Thanksgiving Turkey Fabric

Thanks to Henry Glass Fabrics, my turkey is now strutting around on fabric.  If I remember correctly, it is available at your local Hancock Fabrics store this fall.  It is always so gratifying to see my designs on printed fabric!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Basecamp Hotel Lake Tahoe

On our recent trip to Lake Tahoe, we found a great little boutique hotel when browsing Kayak and it ended up being super stylish and cool.  The staff at Basecamp were really helpful and the place had everything we needed for a great weekend.  One thing I particularly loved in our room was the clever drawing of the lake that was printed on a canvas tarp that was then hung on the wall behind the bed as a headboard.  The pops of orange used on the lamps and furniture were a nice change from the usual boring finishes at other hotels.  The place is modern, but the furnishings and artwork really add warmth and charm to this gem of a hotel.  Check it out if you are heading to Tahoe!

Fall in Lake Tahoe

We had a nice little get away this past weekend in Lake Tahoe.  We got lucky with the weather.  It was sunny and warm (in the upper 50's to low 60's in the daytime).  The aspen tress were past their prime, but there was still plenty of color to satisfy our hunger for some fall color.  We had never driven around Fallen Leaf Lake before, and it did not disappoint.  It is a gorgeous drive and there is a hike to another small lake when you get to the end of the road.  Living in the Bay Area, the quiet was amazing and the fresh scent of pine trees was just what we needed.  If you are heading to Tahoe, I highly recommend Basecamp Hotel for lodging.  I will do a separate post all about Basecamp, just because it deserves some separate blog love.  All in all, fall is a great time in Lake Tahoe if the snow holds off and you can get in some hikes.  The big summer crowds are gone and you get a more relaxed version of Tahoe and it is pretty terrific!

Featured Artist on the Peaceable Kingdom Website

The wonderful people at Peaceable Kingdom have featured me on their website.  I've always been so proud and happy with all of the products we have designed together and it is so nice to have such amazing and continuing success with a creative company like Peaceable Kingdom.  You can see the page here.

Newly Renovated Kitchen

The kitchen renovation is finally finished!  It is amazing how much larger the room feels, even though we really didn't enlarge the room.  We did take out a couple of walls which really helped give it that open and airy feeling we were wanting. My parents have been here visiting for the past week and we have really enjoyed cooking in it. Take a look around and let me know what you think.

There are turkeys on my roof!

Last week, I went outside my front door to visit a neighbor and some of the turkeys that live in our neighborhood were hanging out on the sidewalk.  When I came back just a few minutes later, the turkeys were in our front yard.  No big deal.  After I went back in the house, I was working away in my office and suddenly one of the turkeys was airborne and flew up on the roof.  The rest of the turkeys followed suit and all four of them were walking around enjoying the view!  We see the turkeys often, but have never seen them get on our roof.  I snapped a few photos.

Glacier National Park and The Canadian Rockies

We had a terrific time in Montana's Glacier National Park as well as Banff and Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada recently. We hiked to some amazing lakes, glaciers and even a tea house perched high above that served an amazing assortment of teas! The wildlife in the parks did not disappoint either. We saw a grizzly bear, numerous black bears, elk, mountain goats, big horned sheep as well as deer, rabbits and those cute little chipmunks that always make me smile. It was a great vacation and I highly recommend it if you have never visited!

All of the above pictures were taken in Glacier National Park in Montana.

The pictures above were taken in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, Canada.

The pictures above were taken at Lake Louise and Lake Josephine near Banff, Alberta, Canada.  The hikes here provided breathtaking views of the lakes well worth the time!

Progress on the kitchen continues

The kitchen is taking shape!  We now have sheetrock and the finishing coats of plaster are almost complete.  We look forward to getting it all cleaned up and applying the primer and ceiling paint.

Our goal for this weekend is to order the flooring.  We had travertine stone floors in our last kitchen which were beautiful, but they were also cold and very hard.  So, we have gone back and forth between different options.  We need it to work with our oak floors in the rest of the house without being too similar in color but not to dark either.  We like a fairly light and bright kitchen.  We had considered marmoleum because we were told that we could design our own custom pattern, but it was much more expensive than we thought it would be.  Marmoleum also offers a clicking plank system, but we don't care for the textures and colors they offer.  I found this 16 inch square tile by Mannington that has a very slight texture to it in grays and neutrals that we are leaning toward.  It glues down and the pattern could be alternated to make a nice subtle checkerboard effect on the floor.  The color chips on top of the tile represent our cabinet colors.  The majority will be the light olive green and the island will be in the cream.  We are going with a wood butcher block on the island and cesarstone quartz countertops in a white color with neutral flecks called "nougat."  It's really nice to be at the point of putting the kitchen back together again after all of the destruction and mess.

Chocolate Cupcake Scratch and Sniff Stickers

Another set of scratch and sniff stickers has just been released from Peaceable Kingdom.  These feature my chocolate cupcake designs and they smell pretty tasty!  You can buy them online here as well as at retailers across the country.

Progress on the Kitchen

The walls are out and the beam is in.  The new windows are in place along with two new skylights.  The plumber comes Thursday followed by the electrician next week.   Drawing up a plan on paper is one thing, but witnessing the transformation step by step is very gratifying.