DAILY DANNY

Wall "Art"

I have a large wall in the living room that I've been searching for the right piece of artwork to put on.  I've looked at art fairs, county fairs, and fairly (I'm playing up this "fair" thing) every flea market you can imagine for the right piece of art.  I've wanted a large, interesting oil painting, but now I'm thinking I'd rather do something more unique and different.

One idea is to search for very vintage bandanas and frame them as art.  Here's a very old bandan I saw in an antique store's website which inspired that idea.

Vintage boating oars could be a lot of fun, mounted to the wall in a contrasting patern: paddle side up, paddle side down and again and again.   The hard part is going to be finding the old oars at flea markets and estate sales.  Or maybe "hard' is actually the fun part in the search.

Or a great big vintage surfboard?   I'm hesitant on this one, only because I don't surf.  And I feel weird having a big surfboard in the house knowing absolutely nothing about surfing.  Plus, everyone who comes over is going to ask "do you surf?"    And then I need to explain myself each time.  

Maybe for a guest house: a bunch of surfboards as a headboard?

Kitchen Art

I was killing time at the Time Warner center and peeked in the Williams Sonoma store to see if the cast iron pans I've been eyeing were on sale.  Alas, they weren't.  But I did admire the collection of Chuck Williams' (the founder) vintage cooking tools on display throughout the store.

I always see vintage tins, molds and other kitchen equipment at flea markets but have been totally hesitant to buy them because I would never use them in my actual baking or cooking.  But now, I think they would make an interesting piece of art in the kitchen.

Above is a collection of vinage tools mounted to neutral fabric in a clear acrylic shadow box.

Vintage pastry tips.  It looks so geometric and fresh, doesn't it?

Chocolate molds.  I love the tortoise shell ones.  This display is a great example how symetrical design can work to make anything look like art.

And how fun is this?  Not for sale though.  I might take two lucite blocks and make my own knife holders for my own kitchen.  I'll blog about it to share with you my results.  Off I am to buy lucite now.

Outdoor Patio Makeover

Okay, don't you just want to curl up and take a nap in this hammock?  I sure do.  I was recently staying at the Hudson Hotel and snuck some snapshots of the 15th floor terrace.

I took the photos because I've been working on the makeover of actress Kerry Washington's LA apartment and wanted to get some ideas what can be done in narrow spaces.  A hammock?  Probably not.  But it sure looks breezy and fun.

Here's a great narrow shot showing the scale of large planters with trees, vines and flowers.  I love the nickel lanterns.  I might have to get a few of those.

I like the eclectic mix of different styles here in this gathering.  It works, right?  I might have to get a wicker chair, a Victorian iron chair and some world-chic side tables for Kerry.

Here's what the terrace looks like from the main entrance.  I love how the vines and arches lead your eye to a restful place.

My favorite!  A planter that is half a head. It's fun, different and totally creative. If I find some concrete sculpture that's falling apart, I'm totally turning it into a planter.

Help me choose a sink!

Okay, so I'm beginning to work on the renovations of the guest house now.   I told myself from the beginning of the renovations: Once I was done with the main house, THEN I'll tackle the guest house.   Well, I've been living in the main house for a while now and have been in a bit of denial that I need to renovate the guest house.  So, here it goes...

The bathroom has been retiled, re-floored and the dual-flush toilet has just been installed.  I need a new sink though, so I thought I'd ask for your help in choosing one.  Please leave a comment!

Bayview Utility Sink from Kohler.  I have this in my laundry room and love it.  I thought a utility sink could be a fun twist for a bathroom, so guests could soak clothes if they wanted to and use it for more than just washing hands.

This simple Easton sink from Waterworks.   I like the nickel legs and clean simple top.  My plumber does not like the difficulty of wall-mounted sinks.... so I guess I know where his vote goes!

Iron works sink also from Kohler.   NOT these faucet handles, but the sink itself.   Something simple and clean for the bathroom (and affordable!).  

Let me know!  And thank you!

And the winner is...

Thank you for all your comments on my decision re: the outdoor table.  As you can see, I have gone with the round LL Bean table.   I love it and thank you for your help.

Speaking of the table, notice the sunflowers in the pitcher on top? I stopped by my local farm stand and found giant stalks of sunflowers for sale for just $5.  It's hard to tell in the photo, but it was such an amazing deal to get six fresh, locally-grown sunflowers for just $5.   Great deal and another reason why I love farm stands.

In the clear storage box on the right, are strands and strands of LED white string lights.  I'm thinking of stringing them up in the porch so it illuminates all summer long.  Will let you know how it goes.

Bird Bath Cooler

TGIF!

If you're planning to throw a party this weekend (and if not, think about it!), here's a resourceful way to keep drinks cool and chilled for your guests.    Use a bird bath! 

Just fill your backyard birdbath with ice and stock it with wine, champagne, beer, soda and water.   When the party is over, just leave the ice in the bird bath and let it melt.  Then our feathered friends have cool water to drink.   Just be sure to remove any stray corks, labels or any stray items out of the bird bath and in the trash.

Cheers!

LA Day Trip

I've been helping my friend actress Kerry Washington with the re-decoration of her Los Angeles apartment.  We're doing it all green and beautiful and I can't wait to share the finished photos with all of you.

On a trip out to LA to begin work on the project, I stayed an extra day to scout stores and pick-up a few things for myself, too.    I stopped by my two favorite shops in LA: HD Buttercup and Vintageweave.

First up: HD Buttercup.   I couldn't resist the end-of-season sale they were having and ended up buying some pieces of furniture.    One item I didn't buy but found interesting was this clock sculpture above.  Different, right?

In the eco section of the store, they had these polished wood stump stools for sale.  I thought they'd make great side tables for the guest room, so I snatched them up.

 

I've been searching for a queen size bed for what seems like...forever.   But in the Annex section of the store---translation: bargain central---I found this Eastlake/Victorian style wood bed.   It was an incredible bargain and I can't wait for it to be delivered.

Over at Vintage Weave, they had these incredible throw pillows made entirely from antique French fabric.  Usually french country style is very feminine, but here the mix of subtle reds and gray really makes it beautiful enough for almost any decor.  

And these zinc stars are a great idea.   The owner suggested using them as gift tags on presents, so they can be used over and over again.  Hmm...the gift tag could be better than the actual gift!

Swept by Filters

I love the windows of Anthropologie.     One morning in NYC, I walked through Rockefeller Center to get to a meeting and decided to peer through the windows.    I grabbed my digital camera to share these amazing handmade creations that look like a foamy sea in the windows.

  

If you look closely, you can see the whole thing is made entirely out of white paper cups, coffee filters and muffin tin liners.   It's folded here and there and there are cut outs here and there to give it character and texture.  

I could imagine a special occasion---like a wedding---where you save the lace doilies, unused paper cups and other paper items to create something (smaller) and similar in a shadow box as a memento.

Speaking of fun ideas, here's one more I saw inside the shop: a fabric cover cord.   Who doesn't have ugly cords from a lamp that are impossible to hide?   Just wrap unfinished canvas fabric around the cord to hide it and give it character.   Instead of hiding the cord, celebrate it!

Woodpecker Feeder

Living with Mother Nature, means you have to learn how to live in harmony with nature and the wild animals around you.

Case in point: woodpeckers.

The other day, I heard a loud TAP-TAP-TAP sound near the front door.  I opened the door, saw nothing.   Then TAP-TAP-TAP again and I checked again.   There was a crested woodpecker jumping up and down the wood beams outside my house.

The woodpecker is literally pecking away at the wood beams trying to get to grubs and other insects that might be lurching inside.   Years ago, carpenter bees used to lay their eggs here, but I had that problem removed and exterminated.   But I assume the woodpeckers come back still to the same places looking for their source of food.

One exterminator recommended I shoot the woodpeckers to death.    To me, that is not the solution.

So a neighbor of mine handed me a homemade woodpecker feeder.    It's a wirecage with a lid on the top and bottom.   You fill it with peanuts and the woodpeckers peck away to get to the nuts inside.

So, for now it's hanging outside in hopes the woodpeckers will get their source of food from these feeders instead of chipping away at the house.    I'll keep you posted.

PS-And many thanks to my neighbor for the feeder!

How to get an aneurysm

A few months ago, I blogged about finding vintage household hazardous waste---old paint, bug sprays, misc household chemicals---in the crawl space of the house and collected them for safe disposal.   I contacted my local township office and asked when and where I could drop off household hazardous waste and was simply told the official pick-ups would be in the Spring and Summer.

Instead of waiting, I decided to try one more thing: earth911.org.   I typed in my zip code and what I needed to get rid of and was given an address just a few miles away from my house.  It also said I could drop-off the items that Saturday.     The address and location was a school and, that Saturday, I was informed by a police officer "sir, this is not a dump site."    So, off I went with my carload of HHW back home.

Then this Spring, I called the township and was given a very specific date, time and location for drop-off.   I asked if the location would be difficult to find and was told using mapquest or my own GPS device, I would be able to find it.   Needless to say, the road did not exist on Mapquest or on my GPS.   So I guess-timated the location and drove around town.   Finally, I found a fire station and asked where the address might be (I mean, aren't fireman supposed to know the lay of the land?) and guess what?   They never heard of it either.  

BACK. HOME. I. WENT.

So, it's Summer and I'm going to give it one more try.   But this had me wonder: have you had problems trying your darnest to recycle something?    There must be an easier way to do this...