I'm Back!

I'm back! Did you miss me? I took a break last year from this blog. I was blogging at a couple different places about life in general and my minimal journey (which lasted about a year). But I missed talking about decorating and cooking and design. I missed you guys! I thought I'd restart at Black Kat's Design and add in the general life posts and thoughts from my other blog here. Thanks for sticking around. I hope you enjoy reading the new Black Kat's Design. Oh and new year new blog look. Let me know what you think of it!

73 Days to Christmas

I was out shopping today and saw my first display of Christmas items. It was full on Christmas - decorated trees, ornaments, stockings, wrapping paper. All the trimmings. Today is October 12th! It's crazy. Oh and the Halloween, Fall, Thanksgiving decor items -- 75% off. Totally crazy.

How can anyone be thinking winter when it is one of the most beautiful fall days: 70's, sunny, blue sky with no clouds, beautiful colored leaves and that "fall" feeling in the air.  Fall is my favorite season and I savor each day. There is plenty of time in the days ahead to think/decorate/blog about winter and Christmas. Just not yet, please.

Happy Birthday Forrest!

It's my wonderful son's 19th birthday today and the first birthday we've ever spent apart (he's away at college in Georgia and I'm in the Chicago area). I sent him a box with a couple presents and a "birthday party in a box" - chocolate cupcakes, a tub of chocolate icing, a can of blue cupcake icing, and a mixed assortments of sprinkles, colored sugar, stars and chocolate and rainbow jimmies. Oh and candles and a bag of balloons. That way he can celebrate with his new friends, have a party and hopefully feel the love from home.


 

Out of Touch

Hi all. I've been absent recently enjoying the last days of summer and getting my son ready to go off to college in Savannah, Georgia. I'll be back posting regularly Wednesday, September 15. I'll still have Cheap Thrills Thursday up. In the meantime why not browse through some of my older posts from when I just started my blog.

Feeling Blue

I've been feeling blue and out of sorts the last couple days. While whining discussing it with my 18 year old son, he suggested I rearrange furniture and swap out some accessories in order to feel better. I have a son wise beyond his years. Its wonderful to have someone know and love me so much.

Things I hate about Craig's List

If you've read my blog, you know I have an undying love for Craig's List. More than half of my retro / Mid Century furniture has come from Craig's List: my couch, dining room table, chairs and hutch, dining room rug, my bedroom suite, my son's futon, desk and chair, retro dining room light fixture, dresser I painted aqua in the living room, glass and wood bar cart in the living room. I won't even list the accessories.

But some posters really bug me. My grammar and spelling isn't always correct, and I can mangle some pronunciations. I use hanging clauses a lot, too many exclamation marks and sometimes what I'm thinking doesn't come out right in my typing. I realize nobody is perfect (least of all me). But these are classic mistakes I see over and over and it drives me batty.

Rod Iron - It's wrought iron as in forged

Dinning Room Table - dining

Chester drawers - chest of drawers (this one really bugs the heck out of me)

buster seat - booster seat

mirrow - mirror

Calling items by the wrong genre - everything is art deco or mid century modern when it's really not

Bran - brand

Armour - Armoire

Post a darn picture so I can see what you are selling!

Post a price not just best offer or call me for more details. I'm lazy. Make it easy for me to buy your crap.

OK, I've got that off my chest. I was window shopping on Craig's List yesterday and had to stop because it just made me angry. Shopping Craig's List should always be a fun activity.

Congratulations Graduate!

My darling Son graduated from High School yesterday. I'm such a proud Momma! It's so hard to believe that he's 18 and a High School Graduate. Seems like just yesterday he was 6 and finishing Kindergarten. How time flies. This fall he's off to college at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia to study photography and graphic design. He will be so far away from me (the Chicago area) and I will be living alone for the first time in my life. Big changes in store for both of us!

Honey Do List

I was reading a cute blog post about a woman's perpetually undone honey do's list. You know the list. It's the one you make for your partner of things you would like him or her to complete. "Honey, please do ....". I've got it rough. I have no "honey" to "do" anything. (woe is me - although I have a semi-helpful, semi-responsive teenage son).On the one hand it makes my life easier, I'm not disappointed or frustrated by someone not doing what I would like them to.  On the other hand, it kind of sucks to be the only one responsible for everything.

I have a long list of things to be done (ie my master decorating plan that I talked about here) and almost all of them are decorating or home improvement items. I have a weekly to-do list and things get crossed off from there on a semi-regular basis. I guess my "honey do" list is the equivalent of my " hmmm... that would be nice for someone (imaginary) else to" list. Items on my list include cleaning the inside of my car, taking care of talking with the car repair mechanic, taking care of the "sink boogers" (yucky stuff left in the drain strainer after you finish dishes), and I'd really, really, really like for someone else to do my laundry and wash my dishes. But I guess those last two don't fit into the "honey do" list category. I got nothing else.

What items are on your honey's to do list? Any drive you crazy?

My tree top condo

Some days you can hear me grumble about my 3rd floor walk up condo. Especially if it's grocery shopping day or laundry day (when it's 4 flights from the basement laundry room).

But today I'm reminded of what attracted me to this unit in the first place. I'm on the 3rd floor with giant mature trees all around. It's like living in a tree house.

I have branches within 2 feet of my windows covered with beautiful chartreuse buds waiting to burst into leaves. From my couch I can easily see the squirrels scampering from branch to branch moving to the mature trees across the street.

A woodpecker has a nest that is about 7 feet away at eye level. I enjoy listening to the repetitive peck, peck, peck as I drink my coffee and look forward to seeing babies again this year. The bird songs are quite loud as they are within feet of my open windows. I love trying to identify the bird by its song.

The more urban street traffic becomes an ebb and flow like ocean waves (really, you get used to it and it becomes beautiful - except for the sirens of the local fire department).

The best part is when all the trees have their full leaves. Then the buildings across the street and even the street itself disappears from view. Just a cloud of soft greens. So serene.

What do you like about your house?

Playing on the Internet

I love the internet. Whenever I have free time, I'm playing on the internet, looking up obscure facts: Do swans mate for life? (yes) What other (than humans) animal has sex for pleasure? (dolphins - who knew?) Or taking weird quizzes, researching information for a blog post, reading blogs or general tom foolery. My newest fun thing has been building an avatar of myself (as realistic as possible).What do you think? My lips are a little small, they didn't have any fuller. And I couldn't get the eye color to change to blue. But I think it looks remarkably like me. What purpose does it have? None. Just playing around.

How do you waste time on the internet?

Working Late

Ugh! I'm working late (for me that is). I'm usually relaxing with all my chores done for the day by now. I'm trying to get some last minute projects and cleaning done for a house guest for the weekend. Nothing like having someone spend the weekend in your house to kick your cleaning to a new level. I'm OK with a few doggy hair tumbleweeds around the hard wood floors. But not with a guest coming!

I just put on a pot of coffee to help me get my second wind. Which I desperately need. I won't be able to sleep tonight, but that's OK. More time to finish up my twine and PVC napkin rings!

Blog Follower & Subscription Party

My new little hobby, blogging, has become a mini obsession. So I'm pleased to announce that in the 10 weeks I've had a blog I've reached my first small milestone. Over the weekend I passed the 50 followers and 50 subscriptions mark! Whooo hooo! People like me, they really like me. (grin)

It feels so good to know that my thoughts and project ideas are being read and your comments let me know that they are helpful and enjoyable to you. The blog pushes me to get off my hind end and actually try new recipes (or cook some old favorites), to do some of the crafts that I only think about and to get to work on my bigger projects. I love sharing with you. Now I look at almost everything and think - can I make a blog post out of that? Would somebody be interested in it?

Anyway, I want to thank my followers, subscribers and readers for hanging out with me. There is only more good stuff to come! BTW - want to see something specific, or more or less of some topic I write about, send me an email or leave a comment and let me know.

I know, I know

I know, I know. I said I would have a post on painting and glazing furniture for you today. What can I say? I was in a crafty mood. I had the bath mat pillow project on the back burner for awhile and today, rather last night was the night. Did I do the dishes, fold the laundry, water the plants or one of the seemingly million other things that I "should" have been doing? Absolutely not. I sat down with needle and thread and made a pillow.

The furniture painting and glazing post will happen. The project is done and the pictures taken, I just have to write the thing. Soon, I promise.

Decorating Trip

I'm taking a long weekend to go visit my best friend Alison in Indianapolis Indiana. While I'm there we will be updating her master bedroom on a $200 budget. Stay tuned for some great projects - we're rearranging, painting, upholstering, sewing and accessorizing. I'll be back posting on Tuesday with pictures!

Daylight Saving Time Begins

Daylight Saving Time begins at 2:00 am Sunday. Did you remember to set your clocks forward?

Now is also a good time to: change your smoke detector, carbon monoxide detector and severe weather radio batteries; clean your dryer lint trap all the way from the dryer to the outdoor vent, kits are available at hardware stores; vacuum your refrigerator coils if not part of your normal cleaning routine; and make sure your car emergency kit is up to date and ready for use.