Tablecloths: DIY

My grandmother gave me a beautiful tablecloth from Pottery Barn as a house warming gift...  

And after I went back to Pottery Barn to buy another, I realized I couldn't justify spending that much on such a small piece of fabric.  So, Chris and I found two unique patterns at Beverly Fabrics in Santa Cruz, hemmed the edges on the sewing machine, and here are the results!

This is a great way to find your own colors, patterns, and styles that compliment your home.  The hem isn't even necessary if you don't have access to a machine- a hand stitch gives it a homemade feeling~

Window Sill Perk

Mini planter boxes made from reclaimed redwood, filled with teeny succulents from our garden.  

We have ours sitting on a window sill- they're also perfect for a simple center piece if

you want something other than flowers.

{FOR SALE}

Local Designers: DIG

DIG, or Design Interior Garden, is a local shop providing exactly that: beautiful and innovative 

designs for your interior or garden space.  The store is composed of three rooms and an outdoor 

garden, each room filled {but not cluttered} with just about anything & everything you 

would want to liven your home with.  

With a keen eye for color, space planning, and diverse array of plants, DIG has an incredibly 

modern feel with a touch of antiquity.  Its owners have a second shop, Hidden Garden Nursery, 

over in Aptos, which I am a frequent visitor at.  Located at 420 Water St. in Santa Cruz.  

What better way to get inspired for the spring time ?! Check out DIG! 

Complete with even a huge selection of air plants! Chris and I brought eight of these buggers home and nestled them within our driftwood frames behind the couch, adding a little life and color to the wood.

 

Left:  DIY living wall kits! You can spot them a Verve Coffee Roasters on 41st Avenue.  

Right:  Bird houses with living roofs made of succulents and moss.  These are the sweetest 

additions to any garden.

 

Left:  An array of Weck canning jars are perfect for small flower vases or simple decoration.  I use mine for short stemmed ranunculus.  Right:  Brilliant outdoor/garden color scheming.

A colorful collection of cut flowers- this is my favorite place to create bouquets for 

every room in my home. 

All your garden necessities are replete here.

I am currently obsessed with mini succulents.  From The Alibi: garden boxes holding mini succulents for window sills and table pieces are coming soon and will be for sale.

Friday Night Crafts

Friday night was rainy and cold and uninspiring for a night on the town.  So instead, I pulled out my old jewelry tools, gold chains, shells, leather, and coral... and had an inspiring night after all~

There will be more jewelry soon and it'll all be for sale! 

I made these with a friend in mind- they were her birthday gift~

Leather feathers, now sold at Zen Island on 41st avenue!

Local Designers: STRIPE

 

Stripe is an exclusive store filled with an abundance of unusual and delightful 

knickknacks, charming vintage decor, local artwork, unique threads, 

and OH so much more to indulge your design appetite with.  

Stripe includes a unique team of designers who collectively, gather inspiration 

to create a place that influences a variety of customers.  They provide 

commercial and residential interior design services, 

branding, and color consultation.  

You MUST see for yourself ...{located at 107 Walnut Avenue in downtown Santa Cruz} ! 

Metal house numbers, knobs for your bathroom vanity, thank-you cards, and stencils- make sure you have a portion of time carved out to browse everything in the store.

Cotton ball bath mats brilliantly displayed in a claw foot bathtub, accompanied by delicious lotion and soaps.  This mini environment sets the tone for a warm and beautiful bathroom.











Key obsessed {which I am}- Stripe's signage is composed entirely out of antique keys.









                                           Hand made kitchen cloth towels: a snap of color and pattern

             

Matchsticks in a jar are incredibly attractive. 

Flour sack towels and locally made jams- things that I love.

Stripe is one of my favorite places to seek inspiration from.  Not only is it complete eye candy for the aspiring designer {within us all}, but the owners, Suna Lock and Dana Norrell, are the loveliest little things on Walnut Avenue.  And every one of their employees are just as sweet.

Equinox

Happy spring! Ranunculus are one of my favorite emblems of the colorful season.

Brilliant Thought for Today

I deeply believe that a beautiful decor can have 
a beneficial influence on our lives.


-Albert Hadley

Brighten with Bouquets

I always promised myself I would keep fresh flowers in my house at all times.  My favorite bouquets are the wild flowers I pick from our garden {and sometimes we borrow the neighbor's..!}.  The branches with buds bring the spring season into our home and fills my heart with happiness~

A mini spray of shamrocks for the holiday, just for fun. I used an old cinnamon jar for the vase.

Exotic bouquet from my beau~ found at Ace's Flower's in Aptos

Budding tree branches are currently in bloom EVERYWHERE and {bonus!} they have 

a light sweet scent.

These hardy flowers are called leucodendrons and I love them!
They grow wild all over my neighborhood {and probably yours too}.
Such a simple yet vibrant idea~  no need to pay for a bouquet when you can
adventure off to find your own... . .. .

Project Wood Frames

I wanted a chalk board SO bad for our kitchen... so we made a frame out of old redwood fence board and sprayed chalkboard finish {which is available at any art/craft supply store} onto a piece 

of ply board~ so simple.

{FOR SALE}

These driftwood frames are the work in progress:  we hung them in a row behind our couch

to reflect and maximize the natural light.

{FOR SALE}

A collection of our own images in a variety of frames, these are the beginnings of a picture collage on a wall in our bedroom.

Chris surprised me with this for Christmas two years ago.  The picture is of a structure I had fallen in love with-Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay.  It hangs over a mantel above our fire place.

Driftwood Creations

Our home is filled with the projects we love to invent and create.  Below are images of the driftwood crafts Chris and I have been working on over the past months.  This week should be nice and rainy-perfect for staying inside, cozying up by the fire, and getting artistic~

We nailed together the flattest pieces of driftwood to create the face of the clock.  I also felt like it needed a bit of color and brushed on the turquoise paint last minute. 

{FOR SALE}

This driftwood mirror brings so much more light into our living area.  Chris found the wooden 'l o v e' blocks at an antique store in Soquel and surprised me with them~ xx

{FOR SALE}

This is a piece of driftwood we found at the beach on a cold morning during a swell this winter.  We used wooden support elbows instead of metal ones to keep the shelf's organic look.

This driftwood mirror is a lovely piece to wake up to every morning.  It is very impressive and gives our bathroom a grandiose impression. 

Shadow Boxes

Chris has been working on wooden shadow boxes, frames, fences, swings, and shelves this spring.  He currently sells the shadow boxes at a downtown Santa Cruz boutique called Stripe, and at Ace's Flower Shop in Aptos.  We were playing around with what to put inside the boxes one day, and ended up piling up all our old wine corks in this one.  The different hues of reds and deep tones of magentas ended up creating an earthy art piece for our kitchen!  Other ideas for the shadow boxes: air plants, moss, or feather collections~

Holiday

Chris and I are taking a mini holiday to the historic Monterey Hotel Bed & Breakfast tonight and tomorrow!  We will be bringing our bikes and cameras (and of course red wine and sea salt chocolate) to seize all things beautiful- Monterey is alive with inspiring arts, old architecture, and deep roots of the natural world... a delightful Monday!

x P

A classic quartet of dinghys strung together

Angelo, the 90 year old owner and operator of Old Fisherman's Wharf broadway house.  Plays are still performed here!

Another poppy- my favorite color for the spring

Pierce Ranch Vineyards tasting room had the same notion... using wine corks for art!

A bit cluttered, but within this image is a white shelf with three antique faucets attached, used as a coat rack.  The Alibi will be making our own... . .. .

 

Chris the photographer... l o v e him.  

And I am seeing the world from a different view.  The B&B we stayed at was defined by a beautiful early 1900's baroque elegance.  Incredibly charming!