Great Danes

Had a chance to stay in the adorable Landsby Hotel in Solvang, California, a weird adorable little Danish town nestled in Santa Ynez Valley (of Sideways fame) that was settled by Danish pioneers in 1911.

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.

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!

The hotel is decked out with some seriously gorgeous design choices. Check out the waiting area by the check-in desk:

Love that bench! The hotel bar...

Small tile details on the stairs...

The restaurant/breakfast room:

...and the gorgeous lobby:

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:



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).

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:

Who wants a horse-drawn carriage ride? How about a trolley ride? No? How about a horse-drawn trolley ride? (Has anyone called the ASPCA about this?)

Last but certainly not least were these delicious Danish pancakes with Danish sausages and cinnamon-spiced apples from the historic Paula's Pancake House. If you go, make sure to go early, or else expect to wait in line.

High/Low Style

They should make blinders for Target like they do for carriage horses; that way I wouldn't go in needing to buy paper towels and walk out 2 hours later with 3 shirts, a new pair of shoes, towels, a yoga mat, and 2 DVDs (sans paper towels).

I'm not into politics. I'm into survival.

I can't help myself...Target is just so full of damn cute stuff. Particularly fun is when they have guest designers or curators--high-end brands who do a collaboration with Target to cater to the masses. Do 40-year-old moms in middle America care about Prabal Gurung or Derek Lam? Probably not. Do I? Who knows. All I know is that on my last quick Target trip to buy cat food right before the holiday season, I got very distracted by a silver Marc Jacobs pouch purse, a Diane Von Furstenberg dress, Band of Outsiders cookie cutters, for Pete's sake, a Derek Lam skateboard, and what we've all been waiting for, an Oscar de la Renta pet bowl.

I was somehow able to walk out without buying any of these things, but this caught my eye this week:

Target's partnering with modern furniture designer Blu Dot to create TOO, an affordable line of furniture for plebes like us! Granted, Blu Dot isn't prohibitively expensive for good-quality craftsmanship, but it does hover slightly above the levels that I can easily dole out money for. Not everything is a clear hit in the line, but there are enough cute things in their line that it's worth taking a second look.

For example, I love the bright yellow and dove grey on this TOO lounger, and the clean lines of the steel against the blocky cushion. It's a mere $220 (on sale from $299). Beat that, Ikea!

And how about this sideboard? I'm loving the whitened birch and the aqua sliding door. Again, so clean and simple, and only $225 on sale (regularly $299). We coud use this in our entry way by the front door.

Once I get rid of the huge monster of an '80s desk in my office, I'd love to have something bright and bold like this steel yellow TOO table. Nothing like a pop of color to fix my home decor humdrums. It's only $245 (on sale from $349). Imagine all the novels I'd write if I had this color desk to sit at to drum up my creativity.

Compare this to a similar table that's a graphic pop of color on Blu Dot's site that's currently going for $699.

I currently hate our living room couches and am dreaming up my next sofa, which I want to be modern and simple, yet comfortable. I love the clean, modern lines of this TOO couch. Very mid-century mod. Can't you just picture it in Don Draper's office? This baby is only $449! Unheard of outside of Ikea.

And compare it to a similar Blu Dot couch (not on Target), at regular price: $1,699. I think I might actually prefer the Target version's design (though the Blu Dot one looks slightly more comfy).

 This TOO trio accent table is uber cute at $75 (normally $99)...

...and reminiscent in design (though not as beautiful) to a trio table being sold on Blu Dot's site for $400:

 I LOVE this TOO office chair. It's like R2D2 lived in the Mad Men era ($220, normally $299):

I also love its unpadded cousin in walnut ($180, normally $249). So sleek and clean and modern, yet warm with its wood tones:

Here is his fancier (and arguably prettier) cousin on the Blu Dot site, going for $799:

These TOO pieces are only available online via Target.com only, so luckily you can avoid picking up two bathmats, a new dress, stationery, and bulk-size Cheez-its while looking for it in store.

Transforming a Dinosaur: Repainting an Old Dresser

When we moved into our new space, we inherited a bunch of the former tenant's furniture. From what I can gather from the heavy smoke, telltale signs, and her style choices, she was a middle-aged writer who'd written some travel books, chain-smoked something gross, had a penchant for African knick knacks, and had feathered blonde hair.

Most of her stuff went to Goodwill, but being in need of a large desk, a dresser, and a mirror, we were able to keep some of her stuff and save ourselves the cost of having to buy new furniture. Problem was, her style was completely different than mine, so I decided to grease up my elbows and get in touch with my DIY side. First project: the dinosaur of an ancient dresser she left in the bedroom. Originally I'd wanted to donate it, but after the beau mentioned he needed a place for all those socks, I decided to embark on transforming this into something we could actually use. It's solid wood and in decent condition, but needs some major updating.

Here's the original:

yuck

A jaunty adventure to Home Depot--which is always fun, as a woman*--brought me back home with some 80 grit sandpaper, Glidden primer, wood filler, Zinsser oil-based cover stain primer, Floetrol paint conditioner (the values of which I learned from Centsational Girl), Minwax Polycrylic Protectant, a nice quality angled paint brush, and a sponge roller. I thought this would be a fun little 1 day DIY project. Little did I know I was about to embark on a super annoying 5 day journey that would rival the path to Mordor.

*Being a woman at Home Depot makes you into a target for advice from ALL menfolk.

Day 1: I finagle my man to help me carry this behemoth of a dresser out into the garden so I can begin sanding. After lots of huffing about having to move all aforementioned socks into his suitcase, he gallantly helps me haul this dinosaur into the garden so I can have lots of ventilation and work space.

Dinosaurs eat man. Woman inherits the earth. 

Somebody's always watching.

I soon find that I can't remove the hardware because the screws have completely become stripped over time. I end up having to go to nearby Anawalt (which is a lovely hardware store within walking distance...I'll never go back to Home Depot again) to get some tiny screwdrivers and some nose hair pliers.

The taming of the screw

After some help from A. and lots of frustration, I'm able to remove all the metal hardware and get to sanding and priming. Scuff scuff scuff! I then fill the holes with some wood filler.

By then, the sun is setting, so I beg the beau to help me haul this dinosaur of a dresser into the garage. Lucky we do too, because it rains for the first time ever in LA that night. The garage makes for much darker and squishier work space, but at least it's dry. Painting late at night with the garage door open makes me feel super crafty and home-makery.

Day 2: First layer of paint. I decide I've had enough of all the robin's egg blue that's in my life and decide to go with a darker shade of blue/grey. I land on a half-gallon of Glidden's Blue-Grey Slate. My first coat goes on nice and smooth, thanks to Floetrol. But that's when I notice my first mistake. Though I shelled out for a nice paintbrush for my paint, I stupidly decided to save a few bucks for my primer brush. The coarse brush created all sorts of brush stroke lines, which I'd tried to sand, but apparently not too well. They are now showing up underneath the first coat of paint. Argh.

A few hours later, I come back to do the second coat, hoping that it will cover up the primer strokes. No such luck. Ah well. No smooth base for me. I then spend hours taping up the edges of the dresser because I've decided that it would look so cool with some white trim in Glidden Pure White, hoping that when I remove the tape it will magically look awesome.

Day 3: The paint is dry, so I lift up the tape. Doh! The edges are completely a mess!

oh hellll naww

I'd do it again, but by this time we are expecting all sorts of guests, so I have to move forward. The perfectionist in me is grumbling like Marge Simpson. Before I put on the protectant, it's fun time: time to put in the new hardware! First, I need a drill. I think about buying one, but instead borrow one from our friends, Apple-specialist Tom and the ever-awesome Sara, who is also helping to plan our upcoming nuptials. The drill's great but we lack a key to change the chuck. Doh. So at 11 pm, dearest A. drives me over to Home Depot to buy a drill key. When we get back, we find the outlet in the garage doesn't work. So gallant A. helps me haul all the drawers back into the house so I can properly drill holes for the new hardware.

bzzzzzz....

After 3 trials where the drill bit is too small for the hardware screws...Doh! The screws for the new hardware I bought aren't long enough to fit in the damn holes. SERIOUSLY?! By then, it's midnight. So gallant beau hauls all the drawers BACK outside to the garage since real estate appraisers are coming by in the morning.


Day 4: By now, my friends at Anawalt love me, so with their help I buy some new 1.5" screws that will be long enough to fit across the width of the drawers. After an 8 am jaunt to the hardware store, I bring all the drawers back inside and set to drilling the hell out of them. Yay! The hardware fits! A. helps me haul them back out into the garage, and I use the spray-on Minwax Polycrylic for a nice protectant. After all this work, I sure as hell don't want any chipping.

Day 5: After letting the dinosaur dry for a good 24 hours, I haul it all back into the bedroom with the help of my beau. He's getting pretty antsy about having a place for his socks, so this is the fastest I've seen him move over the last few days. I put in the hardware, the drawers get placed in and...ARGH! I missed some major spots! Sections of the dresser that I thought would be hidden behind the drawers are totally in plain view. I end up removing the drawers again and repainting another coat of the Glidden Blue-Grey Slate onto the face of the dresser. After that dries, the perfectionist in me takes over. I can't stand the crooked white trim. So I make another trip to Anawalt to buy some tiny crafting brushes and set to perfecting those crooked white lines and repainting some of the grey-blue.

watch out for pepe le pieu! someone's gonna get painted into a skunk

Finally, after all the trim dries, I place the drawers into the dinosaur. Not bad!

french tulips courtesy valentine's day

Success! Here's the before again:

note dirty pile of rags on top

And here's the after:

note dirty rags replaced by french tulips and chanel

Much more my style! All that work was worth it. And now, we have a nice place to put our socks.