Great Design Advice in a Dish Towel.

Short, straightforward, now follow.

It’s almost too nice to use as a dishtowel. Why not frame it?

Wanna buy it? Buy it here and other neat stuff!  Image from The Heated via AT.

Happy Weekend!

We’ve almost lived in our house for 5 years. It’s the longest I’ve ever stayed in one place. I have to admit that it’s only been the last 2 years that I’ve felt comfortable calling it home.

Today, I feel cozy, fuzzy, feelings of home.

This arrived today. I realize more and more that ‘small’ is a relative word but regardless, I’m all for a well-edited spaces— a well-edited life.

Here’s my latest project. It’s still a work in progress (notice the uneven curtain rods!). I’m working from home so we rearranged our dining room to accommodate a workspace for me. Like I said, this is version 1.0.

What I’ve done so far:

• I replaced the old bookcase with one that wraps around the corner to hold more books and use the space better.
• Raised the curtain rod(s). This will make the room seem taller. Only one has been done so far because David finally had to (I’ve been asking (begging) him to do them for awhile now.
• Table cloth and rug to tie the room together. The tablecloth is Dwellstudio for Target Blossom and the rug is a clearance find.
• Room Divider. I chose Ikea’s Expedit as a room divider. I really like this one because it clearly breaks the room apart but it doesn’t cut off the flow. This divider works so well too because I need the extra surface area and the cubbies.

What’s Next:

• Organize cubbies. I’m thinking of getting the baskets for Expedit Not sure.
• Switch out art work. Current wall art is from previous formal dining room setting.
• Eventually, I want a desk that will go with the area. Right now, we’re making most of what we have and it works.
• Paint the room. Not sure what color yet.
• Hardwood floors.

Guilty Pleasures: Kitchen Stores

I’m not exactly sure when or how this happened but I love going to kitchen stores. I never knew I would get so much joy perusing its aisles, discovering old and new inventions… even those ridiculous ones.

No matter where I go I always seem to make my way into a kitchen store.

My number 1 favorite here in Madison? The Kitchen Gallery on Willy St. We got our beloved Fondue set from this store. I love the people (and the dog) that work here. With it being a specialty store, their items seem to be carefully and thoughtfully selected. I love everything in that store! I haven’t found a place in Madison that sell authentic Raclette and Fondue sets and they have both. I also love that it is right next to Lazy Jane’s.

My number 2 favorite: Tellus Mater on State St. Bigger and having more knick knacks. I love it. I especially like their Japanese tea cups.

Here are my two recent purchases that are so useful!!!

Bought from Tellus Mater: A tea kettle scale collector! I was so happy when I discovered this. Especially helpful here in Madison with our hard water.

Bought from The Kitchen Gallery: Knife Sharpener. The guy at the store raved about it and it’s proven. This little guy works amazing. It’s the best we’ve had.

Sarah the Serial Plant Killer.

Spending most of my life in big cities, I don’t have experience with having a yard/garden and have had many failed attempts at growing anything indoors.

At our wedding, we had bonsai trees at our reception tables so we decided to get a bonsai tree on our first year anniversary. It died a few months later so we bought another. That died too so we bought another. Even under the best bonsai teacher (a Japanese bonsai master from Chicago) we didn’t learn a thing. We decided we would take a break from our beloved bonsais.

I won’t tell you how many other plants I’ve killed (unintentionally!), my fire pit herb planter was probably my only success. This year it will be so different because I am being helped (rescued) by my friends Lindsey and Tiffany. They are helping me plant a veggie garden. Our plan is to start me with easy to grow and ‘prolific’ veggies so that I would be ENCOURAGED to continue on.

Lindsey left me her seed magazines to choose from. The Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds Magazine is the most beautiful seed book I’ve ever seen. It’s also got some really inspiring, thought-provoking quotes! I love it!

Beautiful pictures

I’m going to remember this quote forever

Two of my favorite seed magazines.

I’m getting Chinese Noodle Beans, Chantey Red Core Carrots (great for juicing!) and some squash. We’re also hitting the Madison Farmers Market for some of the things we’ll grow like tomatoes and herbs. I’ll post more on the progress throughout the summer/fall. Here’s to a new me: Sarah the girl with a green thumb!

Around Madison: Madison Public Library

I love Madison’s public libraries. It is stocked full of good books and good movies, even foreign films. It is proof of how Madison loves books. I once lived in a small town in California where the library seriously had no new books. All its books seem like it was from the 80s. It was dead. Seriously.

Often, I will request a book from the library first to see if I really want to own a certain book.

Here’s what I’ll be reading soon.

Breathe.

I’ve been busy — so busy. I have projects coming out of my ears. Today, I sat down and relished a cup of this:

Hopefully things will be normal next week. See you then!

Spring Tease

We’ve had absolute gorgeous weather in Madison the past week.  Me and the bebe spent a lot of time outdoors. And last night, in true Wisconsin fashion, it snowed and covered everything back in white.

What to do on a cold snow ‘first day of Spring’? Ogling at Urban Outfitters sale.

zebra rug on sale for $59.99 (was $148)

Woody Printed Rug – $59.99 (was $68.oo)

I love this curtain. Also available in white and yellow. I would take it in any of those colors.

Waterfall Ruffle Curtain – $68.00

Chloe Gauze Curtain – $9.99

Think Green: Bicycling Directions! New Google Maps option

Did you know that you can now get directions for biking? This is so great!

I’m not sure if you’ve also used their ‘walk’ to a destination option, but that has saved us a lot in walking around San Francisco! And we’ve used the public transit option too! Ah.. technology. I love thee.

image via Google

Making Most Meals At Home : Easy Pho

My husband and I love food. Even before we got married, we loved cooking and trying out new recipes and even experimenting with creating our own recipes. We also love eating out — we love the prospect of finding a good place to eat. One month last year, budget permitting, we went out every weekend looking for the best place to have brunch.   We then spent the next month recreating our favorite breakfast dishes from the cafes and restaurants we went to. It was a lot of fun.

Fast forward to New Year’s 2010, I made a bold New Year’s Resolution to make most our meals at home (90%). And yes, I’ve been sticking to it. It has been a very rewarding process. Lately, I’ve been on a noodle kick. I’ve been experimenting with different sauces and different noodle combinations. Soba, udon, rice stick noodles, thick rice noodles, you name it– I’ve tried it.

One of the easiest (albeit a lot of chopping), and tastiest is Vietnamese Pho Noodles. Confession: I hardly use measurements. I’ll try my best to be exact. Here is my version of Pho.

Serving Size: 8 people

Ingredients:

for the soup:

rice noodles (ban pho)

4 carrots (I like it chopped julienne style)

1 medium yellow onion

3 or 4 whole star anise

8 whole cloves

half a bulb of garlic (or as much garlic as you want, sliced vertically)

ginger (sliced in 1 inch vertical chunks, about 6-8 vertical pieces)

2-3 boxes of chicken broth (or beef if you want. I basically filled my stock pot 3/4 of the way, added about 2-4 cups of water)

2-3 chicken breasts (if you’re a fan of chicken with bones use that, it will be tastier, you can use beef marrow too)

fish sauce to taste

Accompaniments:

Thai Basil

Mint

Bean sprouts

Green onions

lime wedges

cilantro

celery (optional)

hoisin sauce (i made my own but the store bought ones are great too)

Sriracha (or Thai chili sauce)

Chicken strips or Flank steak strips (if you are doing Beef Pho)

Directions:

1. Fill stock pot with the broth and water and have stove on med high heat.

2. In a tea infuser (I used a tea ball) or loose leaf tea bags (used this too), put ginger, garlic, star anise and cloves. I used about 3 tea bags. Drop these in the stock pot. I didn’t wait till the broth was hot, I just dropped it in. Add the onions, carrots and chicken breasts or beef marrow (if using)

3. When pot is boiling turn the heat low. The idea is to let the spices sit and heat to barely simmer the pot but keep it hot. I left the soup to sit for 1 hour, maximum of 1.5 hours, until I was satisfied with the taste. Add fish sauce to bring out flavors. The trick is to keep the soup hot until time to serve. About 30 minutes into seeping time, check on the chicken. If its cooked, take it out and pull or cut into strips to serve as accompaniment.

4. While soup is cooking, chop the accompaniments. I had fun putting this together. It’s so beautiful!

Guests may add hoisin sauce or sriracha and whatever other accompaniments they want. I personally like my Pho as it is.

If you want a bigger meal, you can serve egg rolls, spring rolls, crab rangoons, rice, egg fooyong with your Pho.

on love and marriage

I’m feeling quite inspired tonight despite of how sick I feel. (Yes, I caught the flu at the tail end of winter. boo.) We just got back from one of the most beautiful weddings I’ve ever been to. Such a lovely couple. And such a talented group of people that worked to create a memorable, magical, truly exquisite wedding. (Watch out for upcoming features!)

And in honor of tonight, here’s advice for a happy marriage:

1. Be kind to each other. Do not underestimate the power of kindness. It is unfair to be unkind to the easiest target of your bad day- your partner.

2. Wear your love for each other on your sleeves. Even in public, show your devotion to each other. Sometimes, even in jest, sarcastic remarks and put-downs extinguishes love and romance.

3. And speaking of romance. Kindle and rekindle romance. I think Little Brown Pen (via A Cup of Jo) said it best:

Think play, not romance.
Forget flowers, dinner and candles, and instead play a video game, have a water-gun battle or play in a photo booth (or with Photobooth if you have a Mac!).

Have fun! Create traditions! Have inside jokes.

5. And lastly… a quote I found the other day:

A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers. – Ruth Bell Graham

me and my man

Rouen’s room on Ohdeedoh!

Rouen’s room was featured on Ohdeedoh! I couldn’t be more thrilled! I love AT!

DIY Idea: Gem Necklaces Chandelier

Here’s an idea for a future project. I found this on Urban Outfitters website today. I love the colors and I’m thinking it would be an easy DIY. I’m going to keep my eye out for good finds at thrift stores and in my own accessories for a chandelier for either our dining room or the baby’s room.

But if you don’t want to wait, you can get it at Urban Outfitters and it just happens to be on sale!

via UO

another planter idea

Last year, I was asked to come up with a table setting decoration for our big company meeting. The theme was around the company incentive trip to Mexico. This was my contribution to the table setting — Succulents planted in margarita glasses.

Variety of succulents

The margarita glass with company logo.

The succulents ready for transport.

For other succulent planter ideas: Re-nest

image via Re-nest

Baby Headband

On this snowy Wisconsin day, I’m cooped up at home with technology woes. First, my hard drive crashed (got it replaced pretty quick) and then last night, in an attempt to consolidate my iPhoto, I combined old library back ups with my current library and now I have oodles and oodles of duplicates. Argh. So I’ve spent much of last night and this morning figuring out how to get rid of them without going through the whole library deleting one by one. Double argh.

Little miss Rouen Inarrah has been under the weather the past couple of days and it has made her cranky. I can usually put her down to play by herself for a good half hour or so, but lately, she’s been needing to be held all the time. This is fine by me, I love snuggling, but I just feel bad that she’s got the sniffles.

This afternoon she and I did our first project ‘together’. I made a baby headband out of tights. Initially, I was going to follow directions from another craftster using the leg part of the tights. I decided to use the waist band since all I had to do was cut it right on the edge of the sewn seam. I  used a leg part of another pair of tights for the flower. First, cut one leg part of the tights, cut this so that its open, fold it in half. I used the part of the tights that shows where I cut for the ‘petals’. Starting with the center of the flower,  working my way around to the outer petals of the flower, just bunch and and fold bits of the fabric.  I then sewed the flower onto the headband.

Dreaming of Spring

I got the March issue of Living magazine last week and it’s got me thinking SPRING. I’m dreaming of working on our neglected garden, scheming a lawn makeover (perhaps a front lawn veggie garden as suggested by our good friend Tracie?),  reviving our our repurposed fire pit planter and of course Spring Cleaning!

image from Living magazine, March issue

image from Living magazine, March issue

I love these DIY planters. I especially like the rounded pots which was shaped from kitchen mixing bowl.

I also want an excuse for it to be warm enough to wear these!

Apple Crate Night Stand

Our set of apple crate night stands is one of the things I loved ‘acquiring’ through marriage

Bed and lamp: Ikea

Duvet: Marshall’s

more ingenious ideas!

My very first post on this blog was about my love for ingenious ideas. I love finding creative uses for things. Here are a couple of my new faves:

From Danny Seo, rocks + wire = picture holders! All you need is some rocks, floral wire and viola! Picture Display! I can see it being a good way to hold a recipe card, a love note, postcards, etc.

image via Daily Danny

This next one is from the Conran Shop but I’ve also seen a few DIYs. Cheese Grater as a lamp!

image via Conran Shop

image via AT

for the love of [design] magazines

First, it was Blueprint, then it was Domino and then  Metropolitan Home! Met Home closing was announced in Nov. 09 but a reminder in the mail came this week that has renewed my sadness. Why does this keep happening?! I mourned the loss of Blueprint and Domino for months and still grumble whenever I think about it. I loved those magazines!

So in the meantime, I turn to these magazines:

French magazines brought back by a friend who was just in Paris.

I love this space saving idea!

I love the different textures and rich colors in this one.

Fresh Home Magazine, a new publication catering to mid-twenties-thirties diy decorating, a younger ‘Family Handyman’. I browsed through it while at Borders yesterday. It filled the void of Blueprint— at least temporarily. I’ll have to see more issues.

Kiwi Magazine, tagline reads: “for growing families the natural and organic way”. As a new mom, I am now a sucker for all these parenting magazines. My faves? Mothering, Cookie and now, Kiwi.

Rouen’s Room

Even with a limited budget and limited square footage, we had a lot of fun dreaming up this room for our daughter, Rouen Inarrah. The first thing we knew we wanted is a room that would grow with her. We avoided nursery themes and found loads of inspiration from internet sources and magazines.  With the tiny space, we needed to be streamlined. The things that are in her room are the things she needs for now and the rest, we keep in storage and switch them up in time. For example, I picked up a wooden rocking horse for her on Freecycle– she isn’t going to use that in awhile so it’s waiting for its debut in the basement. Another example: I organized her clothes in bins labeled according to baby sizes, 0-3, 3-6 etc. and swap them with clothes in her dresser when needed.

Furniture: Necessity called for this to be kept minimal. With limited space, we kept things simple. Originally, I didn’t want a diaper changing table, I wanted to use the dresser top for it but I could not turn down freebies! My super generous sister-in-law gave us the glider and the diaper changing station that she used with her 3 kids! The white dresser, I picked up from a friend a while back that I stripped and painted white. I wanted to change the knobs but I didn’t have the time or the money to change the knobs so I kept them and bought wall decals/stickers on clearance for $1. The crib was a Craigslist find – a brand new Sorelle Commuter Crib made in Italy.

Colors: Gray is one of my most favorite colors! I love that it can create such a calming effect and yet with bursts of colors, it can be such a perfect backdrop for FUN and that is exactly what we dreamed for Rouen’s room. Serene yet fun! Burst of colors: jewel tone blue, green, purple/lavender and then somewhere down the road, switch to bright yellows, burnt orange.

Stripes: The room is small, the ceiling low. Stripes create the illusion of height and create a visually big impact in a tiny room. We used a light and a darker shade of gray.

Diaper Bin (Diaper Decor) was a gift, it works well for cloth diapers!  Baskets used in the diaper changing station were on clearance at Marshall’s. The bigger baskets hold swaddling gear, socks, shoes and emergency disposable diapers. The smaller baskets are for mittens, hairbands and hats. The light colored ones (seen here and the other one in another picture) were given by my mother-in-law. The one seen here holds blankets.

Bird Mobile:  A project that my husband and I sewed by hand, we were terrible at it but we had fun making it together. Notice the pirate bird, his idea. (As if I needed to say!) Bird pattern via Spool. I picked up the branches from our front yard, textile materials were bought at a thrif store and Joann’s.

Art: Owls by Amy Ruppel, Girl by Cori Dantini and Sing Sing Sing Birds by Mara Girling from Feed Your Soul free downloads. Picture mats from thrift store.

On dresser top: Books are a mix of presents from dear friends, books from husband’s childhood and a couple of my favorite books. We want to start a tradition of Saturday morning book hunting to grow her collection when she’s older. (The other book, is for me to read (slowly) while nursing )

Turtle night light project stars on the ceiling and Pooh stuffed toy were baby shower gifts. The blue donkey, Paco is from dear friends from Switzerland.  The purple picture frame?  Me, 8.5 months pregnant with Rouen, baby shower giveaway.

Geisha night light picked up in Chinatown in San Francisco.
Panda Humidifier, Laundry Basket (with painting by mother-in-law), toy basket (mix of hand-me-downs, made by friends and gifts from friends), sound maker hiding on the floor behind the toys (we LOVE this)- we bought this when we got married for our bathroom, inspired by one of our overseas trips, Japanese public bathrooms with background sounds/music!!

Laundry basket redone by my mother-in-law. We need the humidifier elevated so while its winter, the painting is sadly hidden.

Curtains: I’m too embarrassed to say…. well, ok.  I originally wanted a jute curtain from Urban Outfitters but they only had 1 panel left! I was willing to splurge on this but in my desperation and determination, it took me 4 trips (buy, return repeat process 4x) and countless of stores and ended up finally settling on this— $4 each at WALMART! I was desperate but am I really happy with the color.

Birds: World Market.

So there you have it, Rouen’s room. Hope you learned a thing or two, are inspired or enjoyed this post!

winter indoor fun with kids

I think my dear friend Tracie is an expert in coming up with creative activities to do with kids during the winter time. Here is one of her fantastic ideas that she did with her two adorable kids: cornmeal drawing.  I love that you can find what you need in your own kitchen, I love how simple and yet can provide boundless fun! All you need is baking pan and cornmeal + endless imagination of kids. It reminds me of a Japanese Zen garden.

Perfect for cold cold winters in Madison.

cornmeal + baking tray + kids = FUN

lady bug

[images via teaandchopsticks]

Look what I got in the mail today!

I love getting earrings from my aunt. She’s a missionary in the Philippines and has the most exquisite taste in earrings.

New Use: Clothes Peg

When I used to get Real Simple magazine, one of my favorite things I looked forward to was their column called “New Uses for Old Things’. So here’s a new use for you, use extra clothes pegs for holding the loose leaf tea bag.

A New Life

At last, after a long hiatus, I am back to blogging and back to business! I’m back and have much to share. What has kept me? This little cutie:

Our daughter, Rouen Inarrah, was born on September 10. We are enjoying being parents and getting to know her.

Here she is at 4.5 months.

We’re still learning how to manage a household of 3, getting things done and essentially, putting family first.

Chair Makeover

Over the long weekend, I re-finished the legs of an old chair I got after a morning of volunteering for The Road Home. The legs were rusty so I sanded in using an electric hand sander ( a first for me! the whole time, i wondered what the baby must have been thinking!) and painted the legs black. It took me about 1 hour. Here are the pictures:

[ before: rusty ]

[ after sanding, getting ready to paint ]

[ e ntryway: though still temporary, i'm pretty happy]

[another] awesome tree mural

This tree mural was painted by our good friends Tom and Laura. Great job guys! To see our tree mural here.

in progress

spirals

almost done

Missing In Action

I have been under the spell — actually, my body and will has been completely severed from each other as I incubate this little baby in my tummy. In other words, I’ve succumbed to laziness. I apologize, but in my short hiatus, I’ve been able to compile a lot of great new things! Stay tuned!

Alchemy Cafe

I met a friend for tea and appetizers at Alchemy Cafe last week and just had to make another visit 5 days later. I love it!

We had their sweet potato fries served with tarragon mayo and organic blueberry jam, dolmades (herb roasted rice wrapped in grape vine leaves!) served with garlic & dill cucumber yogurt and feta cheese and blueberry komucha tea. Glorious!

Sweet Potato Fries

Dolmades

Blueberry Kombucha

Spring Itch: Things to look forward to around Madison

It was gorgeous this weekend. Spring is finally— hopefully…here! From weekend strolls on State St., Farmers market on the square, to bonfires  by lakes, hiking trails, to outdoor parties—- every event, at least for me, is something to be relished and cherished especially when I have the winter itch.

Here are some things I am looking forward to:

I’m so excited to join Crazylegs this year. I will be walking instead of running  because I  will be 20 weeks pregnant during this time! (but if I wasn’t I probably still wouldn’t run )

Although the picture is of California Spring, I look forward to Madison coming alive. Visit the Arboretum.

Flip flops and my “anti-Crocs” Crocs

And when the weather warms up: sun + beach = loads and loads of fun

Madison Parks

Picnics and  outdoor Play @ American Players Theatre

Did I mention?

The hubby and I are expecting! Today marks the 17th week. Here’s the “little turnip” at 15 weeks

Spring Cleaning: Getting started

TLC has a fun feature on what do for your Spring Cleaning. It’s quite basic compared to other spring cleaning guides I’ve seen out there but it should serve you well in getting started. Plus, it’s quite entertaining   Click here.

Eagerly Awaiting Spring – Preview of New Marketing Ad

Here’s a sneak peek of this season’s ads!

hello lincoln.

This is the newest addition to our home—a Foundation Bengal cat we named Lincoln. It’s a whole new world for us trying to remember where pet stores are, figuring out where to put his litterbox, watching our food so he doesn’t swipe it! He’s still getting used to living with us and we’re getting to know our little wild animal (he’s an asian leopard cat bred with a domestic tabby). There are times when I feel I don’t know how to prepare for a change because I don’t know what that change is exactly… I just gotta start somewhere, do my best and learn.

Madison is a place for animal lovers. Ever been to Java Cat Coffee? They have excellent gelato but beware… you just might want to get a cat when you see all the cute pictures of locally owned kitties.  I think I might just have celebrate our new cat by having gelato there…that way I can also post one of the already over abundant pictures of Lincoln!

“Staycation”?

I’m sure you’ve heard this new buzz word. This new word was borne by marketing gurus at the very eve of our economic ‘challenges’.  So what is it? And is it really ‘new’?

Stay-cation is having a vacation in your own ‘backyard’– sort of rediscovering your city. And for the question if it’s really new… well, that’s debatable. Some really smart people have been doing this for a long time now;  finding joy in discovering their city’s finest gems– not just stumbling upon it but actually making an adventure out of seeking undiscovered places.

Example, D and B, who are good friends of ours, would write down a list of all the breakfast places they wanted to check out here in Madison. Every weekend, as a treat to themselves, they would venture out to mine the breakfast scene in Madison. They were the ones who introduced me to Sophia’s excellent pastries on Johnson St.

This past weekend, I discovered Bolz Conservatory in Olbrich Gardens. It was glorious. The smell and feel of humidity, the luscious greenery of tropical plants…it made me feel like I was back home in the islands. We spent a good two hours soaking in the experience. It really felt therapeutic!

[blurry picture from the steam]

After our time in the Conservatory, we checked out the art exhibit going on and was so excited to find another local artist that I really liked! Nina Bednarski is exhibiting her works at Olbrich Gardens until April 11th. I wanted to buy all of her works! I especially loved the window paintings. Better check it out as it is one of the last exhibits in the area for awhile.

Would you want to have a stay-cation? What would you do?

an overdue return from a long hiatus…

I can’t believe today is the 1st day of February! Where did January go? I’m happy to say that I am back– finally back! My family spent a good two weeks with us here in Madison so we’ve been busy showing them what winter is like (they live in San Francisco).

I’m happy to report that they enjoyed and loved the beauty of snow.

I have a lot of aspirations for this year.  I’m looking forward to more creative ways of getting back to real living… savoring life and its simple intricacies.  Stay tuned!

“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent.  It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage – to move in the opposite direction.” ~E.F. Schumacker

Getting Ready for the Holidays

I am through living in denial. Winter is near—very near. But this part of the year is always full of hope and expectations. This year, my family is coming from California to experience REAL winter. I am thrilled to share the joys and the sorrows of our winter wonderland here in Madison.

In the next couple of weeks, I’ll be blogging about things to get you ready for the Holidays: How to get free shipping on your online gift purchases, DIY Christmas gifts, the best websites for flights, getting your house ready for guests, and many more! So stay tuned!

But for now, let me start my wish list with this:

Index Chopping Board by Damian Evans. I love this. An organized and colorful way to keep from having garlic flavored mangoes and not to mention– hygienic!

Click here to learn more.

Images from Generate Design

Fall Essentials

Winter is near and Fall has come and almost gone. What have you done to celebrate this season?

Did you have a picnic? See an outdoor play?

Did you go to a pumpkin patch?

Did you take time to enjoy the colors of the Fall?

Did you have apple cider and caramel apples?

It’s not too late! The weather is supposed to be gorgeous here in Madison. Go out and enjoy!

It is the perfect time to REARRANGE! Ayos Tips:

- Reds, Yellows, Oranges…Be inspired by the season’s colors! Decorate with pine cones, dried leaves, a branch, pumpkins, gourds

- For a quick and easy ‘new look’, switch out summer curtains with warmer, cozier curtains.

If you didn’t get to do a Spring Cleaning, Fall is perfect for giving your home some TLC. Click here for a list from This Old House to prepare your home for the winter.

.

Quotable Designer: Terence Conran

Designer, Author and Restaurateur Sir Terence Conran is my favorite designer. Not only does he have great style but he also has a way with words. Having read his design books, he has inspired me with his writing more than the crisp, glossy pictures in his books.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

As modern life becomes ever more complex and fast paced, our homes must increasingly act as antidotes to stress and tension, as places to relax, unwind and be ourselves: essentially as spaces for easy living. This function is not new…the home has been a refuge, a necessary counterpoint to the world of work.

The home is an emotional concept as much as a physical, serviced structure…

Light, more than any other element of the interior, generates mod and atmosphere: it has a direct line to the emotions. Sight is our most highly developed sense and it is not surprising that light, which renders the world visible, should have such a profound effect on the way we feel.

- “Easy Living”, 1999

To learn more about Terence Conran and his 50 years of creating beautiful homes, click here.

Around Madison: Bradbury’s

Offering fair trade coffees and delicious crepes, Bradbury’s is a very welcome addition to Madison’s coffee scene. I had breakfast there with Rebekah a couple of weekends ago and was happy not just about their crepes but also with the refreshing ambiance of the place. Mixing contemporary, modern design with touches of “earthiness”, Bradbury’s is an expression of Madison.  Bradbury’s also exemplifies the Madison culture of being conscientious about the environment and being proud of its local offerings. From shopping at UW’s SWAP meet to rewarding being conscientious about the environment (they sell their coffee beans in cans and give a $1 off refills and give a 20 cent discount if you bring your own mug.), Bradbury’s is a return to quality with all the good feelings.

Rebekah and I both had their crepes with nutella, bananas and roasted almonds. Brilliant!

Around Madison: Pasture Bedtime

When I lived in Seattle, it was all about pigs.

In the Dairyland, it’s all about cows! What is your favorite cow? Here’s my favorite bovine called Pasture Bedtime created by talented artist, Michael Roberts. Approximately 2,000 watches/clocks were used to make this! To see more Michael’s creations click here.

Chalkboard Paint Ideas

Reminiscent of French cafes and rustic kitchens, I’ve always loved the idea of having a chalkboard wall in the kitchen.  Chalkboard paint can be used in the kitchen, kids rooms, even dressers! A couple of weeks ago, we decided to try it out in our kitchen. It’s functional and also a lot of fun. It brings a certain warmth into the room.

Here are more to inspire:

image via madebygirl

image from lala lovely

images via at