porch party

Quick: can you spot the creepy plastic doll head in this photo?

I've been slacking on the blogging lately because my newfound passion of making vegan "treats" has been consuming my afternoons. These healthy snacks, if you will, that I've been making sometimes turn out tasty and sometimes blah. A lot of them taste the same, actually. I guess that's what you get when you use Medjool dates in everything. This evening after a batch of salted caramel cookies turned out to be a dud, I declared that I'm hanging up my vegan apron. Alex gave me a little pep talk; however, so maybe I'll get back into it. At least he and Scout will eat anything. Catcher gives me an honest review of my work, and Tillie just spits out what she doesn't like (which is anything that doesn't have chocolate).

None of that has anything to do with these pictures, I'm just setting the stage to let you know that I dug these out of the archives from a few weeks ago when Alex was re-arranging our back porch. The girls were hosting a tea party there, complete with stuffed animals and freaky dolls, when Catcher got home from school and got his lounge on. The good news is that the new arrangement on the porch is much more inviting and pleasing to the eye (and we found the perfect spot to hang the cow skull that Catcher found on his spring break trip to the farm). The bad news is that one chair was sacrificed during the re-arranging process when one of its wooden dowels snapped. The chair is still there for looks, but Alex and I aren't able to enjoy a romantic evening lounging under the string of Target lights...gazing into each other's eyes.

firmly planted

Bordato illuminated planter, Design Within Reach

All this curb appeal talk has actually peaked my interest. I'm not claiming to be more interested in the outdoors, per se--unless by "outdoors" you mean sitting on the beach with drink in hand--but I am kind of into finding alternatives to your average patio pots (or planters...or whatever). Actually, anything irreverent will do:

Phillipe Starck garden gnome

I love this guy! I always have...even before Amelie made garden gnomes cool.

Vondom planter

I know what you're thinking: Chia Head. But these planters offer more than a bad infomercial. Here's the "pop of color" that realtors love to reference.

retro bullet planter

It's retro and it's pink (yes, I hate pink--but not really--and it's a great compliment to nature's green). When's the last time you saw a pink planter? Let me rephrase that: when is the last time you saw a pink planter that's cool?

designer black mulch

As the man of the house, Alex is in charge of exterior projects. We--and when I say we, I mean Alex--have been meaning to put some finishing touches on the front yard for a few months now, but time always seems to slip away. To Alex's credit, he does work on average six days a week, but today he had a rare day off and took the opportunity to work in the yard. He found some guy in Concord, NC with "designer black mulch" and had it delivered this morning. Even though I'm not that big on plants and stuff, I have to admit that it does make the curb more appealing (and the black is way cooler than any mulch I've ever seen).

Is the mulch going to do it? Will the house be under contract before the pitchfork is put away?

Alex also picked up some mums to add a little autumnal cheer to the front and side porches. Catcher got in on the action and re-arranged the plants to his liking (below).

celebrity splash

It's still hot in Charlotte (heat index of 100+ degrees today), and it's only June 15th! While playing around on the Internet during my son's "Dora time" this evening, I came across a feature on Elle Decor's website that told me I'm not the only one who's been thinking about pools lately. Check out these celebrity splash pads that are definitely worth a look (photos from elledecor.com):

Urban Oasis: You won't believe it, but this pool is located in the backyard of fashion designer Cynthia Rowley's Manhattan townhouse. Talk about city escape...

Photographer: Roger Davies

Tropical Retreat: Ben Stiller and wife Christine Taylor enjoy a blooming tropical garden surrounding the pool of their Hollywood Hills home.

Photographer: Grey Crawford

Infinite View: There's no better way to enjoy an oceanfront view--like that of Cindy Crawford and husband Rande Gerber at their Malibu home--than while relaxing in an infinity pool (preferably with drink in hand).

Photographer: Simon Upton

Infinite Beauty: Of course, an infinity pool with a mountain view isn't too bad either. Fashion designer Elie Saab's weekend home near Beirut has incredible views of Lebanon's Sannine Mountain.

Photographer: Fernando Bengoechea

Simply Modern: Coach president and creative director Reed Krakoff and his wife lend a modern vibe to their Southampton pool and poolhouse, which reflects the 1970s style of the main house.

Photographer: Reed Krakoff

dive in

Summer in Charlotte is hot (to state the obvious). Temperatures have bounced around in the low- to mid-90s for the past few days, and the five day forecast promises more of the same. So today when it was too hot to play outside with my son--at least for someone who's eight months pregnant--I dreamt of owning our own pool and found inspiration in the following images from Architectural Digest:

Pool designed by landscape architect Mia Lehrer for actress Jamie Lee Curtis and her family.

Long Island residence of Michael and Carol Newman; architecture by Shelton, Mindel & Associates.

Homeowner Tony Chatman and his wife, Cyndi, renovated a lakefront property in Gainesville, Georgia that features the above saltwater pool.

In LA a 1950s house on the hills is given a new look by architect Paul Ashley of TempleHome.

Complete with poolhouse, the home of producer Joe Roth in Los Angeles.

In Kukio Bay, Hawaii, landscape architect David Tamura incorporated natural elements into his outdoor design.