Curb Appeal

First impressions really do matter. That's why it's important if you're looking to sell your home that you make the best first impression that you can. You can create a positive first impression with just a few simple projects.

Paint your front door. You don't always need to paint your entire house but painting the front door in a memorable color will help it stand out and make a good impression.

Boring old house numbers are most likely the same as all of your neighbors. You can replace those numbers with new fresh updated and colorful numbers. The can be painted or metal and they don't always have to be the same size.

If you have a mailbox in front of your house, plant a garden around it or even replace the mailbox. You can often find unique mailboxes at farmer's markets or seasonal markets.

You can add interest to your entryway with a pot of flowers or even a chair or a sitting area. Let folks imagine themselves sitting there morning or evening and watching the neighborhood happenings.

Flower boxes are a great way to add a pop or color or interest to an area that looks a bit tired in the summer sun. Go bright and bold. Remember that you don't always need to have flowers in a traditional flower box, but use an old boot, beach bucket or any kind of interesting container.

Urban Farms

My neighbor in Ballard has an urban farm. Goats, chickens and rabbits are her animals of choice. It's a meeting place for neighbors and the local kids (human children) have a good time stopping by, because the alley is open for them to wander in to see the creatures.  She says she is teaching her children the circle of life.

Recycling

I love that Seattle recycles. I need to remember to take the yard waste out before the bag gets full. wow.

New Trend: Calming Drinks

Did you know there are companies putting fragrance and flavor in our food? Perfume, yes, but the food we eat, the beverages we drink, even pumped into rooms and...am I the only person who thinks this is super creepy?

Chemicals, not the real deal.

Here is a article about the latest trend in drinks, calming drinks...

Greening Seattle

I finally stumbled on the answer to my question,  "who is behind this Greening of Seattle?" I've seen the volunteers and piles of ivy ripped out of urban forests, especially along Admiral Way SW, in West Seattle.

Here is a link to a video on how to make a compost pile in the forest...

Dandelion Greens Again

I see them and I want to take them out! Then I recall this great recipe from Mark Bittman I read a year or so ago, and want to keep them, harvest them (need only scissors), and eat great mashed potatoes, with dandelion greens. I add gluten free bread crumbs to mine....

The Oldest People on the Street

The other day I was feeling old, creaky, and just plain worn out. (That's right, I am only in my fifties)...then I looked out the window, and caught a glimpse of my neighbor, an older woman (in her 80's who is Norwegian. At one recent block party we all remarked that while we may get older and die, she'll be re-roofing her house and outliving us all. She showed up to that event with a party platter, cut meats cheeses, lefse that she made herself, and gave all a jar of homemade jam.

So, as I limped to the window, imagine my shame as I saw this gal outside, in her boots and rain gear, hauling around her hose. I thought, what? She is washing her house? It turns out she was washing her windows, outside with a long handled contraption I can only think she made herself in her basement. Here is what she looked like:

The New York Times had this little essay by Michael Winerip on a similar line of thinking.

Making Pickles

Secret family recipe (mom's) for dill pickles.

Here we are, stuffing the jars and getting a batch ready.

We make them once a year.

Several Hours later, 24 quarts of pickles. Yum.

Wood and Relations

My father was a cabinet maker for 36 years. We lived in a house with exotic woods. I joke with my siblings that we should "part out" the house when we sell it, because the wood is now so precious and who could love it as much as we did? ( my siblings are horrified by this suggestion, by the way).

Here is an article in Dwell magazine about a guy who kept all the wood (plywood, mostly, not very exotic) from his grandmother's house in Poland.

Cymric Silver

It's really gray, but this color was suggested by a friend/designer and it is on all the walls and ceilings of our house. It looks so fabulous!

Paint color Here

Murketing

Rob Walker writes for the New York Times. He writes about marketing that works now. You can hear him interviewed here on a radio show...



Consumers. Identifying with ads, identifying with what we own, buy, desire...interesting thoughts.

Star Magnolias

neighborhood signs of spring

dandelions

Now here is a yard full of weeds, or is it? I finally ate the great mashed potato recipe from Mark Bittman, which you can find here:

So this yard looks like a field of possibilities, although not harvested quickly enough. The green mashed potatoes were very tasty, and easy to make. All you need are potatoes, olive oil, and dandelion greens.

Bad Builder Neighbor

I know this is just a sample...of the current times. This home builder just stopped working. I hope this builder sends his/her crews back around to finish the job, or at least take a dump run.

forsythia

Spring! Sun! Warm weather...

Flowers in the Neighborhood

Fences

Some interesting fences. So much better than those six foot tall solid cedar fences that we had everywhere in the 1980's...

Gates

Here are some interesting gates I found in the neighborhood. This one has a light that looks like a fishing pole, with a reel...here's a close up:

This article in DWELL magazine talks about some great green buildings and project frog.