Plan A - Vetoed, Moving on to Plan B

So boyfriend put the kabash on the whole suspended loft idea, as he doesn't think I should make major holes in the ceiling of a brand new apartment. Sad - he has no vision. Just kidding, he's right, I probably shouldn't do that. But anyway, just to get it out of my system, here are a few more lovely suspended lofts.

This one is my very favorite I think - I love how airy it all looks.

Another very airy looking loft - although the metal would make it harder to replicate.

And yes, this is definitely a kids loft, but they had really good instructions on how to build it, and it can totally be modified to be more grown up. I was thinking the railing would have to be taken away, but then I realized how likely I am to fall out of bed. Railing = Necessity.

As I hate the typical 4x4 post look of most lofts (too college dorm like), my new plan is to come up with a way to disguise them. Boyfriend talked me out of buying some columns on Craigslist a couple of weeks ago, and in the process told how they used to make fake columns out of cardboard concrete forms back when he was working as a theater tech guy. My thought is to cut a slit down one side and wrap it around the post, and then patch it back up and maybe do some kind of faux finish on it. Any other ideas?

(Photos courtesy of - 1: Gregory Lee, 2: Shalomama, 3: fivelbbass via Bob Vila)

Up In the Air

So, despite the fact I'm finally moving to an apartment with a bedroom, I'm contemplating a bed loft. This is because I can't quite figure out a way to fit in a work area, which is necessary for all my crocheting, sewing, and whatever supplies and projects. As I have 10' ceilings in the new place, I'm thinking it will be about 5' or 6', so the bed isn't all up in the ceiling. Thinking about different options today, I came up with the idea of a suspended loft, to minimize the college dorm room aspect of it. Boyfriend hasn't chimed in yet as to his opinion as to the stability of this idea though, so it might not be feasible. What do you think?




(Pictures courtesy of 1: Boston Lofts, 2-4: Zack Anderson, 5: Apartment Therapy)

Moving Issues...

I hate having to make the bunch of phone calls that go along with moving. It would be nice though if they could go smoothly, but RCN has it out for me, I swear. They have the worst menus ever, and after recalling them at least 4 times, I finally got through to the point where I supposedly can talk to a human. But how is it that every time I call, they are experiencing unusually high call volumes? Doesn't that just make it usually high call volumes? And after all that, I had to leave a message.

Dial-a-Llama

It's amazing what you can find on the internet. I was looking for the following picture of a llama in a Honda Fit, to send to some friends, as I remembered it from the original ad campaign for the Honda Fit:Searching for it though, I came up with this:

How cool is the Dial-a-Llama? Apparently this picture was taken in Bolivia, which is a shame, because I would totally be all on that. Except for the fact a llama spit on me at the zoo when I was like five, so I'm a little untrusting of llamas, so maybe not. Dial-a-camel may be more my speed.

And as a side-note, I remembered this photo also from the 2007 Honda Fit ad campaign:

I don't remember who I discussed this with, but if you take a close look, the girl in the middle back seat is totally me. I mean, not really, but she looks like it. And it's even funnier, because I am always the one in the middle seat. Awesome, even Honda knows my place.

Update on Random Happenings in the Life of Laura

So I've been a little MIA lately, but I've been super super busy. Not only has work decided to take up more than it's fair share of my life (the nerve), I've been running around like a madwoman, looking for an apartment, buying Christmas presents, making Christmas presents, and the latest thing, packing. On Saturday, I made the realization that I had about 10 actual days to pack up my apartment before I move, as I will be home in Michigan for over a week. I hurriedly packed up 15 boxes, and I've barely made a dent. It's amazing how much stuff can be crammed in a studio. The theme continues, with me going to a jazz club to see a friend sing tonight, rushing home to finish up my last two presents, wrap them, and pack for home. Tomorrow will be work, work, work, and finishing up any last minute packing before heading off for the great white north Friday morning! And then I can finally take a breath. Maybe.

Rugs on the Brain

So I may have mentioned this before, but I have a thing for rugs. When I was looking to buy a rug for my current apartment, I must have looked at at least 2 or 3 hundred rugs before I decided on my current rug. While I love it, it's a bit constraining as to the color choices in my room, as I bought it to go with my caramel colored chesterfield loveseat.

Lately I've been thinking of making my own rug. A little crazy, but I've put some thought into it. My first thought was that I would weave my own rug. I found a technique that does not require a humongous loom, rather just a frame-type loom, called Soumak. Boyfriend talked me out of building a 6' x 9' frame on which to weave this rug though, which is probably wise. I did make a mini soumak frame though, and have experimented a bit. Once I finish up some of my myriad projects, I think I will work on this.

Next I thought of just crocheting a rug out of really heavy thick wool yarn and possibly felting it. I thought about how much that type of wool costs though, and thought I would be much better off buying a ready-made rug. I had given up on the making of my own rug, at least until I have room for a loom.

That is, until a couple of days ago. Apartment Therapy had a post on a crocheted doily rug that was made using cotton rope. This is preferrable to the yarn for cost reasons, as well as it is really thick, and therefore is a lot speedier to crochet. I wouldn't make a doily rug, but I may be making a solid area rug in the near future.

(Doily rug photos courtesy of Apartment Therapy)

Sneak Peak

So I've been on the down-low regarding my recent apartment search, but today I officially gave my month's notice, as last night I found my new apartment! I've been driving boyfriend a little crazy lately, as I tend to get a little consumed by things like apartment hunting, but this is so exciting, as after 3.5 years of living in various studio apartments, I'm moving to a one-bedroom! I've been watching this building be renovated for the last year or so, and it's finally ready. Check out the gorgeous copper on the bay windows. I'm especially excited about the brand new kitchen featuring my favorite thing in the whole apartment - a dishwasher.

The Shoe Lover in Me Goes Ahhhhhhh

I've been trying to be really good about shoes lately, and I've even whittled down my collection to 21 pairs, which is about half of what it was 9 months ago. To justify that a little bit, I usually only spend $20-$30 per pair, so I'm definitely not as bad as some people. But I think I may be making a trip to DSW and see if I can find these beauties.


(Photo courtesy of What I Wore)

Beyond Miniature

I've always loved small things. It might be because I'm small myself, but miniature anything fascinates me. Normally I like them to be big enough for me to see though. That is not the case with Willard Wigan's work, which I read about in the Washington Post today. Most of his work is small enough to fit in the eye of a needle and requires a magnifying glass to see. He started making furniture and an apartment building for ants when he was a boy and his mother encouraged him to take it even smaller. He has trained himself to have a steady hand and slow breathing when working on a piece, as the slightest movement could mess up the whole thing. As he said in the article, "Once, I inhaled Alice in Wonderland."

His work is on display at the Parish Gallery in Georgetown through January 23rd.



(Photos courtesy of The Washington Post)

Furniture Wishlist / Potential DIY

For a while now I've been wanting to get/make some kind of bar storage, but due to limited space and not finding the perfect piece, I've been holding out. While looking at a house tour on Apartment Therapy today, I came across this really cool end table made out of cardboard, made by Anthony Caradonna. When I went back and looked at the post, it turns out it's actually a wine rack. Ideas are churning in my brain as I type... Stay tuned to see if anything actually comes of this. (disclaimer: I've actually put myself on a project moratorium, as I have way too many projects at the moment. But once they're at least somewhat done, this will be at the top of the list).

My Kind of Christmas Decorations

A little Christmas cheer via Apartment Therapy.

Goodbye, My Giant Friends

While reading the paper this morning I got some really sad news. According to the Washington Post, two of the zoo's arapaimas, the largest freshwater fish in the world, have died and a third is sick. People always find it a little odd when they ask my what my favorite animal at the zoo is, and rather than the typical, panda or monkey or something, I say giant fish. I've been fascinated by them ever since my first visit to the zoo, and even though I haven't been to visit them in a while, I will miss them.