red and yellow update

This is the story of how the red and yellow came to be.

I had this adorable yellow toaster in my apartment courtesy of a housewarming gift from my peeps.

D. had this red chair already when I moved in {the yellow of this picture came later...continue the story to see}

D. wanted this red espresso machine really badly so I got it for his birthday. I wondered if my yellow toaster could marry his red espresso machine and red chair. I wasn't sure.

Then one day we found this magnificent vintage knob and we knew it would work!

So we painted this old antique of my parent's and put on the magnificent knobs...we love it so!

Now we just need to put that finishing touch on the wall above the couch...still haven't picked which vintage poster we want but this new addition to the house makes me very excited indeed! And I want to change the yellow pillow on the red chair...it really is just a place holder that I had already and wanted to try out to see if I liked the colour combo before buying yet another pillow. I seem to have a collection of pillows all on the couch in our bedroom that is getting slightly out of hand. That is where they go when I get tired of them which seems to be often. Pillows are tricky for me.

On unmade beds and high expectations (+ week 11 of the shopping hiatus)

Sometimes things just don't work out. We're not talking huge catastrophic crises, just every day bummers.

I had a vision for the weekend. It involved a sparkly clean house and hours of productive work and tomato seedlings gently nestled in rich potting soil and tea on the balcony and arroz con pollo simmering on the stove. It involved restorative time alone with naps and reading. It involved me being relaxed and happy and welcoming D home (from a weekend away) with a pint of fancy, possibly outrageously priced, beer. We would catch up and laugh and sip and be generally charming and perfect.

The weekend was rather lovely and productive, but I ran out of time. Seedlings languish unplanted, slightly crispy from lack of water. There is no food in the fridge (I know, because I made a meal of stale crackers and olives late Saturday night) let alone fancy drinks. The thrifted glassware I bought last week is taking up all the counter space in my kitchen, waiting to be washed and put to use. I had to sew until 11 pm to finish up orders for this week. And when I finally went to collapse into bed I realized that I hadn't changed the sheets and made the bed, which I knew desperately needed to be done. And since I had planned to do it, the bed was particularly disastrous, complete with cracker crumb remnants of my Saturday night "meal" and blankets set seriously askew.

Sad. In a commonplace, every day sort of way. Made better because D cooked up some spaghetti as soon as he got home, thus saving me from finishing the jar of olives for dinner. And I did feel a bit awesome because I was able to produce a loaf of bread to go with the spaghetti, because I had some chilled dough in the fridge.

{one good thing}

Big sigh. Just a little reminder that no one's life is perfect, even if it looks that way sometimes (at least, this is what I tell myself, over and over again). Also, we just finished week eleven of the shopping hiatus (one week to go!) and we're rocking it. No slip ups at all.

Garden Inspiration by guest : Rachel Faucett

My big focus right now is planting the garden that I should have planted weeks ago. I thought I'd share a few quick things I found recently.



I love these fantastic Watermelon Moon & Stars heirloom seeds on Etsy. They really do look like one of those fantastic vintage black globes.



One of these would be wonderful in the garden.



Inspiring environmental art below from Arte Sella, an international exhibition that takes place in the fields and woods of the Sella Valley in Italy.

Big Weather Week At FOX19

Frank Marzullo Here...
We are in the heart of SEVERE WEATHER SEASON here in the Tri-State and your Storm Tracker Weather Team is working to keep you informed when it comes to tracking storms. It's our mission here at FOX19 To Keep You Safe, and it's not just a saying that some consultant told us to use, it's a commitment to you. We hope we can provide you with new information you can use in your everyday life. This week we have two very unique ways to inform you both On-Air, Online, and in person.

First: Tonight at 6pm, Steve Horstmeyer kicks off our Severe Weather Series, Keeping You Save. Steve will look at the challenges that local meteorologist face when predicting severe weather and determining if a WARNING is necessary. The National Weather Service is responsible for issuing the WARNINGS but what criteria do they use when making that determination, Steve examines this issue tonight on the FOX19 Evening News at 6pm.

Our series continues Wednesday night at 6pm, when you hear the sirens that means a tornado warning has been issued for your neighborhood, correct? The answer surprisingly is no, in some communities. Our Pat Barry addresses this confusing policy and asks if we should have a standard policy so everyone is on the same page, Wednesday night on the FOX19 Evening News at 6pm.

Then Thursday at 6pm, We all remember what to do during a Tornado Warning, but it's always a good idea to refresh our skills. I'll walk you through step by step and help you come up with a Severe Weather Safety Plan, for your family. If we can reduce the anxiety levels of your children then severe weather may not seem so scary to them. Check out my link on our Weather Web page that will tie in to my story Thursday night. Click Here: http://www.fox19.com/Global/story.asp?S=12416073

Second: Tomorrow marks our 2nd FOX19 Reds Weather Day at Great American Ballpark. Steve, Pat, and I will present a 45min weather presentation to over 3,000 kids before the Reds take the field against the New York Mets. It's a great chance for school kids to get close to the field and learn about SEVERE WEATHER and then enjoy a afternoon of baseball. At this point it looks wonderful 81 degrees and plenty of sunshine. Look for highlights at 6 and 10pm tomorrow night, I am little nervous because I get to catch the first pitch from Steve, hopefully I will not drop it!

Guest Blogger : Rachel Faucett

Hello Everyone! I am still out of town -- we really enjoyed Savannah, Georgia and I can't wait to show you photos soon. I am super excited to announce that Rachel Faucett will be guest blogging this week. Rachel and I have been exchanging emails for a while and her enthusiasm and optimism radiates through her words and I adore her unique and modern finds over at Handmade Charlotte. She makes some amazing handmade kid's items that I have seen in person, and they are absolutely charming and beautiful! I am inspired by her ability to be creative with her business while being a mother of five. Welcome Rachel!



It's such a thrill to be sharing on Black Eiffel this week! Rachel is absolutely the coolest and I always get so much inspiration from this blog.

To give you a little background, I'm a mother of 5 (3 boys, 2 girls) living on a farm just outside of Atlanta. I started Handmade Charlotte, named after my little 3yr old muse, about a year ago as an outlet for the children's clothes I'd been making for my girls. I've been selling antiques at the markets for several years with a strong focus on vintage for children and this seemed to be a natural progression.

I started the Handmade Charlotte blog to share the people, places and things that inspire me. Hopefully you'll be inspired as well!

Green + Yellow

Inspired by Green + Yellow.

Lemon Handbag
Vera: The Art and Life of an Icon
Lime Coinpurse
Core Cider
Partners in Crime Print

the most amazing use of space

Good morning Bloomers! So take a look at this video: If this is not the most amazing use of space ever, I don't know what is! I don't even get how he managed this, but I'm pretty darn impressed. And it's stylish to boot!