Pages

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

give the man a hammer

and he will build it.

built by d view2

in all honesty he built it about a year and a half ago. but we only now got around to doing the upholstery. i thought i would do it myself. we had the fabric (you know it steph!). but my little machine wasn't up for the challenge. and quite frankly with all that is going on neither was i. (the little time i have for sewing i try to fill with manageable and fun projects. things i can get done in an evening for two and reap that immediate satisfaction! pillows to go here are on that list.)

so for a year and half it has been a stage platform for the girls. many theatrical productions have debuted here. and it has been much needed storage for puzzles and games and lego and lego and lego. and gift wrap. (my own special long drawer for gift wrap!)

built by d view3

i thought the girls might miss the stage. but they love the space to cuddle, lounge, nap, read and more, more. we have another couch around the corner - in front of the fireplace - but this space here is meant to be very kid-friendly. a spot to hang out in while i'm in the kitchen.

it is just what i imagined it would be. goes with the other storage solutions too. and just in time for the holidays. thanks d. along with the hammer i'll give you a big kiss. you deserve it!

on a completely unrelated note i need your help. what do you give to the teachers in your life for the holidays? last year we made these - which e loved putting together. i think that they were well-received but i never really know. i'd love to add some ideas to our arsenal... thanks!

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow! That is rally beautiful! I have two sisters that are teachers and their favorite gifts were gift cards for offcie supply shops, when kids donated books to their classroom libraries, and last year my sis recieved a framed drawing a student made of her and it is the sweetest. Anyway-my two cents...

Anonymous said...

beautiful home, beautiful light through all that glass, just amazing. teacher's gifts, we're still searching. We've made lots of soap, but I think we're all done with that.

petite gourmand said...

I absolutely love your design aesthetic.
can we shoot your place for one of the decor mags. that I freelance for?
just say the word and we can be on a plane to L.A.
bonus that you are Canadian, as most of the Canadian mags like to feature Canadians living elsewhere.

Oh and you get such beautiful light in your home.
it's so inviting and inspiring.
love it.

this single spark said...

I'm also in love with the light. And everything else in your house.

No ideas for teachers. I'm sure your mom has lots of ideas for what not to get. :]

Anonymous said...

Love it! If I started from scratch I think I would go with a home like yours. Simple, welcoming, stylish, love it...

Anonymous said...

Great couch -- I love the storage! Your whole house is very cool.

My mother-in-law is a kindergarten teacher. Her house is overflowing with Christmas ornaments, mugs and various other sit-arounds given to her by students. She's had to start throwing some of it out because there is just too much. Edible gifts often end up given to her family because, again, there's just too much. She seems to like gift cards. Although, she gets a lot of Starbucks cards and she doesn't drink coffee. So we often end up with the Starbucks cards.

angelique said...

Gorgeous! I'm a huge fan of built-in storage, especially when it's this simple and stylish.

I always give bookstore gift cards as teacher gifts. They seem to go over well.

Anonymous said...

I'm sticking a bookstore giftcard in a small handmade bag/tote. I've been lurking in the classroom around their desks each week to see what if i can get a line on any style specifics.... ;)

When i taught (back in the dark ages), i loved gift certificates the best (so practical), but the homemade cards with meaningful sentiments were what I really treasured. of course, I am a packrat!


oh, love the couch. that pillow with the circles wants to come live at my place, though...

estea

BunkleLife said...

So great - love the light & bright & space...so different than my current living conditions! (not that I'm complaining - it's like comparing apples and goats...or something)

Hmmm...if I was a teacher of small kids I'd probably like to get....a supply of Tylenol w. Codeine? ;-)
xoJ

molly | mommycoddle.com said...

wow, it looks fantastic. a place to lounge and store stuff? what a combo. your house is so full of life and light...it looks so lovely!

hannah said...

way to go d! so glad you have cuddle space now to go along with all that storage. i am guessing if the girls wanted to stage a show again, the cushions could come off?

at eliots school they requested gifts for the class room, like supplies and paper and things. handmade gift card holder/card thingy?

Anonymous said...

If D is reading this, YOU ARE AMAZING! Oh my! Is D going to come out with his own line of furniture soon, because I will a loyal customer. I love the design...so clean + modern. LOVE, love, love it.

My man is great in the kitchen, but has no desire to build any furniture. [What?] I'm hoping to get my dad to build me a desk while he's visiting over the holidays. =)

Anonymous said...

lookin' good.

i'm shooting for a bench type design for our table. how do you guys feel about a working vacation?

stephanie said...

oh, it's gorgeous. i really love it.

i'm planning on sewing little zipper pouches and putting a gift card for powell's books inside.

ps: something is finally coming your way.

pixiegenne said...

what a super great space! re: teacher gifts: i have many teacher friends who all love gift certificates the best. i always give those and then let the kids make them a little something...

Tracy said...

thanks so much everyone. i ran all your suggestions by e and we will be going with a gift card for a local bookstore, and a framed portrait by her of her teacher. and thanks from david too. he is quite proud that you all were so supportive of his handiwork!

Anonymous said...

Ooohh...love it! Love it all...wanna go see all of your house ;o) As you already know!

Anonymous said...

I love your house...the white walls the floor and the no shoe policy...that will be introduced in our house when it eventually is finished!

Teachers gifts? Assuming they're female...how about some little felt brooches/pins...just layers of felt or fabric stitched together with a button and a pin on the back something a bit like this...

http://mollychicken.blogs.com/my_weblog/2005/12/last_minute_thi.html

Anonymous said...

love your house and cute girls! thanks for visiting my new blog, i really loved having a comment to read!

Anonymous said...

It was great to see you Tracy! Your girls are so sweet and your husband so talented (of course you too). The "storage sofa" looks great. So simple and functional. For teachers...I agree with gift cards in a handmade pouch (they always carry pencils and pens). We've made custom made totes (for the folders and books they carry around) with a drawing by our kids. If you pick a simple drawing and machine stitch it...a tote is easy to do :)