Nothing Exciting

I spent the 4th of July weekend doing projects around the house. Nothing special or amazing but it was the kind of projects that take up time and need to get done.  


First, I mulched and landscaped a bit more of the front yard.  This is such hard work. Our soil is incredibly hard. We haven't watered this front space in months so to pull weeds I first have to wet it down for a while and then go at it with a pick.  I was exhausted when I finished this part.....and there is so much more of this space to do!  Bloody hell!

Next, I moved my work table from the back patio to inside our carport.  The table has been in the backyard for a while and it looks incredibly ugly. However, since I have to keep an eye on P when I do any project I placed the table here amongst her toys and near the house. D flipped a few weeks ago when he realized that table has been there for almost two years and it still looks the same: piles of materials and half done projects.  

I'm actually quite excited of my new work space. D cleared out a bunch of stuff from our garage in preparation for this move.  I've been hesitant to work in the carport because there are so many black widows in there.  They'll eventually come to see this is MY space and move out.  Once I got the table in there and started organizing my tools I really liked it.  I would love to have this kind of garage/work space below, but if I had the money to do this then I'd spend it elsewhere. Some place more visible.   

My third accomplishment was to paint our log holder.  D found it on Craigslist and gave it to me for my birthday. He knew I'd love it because he heard me oooh and ahhh over the one Morgan found at The Brick House.  Problem is, ours is cracked, and I didn't see it until I was painting it. So, now I need to find a cheap welder.  

Fourth accomplishment was hanging our dragon.  An artist friend of mine, Bill Kheel, made this dragon for P before she was born.  It's suppose to be her riding the dragon, except P is blonde and blue eyed. But Bill thought my daughter would look more like me...not my husband. I love this dragon.  It had hooks with wire attached to the back but the hooks fell out and the poor wood dragon was on the work table for months.  I finally decided to drill two small holes in it so I could properly hang it.  I'm sure Bill would not approve of me putting holes in his work but it beats the thing getting chipped in various spots.  

I also worked on another on-going project that I'll reveal later and I finally got off my butt and posted a faucet and sconces on Craigslist.  They were all here when we bought the house. Not exactly the appropriate style for our Mid Century baby.  


So, I worked my butt off. I'm sore, from finger tips to the hairs on my head but have nothing glorious to show for it....except for a sense of accomplishment. 

What Could Have Been

Roughly three years ago my husband and I were looking to buy property.  The recent launch of my kid's tee shirt/ clothing line, Learning Tees, was my focus.  I found this building listed for $640,000. It's located just east of Chinatown, across the street from the LA Transportation Dept.  Not a luxurious or hip part of town but I felt then and still do now that this will change.  


I thought getting an industrial space was going to be heaven, better than a house.  It would allow me to create a home/work environment perfect for raising a family with room for creative personal and business ideas.  This property was actually two buildings with a loading dock and outdoor space in between the two buildings.  Can you see it now?  A grassy "atrium" with cool shades hanging overhead nestled between buildings with large sliding or folding glass doors.  Tire swings hanging from the inside that swing to the outside.  Who wouldn't want to grow up there?


 Today, as I was on my way to music class with P I got lost and ended up driving past the building.  If you had asked me to find it,  I couldn't have. I don't believe in consequences.   I had to stop.  Now, three years later I can't imagine living in an industrial space secluded from parks and other families.  Again, I feel there are no consequences. I think we ended up in our home because it is the place that best suits our family's needs.  


I thought our current living space was going to be more devoted to work.  I pictured it 50-50 family-work.  It's more 80-20 and if possible I want it to go 90-10.  But the thing that makes our house so ideal for P and us is not so much what's inside it but what's just out side of it....our neighbors.  There are 10 other children who P sees often and she knows as her friends.  I've been through some rough events in the last two years; the near loss of my marriage, the loss of a child and the loss of my father and the hardest transition of all: motherhood.  People have asked me what has gotten me through all this with such ease. (It always looks easier from the outside).  Without a doubt it's been my neighbors.  


When we knew we were moving to the Valley,  my husband and I also planned to move back to the west side as soon as it was financially possible.  The plan has changed.  Great real estate is hard to find but great neighbors are even harder to come by. Although it sounds cliche and dorky it's true.  


I drove around the building's neighborhood today to see if my gut instinct about the area was right.  And sure enough buildings that look like this have started to pop up.  Now, if only I could use that gut instinct to milk a few lucrative investments then I could make our house the vision I've been dreaming about.  

Production Offices

I use to work in the film industry.  I worked in the art department making commercials.  Some of the production offices I worked in had such amazing industrial spaces. Most had great props or furniture from sets.

My husband still works in the commercial world.  In December, we hung with him as he wrapped up a job and we officially started Christmas break.  I liked the kitchen tile in this space. I also liked the opaque, patterned glass that went from floor to ceiling...and the pattern repeated itself in the office wall dividers.