All the Pretty Flowers

My favorite color: orange, paired with my favorite flower: gerber daisies and a new favorite: ranunculus 

Here was the Easter week arrangement.  Plenty of lilies 

Ah, and this was the great bouquet Jess picked out for me.  It suits me to a T.  It reminds me of a warm summer day.

  

DIY Flowers

After hearing Elise was doing her own flowers for her wedding, I was reminded of how much fun I had doing my own.  Arranging all the flowers for my wedding with my girlfriends was one of the best memories from the week of the wedding.  Yes this is a little random, but my anniversary is coming up so I'm allowed to relive it again a little, right?

Yes, it was stressful, yes we looked awful.  In the end everyone {and everything} looked lovely, don't you think?

To Market

Remember how I said I didn't mind running errands and shopping here.  Today I decided to bring my camera with me while I picked up my groceries.  

I pick up fruits and veggies at this corner market.

The most gorgeous flower arrangements are made right here.

This is the yummy chocolate shop.  Today I picked up a champagne truffle.  Look, they even make ice cream cone and chocolate lab truffles.

The butcher helps me pick out meat at Ver Bruggge's

Today I decided I needed a mini eclair along with my baguette.

After La Farine, I can stop in for wine at the shop next door.  

Sometimes I do a little window shopping.

And then the unglamorous part, getting the rest of the groceries across the street.  And hauling the heavy bags back home on the bus!

Street Art

My cousin sent me these pictures.  Edgar Mueller is a crazy artist who does this street art.  I love it when artists do interactive projects like this.  How creepy would it be to walk up to these without knowing what was going on?  Check out Mueller's website

3 Things

For no particular reason.  These are the three things I'm loving right now:

1. Listening to This American Life podcasts

Something old school about listening to stories is kinda fun.  It's a public radio show that has a theme each week.  The stories are usually true life stories of everyday people.  It's an hour long show usually with about four fifteen minute segments.  It's a good thing to do while commuting or at home while crafting.  And it's free, did I mention that?

2.  Using Green Bags

This is such a mom thing of mine.  I can't believe how well these work.  Yes these are those bags for produce that are seen in an infomercial.  You can buy them at most any grocery store.  We're approaching the farmer's market season, unfortunately the yummy food that doesn't have chemicals on it tends to spoil quickly.  If you put your produce in these bags they will last much longer.  I also like to bring them to the grocery store with me.  You won't need to use their plastic bags, and you won't have to transfer the produce into the green bags at home.

3.  Ok, I don't have a third one

You tell me.  What is a simple weird little thing that you are loving right now?  Maybe someone knows of a great new band.  I haven't had new good music in awhile.

Tiny Tumbleweed

images  from Telstar Logistics

 

This week I'm going to talk about Jay Shafer's company Tumbleweed Tiny House Company.

I am all about simple cheap alternatives, but they must look nice.  I know, I'm a snob!  But come on, if I am going to live in a little 89 foot square house, it should look nice, shouldn't it?The design aesthetic is the biggest reason why I'm a fan of his.

I know this whole alternative housing thing isn't for everyone.  Come on- everyone is talking about how bad the economy is, therefore thinking creatively is a good thing.  If you don't want this as a primary house, think of getting one as a vacation getaway spot or maybe an art studio or workshop.  

In order for a tiny living space to work, ideally I think it would be located in a cool place in nature.  When the mountains are all around, or a lake nearby, living in a tiny space is ideal because you will want to spend most of your time outside anyway.  Another way this would work would be to crash in someone's backyard.  It would be a cool trade off.  You could help your neighbor out with projects, and they could help you out by giving you a little piece of the backyard to camp on.  One of these little houses is a great way to be able to spend time in the community, the living expenses would be pretty low.

The Deets:

If space is going to be sacrificed, the design must be fabulous.

Jay designs these tiny houses that range from 60-900 square feet.  You can buy the house plans for about $1000.  

  

He is touring and teaching workshops all over the country.  You can learn how to build one for $250-$500 for a one or two day workshop.  It will probably cost about $20,000 to make.

You could also buy the house outright already built for $50,000.

Another draw to this idea is that you don't need to buy land.  The idea is to move the house around.

Some of his houses can be put on a trailer, so you can haul your house with you.  I did a post earlier about Dee Williams.  You might want to check it out again.  She does a nice little video tour and tells a little bit about why she decided to choose to live in a tiny trailer.

PJ's

So I've been making baby steps toward sewing clothes.  I know, pajamas are quite elementary but I was surprised at how easy they were.  I made them in an afternoon.  Sam is bringing me home some freezer paper (it makes for a great iron on template so you can trace your pattern and iron it on the fabric) so there will be no stopping me folks.  Sorry, they're a little wrinkly- I wore them last night and Sam took these pics this morning.  I love that they're long, even a little too long. Homemade is the only way a six foot tall girl is gonna get that length!  And the pattern is upside down on the front of the pants, right side up in the back.  Oops!  I think I'm going to make the smaller size next time, they are a bit baggy!  If anyone wants to get into sewing, I'd recommend making these.  They are super quick and truly very easy.