FD: Kitchen

The next stop on the First Draft tour of the Treehouse Apartment is the kitchen. Hooray! The kitchen is one of my favorite rooms in my apartment. Before I moved into my first apartment, during the summer between college graduation and starting graduate school, it was the first room for which I really had a vision. There was one day when I was out having lunch with my mom and all of the sudden it hit me: my kitchen would be turquoise and red. I hope you can see that vision in the pictures below!

Let's start with a glance at the floor plan:

A quick overview shows that the kitchen is just next to the dining room. It shares one wall with my across-the-hall neighbor, the other wall with the hallway in the apartment building, and the final wall with my living room.

 This is the view straight into the kitchen from the dining room. I selected the poster - with the red building and blue sky - advertising Japan long before I began studying Japanese. I also have some different examples of a painted letter C, which is my real first initial. Rachael Ray has them in her "kitchen" (the set for her show), or at least she used to!

 Here's a shot of the corner were the stove is. There's an odd little wooden soffit above the cabinets, which looks like it might be made out of white-painted plywood, that I just had to cover up with something.

 Here's a better view of the other side of the kitchen. Look at those icky brown cabinets - yikes! My dream kitchen features white cabinets, dark counters, and light blue walls which will make all of my awesome red and turquoise accents really pop.

 Here's a close-up of the artwork above the sink. I bought the Loteria cards that are now in the black frames while I was in Texas before I graduated from college. I love the colors. The blue triple frame on the bottom was actually a calendar that I picked up on clearance in early 2011, just a couple of weeks after moving into this apartment. Each of the cards has an image on one side and a calendar from a month in 2011 on the other. Since its 2012, I decided to just hang onto it as artwork!

 Here are some of the things that line the counter next to the sink. My grandmother always had a kitchen full of roosters, and while I wasn't sure I wanted that to be my style, I just couldn't pass them up when I found roosters that matched my decor. My mom made the cupcake pin cushion and the tin angel is a souvenir from a trip to San Diego where some friends got married several years ago.

 Here's another shot of the strange plywood soffit and my monogram collection. I made the sign that says Minnehaha, which is the name of the creek that runs just past my window. (The arrow is pointing the correct direction).

 Here's the stove with my full complement of candles illuminated. The spoon rest is actually a candle dish I scored at a Wal-Mart ages ago. I made the clock myself, which seemed like a good idea at the time. I'm not the greatest at measuring, and so, because the numbers aren't properly spaced, it's never kept very good time. I took the battery out and got a different clock, but I couldn't bear to part with this one.

 Yay! I love Mr. Man and Little Miss. I used to have this in my office while I was in graduate school, where I had a gigantic metal filing cabinet. These days, I have a plastic filing cabinet, so this hangs out at home. Today? I'm Little Miss Giggles!

 Here's a shot of the rest of this side of the kitchen. The place came with these cup holders I'm using for my mugs previously installed. It's a fun way to show them off!

Here's a view into the dining room, which you saw more about last week.

 I decided to shoot this same photo both from a low perspective...

and a higher one. I'm not sure which I like best, but I expect I'll be featuring something from this vantage point in my "Small Cool" submission. One plus about this bottom option is that it shows off my other rooster - blue with white polka dots - on top of the refrigerator, just beyond the microwave.

Thanks for checking out the kitchen. Stay tuned for the study next week!

Believe

One thing that's made blogging a bit of a challenge over the last several weeks is that I'm dealing with the health issues that came up during my hospital stay. I'm happy to report that a lot of stuff that had previously been "up in the air" got nailed down last week. I'm going to have surgery on November 15. I'm a little nervous about it - and about getting the insurance company to cover it - but I feel so much better now that we've got a plan. Now that there's a destination, all I have to do is walk the path and follow the steps.

While I was in the hospital, I dreamed of getting out and visiting my local independent bead shop, the Bead Monkey. I'd stopped there earlier in the summer to get supplies for a project for a friend, and while I was trapped in the hospital, I wanted nothing more than to get out and go for a stroll. (I'm sure one of the reasons I was dreaming of this bead shop is that its just a stone's throw from the hospital, and by halfway through my stay, I really wanted to leave). While all of this uncertainty about my future treatments was pending, I made a stop at the bead store. I found this charm and knew right away that I had to have it:

This picture is definitely larger than life size! My next step was to find a chain so that I can wear this necklace whenever I need to have a little extra faith.

I bought the very finest diameter chain I could find at Michaels. I then got it home and struggled like a beast to get a jump ring through the end loop. And... it looked ridiculous!

Yeah - ick! Not the look I was really going for. So, back to Michaels I went, where I dug up some smaller jump rings. The bad news? I still had to struggle like a beast to get the smaller jump ring through the link on the chain. The good news? It's definitely less comical!

The easy part was adding the charm to the chain with another of these teensy jump rings. Here's the finished product!

And now, here I am, ready with a little extra dose of faith today!

Travel by Plane

Nope, don't get excited: I didn't go anywhere. I did, however, acquire a new piece of artwork for my living room that makes me think of travel!

If you read this blog regularly at all, you've probably seen a picture like this about a million times.

Ever since I rearranged this part of the living room - following the addition of the red chair - I've felt like something is missing. It didn't take me very long to realize there is a hole in the gallery wall, just to the right of the "Actions Speak Louder Than Words" canvas. I spent several months thinking about what I might like to put there to fill it in, but it wasn't until a recent trip to my newly re-opened World Market store that I became really inspired.

 Ta da! I found this faux-vintage metal sign and decided it was just the right shape and featured the perfect colors. The fact that it's covered with French writing is just a bonus!

This image is meant to replicate an advertisement, probably for TWA, encouraging potential customers to "Travel to Switzerland by plane." Sounds good to me!

Fall's here!

There were times this summer, when it was so hot, or so humid, that I feared it would never end! Don't get me wrong, I love my flip-flops and I miss them already. This summer definitely included some great times! But, when you live in a place with window air-conditioning only, sometimes the beginning of fall is a bit of a relief.

I did three things this weekend that mark summer's end. Doing all of these things at the same time helps me realize that fall is really beginning. I never thought this day would get here!

1. Pumpkin Soap and Lotion:

As you might recall from one of the very earliest posts on this blog, I marked the end of last Christmas season by transitioning to Pear-scented anti-bac soap with a companion Herbes de Provence lotion at my kitchen sink. Now that fall's here, it's time for a change!

Yum! Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin will be here through Thanksgiving! The only way this could be better is if I had a pump for the lotion. Oh well!

2. Tied Fleece Blanket Reappears:
My very favorite blanket is made from two layers of polar fleece that have been fringed and tied together. During those toasty summer months, I washed it and then shoved it in the closet until cooler temperatures returned. They're back! And so, out came this awesome, cuddly blanket!

One layer is solid turquoise, while the other is a white and red Mod-style floral pattern. Also, you'll notice in this photo that I can wear wilder nail polish colors now that I'm wearing closed-toed shoes to work. And, even though you can't see them, another sign of fall is that while cuddling under this blanket, I'm wearing sweatpants. It's definitely here!

3. Winter Purse:
You also might remember the work I did this summer on my tote bag with the sequined handles. It was great during the warm months because its made out of canvas. But, since I'm not really sweating when I go out running errands anymore, it's time to switch to my winter purse.

See you next summer, Sequins! This Marc Ecko bag and I are going to be tight this winter.

I hope that wherever you are, fall is beautiful and you are enjoying the respite from summer's heat!

FD: Dining Room

As spontaneously as my technical difficulties began, they have now resolved themselves! I wish I understood what happened to make it better, but unfortunately, I'll just have to live in ignorance and hope it doesn't happen again. Without further ado, let's get to this week's installment of the First Draft tour!
Next up in the tree house apartment: the Dining Room!

Here's a shot of the dining room from the living room. It's actually pretty small - the only way this table even fits in here is with the chairs moving towards the corners.

 Here's a view of the table and the window with a little better view of the art next to the window.

 This view is from the back corner of the dining room, near the light switch, looking towards the window and the living room.

 This is the same as the first picture, except the light is turned on. The only thing I don't like about it is the shadows on the walls from the chairs. I think those shadows are coming from the natural light from the window. I might have to try taking this same photo at night.

 Here's a close-up of the art on the wall next to the window. Unfortunately, I've not come up with a way to get this shot without a reflection in the umbrella poster...

 

Here's a shot of the back wall, which is shared with my neighbor across the hall. This is another one where the glare is pretty terrible. 

 

 This is the wall shared with the kitchen. From the dining room, this little wall is on the left of the doorway and is closest to the living room. The frame says Norway in Scrabble letters and contains three postcards I bought while in Norway. The plate features scenes from Hastings.

 These two plates are from Pier One and the trivet is an antique I got on a trip to Duluth.

 This is the view out the dining room window down to the lawn. The cranes in the distance are still here as the road construction project continues!

What Really Happened...

Recently, I read the book "What Really Happened" by Rielle Hunter.

For reasons I don't entirely understand, I'm fascinated by the John Edwards-Andrew Young-Rielle Hunter scandal. In case you don't remember, during the campaign prior to the 2008 presidential election, Andrew Young publicly claimed to be the father of the baby carried by Rielle Hunter, who was working as a contract videographer with the Edwards campaign. It was later revealed that the baby was actually fathered by John Edwards while his wife, Elizabeth, was undergoing cancer treatment. After the baby was born, Andrew Young wrote a book ("The Politician" - one of the best books I've ever read) about his experience working on the Edwards campaign. My understanding is that it caught the attention of the authorities, and the Department of Justice ultimately investigated John Edwards for misuse of campaign funds and prosecuted him not long ago. He was almost completely exonerated by a jury and the story sort of died out - until the release of Rielle's book!

During this election season, I can't help but encourage anyone to read about this scandal. I don't actually think that the question of paternity of little Frances Quinn is all that interesting. But, I think that what these books really show the reader is just how disconnected life in the middle of a political campaign is from "the real world." I worked on a campaign while I was in college, because I had the idea that I wanted that to be my future career path. One month of interning definitely got that out of my system! I worked 12 hours a day at an office in a city halfway across the country. Most of my colleagues were also transplants from all over the place who worked all day, until heading to the bar at night. Everyone made huge sacrifices. No one slept, most people drank, lots of people smoked, I never heard of anyone exercising, almost everyone was far from home, and the primary food groups (in addition to coffee and alcohol) were donuts, chili, and PB&Js. I feel very lucky to have had the experience of participating in a national campaign, but I certainly am not under any illusions that presidential candidates, or their staff, have much contact with reality.

The experience described by both Andrew Young and Rielle Hunter is like my experience but to the extreme. The amount of money flowing through the campaign that was used for payment of expenses is extraordinary. The hounding by the media got to the point of harassment. The lives of several other people were intimately wound up with John Edwards' life, and as is quite common in politics, he let a lot of people down when he proved to be unworthy of the hero worship that had been accorded to him.

As far as Rielle Hunter's book goes, it was just okay. The writing was nothing special and I read most of it gaping open mouthed at my Nook. She refers to the candidate as "Johnny" throughout the book, noting that that's his legal name, a factoid that most people don't know. I thought it was pretty distracting. It also seemed strange that she kept naming the restaurants where she was eating while waiting for "Johnny" to become available as she traveled the country carrying on an affair with him. I've never even heard of most of the restaurants she mentioned, and she didn't really describe the ambiance. I guess I don't get out much, and I'm not independently wealthy, so the names alone didn't help the story. She vilified Andrew and Cheri Young, as they had done to her in Andrew's book. It's not hard for me to imagine that a 40-something New Age single mother and a couple of Democratic political operatives with three kids wouldn't make ideal roommates. The strangest part of the book were her comments about how "when you're a mistress, you have to _____" with the blank filled by "wait in dark restaurants" or "hide in the bathroom while your boyfriend's assistant comes to pick up his bags." It's odd that she decided to characterize these tidbits as advice for other would-be mistresses out there, though I also thought this humanized her a little bit because it showed her adapting to her circumstances. So, although I wasn't all that impressed by her book, I think this whole story is so fascinating that I could hardly put the book down!

Hiatus

Hey everyone! I'm so sorry I don't have a real blog post for you today. I'm having some pretty serious technical issues. With work and other commitments, I haven't had the chance to fix them yet. I'm hoping to get the problems resolved soon. Stay tuned!