And Speaking of Pumpkins Again.

Anne, winner of our Margaret Miller giveaway is a beauty in her new pumpkin colored dress.

Happy Halloween!

Best Halloween costume encountered thus far. 

Great job Diana!

Harvest

The makings of a fall table.  Too bad we won't be celebrating Thanksgiving at our house.

Speaking of pumpkins

 I was unaware that squirrels liked to eat pumpkins.  Or perhaps they were working on their very own jack-o-lantern.

Caveat: I haven't seen the culprit yet so I can't for sure verify that they are squirrels.  Perhaps it's a cat or a possum or skunk.  Time for some reconnaissance work

Bamboozle!

Bamboo shades installed in the living room.  check.

Look Mom!  No more faded carpet in the summertime.  I was worried that the shades might make the windows look smaller but I think they just add a layer of warmth to the room.

 The Blinds Chalet product is decent and very well priced.  These windows are large and they were only a couple hundred bucks a window.  The bamboo actually has a contrasting edge binding that gives it a more finished look.  I chose dark brown to blend with the window frames, but there are many options available.  Not shabby compared to their pricier cousins at Conrad or even Smith & Noble.  My only piece of advice is use your own screws - the cheap-o soft metal screws they sent led to several instances of stripped screws not yet in all the way.  Fortunately we got to test out our Grab-it screw extractor which worked wonders on the stripped screws.

Floopy

I wonder if she stands at the back door and stares at the doorknob all day when we're not home...

Hoot

Because I have a thing for Owls.

My new favorite

Custom holiday cards from Rifle Paper co.  I wish I could bring myself to get something like this made, get an address book together, send out holiday cards etc etc.  One of these days. Or I'll stick to the tried and true Ahnert tradition of sending out a Chinese New Year email.  It's greener right? But these cards are so damn cute!

This

is my husband's dream come true.

The Queen of Screens

A friend just introduced me to OrientalFurniture.com which is quite possibly the largest online retailer of room divider screens. From traditional shoji screens, to southern plantation shutters style screens, to Chinese paintings, to photo printed fabric screens, they have it all.  They even have blank canvas screens that you can paint yourself.  What seem to have the most bang for your buck, though, are the photo printed screens that cost on average of $99.  Of course, I would be careful in selecting your photo screen. The Ghandi screen, the Mount Rushmore screen, and the Mona Lisa screen, well, let's just say require a certain type of taste to appreciate.

But this floral screen could look beautiful as a room divider, headboard or large piece of art.

 

Even this Alice in Wonderland one could be really interesting in a black and white room.

And this tree silhouette screen would be pretty dramatic in a modern interior.

Fall

has officially arrived in the Ahnert Davis household.  Heretofore I was reluctant to do much exterior seasonal decorating, what with the neglected weedy front yard and all.  The new plants though have inspired me to dig out a bit of my inner cheer.

Arugula!

Our first harvest of arugula. One thing I just learned is that the older leaves are more spicy and pungent than the baby variety.  Which explains why the arugula that we got on our honeymoon on the Amalfi Coast was so much more tasty than those found in our local grocery store bags. No more baby arugula for me!  Adults only please.

Pimp My Bike

Previously I had posted about the bike revolution that is taking place - a return to simpler more classic bikes.  There are the bikes that Public makes as well as Republic's bikes sold through Urban outfitters.  Well, now Rob's wood grain bikes (too bad their name doesn't have the word "public" in it) has upped the ante.  Burl wood in luxury cars is nothing new, but faux painted wood (I guess a real wood bike wouldn't be too dimensionally stable) is new to the bike world.  Rob's is like the Louis Vuitton of bikes. 

Now, Rob doesn't actually sell wood grain bikes - you have to send him a bike that you already have for him to customize.  And there's only Rob behind that airbrush, so it's a true custom job. 

Landscaping Phase 2.75

So, I've been blogging away since the spring about our landscaping, but mostly it's been the terraces in our backyard.  We planted the hopseeds, planted our kitchen herb garden, did the backyard planting on the terraces, watched it grow in, and chopped down our mulberry tree and replaced it with an ornamental plum.  But from the street side, the front yard was still just a jumble of dirt and weeds. 

Finally almost a year after moving in, we have made the plunge and gone on to the front yard planting.  Nancy, from Weeds Garden Design did a great job with the landscape plan of perennials, hardy natives and other drought tolerant plantings.


The plants were delivered yesterday and stored in the garage (good to know that our bike reflectors actually work).

The unhealthy and one-sided camelias and hollies were removed (sorry mom!), weeds were wacked and soil was amended - ready for planting (interesting how the hill doesn't look nearly as steep as before).

 Placing the plants begins.  Note to readers, a landscape plan is only part of the equation.  You need to see the plants in place and adjust accordingly - fill holes, reconsider heights, site conditions etc.

 Planting was hard but much easier since the soil was prepped and we didn't have to pick up the plants at the nursery.  The plants are babies, so they look small now, but we can't wait to watch them gradually grow in.  Here is the row of planted phormiums (flax) along the front walk.

 The front corner has a swath of grasses creating a sort of "meadow" effect - well, eventually when they get bigger and cover the earth.  These grasses are not your typical lawn.  They will be flowing and they use much less water than a normal lawn.

Even though it's still mostly dirt, it looks so much more neat and tidy than before!  Now if we could do something about that HIDEOUS street sign! 

Cross my heart.

So a bit in the same vein as yesterday's post about my dad joining facebook and blogging, Donna McCabe mother of one of my best friends recently started up her very own Etsy Shop Love to Go.  Donna had made Lizzy a few framed cross stitched sayings for her apartment and cubicle.  After that a few gay friends asked her to make some specialized ones for them.  And a business was born.

From your traditional cross stitched axiom.

 To your more humorous sayings.

 To those that are more audience specific.

 Or artistic.

Donna has a wide range of items and is willing to take commissions if you have something specific in mind.

Here's to moms on Etsy!

Sew LA!

So I recently came across Sew LA through Jamie Mears blog Isuwannee.  The funny thing is I'd heard about this place and then forgotten about it and it's right in my backyard.  Sew LA is a sewing education space in Silverlake.  Following in the footsteps of other DIY trends (pickling, composting, IKEA hacking), Sew LA offers sewing classes focused on clothing as well as some home decor such as pillows and quilts.  Their online store front sells sewing tools and patterns and fabrics from small independent companies and designers.  Most of the fabrics are under $5 a yard (a steal!) and so many are truly unique.  I'm loving the following:

Alexander Henry's Gallo Tea-Dye

His Imperial Kiku-grey

Phillip Jacob's Full Blown - Carmine

Liberty Art Fabric's Fordwych Mauve

 Anna Maria Horner's Nouveau Bouquet - Teal

And of course Kokka's Squirrel on Mushroom - purple - I mean, it's kind of impossible not to like squirrels on mushrooms.

nest.

the makings of a new logo.  Which do you prefer?

Who's your daddy?

It's true - my dad is on facebook.  Although I think he'd rather not be since he doesn't like the random friend requests and only checks his account quarterly.  But even more savvy of him, is that he started a blog recently... way to follow in my footsteps dad ;)

As a Texan who has lived in Asia for 17 years, he has aptly named his blog Texasia - up to you whether you want to pronounce it Tex-Asia, or Texas-ia, although the former has a better ring. The general gist is a forum for his thoughts on Asia and the US and related issues in the political, social, cultural and environmental realms.  Check it out.  For some, his ideas may seem opinionated or controversial. For others, eye opening and horizon widening.  Hopefully they are thought provoking either way.  Feel free to peruse and leave a comment.

Bag Lady

Well, I always knew I had a bit of a bag fetish, but it turns out my completely straight brother is also a self proclaimed "bag hound." Recently he turned me on to Carryology a blog about everything "bag."  Less of a temple to the Guccis and Louis of the the world, it's a compilation of reviews and introductions of various carrying methods from wallets, to packs, to ipad sleeves, to wheeled luggage. 

I also have an affinity for all things involving hand-tooled leather, so this Superfolk bag really hits the spot.

 And this Susu umbrella holder is just genius.