Table arrangement, part deux.

Okay, back to the table. So, I went to a fabric store near me and purchased a small remnant for $4.00. If you haven't already realized this, I am a bargain hunter with the mostest. Seriously, nothing thrills me more than cheap things that shouldn't be cheap. I could marry bargain shopping, that's how much it turns me on. Anyway, here's the table with the neutral, non-fringed fabric:

And here's a closeup of the fabric. It has this nice, heavy hand-feel and a subtle pattern:

Another shot:

But then, I got to thinking (which was my first mistake)....that maybe I needed something taller in place of the bowl...like a sculpture, or a vase, or......a LAMP!!:

Oh, yes, don't you think? I really think the height is necessary. Howevs, two probs. One, the lamp is stolen from my (admittedly unfinished) bedroom, where the matching one sits on another end table...and I like them there:

FYI, I got my end tables from C-list, too. They originally had bright pink drawer-fronts, which sounds nicer than they actually were. I also painted the wood veneer surface since it was crumbling. But the most difficult of all was cleaning that handle so that it actually resembled its original material, brass. Took me a while but I love it! Oh, and the peg legs have brass on the bottom but they're still covered with tape. But I'll talk more about my bedroom and its projects at a later date.

Okay, back to the lamp. The other, MAYJAH, issue is that there's no outlet for the lamp near the bookcase, so I'd have to snake the wire into the bathroom whenever I wanted light. And that's just not something I want to do. So....do they make battery-powered normal-sized lamps? Or do I just have to give up on the lamp idea and try to find something else with height? Damn, I wish I could have a lamp there, though, since I could use the extra light!

If you're still here....for your viewing pleasure, my gems in the artisan bowl:

Um, I think I did something rash....

Okay, I KNOW I did something rash. But I was fresh out of the shower and couldn't stop obsessing about how long my hair had gotten and how bad my ends looked. So I did it.

Yes, with household scissors, and no, this isn't the first time.

I'm opening the apartment doors.

So, I'm starting this new life in Los Angeles after eight years in NYC and a long childhood in WV. I'm married now, and I finally live in an apartment larger than 300 square feet. It would be really, truly thrilling to have this decent amount of space if only I had any money with which to furnish it. We are, of course, renters. This means that all of my designer dreams are still in the pipe, for now. So I have to put on my 'decorating' hat...truth be told, I'm uncomfortable in that role. I don't like frilly, unnecessary things, yet without the benefit of a beautifully laid-out floor plan, custom built-ins, and comprehensive lighting, I sometimes feel like I NEED to gild this carnation of an apartment. And sometimes that can make me do silly things. Like this:

Now, don't get me wrong. It's not TERRIBLE. I mean, it's a bookcase. And it's filled with books chosen for their content (and not their covers, like every beautiful but unread book you see in a photo-styled magazine shoot). Even though all of my book spines don't color-coordinate with everything else around them, I refuse to hide them behind doors. This is one of my biggest pet peeves about 'decor' today. Hiding the friggin books. Or, even worse, putting them out in an edited sense only to look smart. Okay, back to the point:

Look at the silly throw blanket I put on top of the shelf. It has fringe!!! It's okay on a couch, but not on a table. It doesn't work, and the color is too Pottery Barn. But I took a picture of it just for you. To show you that it's okay to make mistakes.

Part of the reason I tried it is because I recently purchased the shelf from Craigslist. It's a Bellini bookshelf. Apparently, Bellini makes high-end baby and toddler furniture. But the shelf itself is normal-sized. The mother who bought it for her daughter realized that its solid-wood construction would be dangerous should her child pull it onto herself. So, it became mine for $40. Hey, it's not the most gorge thing in the world, but it's solid wood, and white, and not from Ikea.

Anyway, it remained bare, save for the books, until today. Today, I bought that black bamboo-frame mirror from Goodwill for $14.99. I really needed a mirror there since the bathroom is so tiny and I always need a place to fix my hair and face while Hubs is in the shower. And then, my bro and sis-in-law gave us that framed picture from our wedding. I'm not the kind of person who likes to put pics of herself (let alone her own wedding!) around the house...but this one is sufficiently abstract and actually a really cool shot. And the turqoise bowl was a wedding gift, artisan-made by Maine potters. I plan on keeping my jewelry in it, just like designer Laura Bohn does in her own apartment. I hate jewelry boxes. They require too much organization. Check in tomorrow when I promise to have changed the fabric. Here's one last shot for posterity:

Don't worry. We'll address that skunk of a bathroom soon. Ugliness is life outside of Martha, people.

Cheap upholstery?

Does anyone know of a good and cheap place in Los Angeles to get these Danish Modern dining chairs reupholstered? We (and by we, I mean I dragged my husband at 7 am on a Saturday to a garage sale in Silverlake) purchased all four of these for $90, knowing that they desperately needed new fabric. A few months later, they remain the same....and it's bugging me. Not so much him. He really couldn't care less, and this is part of the problem with domestication: being a Cancer (and more importantly, a designer), I want nothing more than to create a beautiful home. My husband, being a man, wants nothing more than a carton of OJ in the fridge and Rice Chex in the pantry. It's a prob.

Why I Love West Virginia.

Things is cheap. Real cheap.

This lovely mallard-green (I love 'mallard', both the color and the word), cable-knit pillow, $2.99, original price unknown but surely a lot more than three buckaroonies:

This colorful woven bolster pillow, $12.99, original price $125.00 at some fancy department store:

I'll admit, $12.99 was a bit steep for me, but I just couldn't resist. Because it totally coordinated with the piece de resistance, this embroidered wool pillow, $3.75, original price $150.00 at same fancy department store:

What, you don't believe me? I didn't think you would:

The only question is, how do you feel about all three of them together?:

Thanks Gabes, www.gabrielbrothers.com. You are loved and always missed.

Already Contemplating a Second Marriage.

While Husband and I have only been married for three months, I'm already seriously considering getting married again. In December. With these centerpieces, created by moi:

Now, I think that poinsettias really have a bad rap. I know that the classic red poinsettia with the shiny green wrapping around the pot leaves much to be desired. But if you look beyond its function as a sub-par holiday gift, you can see the beauty in the bloom. I especially love the white and pink/white versions, like the one my mom got this Christmas:

When the blooms are cut and placed in a pretty vintage vase (thanks, Gram) with some wild dried things from outside, I think it looks fabu. And I want someone to have a wedding and use them, dammit. The plus side is this could be done without a florist and for very little money. All you'd need is some crafty friends or bridesmaids. Or ME!! I'd do it for FREE!

Imagine icy-blue/grey floor length linens, white napkins, milkglass vases in different shapes and sizes, modern white china, pewter chiavari chairs, and these beauties, everywhere:

Mmmmmm....is that divorce I smell? Tastes like chicken.

Christmas Cabbage Rolls, The Making of.

I know it's the new year and most people would like to read diet or closet organization tips and not see pictures of last year's food. But I also like to stick with what I know, and one look at a my closet or my ass will have you thankful for what I CAN offer: a holiday food tutorial.

My Grandma is Hungarian. Every Christmas, the ladies of the family meet up at my aunt's house on the 23rd to prepare traditional cabbage rolls (or 'pigs' for short, don't ask me why) for the whole gang to enjoy on Christmas Eve. You will need:

Lots of raw meat.
Chopped onions.
Bread crumbs.
Eggs.
Cooked white rice.
Salt.
Pepper.
Chopped garlic.

Mix that all up in a big bowl.

Then, you will need many heads of cabbage, briefly boiled, with most roll-able leaves taken off.


Then, you gotta stuff and roll:


Somewhere, throw in a fruity martini. Remember, this is a laborious process. Adjust alcohol consumption according to craziness of family:

Then, you gotta poke the ends. This picture is upsetting in so many ways, I know:

Pack them tightly (but neatly!! as my teacher-mom exclaims) into a large roaster:

Then, and this is where I cannot hide that we're doing all of this in West Virginia, tie the top and bottom of the roaster together with heavy-duty plastic wire-ties:

You do this so that the raccoons don't get to them when the roaster spends the night on the ice-cold back deck (ain't no room in the fridge, yo):

Don't forget to clean up:

In the morn, pour several cans of crushed tomatoes and - that holiday classic - cream of mushroom soup, over the pigs. Roast for several hours. Come nightfall, enjoy:

Or, if you're like me and don't eat meat, be happy that you've brought gastrointestinal enjoyment to your family and thankful there's more room for wine and cookies in your own stomach.