My perfect dining table

Hope you had a good weekend. We had a busy busy busy Saturday. Spent Sunday in much needed relaxation.

Not sure about you, but I am not in support of having uncomfortable dinners on the floor. So despite our tiny 44sq.f home, I still wanted to have a dining table.

I wrote about how every piece in a tiny home needs to be oh-so-carefully thought out, most doing double duty. Well, our "sofa" is actually our old porch seat. It was originally an ugly yellow-orange stain. My MIL painted it white 5 years ago and it's been sitting on her porch for us. Now we're back, so the seat is ours again, bar the original seat cushions which are sooo dated. What we have on now are the seat cushions from our lounges (now in storage). Fit perfectly!

Kitchen counter cabinets will soon be painted white since my tolerance for the bare wood is running thin.

Well, I had alloted a space behind said "lounge" for a "dining table". I needed a table that would fit into a very specific space boundary: EXACTLY 40cm depth and no longer than 13.5cm length. Basically a hall table. It needed to fit neatly behind my lounge; any longer, our fridge wouldn't open fully. Any wider: we wouldn't have a practical walkway between dining table and kitchen counter, and kitchen counter doors wouldn't open.

[In my previous home, we had a spacious dining room. With a huge dining table.



(Check out my favourite dining room spaces on the blog.)]

What were my chances?? I mean, I wanted it to be chic, wanted it a specific size and height with space underneath to store stools to sit on... It was a daily hunt for almost two months on eBay and weekly garage sales.

I had even consulted my builder brothers-in-law to see if they could build me one from scraps of wood. Would still cost a pretty penny, anywhere from $400-600! (So that option was out!)

But I have one now!!! 3 weeks ago at a garage sale, I felt God's arms of love surround me as I stared stupidly at the perfect "dining table"! Not believing my eyes. And only $45!



I love the bamboo look, been wanting pieces for the home in that style for ages. Freshly painted a bluish white, I stood there measuring it out... 40cm deep! 130cm length!

The drawers (which stick slightly) fits my cutlery drawer (until then, homeless) just perfectly. What are the chances???



See the bench??? I found it almost two weeks later under my MIL's outdoor potting bench, unused and forgotten. Stools or benches needed to be the right size and height too! Long and short enough to fit under, needed not to be too tall that adult knees hit the table and needed not to be too low to be ridiculously all elbows on the table!

The bench I scored from MIL fit perfectly too!!

He does answer prayers.

Now I'm praying daily for a suitable wardrobe for the three of us at a steal of a price. At the moment we're using a tiny antique wardrobe for the three of us with piles of clothes everywhere else... The modern hangers don't even fit width-wise in this not-modern wardrobe!

Colin and Justin's new website

I wrote about the dynamic pretty duo Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan back in January 2010 and sadly, we've moved interstate and lost our TV reception priveledges.. which basically means being subjected to the in law's preferences! I'd love to be able to buy the DVDs of their work someplace though.



Anyhoo. I got a lovely thank you email from them a few days ago for featuring their work. Also a shout out to me about their finally finished website colinandjustin.tv. I love their natural and fun writing style, with a sense of humour with their own lives and journeys but utter seriousness about their dedication to good interior style.

I thought this time I'd showcase a few shots featuring another jaunty but equally serious facet to their image: their model-style fashion! Always impeccably dressed, be it in farm wear or night-out-wear! Painting walls in expensive clothes... And of course, I've mentioned loving Colin's OTT brooches!!!

HGTV, CA

Via Urban Rush, CA

Via Flickr LexnGer

Via Catchy Title

Via The Record

Make sure you hop over to their website http://www.colinandjustin.tv/ today and read all about their work and see a whole slew of very newly uploaded photos.

Ants... and bookmarks.

Firstly, we have a damned ant problem. Three days ago I spotted thousands of black ants milling aorund the beams above our heads at night and surmised that there is an ant nest behind one entire plywood wall. It is most distressing as I hate ants. Getting Ant Rid there is a nightmare as there aren't any horizontal surfaces for the poison to pool on. The first night we put Ant Rid, the next morning there wasn't an ant to be seen walking. But plenty of carcasses to vacuum up. Today, they're back.



More Ant Rid. I hate ants.

On another totally unrelated note, I'm totally enchanted by these gorgeous bookmarks and am inspired now to create them.



How often have you seen gorgeous one-piece earrings? Where its partner is lost? I have one piece on my dresser tray that I love for its sparklyness but never found its partner.

I dug out my box of things, and looked through my stash of ribbon... and got the beading pliers out...



Whaddaya think??

Jet-setting

Ok, first of all, apologies for not posting in over a week. Sometimes, you know, life intervenes.

So, I recently filed my taxes (on my own, using TurboTax) and got a larger refund than I was expecting. Instead of doing the responsible thing and paying off a chunk of my student loans, I have been buying plane tickets and planning frivolous trips. I love to travel, so it's a good thing I picked such a lucrative career. I mean, basically every cover of US Weekly features a millionaire poetess sunning herself in Belize.

Where am I going, you ask? Well, in a little under two weeks, I'm going to Chicago to celebrate a friend's 30th birthday. I will be in the Windy City for about 48 hours. Which sort of makes the trip absurd, but the birthday boy in question is one of my closest pals from childhood and just finished a tour in Afghanistan. Yep, I'm playing the he-is-in-the-army card to justify this trip. Also, I can stay for free with a friend....so at least I'm saving money in that regard.

Next trip: St. Louis in May. I know what you're thinking, that these Midwestern destinations are not exactly exotic. But again, it's a birthday worth traveling for -- my Dad's 65th. I missed his 60th fete, which was a margarita-infused, karaoke affair that was so raucous that someone called the cops. Yes, the police made an appearance at my father's 60th birthday. That's just how my family rolls. So I'm thinking 65 is going to be even more insane.

But here's the vacay I'm really looking forward to: Amsterdam in July! Haven't bought my tickets yet, but I have the dates picked out (first week of July). I have never been to Amsterdam. And I haven't been to Europe since 2003 (I'm so underprivileged!). I hear Amsterdam is a cultural mecca, chock full of museums and lovely architecture. I swear, that's why I'm going. To appreciate the architecture. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. The fact that I will be able to legally buy and smoke weed in public establishments did not factor into my decision at all. I AM A LOVER OF ART AND CULTURE.

Ok, gotta run to class....I'll try to post more frequently because I know, I know life is so dull without my pithy entries to brighten your days. God, it's great to be important.

Janet Hill's new prints

A Horse Called Imogen's Grace

I had to share about this. One of my favourite artists, Janet Hill from Etsy has some new delicious prints! Here are some of my favourites!

The Fontaine Sisters On The Boardwalk With Their Dogs Prim And Proper

The Skirt

She Liked To Call Them Her Pink Flamingo Shoes

Make sure you go to her Etsy store and buy up!

THE INTERNET

According to the hit Broadway show Avenue Q, the internet is for porn. And while I wouldn't disagree that it promotes the proliferation of that industry, I do think it serves many other purposes as well. Without Facebook, I would not be in touch with the elementary school friend who, after we reconnected, asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding (or, for that matter, all the boys in middle school who didn't ask me to slow dance because I was a late bloomer). Without MySpace, Tila Tequila would not have a career that extended beyond a stripper pole.

Some claim the Web brings us together; others insist it has driven people farther apart by digitizing relationships (and I'll admit, my phone demeanor has suffered). One recent online development, however, strikes me as a throwback to the "old internet" I grew up with while also managing to be insidiously innovative.

I speak, of course, of the phenomenon of Chat Roulette.


If you've over 25, chances are you haven't heard of this site; it's pretty new and all the rage among the young Web-savvy kids. The concept is simple: talk to totally random strangers, selected randomly. But here's the really creepy part: with webcam technology, you can SEE and HEAR the creepy strangers. At any given time, there are thousands of people on the site and when you log on, you suddenly find yourself face-to-face with one of them. And if you don't like what you see, you can simply click "next" and talk to someone else.

As my brother pointed out, the sheer randomness of Chat Roulette is reminiscent of the 90s chat rooms I used to frequent when I was an AOL user. My family had an account and I had my own screen name: Liminal15 (precocious, I know). And sometimes, because I was a curious and horny teenager, I would chat, shall we say flirtatiously, with people I didn't know.

Chat Roulette takes this to the next level -- and having visited the site a few times (trust me, it's better to experience it with friends as opposed to solo), I can say that about 50% of the time, I found myself not so much face-to-face with a stranger, but face-to-penis. The truth is, Chat Roulette is saturated with guys who just want to jerk off on camera for the exhibitionist thrill. They don't really want to talk. The only communication I received was rarely in the form of complete sentences; one guy said "titties?" and another asked me to flash him after waving a ten-dollar bill at the camera, as if I could absorb the money via osmosis. I still can't decide if this gesture was tacky (I'm only worth $10?) or polite (it's the thought that counts?)

It's a strange world we live in, folks. And Chat Roulette just made it a little....ickier. Except this guy, he's awesome:



Another weird/scary internet trend in the news: Human-flesh Search Engines in China. Apparently, people gather together online and target those in their communities that they don't like and carry out a kind of mob bullying. This sometimes results in the victims losing their jobs and having to relocate. I guess if I had to pick between being harassed online by a faceless mob or being inundated with images of masturbating oddballs, I choose the latter?

Which brings this post pretty much full circle: the internet is for porn (unless you are unpopular and live in China)

Loving milk glass in the bathroom

Flickr Sunshinsyrie

I have been thinking how to pretty up our tiny bathroom.

In our previous home, I had a small showcase of orange, pink and vermillion pretty things on an Ikea shelf in the toilet.



Even men would say that it was their favourite room in the house, this tiny toilet of 7 x 3 feet space that fit JUST the cream toilet (same shade as the walls and doors and door handle and toilet roll holder and floor.)



Now we have moved... and the tiny bathroom/toilet space has strong apple green walls, with dark stained wood floors and cover strips in the same dark stain. The only shelving in the bathroom is a non-descript bleh modern glass and steel 3-shelf thing my brother in law bought at a garage sale.

To the left of this is the sink and plain mirror. Behind is a plain white shower stall.

I long to be able to paint the entire space a light, creamy yellow with gloss white trim. But since we're here short term, it's not a priority (yet). So we have to work with apple green walls with dark red stain.

I think this tiny room cannot benefit from too much white so I've put into storage all our non-white towels. I installed those clothes hangers with white ceramic knobs. I plan to paint the mirror (or get another mirror) white.

I think I'll go with milk glass. I plan on using milk glass tumblers, vases, trays and comports ... I have only a measly few, but am adding to the collection slowly.

And of course, let's go pretty-picture hunting for inspiration!

Flickr polkadotplaid

Flickr jenscloset

Flickr SpiderWomanKnits

Flickr Suzanneduda

Flickr caroll.mary

Flickr aaaandreaaaa

Flickr nbklx17 (Sandy)

Flickr The Sunday Times Market

Flickr The Sunday Times Market

Flickr beelicious

Flickr belleflower29

Flickr candy_rose

Flickr Kimberly Shaw Graphics

Flickr Kimberly Shaw Graphics