romper stomper bomper boo!

remember the end of 'romper room' - when we'd all (take hits from our respective bongs and) visit the magic mirror? that b*tch NEVER called my name and said i was "having a super day" - but i watched EVERY SINGLE DAY in the hopes that one day she would.



last night, after a lovely evening of whiskey tasting and new music with two of my favorite boys (hi eric! hi luke!) and miss gina, i looked over at my chalkboard door and noticed that they'd made some new additions. (and i didn't say "cool it now" - ha ha - get it? get it?)

i stood and stared at it for a while, noting all of the good friends who'd added something fun and i started to feel all warm and fuzzy inside (admittedly, the whiskey could have had a wee bit to do with that as well...).

i see heba. i see mike. i see eric. i see luke. i see riin. i see sarah. and the other sarah. i see karen. i see sian. i see nicole. i see larisa. i see chris. i see johannes. i see jess. i see amanda. i see molly. i see valerie. i see debbie. i see gina. i even see charlotte and emily.

i love you all. you make these sunny days even brighter.

jen x

rain, rain, go away! come again another day!

new mat for the back door. "is it ME you're looking for.......?"

you know, i'm usually a great lover of fog and rain - but EVEN I am growing tired of it this year. it's felt like monsoon season around here lately (only without all of the lovely tropical temperatures and foods) and, frankly, i'm sick of it. sick, i tell you!

the one benefit, i hope, is that "Sweet April showers - Do spring May flowers." (courtesy Thomas Tusser, "A Hundred Good Points of Husbandry", circa 1557).

to that end, light gardening continues in the yard. i thought some of you would enjoy a few updated photos of the progress.

this is a view from the second floor office. as you can see, the yard is quite small. even so, i am trying to create a few spaces for seating guests.

the first is obvious, but i have added a small outdoor area rug under the table for extra color and definition. i'd also like to run tall flowers along the right side fence for extra color near the table.

the second will go where the "yet to be potted" plants currently sit - in the back left corner. i plan to pick up some antique park bench ends and build one to put at an angle there. a nice, cozy spot for romance.

the third will be on the landing, just outside of the kitchen, at the top of these stairs. i'm thinking another antique park bench - but this one scaled down to seat just two.

my new sago palm, potted with violas and alyssium

and i'm on the lookout for tomatoes that do well during our famously gray summer months. i just hate the ones that are available at the store - no taste! didn't they used to taste like something when we were kids? not just some amorphous, reddish, mealy blob that we somehow feel OBLIGATED to put on salads and summer burgers? *sigh* (i think it's time for my afternoon cocktail.)

what else do you think would suit my little urban garden?

iiiiiiii left my hearrrrrrrt...

just had to share this!

i want to go to there.

"it's spring fever. that is what the name of it is. and when you've got it, you want... oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!" ~mark twain

well, it seems spring has sprung (although it's been in fits and starts - as is usually the case here in san francisco). it's hard not to be excited - the skies are clear, the air is fresh and everything is starting to bloom.

when we bought this house, the backyard trumpet vine was in bloom (you can see some of the original photos here). i can't wait for them to come back and to enjoy a summer in our new home!

as you well know, we have been spending A LOT of time working on the interior of the house, but this weather has rgot me thinking about how to make the most of my backyard (which is really just a small patio - but it's BIG deal to have private outdoor space in this town!).

here are some small outdoor spaces that inspire me. i want to go to there!

i LOVE the color in this one - and how lush it is! don't you just want to grab a bag of marshmallows and stick and cozy up to that fire?!

more fantastic landscaping in a small space - i think it gives the illusion that the yard is much bigger than it actually is!

more fab colors - and shine!

so, this weekend, my friend nicole and i hit home depot for a few starters for my "garden" - which will consist of lots of colorful pots and plants.

i fell in love with these pansies - their little "faces" are so cheerful. and of course i need some lavender for my drawers (yes, that kind!).

and some neon orange geraniums and pink jasmine waiting to be potted. (please ignore the mess - i had just potted the pansies.)

need to grab some more pots to add to this wall! and maybe a fun vintage plant stand?

the vines are just about ready to bloom!

have any small garden ideas or tips to share? i'd love to hear 'em!

CITY boys and girls gettin' down on the farm!

wheeeeeeeeeeeee! now HERE is something to be excited about: welcome to the neighborhood, hayes valley farm!

as you may recall from earlier posts (like this one), my current neighborhood was once home to the central freeway, built in the 1950s, which many say destroyed the fabric of this diverse place. in 1989, the loma prieta earthquake took down a sizable chuck of the thing and it was eventually demolished in favor of street-level on ramps. and so began a renewal of the area. (or, some would say, an unwanted gentrification by folks like me. we're right on the border of that most famous of neighborhoods which, too, is having an identity crisis.)

the city has moved excruciatingly slowly in development of the MANY lots that now stand empty as a result of the demolition (see left).

but, the upside is that the community is getting creative with proposed uses for these lots. (this looks pretty amazing, in fact!)

hayes valley farm is probably the best i have seen. situated on parcel p, the largest of them all, this farm will take over a sorely neglected - but uniquely situated - plot right in the middle of our neighborhood.

in their own words, hayes valley farm is "an education and research project with a focus on urban agriculture. Situated on city-owned lots bordered by Oak, Fell, Laguna, and Octavia streets, the project is organized by an alliance of urban farmers, educators, and designers that comprise the Hayes Valley Farm Project Team. Hayes Valley Farm is a Parks Partner, a fiscally sponsored project of the San Francisco Parks Trust.

The project is founded on an interim use agreement between Hayes Valley Farm and the City's Office of Economic and Workforce Development- a two to five year time frame - until which time the City moves forward with other development plans for the site.

1. to create a successful, sustainable urban farm where community members can access healthy local food
2. to serve as a model and a resource center for urban agriculture education and green job training
3. to build community resiliency around local food production"

i have been so busy with the house that i haven't yet had a chance to get dirty with my neighbors, but i plan to very soon. it looks like they are having alot of fun over there!

if you live in the neighborhood, get yourself to a work party soon. if not, maybe you can spearhead a similar project where you live -- this stuff ain't just for san francisco hippies!

and, here's hoping that it will stay long past its planned 2-5 years...

will it never, EVER, end?

"what a looooooong strange trip it's been" for me and this here dining room. it was probably the room i was most excited about when i moved in - not because it is the most beautiful (in fact, it was the most neglected - i can't even conceive of what those college kids were DOING in there.*), but because i love to entertain.

*okay, i really can because, you know, it wasn't SOOOOO long ago that i was a college student myself. i just don't want to imagine those things happening in MY dining room!

from the start, i wanted it to be a cozy room that people could relax in for hours. it started as this mess below - well this is actually after the carpets full of funk were removed. i can't find a better photo, i think, because i had avoided the room for so long.

again with the baby-poopy yellow. EVERYWHERE with the baby-poopy yellow. to make it a bit more serene i decided to go for a mid-tone gray. i tested about 10 and chose the one you see below. (again, apologies for the mess - until the basement is cleared for use, the dining room is doubling as a storage unit.)

i tend to like cool colors, but this just looked horrible. i had exchanged the poopy baby diaper color for an actual baby's nursery (which is just sad and scary if you don't have a baby friend of your own)!

when it went on, it was a pale blue and i hated it. but i was so frustrated that i just finished off the room because i had no idea when i would get to painting it AGAIN....

in the meantime i found this amazing photo. noe this - THIS - is what i was looking for. so, against my usual color instincts, i went about testing some dove grays - colors that had a bit of brown in them to warm things up and create that cozy vibe i want. i finally settled on "stormy monday" by benjamin moore.

and, last night, i got my lazy bones off of the sofa and painted one wall to see if it worked...

i also dedided to do something a bit radical - i'm painting everything from the crown molding down in this color, including trim and baseboards. I'll be using alot of white, black and gold decor - and texture - for POP.

i like that it's neutral enough to show off any color that i might incorporate into holiday or party decorations. because you know me, with the color. and the sparkle.

what do you think? great or BIG mistake?

OH - quick side note... i decided to try a new paint formulation last night as well: benjamin moore's aura. it's alot more expensive than the color-matched paints i generally buy at home depot (which are great), but i did love this stuff. goes on very smooth, great coverage, and very low on fumes. thumbs up!

color me beautiful.

okay, friends, i'm not even the teeniest bit ashamed to admit it: i heart bridget jones.

bridget reading one of my favorites, house & garden magazine

the first time i read the first book i laughed so hard i cried. there are so many reasons to love her, not the least of which is her relationship with her mother.

when i started on my latest mini project, picking pillows for the sofa, i couldn't help but think of this gem:

"I'm taking you to have your colors done! And don't keep saying, 'what,' please, darling. Color Me Beautiful. I'm sick to death of you wandering round in all these dingy slurries and fogs. You look like something out of Chairman Mao." (click here to determine your "season".)

sometimes (a lot of the time, actually) mother really does know best. rather than a house full of dull colors and boring pieces, i want a house full of COLOR and HAPPY.

so, when i was packing up ye ole christmas decorations (in february - that's right, people, i said february), i realized that i had stumbled upon the perfect palate for my living room accessories. i mean JUST LOOK at this picture. don't the colors make you smile from the inside out? (if you said no, you might be dead inside. get help!)


here's a closer look at the decorations (please ignore the rest of the mess - the dining room is currently my project room).


so cute and cheerful!

i've started to collect and make pillows that approximate this color scheme. there are a couple left to make or acquire, but i like where this is headed!


from left to right:

* fuschia velvet pillow from pier one
* chartreuse beaded pillow from pier one
* homemade (yes - i MADE it) bolster pillow. it's a pretty cream wool herringbone with sparkly gold threads. gussied up with black velvet ribbon and antique lace.
* tube top, yup - TUBE TOP, from forever 21 in an amazing iridescent purple-y blue sequin. popped it over a down insert from west elm et VOILA!
* chinese silk pillowcase procured in chinatown many, many moons ago (2004, i think)

MY adorable mom bought me this amazing purple silk embroidered with butterflies - that'll be the next one.
and i'm still on the lookout for a great peacock blue fabric to balance it all out. any suggestions?