plant-motif we have hanging in our dining nook.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w7CwVR9ShvI/USPfUv6NvhI/AAAAAAAAHVI/hTbje_5n-IY/s1600/2013-02-19" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w7CwVR9ShvI/USPfUv6NvhI/AAAAAAAAHVI/hTbje_5n-IY/s1600/2013-02-19" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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This plant reminds me a little of animal print...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibgvTkUt9Cnx3ePzBLiSRxToq-Z-4_kRJfI-MFMaIQqGXVEUyGGyMFPnPl2XWpniE2GavoKqgf0oa0xDUJeerMikxc6ArnPXP26TGjroCelUk7YAV4iU2MUAXJkLMJfXKaO1OCseT5JC5C/s1600/IMG_9754.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibgvTkUt9Cnx3ePzBLiSRxToq-Z-4_kRJfI-MFMaIQqGXVEUyGGyMFPnPl2XWpniE2GavoKqgf0oa0xDUJeerMikxc6ArnPXP26TGjroCelUk7YAV4iU2MUAXJkLMJfXKaO1OCseT5JC5C/s1600/IMG_9754.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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...which, if used in the right way, is a great way to liven up a room and give it a little flair...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Esj6fxDU9UxCG2zKqeuZa-bAl9_V3ZYchipoizURTlMjt_L1lc7CGlVIOR09sRzg6eWudeCODk1REXG2a667fRPhsNltLManHxCICRuKd3s7jYK3LIDgJ7idajzrGT98nr8cHzj93qKI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-09-08+at+11.34.14+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Esj6fxDU9UxCG2zKqeuZa-bAl9_V3ZYchipoizURTlMjt_L1lc7CGlVIOR09sRzg6eWudeCODk1REXG2a667fRPhsNltLManHxCICRuKd3s7jYK3LIDgJ7idajzrGT98nr8cHzj93qKI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-09-08+at+11.34.14+AM.png" height="636" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from scottsdaledesigner.com </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsRCD9Kw0dxKs0aAM5TpRmNZ8iO5U5aihPJcgmKVol8SDpxceL2-QLU_MgS-5yHxnY5AMpax2AahL2KB0G8w6vzCu7-gWWXL-SW8QxlJUqejeQnK5voiY3ew0OelM2TFYdr4Q_6eUpj81D/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-09-08+at+11.07.39+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsRCD9Kw0dxKs0aAM5TpRmNZ8iO5U5aihPJcgmKVol8SDpxceL2-QLU_MgS-5yHxnY5AMpax2AahL2KB0G8w6vzCu7-gWWXL-SW8QxlJUqejeQnK5voiY3ew0OelM2TFYdr4Q_6eUpj81D/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-09-08+at+11.07.39+AM.png" height="528" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Design & image from Charles Spada</td></tr>
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This orchid is pretty, but it was the white against dark green polka dot leaves that caught my eye...<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHJxOx_i5IuWfSx_uqLgxoxyJ2JgcGOyj-gx49Z9RH4TV01nXBGulQEjROzvzopJrarESissVyq9LEX57KAU-vCAD8e4v3z1cihYeiV-2CGji3tLbNFiPrTD7AzfYgIFieIegSVaxmG_cC/s1600/IMG_9749.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHJxOx_i5IuWfSx_uqLgxoxyJ2JgcGOyj-gx49Z9RH4TV01nXBGulQEjROzvzopJrarESissVyq9LEX57KAU-vCAD8e4v3z1cihYeiV-2CGji3tLbNFiPrTD7AzfYgIFieIegSVaxmG_cC/s1600/IMG_9749.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She wore an itsy bity teeny weeny petal polka dot leafy...</td></tr>
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...a motif that would make for some cool walls on a nursery or kids' room.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.vinylwallart.com/assets/images/Products/WallConfetti/PolkaDot/DotWallConfetti03x7x7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.vinylwallart.com/assets/images/Products/WallConfetti/PolkaDot/DotWallConfetti03x7x7.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">via Vinylwallart.com</td></tr>
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And look at the balls of this flower, pairing pink/purple with green!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGvfuHVk0YI5FW8oxidRX3iuSbgLnarnU2RYJ_51Q3xoK43f9-zHiO8j-D9OMPrqR4gXi0ScU0g9gusEmGvbfLfGlakAVErJhYb3LsyxKr8opHZONtNQdae2okHK1AeFyZnVChUa-Vu906/s1600/IMG_9757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGvfuHVk0YI5FW8oxidRX3iuSbgLnarnU2RYJ_51Q3xoK43f9-zHiO8j-D9OMPrqR4gXi0ScU0g9gusEmGvbfLfGlakAVErJhYb3LsyxKr8opHZONtNQdae2okHK1AeFyZnVChUa-Vu906/s1600/IMG_9757.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
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Check out the similar contrast pairing in Chrissis & Company Interiors' usage of pink against the 2013 color of the year, emerald green.<br />
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Yup. Mother Nature is a design trailblazer.<br />
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These little guys, who provided the soundtrack to the rain forest greenhouse, agree.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8g_dDSZf8ywiV9BcODP1a2hTA_XZaU0ygiumy9SvvcY3N2yaAcMqIZmakqTe23hj1aK8nVPYzECst4OH295eTF_x9AlW6ZicQGpQiHnKJIzhUEYIiJgJ1MDsRnLZ74oiQzmkYCbxr2HCr/s1600/IMG_9771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8g_dDSZf8ywiV9BcODP1a2hTA_XZaU0ygiumy9SvvcY3N2yaAcMqIZmakqTe23hj1aK8nVPYzECst4OH295eTF_x9AlW6ZicQGpQiHnKJIzhUEYIiJgJ1MDsRnLZ74oiQzmkYCbxr2HCr/s1600/IMG_9771.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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To top it all off, I ended my trip with a stroll through the skies in the Storza Woods tree canopy, 40 feet above the ground.<br />
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...and ended by communing with a 25-foot-tall Earth Goddess.<br />
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Got back to my hotel room just in time to witness a thunderstorm...from indoors.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2J-53B_w2oBGzjA2s8A0GfX4z5n6FkOoME7fVct8hWFAXErjanjF2_bNSyRT3_nKWsL9SZ7HfdF9MBBI_FwY1PtEXf0SMmfTEiTYkVCz0TG6vyQuNVonfR0OdsfQ_Sk6Vd-ChRLJiCgY0/s1600/IMG_9783.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2J-53B_w2oBGzjA2s8A0GfX4z5n6FkOoME7fVct8hWFAXErjanjF2_bNSyRT3_nKWsL9SZ7HfdF9MBBI_FwY1PtEXf0SMmfTEiTYkVCz0TG6vyQuNVonfR0OdsfQ_Sk6Vd-ChRLJiCgY0/s1600/IMG_9783.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Thank you, Mother Nature!</div>
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<script type="text/javascript" src="http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script></div>designingthenesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15826857219483229928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494688618241942645.post-81649259242502932732014-09-06T18:44:00.000-07:002014-09-06T18:44:02.148-07:00Atlanta Historical House Tour: Smith Family Farm (Part 2)Continuing on from <a href="http://designingthenest.blogspot.com/2014/09/atlanta-historical-house-tour-swan-house.html" target="_blank">the Swan House</a>, my 7th grade BFF and I continued onto the Smith Family Farm, also part of the <a href="http://www.atlantahistorycenter.com/" target="_blank">Atlanta History Center</a>. Built in the 1840s, the Smith Family Farm is a relic from the Civil War that was spared from destruction and fires during wartime. It provides us a glimpse of what a Civil War-era farm in the South looked like. Compared to the Swan House, this was stark and spare and even a little more modern-seeming in its minimalism.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo81LUgKrR4kjhHf__-66sLt63KDey5njBuMnH2hU_SR6CaOF9On5P4RN7LMtKG2fn7CTP9TgKaEtdI3VnT-4QYAjnhEha8AkISKLZWKS4iyDyr0C6ZQtR4HSTIN2woolqBPt1-oTiUbUP/s1600/IMG_9494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo81LUgKrR4kjhHf__-66sLt63KDey5njBuMnH2hU_SR6CaOF9On5P4RN7LMtKG2fn7CTP9TgKaEtdI3VnT-4QYAjnhEha8AkISKLZWKS4iyDyr0C6ZQtR4HSTIN2woolqBPt1-oTiUbUP/s1600/IMG_9494.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Inside, some pretty gorgeous French blue china:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQKc4ZzvGPyaoYYRCi0e18DiHYonP5Jx93dHgAVgkmFo3BYXmEvd3i4Wytt5CF0bCK1ymOyai-_0rk9a2dHsrww2tbV5GsXGzNHCNZfqAs9LhKtjjo7lNlUOG8R5TyCAo5yinEzkIRMzkK/s1600/IMG_9489.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQKc4ZzvGPyaoYYRCi0e18DiHYonP5Jx93dHgAVgkmFo3BYXmEvd3i4Wytt5CF0bCK1ymOyai-_0rk9a2dHsrww2tbV5GsXGzNHCNZfqAs9LhKtjjo7lNlUOG8R5TyCAo5yinEzkIRMzkK/s1600/IMG_9489.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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An old-timey shopping list...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0EIxwo2LPdzPTb8KM2MFJcH8Ybe_X8wgZ6245l_LAnyGDCF3-W50nuThuamZ3wvv2n3TOEZQPWCmHQFyp-Dp8zaPN3qgXujpBp5ciUdp3HU3wsWo4nP45GHHACxCDE_tmaO60jJddOqg_/s1600/IMG_9490.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0EIxwo2LPdzPTb8KM2MFJcH8Ybe_X8wgZ6245l_LAnyGDCF3-W50nuThuamZ3wvv2n3TOEZQPWCmHQFyp-Dp8zaPN3qgXujpBp5ciUdp3HU3wsWo4nP45GHHACxCDE_tmaO60jJddOqg_/s1600/IMG_9490.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Honey, don't forget the 4 bales of cotton and the 40 pounds of butter!</td></tr>
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A desk with slots for money to buy said 40 pounds of butter...<br />
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Cotton from the fields...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRzhOy-itJ17uTP972cqf-d5VP5_LxIJp7weY9nq0uxgn5usnGXZ6g4JotREy-QqIcMvtlZWXp_HhWzqLmpjULiyqutWyiJFwmPJwcmdl1x5_SsQQsllRbIHTgF4-K1TvjeCtM-dBW_-fD/s1600/IMG_9492.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRzhOy-itJ17uTP972cqf-d5VP5_LxIJp7weY9nq0uxgn5usnGXZ6g4JotREy-QqIcMvtlZWXp_HhWzqLmpjULiyqutWyiJFwmPJwcmdl1x5_SsQQsllRbIHTgF4-K1TvjeCtM-dBW_-fD/s1600/IMG_9492.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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and a loom to weave the cotton into tapestries...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOIcv7N_2DR7DF0wnPAUrg_cmIJGRHdhmLM-gBnkYQFe4SSlOnjrYpCCpuoXgEB4itZ1sjfr92K7ofMtLSb-MEI8ZT6jHd1O6X686ML-iSoLAVSkc2wNCStffDgpaf9zf3BW2ySj520mBs/s1600/IMG_9496.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOIcv7N_2DR7DF0wnPAUrg_cmIJGRHdhmLM-gBnkYQFe4SSlOnjrYpCCpuoXgEB4itZ1sjfr92K7ofMtLSb-MEI8ZT6jHd1O6X686ML-iSoLAVSkc2wNCStffDgpaf9zf3BW2ySj520mBs/s1600/IMG_9496.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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The bedroom was what we might call minimalist rustic by today's standards...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs5Ip3h7_XQpuairbQ7f4tFnFVU3rAzw2zHwdqlPMHLVvPJvKKCupsJifuhWYRZu7lvv8GXRSqjERIDB3B9M5GazrH9Jzxlfz3g9gkheuNZNIbUfqt2GGwqAFK1UHuMskUZ2XqJuE87hfS/s1600/IMG_9497.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs5Ip3h7_XQpuairbQ7f4tFnFVU3rAzw2zHwdqlPMHLVvPJvKKCupsJifuhWYRZu7lvv8GXRSqjERIDB3B9M5GazrH9Jzxlfz3g9gkheuNZNIbUfqt2GGwqAFK1UHuMskUZ2XqJuE87hfS/s1600/IMG_9497.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Compare that to this sort of thing today...<br />
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<a href="https://founterior.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/rustic-bedroom-with-minimalist-modern-touch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="412" src="https://founterior.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/rustic-bedroom-with-minimalist-modern-touch.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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They even had actors playing characters from time period, which felt super weird and uncomfortable to me (see more on this below)...<br />
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Not to mention creepy dolls to add a cherry on top of that weirdness sundae.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim685Tna0Dc5AKgunHmIc9LlnUzmy2yEHqovrTo6nkhZobnO3XiO9gs09KuPJ_jB5csXFXqtPfjUCS47Q1BvRWigVNnscP_-iuAXvs2tZRXig5x3-CPJCPGP_J0LomVX4luhfyoh5c5uL6/s1600/IMG_9498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim685Tna0Dc5AKgunHmIc9LlnUzmy2yEHqovrTo6nkhZobnO3XiO9gs09KuPJ_jB5csXFXqtPfjUCS47Q1BvRWigVNnscP_-iuAXvs2tZRXig5x3-CPJCPGP_J0LomVX4luhfyoh5c5uL6/s1600/IMG_9498.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yike-o jike-o's!</td></tr>
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Here's the guest quarters...couldn't you see that rag rug selling at Anthropologie for like $150?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP-nwtMMDzVUd6Qy0c59GrHFc4TbeqJ04YoRSO7D8u4CByGuppAF8bxF3Tz8tjcQ75wn_xt5yZ0hICL2oJHMVTtGmhzU4-mulTFR3DC2Q10y7vHZ3Q_uK4qk5Egowo8LU5magF30xRzAlZ/s1600/IMG_9500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP-nwtMMDzVUd6Qy0c59GrHFc4TbeqJ04YoRSO7D8u4CByGuppAF8bxF3Tz8tjcQ75wn_xt5yZ0hICL2oJHMVTtGmhzU4-mulTFR3DC2Q10y7vHZ3Q_uK4qk5Egowo8LU5magF30xRzAlZ/s1600/IMG_9500.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Oh here we go. This one used to be for sale at Urban Outfitters:<br />
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<a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-thing?.out=jpg&size=l&tid=32494584" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-thing?.out=jpg&size=l&tid=32494584" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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The kitchen was housed in an entirely separate building to prevent fires. Herbs, chilis, and garlic hung from the ceiling to dry. There was also a smoke house to preserve meats (it was too dark to take a picture).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtWeBctJ09gvb-8hnm0r9O4IX9aiWMdOP7r5bmG6un9TDmabKtJEMBtrnzMICA_uVJ1iznazbHjk33_ffuiZ-N5XWwSSVTHxbHww71Xuzxp5rEg08wW3jw_ybWIlRo6sP2NHZ9Mg-rsVIk/s1600/IMG_9504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtWeBctJ09gvb-8hnm0r9O4IX9aiWMdOP7r5bmG6un9TDmabKtJEMBtrnzMICA_uVJ1iznazbHjk33_ffuiZ-N5XWwSSVTHxbHww71Xuzxp5rEg08wW3jw_ybWIlRo6sP2NHZ9Mg-rsVIk/s1600/IMG_9504.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBbdKIstdhBGImXhvd6oLGbqkUcEC12Xpp1tw7hJPsktUrZ2EDt0KWNwKutXo1jiedP-PMHR9DaO-fKwyxNt2bF_P5afWhCo7W4sCrBNmTkuyBzTa3urs5kVP2mt-PkTohRete0xiTo07n/s1600/IMG_9505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBbdKIstdhBGImXhvd6oLGbqkUcEC12Xpp1tw7hJPsktUrZ2EDt0KWNwKutXo1jiedP-PMHR9DaO-fKwyxNt2bF_P5afWhCo7W4sCrBNmTkuyBzTa3urs5kVP2mt-PkTohRete0xiTo07n/s1600/IMG_9505.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Last but certainly not least, my favorite part, THE SHEEP!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5ske5ZR4xwMAkaphLcipd7V5n8Uu8noih_T0hLnNzyp6gjoAjs1xMr7tfGJ1qz50weyDZyLzH-dt0bBjL1I0Pxx1nKQKDeGAicfBnY-U4iBU6GaJR4YzDn8C2QcjYJGH89aW_4OKE1FJ/s1600/IMG_9488.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5ske5ZR4xwMAkaphLcipd7V5n8Uu8noih_T0hLnNzyp6gjoAjs1xMr7tfGJ1qz50weyDZyLzH-dt0bBjL1I0Pxx1nKQKDeGAicfBnY-U4iBU6GaJR4YzDn8C2QcjYJGH89aW_4OKE1FJ/s1600/IMG_9488.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I forgot this guy's name.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLg6o17_p3bNV839ykNvlBmM24uf0Md7fQCplhx_Y7sZIPuDVwzh2xlA5PCXH3dHerA5Qzs529944RFi_Xd_Imn2kZb2GnPucugBLVIr9S4A3ie7OJW74gS-hLfydmz1ypy9gBEHpBqRXt/s1600/IMG_9516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLg6o17_p3bNV839ykNvlBmM24uf0Md7fQCplhx_Y7sZIPuDVwzh2xlA5PCXH3dHerA5Qzs529944RFi_Xd_Imn2kZb2GnPucugBLVIr9S4A3ie7OJW74gS-hLfydmz1ypy9gBEHpBqRXt/s1600/IMG_9516.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Henry</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhftTfcmSzxq9q2VO06gpotkEMdtUoc5Kkfb-AMwk2SVYiqGLoaEoSn6ys6wf3X9IanUTMXCMob0ilFNMOzwFh_hz0iExHzJ3f9YJvpgzRYAk5ZpOFjauZvOxPOwy8ISxno5OAZ3WqT5CSv/s1600/IMG_9520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhftTfcmSzxq9q2VO06gpotkEMdtUoc5Kkfb-AMwk2SVYiqGLoaEoSn6ys6wf3X9IanUTMXCMob0ilFNMOzwFh_hz0iExHzJ3f9YJvpgzRYAk5ZpOFjauZvOxPOwy8ISxno5OAZ3WqT5CSv/s1600/IMG_9520.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">His name was Maurice or something, and he was only four months old!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Lastly, this trip reminded me of a brilliant web series, "Ask a Slave." It's based on real questions that were asked by visitors at George Washington's Mount Vernon while actress Azie Mira Dungey worked there as a living history character. Check it out below:<br />
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<script type="text/javascript" src="http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script></div>designingthenesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15826857219483229928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494688618241942645.post-14114450376404670032014-09-04T20:38:00.003-07:002014-09-05T05:29:12.004-07:00Atlanta Historical House Tour: Swan House<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This week, on one of my days off from <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/vampire-diaries-adds-unexpected-character-719064" target="_blank">shooting</a>, I reunited with an old BFF from 7th grade, who happened to be visiting her parents in Atlanta. Having first bonded over having the same first name and a mutual obsession for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranoid:_A_Chant" target="_blank">Steven King</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Time-Mysteries-Unknown-Complete-33-Volume/dp/B0028SP8RM" target="_blank">alien abduction stories</a>, we went on many super-fun adventures together throughout our childhood and teens (blackberry-picking, long treks through suburbia, exploring New York City, wandering the halls of the Met). </div>
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I was super excited to embark upon some exploration of Atlanta together Now That We Are Grown! Since she's also a design enthusiast, we decided to check out the 33-acre-large Atlanta History Center, where the historical gem The Swan House is located. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiN0GURd5KaJOeabVNB-Iz6OHSjqvVjfveqntSLpYItsAHFK_Gtikjnfv9CCzh_kUv739L6Hr7-mMXTHv4ZTMjcrynvpCOGYG9T-QOtqaM4ngn-S8uPqTAHQk5zMgHTBMRVOptV_MBgVgZ/s1600/IMG_9439.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiN0GURd5KaJOeabVNB-Iz6OHSjqvVjfveqntSLpYItsAHFK_Gtikjnfv9CCzh_kUv739L6Hr7-mMXTHv4ZTMjcrynvpCOGYG9T-QOtqaM4ngn-S8uPqTAHQk5zMgHTBMRVOptV_MBgVgZ/s1600/IMG_9439.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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The Swan House is a perfectly preserved house built in 1928 for the Inman family, designed by Atlanta-based architect Phillip Trammell Schutze. It's basically a time capsule that allows us to see what it was like to live in some pretty fancy digs in the 1920s and '30s. </div>
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The grand entrance has a stunning winding staircase for one to make a grand entrance Norma Desmond-style, and some classic black and white tiled floors.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWKwj5Do_4z0XSB_oo4sELOTzWUMIfXyZ4dbuYKjm3dBtDPBsHOcIHnYyntCLcGqiqvBFg0B_LGEQjS9wGqfD5yuQBBMGv6xzbrRZrjiJfhxs4uykDe_WH2T7Tix3tM_peIvG7z7cm6nts/s1600/IMG_9441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWKwj5Do_4z0XSB_oo4sELOTzWUMIfXyZ4dbuYKjm3dBtDPBsHOcIHnYyntCLcGqiqvBFg0B_LGEQjS9wGqfD5yuQBBMGv6xzbrRZrjiJfhxs4uykDe_WH2T7Tix3tM_peIvG7z7cm6nts/s1600/IMG_9441.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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The dining room was pretty stunning. The wallpaper was hand-painted Chinoiserie-style - basically the original inspiration for my lust for <a href="http://designingthenest.blogspot.com/2013/04/diy-framed-vintage-wallpaper.html" target="_blank">this type of thing</a> in Domino Magazine and my <a href="http://designingthenest.blogspot.com/2013/04/diy-framed-vintage-wallpaper.html" target="_blank">mounted wallpaper project</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjus3bSquzC2rWEcNjhn_VqLJsyYlELEUl8OY0_QSW3FhjYIKtXButl1m7IuqaV5XhDCj2Evg5J5Uf6QDN2IliMvDHKqwAgUpgubaB7nut2vsKbUod2A4LxA39P1RdoEzlbTBOskPhlcJXR/s1600/IMG_9442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjus3bSquzC2rWEcNjhn_VqLJsyYlELEUl8OY0_QSW3FhjYIKtXButl1m7IuqaV5XhDCj2Evg5J5Uf6QDN2IliMvDHKqwAgUpgubaB7nut2vsKbUod2A4LxA39P1RdoEzlbTBOskPhlcJXR/s1600/IMG_9442.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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It was pretty cool to see the original thing up close...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt-WSlHT0aBTDgOuhQC0y2qTJsUuxCYbP8km4dk9PO56C2gTEtzSFYBrfKvkTjRILShDVwP22OlBJZijvs6lVh6MXSlj6r8spfZzPQadwKOLnp_JPuLGV2-FbSnLeSflMlCdiqEHu3nsHO/s1600/IMG_9444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt-WSlHT0aBTDgOuhQC0y2qTJsUuxCYbP8km4dk9PO56C2gTEtzSFYBrfKvkTjRILShDVwP22OlBJZijvs6lVh6MXSlj6r8spfZzPQadwKOLnp_JPuLGV2-FbSnLeSflMlCdiqEHu3nsHO/s1600/IMG_9444.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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...and personal.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz2QTSzp02SvVsgNP1rqDpNNcOGkpPlbnjvX372D2q3PWb6J_F2OsTBw3Mj_NYNuzpe-T01BTMjxYDTDc4ZutAc9GMyhW5HND-ky0eo135fSPFhz1TJvHAnRHw-75-p4NwkVV9fySh6rVe/s1600/IMG_9446.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz2QTSzp02SvVsgNP1rqDpNNcOGkpPlbnjvX372D2q3PWb6J_F2OsTBw3Mj_NYNuzpe-T01BTMjxYDTDc4ZutAc9GMyhW5HND-ky0eo135fSPFhz1TJvHAnRHw-75-p4NwkVV9fySh6rVe/s1600/IMG_9446.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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Next, <a href="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/08/05/article-2384753-1586D29E000005DC-787_634x416.jpg" target="_blank">Mrs. Patmore's</a> kitchen:<br />
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As much as I love vintage, I'll stick with a modern kitchen and a sub-zero fridge, thank you very much.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiN_18Isp75MjvjrPQxiCrwliv-1XlFzrmX7cjH93KzQUnpVinjCjKJsMBL1Twmk96ocGPhva1pvO27kEgO4-5-WinyiR9y5clGjGmmDL207Zs4uT94by8N9FsNvgu3KPbrbvChZXSENbm/s1600/IMG_9449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiN_18Isp75MjvjrPQxiCrwliv-1XlFzrmX7cjH93KzQUnpVinjCjKJsMBL1Twmk96ocGPhva1pvO27kEgO4-5-WinyiR9y5clGjGmmDL207Zs4uT94by8N9FsNvgu3KPbrbvChZXSENbm/s1600/IMG_9449.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No thanks.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">I mean, imagine the sour milk! Blech. Upstairs, the master bedroom...</span></div>
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Not really my style, way too floral and dainty for modern tastes, but beautiful nonetheless.<br />
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They even had bonafide detailed touches like this vintage talcum powder tin.<br />
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The view from the top...<br />
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Back downstairs, the parlour...LOVE those mint green walls!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7nxTc0ikT6dYIx3KqVv4RwCjI9a9BV4XqCbdAQV9yLUV8O3qfXAs3rYgn8k6Qh2lzJLPJe-TEtmlTgXsvE-cEtbE7qy6FJSCo9wnbNY3JJubphjI6youPzpHtkPfwD80zKoXkibLfpSz/s1600/IMG_9465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7nxTc0ikT6dYIx3KqVv4RwCjI9a9BV4XqCbdAQV9yLUV8O3qfXAs3rYgn8k6Qh2lzJLPJe-TEtmlTgXsvE-cEtbE7qy6FJSCo9wnbNY3JJubphjI6youPzpHtkPfwD80zKoXkibLfpSz/s1600/IMG_9465.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Doesn't it sort of remind you of Lord and Lady Grantham's walls from Downton Abbey? Down to the Persian rug!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga5eaDhcIhjXqFxndDwWdcASbuoIXksCnzvoX6n09wG-F7Xp-6XzuKos-ELcCL-GZM4joqSvlHzziy5tAQvvTQRrfQ8WnsokA_rpp4OH-XkXCL9YfGOEqzDrfaoABkiurG_QBCwwkzi0I/s1600/Interiors_1296430782478.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga5eaDhcIhjXqFxndDwWdcASbuoIXksCnzvoX6n09wG-F7Xp-6XzuKos-ELcCL-GZM4joqSvlHzziy5tAQvvTQRrfQ8WnsokA_rpp4OH-XkXCL9YfGOEqzDrfaoABkiurG_QBCwwkzi0I/s1600/Interiors_1296430782478.png" height="434" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Downton Abbey set interior</td></tr>
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The study...a decidedly darker, more masculine feel. Lots of deep colors, wood walls, books, and serious-looking portraits. Definitely the kind of place you can discuss serious <strike>Downton</strike> matters such as who owns what farm shares, and how heirs of fortunes should spend their money.<br />
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Outdoors in the garden, some pretty statues to entertain you on a stroll with your lover...</div>
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And of course, the magnificent cascading fountain view...<br />
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Look familiar? That's 'cause it was used as a movie location for <i>The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.</i></div>
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Wanna live in a place like this someday?</div>
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<a href="http://thedc-group.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/effie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://thedc-group.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/effie.jpg" height="240" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/" class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal">Pin It</a>
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script></div>designingthenesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15826857219483229928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494688618241942645.post-17152644321143064382014-07-30T18:37:00.000-07:002014-07-31T12:24:47.077-07:00Blog Tour: My Writing ProcessMy fellow lover of poetry and sister of salsa y merengue <a href="http://www.junipersupadupa.com/2014/07/07/my-writing-process-blog-tour/" target="_blank">Jennifer Cenda<span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20.22222328186035px;">ñ</span>a Armas</a> invited me to join her on a "blog tour": Basically, each writer answers four questions about their writing process and then passes on the baton to two more writers the following week.<br />
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Well....I kinda dropped the baton the last few weeks given all the recent <a href="http://designingthenest.blogspot.com/2014/07/georgia-on-my-mind.html" target="_blank">changes</a> (oopsies!), but now that I'm holed up in my hotel and fighting some sort of sinus infection, it seems to be the perfect time to finally pick that sucka back up. I was never good at relay races where you have to pass on a baton, even when I ran track for like a semester in high school before quitting in favor of watching Duck Tales at home after school because the dumb coach was so mean.</div>
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a2/ScroogeWithNephews.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a2/ScroogeWithNephews.jpg" height="308" width="400" /></a></div>
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I've been grappling with writer's block the last, oh, year or so...but maybe this will jumpstart my engine.</div>
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<b><u>What are you working on?</u></b></div>
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Multiple things. I have a feature-length rom-com that's been sitting on my desktop for a year in its ninth incarnation, a sitcom pilot in its early seed stages, a web series that I'm co-writing with <a href="http://saraamini.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">this</a> talented lady, a fiction novel that hasn't been touched in five years, a few short film scripts, and this blog about creating home. Ba-dum-bum. Non-writing wise, I've been working on <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/vampire-diaries-adds-unexpected-character-719064" target="_blank">television</a>. But since this blog is the only one that I can actually say I've been working on with regularity (and even that is debatable), I'll focus on this. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB3TJXaVCPqZN4kFwMsweNsgGdy1-WxIb4sX96SGPx-29k0z9CcOwRHMsPSUwv7d8yUKmBnRRWfItT5SBcqlVB3k1d6S3kzcbFpkKDUIY2K0IhN3-1x7VkfqqBeAnMcGarEIJgWtQvdu0W/s1600/photo+3+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB3TJXaVCPqZN4kFwMsweNsgGdy1-WxIb4sX96SGPx-29k0z9CcOwRHMsPSUwv7d8yUKmBnRRWfItT5SBcqlVB3k1d6S3kzcbFpkKDUIY2K0IhN3-1x7VkfqqBeAnMcGarEIJgWtQvdu0W/s1600/photo+3+%25281%2529.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">work.</td></tr>
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<b><u>How does your work differ from others' work in the same genre?</u></b></div>
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A lot of home design bloggers focus just on decor, interior renovations, style, or on DIY crafts. My blogging is more a reflection of whatever happens to be going on in my life - whether it's reupholstering a chair, battling rodents in the garden, getting married, lusting after a chair, shooting a commercial, or feeling homesick. I also don't really write for an audience; the OCD in me just likes to compulsively document how I reupholster things or how lush my farmer's market bounty looks. Sometimes my blog is less about home decor and more about creating a space called home, whether it's <a href="http://designingthenest.blogspot.com/2013/06/life-is-in-details.html" target="_blank">real</a> or only in <i>ze <a href="http://designingthenest.blogspot.com/2014/07/georgia-on-my-mind.html" target="_blank">mind</a>.</i></div>
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<b><u>Why do you write what you do?</u></b></div>
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Because I have to. Because if I don't, something inside me starts to feel stale, sick, commercial. Because I have dreams where I live in a beautiful place. Because I want fruit trees. Because sometimes I have to remind myself. Because there was only Joy Luck Club and Amy Tan when I was growing up, and I always choose worst quality crab. Because I'm obsessed with before vs. after. Because there's only so much I can <i>say</i> say.</div>
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<b><u>How does your writing process work?</u></b></div>
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When it's creative writing, once on a roll, I can't stop. I'll sit there for hours, I won't eat (the only time <i>ever</i> this is true), I will hold my pee in until the absolute last minute. I don't have much structure or process, I just write write write. Throw it all up on the page. And then, I'll take a break, and come back to it with editor eyes, and just keep whittling and whittling away at it until it starts to take shape. Kinda like an ice sculpture!</div>
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With this blog, I tend to get inspired by whatever furniture/house-thing/design-related stuff I tend to be obsessing over at the moment. I'll go to an estate sale or the Rose Bowl and see a beautiful antique mirror or an old Nintendo game, or I'll refurbish a dresser, or our glass coffee table will shatter into a million shards and I'll go scouting for a new one (true story). I'll snap some pics, I'll whip it up, and voila, it's up on the Internet for all the world to see. There's an audience potentially, but I don't know if they're watching. And in the end, who cares? There's something refreshingly instant and unplanned and unretractable about it, and it's mine.</div>
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<b><u>Who's up next?</u></b></div>
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Uhhhh...I'm not sure. I didn't really plan so far in advance, okay? Who are you, the writing police?! Oh, you are? My bad. Perhaps my friends who are reading this? Huh? I'm kidding. You really don't have to. But do so if you'd like to.</div>
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<script type="text/javascript" src="http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script></div>designingthenesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15826857219483229928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494688618241942645.post-6692396459777665362014-07-20T14:59:00.001-07:002014-07-20T14:59:22.259-07:00Georgia on My MindAs I mentioned in my last post, I'm temporarily hanging out in Atlanta for work. I'm only shooting on certain days, which means I've got a looooot of time on my hands. I don't know many people in this city, and the one friend I had here <a href="http://www.deadline.com/2014/06/own-sets-cast-for-new-tyler-perry-drama-series-if-loving-you-is-wrong/" target="_blank">working on another TV show</a> just left to go home to LA today. The past few days have been filled with a lot of <strike>lonely</strike> me time, which is always good for the soul. Right? Right.<br />
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It's taken me about a week to get used to calling a hotel home. Don't get me wrong. I love room service, and I love housekeeping. I love the pool with food and beverage service, I love the spa, and I love the brand-new gym, stocked with cold towels and green apples and free headphones and water. I feel so absolutely spoiled. I'm ecstatic that I'm here. But maybe it's the germaphobe in me - I can't help but think about how many sticky fingers have touched the remote control! Plus, when it comes down to it, I'm away from <i>home</i> home, which, when you've got a loving husband and two furry kitties there waiting for you, is...well, hard. So I'm trying to refocus my germaphobic energy toward exploring this amazing city, and trying to build a little temporary home space for myself out here, even if it resides only in the mind.<br />
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Atlanta is <i>bawse</i>. It contains glimpses of cities I've known and loved and lived in: New York and Chicago, as well as the South, obviously, plus a healthy dash of Portland. The Southern food here has really blown me away, as well as the general friendliness of people. Here are some moments that made me at "home" in my mind.<br />
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<b>High Museum of Art</b><br />
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The High Museum currently has a really cool outdoor design installation called "Mi Casa Your House." Basically, it's a bunch of red hammocks on a very green lawn! When I walked up, I just made a beeline straight for a hammock and spent the next half hour, swinging. This reminded me a lot of LACMA's outdoor installations in Los Angeles.<br />
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Inside the museum, I saw a Mary Cassatt painting that immediately brought back the feeling for me of my shoes echoing as I walk around The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC - my favorite place to go on days when I was <strike>cutting school </strike>hanging around in New York City before I ever lived there. I have the best fuzzy memories of high school field trips where somehow we were all left to our own devices to wander the grand galleries of the Met, staring at paintings, sketching our own, and walking around the Upper East Side.<br />
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This Hopper painting and the similar one below it gave me a Cape Cod-y, mid-Atlantic vibe -- those marine blues and whites, that coastal breeze -- a nice feeling when you're feeling hot and muggy in the South.<br />
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<b>Georgia Aquarium</b><br />
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Exploring the aquarium by myself, surrounded by hundreds of kids, reminded me of my time in Chicago, when I was working with these awesome refugee kids from Uptown. I brought them everywhere I could in the city that was fun and enriching and kid-friendly, and I have great memories of them oohing and aaahing at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.<br />
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<b>Piedmont Park</b><br />
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Two words: Central Park.<br />
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<script type="text/javascript" src="http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script></div>designingthenesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15826857219483229928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494688618241942645.post-11376556282519165722014-07-19T13:27:00.002-07:002014-07-19T14:18:57.642-07:00Homemade Granola<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Ahoy! I'm in Atlanta working on a TV show right now - and more about that soon - but now that I'm living in a hotel away from my home in Los Angeles, I've been thinking more than ever about the perks of having a kitchen at your disposal.</div>
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Store-bought granola is so damn expensive and never all that tasty, so I've recently started making my own granola and giving it out as gifts. It's super easy and can totally be customized to whatever you happen to have in your cupboards. I based my granola loosely on a mashup of this recipe from <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/11/smitten-kitchens-big-cluster-maple-granola.html" target="_blank">Smitten Kitchen</a> and this recipe from author <a href="http://blog.heidischulzbooks.com/2011/08/how-to-make-healthy-and-clumpy-granola/" target="_blank">Heidi Schulz</a>. </div>
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For those who've been thinking about making their own granola - do it! I'm not much of a baker or a cook, and I can't be bothered with time-consuming or difficult recipes, but this one was easy as pie and well worth it. All I knew was that I wanted yummy granola, and to use the large amounts of coconut flakes, coconut oil, and pumpkin seeds I had in the cupboard.</div>
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First, I threw all the ingredients (rolled oats, coconut flakes, almonds, pumpkin seeds, dried blueberries, dried apples, cinnamon, and salt) in a big bowl and mixed them up:</div>
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Then, in another bowl I beat egg whites (this is key to making it clumpy!) and mixed in grade B maple syrup, vanilla, and coconut oil before distributing it thoroughly in the dry mixture.<br />
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Then I lined a baking sheet with parchment paper and pressed it into a big ol' donut shape, to ensure each section got toasty...<br />
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...and threw that in the oven for about 45 minutes at 300 degrees, 'til the edges started to get a little golden and crunchalicious.<br />
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The problem with homemade granola is that it doesn't cluster as well as store-bought granola, but check out these babies! The egg white trick really does seem to work!<br />
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Kept some for myself...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVLz0fW6aWkLpiqq6LzRr9U4J3PuNLetPHQEhrfRnyeDIcQweH62CbbqqqAwBFpNxzB-N56tousiNtJERBgsnF7W_4BJ3MlAfsyWxke_zOMnSUwtZyELUbDyEmycYByHAPjjUCcqB5Ffyl/s1600/IMG_8010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVLz0fW6aWkLpiqq6LzRr9U4J3PuNLetPHQEhrfRnyeDIcQweH62CbbqqqAwBFpNxzB-N56tousiNtJERBgsnF7W_4BJ3MlAfsyWxke_zOMnSUwtZyELUbDyEmycYByHAPjjUCcqB5Ffyl/s1600/IMG_8010.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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...and distributed the rest in repurposed jars. This is an old Bonne Maman preserves jar.<br />
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My first feeble attempt at packaging a granola gift...a big ol' nope!</div>
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My <a href="http://theactorsdiet.com/2014/05/30/whats-new-pussycat-10/" target="_blank">first batch went out</a> to my twinsie actress/blogger friend, Lynn, of <a href="http://theactorsdiet.com/" target="_blank">The Actor's Diet</a>.<br />
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Then, I decided to <strike>man</strike> woman up and just buy some Ball mason jars at the new Orchard Hardware down the street...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVOnEZx71dyagChV5JfoZ5xowZ9g2fXOtSO-XvLoq5ZwFqb-xBy1Liz0Bxx7ux4oQ3tTdA0TzbZF4e7Uz0Az4r9IpvznIfKdOl1nFauvSIjnWVQ42I-LfMBRY1AcbGG8BDLkQMvDREKBYg/s1600/IMG_8334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVOnEZx71dyagChV5JfoZ5xowZ9g2fXOtSO-XvLoq5ZwFqb-xBy1Liz0Bxx7ux4oQ3tTdA0TzbZF4e7Uz0Az4r9IpvznIfKdOl1nFauvSIjnWVQ42I-LfMBRY1AcbGG8BDLkQMvDREKBYg/s1600/IMG_8334.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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...which made the whole gift packaging thing a lot cuter.<br />
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<div>
And off they went! I love giving unexpected homemade gifts to friends, especially something they can eat for breakfast.<br />
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<u>Homemade Clustery Granola </u><br />
(A Mashup of Smitten Kitchen's Big Cluster Maple Granola & Heidi Schulz's Clumpy Granola)<br />
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1 cups rolled oats<br />
1 tsp cinnamon<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
1/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes<br />
2 tbsp coconut oil<br />
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds<br />
1/2 cup almond slivers & whole almonds<br />
1/3 cup grade B maple syrup (or honey)<br />
2 egg whites, beaten<br />
1/4 cup dried blueberries (or whatever you have on hand)<br />
handful of dried apples (or whatever you have on hand)<br />
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Preheat oven to 300<span style="color: #173959; font-family: 'Droid Sans', 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">°. </span>Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites til frothy, then add in oil, egg whites, maple syrup, and vanilla.<br />
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Pour the wet ingredients into the large bowl and mix thoroughly, ensuring everything is well coated.<br />
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Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and split mixture evenly between the 2. Spread evenly and press down firmly into a thin donut-shaped single layer with a spatula (this prevents an uncooked middle).<br />
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Bake in the oven for roughly 45-55 minutes. When it is golden brown on the edges and dry to the touch, remove and allow to cool. Gently break up granola into whatever size clusters delight you.<br />
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Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks, if it lasts that long. Serve alone or over yogurt with fruit. For me, one batch only lasted me about five days because I just wanted to eat granola, breakfast, lunch, and dinner.</div>
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<script type="text/javascript" src="http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script></div>designingthenesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15826857219483229928noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4494688618241942645.post-24646278517783098922014-07-09T16:41:00.000-07:002014-07-09T16:55:29.017-07:00Vintage Tea Cup TerrariumAs I promised last post, here's what I did with those dollar succulents I picked up from the Melrose Trading Post last week.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBJY2CUDJDUAHRGxDZW8DfH4OfLxalqWSlvcgKnc1chOsmG-v3CurZ6VX-PRyitopFRomJJQ_U1i1vcpF_URvk6ktMPPkiE6q_As3iydUDerdRdJcZul-Nu9ZA9neWKQtECl9MySiNudC/s1600/IMG_8319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBJY2CUDJDUAHRGxDZW8DfH4OfLxalqWSlvcgKnc1chOsmG-v3CurZ6VX-PRyitopFRomJJQ_U1i1vcpF_URvk6ktMPPkiE6q_As3iydUDerdRdJcZul-Nu9ZA9neWKQtECl9MySiNudC/s1600/IMG_8319.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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So it all goes back to the last time I was visiting my parents in New Jersey, I promised to clean out their basement for them. In an old, dusty box, I found the dinnerware set that I grew up eating off of as a little kid:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXuhwHwgylo3omvKSUR35yrqS_oXc9uxRnTfjJSxSGEdCkjFUQyWXod39mSMCyU6V7ZgssXc4XYIyu76m4SiBX8re7RPaTujdsLt2cwDv6q0qGkh2JyinZEXj5SWGLV28a-muJ_GhZOnmk/s1600/IMG_7375.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXuhwHwgylo3omvKSUR35yrqS_oXc9uxRnTfjJSxSGEdCkjFUQyWXod39mSMCyU6V7ZgssXc4XYIyu76m4SiBX8re7RPaTujdsLt2cwDv6q0qGkh2JyinZEXj5SWGLV28a-muJ_GhZOnmk/s1600/IMG_7375.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_bnjYppOzDwtrnthSbjVKUcCGqtYce4ykA5ylhpEazV2JdJXq15rhO1L4HPj9NzViiZpAh1aBGhbveTpoZ9mHs-xu2gD6bJqhOgAfIH7QDoBJgKWxfOTCGOh8FGoJYvSzd8mAc6-XgQmG/s1600/IMG_7373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_bnjYppOzDwtrnthSbjVKUcCGqtYce4ykA5ylhpEazV2JdJXq15rhO1L4HPj9NzViiZpAh1aBGhbveTpoZ9mHs-xu2gD6bJqhOgAfIH7QDoBJgKWxfOTCGOh8FGoJYvSzd8mAc6-XgQmG/s1600/IMG_7373.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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I remember many a plate of spaghetti bolognese served on these plates on a Sunday night after Chinese school. Turns out this china is Myott/Staffordshire's discontinued Finlandia line, manufactured in 1982 in England.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Hkc3rFTjL76mTU7BeAZRCLK1OwOuYlpT0YaORd1AAscMImuIoqK1weMxCWaGALdhmlg8IZ3bQ9aBBKyu1STrq2mztAA-9pL7m5v31qvB598KJ4qQlLsero-s7bg6tT6UUvxYXK6BTUKY/s1600/IMG_8321.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Hkc3rFTjL76mTU7BeAZRCLK1OwOuYlpT0YaORd1AAscMImuIoqK1weMxCWaGALdhmlg8IZ3bQ9aBBKyu1STrq2mztAA-9pL7m5v31qvB598KJ4qQlLsero-s7bg6tT6UUvxYXK6BTUKY/s1600/IMG_8321.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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As you may remember, it's the little old lady in me that <a href="http://designingthenest.blogspot.com/2012/07/1-treasure-hunt.html" target="_blank">can't turn up an old tea cup</a> that was made in England, Japan, or basically anywhere but America or China (unless it's like, old China china). Sadly, cleaning means getting rid of stuff, so I donated the whole set to Big Brothers Big Sisters, in hope that someone will need a beautiful set of dishes to eat off of. In the meantime, there's such nostalgia for me when I look at the print...it's just such a gorgeous hue of blue on white.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4MgUIJsgt0vo9xqhNJLi6bLqzdGoQfzja4_r5_zoJUXXTCeLaO_WcujVpCRuDgWBW5CRCMOZhH5bBwwhlnxhhEWB3AlmPzIE7GdqAryeo8_3Dc3AVWvNoonXK2Qc6SJ8CiqkYTnT8iZEF/s1600/IMG_7374.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4MgUIJsgt0vo9xqhNJLi6bLqzdGoQfzja4_r5_zoJUXXTCeLaO_WcujVpCRuDgWBW5CRCMOZhH5bBwwhlnxhhEWB3AlmPzIE7GdqAryeo8_3Dc3AVWvNoonXK2Qc6SJ8CiqkYTnT8iZEF/s1600/IMG_7374.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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I stared many hours at that sugar bowl on our breakfast table, and though my parents rarely used cream in their coffee or tea, we used it on nice occasions. As a kid, I remember thinking that cluster pattern on top looked like weird grapes. And it looks like I'm also not the only person who has an appreciation for this pattern. Blogger Anne Marie, who runs the site <a href="http://thriftyamos.com/">Thriftyamos.com</a> did a whole <a href="http://www.thriftyamos.com/tag/myott-finlandia/" target="_blank">post</a> on how lovely the Myott Finlandia is...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEvEdrAuF1PWaW-bYHcvfyGt-RzReSsKgwz4CN8tJOqw5CTwVc5AvHA5NUN5DtOrEeK1PJzlyFXFOwAybR17X_JEsXHIUnwDSXkCCTrYPGIWUis19qstEchV1YfGB1YksmvWU5rS6AhUz6/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-07-09+at+4.12.49+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEvEdrAuF1PWaW-bYHcvfyGt-RzReSsKgwz4CN8tJOqw5CTwVc5AvHA5NUN5DtOrEeK1PJzlyFXFOwAybR17X_JEsXHIUnwDSXkCCTrYPGIWUis19qstEchV1YfGB1YksmvWU5rS6AhUz6/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-07-09+at+4.12.49+PM.png" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From Thriftyamos.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And check out what seller Botanicalgems made <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/185211364/2-tier-myott-finlandia-jewelry-holder?ref=market" target="_blank">for sale on Etsy</a> from an original Myott tea set:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGeVP3DmcYxzgqv5M3zlTsXkFCiPfwspiOp_q2Dt6132c2cllucI6CgmpjjnokYq1BDGoIY_mauKRAbdKf2ckDi8cmaDBHa2riukQuEZrc_dQpRAHTAmjYXhFgHer4TKatuU_N3KfrvK3V/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-07-09+at+4.02.47+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGeVP3DmcYxzgqv5M3zlTsXkFCiPfwspiOp_q2Dt6132c2cllucI6CgmpjjnokYq1BDGoIY_mauKRAbdKf2ckDi8cmaDBHa2riukQuEZrc_dQpRAHTAmjYXhFgHer4TKatuU_N3KfrvK3V/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-07-09+at+4.02.47+PM.png" height="640" width="578" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/185211364/2-tier-myott-finlandia-jewelry-holder?ref=market" target="_blank">Botanicalgems</a> on Etsy.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
A pretty awesome jewelry holder!<br />
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Had I found that image before I donated all our dishes, I would've kept them and made my own jewelry dishes with them. Or at least sold them on eBay...looks like I could've fetched a couple hundred bucks at the going rate. D'oh!<br />
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But alas, old dishes must go, and actors must fly to Los Angeles with carry-on luggage, which means...I saved four pieces from charity. Yes, four of these tea cups were wrapped in underwear and sweaters and stuffed in my suitcase and flown across the country.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkj6T-NeWykrnNuCMDBG6-DDizLdIh3c-NyFdSPj-jSux3QpiTRyMf8FStxh1lKnYxGkltDYX9EDoTRH-qYDMflhp-_pYpuOte1NgryJUcEjkarGCwvH_5I8rSo3_9zdb5rRaA11S57O69/s1600/IMG_8320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkj6T-NeWykrnNuCMDBG6-DDizLdIh3c-NyFdSPj-jSux3QpiTRyMf8FStxh1lKnYxGkltDYX9EDoTRH-qYDMflhp-_pYpuOte1NgryJUcEjkarGCwvH_5I8rSo3_9zdb5rRaA11S57O69/s1600/IMG_8320.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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Not pictured above is the sugar bowl. Just looking at these makes me happy, but I rarely drink from teacups like that. So I decided to repurpose them in a way that I know<a href="http://designingthenest.blogspot.com/2012/10/succulent-bites.html" target="_blank"> all too well</a>...<br />
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Just grabbed some basic potting soil and added some perlite...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0INS2S3qwCKYxMBZrWDz95I4-abUEX2UYgbfmIgemRB9XBoa02tPDwF0qVGVN-gIdqKjN6kQVeKmp3YzYXXicBmTRsnzk6IYjehqGl2YAqMT3jeJgGvaizOfnFXpDX-WM9hjtbyCki21/s1600/IMG_8322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0INS2S3qwCKYxMBZrWDz95I4-abUEX2UYgbfmIgemRB9XBoa02tPDwF0qVGVN-gIdqKjN6kQVeKmp3YzYXXicBmTRsnzk6IYjehqGl2YAqMT3jeJgGvaizOfnFXpDX-WM9hjtbyCki21/s1600/IMG_8322.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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...and mixed these suckers up, topped with some pretty white rock and sand.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ki8gg5uwIPKd-XUdbZl9IJG6XWBWXkbFyRUXqL2f2qMGxioNH_M1GfOsihezq1_8tJSzTgAzAZ7CkxK0HZsOkCZuLNhdWSScLVnvDFTlUlj1f7hrIuL_ApRD9BU4cn-86fM3smnQpUpG/s1600/IMG_8325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ki8gg5uwIPKd-XUdbZl9IJG6XWBWXkbFyRUXqL2f2qMGxioNH_M1GfOsihezq1_8tJSzTgAzAZ7CkxK0HZsOkCZuLNhdWSScLVnvDFTlUlj1f7hrIuL_ApRD9BU4cn-86fM3smnQpUpG/s1600/IMG_8325.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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Here's a close up of one of them, sitting pretty on my cluttered kitchen window sill.<br />
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I'll give a couple away as gifts and keep the other two so that I can think of my childhood while I do the dishes.<br />
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