bohemian hellhole

Blake Dollahite and his fantastic bathroom

Blake Dollahite built a house in Austin.  It is pretty much amazing, and my favorite thing right now is the bathroom. It gives me construction hope.

 

 

 

 

Sanding and painting,  Alice

Fabric roller shades

Roller shades are tidy, relatively inexpensive... and even better if you make your own!

One of the little things left by the previous owners of my post-war box were several old roller shades.

Got rid of the yucky vinyl 'fabric' and salvaged all the other parts. Found instructions on how to make your own shades (no sewing required) at Digs magazine, including helpful illustrations. I chose heavy, home decor fabric and skipped the interfacing.

Fabric cutting tip: Consider purchasing a rotary cutter, self-healing mat and ruler. Here's a tutorial on how to use them.

Don't have old rollers and hardware to work with? Search craigslist or ebay, or look for basic roller shade kits at a hardware, fabric or craft store.

These instructions from 1959 at Retro renovation are amusing.

How delightful

Scott Erickson

via Scott Erickson's photo stream

Call me what you will, but I am really in love with that Stormtrooper painting. While watching Race to Witch Mountain, I was reminded of how much they just cheer me up.
Back to the point, both these pieces are by Scott Erickson, who I believe is a local artist, and creates fantastic-ly creepy pop art.

Happy that my car is a.k.a. 'TK421', Alice

Laurelhurst Fan Company

 I recently discovered another reason to love Portland : the Laurelhurst Fan Company.
You can pick out your own color combinations, grille style, and more. They will even refurbish a fan you already have, or sell just the grille to replace the boring one that came with your house. Ah, the ways  to spend $500 or more just blow my mind. It does give me some ideas involving spray paint though...

Whiling away the hours, Alice

Just to have something to do

{via PBS} *

{via simply recipes}**

 It feels like fall is the perfect time to start cooking. So, it was timely to see the movie Julie and Julia, which just makes you want to cook. All the time. With lots of butter.

So, grab a cookbook, some pearls, some good butter {western family will not do}, some heavy french cookware, and enjoy the simple pleasure of making something out of nearly nothing.

* These hooks are fantastic! A hook for every pan, and a pan for everything!

**I am especially fond of Julie Powell's apartment transformation in the movie, so pay attention if you see it!

Waiting for the sun to come out, Alice

Recycled Floor Shelf

 

To make a very inexpensive, highly customizable shelf out of 'green materials', just visit your local salvage yard.

You will need:

*a saw, or access to one

*several scraps of hardwood flooring, pick colors and finishes that you like, the more eclectic the scrap, the more interesting the shelf, etc.

*{flooring comes in several widths, so pick enough pieces to create the depth you want. If you want a 12" shelf, for example, pick out 4 pieces of 3" wide flooring, and so on.}

*Shelf brackets of some kind

*wood glue

Assemble the flooring on a flat surface, sliding the tongue in the groove, mixing and matching untill you like the way it looks. Once you are happy, take it apart, and put some wood glue in the grooves, and re-assemble. Let this dry, and finally, hang it on our brackets.

This project is perfect for small shelves, like narrow ledges for photos, or collections. You can hang the shelves on small strips of wood hung on either side of a 'nook' or closet too. Here is an example from a previous post of how they can look.

Eating Pop-Tarts, Alice

If you need a little bowl

 

 

These are charming.

Running behind, Alice

Beach House{s}, would you be mine?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serena Mitnik-Miller lives in Santa Cruz {above} and San Francisco {below}, fufilling my beach-house dream for today. It is totally dreary outside, and that makes me want to escape. To the ocean. Even if it is cold, there is something about the seaside that makes most weather tolerable. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Get your own beach house:

*pick up a bunch of free pallets

*nail the boards to you walls, and paint everything white

* collect dishes and cookware in watery/sunny shades

*cut your hair short

*use beat up partially-painted flooring scraps to make custom-depth shelves.{more on this later}

*grow plants in your kitchen

*enjoy the cold and cloudy mornings with coffee, as if they will burn off into a lovely summery day.

*leave your shoes at the door

Going back to bed, Alice

{thank you Apartment Therapy}

For the walls

If I just had a spare pile of money for wallpaper, I would spend it here.

Making bread, Alice

Nightwood

Myriah and Nadia = Nightwood. A Brooklyn based furniture and design company that breathes new life into old furniture. Using vintage and sustainable fabrics to reupholster the sofas and chairs, each piece is beautiful and unique. You can see more of their work here.

Becoming obsessed with spider traps, Alice