Pouf! It's like magic

What was supposed to be my summer project ended up being a quickie start-of-fall project:

This is the Puff Daddy knit stool from Pickles of Norway, which is like the Purl Bee in many respects, selling yarn and other supplies and offering free patterns for crocheting, knitting and crafts.

I bought some yarn on sale at WEBS, 9 skeins of royal blue Berkshire Bulky, a 50-50 blend of wool and alpaca. To stuff the pouf, I cut into our old featherbed, removed some of the feathers, then shoved it all into the knit case. It's fairly stretchy but be careful in sewing the bottom shut. I tore my stitching yarn and almost panicked that I'd ripped out some knit stitches.

Now Alex is using it as a gaming chair. Next up, a bed for the cat so she will stop sleeping on the dining chair cushions and shedding her fur all over it. Blech!

Tea for one

I've been searching vintage tea cups on Etsy (surprise!) as I drink tea almost every day but have been using a giant coffee mug to drink out of. These are so pretty:

From the Nostalgia Shop, vintage. Also in pink, sold as a set.

From forestofice, vintage

From Leaf Design, vintage

Then I stumbled across Louche Lab, from Brooklyn. I must be psychic because a lot of things I am drawn to are made locally! Here are some of her pieces:

Seahorse and octopus tea cup set with saucers. P-p-p-precious!

Japanese style tea cups

Tapas plates with sea life

I love how simple they are and they look like watercolor paintings - my favorite medium for its versatility and transparency.

Home sweet floor

So I'm driving myself crazy with this move coming up. Not from the packing, but from design ideas! So bear with me, this will have an interior design slant of sorts for the next few months.

Here are my ideas so far...
For the bedroom & connected bathroom, I want the beach. A flax/khaki down comforter and apricot jersey bedding. Bright blue, peacock and yellow linens.


All bedding from The Company Store, where all my current linens are from. Very well made and they always have great sales.
I saw this pretty garland on Etsy by Sepia Art Studio...

...but then I realized I was basically going to be paying $25 for twine & rags. So I will make my own as I too have twine and beads and can get seashells for a buck or so via Etsy, my latest addiction.

I'm on the hunt for photos of surfers, the beach and underwater things. Also hollowed out sea urchin shells and things in shades of sea glass and sand. Since it will also be my work area I want it to be calming.

In the kitchen and dining area I'm thinking of a southwest theme with a little Dia de los Muertos thrown in:


This is from Gothic Cabinet Craft. I really wanted an old vintage farmhouse table but the prices were exorbitant. Add "reclaimed" to any piece of furniture and it automatically triples in price! The design is pretty typical which is why I would get it in the distressed green finish. We have space big enough for this which is exciting. No more eating in front of the TV! As for chairs we will pick those up as we go - they're easier to bring home from flea markets and mismatched ones are ok.


I have always loved these tissue banners. These are by Ay Mujer! on Etsy, handcut and she also does custom orders.


I like how the wood comes through. If you look at other photos you can see that it is on a house-shaped piece of wood with a tin roof that has scalloped edges. And the pink is a nice pale shade too! By Aeonia.


Another Etsy find, by DavidM9637. This will be great in the kitchen as a spice rack and place to hang my aprons.

As for dinnerware...
I'm finding a couple of sellers on eBay and Etsy who have small collections of these cheerful Marimekko dinner plates. They're being sold 2 and 3 at a time so I have to be patient and collect them all

I also love love love these Spin Art plates (called the Right Rounds) by Nuno Studio of Brooklyn! She does great work, like lavender plates with armadillos or white plates with turquoise line drawings of bivalves.

And that's just the beginning. Exciting but daunting at the same time!