Feeling Organized and Fancy Free!

Organization is a good feeling, peeps, especially when it involves making sure that 10,000 tiny lego pieces are all picked up and put out of the way. Little Guy's closet system is in, and with a few touches via storage bins from my favorite French store, Tar-jhey, a little boy's crazy mess is now contained.

I have to admit there was some level of drama, most likely due to pregnancy induced hormones, where I panicked when the wall of shelves I thought would be on the right ended up on the left. Luckily Hubs swooped in, with his cool, level-headedness, to snap me out of my perfectionist paranoia. After some obsessing, I've decided the closet worked out well and happy with its ability to hold ALL -- literally -- of Little Guy's things. You have no idea how much space is in the bedroom now.

Close Up: Hot Wheels and Bakugan can live harmoniously with storage bins from Target.

On the opposite end of the closet, Little Guy's existing bookshelf was organized for books, sketch pads, and art supplies. Little Guy keeps his most prized possessions in that beat up shoe box. No amount of Mommy pleading to toss it would be heard by the boy. New closets were in no way a reason to dump his beloved old shoe box. Oh well. Pick your battles, Mama.

Above the bookshelf, legos find a home on shelves in primary colored bins next to some hanging clothes. Below, the rest of Little Guy's surf-themed room.

We went with Potterybarn Kids a while ago for the bedding. Little Guy's pint-sized surfboard can be seen in the background, below. & yes, I guess there's no real reason anymore to call him Little Guy, is there? & so, Kelly makes his debut in the blogosphere!

Last photo from today... The remnants of a loverly springtime brunch with the extended family. Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa omelets, cheese danishes, and fruit salads with vanilla yogurt were served up this morning alongside some bellinis for the non-preggers women in the audience. What a perfect Sunday!

Deciding on Counter Stools for a Clean & Simple Beach House

Who knew picking a counter stool would be so difficult, peeps. I mean, it's a counter stool, not a couch, or a dining table, or any other significant piece of furniture. The way I used to nerve wrack over J.Crew purchases, I've somehow channelled that anxiety and overthinking into my counter stool purchasing. It's good to see neuroses never die!

First, let's talk about the stool requirements and the set the stage a little bit. I'm in need of 3 counter stools, around 26" in height, for my kitchen island. The kitchen and family room are right next to each other and form a large open space. If I could have a theme running through the house, it would be, "Clean, Simple Beach House." Everything needs to go with what we already have, peeps. But I've come down to some common elements in each of the rooms downstairs:

1. White walls

2. Dark distressed wood floors

3. Distressed wood antiques of the Asian variety.

4. Lighting fixtures with clear bulbs.

5. Touches of bronze in ceiling light fixtures and floor / table lamps, and drapery rods.

6. Stainless steel appliances in the kitchen.

7. Dark wood plantation shutters and white, long drapes on the windows.

Now that we got that straight, walk with me down counter stool lane and I'll go over the finalists I've got on the brain. I'm in need of some direction, ladies. Some serious, Come-to-Jesus-style direction.

The Modern Industry stool from Sundance Catalog. $125.

Me Likey: The white metal contrasting with the dark wood floors and the way the stainless seat would pick up the accents in the kitchen. I also likey the price.

Not So Much: It seems to lack warmth and doesn't look that comfortable.

Modern Times Factory Stool, Sundance Catalog, $195.

Me Likey: Again, the white / stainless combination. In particular, I like how much more this one is distressed (chipped paint and all), and I love the swivel seat.

Not So Much: It looks unsturdy and slippery. & again, it seems to lack warmth.

The Lyon Fixed Height Industrial Stool, available online for $83.

Me Likey: The stool on the right. & I'm seeing it spray painted a funky color, like an interesting green or something. It would be a pop of color in my very color-neutral house. It also looks more sturdy than the other stools so far, and I love me the price on this one.

Not So Much: It looks too industrial. Definitely lacks warmth, and may not go well with the distressed wood we have elsewhere in the house.

& Finally, the Colby stool from Potterybarn, $99.

Me Likey: It would add the warmth I think is missing from the other stools and add that depth of distressed wood in the kitchen and tie the other rooms' antiques together. It would definitely add that "beach house" element I'm going for, with the rough hewn look it's sporting. I'm relaxed just looking at it. It also seems sturdy and the price is right. Where's Bob Barker at when I need him?

Not So Much: It doesn't have that "industrial" tie I'm looking for, and is a bit of a safe choice.

A final contender: Restoration Hardware $169

Me Likey: The swivel wood seat. Brings in that wooden, vintage feel to tie in the antiques and add warmth to the kitchen, while keeping the industrial vibe I so adore. Adds dimensions of the black colored oiled bronze we have going on in each of the adjoining rooms. The metal accents would tie nicely with the stainless steel in the kitchen and it would contrast nicely with the dark wood floors and white kitchen cabinets and walls. Overall, my favorite for its balancing act of price, requirements, and aesthetics.

Not So Much: The max height is 25.5 inches and I'm worried about how sturdy it is "under pressure" at that or at 24 inches high. It's RH, so the quality should be great, but you never know. The seat diameter is 13 inches. That's a lot of possible rumpus hanging off the edges.

The choices are maddening!!! So now that you've seen all the finalists in the line up, which one would you go with?

More House Fixing Up

I have house on the brain. I admit it. I'm almost no fashion, all house these days. Thought I would snap a few pics and show what's been new in the house decorating department.

Pillows: Thomas Paul, bought from Gilt

Glass Sea Urchins: Roost

Pharmacist's desk lamp: Target

Spider Mums: Whole Foods

BTW, I am in LOVE with these sea urchins.

Pendant lamps: Roost

All installed and with some great Edison bulbs to boot. I think the next set of bulbs will not be as strong. These were 60 watt. I'd like to see the filaments! Hello! That's why I spent more on the bulbs!

Pendant lights off. I think they add to the clean palate I'm trying to go for.

What do you all think?

The House Comes Along

Ok, so I don't deny that I'm moving at a sloth's pace when it comes to getting the house in order. By "order" I mean, "Up to my fantastical standards of fabulousness," bien sur. But slowly, the pieces of the puzzle are coming together. Thought I would share some of the happenings going on with getting our house ready for Housewarming next month. It's an uphill battle, for sure.

Here's a sort-of ghetto fabilis photo of our kitchen, thus far. Pretend you don't see the coffee press on the counter or the mac book air.

We decided to go with these pendant lights for over the kitchen island, three of them to be exact. They are by Roost, and were purchased at the Sundance Catalog. BTW, if you haven't gone to look at the home section at Sundance, you are missing out. They have some pretty terrific finds. Sundance calls these their Meridien pendant lamps, and Hubs installed them pretty quickly with some Edison bulbs to advantage of all that clear glass. They add such a great, clean touch to the room. Photos of course, to follow when the house is Dwell / Elle Decor ready.

Purchased a new console table from Hawaii store Pacific Home. Check it out, they carry great things and I love going in there to just glean ideas. I'm hoping that design ideas will just seep through my pores, osmosis-style, by my just being in their shop. They have a great, laid-back style that I'm trying to capture in my house. This piece is called the Parisian Console table by Carina Sherlock. It's supposed to be modern meets French Country, which is somehow working with my clean, beachside, Pacific vibe. Hubs had decided to install in-wall speakers, which has inadvertently made my Chinese plasma console unusable. Thanks. So now that bad boy is on Craigslist waiting for a new owner and I'm going to throw my TV on this baby. It seems random at first to put the TV on this table, but with baskets underneath in the living room, I think this is going to be a good fit.

Last random purchase while at Pacific Home last night, Roost's glass sea urchin vases. Peeps let me tell you they are so freaking adorable. At $12-$15 each they were an affordable indulgence and with candlelight in the background? Soooo pretty. One of my favorite purchases in a long time.

Alas, I have no J.Crew to share. It's a recurring theme of late. No fun fashion purchases. But hopefully you'll stay with me and be interested in the crazy things going on at the NoJcrewinJapan House!

Happy Chinese New Year and Year of the Rabbit to everyone and enjoy your February this week!

Kelly's Mad Science Birthday Party, the New House & some crazy news.

What a week, peeps. I need to sit down and have a drink just thinking about it -- but I won't, and more on that later. Well, first we moved into the new house and that has been hectic. We had two moving trucks show up with all our furniture and belongings from Japan, and then two days later were barraged with two more moving trucks filled with things we've had in storage for the past 4 years -- aka, everything that we had decided not to bring to Japan when we moved there. I am awash in boxes.

But despite that little setback, I spent the first week setting up the public spaces and the most important private ones. So I'm proudly here to say that my living, dining, kitchen and bedrooms were set up and ready for use. Above is a photo I took of our family room set up. While living in Japan, we (ironically) acquired tons of Chinese antiques, so we tried to mix them with our furniture from the pre-Japan days. I've thrown in a cowhide for flair. I've always had a flair for the dramatic.

Speaking of dramatic, after 7 days of mad unpacking skills, we threw the Little Guy a Mad Scientist birthday party. Here's a photo of his Candy Lab. We had a mad scientist come and enthrall the kids with great feats of chemistry, including making cotton candy and their own slime.

I had found some beakers online, and filled those and some plastic, kid-friendly test tubes up with jelly beans, m&ms and other fun goodies. The kids had a blast and the Candy Lab got wiped at the end of the day.

& if that's not enough to make you tired --- We found out we are expecting another little one! Peeps, our Little Guy is 7 now. Hubs and I were President, Secretary and Sergeant-at-Arms of our own One-&-Done Club. I'm sure it's like riding a bicycle and we'll get right back in the swing of baby things, right? We're excited to no end and really surprised, but we feel so blessed! We get to top off the year with exciting news and a growing family.

& if it's a girl, there's a Crewcuts wardrobe waiting for her. :0)

The House Stands Up!

On most occasions I try to blog about fashion, but sometimes real life steps in. We are in the midst of waiting for our house to be built here in Hawaii. It's gone from just dealing with floors and counters to now seeing the framework go up. Seeing the real deal today was very exciting!

The house is a 2 story, 2100 sq ft island home with a detached 2 car garage. This development puts all the garages at the back of the houses, with small lanes to get access to the garages. It means the front of the homes are very inviting, instead of seeing a behemoth of a garage in plain sight. Like that.

If you can look aaaaaalllll the way in the distance, that little sliver of blue in the background is the Pacific Ocean, which we're in walking distance of. The development will also have a swim club, a marina with boat slips, and a canoe club. Obviously most of it is under construction so right now we'll have to keep the image in our heads of what it may look like. The front of the home will have a long, linear park down to the swim club. This is supposed to be a little different, since most of the homes are located on traditional streets. But I've seen other little pockets in the neighborhood where the houses are located on little green parks and it is soooooo cute.

View from the kitchen window of the West Oahu mountains.

Putting our mark near the front door.

♥

First on the agenda... The houses in my life.

I'm seriously obsessed right now with houses.  I've lived on Lester since I set foot on this island almost three years ago.  We live here by force and not by choice.  I.e., we were told we were going to like it whether we really did or not.  & I haven't complained... too much.  There isn't that much to say.  Lester is simple, clean and adequate for our needs.  & let's not forget there's no costs out of our pockets for it and we live here with ample a/c, running water, trash pick up, minimal recycling separation duties, etc., and have done so happily for some time.  My all time favorite reason for this place?  Typhoon season.  When a Cat V typhoon comes tearing through this place, I can rest easy because I know I'm safe in my little concrete bunker.  

But there are times when I just want to cringe.  I like things to look nice and enjoy making my interior attractive.  But you just can't do that here.  The place is old, for one.  The only real interior style you can implement here is shabby chic, so as to coordinate with one's 1940's-esque kitchen's pale yellow cabinets, floors, and 4x4 tiled walls.  The old school institutional tiled floors are not particularly my bag, either.  

& then there is the issue of inconsiderate neighbors, crazy kids running around, cardboard boxes in my front yard, and the school district we're in.  All of it is a recipe for us to move off base.  

Off base!!  Oh how the words are so beautiful.  But yet the path is not so easy, either.  There's the deposit on the new place, the new costs out of pocket, the language barrier (I speak only a smidgin' of the nihon-go), and everything else.  & on top of it all, you need to find a house you like, that you can afford, in an area that "speaks" to your sensibilities. 

 

Well, I think I found mine.  

I'm obsessed with a certain street in Yomitan about 5 minutes from Torii Station.  The street is very short, runs along a gorgeous beach, and butts up to a park with a playground.  There are maybe 6 or 7 houses on the street, all different in style, but with a certain je-ne-sais-quois that combines that fabulous japanese-modern aesthetic with relaxed beach living.  The house is small - 1100 sq ft, but has 3 bedrooms, 1 & 1/2 baths, all wood floors, a tatami room, 2 upstairs decks off the bedrooms with dramatic ocean views, and a simply divine back yard just begging for some bbq, wine and friends.  My head is dizzy with the ideas I have for this place.  The price is right and I am so worried someone will take it.  It's my slice of heaven... If we're able to get it!  We're waiting for it to pass the american inspection all off-base houses need to go through in order to be rented by Americans.  

I really want this house!  It's all I can think of!

Wish us luck!