The Perfect Doormat

That new mint front door deserves a proper welcome mat at it's feet, don't you agree? I've been on the hunt for the perfect mix of modern design and color and think I've finally rounded it down to a few choices.

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6

Our ornate mid-century front door is balanced out by some more sleek and modern, brushed steel accents. We'll probably pull in some white pottery on the steps leading up to the door for added visual interest as well.

I really had been leaning towards #1 and #2 above- that is until I spotted a couple of monogrammed doormats on Pinterest recently.

Via

Via

With one decision, comes another... when renovating a house inside and out, it seems never ending.  But something tells me I'll miss it when we've finally reached that point where we call it "finished". I honestly think The Mister lies awake at night fearing the day I decide I want to re-do it all.

Scenes from My Weekend

Remember the ugliest dormer ever? It's still offensive, but slightly less so now that it got a coat of dark paint. That's my Pops up there, working away to paint all the little do-dads on the roof. I can't believe what a difference it made to paint all the vents and fireplace the same color. 

Your eyes do not deceive you! Holtwood House is now sporting a minty fresh front door and sparkling new threshold. I'll share a more true to life picture once we finish off the porch with a few other items on our list.

Just to prove to you that it's not all work and no play around here, most of the weekend was making the rounds to spend time with family. On Saturday, my Uncles and I drove into Pasadena for lunch at Houston's. On the way in, I spotted this gate and snapped a pic because the woodwork is exactly what we're going for with the screen that will flank the front of the house here shortly. 

The miracle of flavors that was my lunch at Houston's. It may look like just a tuna roll with a pile of greens on the side. But meant to be eaten together, the Spicy Tuna Salad was one of the best meals I've had in a long while and I thought about it long after we had left to take in some shopping in town.

This is my Nephew Bryce and Niece Bird. Bird had a big swim party to celebrate her 6th birthday this past weekend. Remember those tassel necklaces I shared on Friday? Score 1 for Auntie. The Bird was tickled pink when she opened them up.

This one... oh this one... This would be the most content and happy baby on the planet, otherwise known as my niece Hailey. I think I held her all day.

Spent a lot of time lounging around with Dylan this weekend. I know he was happy to have me take a leave of absence from work in the backyard and put in a little time with him.  

The Mister and I capped off the weekend with a little Italian fare at one of our favorite haunts- Sabatino's in Newport Beach. Thank goodness there are some leftovers for lunch to help kick off the week and make Monday just a little easier... 

Ombre Tassel Necklace

My niece, affectionately known to me as "Bird", turned 6 this week. It's sort of a big benchmark birthday, don't you think? No longer a Kindergartner with early afternoon pick ups, she'll be attending full school days as a bonafide First Grader this September.

I have a special relationship with this one. She's a very charismatic girly girl, a real fashionista way beyond her limited years on this planet, with sharp as a tack intelligence. I just adore her and have catered to her disposition for (kid appropriate) high fashion since her earliest years.

So when I spotted this little DIY project Clemence shared on her blog recently, I knew it'd be the perfect birthday gift for her.

I even found a necklace stand over at Home Goods- appropriately topped with a little bird so that she can display her fringy new bibs.

For my take on this DIY project, I skipped the dip-dye steps and used pre-dyed embroidery thread. I also found that it was easier to fold the tied bundle of string over the chain and then lasso the tassel at the top once it was already slung over the chain, rather than threading the chain through the top of a finished tassel (Step 3 in the original tutorial). 

Fancy, no? A little turquoise leopard gift wrap completed the gift for our little sassy six year old.   I can't wait to watch her tear the package open at her upcoming birthday party this weekend. I'm praying she doesn't roll her eyes and say "Auntie, that is so last year..."

Hope there is a little fancy in your weekend too... see you back here next week!

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

"Before" (left)  and "After" (right)

I love our neighbors (well most of them anyway), I really do. When we moved into Holtwood House, we were immediately welcomed by several surrounding us, bringing by little treats to keep us going as we banged and hammered away during those initial major renovation projects.  Our house sits right on a corner in the middle of our track and the adjacent sidewalks are a major thoroughfare for walkers in the mornings and evenings.  Though we are on regular speaking terms with houses that sit across the street and to the sides of ours, I've met so many others as I've stood out on the lawn watering, waving hello to them as they walked by.

Such was the case one random Saturday not too long ago when I rose early and decided to tackle our long, worn out fence. I stood out there most of the day, painstakingly staining away. But the load was lightened as so many passersby stopped to talk about the house and all of the changes we've made in the last year. Their interest and those conversations reminded me that I'm part of a community now, something apartment living over most of my adult life hasn't afforded me.

The newly stained fence stretches roughly 75 feet

Partly because we sit on a corner and partly because of our wood fence is flanked by a 3 foot wall that provides a perfect place to rest, we are having a little bit of an issue with some neighborhood teenagers that like to park it out there some evenings each week and engage in some "activities" that their parents probably would not be too thrilled about. With the support of our neighbors, we've been taking some actions to thwart this little issue, but we've also considered placing some plants between the wood fence and stucco wall that might drape over and provide a little distraction (we hope). 

Here's the direction we're headed:

James Perse Store- Malibu

Some Mexican Feather Grass will carry over from the back and compliment the rest of the plantings we have planned for the front landscape and provide some visual interest around our fence. Hopefully it will deter our unwanted young neighbors from squatting on our fence as well.