casapinka

Cheerful Yellow

Yellow swimsuit

Yellow frock

Yellow shower

Yellow Smeg

Yellow wallpaper

Red Smeg with yellow mini. Feeling like some cheerful yellow today - hope you do, too!

Images: Re-Nest, Zulily, The Fullness of Joy, Urban Style Vibes, Retrovilla, SFGirlbyBay

The Making of a Home

We turned down the house that I last posted. The kitchen was just way too small, as was the bedroom that would go to Juniorette. The backyard lacked grass. When looking for one's Dream house, there are many variables to consider. Husband must figure out if he can fit a snooker table into a room. If there is an unfinished basement, can it be made to contain aforementioned table? Is the ceiling high enough to finish it as a proper room? I believe this is just Irish speak for "Need Man Cave" but it's disguised in more sophisticated talk of snooker tables, multiple tomes of literature, and probably the secret fantasy of a beer light.

I have to ensure that Shinzi Katoh teapots will fit in, and that Juniorette can has a room that will house a bunkbed which she so desperately wants. Via  Bemglaus.

 

As well as that, little bits of the unexpected must mingle well with Husband's sense of the Traditonal. Available at Howkapow. If placed just so, he probably wouldn't even notice the lamp. I definitely don't think he'd appreciate it, and that's ok. 

We need a house that will tolerate a mishmash of styles. Full of the colorful and homemade, formal and dignified, ironic and able to laugh at itself like we do at with each other. I guess that's just what we define as Home here at Casapinka.  Bookcase from We Heart That. 

House Hunting

Husband and I are going for a second look at this pretty house today. We're trying to figure out the layout and are concerned that it doesn't get enough sunlight. This is difficult to ascertain, however, since there are heavy draperies everywhere. It's North facing, too,  plus the kitchen is tiny (with black granite and "nice" wood - brand new, of course, which makes it harder for me to slap paint on.) I don't think Husband and I could even walk past each other in the kitchen. It has an amazing master suite, though, with a huge en suite bathroom with step-up tub with tiled underheating throughout. And the porch wraps right around the house. No nook is unused inside, either. Tons of storage. I like that. 

 

It has a bed nook similar to this which is adorable. Unfortunately, it's a tiny bedroom, and with a 7 year old who has a size 4 foot, I don't think the bed would fit her for long. The house is also decorated with someone who has a definite style that I can appreciate, even though it's not my personal choice. It has a tons of furniture and wall decorations. Trying to see through all of it is taxing, making it difficult to see the true sizes of the spaces and how they would work for us.

The house also has a lovely room like this with white floor to ceiling bookcases. Husband said he could take it for an office, but there's no wall space for a desk. From Inspired Decorating. Of course, in a typical Rhode Island moment, Husband looked at some photos and realized he knows the owners. 

It does, however, have unused space under the stairs and I love this idea. From Apartment Therapy. It's not in a neighborhood that Husband loves, either, although he's warming up to it. Trying to fit an office, playroom, studio, bedroom for each child (which we don't have now), back yard and nice bright kitchen is no mean feat. It's a nice problem to have, though, and I know we'll find our Dream House.

This is an aerial of the back deck and yard. Anyone know how hard it is to make this into nice, soft, fluffy green grass?

 

This Week at Casapinka

This week at Casapinka has been erratic and busy. Lest you think I like twiddling my thumbs over updating Casapinka, here's a  synopsis of the past seven days.

1. I've been trying to make the Study Hall skirt from wonderkind Anna Maria Horner. I've never put in a zipper. Apparently I need a zipper foot, whatever that is. If I don't give up at this point I will have grown considerably as a human being. I will expect high fives, beer, and slaps on the back!

2. Purchased fabric to make Junior some more surfing shorts. He loves his from last year but there is quite a bit of - how does one say it gracefully - "crackage?" showing. 

3. We celebrated Father's Day with Pumpkin pancakes and home made cards, which are always loved in our household. I couldn't find the syrup anywhere, and then Juniorette informed me that Junior finished it over the past few weeks. I had forgotten about that penchant of his. Note the consistency of the kid - the photos was taken 500 days ago. We thus had Nutella pumpkin pancakes.

4. Three trips to the library. Juniorette, 7, rented the movie, Tutenstein. When I asked her if she'd be scared by it she said (I wrote it down so I could be accurate at her wedding reception): " I'm NOT afraid of King Tut. He's a natural historical representation of Ancient Egypt." And people actually home-school their children. 

5. Went to the beach three times. Suffered three collective cuts on small feet. No trips to the ER. Lots of crying. Water shoes purchased. Sand leaked in. Fussing ensued. Mommy took Valium. All now well.

9. Made 5 granny squares a day. Will continue to do so until entire blanket made. Goal set. Need goals.

7. Attended Junior's Pre-school graduation where, for the second year in a row, he picked his nose and consumed  it, while standing in the front row of the risers. The loud stage whisper of Husband from eight rows back saying, "Stop picking your nose!" failed to call attention away from Junior, who just began work on the opposite nostril. I kid you not - I have video footage.

8. Nearly finished knitting a dress with tulips. Hopefully I can show you my ever so practical merino wool dress, knitted in summer in a momentary lapse of reason. 

9. Grandpa in town from Maine. Must go get the kids dressed and pick up the living room so we can make him think that we live like the Cleavers, and the large puddle in the middle of the living room is just spilled water, and not the sugar/food coloring/Swedish Fish/pink sprinkled drinkable dessert that Juniorette made for us last night.

 

Romantic Style

Have you seen Selina Lake's latest book, Romantic Style? It's simply gorgeous, with lots of dashes of pink throughout. It's not a book of shabby chic as the name might suggest, though. You will find some lime green, hand made linens, and many pages of pretty living spaces that incorporate hand made, vintage, antique, with unexpected twists of modern color. Definitely worth having on the bookshelf for moments of inspiration, and you can also follow her new endeavors on her blog here.

Crocheted Poufs and Rugs

Right now colorful crocheted projects are on my mind. I'm not very good at crocheting but I can do the basics and I feel inspired to learn more. La Casa Decoto, located in Barcelona, is full of pretty crocheted poufs and other home accents. I'm sure Gaudi on every corner must be wonderful inspiration. These pictures make me want to get out some scrap yarn and start hooking. Oh, you guys - get your minds out of the gutter!  I hope this sends you into the weekend with a nice burst of cheerful color. Be well, everyone.

Xoxo Pink

Sunken Tubs for the Dream House

There are a number of things I want to install when we get our Dream House. One is a sunken bathtub. I saw one of these in Oregon when I was a kid and it made a searing impression on my brain. This family had a swimming pool for a bathtub. It was tiled and there were steps down into it. It was one of those defining moments in life.  To be fair, this sunken bath from Freshome is really more of a pool. This seems to take a lot of water but wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. (Erudite American response when speechless, the upscaled version of OMG.)

This is just perfect and one of my favorite images. Double wow. Double OMG. Via Escapade blog. There are a lot of photos around of sunken tubs that are fiberglass units plopped into a hole in the floor. That just doesn't quite do it for me. I also don't want a giant lip around it my tub. In my fantasy world, it has to be seamless with the floor, basically a tiny little swimming pool where I can lie back and soak until my fingers and toes are shriveled. 

 

These two tubs are from  Zucchetti Kos. Their catalog is downloadable and gorgeous.

 

 

Junior Makes Toast

Recently, I awoke to find this 'still life' in the kitchen. I had bought white chocolate spread for the kiddos at Le Pain Quotidien as a present from New York. Apparently Junior was determined to get some first thing the next morning but I had placed it on top of the fridge - out of sight.  This is one of those Needs Supervision presents and should not be given to kids with X-ray vision.  Some parents never learn!  I assume it was Junior - his sister would have woken us up and said, "Could you open this please?" Junior - he's a bit more action oriented. I'm not sure why he removed the top of the chair and put it on the floor. A colorful cutting board? To soften the blows of hammer on glass? As a giant plate (not that he ever cared about eating off the floor before.) It looks like he just ended up gnawing on bread for breakfast. Poor kid.

He graduated from Pre-school yesterday, so I told him I'm expecting bigger things from him now. No more using the hammer to open jars. If he eats off the floor he has to use a plate instead of removing the seat of a chair. Discipline is important, people. Don't be one of those parents who allows her kid to write on himself with permanent Sharpie markers or pour coffee in the cat's water dish.

A Splash of Turquoise

Had ya worried there for a minute, didn't I?

 

Images from 79 Ideas, That's just my bag, ohdedoh Elle Decor.

 

Stripemania and why sometimes parenting is hard

This is a shirt that Juniorette made for Stripemania at Decor8. She was so excited to create something out of stripes - and I told her she could do what she wanted - paint, sewing, coloring etc. I let her use one of her school uniform shirts since school is out this week. She chose some red and pink fabric, and cut out stripes in sizes she liked then pinned them on wherever she wanted. I was not allowed any input! I ironed on the stripes using fusible web and voila - a new striped shirt for Juniorette. She wanted to coordinate the entire outfit, so she chose a polka dot skirt and polka dot hair ribbons. If you know me, I realize this looks just like something I would wear but I assure you that Juniorette is her own person, and if she wanted to wear a navy blazer and plaid skirt I would be fine (choke) with it.

I actually made something too, with embroidered stripes...all that work and it was too pale to photograph. Unfortunately, it turns out it had to be the actual blogger's photo, so she couldn't be included in the stripemania. I feel like such a total shit - you should have seen the way she cried over this...."Is it because they think it's ugly? Should i have done it all in one color?" On and on and on.  See, it doesn't matter how hard you try as a parent - it's darned easy to screw things up. 

I'm so proud of her for doing this, anyway.  No prizes to be won, just quality time spent on an enjoyable endeavor. We talked and laughed, cut and emroidered, enjoying the absence of tv and music, just lovely conversation and all of those wonderful questions that earnest 7 year olds ask. "Did Junior really break your tailbone when he was born? How did that specifically happen?" Even though Stripmania wasn't about making anything, just photographing yourself in stripes, I still felt connected to the world-wide hand made and design think tank.