Design Sponge in Austin

Design*Sponge is going to be in Austin tomorrow for a book launch/craft event. The bad part is the event is already full, the good part is you can get on the wait list.

From their post (where you can get on the wait list):

We will be teaching all craft-event participants how to make their own custom wooden wax seal! Craft guests will watch a demo, make their own wax seal and leave with the seal they made, along with sealing wax and stationery to test on. Afterward, we’ll get together for the larger celebration of the book launch, where you can buy copies of the book and have yours signed! Drinks and treats will be served. Proceeds from this event will benefit the local arts charity Art House at the Jones Center.

Here are the details:
Design*Sponge Craft/Book Signing/Celebration
Downtown Anthropologie
601 North Lamar
Austin, TX 78703
October 15: 5–8pm (5–6pm craft workshop/6:30–8:00pm signing + celebration)

Mid-Century Landscaping Resources

I mentioned what plants I plan to use when we re-do the landscaping for our mid-century ranch, but I forgot to mention the outstanding resources I used to find them.

If you're in Austin, the city has a great Grow Green site that will help you pick plants that use less water and chemicals. And no matter where you live, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center has a recommended species page that can help you find native species for your state.

They're pretty great tools for finding native and adaptive plants for your next GRACEful and authentic mid-century landscaping project.

Orange Rug for a Mid-Century Ranch

A friend of a friend recently bought a condo and the old owners, who had staged the place, left this rug behind. Apparently we're the only people who want a free orange rug. So we jumped on it and it's now on the floor of our play room. (The old formal dining room got turned into an informal play room.)

I think it's the perfect rug for a mid-century modern home, and I'm pretty picky about rugs. It's a nice splash of color without being over the top.

And it goes well with the rug in our living room, which is good because you can see the living room from the play room.

Done: Paint Guest Bedroom Closet

Like all painting jobs, it took longer than I thought it would and it took more coats of paint than I thought it would, but the guest bedroom closet is no longer pink. That's one more item off of our to-do list.

Before

After

Mid-Century Austin Find: Broyhill Sculptra For Sale

A craigslist ad for a Broyhill Sculptra china cabinet popped up this weekend. It's a smaller version of the Broyhill Sculptra china cabinet, with two doors on the top and no drawers, just cabinets, on the bottom.