Small Tan Moth (with spot on wings)

Signs of bug life are appearing with the dawn of spring. Isn't dis' little moth so cute!? Look at that face - it looks like a fuzzy wuzzy animal on tiny stick legs. :)
XoXo

Putting Together My Hand Washer

Today I decided to put together the Lehman's Hand Washer i got! This is a clothes washer that is powered by your own arm & some water - but it is much larger then the Wonder Wash that spins a 2 pound load- this big boy hold 15 gallons of water, so that bigger things like sheets and blankets can actually be cleaned by hand too.
I have to say, I am not good with directions (aka, putting shtuff like dis' together kinda throws me off)... and even though it was fairly simply to figure out the directions were way too vague without any pictures. I basically went on intuition...
There is a hose attachment at the bottom, so that drainage of the water can be turned off and on - what makes this feature cool is you can move the washer to anywhere, since it's not plumbed into the house. You could wash clothes on the porch, in the bathroom, or anywhere ya want.
I bolted in the first set of wooden legs, and soon found out that plyers are needed to tighten the bolts and nuts together.
I ran into a problem on the second set of legs- the layers of metal holes were not matching up right, no matter how hard i pulled, tugged, pushed, and cursed at it - once i struggled to get one bolt in, it was impossible for the second series of holes to line up. I took my drill, put oil on the metal and drilled some of the metal out to make the hole more even... then got the leg on.Once both sets of legs were secured, there is a support bar and rod to put through the bottom holes. It definitely made the washer solid and sturdy.
I popped on the handle and the clear plastic top! All done and ready to try it out!
XoXo

Dorm Room

As much as I do love the look of a gorgeous bunk room, I have found that bunk beds really are such a pain to make. Lately I have been preferring the look of a large dorm room with rows of single beds like the picture above. I love the lidded basket placed at the end of each bed - perfect for storing each person's clothes in. I personally would be much happier making these beds instead of numerous bunk beds.

image - cote maison via aged & gilded

Be Outstanding In Your Field... Research....

A new Snap!Retail newsletter is out today, and it includes my article on how to make field research work for your business. Leave me a comment here, and let me know how you look outside of your business at possibilities for growth, change, and evolution of your brand...

Decorating A New Home {Over Time}

When I look at these images I love that they are all so casual and not overly decorated. I am leaning towards this more pared back look in our new house. I want it to be a home where we can relax and not be too worried about the white slip covered sofa when the big 1 year old {yes he turned 1 yesterday} Golden Retriever jumps up on it.

I am dreaming of faded denim fabrics on sofas, washed out florals and checks and stripes and mismatched pieces of cane furniture on the verandahs - not new cane - old mismatched cane collected over time. I will retain all of our Antique pieces of furniture which Brad & I have collected over the years. That's what I love about Antiques...they transcend fashion and trends, they are the pieces we hold onto and they are the pieces we pass onto our loved ones. I find I never tire of my Antique pieces. It's the mass-produced pieces I tire of very quickly.

This time round Harry and Brad have made me promise not to have the floors painted white. My obsession with keeping our current white-painted floors clean is all too much for my boys. All the internal walls will be painted my usual white but this time I think we might just sand back the old wide plank floorboards and apply an oiled, not glossy finish.

Everything about this house will be about living and enjoying and adding to it over time. I find that so many people {me included} rush into renovating or decorating a new home. I have learnt that you must live in a house for a period of time before you start the process of change....something my mother has been trying to instill in me for years!!

This time, I am going to take my time and enjoy the process of decorating the house which my children will call home for many, many years to come.

image 1 - pamela easton's home via creative homes, image 2 - deborah needleman's home via lonny, image 3 - via charlotte, image 4 - via charlotte, image 5 via lonny

How to Hire Me, #101

Need Deb to help you find a solution to a challenge in your store? Just ask me!

____________________

Hello, Debi, {greet me by name}
I'm Shell, owner of The SeaShell Boutique in Alki- www.shesellsseashells.cam. {tell me who you are}
I found your blog through a search for retail designers. {tell me how you found me}
When I saw you were from Seattle, I cheered! I need help with my retail store and am hoping you can assist me in finding solutions to a few problems.

Specifically, I have floor plan 'issues': {state your case succinctly}Too many hidden spots, no clear direction of where to go, and a cashwrap that seems to be hard to find. {give me some details}

I'd like to have you create a new floor plan that addresses those issues. {give me the final result you want from me}

So, I need to know if you are accepting new clients now, what your availability & fees are, if you can get this done in the time frame I have, and how the process works for you. {ask me what you want to know}

I have a limited budget for this (don't we all?!) which means I have just a few hundred bucks to spare - and I'd prefer not spending it all! My time frame for design & installation of the plan is two months, because I need to make changes before summer tourist season hits.  {be open about your situation}

But really, I want to know from you how to best utilize your services. How much can I do to prepare so that your time is maximized for my benefit? {ask me SMART questions}

Can you email me back this week at _____ with the specifics of this? (You could call, but then I'd have to write it all down legibly enough to read it later - probably not going to happen!) {give me your contact info and tell me what/when/how you want it}

Feel free to visit our web site at www.shesellsseashells.cam {include store contact info}
and take a look at our slideshow - it shows the entire space. If there are other materials I can send you (photos, links, etc.) to help you review or prepare, please let me know. {send preliminary materials so I can see what I would be dealing with}

Thank you, Debi - I look forward to hearing back from you!

Shell
The SeaShell Boutique
Alki, Washington

_______________________

There is no Shell who sells sea shells in a boutique on Alki Point, Washington - to my knowledge, anyway. She's a fictional perfect 'inquiry'. She's an example of how to get to the heart of a matter fast. If the emails, phone messages, and comments sent to me came in that form, I'd be off and running on your business challenges before I even got back to you! A very efficient way for me to work.

Maybe it's just me. ?
Maybe I am so busy with two businesses that cryptic messages and endless exchanges of vague statements just bog me down. I need info! I need it now! Give it to me straight, honest, and open so I know what you want, and you'll get back from me a quick answer stating what I can do for you and where we go from there. I won't accept the project if I can't fit it into my schedule on your timeframe, or if I think I'm just not the right person for it. If your budget seems really low, I'll ask you what the most important issues are so we can focus on that and cut my time involvement to the minimum. But I'll still try to help.

BTW, Jessica from Yarn Market News did exactly this when she contacted me about speaking at the recent YMN conference. I checked the links she sent me, and immediately made the decision to say yes based on her informational email. ;0)

Chicken Feet At My Front Door

Those are for protection. I am sure they are already working.

xoxo

Nursery Thoughts...

My friends keep reminding me that I have a baby's room to decorate. With approximately 8 weeks to go I decided last week that I needed to at least get a few things organised.

My few things ended up turning into a complete room scheme for our little bundle. It all started with the original joker water colour by Rupert Hamilton dated 1916 which I stumbled across at a little Antique store here in Brisbane last week. I then decided I would collect a few bits and pieces to work back with it to create an artwork cluster wall full of lovely colour.

From there I selected the watermelon coloured Brunschwig & Fils Ikat which I am having an old chair I have recovered in and a lampshade for a floor lamp will be made in the small patterned chinnoiserie fabric. I also have an old Eastern embroidered piece of cloth which I will have made into a little cushion for the chair.

Over the weekend I started to wonder what I would use as a change table so Harry and I made a quick visit to our friend Nick Wallrock on Saturday morning {the most wonderful European Antique store in Brisbane}. We purchased a lovely circa 1780 Swedish Walnut cabinet from Nick which will be perfect.

I plan to use fresh white bed linen for the turned white timber painted cot which I picked up on Ebay for a mere $57.00 {a new mattress will be made and it will be re-painted with a fresh coat of white paint} and a few little Etsy cuddly numbers will be hunted down over the coming weeks.

So I can now say to my friends...yes it is all under control, I am organised!! {Fingers crossed it will all be made in time!!}

Clearing A Place For My Organic Garden

I chose this garden spot because it was not only the clearest spot I have on my land (i know, it ain't too open)- but also it is underneath some power lines, which means it will always need to be clear of trees and anything that could grow in the way of the grid system. But no small task - my garden is going to take a bit more work and longer to prepare then I expected, but will be so worth it in the end.
I am starting mostly with small stuff I can take care of with cutting shears - then I will work my way up to larger tree saplings that will need a hand saw. I got a good spot going already... (see pic below where I am picking up the brush I cut!)

I am totally taking the brush and making it into piles for critters to make new homes in - I also thought it would be alot of fun to make a semi permanent Lean-To (natural tent) for people to come camp under if they like. :)
But here is the kicker..... this HUGE pile of felled trees in the absolute sunniest spot, which were already cleared away from the power lines - I need some brave men or ladies to come ova' with their handy chainsaws and have a party on this pile. Anyone local interested in some wood and muscle flexing?
XoXo

I Love...

Every now and then I spot a room I absolutely love and this one above, as published in Elle Decor, is one of them. I think it's the lovely fresh colours against the all-white background, the dining chairs and the beautiful old marble fireplace which I love most!

image - elle decor via frolic via seesaw designs

Fog (or clouds?)

For some reason the fog here in Luck is way more creepy then anywhere else I have lived in Western North Carolina... something about the deep wilderness in combo with not being able to see very far around you. I was spooked walking around alone in it. Definitely a good setting for bigfoot, a bear, or a ghost to come walking out of the white.
XoXo

Hunting For My Mailbox

Don't look at the undies handing on the clothes line, look at that jumbo mailbox!!! I had no idea where the heck to put my mailbox, but where it's sitting on the porch isn't the right place - ya know how rural mail works, the mailboxes gather in a cluster somewhere, like a family. So i started walking down the road in search for the mailbox family i hoped to eventually find...

There are creeks that run across my driveway, not under it, but like right on top the road. Gives me fond flashbacks to the flash floods in the roads of New Orleans ... these creeks ain't got nothing on a crescent city flood - except that they are clean and way prettier!
I walked and walked downhill ---- for so long that the sounds of rushing water in the creeks was making me thirsty and I could feel the muscles in my legs straining from sitting around too much all winter. It's like a never ending forest...
with BIG creeks, big amounts of water creating loud sounds as it hits more rocks below...
AND lots of BIG rocks....
and some crazily BIG McMansion Log homes.....
And FINALLY the family of big jumbo mailboxes I had envisioned!!! YAY! Now I can plant my flag, and truly settle into my new home. USPS here I come... ;)
XoXOxoxo

"Adult" is not a synonym for common sense

Last night, I volunteered as a docent for a downtown tour of homes that invovled standing in a room for three hours saying the same thing every three minutes or so. I'm not complaining about that, exactly, because I really do enjoy it. Standing on your feet for three hours straight isn't terribly comfortable, but I have such a good time talking to people as they walk through the house that it's worth a little foot pain.

But you would think that some of these people were raised by idiots...which in some cases is probably true. The houses on the tours are private homes that people have graciously opened to the public, and you would think that people would respect that, but that's not always the case.

I didn't have anybody try to touch anything last night, but I did a tour last fall where this woman actually opened an old cutlery box when my back was turned. She almost dropped the lid when I turned around to give her the stink eye. Are you kidding me? What would possess you to touch something in a person's private home when you are on a tour? And 9 times out of 10, the culprit is an adult. I rarely see small children on these tours, so that leaves imbecilic adults who don't know how to behave themselves.

In addition to sticky fingers, I also get a lot of arrogant know-it-alls who like to interrupt/correct me when they think they know more than I do. I will admit it when I don't know something for certain, but I hate being interrupted. I had a man last night who I had to use my "teacher stare" on to get him to stop talking so I could begin the tour. After that, he interrupted me three times. Hello?! Use manners much? I am not a genius, but I do know a few things about old buildings and I never say things that are inaccurate.

This just reinforces my belief that just because you're an adult does not mean that you are a professional, considerate person. When you're a kid, all adults seem so cool and sophisticated and always know the right thing to do and say. Now I know that is not always the case.

Oh well, maybe I'll just bring a cattle prod and perfect my disapproving glare to encourage people to keep their grubby hands off people's personal property and keep their unwanted opinions to themselves.

Help Me ID this Tree

(This post is for Bort - my favorite tree guy...)

I was walking in the woods here around the Luck Cabin when I happened upon this big barked tree. What I noticed first was the unusual tree knot in the bark, at the bottom of the trunk. It looked like a big button that you could press, and open up a portal to another world - the kind with unicorns, glitter falling from the sky and tiny people... tinier than me... (see pic below.)The bark of this tree goes upward in large vertical caverns, creating deep shadows in the crevices. I don't know what kind of tree this is- and was wondering if anyone can help me identify the type of tree by looking at the bark? Each kind of tree has it's own thumbprint of bark, just like their individual shaped leaves... :)
XoXo

Building the Bathroom Wall with Local Wood

Yay! The Luck Cabin now has a 98% finished wall for dividing the kitchen and bathroom - and because I used locally milled pine it only cost 40$ to build an entire wall. That is super affordable compared to the pain staking, time consuming and toxic sheet rock commonly put into homes now. There is something to be said for the rustic look and it's ease of construction and price - so much more tactile and warm to me. I likes it!

I have never built a wall before but noted the process as my carpenter friend Mark threw this wall up in less then 3 hours. Level 2x4 studs in first....
Some horizontal and well as the vertical ones go into place to hold the wall together, but i like it cause it made cool little box shapes - that I can use for hanging pictures, putting shelves into, a rock collection cubby... boxes are endless awesomeness.
Then I wanted wide planks to be nailed to the studs to match the 'decor' of the rest of the Luck Cabin...
Sweeeeeet!!! It's almost complete. I even have cold and HOT water running to my tub now, from the gravity fed spring. Time to go wash some undies!
XoXo

Friday Flowers

A weekend full of time spent with Harry is what I have planned. I have worked many long and crazy hours this week so this weekend will be catch up time with my boys. Hope you have a lovely weekend. See you next time.

xx

Anna

Is it possible to have too much free time?

I realize that it has been some time since my last post. All I can say is that my thesis is done and I couldn't be happier. However, rather than having no time for myself during thesis, I now find that I have what I would call copious amounts of free time.

I'm not bragging to you hardworking folk out there, but I really don't know what to do with myself. I am in danger of becoming one of those people you hear about on the news whose bodies have conformed to whatever seating apparatus they can't seem to leave. Oddly enough, my choice of seating is a small love seat that does not instill love when there are two occupants sitting on it. All that can be said for it is that it should be thankful slip covers were invented because otherwise its country plaid self would be out on the street.

OK, it's not this bad, but it's getting there.


But, watching T.V. in my room for hours at night is quickly losing its appeal. Don't get me wrong, I am a threat to be a couch potato (my parents can attest to this), and watching the six episodes of Family Guy that come on three different channels every night is great, but I think I need to get some better evening hobbies.

My days are filled with pleasant bike rides to class and trips to the beach. I even got to do a little woodworking in my lab class today with a wonderful gentleman who taught us how to do wood inlay. My career as a carpenter ended when I saw the power tools, but the finished product is gorgeous.

So, my paints and easel are sitting in the corner of my room. I should break them out and do some painting....perhaps on my piazza. Yes, I have french doors in my room that lead onto a second-story piazza. It's quite nice, but I'll have to lace the threshold with roach killer or I'll be covered in the nasty little creepers while I sleep. Eek!

Here's to not squandering the free time I've complained about not having for the past three months!

Mystery Egg Sack

Maybe for a spider? Maybe some other bug... I found this white egg sack inside a rotten stump of a large tree. Do any of ya'll know what kind of babies are going to be born of this beautiful thing?!
There are really no other words for the elegance and delicate nature of this exterior womb.
XoXo