Flying Coach

Friend and illustrator Jenna Puente recently entered this clever design into Threadless' crowd sourcing T-shirt contest. 

Are the birds flying economy class or is the plane their flying coach?  You be the judge.
If you like like Jenna's design sign up for a Threadless account (they have lots of other cool Tees for sale) and rate Jenna's work - the contest goes on for the next six days until the winner is announced and their Tee gets produced.

Which do you prefer

This?

Or This?

What does it mean?

I saw a double rainbow on the way home from work today. 
You know what that means....

Don't Forget!

The Margaret Miller Dress Giveway.  Just a few days left. We will be drawing a winner next week so check back in!

Urban Cycling

So, I previously blogged about Public's simple 3 speed bikes.  I love that these types of bikes are enjoying a resurgence.  The design is classic, they are way more stylish than your typical hybrid, but they are practical as well, especially for those of us who are only using our bikes for trekking around our neighborhoods.  Well, the trend spotters at Urban Outfitters seem to have caught on to this as well and you can now purchase your own customized bike from their Dutch partner Republic... I guess all these bike people like very democratic names. 

There is the fixed/free gear Aristotle which has the option to coast while on a fixed gear bike (I'm not a fan of fixed gears if you're not a true bike messanger, but at least this gives you a little more flexibility).  And there is the single speed Plato which is more of a city cruiser and even has an enclosed chain so you don't get your pants all greased up.  At only $399 they are more wallet friendly than Public's versions but I think you'd be wishing you spent more if you attempted to ride up a Pasadena or Silverlake hill on one of these.  So, these are great for flat urban terrain, but spring for some gears if you live anywhere with an incline over 5%.

Veggie Garden Take 2

So I harvested all of ONE squash from the 5 plants that I planted.  4 are still alive and doing ok but apparently they don't want to reproduce.  The cucumbers decided to up and die.

failed cukes.

So now I'm on to the winter season plantings (despite the 100+ degree heat).  A little arugula in place of the cukes, along with a Sequoia strawberry plant. We shall see how they fare and if it is in fact this particular bed that is doomed to failure.

Teutonia

The stroller that my brother designed for Graco while he was there is now available in the US!
If you're of the Bugaboo, Peg Perego, Maclaren leaning check out the new Teutonia T-Linx stroller online.   It's like a transformer for babies - or at least that's a good line when convincing the hubby to spring for one.

Accomplice!

Last night we participated in Accomplice Hollywood - the show / scavenger hunt / game / tour produced by Neil Patrick Harris  I can't really tell you much more or I'd have to kill you, but suffice it to say, I highly recommend it.  There is one in New York as well.  Check it out, sign up.  You won't regret it.

GIVEAWAY - Margaret Miller Dress

Welcome to the first Eagle's Nest Giveaway.  The first 50 people to comment on this post will be entered into a giveaway to receive the South Beach Dress in Terracotta from Margaret Miller.  The dress normally retails for $105.

Let us know how you would wear this dress - where to, what you'd accessorize it with and you'll be entered into the drawing.

Weekly Weeds: Fall'n Plants

"As the days take on a mellower light, and the apple at last hangs

really finish'd and indolent-ripe on the tree,

Then for the teeming quietest, happiest days of all!

The brooding and blissful halcyon days!”

Fremontodendron californicum

Settling  into your cozy down sofa  in front of the fire with a hot toddy and a little more Walt Whitman?  Wait…get up!  Fall is time to plant. Now is a promising time to add to your garden, especially here in Southern California.  The soil is still warm from the summer (I know, it wasn’t much of a summer, but still), the air a bit cooler, and the chance of rain increases – rain that will encourage growth of the deep root systems that get drought tolerant plants through the summer.It’s a kinder, gentler time for plants to establish themselves so that they can burst forth in the new year with a super head start on all those wimpy spring-planted babies. The conditions in the next couple of months are ideal for planting many lovelies, especially California native plants which can be tricky to get going in the heat of the summer. There are some things to watch out for when planting in the fall though, especially as we are still in drought-mode and the forecast for this winter isn't replete with water. The LA Times article, The Dry Garden: Predictions of La Niña Winter, has some very useful information about how to get and keep things growing in a dry fall/winter full of moisture-sucking Santa Anas. To find the right plants, the timing couldn’t be more perfect for the September 25^th grand opening of the Grow Native Nursery.   This is the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden’s new West Los Angeles branch – they are partnering with the VA’s Horticulture Therapy Program which helps train veterans for transition back into the civilian workforce.  There is a preliminary plant list with many of the hundreds of different native plants that will be available on the day.   Print it out, check off your wish list, grab a grand-opening taco from the local food vendors at the nursery, buy plants AND contribute to a good cause!  On my list: Everything. As for what to plant, California Fuchsia, Zauschneria californica mexicana, would be a happy plant if you tucked it into your beds soon.   After a year or two, this tough low-grower can be mowed right down at the end of the year for spectacular flowers the next summer.  You can throw out the hummingbird feeder with this one. 

Pink Zauschneria, California Fuchsia - Las Pilitas

Oh, and by the way, pay attention to where you put the ‘s’ in Fuchsia – it’s named for 16^th century botanist Leonhard Fuchs. Remember fuch-sia. Is that mnemonically rude? Try  Wooly Blue Curls – Trichostema lanatum for that dry barren south-facing patch - 

the pink-purple flowers are scented too.

Invite any of the Ceanothus family, aka California Lilacs, to your drought tolerant garden party. Many of these start blooming in the winter and continue on through spring. Add Ceanothus hearstiorum, ascented foliage groundcover which according to Las Pilitas, smells like a “…forest by the sea”.  

Plant Ceanothus thyrsiflorus Zanzibar a) because you love the name b) because it seems to be more popular in the UK than here in its native growing grounds and we need to take it back or c) it’s just really pretty.

For that gaping hole in your garden, try Ceanothus thyrsiflorus Snow Flurry: Pure white flowers on a 10’-12’ mounding shrub. 

Las Pilitas Nursery has a very useful Ceanothus flowering chart so you can plan your fabulous flowering display properly. Nosy neighbors? Fast growing Toyon heteromeles arbutifolia gets to 10’Hx 8’W quite quickly and comes with white flowers followed by red berries in the winter.  Don’t feel bad if you mistake it for Holly – so did the folks who named Hollywood.

If you are still feeling a little insecure about just what and how to plant this autumn,  Nopalito Native Plants Nursery in Ventura has the perfect class for you:  Planting and Pruning – How to Create and Maintain a Beautiful Native Plant Garden in the Fall   

The class is taught by Carol Bornstein,, co-author of California Native Plants for the Garden

You can go a long way with just this and the Sunset Western Garden book. 

As the cherry on top, fall plant sales abound at arboretums, botanical gardens and nurseries, 

where you can get all kinds of interesting and different plants at good prices. 

California Native Plant Society Fall Plant Sale October 2-3, 2010

Huntington Library Fall Plant Sale October 9-10, 2010

Theodore Payne Fall Plant Sale October 15-16, 2010

Los Angeles Arboretum Cactus/Succulent Fall Sale November 6-7, 2010

Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden Fall Plant Sale November 6-7, 2010

Weekly Weeds by

Nancy Knapp

Quirky!

Recently I was forwarded to Quirky, a website where designers can submit product ideas and through crowd sourcing, get them funded and made.  It's like wikipedia for product design. The power of the interwebs.  Check out the most recent idea, the Boil Buoy which tells you when your pot of water is sufficiently heated.

For $9.99 you can pre-purchase a Boil Buoy which then allows you to get the product along with a share which could eventually earn you money and recoup your costs if the product hits the big time.

Tell me what you want...

What you really really want...

I'll be out for the next week or so in China for work. Wish I could do some remote posting but alas Blogspot is one of the sites that has been censored by the Chinese government. So you'll have to wait for my return to hear all the details of my China adventures.

In the meantime, leave me a comment and let me know what you want more of.  Do you want more local related posts? More design posts? More local design?  More fashion?  More cusine?  Let me know and I'll try to take your ideas into account.

Thanks!

Jess

El Matador

is a hidden gem just north of Zuma in Malibu.  Oh beautylicious!

Suhhhhhweeett man

Peace dude..... watch this video and vote for our house!

Doggy's Delight

Recently I was put in touch with two fellow entrepreneurs  in the LA area who have made inroads into the pet bed industry.  Chelsea and Sabina founded FleaBag Beds after realizing that there was a lack of affordable, chic dog beds out on the market.  Their pet beds come in a number of shapes, sizes and fun fabrics that can coordinate with anyone's interior.  If my cat actually liked beds (instead of preferring plastic bags, clothes, and cardboard products), I would probably have several of these strewn around my house.  Instead I have to resort to giving them as gifts to other folks with more discerning pets. 

Eagle's Nest Blog readers get 20% off now through the end of October. when they enter eagles2010 promo code at checkout.

Hip Hippity Hop

Hipsters Beware!  Watch this video & vote for our house!

Good Hair & Fast Cars

Check out our video & vote for our house!

Saddest Couple Ever

Do you always wonder what happened to those issues of the Onion that you used to peruse while waiting for your haircut at Floyds?  Well, now there is Zombie.  Check it out.  Not only is it funny, but Scott and I made the headlines as the "Saddest Couple Ever".  Help us get happy. Vote for our house!

Currently

In 8th place out of 2000+ entries in the CB2 Selby contest.  Keep us in the top 10 with your vote!

Milk & Honey

Thanks to Julie Holloway, fellow designer and blogger out of Atlanta ,GA for her wonderful blog post on our house before and after.  Check out Julie's blog and the renos that she has done so far. 

Reminiscing

About our old place in Prospect Heights Brooklyn. 
BEFORE (you can understand why my parents were mortified when they saw this 600 sf coop):

I loved the use of stock gutter to cover the pipe in the corner....

And the beautiful mirrors - made for a nice surface for dry erase board pictionary at the house warming.

Not sure who that dude is.  But notice the amazing use of, purple shag, oak and tinted glass.




































The kitchen was surely a cook's delight.

And the bathrooom - you could hold onto the rings when the boat started to rock.



































The best part of the bedroom was the multi-color vertical blinds - gold, cream, pink and lavendar!

In progress - new chandelier, grease screen/half wall down.  Floopy loving the floor covering.

Nothing like protective eyewear.

Voila! Fish eye lens makes everything look larger!

Mirror Magic!

Can you believe this is the same old bathroom tile?

Creative storage solutions for a super small space, also equals cat jungle gym.

Bathroom Redux

So.... we are gradually steering our way toward a master bath renovation starting in January 2011.  Currently the bath looks like this (without the plant and Tiffany poster):

The new bath, however, will have a double vanity with white carrara counters, venetian mirrors, black and white floor tile and subway tile around the shower. 

I think it's going to work out nicely. I just need to nail down vanity style, wall sconces, paint color, and shower curtain next.  Any suggestions?