raise your hand if you remember this domino cover? pretty life changing right? i loved everything about ione skye’s home. david netto, her then husband designed it and forever changed my view on EVERYTHING. he was california cool before california cool became something resembling barf.
still love it.
in need of a bedding upgrade on everything from the mattress (20+ years old) to the mattress pad (GIANT holes all over it) to the comforter (desperately want this one) to the sad, white sheets that are no longer white. i could make combos with the sage and clare line of bedding for hours. in fact i did before settling on the above combo- roca linen pillowcase / pacha linen pillowcase / jenny velvet cushion in pistachio / marlene crochet cushion / lilac linen fitted sheet / chambray linen flat sheet - i just really want some POW this time. also goodbye to you because you will spend the next 4 hours of your life trying to decide which combo you want. literally couldn’t even decide on a duvet because my brain was about to explode.
i recently painted my closet walls all white from farrow and ball in a benjamin moore base. i also painted the wood floor inside elephant’s breath (also BM formula) in an effort to a. see what it’s like to paint a wood floor and b. to tie in the hideous tile that it sits next to. the verdict is that it’s surprisingly easy to paint a wood floor provided you don’t walk on it much and are prepared to lay down like, 8 coats of paint. ok, i didn’t sand anything and i didn’t prime and i didn’t seal. so maybe if you do those first not so easy but the payoff is a lasting paint job? in any case i need a new light fixture. i like this cute pink one. but will probably get this one because :( also, this rug is what is on the floor of my closet which is roughly 4 ft by 7.5 feet. the rug is the 4 x 6 and the price is excellent.
my adidias slides have seen better days. really into these as replacement.
trying to talk mike anderson into a pool. but this time for real…like with a pump and a cover and shit. i think we’d need to build a platform for it since our yard is all kinds of slope-y and pot hole-y. thoughts? concerns?
hello pants of my dreams. and also shorts of dreams. i mean, you know….for quarantining.
my dining room is getting a mini makeover. i have always wanted a giant paper lantern so that’s what i will have. i’d like some long, low shelving. i’m obsessed with this whole situation. but a few of these sidled up next to each other would also work? i just don’t want anything clunky. oh, also maybe for a lot less than $1200? i’d maybe get this poster for over it? also i am finally saying goodbye to the teresa’s green walls. it’s past it’s prime anyway. i love the color it’s just not great in artificial light, specifically at night around the dinner table. i would absolutely use it again in a room that got lots of morning light. anyway, i am going for setting plaster by f&b. i have wanted to use it for a long time. it’s really better suited to the afternoon light and the glow of candlelight (or a paper lantern).
i think it’s safe to assume we are all cooking more these days, or at least someone we live with is.
here are some recipes i’ve made lately that were successes all around.
made these patatas bravas just last night. i’ve made potatoes hundreds of times in my life, almost every iteration of them and yet never have i roasted them with tons of oil in a cast iron skillet. talk about crispy. you can keep the leftover garlicky oil for all sorts of things.
beef picadillo puffy tacos - and again, i’ve made tacos hundreds of times but i’ve never actually deep fried the corn tortillas. i may never eat tacos another way. this recipe also calls for carrots and potatoes in the meat sauce. i didn’t have potatoes and that was ok by me. the carrots were a surprising win.
jamie oliver’s no yeast pizza - it’s definitely not the same but it IS delicious. for when you really want pizza but don’t have the patience to do the dough thing. or you have no yeast. i liked this meatball/no sauce version. fiona hates tomatoes in any form, right down to ketchup so this worked for us.
i have been making ina’s weeknight bolognese for years. it’s my go to spaghetti. it’s quick, easy and fucking delicious. when i made BA’s best bolognese though all the seas parted, the sun came out, animals spoke to each other….it’s that good. it takes about 3 1/2 -4 hours start to finish, 3 if you’re proficient in the kitchen. do try it. i used regular bacon and half and half instead of milk. sorry not sorry.
here are the recipes i’m making soon…
sheet pan gnocchi with asparagus, leeks and peas - who doesn’t love a sheet pan dinner? i’ve got 2 vaccuum packed packages of gnocchi in the pantry and am one CSA delivery away from all these spring veggies.
punjabi style red beans with cream - well doesn’t that sound interesting? a pantry dinner if ever there was one.
this one i really have no business making. i don’t need an entire sheet pan of pancakes. but maybe i do because i’d freeze the leftovers for future sunday mornings?
chez ma tante’s pancakes - these. fried. in clarified butter. crisp edges. goodbye.
late to the party here as usual but is anyone watching/has watched escape to the chateau?
about dick and angel strawbridge, a british couple renovating a chateau in france?
we’re pretty obsessed over here. what’s not to love about sinking money into a beautiful old chateau and getting to watch the whole process? there’s a moat, an orangerie (my favorite) a drinks truck, taxidermy…
but i find myself questioning some of the decor choices. on the one hand, i get that it’s meant to be the ultimate fairytale wedding destination (wall of butterflies and unicorn “taxidermy”-neither of which i hate) but it’s also a 17th century chateau and i marvel at the choice of west elm looking plant stand and the general use of decorating 101 trope- “everything in groups of three”. and don’t get me started on the “tower of curiosities” or all that vintage and antique wallpaper cut up and glued to the wall in a harlequin pattern. a lot of it reeks of trading spaces. or was it changing rooms?
honestly this nearly killed me.
i love that big round sink but the decoupaged door not so much, or the ran-out-of-tiles look.
this bathroom is a perfect example of what i mean…that tub is obviously amazing and those wall tiles are gorgeous. but there are so many odd details and choices. like ummm….the floor tiles, the rug, the buckets as plant pots, the mid century danish looking chair? to me, apart from the tub and maybe the sink, none of it looks like it should be in a chateau. am i wrong?
case in point.
the tub at the end of the bed will haunt me forever. and there’s the aforementioned wall of plants.
i like the kitchen ok. the homemade tiles grew on me as the seasons progressed. i just wish the work top on that island wasn’t so flimsy looking.
the table and chairs tho. SO wrong.
the orangerie is where the receptions are held and it’s a dream.
ok ok…i’m nit picking for sure. it’s honestly an enchanting place and i’d love to visit. i just think if it were me i’d have gone classic chateau. i don’t mind a bit of playfulness but a little goes a long way. you with me or against me?
now that the house is clean let’s bring in some good cheer.
paint something. your walls, your floors, a piece of furniture….how about this muted yellow in a glossy finish on a pair of nightstands? a new rug would definitely bring cheer. this one is insane and lucky is the person who snags it. or a statement light- wowzers! what about a bright yellow sofa? i’m into it. or maybe just a new set of rose colored glasses for your rosé. we all need soap may as well make it a pretty one as well a fragrant one. this blue suzani is very reasonably priced and would make your old sofa or table or bed that much better. or maybe a new runner with the prettiest stripes is what you need. or it’s this big bowl filled with bananas for the win.
i’m painting my closet again because it was never finished due to a bad color choice, times 2. first was an aqua color that in hindsight was all wrong for a closet with no natural light, second was a pink that was too raspberry. so now it’s going to be white walls in a satin finish (i never see the walls anyway) and a warm, pale gray on the floors. i’m trying to tie in the bathroom tile that sits next to it. but also testing the waters on painting hardwoods. i am going to put a pretty ceiling light in there and a joy sparking rug. also i really want that big bowl filled with bananas. not in my closet tho.
GLAD TIDE-ings!
i have been on a tear in my house. cleaning everything i can. it started with an instagram follow and a subsequent deep dive into her stories. stripping laundry? who knew? well now i know and it’s just the sort of thing i will never UN-know and currently all of my laundry is soaking in the tub and my god it’s eye-opening.
did you know that water, bleach and old school laundry powdered tide are the best at disinfecting and cleaning things like baseboards and bathroom floors?
or that just the tide powder and hot, hot, hot water is the best for cleaning your floors?
a pillowcase crease gives me a tingle.
windex is the best for streak-less polish.
other cleaning hacks of note:
and an oven.
seriously though, don’t sweat it if you can’t be bothered. and don’t be jealous of my clean house, it’s only making the monotony of each soul crushing day only marginally more tolerable.