cedar studio

In case you missed the news, we are moving! We are leaving Milwaukee behind and settling ourselves in a small town just north of here.
Life will be different.
Instead of drunk college students passed out in our front yard, we will have trees and a creek and a barn. Our neighbors will be wild turkey, bears, foxes, deer.

I'm going to take some time to nest and set up a new studio and write up a new business plan. I'll be posting here periodically with progress and some snaps of the new place. I hope you will check back in from time to time as I begin this new chapter. I am so excited to begin again, and the plans for what lies ahead are BIG and BEAUTIFUL and what dreams are made of. 

If I can take away one thing from the journey thus far, it is this - waiting around for life to happen will mean a life of waiting. I know that I want to spend my time doing instead of thinking about doing. 

I will still be accepting orders and shipping during this time...

xo

ding ding

– January 2012 –

THE KITCHEN

I would like to report major progress on the kitchen, but most of what has been happening is behind the walls. There is a lot of dust and clutter everywhere, and I am just so glad that Ava can't crawl yet. I just told Tom we would have to delay her development until after the construction is over. 

Kidding!

Have you ever tried ground cherries? It's like a tomato, but more like a cherry. Not like a cherry tomato. 

getting serious

After ripping out all the plants, and before ripping out all the walls.

Need I explain?

I can't believe how hard these guys work. It was pouring rain almost all day yesterday, and still they worked. I don't know how the DIY-ers can do this sort of thing, since the professionals we have hired are just that - so professional and full of knowledge. Also, they have been playing consistently good music.

See also: Progress Report, Kitchen Closed

progress report

The kitchen is a happy disaster right now. The floor ended up having about 5 other floors beneath it, and all layers had to be removed, creating a beautiful opening to the basement. The good news is that the new floor will be level, not creaky, and at the correct height. 

This project has already exceeded my expectations - I can not wait to see it all together!

Here is a peek at some material choices, which I love so much and which I keep samples of under my pillow at night.

black walnut butcher block counters and herringbone marble backsplash

Did I ever mention how much I love interior design? I could put idea boards together all day long.

Here is our beautiful temporary sink, which by chance can hold a baby and a small dog at the same time.

sweet sink.

Currently, the window you see and the back door – heck, the whole back wall of the kitchen – is being sledge-hammered to smitherines and tossed into this pile:

the best pile of junk I've ever seen.

See also: Kitchen Closed

kitchen closed

We moved into our house 6 years ago, and there were many obvious things that needed to be updated. For the most part it was a matter of choosing a new paint color. The kitchen, however, has been a constant source of annoyance for me. Everything about it screamed in protest against our design sensibilities. The backsplash tile has illustrations of ivy. The counters are faux-wood laminate. The floor is a tile the color of which must be called "constantly dirty", and it also is maybe the fourth floor on a stack of who knows what kind of flooring, which means that the floor is raised 2 inches higher than it should be, so the counter is thusly 2 inches lower. Figure that one out.

BEFORE 

We did what we could to make do with what we had. I applied tile decals to cover the ivy, but the decals were really just as visually offensive as the ivy, just in a different way. I once walked into the kitchen during a party to find a friend looking quizzically at the tile. I rushed to explain that I loathe the tile and that we were planning a renovation the following year, and she said "Yeah...I was just thinking how odd this kitchen is compared to the rest of your house." It was that bad.

this is all going away, to the wasteland of fugly kitchens.

We bought the new appliances that you see above last year in preparation for what is to begin tomorrow. Tomorrow! Tomorrow the floors will be ripped out, the cabinets removed, the counters smashed, the tile –  THE TILE WILL DIE A VIOLENT DEATH.

This is no DIY event. Tom and I have redesigned the space with the help of our builder/friend and we have chosen the materials and we have thrown all our ideas into the mix. Starting tomorrow we will be hands-off and I will be on the edge of my seat as I wait to see how it all turns out. 

Over the next weeks I will share the progress and my next post will be about my inspiration and material choices. Onward!

stormy weather

spring

backyard lounging has begun. Ava and I will be working on a backyard makeover to promote entertaining and relaxing this summer. Hello, spring!

year end

A little peek at the baby's room. The walls were already this color and I feel like it makes the room really calm. It's a good sleeping room. 

My 2011 Wall Calendar is shipping for FREE to the U.S. this week, through December 17. I'm down to the end of the box! Thank you to everyone who has already placed their orders and left such sweet comments about it. It's my favorite one so far, and I already have plans for next year...

the nursery

clockwise from top left: "Much Love" print by ashleyg, "Flock of Swallows" mobile from Anthropologie (purchased!),  Elephant clock from Rare Device, "Ampersand" letterpress print by gemmabear, "Punch Drunk" pom mobile by PomLove, "Rainbow bobbles" knitted baby blanket by rocketandbear, "DwellStudio Silver Lake Crib" from Target (thanks Dad and Carla!), "DwellStudio Silver Lake Changing Table" from Target (thanks Cheri and Tom!),  Saarinen womb chair (already own and love), "Fauna Pico Pillow" from Design Public, "Diamond Jungle Dhurrie" rug from Anthropologie.

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A few people have asked what my plans for the nursery are. I'm not into the fantasy baby room idea for two reasons: 1. Tom and I have to spend time in that room so we should like the look of it, and 2. Babies don't know the difference. Do you remember anything from when you were in a crib? Me, either. So the room will have baby things but really it's just another room in a house inhabited by adults.

The walls are already a nice warm dark grey that we both love, so that will remain as is (I'll locate the color name - it's by Benjamin Moore). I was at first trying to shun the pink theme, mostly because I don't know about the whole girl=pink boy=blue idea, but it turns out that I like hot pinks and peachy pinks a lot, especially with grey. I'm choosing things for the room that are not so much "baby" as "kid", meaning that these are things that will grow with her. I'm sure there will be plenty of baby things mixed in here, but I can see all this stuff in a little girl's and even an older girl's room too. 

The funny thing is that we plan to have her in our room for the first few months at least anyway, but designing this room is just plain fun. In another week I will be able to start pulling it together - can't wait!

studio

The motorcycle embroidery is a gift for Tom that I started, ohhhh, 2 years ago. I know I will finish it soon...

I recently purchased a Powerbook, but it didn't quite fit in my old laptop sleeve. I put this one together last week using material I already had and am pretty happy with the results–

hibernate

The dreaded illness has come over me. Is there such an illness as just purely exhausted? I feel so sleepy that I slept for 14 hours straight last night, and 12 hours the night before. Nyquil may have had something to do with that too. Maybe.

I did find the energy to post this pillow to my etsy shop. It took me a while partly because I was considering keeping it for myself.

Can you believe I found this poor little original Knoll Saarinen Tulip side table with a sign taped to it that said "TRASH"?! Me, neither. It's a bit roughed up, but that's just the way I like 'em.

Back to sleep for me - have a good week!

finest

hello again

exploding mountains

New pillow! I am not yet sure if this will go to etsy or not...

Also, a wedding invitation I did recently:



I am working on this year's calendar and some more pillows and pin cushions this week - this is the busiest time of year for me to get ready for the holiday season, and HOPEFULLY Art vs. Craft in November. Wish me luck!

creature comforts

My Neighborhood Pillow was featured on Creature Comforts earlier this week!

Thank you Ez & Melissa!

heart handmade feature

Marichelle at heart handmade did a very sweet feature on my pillows today!
Thanks Marichelle! You made my day (no pun intended, really).

misewell

Good morning!
Today I would like to highlight the beautiful work of Misewell.


Comprised of brothers Vincent and Paul Georgeson, Misewell creates modern furniture with a touch of industrial strength.


I am drawn to their use of materials - gorgeous solid wood, powder-coated aluminum and steel. Pared down to the minimum, but reinforced with strong lines and a perfect selection of color options. I really couldn't be happier to have stumbled across them.



Apparently I have had my head in the sand though - they proudly took home the New Designer Award at this year's ICFF and after googling them last night, I see that they have been featured on other design blogs.
Of course, part of why I love them is that they are based in Milwaukee, and I love to see my fellow Milwaukeeans succeed.

Check out and purchase their work here: Misewell

pretty lady

tom and i went for an evening walk last night, and this wicker rocking chair beckoned to me and made me carry it 4 blocks back to my house. We also liberated the lilac from a kindly neighbor in order to satiate my need for a lilac tree. We really don't have a place for one in our yard, but i love the aroma so much that i have to stick my head in the tree/bush every time i walk past.


have a great weekend!

p.s. don't worry - the chair was being thrown out! I bring chairs home like some people bring stray animals.

quick and easy

a little make-over for this beautiful chair from Salvation Army. I feel like I have to confess something - I broke up a set of four to get this one chair. Is it wrong? It is, but I needed only one. whew! weight off my shoulders.

Off to make krispie treats for camping tomorrow. Looks like rain, but we are going to tough it out. Back next week with updates!