apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

This weekend will mark the one year anniversary of us moving in to our (that's the bf and myself, thank you...) new home. We closed in the end of May, stayed in our apartment for the month of June and moved in to a tent in the backyard for the month of July. I remember, in terrifying detail, that first weekend that we spent sleeping in our new backyard listening to our new neighborhood's sounds and praying that the unrelenting fireworks wouldn't burn our home down before we were able to move in...

Name: Shayna
Location: Oakland

I'm a firm believer in the concept of baby-steps. Grandiose ideas are great, but as for becoming reality? The follow-through just isn't always there. Like Janel, I think it's the small, feasible actions that become a part of your daily vocabulary that really make a difference. For my home, that means using cloth bags, recycling, composting, line-drying clothes in warm weather and buying local when we can; and we're always on the lookout for new ideas to add to our arsenal. This summer, faced with a mandatory water reduction, my family is looking specifically at reducing our water usage...

We had never bought live plants online before. But when a local search for a "string of pearls" plant turned up unsuccessful and our festering obsession proved unrelenting, we turned to Google. We typed in "buy string of pearl plant" and the first link led us to eBay. When the shipment arrived, we clenched our pearly-whites and cut open the box...

Remember back when we showed off Jeana's great wall planter? We loved it so much that we had to run to our local IKEA so that we could recreate our very own...

If you've paid even a wee bit of attention to our posts over the past years, you would already know that we are HUGE fans of Heath Ceramics. They're local, they produce gorgeous wares and visiting there makes you want to drop everything and volunteer to sweep floors just so that you can hang out with the kind folks that actually create the products and run the factory. To top it all off, Heath has some amazing collaborations going with artists from around the world. One of our current favorites is the Heath tote bag designed by Heather (aka Skinny laMinx). See more photos below the jump...

Last week we posted a few pictures of our patio space and retaining wall. Clearly, you guys wanted some more details and we're oh-so-happy to provide. Just keep in mind, we're not professional builders and this was a totally fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants project that was guided mainly by gut-feelings and experimentation. In other words: if you're looking for how the pros do it, this isn't it. See the details below the jump...

Remember the goofy dandelions for a giant? We indulged ourselves with a few too many giggle-fests at the thought of collecting oddities for a "garden of curiosities". Almost as if in response to our daydreams, our daisies have answered back loud and clear that they're game to play along....

What: Hand-painted tiled border at the fantastic columned entrance for the Gaylord Suites builiding

Where: Jones Street at Geary

When: Sunday, June 22 at 1:30 pm

Why: On our way to visit a friend's new place, we first noticed the incredible columns (jump below for a close-up) and then saw the beautifully hand-painted tiles that border the steps. The tile, column and palm leaves combo reminded us of a movie set in old Havana. Perhaps a bit out of place in the Tendernob....but really, isn't that the beauty of San Francisco?

Earlier this month we showed you how to start an avocado tree right in your own kitchen. This week we're stepping it up a notch and showing you a cool trick for growing corn, peas and beans. The best part? They all grow together in one small area. If you have the room for corn, then you best plant the peas and beans too, 'cause we promise...it's really fun!

Growing up, our family garden was an ever-changing space. We often had a salad picked straight from the garden but the backyard morphed as our family's needs changed. We had a full vegetable garden for years, then grass when us kidlings needed some running space and now (as empty-nesters!), my parents have come to find a comfortable middle-ground that works beautifully for them. We spent an evening down in LA visiting them (for their 30th anniversary!) and snapped a few shots of the yard. Check out a few more pictures below the jump...

A while back, we showed you our patio transformation; from dirt pit to granite sitting area. But we failed to mention that the before state we showed off wasn't really the true before..what you see above is how our backyard looked on day 1. Jump below to see the wall we built and how it truly transformed the space....

Late in the garden game this year? We've had a few friends wander around our small patch of a vegetable garden, sigh and lament the fact that they missed tomato growing season. "Au contraire!", we exclaim and send them a great article we spotted a week ago in the New York Times. Jump below for the link...

We thought we'd take moment to show off some of the new life in our previously dead backyard. What's popping up in your backyard/patio/fire-escape area?

With the recent onslaught of hot weather, we've been scarfing the guacamole and thought it a shame to just chuck the avocado pits. We grabbed a couple of our trusty Spega yogurt glasses and did our best to recall the glory days of elementary school science class. Jump below for a refresher on how to turn your seed in to a little tree....

We've had our peepers on this house for quite a while now, the front yard is filled with lush tropical plants and you already know how much we love colorful doors. When we passed by yesterday on an afternoon walk, we giggled with delight at the latest addition to this already eccentric home. Jump below for a few more surprises...

Our favorite pocket-sized measuring tape busted a gut a while back and we had to toss it. We feel naked without it but keep forgetting to snatch up a replacement. Lucky for us, we have a secret trick in our back pocket (literally) that comes in real handy...

There's something so satisfying about planting your own little garden from seed and watching the tiny seedlings grow to full-size plants. On the other hand, it can be a bit like watching paint dry if you want instant satisfaction. If you're of the latter sort, Domino has a great slideshow of a fast (3 month) backyard transformation.

Oh how we love those crafty kids at Anthropologie. We, predictably, swoon over almost any store display they throw our way and this latest little find is no exception. While many of their projects elicit a fervent promise to replicate the like back at the homestead, those intentions make it about as far as the car door. But we have no excuses this time, we already have the supplies right here, at home! Jump below for more pictures...

We're reaching out here. We need some advice from our readers. We had a weekend mishap involving our recently planted beloved apricot tree and a wheelbarrow...

What: Tiled floor in the lobby of the fantastically bizarre and historic Odd Fellows Building

Where: Odd Fellows Building, 26 7th Street, San Francisco

When: Thursday, June 6th 5:45pm

Why: We pay a visit to this classic San Francisco building whenever the need to shake our boo-tay arises. The Odd Fellows is home to a lodge or group (something exciting and secretive) and to fantastic dance classes (hence the booty shaking...). Plus, the elevator still has an operator. How cool is that? And he rarely lands the lift at the proper level so you're often stepping up off the elevator or down from too high. Odd? Jump below to see a shot of the elevator (not at floor level, of course)...

We've been hard at work in our backyard, planting a vegetable garden, laying down mulch, clearing out dead shrubs and other overgrown plants. We're working with a tight budget and trying to avoid making big (i.e. expensive) decisions about lighting and a watering system until we've lived in the space for a while. Which is why solar lights are our new best friends. Jump below for a (dark) shot of our lights in action....

If you were to say to yourself, "My, that seems to be a vase of tomato branches!", you would be 100% correct. Whilst pruning our tomato plants a few weeks back we thought it was such a shame to throw away those lovely branches, so we stuck them in a vase of water and let them be. Jump forward two weeks and see the rewards we've reaped...

We're currently engaged in a secret backyard turf war of sorts. See this desolate dirt hillside? We've seeded and reseeded in hopes that lovely poppies and other native California wildflowers would bless us with an appearance....alas, no! Our lovely feathered friends have been feasting (nay, gorging) themselves on our future flowers. But yesterday we spotted evidence that we may have gained a bit of ground in our battle....

We often find ourselves inspired by fellow bloggers and artist Jeana Sohn is no exception. She's just chock full of nifty ideas and her latest wall planter is one of our favorites of late.