happy friday!

This is the first sunny day in a week so I spent the morning outside enjoying it instead of sitting here thinking up a clever five for friday post.

Happy Friday!!

inspiration

I have always loved this block planter.

basement: drywall

Another boring post about the basement. All the drywall is hung, taped, and has one coat of mud on it. Do I have drywall dust footprints everywhere upstairs? Yes. It's a good thing we bought that pool table a few years ago since it can double as the world's biggest work bench. Next up is a ton of sanding and more mudding. And so much more drywall dust!

it actually felt like Spring today

After some really raw and rainy days, today was lovely and warm and Spring-like. I have some pansies potted out front. Our magnolia is trying to flower. Got some basil and cilantro planted in the garden. I even made a couple of potted arrangements out back today... nothing special - just viola, a nice dark leaf euphorbia, some sedum, and some white super bells. I won't buy any more flowers until after Memorial Day. Around here, there really isn't anything cool at the garden centers until then. I am excited for flower season though. I've been saving inspirational photos and thinking about what I want to plant this year. Wow, I'm a bird nerd and a flower geek. AWESOME!

five for friday

1. Benjamin Moore Wickham Gray
2. Behr Irish Mist
3. Benjamin Moore White Dove
4. Pittsburgh Paints Gypsum
5. Benjamin Moore Silver Half Dollar

I'll be painting the basement soon. Gotta keep it light. If you've got a favorite light-greyish-white paint color, let me know!

Hans Olsen

Dwell has a nice article on some amazing MCM homes in Borrego Springs. When looking through their slideshow of photos, I noticed a Hans Olsen dining set in the Fairway Cottage, the Compact Dinette Set by Hans Olsen for Frem Rojle Moblefabrik. What a perfect example of form and function. Such a beauty!!

And then I remembered a friend of mine had a set like this for sale so I checked to see if it was still available and it is...




If you're interested in adding a Danish classic like this to your home, send an email to David at Pegboard Modern (info@pegboardchicago.com).
He can tell you all about his Hans Olsen set and quote you a price as well.

things I liked today

More here and here.

Why do I live in the Midwest??


photos: Judy Parker

stuff in the basement

Every basement needs a 1970s recliner. This one's a family heirloom passed down to us a few years ago. That crazy bright green is something like super-chartreuse or maybe even slime colored. Guess what...it stays in the basement after the big remodel because I love it.

And then there's dumpy. A vinyl couch we pulled out of a dumpster. It was missing legs so we added some from Ikea. I gave it a massive bleach scrub and now this couch is awesome. Dumpy usually lives upstairs in our spare bedroom. It will find its way back there once the basement is finished.

We still need to remove the old linoleum on that side of the basement. We'll tackle that as soon as the drywall is done.

basement: insulation

In my fantasy world, we would have used insulation made from recycled denim or mushrooms or some other super Eco-friendly material. Any type of blown-in style would have been a luxury as well. With our budget, we got fiber glass kraft faced batt insulation that was on sale at the big box store... it was on clearance about 8 months ago and we've had it stored in the garage all this time. When the previous homeowners "finished" the basement in 1970s, they opted for no insulation. Even if we can't afford the fancy stuff, some insulation has got to be better than none.

tulips

Attention preferred card shoppers... Jewel has potted tulips for $3.99 (da Jewels if yer on da Southside). I get tulips at Jewel every Spring, plop them in a glass vase, and enjoy some Spring cheer at a bargain price.

things I liked this week

1. desert living
2. coming soon to a pet store near you
3. bedroom of the week
4. cool planter at the James Hotel
5. loving this rattan ottoman
6. from ArchDaily

five for friday

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

furniture dreaming

As we're currently scraping every penny to finish our never-ending basement remodel, I find two lovely pieces I would kill to have. If only I had some extra cash right about now. This is the exact smallish credenza I have been dreaming about. It hurts to see it and not be able to have it!! And then this beauty popped up in my google reader this afternoon. Wow! That is some nice Brasilia!

magnolia

One of the first things I saw this morning was a cardinal sitting in the sun. I keep a camera in the kitchen just in case I get these moments. This year's cold Spring has our magnolia blooming a couple of weeks later than last year. If we have too many more cold nights, some of the buds won't even open.

On April 8, 2010, our magnolia looked like this...


By April 15, 2010 - all the magnolia flower petals had already fallen. I think 2011 is going to be a bunk year for our lilacs too. Last year they were amazing!

Kark Park

We spent the day at Kark Park (a.k.a. KRK PRK) which is the backyard of our childhood friend and the home where his mother still lives with his dog, Otto. We brought Lottie with us like we have so many times in the past. She and Otto ran around all day while we grilled out and sat around in old fashioned nylon strappy lawn chairs. John's mom is around 90 years old, I think, and still swears like a sailor and is one of my favorite people to visit. It was a freaky 85 degrees today and we all agreed that it felt great to finally be in some warm sunshine. It's been one year since John left this earth. We miss him so much.