We've taken the initial prototypes of the ModApple + Redneckmodern Case-Study birdhouse to market. Check them out on Casie's Etsy site.
Get 'em while they're hot (and it's while still spring and birdies are nesting).
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Well, my tree, actually. We had a limb trimmed from the pepper tree and it made an excellent mounting spot. With some leftover luan (harder than the cedar and just as weather resistant), I was able to make a mounting platform… and with some hardware trickery*, the birdhouse is now mounted.
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Yesterday, in an attempt to avoid going to the dog-track and to use up some spare wood, I made birhouses (plural). This one is made of cedar with aluminum supports and a VCT roof. Some of the others used up some spare Eichler siding and redwood shelf planks.
Need one? I'm wondering how they'd fare on Casie's Etsy site.
Spring is here and it's time for some landscaping attention.
Fortunately, there is not a lot is on the docket, but one of the things we needed to take care of was re-mulching the side-beds and side-yard. We had previously used a type of mulch called "playground chip" which is very consistently chopped cedar wood (wood only — no bark). The trouble is that it (1) doesn't really decay like "real" mulch does and (2) it's so consistent that — while it looks beautiful when first installed — when it gets leaves, etc. intertwined within it, it looks messy.
Enter EcoMulch…
I'm not sure of "eco" was originally meant to mean "economy" or "ecology", but it kind stands for both in this case.
"Ecology" in that it's a locally produced product — just a few miles from here… so the carbon footprint insofar as trucking and bagging mulch (i.e.: the bags at Home Depot) is much lower. As a company, they're also very dedicated to local-environmental issues an causes.
"Economy" in that — at less than $30/yard — the price is 1/2 of what you'd pay at most landscape shops and a fraction of what it'd cost if buying by-the-bag at the local home center.
We ordered the Eco Large Natural which blends in well with what we have going on, but there's lots of other options including black, brown, red, etc…
They're also locally owned by Grant and Heather (and family)… Grant also runs Hamilton Tree Service (an obvious sorce of the raw materials) who we hope to have back to give the trees a bit of sprucing up.
(Not mine)…
Dan just started his project and already three weeks into it, he's made a ton of progress (and found a few oddities).
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I had the chance to stop by a friend’s house this week. While the rest of the house is amazing (perhaps some more photos one day), the thing that immediately struck me was their cork floor. Cork is a great material in many ways: soft, antialergin, etc)… and in this pattern, it looses the “bulletin board” feel.
We have a vintage (mid-1960s) Danish Modern walnut desk for sale. (Sold to Dave… who amazingly has a matching end-table. It's such a pretty piece, though, I'll leave the photos up for posterity).
It's made by Lane of Altavista,Virginia and it is in excellent vintage condition. It's made of solid walnut, walnut veneer and oak — and it's quite well-made… even the back is fully-finished with the same solid wood and veneer as the sides.
Drop us a line if you'd like to have it in your home.
Here's a link to the CraigsList ad.
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Eva Kolenko stopped by with models Jayce and Caroline for a photoshoot for Contra Magazine last weekend. The theme of the shoot followed the aesthetic and verve of the film, A Single Man… and Marty gets a cameo. Thanks to the crew (Ian, France, and Alanna) for making it run so smoothly.
Eva brought the gear, models, wardrobe and props (vintage phone and phono, specifically), but the house, landscaping, furniture and accoutrements were ours… perfect for your next photoshoot, right?
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It never ceases to amaze me how interconnected the world is.
While at the open house for 3712 Merridan, our friend Mary-Peyton was chatting with another open house visitor, Eva — and Mary-Peyton mentioned this blog to Eva.
As it turns out, Eva is a photographer. She is an alum of our school and has worked on several projects with our department. She grew up in an Eichler in Marin and is hoping to call the house on Merridan "home" one day. She was also looking for a location for an upcoming shoot… and she emailed me.
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(Sold to Josh and Kathy)
We rescued these and thought we'd pass them on to the next MCM fan at a great price — $800 for the pair.
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