vie a la table » house

bummer

kris — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:10:36 +0000

We knew it wouldn’t last forever, but each day we would turn on our tv or log on to our email and be amazed that our cable was still going.

You see, we never called to turn cable on when we moved December 1st….it just magically was still on!

But as luck would have it, the internet stopped. Boo. And now we are undecided on how to continue…call them up and get started? Look into a different company? Go without? Use our cell service to tether a network? We are trying to eliminate and/or lower as many bills as we can right now.

Bleh. So, as I’m typing this with my phone, bear with me as I might be gone for a while. There’s only so much I can do on my phone before I get frustrated with typing with one finger and staring at a teeny screen. Such first world problems!!!

Don’t worry, the shop is still up and running as I can still recieve orders and emails. Have a great week, all.

how to live in a small space efficiently

kris — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 20:39:35 +0000

real quick: head over to mama marchand‘s to enter to win a pair of my reusable sandwich bags! and a handful of other fun things!

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the boxes are dwindling down (slowly, but surely…phew!) and as i am putting away one thing after another i am thinking about the last few places we’ve lived in. we’ve done it all…with the extremes being a 1600 square foot, 3 bedroom house with double garage to a 600 square foot 1 bedroom walkup in the middle of downtown. (and i can’t fail to mention that those two places happened in that particular order!)

but since that teeny apartment, the places after that have been somewhat similar in living space. i feel like i’ve gotten pretty good at figuring out ways to creatively and efficiently live in small spaces, with what often feels like a family of four (since gracie and ava truly are the size of 2 additional adults). here’s some pointers for you…in your current home, or if you ever need/want to downsize in the future. (and note in these pictures, i haven’t unpacked any of my boxes of accessories and knicknacks!)

choose furniture pieces and styles that have storage.

i experienced the hassles of this in said apartment, when i soon realized that none of our side tables or coffee table had even a shelf. just in the day to day life having a drawer and shelf on a table tucked next to the sofa helps immensely, with the books you are currently reading, remote controls, etc. this goes the same for everything…a desk with lots of drawers, a headboard with niches, hall table with a lower shelf for bins or baskets.

get creative with electronics.

i know this can be limiting to those who are not techy…i’m blessed with a husband who knows a lot, and knows how to figure it out if he doesn’t. when we didn’t have a spare wall to put a desk for a computer, let alone a separate office, we incorporated our computer and entertainment center together with two shelves flanking a stereo cabinet…the computer utilizing the tv as our monitor and using wireless keyboard and mouse from the sofa. this completely eliminated the need for a separate desk or office, and actually has been really fun to have our screen saver be pictures on the tv throughout the day, having perks like our itunes going through the surround speakers, and even being able to watch past episodes of tv, online, but fullscreen on our tv. (was that as confusing to decipher as it was to write?)

don’t be afraid to use something for multiple purposes.

our buffet is currently our sofa back table, our entry table, as well as our buffet storing all our serving and china. it’s even been an entertainment center in past lives. need to have your dining room and craft room be the same space? use a cabinet or credenza to hold decorative pieces on top, while the inside is filled with all your supplies. small dressers or desks make great nightstands (and a cute look!). we have a pair of upholstered stools as extra seating and accents in our living room, but if we have extra guests for dinner, they pull up to the table just as easily for me and wil to sit on.

be willing to live with less!

i feel like i’m always needing to purge, and i feel like i am always acquiring stuff and have no where for it. but i do know it’s sometimes refreshing to realize you don’t need tons of multiples of certain things. i struggle with this one, though. i have a soft spot for a junky little side table or cool chair if it’s a good deal and i see potential in it. but we make sacrifices like not shopping at costco as much because we don’t have the space for 60 rolls of toilet paper at once. on the flipside, if you can justify it with your priorities and lifestyle, having more of something might be ok. it’s the same as budgeting…if going out to eat is really important to you, and you’ve allocated within your income a substantial budget for it, then by all means, eat out and enjoy. cooking is really important to us; we might have a bit more kitchen stuff than average. and we are ok with it.

look up…take advantage of wall space.

if you own or your apartment doesn’t have issues with it, than by all means take advantage of vertical storage! hooks over doors, shelving units, a spice rack above the stove to free up one more cabinet for something else.

don’t forget about the hidden, automatic storage spaces.

under the bed and under the sofa (if on tall enough legs) are prime spots for those odd things like skiis, extra blankets, wrapping supplies, etc. just make sure the stuff is managed in boxes and shallow tupperwares.

consider a storage unit.

we’ve had to do this a couple times, as we continue to jump from a home with a garage to one without and then back again. if your budget allows it or your circumstances are temporary, sometimes a storage unit, even a small one can really give a bit of relief on being able to put away that stuff you can’t find a home for and/or don’t need to access for a period of time. especially for things like camping, christmas decorations, etc. and sometimes it helps you get rid of something…you’ll pack that box of that thing you can’t get rid of, and then when you move 6 months later, you’ll realize if you can live without it for 6 months, than maybe you don’t need it at all!

i know my sister wanted some pictures of the new place, and i know these don’t suffice (sorry, dena). but hopefully these thoughts help one of you out there with a small space that has you stumped!

in my mailbox

kris — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 21:33:03 +0000

blues clues definitely knew what they were talking about when they’d burst out into song about mail time. it’s maaaail taaaah-ime!

mail time is actually quite an ordeal in our house. we have the cutest little mailslot that drops from the outside, down a shoot to our little latched door on the inside. and the minute our girls (who sleep in the guest room during the entirety of the morning) hear the rustle of papers being dropped into the slot, they come BOUNDING and BARKING down the hall to the front door. and lucky for them, some days our mailman leaves some treats in the slot. it then becomes a battle between me and their muzzles of who’s going to get the mail.

most days i could gladly leave the mail in it’s slot, as it’s usually bills or credit card approvals or flyers. but every once in a while there’s something sweet in there. and with my birthday tomorrow, i look forward to seeing a card or two in there!

the last few weeks, i’ve had more than one special something come through that slot, that were just too good to not share with you.

a ways back, i nabbed a print from liz’s shop on etsy…her doodles of animals on her blog always make me smile, and i had been coveting a few of her prints for a while until i decided on lil’ foxy. was thrilled to see it in person. i love her linework, and the colors are so rich. i have plans of putting it somewhere within reach of our living room as our couch is teal too.

also, i was thrilled to have won a giveaway from a blog i have more recently stumbled upon. rebekka lives in nashville, and paints & sells beautiful illustrations. not only did i get a little piece of her work, but she gave away an original! her style is so unique, and i hope that someday when we live in a quaint house of our own, she is still painting custom home portraits.

the last print was not from online, but just a generous friend who thought of me and wil when he saw it…torn from an old book. it’s sitting in the same pile of unframed prints for when we get settled into the next place. if you are ever in a thrift store, used bookshop, etc. keep your eye out for books or calendars that have interesting images inside. you’d be amazed at the unique images that you can tear out (if you have the heart to tear an old book) and create your own series of art. the possibilities are endless…an old scientific book that has botanical type drawings for a hallway or a vintage children’s book for a nursery! assuming you didn’t pay too much for the book, you are basically only paying for frames.

the longer wil and i are married and continually make our houses ‘homes’, the more i like changing out pieces of generic art and photos from college/apartment years to pieces with meaning that we’ve acquired over time. having your walls be filled with images that you’ve come across over the years (either on your own or as gifts), it just makes your space reflect ‘you’ even more.

we’re moving!

kris — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:00:43 +0000

don’t worry, this little blog is staying right here. but the boxes are being packed (notice they are all food boxes!), and we have a place to go. i wouldn’t say this next place is ideal, but we are thinking positive. while moving multiple times is crummy, we really see our next apartment as a temporary landing place until we pursue bigger things after the new year. this will be our 5th home in 5 years of marriage…we’ve got a good record going!

having your housing being up in the air and unknown is something i don’t wish upon anyone. yes there’s a slight sense of adventure, but as the calendar pages continue to fall and a deadline looms, that feeling quickly wanes and easily turns into anxiety. it begins to permeate your every thought throughout the day, and as for me, it really stole away a lot of happiness and creativity.

i already feel the weight lifted off my shoulders one day after placing the deposit on our new apartment, and i am now recognizing how easily i let that weight affect me. i felt a lot of anger the last couple weeks. anger at the new owners that they should have the lack of compassion to kick us out (i know that’s not really the case). anger at MANY apartment complexes, private owners and property managers when we’d get a ‘no’ on the dogs (great danes may be big, but they are lazy, mellow indoor dogs that sleep about 20 hours a day!). even anger at our phase of life and why we can’t make ridiculous amounts of money and not need a budget (in all honesty, we’re pretty content with we’re at in life for mid twenties.).

but all of that is gone (and irrational anyways), and it’s on to more logical thinking, like planning our move date (probably around the last few days of the month), finding a storage unit, and hopefully gathering a friend or two to help lift a couple of the big things. i have hopes that in the midst of stacks of boxes, i am able to get a few things made to have some in-stock items ready to ship for last minute christmas gifts in the shop.

and before you know it, thanksgiving will have past, and christmas will be around the corner, and we’ll have exciting things coming up in 2012!

not-so-wordless wednesday

kris — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 00:40:24 +0000

brainstorming life at the coffee shop with wil on this rainy wednesday.

we found out the news yesterday that we dreaded most: the new owners of our rental duplex are moving into our unit. which means we have 60 days to get out.

while i know the new owner felt bad delivering this news to us and offered to help in any way he could, our world is turned upside down. it’s turned upside down because we literally have no idea what we are going to do. find another place to rent? try to buy? stay in portland? move to central oregon?

in the midst of trying to decipher the craigslist and padmapper listings of homes/apartments, we don’t really know where we stand with current jobs and future dreams.

the thought processes in our minds have correlated with the weather the last two days…gray, foggy, rainy. confused? yes. i know god’s preparing a path for us, but we have no idea what that looks like!

just praying for a clue to help guide us into the right direction…

a momofuku night

kris — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 15:00:03 +0000

it doesn’t happen enough, but ever so often, schedules will align and wil’s friends from culinary school get together to do one thing: cook. well, also to hang out, chat, catch up, play games, sip beer and just fellowship. the night usually entails a theme, and often is an all day process. so far past events have included a meal inspired by what was at the farmers market that day, gourmet meals reinspired into sandwich form, and a good ‘ol memorial day cookout.

even during school, these three friends used their relationship and drive to take their formal education outside of the school walls and to the next level. friendly competition, bouncing off ideas off one another, and challenging each other. if you ever join all us for a beer at our neighborhood pub down the street (we all live within walking distance of one another), they will always be talking about food, restaurants to try, and the professional kitchens they’ve worked in.

this time it was momofuku. i don’t know if i can properly describe david chang’s effect on the culinary field, but this cookbook is a peek into his three new york restaurants and his interesting asian-american techniques. our goal was simple…each person take a different recipe or two out of the book. follow it exactly, or put your own spin on it, either way create a unique asian inspired dinner.

although the day of cooking started around 12, it was relaxed with a little prep here and there, a little sitting here and there. when wil initially came home from the asian market, i watched him put all sorts of ingredients i’d never seen on the table…but soon enough over the course of the day dishes began to take shape. doughs were rising, chicken wings brining, pork belly roasting, and veggies pickling!

it was a hot day already, but with all the cooking, our two neighboring houses indoor temperatures were rising. so we spent a good portion on the shared front lawn. soon enough we had ongoing bocce ball games.

it wasn’t until almost dark that we sat down for the shared meal. i’m not exaggerating when i say we were all giddy with excitement as we laid the table out…bowls and platters of food everywhere. all of our work led up to this point!

we feasted on chicken wings, roasted corn with miso butter, pork belly buns with cabbage and kimchi, and ssam with pickled mustard sauce.

0ne of my favorite things about the place we live in are our meals that happen out on the lawn. evening summer air, good drinks and friends laughing does a soul good.

david chang’s recipes are not for the faint at heart…the chicken wings wil chose to do definitely needed a day-ahead start. they were brining for hours, then in the oven to confit, then cooling for hours, etc. the pork belly buns were the highlight of our meal and if you choose to make them you will not be disappointed. but you’ll also need a whole free day or so as well.

the instructions are lengthy in his book, but here’s a link to the pork belly buns recipe that has been published online if you can’t get your hands on his cookbook.

life unknown

kris — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 17:11:46 +0000

feeling quite unsettled the past couple weeks, and am really needing a reminder that am i NOT in control.

and that’s a good thing.

this month will be one year of living in our quaint little duplex. it came to us exactly when we needed it and offered us everything we needed for our phase of life right now. i’d even say it’s been one of my favorite spaces we’ve lived in thus far in our marriage (we’ve lived in 4 places in 5 years).

so when we got the email from our landlord and later saw the for sale sign installed in our front yard, our hearts sank.

there is so much unknown being a renter in a space that the owner decides to sell. it feels kind of like having our little roots pulled up from the ground…we’ve had to be inconvenienced with our landlords ambitions to get things replaced and repaired. we’ve had to allow showings to prospective buyers, which let me tell you, is not easy to coordinate with two great danes that often are vocal at intruders! and we’ve had to be in an awkward spot where we don’t know the outcome, so we can’t plan accordingly.

anything could happen…best case: it doesn’t sell and they take it off the market. other best case: someone buys it and honors our current rent agreements, and we stay where we are, happy as clams again. worst case: someone buys it and jacks the rent up to something we can’t afford. other worst case: someone buys it for personal use and we have to move.

i don’t know what’s in store. i don’t know if we get to stay. i don’t know if we will have to move and try to find a place that will be in a good area, that allows two big dogs and is what we can afford. but hoping that if i keep reading these verses i won’t wallow in worry and lean on him! which honestly, is kind of hard.

trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. proverbs 3:5

“for I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” jeremiah 29:11

consider how the wild flowers grow. they do not labor or spin …. if that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! luke 12:27-28

so i say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. for everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. luke 11:9-10

wake up, it’s time to get ready

kris — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 17:00:59 +0000

so far so good on sitting down once a day and mapping out the upcoming days. right now, i’m supposed to be on the computer & blog for a couple hours, getting some internet stuff done, and it feels good! i’m following a plan, and not dilly dallying like i often do.

so it’s time for another one percent change.

this is my bed. i love it. i love our west elm headboard, the pictures of me and wil kissing all over the room (whoa!), our handed down antique battenburg lace coverlet, and i am really in love with our new sheets. we always have issues with sheets. i don’t think our mattress is all that deep, but boy, it does not have a good relationship with fitted sheets. they never stay on and i think, i know, it drives wil bonkers when he climbs into bed and it’s all bunchy under him. but our budget is pretty little, so new sheets is kind of low on the money priority. and sheets are bizarrely expensive! thanks to a christmas gift card at macy’s and their ongoing sales that come out of nowhere, i got a set and i love them. it’s only day two, so we’ll see about the bunching. (plus, i love the colors that i can slowly change our room decor to over time…)

but here’s the thing. i love my bed a bit too much. and i love the time right after waking up….being in pj’s, my big unattractive fuzzy robe, sipping morning coffee. being at home during the day and easily being able to waltz into our home office to sew, draw, etc, i’m with a lot of you on just staying in that morning uniform. and when i do get ready, it’s at 11:00, 12:00, 1:00…ok you get the point.

on the days that i get ready first thing, i feel so good! i get more done! i look cuter! seriously, why am i not enforcing this on each day? i used to work 9-5 jobs and do it every morning. what’s with the slacking?

i know there’s opportunities to snap a pic of what i’m wearing and join in on the internet fun. but i can totally see myself applying to my life only that one day a week. and that’s no bueno. this needs to be a one percent change, that i commit to every day.

i need to get ready (the whole shabang) right after i wake up…allowing myself to only feed the dogs and grab a bowl of cereal beforehand.

i know everyone will benefit from this: me, my productivity, and of course the husband coming home to see me with makeup on and hair that’s actually been done. do you have any tips on how you keep yourself from slipping into the mid morning wardrobe fog?

*inspired by naptime diaries’ one percent changes

inspiration workshop – week five – bathrooms

kris — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 20:10:07 +0000

sometimes i miss my old interior design job. ok, a lot of times. it would have it’s moments with things going wrong on the jobsite, difficult clients, or a custom sectional that arrives backwards to how the room is supposed to be laid out (i do not deny this *may* have happened to me)….but in the end when you came in to the house on installation day and saw the light in your client’s eyes and the space transformed by something you put together, it felt like christmas. every time.

something i really loved was tile. yes, there are a lot of intricacies and construction details that take place that can be tedious, but in raw form, as well as once installed, tile can be breathtaking.

i was lucky enough to work with some people that allowed for some hefty spending and it spoiled me enough that someday when wil and i buy and/or build houses in the future, i will have a hard time not wanting to blow the budget on tile.

ann sacks is a favorite tile designer, and her prices are so out of the water that even our high end clients in nashville didn’t use her designs. but i admired samples and images from afar, and i knew since we just live in a little rental with one bathroom (that has mauve and purple shell decals on the tub walls) that her collections would be my go to for some inspiration.

i have no idea what my dream bathroom will some day look like…there are too many fabulous choices. but i do know it will consist of some great tile. what’s your favorite design?

all images are from and copyright of ann sacks’ installation web gallery….just posting them on here to inspire you all!

office redo

kris — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 17:00:36 +0000

i’ve only been at this sewing & drawing thing (full time) for a few months…but i could already tell the office was not working for me as well as it could be.

i love our duplex, and compared the the 600 square foot downtown apartment before, this place is a mansion. but it’s still tight. in theory, i have taken over the second bedroom as my sewing & project room, but it still has many other functions…our library of books we never read, my closet, our computer/office, and probably most importantly, the girls’ sleeping area. it even used to be the guest room, but considering the number of desks now in here, and the fact that our dogs are the size of two humans, our guests now get to blow up their mattress in the living room. it’s casual around here, you know?

as we sat vegging on the couch catching a few minutes of ‘this old house’, i got a quick spurt of energy, turned to wil and proclaimed i’m going to reorganize the office! i honestly hadn’t even thought about it prior to that moment, but that’s usually how my house rearranging fits begin. it was getting to be a pretty catastrophic mess in there anyways…and ava was not happy that i kept her out of the room during her prime snoozing hours of the evening…

with the fabulous early evening sun coming through the window between 4-6, it’s actually really difficult to work at the cutting/ironing table and having the sun right in my eyes (and is often when i work in there the most while wil is working in the evenings)…so i essentially mirrored the room, and gave more attention to how i used the shelves adjacent to each workspace.

what a breath of fresh air! rearranging any room always feels so good, especially when hidden surfaces get wiped down and hidden crevices get vacuumed. here’s to igniting some creativity and production!

*next up is the wall now above the white craft table…the cork boards need some help.