Someday I’ll figure out how to work in my sleep.

On a completely unrelated note, check out this idea…

I have always really liked the look of an eclectic grouping of pictures.  Now that grouping can be useful as well as beautiful.

Grab some thrift-store frames, fiberboard and lovely paper.

Cabinet knobs and pushpins hold necklaces and bracelets. Earrings dangle from lengths of ribbon hung horizontally across a frame.  Brooches and pins slide easily into a corkboard backed frame.

I’m thinking yes. 

Now if only I could get my hands on that gorgeous bag too.

via DIYIdeas

Food Waste

Thankfully that is not a photo of my waste.  Being out of town did limit how much food was thrown away in the kitchen.  I won’t dwell on how much food gets thrown away while staying in hotels and eating a wedding reception buffet.

Unfortunately though, I am not completely without guilt.  Before we left I did toss a quarter of an apple that had been in the fridge for about a week waiting for Toddler L to find it.  He chose that week to stay out of the fridge.  I guess he does listen to me sometimes.  I did also toss about a quarter of a loaf of bread.  I had sliced it after making it, which I normally don’t do.  Seems that wasn’t a good idea as it was showing mold within days.  That was a bummer.  But my new philosophy is that each week starts anew.  I have a clean slate come Saturday and I will do with it the best I can.

Now for something truly inspirational.  Amy Butler is an amazing designer and her newest venture is a beautiful line of rugs for Chandra.

How is this Compact?  It’s not.  Except that I’m not going to buy one, I don’t need a rug.  But that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate their beauty.

Are they at least green?  Yes, and blue and red and brown.  Okay, okay, they are green by comparison.  Her rugs are 100% made from New Zealand wool and are semi-sustainable using no harsh chemical washes, the industry’s safest chrome dyes and natural latex adhesive.  The rugs are completely hand made, from the tufting to the sculpting.

So if they’re not used and not made from recycled materials why am I showing you?

Because they are beautiful.  And looking at them just makes my day brighter.  See for yourself.

And it’s gorgeous.

An old family piano that was in need of expensive restoration or replacement, both of which were out of the family’s budget, became a signature piece with just a little time and paint.

Unless your piece is a valuable antique don’t be afraid to get creative.  For the cost of a quart of paint (or less if you go Compact in how you acquire paint), you can be green, blue or cherry red.  Why replace, when you can re-do?

What can you add a little color too?

*I recommend low VOC paint for your projects.  Even if you’re not going green you can still be environmental about it.

Many of you may have heard about this guy in Kentucky who used his mad skills with a Sharpie to decorate his boring basement walls.

It is certainly creative.  And daunting.  I don’t have that kind of talent.  But if you do, why not go for it?  How cool would it be in a small (boring) bathroom to give your guests some unique reading material?  Create your own comic strip and add to it as inspiration strikes.

For those of you who like something a little more high end.  Or just have less mad skills.  Or both.  How about going big like Kellie did with a few hours of time and a metallic paint pen?

Inspired by a favorite wallpaper print and the courage to try something different Kellie took a drab space and really made it sing.  I’ve always been one to paint regardless of rental agreements (my designer bones can rarely handle white walls for months on end), so this is something I am definitely adding to my mental file drawer for future use.  What a great fix for the long hallway – the bane of many homes.

Have some great design tricks that are Compact approved?  Send me [calimama @ gmail . com] the info and some pics, I will give you all the credit and share your good work.

old and improved

Project complete!  I was so excited yesterday to meet Carrie of Sommer Designs and pick up the fabric for my chairs.  I quickly (okay, really more like 8 hours later after Toddler L went to bed) got to work taking off the old fabric and replacing it with my stain-free beautiful new fabric.  What do you think?

And by the way, the old fabric was this awesome white (well, it was when it was new) ultra-suede so I just couldn’t throw it out.  I cut it up to make washable swiffer cloths and some rags.  We’ll see how they work but first I have to wash off all the finger prints and peanut butter.

A while back I was wondering if giveaways would be permitted by the San Francisco Compact originators.  And then I wondered what I would do about the issue.  I have to admit I’ve put my name in for several online giveaways since that post.  I figure, if I win a gift card is it really any different than being given a gift card as a gift?  But I do limit those entries to stores I would really, really want stuff from.  Not just plastic cash to rush out and buy crap.  This is me holding to the “what are we spending our money on and is it really necessary?” aspects of the Compact.

And if it’s a giveaway for actual product, 90% of the time it’s for handmade stuff being given away by the artist or on their behalf.  So I think that’s okay too.  On a good day I consider myself an artist.  So if I can support another artist I’m all for it.  The more entrepreneurial the better.  I love Jonathan Adler’s stuff but I’m not running out to get it saying “he’s an artist, it’s okay”.  I like the little guys.  And gals.  You know, Jonathan Adler 20 years ago.  This is me holding to the “what are we buying and bringing into our home?” aspect of the Compact.

This change in the rules, or bending of the rules, or lack of fortitude on my part is due in large part to Sommer Designs.  Well, that may be passing the buck a little bit.  It goes back to my need to recover those pesky chairs.  I’ve been looking and looking but I haven’t found any fabric that I like in the used market.  There was one piece today that came really close but the chairs are (an awesome!) bright green so not the easiest to work with.  But back to the blame game.

While I was doing everything but writing a post last night (which basically means I was spending way too much time on Twitter) I was reminded of a blog I like.  As I was wandering around the blog I ended up on Sommer Designs’ main site.  Which led me to her Etsy shop.  Specifically her fabric remnants shop.  So, see if you can follow my logic here.  I need fabric.  (And rather quickly, I’m a procrastinator.)  Can’t find anything at the used shops.  I found an artist who is based nearby.  She has scrap fabric that I really, really like.  (No this picture isn’t what I chose, but don’t you just love it?  I do.)  I can pay a nominal fee for her extra yardage and pick it up tomorrow morning in person.  It works for me.  Maybe if you’re really lucky I’ll finish the project and show you pictures tomorrow.  Do you feel lucky punk?  Well, do ya?

And maybe if I get lucky I will get one of her great bags for the days I don’t have to carry O’s, animal crackers, diapers, sippy cups and all that other fun stuff!

[image: bingo card no. 1 by michele bosak]

Now, under the Compact rules that means no easy jaunt to my favorite fabric store and home to complete a quick project.  But there should be plenty of places to find used fabric right?  It could be a curtain, a table cloth, a sheet, a muu muu.  It just has to meet my “design” standards.  Unfortunately I don’t know what those are.  I just know I want a certain…something.  And that means a lot of trips to thrift and consignment stores.  So husband was ever the studly fellow and created a list of shops in our area for us to visit.  And visit we did.  Store after store.  Alas, no curtain, table cloth, sheet or muu muu was found that tweaked my hairs.

But it was certainly not a lost venture.  I found a truly prized possession – a salad spinner!  What joy!  I know, I’m easily amused.  Or just kinda sad.  But whatever, I’m happy.  Unfortunately, it’s not the pull-thread kind (apparently the preferred model among friends as it allows more interaction in the process) but it spins and my pillow cases can now go back on the bed.  AND, husband was very excited about a designer label shirt he found for Toddler L.  It was the great design (and the $1.99 tag) that he was so excited about not the label, but it was nice to score a quality piece and save a bundle at the same time.  I was thrilled to find one of those new-fangled, weird-yet-cool looking Dust Busters for $4.99.  (And it’s even the color of my choice!)  I hate the thought of pulling out the big vacuum every time the boy decides he’d rather eat his O’s off the floor instead of out of a bowl.  Good thing we haven’t started the milk with cereal thing yet!

We’ll be back out later this week to continue the search for fabric.  I’m starting to hope I find a muu muu just so I can say my chairs were recovered with one.  Wish me luck!

It’s almost the end of the month and it is the end of the week.  It sounds like a good time to take a look at where we’ve been.  Or how far we’ve come.  Or what we’ve done.  Or haven’t done for that matter.  But you get the idea.  We are a month into this here Compact year.  How’s it going so far?

Well, ever since I wrote that post about forgetting my bags I haven’t forgotten my bags.  I guess I just needed to verbalize my issue.  I should keep that in mind.  Maybe I’ll just start writing about all my problems.  Hmm, I might lose a few of you.  I think I’ll stick to the topic at hand.  What was that again?

I’ve also been doing a lot of cooking at home.  And I mean a lot.  More than I ever thought I would want to do.  And guess what?  I’ve been enjoying it!  Shhh, don’t tell my husband.  I cook, he does laundry.  If he thought I enjoyed the cooking we might have to change our deal.  And it works so well for me.  But in addition to actually enjoying my cooking I’ve finally gotten to the point where I can go to the farmer’s market, buy a bunch of different produce and actually make real meals out of it.  It’s kind of a learning curve you know?  I started with fruit and have worked my way up to cabbage, bok choy, various lettuces and so much more!  What’s next?  No, not that.  It won’t happen.  If there is any baking going on it won’t be me.  I’m quite happy with my Organic Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies from Trader Joe’s.  A handful of those a day and I am golden!

We’ve had to buy four birthday presents this month and I was able to find great gifts (at least I think they were great, I hope the getters did too!) all at our local thrift and consignment stores.  I think we’ve been to Target twice and it was for soap, toothpaste, kleenex (I know, I know, I use hankies but husband just can’t get on that bandwagon, what’s a girl to do?) and Nature Babycare wipes.  All in all, I think we’re doing great on that front.  I was also able to score 11 linen napkins at the flea market last Sunday for only three bucks!  And I really like them to boot!  Got a new (circa 1979) bookshelf to be used as a TV stand in a friend’s apartment too.  A coat of paint and that will be one sweet find.

That friend’s apartment…it’s a design job I’m doing.  More like a favor really.  A favor she’s doing for me.  I’ve wanted to spruce up this place for years.  Now’s my chance.  And my first order of business (after finding the bookshelf) was to select all low VOC (actually Dunn Edwards NO VOC!) paints.  It’s truly the best.  Playing with furniture, fabric and paint in an eco-conscious way with someone else’s money (on a budget – I like a challenge).  This rocks!  Okay, I know that was a major digression.  Back to my Compact accomplishments.  (Wow, does that sound like a pat on my own back!)

We’ve been back to Walser’s with all of our pre-sorted recycling.  Did you know they even take the metal hangers that (annoyingly) come from the dry-cleaners?  They are so great.  Really.  And yes, we dry-clean.  My husband’s work shirts.  I don’t iron.  Not like that anyway.  I know it’s not environmental (although we do try to use the green cleaners) but that’s why I try to do so much else.  I am working to find the balance.  I take small steps.

And to keep things honest and real – I’m ashamed to say I threw away some celery today.  Granted the whole thing only cost me a dollar at the farmer’s market.  But still, I’m not happy about it.  I was making soup and had taken as much as I could use for that already.  The rest was so limp it bent like a willow branch in a strong wind.  I couldn’t think of a use or how to save it until I could think of a use.  I’m sorry.  I feel terrible.  I just thought you should know.

To end on a positive note though, I will say that I am really looking forward to the next month of this adventure.  And the one after that.  And I promise to have more pictures tomorrow.  Pictures make everything so much more fun don’t they?  Well, to hold you over until then I will leave you with this…

what's the message? no message. just a pretty picture.

Thrifty

According to Wikipedia a charity shop, thrift shop or resale shop is a retail establishment operated by a charitable organization for the purpose of fundraising.  (Read: they take almost anything.)  Now to me that can be a slippery slope because although the saying goes “one man’s junk is another man’s treasure” I have to ask, just how many empty Aunt Jemima bottles do you need?

Consignment shops are similar in that a typical shop is reselling someone else’s goods.  The difference being that that someone still owns those goods until they sell.  And the store owner uses their judgment to decide if an item will sell and for how much.  (Read: they can be selective.)  And here’s where geography, personal taste and socio-economic factors come into play.  To be fair, I am limiting my comments to non-clothing items.  For me, true joy comes from shopping for my home not my frame.

Happy Hunting

Some thrift stores are fun if you just have some time to spare, are up for a good hunt or have the kind of creative juices that can turn Great-Aunt Edna’s lamp cross-stitch into amazing modern art with just the addition of a Pez dispenser and a lampshade base. I am not that person.

Although I do love a good project I also love stumbling across the perfect thing just as it is. In all it’s original glory. Not worn but previously loved. This may take a more selective approach to your shopping. Or more specifically, in which area of town you’re shopping. I found some pieces just such as these at my local thrift and consignment shops this past weekend. I even scored two great birthday gifts. I may even have convinced my husband the Compact can include gift items. He was a bit of a skeptic on that one before. But it was the things I didn’t buy that make me want to go back for more.

Waterfall Desk

I actually found this desk at the consignment shop. I almost jumped up and down. But then I realized I have no place to put it and don’t really need it at the moment. But boy do I WANT it! Not all things that come from thrift and consignment stores have to look like they came from your grandmother’s house.

Grandma's favorite chair

But luckily some do, as I would love to plump up the cushions and re-upholster this beauty to go with my new desk. The new desk I see in my dreams that is.

All Things White

And I could happily pick up most every piece of white china/dishware/server I come across. Grandma’s or not.

So in addition to limiting my visits to Target I am really going to have to restrict my forays to the second-hand favorites. I could claim no brand-new items but do you think 12 vintage chairs and 3 desks is a bit much for a two bedroom apartment?

I’ve spent the last hour or so catching up on some reading. The only thing really relevant to this blog was the most incredible tub creation I’ve seen. I really must have that. I’m hoping I don’t have to find a way to make it but if I have to I will. Trust me, I’ll do it. Maybe not this year, or even this decade but I will do it. (I got kinda shorted on that one as we are almost done with this decade but you get my point.)

What I was really reading were blogs written by some great friends of mine. They are all so interesting and different. We each have our own things but I love how blogs let us peak into each others heads and see what’s going on. This blog is typically on the lighter side (just my speed) but this post made me realize I have really been ignoring the big picture recently. If I don’t wake up in time to hear the NPR news and I don’t check any news websites I can really stay insulated. Having no TV is good for the electric bill, keeps my kid from finding out about Sesame Street and we can enjoy people looking at us like we have no running water when we tell them (“What? That’s just crazy. How do you survive?” has been heard more than once), but it also makes it really easy to ignore everything outside of my favorite blogs and people. Maybe I should think about that. I’ll get right on that. Tomorrow.

My husband like to tell people I am a bartender, so not true. I was one, for a while, a long, long time ago. Although it hardly counts if you only serve wine, beer and the occasional rye and ginger. Now I just refer people here. If I ever get to the point where I can drink regularly again (don’t even ask what I mean by that) I plan to try as many things from this list as I can. I can never decide what to have when I do actually get out so maybe I’ll find my perfect match. Is his name Jack perhaps? I think not. But I’ll keep looking. And besides nothing in the Compact says I can’t buy alcohol, that’s practically food right?

I was just talking (texting really, but what’s the difference right?) to a friend about her well-placed clutter. She is one of the lucky ones that gets to live in a Hollywood home with actual character. Which in Hollywood, unless you’re famous, means you have a small (read quaint) apartment/duplex/bungalow not much bigger than my ex-boyfriend’s dorm room. So in a home with character you may choose to live with less open space if you and/or your husband have a liking for big and/or little things. So to her I say, love your stuff and plan for the day when it looks like you have a sparse living room because it’s so big. If that’s your thing. Or just love your stuff because it’s like whipped cream.

Some days I just want to talk about nothing at all. Okay, you’ve probably already learned that’s more like most days. But some days are worse than others. Maybe tomorrow I will think some more about how I can save my family some green. Or save Mother Nature’s green. But today was just about whipped cream.

Thanks ladies!