Things I want for my birthday...

My birthday is just around the corner and I thought I would list a few, simply gifts in case you're sick of buying me books and wine. In no particular order:

A Tesla- We saw a review of this well priced car on "Top Gear" last week and it sold me on electric cars. Not only could we scoot around Park Slope, we could do it with all the smugness and piety of a prius owner while being able to drag race down Hamilton Ave. I prefer grey or black. I would also like to share my birthday with the guys from Top Gear if at all possible.

Tesla Motors




I need a new chair for our reading nook. Something mid-century danish would be nice.

Here is a reasonably priced alternative to an original

I have decided that I really like chunky cocktail rings, Abby has a few and they are pretty great. I have a tendency to wait about 3 years after something has become fashionable so I'd like to be proactive this year and have someone buy me one of these. Blue is my favorite color...

This is only a suggestion, my only requirements are platnium and blue stone

Now that I've put my dad's lenses through their paces I'd like another one of my very own. We've been wishing for a wide angle lens for the cameras and this would be a nice companion. I of course want the most expensive one, but let's be honest, they are all pretty damn expensive.

Just consider it a downpayment on your christmas photos, which I will take for you for life

OMG

Excuse my txt speak but these bookshelves are freaking huge. That's me, sitting in the bookshelf. They are finishing up today after having to perform all sorts of surgery to get the shelves level on our floor.

So Sleepy

So I've actually made good progress on my nesting list, especially today. I painted the bathroom a nice blue/grey and then began installing the bookshelves. The funny part of the project, at least to me, is how different it is in my head than it is in my living or bath room. The bathroom is still a bit dark and sad compared to the cheery yellow and the base of the bookshelves look enormous, like they could swallow our house.

I would much rather make a mistake on the paint color than the bookshelves!

On a totally random note, I got the first tomatoes from the garden and booked our Seattle vacation!

wash basins

Nesting

I didn't want to post this until I told me husband but I've been nesting. Hard. Like I can't work because I'm thinking about paint colors nesting. We've lived here for over a year and aside from paint and the floors we really haven't done anything. This week, we agreed upon a design for our built-in bookshelves and that triggered 31 (almost 32!!!) years of pent up interior design from someplace deep within my soul.

But listen. I don't have very good taste. And, and this is important to know about me, I can basically be talked into liking anything if you try for 1-2 minutes and ask nicely. I'm fickle, have poor taste, and insist on doing everything on the cheap. Luckily for my husband, I am also plagued by an utter lack of confidence and am easily distracted by shiny things, white wine, and my own feet. I am also lucky in that my husband has wonderful taste. I think he would roll his eyes at my declaration but we still love and use everything he had when I met him and my stuff never made it out of my last apartment. His style seems to be mellow colors, lots of wood, and clean lines. My "style" is a bit, well, its better not to think about other than imagining a dyslexic fairy princess threw up after a particularily large meal at Ikea and Kmart. Think granny shabby with impulsive color choices.

Anyway, nesting. I made a list. And some stuff I can do by myself (keeping in mind that the husband should and does have executive veto power). I wanted to start in the bathroom. It has navy tile, white fixtures, high ceilings, and a huge window. It is currently a bright yellow. It is important to note that we are not super neat people so while I love an all white bathroom, it isn't the best idea.

I was envisioning light grey walls, paint the currently pine cabinets glossy white, and then change out the plywood/formica vanity for something with clean lines that's made out of wood. Maybe some sage green highlights (like I'll keep the succulents in there).





So for this room I want:
- new window coverings
- vanity
- light
- coat of paint

A quick garden update

While I haven't been cooking I have been gardening. I've been struggling with a plague of green aphids all spring and summer and have had to find plants that they don't want to eat. They pop up very quickly and will destroy a window box of plants if I'm not careful. And they're really pretty gross!

I put in a bunch of planters on street level and those seem to be doing alright. They're quite pretty and they haven't been knocked over yet.

Here's what doing well:

Basil (only one pot this year)
Patio Tomatoes are just about to turn red
Herbs
Flowers
My little box of succulents

My cucumbers are quite dead. I was hoping that they would grow onto the existing ivy vines and take up residence but that never really worked.

The broccoli and cauliflower did really well until a few weeks ago but then bolted in the heat. I'll try again in the fall.

Egads!

I've had this fantasy my whole life: I want a wall of bookshelves so tall and massive that it towers over me and makes me feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of pages. If there is one thing that defines me it is my great love of reading and the idea of having a place for all of my books makes me incredibly happy. So when we bought our apartment we wanted to put in some bookshelves.

And after a few months of dithering, we finally picked out some wood, settled on a design, and ordered them for a carpenter down in Red Hook. I've been nesting pretty strongly since we bought this place and this is just one of many relatively small projects that we want to do to make this place seem more like home.

The next project, potentially taking down a wall or knocking through the roof, will be a bit bigger. But maybe, if my stepsister is free, she can help me change out a few light fixtures, which would be, well, less messy.