Weekend Time!

Just thought I'd leave you for the weekend with this great piece of art from Joel Henriques. 

A fun bike and stripes inspired by a Paul Smith sock.  You can get it on Zazzle

When I have the opportunity, I love stopping by his blog Made by Joel for fun kids' toy ideas, great photography, and a dose of super creativity. 

Ikat Pillow Giveaway!

I mentioned Ikat and Batik's Etsy shop last week on my blog here, and I was so excited about the designs and price point that I ordered a set for myself.  I just received my pillow covers and was not disappointed.  I can't wait to get the inserts and get them placed around the house - photos of that to come.  Ginette was kind enough to donate 2 extra covers for a giveaway!  They are a pair of these beautiful 16" x 16" saffron / yellow / mustard Ikat pillow covers. 

Here are the technicalities:
- Go onto Ginette's Etsy shop and leave a comment below telling us which item is your fave.
- If you "like" Nest Studio on facebook or through Networked blogs you get an extra entry.
- The giveaway closes at 5pm on Thursday, March 3.
- Winner will be drawn at random.
- If possible, the winner will submit a photo of the pillows in their space to be featured on The Eagles Nest and provided to Ginette at Ikat and Batik.

Fab Frugal giveaway

Check out Leah's Fabulous and Frugal pillow giveaway over at The Way We Are...... And come back here to the Eagle's Nest tomorrow for my Ikat pillow giveaway.  Pillows pillows everywhere!

Curve Line Space

So recently we attended the NELA Art Walk with a group of friends. The art walk occurs every second Saturday and consists of various galleries in the Eagle Rock and Highland Park area opening their doors to the public, serving drinks and being generally convivial.  This past one, we hit up Curve Line Space in Eagle Rock and Larkins (yum!) and then made it to the York for drinks.  Curve Line Space was featuring these great ink drawings by Greg Andrade which were actually done with roll-on deodorant applicators!  I was fortunate enough to meet Tim the owner of Curve Line Space and got the chance to talk to him about his gallery and framing shop, the types of work he collects, and being a creative person in our local community.  Here is what Tim said:

The Eagle's Nest: How did you get into the gallery business?  How has the artist and gallery community changed since you started?

Tim: I have a background in music and art.  The picture framing business has been my bread and butter business since 1993. So an art gallery just seemed like a natural addition to my over all business purpose which is to support the arts and bring a refined aesthetic into the community.

TEN: So, why Eagle Rock?

Tim: The time was right. I was in Glendale for nine years and my landlord wouldn't sell me the building. I moved to eagle rock in 2001 before it took off. I love the community feel of this town. Coming from a small town in the midwest, I'm used to knowing many local friends and families. Eagle rock has that small town feel in the middle of Los Angeles. Plus there's so many creative people in the area... artists, musicians, film folks. In Glendale i would get posters and commercial art for retail framing. Here there is such a great understanding of fine art and popular culture i really feel at home.

TEN: What made you decide to focus on drawing and graphite?

Tim: I tend to be interested in many things and like to dig deep into any subject mater of interest.  I am also a musician so i felt that i wanted to limit the gallery to a very simple and honest medium - in this way there would be less areas to require attention and deal with as a gallery.  I'm a total minimalist so keeping the gallery closely defined as to medium also allows me better focus.

TEN: Do you have any suggestions for younger folks who want to start collecting art but are limited in funds?

Tim: Buy art that moves you emotionally.  There are so many talented unknown artists who sell their pieces for the down low.  Also check out the art school sales.  Art Center has a student art sale every year and I've found many treasures there.  Look at the piece of art as an investment not in traditional terms but rather as an expression of aesthetics.  Really tune yourself to the particular wave length of a piece of art and discover if it aligns with your own unique viewpoint.  If you aren't yet in touch with your viewpoint, there are many galleries and museums, books and what not to form your own opinion  This is the purpose of art - to communicate a wave length - but to receive that wave length i feel that the person must quiet their own thoughts and really vibe with the art work. This is true for music, dance, sculpture...

 Thanks Tim!  Can't wait to see what Curve Line Space has up its sleeve next.

Ikat Sofas

Last week reader emailed me asking for some ikat sofa suggestions.  Well, here is a bit of a round up of items that are readily available to order. Of course, another route would be to find a fabric you love and do a COM (customer's own material).

Ballard Designs (A nice semi-custom option, they have some other fabric options that are Ikat-like as well as solids and other prints)

West Elm (just introduced some new prints to their previously more subdued collection - two ikats and one ethnic damask that is just beautiful)

Wisteria (definitely more specific but way cool)

Company C (similar to Ballard, has several semi-custom options and many sofa styles)

Jennifer DeLonge from All Modern (this is a kid's sofa - and technically more of a zig-zag, but super fun)

Anthropologie (love the curvy shape combined with the ikat print)

Thomas Hamel

Recently House Beautiful featured a beautiful Floridian home designed by Aussie designer Thomas Hamel.  Thomas is actually an American who relocated down under and I love how he infuses his globe-trotting style into his interiors, but keeps things simple, light and airy at the same time. There is also something so appealingly architectural about his work, even though he's an interior designer. Here's a sampling.

Photos from House Beautiful

Photos from Thomas Hamel & Associates

An Interview with Kristen the Organizer

Recently friend and fellow marathoner Kristen McManus started up her own organizing business. Having seen Kristen run campaigns for Team in Training, I knew this was the perfect path for her. And having seen my house lately, I knew I had a lot of questions to send her way.  I thought I'd share some of her answers with you:

The Eagle's Nest: How did you decide to get into professional organizing?

KM: I've always been really organized and recently turned into a minimalist. I realized how much I didn't really need. Clearing my stuff has helped to clear my mind! I thought about becoming a PO after my last job. Everyone in my office would comment on how clean my desk was and they would ask me how I did it. I ended up sitting with most of my co-workers (even my boss!) teaching them how to stay organized in the office. It was fun and I loved teaching others how to organize!

TEN: So, why hire a professional organizer?

KM: POs are for people whose stuff is taking over their lives. They are losing bills and other important things. They are always buying new things because they can't find what they are looking for in their homes. We help people get their lives back!

You could certainly say that about this person who Kristen saved from the Garage monster.

TEN: Tell me about it.  Coming from the East Coast, I feel like I have way more space than I did in NY. But oddly enough, I end up accumulating more stuff because of that and have items disorganized and stored in random places. Have any tips for those of us with crap creep?

KM: Go through ALL your stuff every 6 months. If you haven't used it in 6 months, donate it. Also, keep a trash bag or box in your closet at all times. If you put something on and it doesn't fit or you don't like it anymore, throw it in the bag. You'll never miss it. Most important- make sure you're living within your space. If you have a bookcase that holds 50 books, then only keep 50 books. Any more would be clutter.

TEN: That makes sense. I feel like I sort of do that. My car is a goodwill donation bag on wheels.  So any tips for people who are living in tiny spaces?

KM: Tiny spaces are the most fun because you can be creative! Check out The Container Store, Home Depot and Target. They have great items for living in small places. Use every space possible- under your bed and behind doors.

TEN: OK, but one thing that everyone has no matter the size of the space is mail.  And it multiplies faster than I can handle it! Any tips for dealing with mail? Filing, knowing what files you can purge etc etc?

KM: My first tip is to go paperless wherever possible. Your credit card bill, cable, gas, electric, etc. Pay these bills online or automatically and cut down on your paper.

Second, get on the Do Not Mail List. Seriously, this makes a difference! Cut down on your junk mail by 90%. search for Opt Out online.

Create a space in your home for incoming mail- a bin, basket, accordion file. Mail goes there and only there. Quickly scan through for any junk and toss it. Go through your mail bin 2 times a week.

TEN: OK - I'll try. But as an interior designer I do have a little bit of a catalog fetish :).  So,what's your favorite type of space to organize?

KM: I love offices and closets!

(check out this awesome closet before and after by Kristen)

TEN: And finally, in a household where one person is organized and the other is not, how do you keep things from getting out of control (and the organized person from getting too bitter.... question is directed at no one in particular ;)

KM: Try to keep your partner organized, but give them some wiggle room. Give them a room or area that you don't touch. They can live how they want in that room or space. Offer to help organize if they need it, but don't push the issue. Also, sometimes unorganized people think they have to throw everything out to become organized. This scares them. That's not the case at all. It's about organizing the stuff they have!

Thanks Kristen!  Check out more tips, pics and contact Kristen here.

Weekend Signoff

Well I'm finally getting over the worst cold / flu bug of the season - just in time for the weekend.  Sadly, it looks like we will be encountering some rain.  Hoping for sunshine and butterflies.

Photo courtesy of Ali Edwards on Flickr

Daybed roundup

A reader recently asked where we got the daybed that sits in Kellie and Adam's living room in front of the windows.

 It's a settee from Jaxon Home located in Culver City. They do great work. Unfortunately it's not up on their website any more but I'm sure they still make it.

Here are some others:

The Presidio Settee from Williams Sonoma Home

The Tillary Sofa from West Elm - the back supports can be moved so it's configured as a daybed. 

The Simone Daybed from Crate and Barrel.

 The Convertible Settee from Wisteria Home (a little more on the traditional side)

 And a whole bunch from Room and Board

Thanks!

To Danika over at Gorgeous Shiny Things for featuring my coffee table redo. 

Man, now I'm really motivated to get that painting done for the back wall.  Oh, and just in case any Eagles Nest Newbies were wondering, here is what the room looked like before....

Yes we discovered the door behind the bookshevles. And doesn't all that wood make the room look so much smaller?

Coffee Tableaux

Well, it's about time we got our coffee table fixed and painted.  I think it was last July when we went up to Portland and got Scott's cousin Lee to make a duplicate for our missing table side rail.  I am happy to report that over 6 months later the table is done and installed.  Here is the documentation of the arduous process.

The walnut top was stained and worn and looked dark in our living room.  Here is the start of the sanding process.  We later broke down and bought a 50 buck hand sander - SO worth it.

 Scraping off the old glue to re-attach the old (and new) side rails

 Gluing 'em on.  Materials needed: chisel, tape, glue, hammer, diet coke.

 Yes, this blog post was sponsored by the Coca Cola Companies.

Apparently the new piece was a tad short - nothing a little wood filler couldn't fix.

 We used an oil based paint for a glossier smoother finish. We brushed and rolled on the top and sprayed the bottom. Below is the infamous spraying of the incorrect color - the second time around looked way better - don't ask how we ended up spraying the base the wrong color.  Also, Scott made the mistake of not wearing shoes while spraying and ended up with orange feet. 

 In place in the living room (although every time I see the room from this angle I am struck by how badly we NEED a large painting on that back wall instead of my college dorm room poster)

 A close up with the world's largest book that Scott got me for my birthday.

Farm Fresh To You

After watching the Green Grocer Episode of BBC's Mary Queen of Shops on a recent business trip, I got super excited about the idea of local, seasonal, organic produce delivered fresh to your door.  Prior to now I had been shopping the farmers' market located below my office which was convenient for sure. But lately there's been a lot of hype about these farmers markets not actually selling local or organic and just getting their produce from large distribution centers.  Farm Fresh to You to the Rescue!

Started in 1992 by Kathy Barsotti and her farm in the Capay Valley near the Bay Area, the service has now expanded to the LA region and provides fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables from the Imperial Valley and other areas surrounding the LA area.  What I love about Farm Fresh thus far is that it delivers, so it's super convenient (deliveries are made in the morning prior to leaving for work) and it's super customizable.  Items are loaded on the truck that morning so everything is super fresh.  You can go to their website and change your deliveries, the size of your box and delete items that might not suit your taste (or your food allergies).  You can see what area your foods are coming from online and hold deliveries for when you'll be out of town.  Not only that but the website is chock full (thanks Mom for the spelling correction :) of useful information including recipes for your local seasonal fare.  Each time you get a box, it includes a newsletter about current produce and what's coming up. 

Now, those of you who know me, know that I just can't bring myself to pay premium for Whole Foods (or Whole Paycheck) items, even though I love that place.  FFTY is great because it's economical.  Just $31.50 twice a month for the regular sized box perfect for feeding two people.  Better yet, if you mention the promo code 6164 when you sign up and mention my name (Jessica Davis), you'll get $5 off your first delivery!

Happy farm fresh eating and cooking!

Killswitch

After working long and hard on my blog logo, duvet set labels, and business cards, I thought it was about time to introduce the talent behind Nest Studio's graphics.  Meredith Reshoft is a great friend from high school who is now Principal and Creative Director of The Killswitch Collective, a Chicago-based creative agency.  She's been with Killswitch since its inception in 2004, overseeing and maintaining the creative excellence that the firm seeks to deliver to all of its clients.  Killswitch's work is as varied as their clients, which include both larger companies such as the Viacom family of brands, NIKEiD, Concur Technologies, Disney, UCSD, Motorola as well as smaller local companies including, Vosges Haut-Chocolat, Gen Art, Wicker Park/Bucktown Chamber of Commerce, Pitchfork, and many more.

 I have to say that I'm honored to be among the ranks for Killswitch's many amazing people and companies they have worked with.

Ikat and Batik

Thanks to Sarah who forwarded me this awesome Etsy shop. Ikat and Batik was started by Ginette in 2009 when she moved to Bali to source fabrics, sew and start up her Etsy shop.  There are a few things that I love about Ginette's shop. First off, the pricepoint.  You really can't find these kind of throw pillows for $20 a pop anywhere else!  Secondly, I love that she creates a palette for you.  For those a little color wary, it's a great way to figure out what works together. And for those of us that think we know what we're doing but just don't want to spend money, the more you buy, the more you save!  Here's a sampling.

Dale Frank

Loving his artwork. I wish I could get this kind of viscous quality in my paintings. I suppose I could, if I had a lot of floor space and a lot of linseed oil. I've discovered that adding turpentine just creates skinny little drips, not big fun globs.  How dramatic would one of Dale's works look in a large scale high ceilinged interior with an eclectic mix of furniture?