This Is Forty
By Gabrielle. Image by Matteo Montanari for d la repubblica delle donne.
So. I didn’t mention it last week, but on Saturday it was my birthday. I feel odd about mentioning my birthday on the blog. With a forum like Design Mom, I’m lucky, because I get kind comments and emails from readers regularly, so it somehow feels greedy if I mention my birthday, as though I’m hoping for special greetings. But now that’s it’s over, I want to talk about it. Because it was a big one. I turned 40!
I’ve been thinking about this birthday for awhile. Forty has a reputation for being a difficult birthday, and I wanted to avoid feeling bummed out. I figured if I made a good plan in advance, I wouldn’t be caught off guard when the big day arrived. The idea of a mid-life crisis is really discouraging to me, and I think I’m actively trying to avoid it if at all possible.
So in January of this year, when I was working on New Year’s Resolutions and plans for 2014, I put some thought into my birthday. What did I want to do? Have a big party? Go on a trip? Accomplish a goal? Get in good shape? Make a list of 40 things I could do to commemorate the day?
I pondered possibilities over a few days and the thought that kept coming back to me was: grooming.
What do I mean by grooming?
… A Few Things
Image and text by Gabrielle.
Hello, Friends! How are you? We are feeling festive at the Blair house. School is out! Hooray! We’ve been celebrating with ice cream and a day of nothing on the schedule. Which is the best!
This should be a fun weekend. A laid back Saturday and Father’s Day on Sunday. I’m also headed to Salt Lake City on Sunday afternoon — because Alt Summit Summer is next week! It’s going to be a terrific conference — feel free to check out the speakers and schedule if you’re curious. The thing I’m most excited about? On Thursday, I’m interviewing Martha Stewart for her Keynote Address! Holy moly. I admit, I’m a little nervous. And I can not for the life of me figure out what to wear. Hah!
While I start getting packed for next week, here are a few things I’ve wanted to share with you:
– How to Not Review Women’s Writing.
– I regret to inform you that my wedding to Captain Von Trapp has been cancelled.
– Grilled Cheese for grownups (and don’t forget the tomato soup!). Thanks, Dani.
– Were you ever left in the car growing up while your mom ran into the grocery store to get milk? Or paid for gas? Fast forward to 2014: One mom did just that. The boy was completely fine, but she became a criminal. The Day I Left My Son in the Car.
– Have you seen this ad? It’s like a punch to the gut. Words matter!
– He turned his bedroom into an arcade.
– When negotiating, should women Lean Out?
– Ideas for a Welcome Summer party!
– Nothing like Father’s Day to make me miss my dad. Enjoyed this article about honoring dads who aren’t here anymore. Thanks, Amy.
– 5 minutes in a mom’s head.
– I’m crazy sad about this news. Two people, whose work I view as hugely positive to the Mormon community, are being threatened with excommunication. I’m following the story closely (this interview was informative), and trying to wrap my head around what possible good could come from this action. I think this article did a good job of articulating some of the disheartening implications. It feels like the church is saying, “There’s room for everyone! Except you and you.” I’m grieving for my community.
Sorry to end the list on a bummer note. In contrast, I hope you have a truly wonderful weekend! I’ll meet you back here on Monday. I miss you already.
kisses,
Gabrielle Travel Advice
Image and text by Gabrielle.
Something a little lighter today. I was reading this list of travel advice from Anthony Bourdain (I like him a ton), and loved so much of what he had to say. One of the standout tips he offers is to read fiction on the flight set in the location you are headed to. He says, “Fiction is in many ways more useful than a guidebook, because it gives you those little details, a sense of the way a place smells, an emotional sense of the place.” Isn’t that great?
Another thing he mentioned is that he prefers to check his baggage on flights. I was a little surprised when I read it, because I feel like for years all travel advice has pointed to carryons, carryons, carryons. I have some friends who are passionate about having a carryon-only policy. They make no exceptions. Even on long-haul trips, they prefer to travel as light as possible. And they also carry some concern about lost luggage — it’s too big a risk in their eyes and they’re not willing to hand off their suitcase to anyone else.
But I admit, I also cheered when I read Anthony Bourdain’s luggage advice, because I feel the same way! I arrive at the airport, and I can’t wait to get rid my luggage and see it transported away on that magical moving belt. Especially if I’m traveling with the kids! For me, going through security with the least possible amount of stuff is ideal. And then, if we happen to be there early, we’re free to roam around and see what the airport has to offer — maybe even take in a sit-down meal, or get a pedicure — without having to watch our baggage. Heading down the gateway, finding our seats, settling the kids — all of it is easier with no luggage dragging behind us.
I realize that sometimes, we simply don’t have a choice — when we moved to France and when we moved back to the U.S., we used every checked baggage and carryon option available to us. And when I’m traveling for a big conference — like Alt Summit which is coming up in June — I often have so many supplies that a larger suitcase is essential, which means checking it is essential too. But on most of my flights, I only bring a roller bag, so I really do have a choice between carrying it on and checking it.
I should note, that even if I’m boarding a plane without a carryon, I still carry a tote with my laptop/book/magazine and other essentials. But if possible, I prefer to hand off my actual luggage to someone else.
A silly topic, I know — I guess I wanted an excuse to share the article on travel advice. : ) But now I’m curious. Where do you fall on the checked baggage versus carryon baggage debate? Any strong opinions? And if you read the Anthony Bourdain article, I’d love to hear if any tips stick out to you.
P.S. — The tricky thing these days is the luggage fees. They’re the worst! I’m always looking for a workaround to avoid them, though I fly so many different airlines that I don’t have a good system. Living With Kids: Emma Freedman
By Gabrielle.
Confession: I kind of harassed Emma to participate in my Living With Kids series. Truer confession: I kind of harassed and begged. And then emailed her over and over to ask if she had finished her questions yet, and could she please send more photos. Because even though I had more than enough, I simply wanted to see more of her life. It’s pretty remarkable.
The problem is that Emma was kind of busy. You see, she’s 15. I should’ve known that she was probably super occupied with all that average ordinary teen stuff, right? Not right. Not even close.
Emma is a change-maker. She has a blog, a nonprofit, and travels a lot with her family. And the reason she was a little late in sending her finished interview was, well, she had just won her county science fair, competed in the state science fair, unexpectedly getting in to the international science fair, which resulted in a crazy flurry of getting everything together for that. It ended up being an incredible experience, and she won a big special award grant from China and placed second in her category of the top 90 high school studies in the field of Environmental Management. Oh, and she is fearless, especially when it comes to ziplines.
Friends, I am so proud to present my first teen house tour, starring the very awesome Emma.
Q: Please introduce us to you and your family!
A: I’m Emma and I’m 15 years old. I’m a passionate young change-maker, conservationist, blogger, photographer, writer, leader, and adventurer. I love bright colors, wilderness, funky design, hard work, good writing, close friendships, and engaging learning. My blog has been a journey, as many are. I (usually) like blogging every Sunday with my favorite photography moments from the week. I also enjoy backpacking, ballet, science, swimming, planning parties, and cleaning the fridge.
My brother Max is 13. He’s an apprentice beekeeper and a pretty good shot at archery. He’s on a fencing team and plays way too much Minecraft. He loves being outside more than anything.
My mom is a multi-tasker. Mostly she drives us around, but she’s also an event coordinator, baker, infographic designer, and teacher. My dad has a nonprofit to help people and organizations with “emotional intelligence,” or EQ. Basically he helps people become better leaders to make positive change. He’s always talking about things like “noble goals” and saying stuff like “when people feel pushed, they resist.” Sometimes it’s annoying but I’m beginning to realize how great it is to be in a family that talks about emotions and emotional intelligence a lot.
… Discussing #yesallwomen With The Kids
By Gabrielle.
I know I linked to some #yesallwomen articles on Friday, but would you mind if we furthered the discussion a bit more? Ben Blair and I talked with the kids about the hashtag over the weekend and it’s been on mind non-stop.
If you had asked me a week ago whether or not I had been sexually harassed in my life, I would have quickly said, “No, not really.” If I’d thought about it a bit more, I would have said, “Um. Yes. There was some molesting when I was a child.” But man oh man, reading the hashtag brought back so many instances. Most are small, some feel bigger. But all are so commonplace that without the #yesallwomen hashtag, I didn’t recognize them as harassment — they are just one of the costs of existing on the earth with a vagina.
… Me + Ben Blair
By Gabrielle. Photos by Justin Hackworth .
Two months ago, I was answering some interview questions via email — the interview was for a magazine and the questions were about our wedding (so long ago!). The interviewer also requested an image of us as a couple from our wedding, and an image of us as a couple now. All of a sudden, I realized we hadn’t had a picture taken of just the two of us for years! There has been an occasional couples selfie, but nothing that really works as a portrait. So I asked the interviewer to hold tight while I figured out a current photo.
Then, as luck would have it, Justin Hackworth let us know he was coming to town to shoot a wedding, and we invited him to come by for dinner. We had a lovely evening of casual dinner and catching up, and after dinner, he generously shot a few photos of me and Ben. And I love how they turned out!
Of course, now I’m curious. What’s your experience with couple photos? Do you make a point to have photos of you and your mate taken regularly? Or are you like us — taking a million photos of the kids and travel scenery, but forgetting to get photos with just the two of us? I’d love to hear!
By the way, Ralph and Maude were both gone the day that Justin came by, so we couldn’t do family photos, but he captured some fantastic images of the youngest four.
…The Treehouse: Family Swing Project
Family portraits by Sarah Hebenstreit.
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I’m super excited to share this project with you. I thought of it last fall, and the whole idea still makes me grin. Plus, we haven’t had family photos taken since the Vintage Car photo shoot in France — 3 Christmases ago! We were long overdue and this was a great excuse/opportunity.
Sarah of Modern Kids did the portraits. She also did our French Greys portraits back in the day. She lives here in the Bay Area and it’s been wonderful to be able to work with her again!
The idea for The Family Swing Project came to me last fall. We had just started to get to know our yard, and Ben Blair pointed out how pretty the view of the stream was from under this particular tree. He mentioned we should hang a swing so someone could relax and take in the view.
I loved that idea and looked up to consider where a swing should go. And when I looked up, it hit me that there were a ton of options — ten or more branches growing horizontally.
There was a lightbulb moment and all of a sudden I could picture our whole family spending a warm, lazy evening under the tree — each child in their own swing, and Ben Blair and I sharing a bench swing. We could sway and chat and listen to the stream, and just be together.
This vision has been stuck in my head for all these months, and this last weekend, we decided to bring the vision to life!
Ben Blair was the how-to master mind. He figured out how to build the swings and get them to swing properly. I’ve included a complete photo tutorial when you click through, so you can see what he came up with (and in case you’d like to build your own swings!).
They’ve only been hanging for a few days so far, but they are already a major draw for the kids, for their friends and for the cousins. It’s easy to see they are going to provide hours of entertainment, and a bucket full of memories for our family.
We hung the swings at different heights — one particularly low swing was hung especially for June. And all but two hang from their own branch. The bench hangs from the sturdiest branch and we tried to sort of center it — with the other swings hanging around it.
The project turned out wonderfully, and it feels good to have made a bit more progress in the yard. I already said this, but the whole thing still makes me grin!
Man oh man, I like those kids.
Would you like to learn how we built the swings? Keep reading.
Are you ready for a project? Here’s a photo tutorial of how we put together the swings. We started with redwood boards that we had cut to size at Lowe’s. We had some boards cut to 24″ and some boards cut to 20″ to accommodate the different sized people in our family.
We measured in 1.5″ from each side.
Then we clamped the board to our work table. We used a scrap piece of plywood underneath the board that we could drill through, and we added an old rag to the top of the board to prevent an imprint of the clamp.
We further secured the board with 2 more hand clamps.
Then it was time to drill. We used a 1/2 inch bit, because our rope is 1/2 inch thick.
Tada! Drilling done.
Next, we went over the edges of the board, and any rough spots, with a palm sander.
Now that the boards were prepped, we turned our attention to the ropes. To prep them for hanging, we used some very specific hardware — all found in bulk bins at Lowe’s (all but the carabiners, that is).
Adding metal inside the rope keeps the rope from fraying or wearing down from hours of swinging.
And this hardware keeps the ropes in place and allows you to adjust for length.
Then, we added a carabiner (we ordered these online).
The carabiner then attaches to an o-ring screw.
And the screw goes into a sturdy branch.
This is what it looks like all put together.
Next, it was time to attach the ropes to the boards. We measured the rope, then taped it off with a piece of white duct tape. Then we cut the rope in the middle of the tape.
We used a lighter to melt the rope ends, to prevent fraying. (This step is optional depending on what type of rope you are using — obviously, if you go with cotton rope, don’t burn it!)
We then threaded the taped + burnt end of the rope through the board.
We tied a knot under one side of the board (we used a bow-line knot). Then we leveled the board, and tied the second knot.
Once we were happy with the leveling, we taped, trimmed and burnt the end of the ropes that hang below the knots.
That’s it! If you get this far, it’s time to start swinging.
Happy building! And hey, if you get a chance to make these, or try any modifications that improve the swings, we’d love to hear about it!
P.S. — Like to make things? Find lots of tutorials, projects and crafts here. For more posts about The Treehouse, go here.
Actively Seeking Diversity
By Gabrielle.
My friend Karen Walrond wrote an excellent post yesterday titled These People Are Nothing Like Me. It’s about her habit of seeking out and actively reading the blogs of people who are different from her. I love the post! I love finding names of people I respect on her list, and I love finding lots of new names to discover as well. Karen’s post had me reflecting on the state of diversity among the blogs I read, and in my own social media streams.
My question for you: How diverse is your media? If you consider yourself a member of the Tea Party, do you also follow people like John Stewart? If you’re an ardent Democrat, do conservative voices ever cross your screen? If you’re religious, do you read columns of any atheists, or scholars from other religions? When hot-button news is happening, is your Facebook feed a mess of differing opinions? Do you follow people who are living all over the world? Are the faces and races you see in your Instagram feed diverse?
Is diversity important to you? Or do you simply consider it a nice bonus when it stumbles into your life now and again? For those of you who find yourselves with very diverse media around you, did it happen accidentally? Did it happen naturally? Or did you do something in particular to seek it out? And feel free to share links if there’s a blogger who is different than you that you want to recommend!
P.S. — Karen also wrote an excellent book called The Beauty of Different. Living With Kids: Michelle Arnold
By Gabrielle.
We’ve got another family who has moved away from the hustle and bustle of New York City, this time to South Dakota. That’s interesting in itself, but then add the wide range in ages of the children and I’m completely hooked to the story!
With all boys and one lovely little girl and a husband who travels quite a bit, Michelle has created a home that fits them all. And don’t even think for one second that Lily, the youngest and only girl, has to live in a boyishly decorated space! Her bed is dreamy, dreamy, dreamy. You’ll see.
Welcome, Arnold family!
Q: Please tell us all about this cute family.
A: Hi there! Our family consists of my husband Rod and me, our boys – Ben, Bo, and Jackson – and our daughter, Lily. And I have to add our beloved family dog, Gracie, because she will feel rejected if I don’t include her.
Rod and I met and married in college 25 years ago. Can’t believe we’re old enough to say that! We have lived all over the place, which my kids have said is both awesome and not awesome, depending on the point they are trying to make with me at the time.
… Painted Boxes
By Gabrielle. Photos and Styling by Amy Christie
Sometimes, I’m just in the mood to make something, so I come up with a project just because. This is one of those projects. Happily, this project happens to be stunning, and would make an excellent gift!
The boxes themselves are pretty fantastic, but fill them with some poppy pencils or note cards, and they’re even better. Make one for your mother. For your child’s teacher. For your best friend. Or just keep one on your own desk — they’re so pretty, they’re hard to part with.
I wish you could all come to my house to see these because, believe it or not, they are even more beautiful in person. I was even surprised at how lovely they turned out to be. And the how-to is so simple!
With a little tape and your favorite color scheme, you’re set to begin making beautiful designs.
Come see this simple project unfold!
… The Treehouse: Mother’s Day Hideaway
I prefer a really low-key Mother’s Day, with my big request being that I get to sleep in. : ) But this year, I thought it would be fun to use Mother’s Day as an excuse to get a project done in the yard. I know I’ve been sharing lots of photos of the interior of our house over the last few weeks. But wrapping up the living room details marked a break in the interior work for awhile. Spring is here, and we’ve turned out attention to the yard. And the yard definitely needs attention!
It is a wild, wild place. Last summer, just days after we moved in, we had a consultation from a tree expert and his landscaping crew. He told us that based on the layer of accumulation on the ground, he thought the yard hadn’t been touched for 20 years! I can totally understand that. The previous owners were in their 90’s, and it’s overwhelming to take care of. Plus, the wildness has its own beauty, and it can be appreciated simply by sitting on the decks that surround the house and taking in the view.
I confess, I am very intimidated by our yard. Tackling the interior is doable for me, but making a master plan for the yard requires a skill set I don’t have. So we intend to contact a landscape architect who will help us draw up a garden design — some thing that incorporates our ideas, plus the realities of the landscape and climate. We’d like the design to be something we can implement over a few years so we can budget accordingly.
But in the meantime, we don’t want to ignore the yard, so we’ve been slowly, but surely cleaning up the thick layer of sticks and leaves and nature, and adding it to the community compost. And as we clean up, we get to know the property a little better, and get ideas of how we can make the most of it.
Off to one corner is a little shady grove that we thought had potential as a sort of hideaway — a place that’s off the main paths of the yard, where we could go to get a break from the sometimes-chaos that is life with a big family.
So we started clearing it out. The whole family helped. We dragged fallen branches and lopped off dead ones. We raked and shoveled leaves. We climbed into the trees to shake down the fallen Eucalyptus bark that was caught in the branches overhead. The castoff pile grew and grew until it was about 6 feet high and 8 feet long and five feet wide. It was an impressive pile! And proof of the work we’d done. We we’re proud of it! But only for a couple of days — and then we hired a team to come clear that pile out. It was a bigger job than we could do ourselves.
Once it was cleared out, the little grove was really shaping up! With the old growth gone, the sunlight could filter through the leaves, and there were now pathways to access the clearing.
Now it was time to make it pretty.
…Living With Kids: Nell O’Leary
By Gabrielle.
Never before have I asked a Living With Kids tour guide about her family and received a response like Nell‘s. It’s beyond lovely and lucky and all those words we use when someone is exactly where they should be in life!
And this house! Oh, what a house. In my imagination, Nell’s family home is just like the one in the game of Clue, come to life. (My best guess is James in the Music Room with a cello!) All of it is so interesting to me, from the family input into decor to the incredible sense of deja vu that must happen on a daily basis. Please, please enjoy this tour and help me welcome this sweet – and growing – family!
Q: Please tell us about you and yours!
A: My whole family includes this clan of our parents, beloved four siblings, their partners, and their kiddos. We’re Irish Catholic and were raised to be fiercely loyal, and very much involved in one another’s lives. My parents have been together for 40 years this year! Both are doctors – dad a gastrointerologist and mom a psychologist. My eldest sister and her partner live in Minneapolis and are true urban farmers. My second eldest sister is a social worker who specializes in older adults and little kiddos, her nieces and nephews benefitting from her proximity of living in the Twin Cities as well; she’s the auntie who teaches them about the periodic table and splatter paint! The sister right above me is our New York star, a graphic designer turned herbalist whose organic skincare line is fabulous. Her husband has opened two successful bar/gastro-pubs in Manhattan and is burgeoning on his third. Their toddler daughter and baby girl are perpetually on our FaceTime feed chatting it up with my kiddos. Our little brother is an officer in the Army, though he’s a world traveler and adventurer (and still our baby brother) behind all that ordered life. He and his wonderful wife have a nine month old whom we all wish we could gobble up, but can’t as they live in Tennessee.
There’s me, the fourth, the creative writing major-turned-lawyer who married her law school love, and we have James who is almost four, Maureen who is two, and a little baby boy due to join us in early May. I’m haphazard about cleaning but love to tidy, my husband is a poet who’s an insurance coverage lawyer, and our children are obsessed with all things church and baseball related. We eat as healthfully as possible but also indulge on my mom’s homemade and certainly unhealthy caramels. Despite our children’s screen-free life, my husband and I love to curl up with fatty fatty ice cream and watch Netflix once the kids have gone down for the night!
Q: You’re living in your childhood home! Tell us about why you wanted to buy it from your parents, and any difficulties or second-guesses along the way.
A: All of us siblings had agreed growing up: somebody had to buy the house someday. I feel so lucky it ended up being us! We were the first to get married and have children, and once our careers had lined up so that it was financially feasible, we made the leap. The house has so much character and personality. It’s roomy but intimate, majestic but practical, stunning but humble. It had never really occurred to me that another family could raise their children in it, unless that family were one of ours.
… Criticism
By Gabrielle. Image snapped by Ben Blair.
How sensitive are you to criticism? I suppose no one loves to receive criticism, but it does seem like some people can handle it better than others. I know I feel my body brace when I’m about to hear or read something about myself that’s critical. And I think the weaker my relationship is with someone, the easier it is for me to hear criticism from them — meaning, a comment from an anonymous stranger on the internet is easier for me to handle than if Ben Blair decided to criticize me.
I was thinking about this as I flew home from Atlanta yesterday. While I was there, Laurie Smithwick was my roommate, and we stayed up late talking, talking, talking (the best part of these types of get togethers!). She told me about a couple, friends of her parents, who are both writers. The wife knew she was super sensitive to criticism of her writing, even construction criticism from her husband — a fellow writer who very much wanted her to succeed.
But she discovered a trick. She found that if her husband prefaced any suggestions or edits or critiques with, “I’m no expert, but…”, that she could receive the words more easily. Of course, as a writer himself, he is an expert, but using the phrase “I’m no expert” really seemed to help.
I thought it was a genius tactic! Simple and worth a try. When I’m feeling especially sensitive, or can see that one of my kids is, I hope I’ll remember to use it (or request it of the person critiquing me).
I’ve also heard sensitivity issues can align with personality test profiles (like Meyers-Briggs). I’ve been tested before, but I never seem to remember the results. Hah!
How about you? Do you know your personality classification? Do you consider yourself sensitive? Do have particularly sensitive children? Would this trick work for anyone in your life? I’d love to hear!
P.S. — Yesterday, Olive embarked on a 2-week trip to France with a group from her school. Very exciting! It happened last minute. Another student dropped out on Thursday, and since Olive’s passport was ready to go, they offered the spot to her. Amazing! I was in Atlanta when this happened, so Ben Blair took care of all the errands and getting her prepped. He’s a champ.
I arrived at the SFO airport on Sunday morning from Atlanta, then Ben and Olive met me there and we got to hang out for a couple of hours before her school group checked in. We had a leisurely breakfast, and I trimmed Olive’s bangs in the airport bathroom. : ) The photo at top is me hugging her goodbye. We miss her like crazy already. The Treehouse: The Living Room
You guys. You guys! The Treehouse Living Room Tour is ready to share.
I am straight up in love with our living room. I love sitting on the twin sofas. I love the windows. I love the white-washed floors and the white-washed bricks. I love the long row of 3 benches that provide extra seating and give easy access to the views. I love the accordion pendant lamps. I love that the living room, dining nook, entry, hallway and kitchen are one open space. I love that I can sit with a magazine, and chat with Olive while she bakes a cake, or with Ralph while he makes a quesadilla. It’s a very comfortable, inviting, useable space. I’m excited to tell you all about it!
The sofas are my favorite. Their profile is handsome (see the image at top), and they’re a wonderful size — not as small as a love seat, and not as wide as a full couch. I searched and searched for something that would fit this space in just the right way. I wanted to create a sitting area around the fireplace and still leave room for a pathway between the benches and the sofas. (If you’re curious, the sofa is also available in teal, almond and mink — we chose almond.)
The coffee table is by Blu Dot. Isn’t it fantastic? It looks sort of airy and sculptural, but the marble makes it so substantial — it’s quite heavy!
We didn’t photograph the kitchen, because it’s still the nondescript space we inherited when we moved in, but you can see a peek of the kitchen island and our barstools — they face the sitting area. (The stools are great! I’ll tell you more about them in a later post.)
I bought the fringe-y throw blanket on the sofa when I was visiting Ethiopia.
The living room leads to the dining nook. The Thonet chairs are vintage, purchased from Book/Shop here in Oakland. The reproduction table we bought when we lived in Colorado. And we’ve had the chandelier since New York. It’s a remarkable fixture.
The benches! I Instagrammed the benches a few weeks ago and they received lots of ooohs and aaahs. And I’m not surprised. They’re made of reclaimed wood, the proportions are excellent, and they’re simply handsome. The benches come in two finishes, I chose lime wash.
I love the benches as is, but I’m also hatching some plans for these. I’d love to have long cushions made for them, to make them even more inviting. I really want the family to actively enjoy the windows and I love imagining the kids curled up on cushioned benches watching the bluejays make their nests. I’m also considering adding a shelf to legs beneath the seat of each bench. The shelves would be a place where we could store more coffee table books.
We don’t have a full shot of it, but I also wanted to point out the tripod lamp by the fireplace. I splurged on this piece, but I’m glad I did. It’s really distinctive and adds some weight and gravitas to the room.
The rug is by Allen & Roth. It’s 8 x 10 feet, 100% wool, and wasn’t too expensive. That was important to me, because the rug is a bit of an experiment. I really like the plain wood floors in the room and I go back and forth on wanting a rug at all. So far, I’m a fan of this one. It adds warmth and comfort to the space and it’s easy to vacuum. But I may decide to go back to bare floors as the weather warms.
The whole room has a light/neutral palette with natural touches of wood and green. My intention was to use the light colors to help the space feel open, and to reflect the sunlight when it finds it way through the trees. And I wanted to use the natural accents to connect the living room with the forest that surrounds The Treehouse. I’m really happy with how it turned out!
Okay. That’s essentially the full tour. But I do have a few more detail shots + sources if you’d like to see.
…Olive Us: Saying Goodbye
This episode marks the last Olive Us video we’re sharing from our time in France. After this, we’ll start sharing the videos we’ve made here in Oakland (they’re good! I think you’ll like them a lot). So publishing this post feels like I’m marking the end of an era.
Some trivia numbers for those keeping track: So far, we’ve made 44 Olive Us episodes. Three of those we haven’t published publicly yet. Of those 44 episodes, 33 were filmed in France! That’s a lot of France. I feel so lucky we have such beautiful captures of our memories there. Insanely lucky.
I hope you enjoy the video. Perhaps it will have you feeling sentimental about a place you loved and left. If yes, I’d love to hear your stories! What place comes to mind when you watch the video?
P.S. — Would you like to know more about Olive Us? Here you go:
– Olive Us has a really charming Instagram stream. You should totally subscribe!
– Find the official Olive Us website here, and subscribe to the Olive Us Newsletter here.
– Find all the posts I’ve written about Olive Us — including every episode — here.
– We’ve made 44 episodes so far and collaborated with ulive on 20 of them! You can find the Olive Us page on ulive here. Living With Kids: Jessica Glorieux
By Gabrielle.
[ Note: House Tour are always, always posted on Tuesday. Except this time. It’s an odd week at my house, which makes for an odd posting schedule. : ) ]
Imagine relocating from Brooklyn to Austin. The different paces of life and even language would shock even the best of us, right? But a drastic move was exactly what Jessica and her kids needed after a devastating loss. When she told me her story, I lost my words for more than a few moments, but when I found them again all I could think was “Jessica, you are brave, brave, brave.” And that didn’t even begin to cover it.
I know you’ll be inspired by Jessica’s hunt for happiness, and join me in hoping for an easier life for her in the sunshine days to come. Please, enjoy this tour. Welcome, Jessica!
Q: Please tell us all about your East Coast family living in the heart of Texas!
A: It’s been an adjustment for sure! The first couple weeks I was here, when I talked to people they would ask me to slow down! The driving thing has been rough, too, but we’ve adjusted nicely.
Most of the reason we picked Austin was that it’s pretty hip! They have a great recycling program, farmers markets, our lovely food coop Wheatsville, and we can even find a decent baguette!
I’m an active tennis loving, book reading, know-it-all with a propensity towards over-friendliness. After nine years in various marketing positions, I started my own business! I’m a ENTJ and – according to The Tipping Point – a connector. I really love putting people in touch with great products and services, so running an expectant parent expo and parents group have been perfect avenues for my personality.
Emilia Emanuele, my nearly five year old princess, only wears pink and purple, loves My Little Pony and Littlest Pet Shop, but has no issue with stripping down to play in a mud puddle at the drop of a hat. She’s insanely smart. Not much is lost on her, a trait she gets from her dad. She walked just before she turned nine months, and I’ll forever associate her with that fierce determination she had on her face as she got up and walked to me.
Lucien Michel wasn’t supposed to have a very French name at all but somehow does! Lulu, as we call him, is our little oddity. Despite being half-French, he doesn’t kiss anyone. He only licks people! But he’s so kind and sweet to his core. He loves anything with wheels.
… Oil Pulling Update
Image and text by Gabrielle.
In January, I wrote a post about oil-pulling and confessed that I hadn’t brushed my teeth since the first week of December. It’s been a few months and I thought I would give a little update.
It’s a short update! Basically, I’m still at it. I still oil pull every morning for 20 minutes — even when I’m traveling. I still love it. I still see benefits. I still use this coconut oil. I still haven’t seen the dentist (I know. I know. I need to go!), but I have been to the orthodontist, who took full x-rays. He doesn’t know I’m oil-pulling, but commented that my oral hygiene was (and I quote) “impeccable”. That’s good news! Especially considering my teeth haven’t been professionally cleaned since July 2013.
Most of all, I still think it’s quite crazy that I don’t brush or floss or use toothpaste or mouthwash. And I haven’t for almost 5 months now. Hah!
I promise, I’m not offended at all if you feel like it’s quackery. This is not something I feel like a passionate advocate for — I haven’t asked anyone to try it, even my kids. And I get that other people might try it and decide they don’t like it at all. For me, it’s a pretty straightforward thing and doesn’t involve much mystery — I can see and feel that my teeth are cleaner after oil pulling, I can tell that my breath is better, I can see that my teeth are whiter. If I didn’t experience physical differences after the oil pulling, I’m sure I would have given it up. But for now, I plan to stick with it until I don’t enjoy it anymore.
I’d love to hear what your thoughts are. Have you tried oil pulling? Did you like it? Did you find it impossible to swish for 20 minutes? Have you tried different oils? Does the whole idea make you roll your eyes? Chime in!
P.S. — If you have no idea what I’m talking about when I say oil pulling, start with this post, where I explain what I know about oil pulling and link to more sources on the subject. Living With Kids: Katie Gnau
By Gabrielle.
Wouldn’t it be neat to live in an arty loft? No walls to obstruct views, maybe some exposed ductwork and a few brick walls, with city lights twinkling all around. Oh, it seems to me like the design possibilities in one would be as endless as the ceiling height! But then reality sets in, and I wonder how I would divide space for six kids and one Ben Blair and also one me! It would have to be a pretty long loft, wouldn’t it?
Katie, however, is living the loft dream. What began as her husband’s super cool bachelor pad and spent many years being thought of as the wrong sort of house for the Gnau family, suddenly turned into the perfect home for one daughter and one Tony and also one Katie. Isn’t it funny how a simple change of mindset can make all the difference in how well you’re living? Friends, please join me in welcoming this loft-loving Chicago family!
Q: Please tell us all about your family!
A: Our family includes my husband Tony, our two year old daughter B, our two cats Maggie and Hermione, and countless dolls and stuffed animals.
Tony is an Emmy-award winning journalist and writer who runs our family business, T60 Productions. Lucky for B and I, he also uses his creative talent to document much of our personal life; our home videos are amazing! He’s athletic, creative, kind, successful, and good looking. I still feel like I hit the jackpot every time I remember I’m actually married to him.
B is often described as pragmatic. She’s an aspiring ballerina who loves the color pink. She loves to bury herself in a pile of books. She has the gift of gab, and can entertain herself all day long playing with dolls and stuffed animals.
… Easy Natural Dye Easter Eggs: Use Cabbage for Blue
By Gabrielle. Photos and styling by Amy Christie.
I love the look of eggs dyed with plants and flowers, but every time I’ve planned on attempting it in years past, I get intimidated sourcing dye ingredients and stop myself up. So instead of gathering a dozen different materials and spending too many hours experimenting, I decided that this year, I would focus on one easy to find plant and see what it could do.
The plant? Common red cabbage. Available in every produce department of every grocery store in the country. Yes, it looks purple or sometimes red, but did you know it makes a great blue dye? It’s one of those things that’s hard to believe until you try it yourself.
I love how they turned out so much I even want to keep the broken shells.
I felt so much happy anticipation checking and rechecking them to see how the colors were changing. I could hardly wait to see the final results.
Get the details below!
…Easy Natural Dye Easter Eggs: Use Cabbage for BlueRead More »
The Treehouse: Reading Loft
A huge thank you to Serena & Lily for partnering with me on this space.
Oh man. I am so excited to share this photo tour with you! This was months and months in the making. When we first moved into The Treehouse, and explored the house for the first time, we imagined this space as a reading loft right away. In my head, it was going to be weekend project — throw down some flooring, paint it up, add comfy chair. Done and done. But as I actually started working on the space, I found that I wanted to take my time with decisions and really put thought into what would work best.
Back in September, I thought I wanted wall to wall carpet in the loft. Then, I decided to experiment with a concrete overlay on the floors (which has held up wonderfully by the way). Then, I spent weeks and weeks figuring out what I wanted to do for shelves, and eventually decided on a DIY approach (tutorial coming!). Then, I ordered a chair with custom upholstery — which is a 6 week wait. Then, the room was 95% finished, and I realized I wanted one wall to be blue.
It’s a tiny space, only 7 x 9.5 feet, but I really wanted to make the most of it, and to make it completely inviting and appealing for all the kids, both little and big. It took me quite awhile to get it just right.
So let’s get to the tour!
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