Wednesday, November 25, 2009

other than grannies (but grannies, too)

I've been so obsessed with granny squares that I haven't talked about much else since I've been posting again. Welp, there's not too much going on, thankfully, and the biggest thing is the best -- my sisters live here in Houston now. Have I mentioned this? I don't think so, but in my granny square haze, everything is foggy. Anyway, they moved here in August, and for a while my youngest sister, her daughter, and one of my middle sister's sons lived with me. I love my family, but that was painful. Now they all live in a big house about 15 minutes from here, and that's where I'm going for Thanksgiving. I'm in charge of macaroni and cheese. This weekend my niece will be coming to spend the night. She's 10, and we have a ball together. I'm teaching her how to sew and knit, which I'll blog about later.

For now:

* More granny squares. I've made 80 so far. I figure another 40 should do it.

* A paint job. I got this set of metal drawers at the Rose Bowl swap meet a few years ago. I keep thread in it, separated by color. It's very handy, but I've always been iffy on the two-tone green. I love green, just not in this case. I thought silver and cream would be better.

* A great book that I'm reading and visually feeling up every chance I get.

Since I've been getting my place together, I've been taken in by the decor websites, and by books on decorating. This one is called Home: 50 Tastemakers Describe What It Is, Where It Is, What It Means. It's not what you'd call a decorating book, more like biographical snapshots of designers, decorators, and trend forecasters in their own words, accompanied by peeks inside their living spaces. There are some recognizable names, like Paul Smith, Eva Zeisel, and Jonathan Adler, whose space I love, especially his bedroom.

How can you beat a bust of MJ on the coffee table?

Here are some other favorites of mine (so far).

Don't get the impression that everything in the book has a vintage/'70s vibe. It's what appeals to me, but there's a wide range of decorating styles here, and many unexpected interpretations.

There are lots of other names that if I were more in the know I'm sure I'd recognize, but I don't. This in my favorite quote, from (heretofore unknown to me) Li Edelkoort:

I also believe that creativity is life's insurance, because if you instill creativity even in the smallest children, they will have no fear, because they can improvise. Creativity is not about a nice interior or a nice wardrobe, or a sense of design. It's about a very subtle way to think and to realize, if this doesn't work, then I can solve things in another way; confidence and flexibility.

With its gorgeous shots of beautiful spaces and fascinating personal narratives, I can't recommend Home enough. I mean, isn't the place featured on the cover delicious? It's not particularly my taste (if I have any), but it's fabulous. Sometimes I reach for Home and stop myself from picking it up. I don't want the experience to end too soon.

I think that's all I wanted to share with you. Oh, except this --Happy Thanksgiving!

6 comments:

Stacy Kraus McDonald said...

Super awesome quote.... I might need to link back to this post because I find the whole thing inspiring. Making a home and capturing what make a place "yours" has been on my mind a lot lately.

Ellen Bloom said...

WOW!!! Carla! I'm so PROUD of all those granny squares you've made! They all look beautiful! I can't wait until you start joining them into a fantastic afghan.

That's so cool that your sisters moved to Houston. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration!

Hugs!

Jean said...

Love that silver chair and ottoman --- wow! Great job on the grannies. Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family!

Natalie said...

Let me just say...
GRANNY FABULOUS!

Did you just dive onto all those laid out granny squares and start chewing on them like Mira and her sock? I would have.

Lovelovelove the quote.

Happy Thanksgiving.
gobblegobblegobble

Lisa B (Moon) said...

LOVE your grannies....and your metal bins....and everything!!!!
I wish you lived near me so we could hang out!!!!
:0)
Xx
Moon

Anonymous said...

A bit late, not much blog reading of late. But hope you had a delicious Thanksgiving. I did. And then I went home on Saturday and made my own all over again!

I once made a granny square baby blanket. The experience was so painful that I gave it away and swore never to make another. But you are enticing me. What if I make my squares and you join them for me? Yes? LOL

I love the quote. Omari needs a good dose of that creativity. I agree that it gives a person confidence. Unfortunately, she won't be getting it from me. I'm crafty, but not creative. I always tell people I'm just a copier. I also don't think it's something you can teach. My mom was super creative and so is my middle sister. But me, well, I'm good at imitating.