a noteable project

No matter what I do, I just can't get away from using paper. First of all, I'm a list maker. I need my to-do lists to get me through each day (plus it's so very satisfying to cross things off). Then I need paper for the printer, paper for drawings, paper paper paper.

I do try to cut back by using scrap paper as much as possible. But the pile of scrap printer paper was starting to outweigh the blank sheets so I decided it was time for a new plan.

I thought my piles of paper would be better used as notepads. That way I can make my lists and throw them into my purse, car, wherever (I never leave home without a notepad). To make things more fun I decided to use some scrap fabric to bind them.

So I chopped up my paper into halves and quarters, punched holes for metal brads, and glued the strips of fabric onto the pads. Viola! A whole new set of notepads.

I'm really not much of a crafter but this was easy and turned out pretty well...so just be warned that some of you may be receiving these as gifts.

Summer on the Lake

Growing up in Minnesota, our family spent every summer at our lake cabin. These days I don't get to see much of that cabin but the memories are vivid, as each summer I dream of of waking up to loon calls, fishing off the dock and playing cards until the early hours of morning.

Lake Houses is a nice collection of images that spark nostalgia and a definite longing to take a trip to the lake.

find the book at Amazon.com

sprucing up the office

I've been collecting jars for years. I'm typically not a hoarder of any sort- I just don't like clutter. But jars are such useful objects and I've given mine a second life as office organizers, holding everything from pens and paperclips to art supplies.

Last week I found a cool project on Martha Stewart.com to transform ordinary glassware into display pieces with enamel paint. Not quite willing to give up my clear glass collection, I decided first to experiment with a few pieces and see how that went.

I picked out a few jars that I thought would look good with enamel, washed them out and used rubbing alcohol to prepare the surface for paint. I selected 'Pacific Blue' for the first round and got to work, pouring the paint and swirling it around.

Here are the jars after the first coat. I later went back and added another coat. On one jar, I decided to try doing a layer in white, to make the inside white and the outside blue. That didn't work so well so I ended up covering it with another blue layer. But that left me enough white paint to do a 'milk' jar.

My new and improved jars! My next step is the honey jar (clear jar in the photo). It has a great texture that will look pretty cool. I can't decide if I should go white or blue...any suggestions?

For the project how-to, click here

Ps, this is a green project if you use a water based non-toxic acrylic enamel. I didn't know this when I started so my blue is a regular enamel, but the white is eco. Just an FYI.

*Note: the before and after jars are shown on swatches of Rubie Green textiles

contained living

I have long been a fan of using shipping containers as architecture; they are inherently sustainable in the fact that they are repurposed industrial waste and virtually indestructable. Building with them is somewhat akin to playing with wooden blocks as toddlers, making it fun and relatively simple to come up with a really cool structure, and the aesthetic is still incredibly unique and interesting.

But the really great part about them is the ability to design and build cost effective structures. This is exciting to me because my contractor husband and I are about to embark on a housing project using these amazing materials and it's bigger than anything we could have imagined!

Still in the research phase, I thought I would share with you some of the inspiring images of container structures that really got the juices flowing. Enjoy.






images courtesy of containerhomes.net








images courtesy of architecture and hygiene

And a shameless plug of my own container design, from a project when I was in school

Check out this video from Modern Marvels

Eco-Luxury in Laguna Beach

Yesterday I attended the groundbreaking ceremony of a new project by Tresor Properties. Touted as the first LEED for Homes Platinum project on the California Coast, the two homes being constructed here are a great example of intuitive design. Going for LEED is no easy task. It requires thinking very far outside the box (or in this case, home) and a high level of accountability on the part of everyone involved. From my perspective, the OC Builder has accepted that challenge.


a modeled rendering of the future homes

One example is the filming of the demolition, which yielded 90% salvage, proving that a little foresight and good planning goes a long way. Check it out.