new obsession

STRIPES! I've been envying these striped candles for a long time when I've seen them in people's homes... just found them online! Check out Ana Candles for great gifts all year.

our tiny garden

After the last round of unsuccessful seed sowing, I decided to try anything to keep the damn fool birds away - noticed they've been hacking away at the tender leaves. The man at the garden store made the observation that I have a lot of time on my hands and suggested we try the crazy netting below. I staple gunned it to the side of the garden and secured the opposite end with bricks. There's quite a bit of slack to account for growth. If it works, we might just have beets, radishes, arugula, and turnips this season.

The plastic bottles were my previous attempt to keep the birds away from baby plants. Although it has been helping, it would be too much work for row of closely positioned seeds. And yes, that is one giant tomato plant still producing into December. We pulled up the other 4 and hung upside down to encourage ripening, but I just can't bring myself to uproot this big kahuna while it is still producing.

our tiny home

Last Week

Strawberry Jam

Strawberries were on sale at last week's farmer's market. $10 for a flat. Oh boy!

kitchen chickens!

Try to say that three times fast. Bought six rooster/hen prints the other day. Planning to frame and hang... oh boy!

New Things

Did a little hunter/gathering this week and wanted to share my bounty. But first, a simple pleasure- freshly lit fire. Blanco the Pig is getting a tan.

Apple Corer/Peeler/Slicer from Williams-Sonoma. Going to tackle a bushel of apples for Thanksgiving pie!
Detail of French waiter tray from an antique store in town.
Tray from a distance. Makes the dresser seem oh-so-organized.

Kitchen scale from same local store. It works and I adore the color.

Also found some gorgeous rooster/hen prints for the kitchen and will post them tomorrow!

Melissa's House

My sweet friend Melissa just bought a beautiful house in Studio City and let me stay in her extra bedroom this week. Such a treat. Her home is filled with a mixture of inherited objects and thrift store treasures. So many gorgeous details... a few of which I'll share. Starting with the doorknobs.

Coveting this upholstered chair and the table beside it.

What a collection of Jadite!
I'm now on the lookout for one of these for my firewood.
And of course the chickens won me over. A little livestock goes a long way when living in a city.
If only blogger would allow more than 5 photos! Thank you again Melissa for putting me up.

Mazatlan Part 4: Grab Bag

Mazatlan Part 3: More Color

Mazatlan Part 2: Facades

Clearly I'm a sucker for worn paint and exposed brick:

Mazatlan Part 1: Tile

Just returned from my honeymoon in Mexico and figured this would be a great time to resume blogging. My camera is loaded with shots of gorgeous buildings, sunsets, and cityscapes... but instead of boring you with the catalogue, today I'm going to focus on tile. Beautiful tile. On floors, around doors, climbing walls, and around just about every corner:

Such a creative way to dress up space.