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- Cambree Elise
Archive for Inspirations
Agave in Landscaping
Agave isn’t just grown for it’s syrup. It’s actually a very pretty ornamental succulent that could liven up any yard. Especially yards in in the South West or Western part of the U.S. I came across these great photos of different varieties of agave used in landscaping in California from Sunset magazine. I aspire to have a dessert garden someday.
“The light green leaves of a colony of A. attenuata contrast in this combo with the nearly black rosettes of Aeonium ‘Zwartkop’.” – Sunset Magazine. I like the contrast of green and deep purple in this garden.
Continue reading post here.
Lawn Alternative: Naturescaping
This year California may be facing a severe drought. Our heavy rain season starts around autumn and continues through spring. I can say this year’s rainy season was not so good. I think we had some cloudy winters, but not much rain. Mostly fog in parts of northern California.
Concerned homeowners and avid gardeners may want to look into finding ways to conserve water. But I have mostly desert plants that are in pots, so it won’t be much of a problem for me. My mom said she may cut down on what she will be planting this year too. The latest idea suggest replacing the common lawn and yards with native plants. This idea is termed “naturescaping”. These two front yards are good examples of naturescaping. Photos were taken by City Steward of Portland, Oregon.
There are many benefits for naturescaping and to growing native plants. A great landscape design practice also located in Portland, Oregon named Plant Native gave us 6 good reasons. They are listed below:
1. Low Maintenance - Native plants evolved to grow in local conditions and to predictable sizes. They do not require watering (except during establishment), chemical pesticides and fertilizers, or frequent cutting.
2. Public Health (lowers cancer rates) – Traditional landscaping uses large amounts of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, some of which are suspected carcinogens. During rains, these chemicals often run off into public water supplies. Traditional landscaping also contributes to air and noise pollution.
3. Saves you Money – The cost of maintaining a naturescape is dramatically less than that of a traditional landscape because a naturescape essentially takes care of itself. Naturescapes also save you time – and how valuable is your time?
4. Water – In the West, 60% of consumed water goes to lawns; in the East, 30%. This water diversion harms the environment, kills fish, and returns polluted water to our streams and rivers. It also costs you – on irrigation system installation and maintenance, and on your water bill.
5. Song Birds – Our song bird populations having dropped steadily – 5-10%, per year!, depending on the species – for the last several decades, and there is no end in sight. The loss is primarily due to habitat loss. Adopting naturescaping is critical if song birds are to remain.
6. Enhances Livability – An ecologically functional landscape offers so much more than a sterile, static landscape. It offers imagination to our children, and color, sound and wonder to all of us. It is cleaner, quieter and healthier, and may increase property values.
Continue reading post here.
Cat Hotel in France
If you live in the south of France and need to find a cat hotel, you can go to Le Jardin des Chats. The hotel is located between Nimes and Montpellierare. The over night stay is $12 (U.S.) per cat. First time clients receive a 20% discount. There are other services such as grooming and an animal taxi service. You can also watch your cat while on vacation with webcams. It’s been noticed that the cats seem to enjoy their time at the hotel so much they don’t even want to leave.
Le Jardin des Chats was born out of necessity by Amandine and Arnaud. When they needed to travel, they didn’t want to put their cats in small caged kennels surrounded with barking dogs. That just wouldn’t be very comforting to cats. Amandine also didn’t like the ideas of asking friends or relatives to check on their cat too often.
These cats are from the homepage of Le Jardin des Chats. The one in the middle looks just like my cat!
The process took them five years to put together. They had to get permissions to build the cat hotel in their back garden.
Continue reading post here.
Laundry with Soap Nuts
The last time I was in a health food store in Palo Alto (California) I saw a box of Maggie’s Soap Nuts. They were $10 for 4.5 oz box. I would try it if it was a bit cheaper. But better if they had free samples for customers to try first. At the moment I’ve been using commercial Arm & Hammer Essentials for my laundry and just add some borax for extra cleaning power.
Photo of dried soap nuts from ECO-CAN news.
I’ve never even heard much about soap nuts and decided find out more about them. A few nuts can be placed in a cotton drawstring bag, then add to your wash. It can even be reused several times. Soap nuts are safe for washing silk, woolens and other delicate fabrics. Anything soap related to me is fun, especially ones that grow naturally on trees.
Continue reading post here.
Rooftop Gardens & Urban Farmers
A great way to bring a bit of nature into city living is having a rooftop garden. People usually think of rooftop city gardens as only being in New York City. Usually places used to hold cocktail parties. But rooftop gardening is nothing new, it has been seen in the Hanging Garden of Babylon to the Kensington Roof Garden in London , England.
The popularity of roof gardens have grown in many other cities in the United States as well. Even people in Vancouver, B.C. are joining in on rooftop gardening too. From hotels, restaurants to local organizations. I think that is a great use of extra space and a way to add a bit of green space. It may even help clean the air too.
Photo credit: Risc’s Rooftop Garden.
Another successful rooftop garden comes from England. The one pictured here is of Risc’s edible roof garden. The garden is complete with over 120 species of edible and medicinal trees, shrubs, vines and plants from around the globe. You can read more about the place here.
Rooftop gardens are usually seen as ornamental gardens, but the idea of growing your own food is gaining popularity. A great organization based out of Vancouver, B.C. by the name of City Farmer’s has a collection of stories about their work in Vancouver, Canada, and about urban farmers from around the world.
Continue reading post here.
Book Review: Classic Knits
I just saw the most pretty yet subdue knitting book ever. It’s Classic Knits: 15 Timeless Designs to Knit and Keep Forever by Erika Knight. I am not the expert knitter, as I have never successfully knit anything more than a scarf.
If you are interested in classic design and can’t really knit any of the patterns in the book, you can still find ready made items and include them into your wardobe. Personally, I always like the idea of mixing a few classic items with trendy ones. Classic designs are the best since the style will last much longer for years to come. Unlike trendy pieces that can only be worn for a few seasons.
The photography in this book is also very beautiful. The background feels like somewhere in an Irish or English country cottage mixed with Parisian city apartments. Katya de Gunwald, who is the photographer, did a great job highlighting the clothing and setting. At first, it felt a bit solemn, but it’s still bright enough to feel like spring is just around the corner.
This picture above is a classic, but mix the nice leather boots and it looks modern. I love the combination of polka dot dress and a simple sweater. The decor reminds me of a drafty English home. It could probably use some fresh flowers, or maybe even a sleeping cat.
The three pictures in the photo gallery are some of my favorite from the book. I also like the cute little navy vest. I think I have one like it in wool, but unfortunately it was thrown in the washing machine and shrunk! I love the classic knit messenger bag. Just the right size for all your magazines and books. And finally, the soft caramel color sweater is sweet, but with an air of elegance.
If you like classic designs, I think you’ll like this book. And if you can’t knit, just keep it as an inspirational picture book. Please note, all pictures are copyrighted by Erika Knight and Katya de Grunwald. Please do not take photos without permission of artist. Thank you!
Central Station (Central do Brasil)
Central Station is a movie made in 1998 from Brazil. Winner of Best Picture at the Berlin Film Festival. Winner of Best Foreign Language Film at Golden Globe. Directed by Walter Salles and written by Marcos Bernstein and João Emanuel Carneiro. It is one of my all time favorite movie and I thought I should make note of it here. I think this film is worth watching and remembering. I just wish there were more films like this is in production these days. 
Despite the fact that it is 10 years old doesn’t even take away from it. The story itself is timeless. The story begins in the busy central bus station in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It’s very interesting to see the diversity of the people living in the city. Each one of them has their own story, but this movie is the story of a boy in search of a father he has never known. In a twist of fate, his mother dies in a bus accident and a retired school teacher working at the bus station becomes his only friend. The retired teacher then agrees to help the boy find his father in the outskirt of the country. And that is where the real journey begins.
There is a magical chemistry between the young boy and the retired teacher. The casting was perfect and the director did a great job. I don’t want to spoil the movie for anyone, so get the DVD and watch this movie for yourself. But there is a bitter-sweet ending, and I think that is what makes it unforgettable.
Here is a trailer on Youtube. And nice soundtrack too.
Happy Chinese New Year
These are very beautiful paintings by Caroline R. Young. Caroline’s works can be seen at the permanent collection of the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, and the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena. Chinese New Year is on January 26th. If you have a girl born in 2009 – she will be Year of the Ox. This one is funny, the ox is trying to eat her hair. Playful ox and girl. I also really like is the purple morning glory, one of my favorite climbing flowers. I think it would make great art wall for a child’s room too.
There are more fine arts and selection from this website: “Zodiac Children’s Series Girl Year of the Rabbit. All the beauty, wonder and magic of childhood come alive in the paintings of the renowned Chinese painter, Caroline R. Young. This exquisite limited edition print is done on ceramic coated polyethylene paper using hand embellished giclee.” This one represents “Year of the Rabbit” which represents prosperity.
I really like the varieties of flower arranged in the vase. This cute little girl and her black and white rabbit are very expressive. So if you have a little girl born in the year of the rabbit, I think this would make a really great framed gift.Each 9X12 print is signed and numbered and has been given some individual touch by the artist so that no two prints are exactly the same. The print run is limited to 88. But they are very expensive from about $200 to $700 each! Copyright © 2004, Caroline R. Young Studios, LLC
Book Review: Nice to Come Home To
I haven’t been reading much fiction lately, but I do try to read one once in a while. I think the last fiction I read and enjoyed was by Margaret Atwood. The latest fiction that I’ve read recently is Nice to Come Home To by Rebecca Flowers
The story was pretty simple and reminded me of something Lifetime TV would produce. Or even along the line of Gilmore Girls, but for the over 30 year old crowd. It was well written, the characters are believable and lovable. Especially the main character, Prudence. She would be someone you could see as a friend or sister. She makes you want to cheer for her all the way and see that things turn out well for her. And in the end everything did wrap up nicely, despite a few pitfalls.
There isn’t much to contemplate after reading this book, but merely entertaining. But I did come out thinking that there are second chances in life. It reminds you to not be too hard on yourself if the plans you made didn’t turn out exactly as you wanted.
Actually I only picked out the book because of the title and the book cover design. Especially with the pretty dress boutique. I know it’s funny, I’m judging a book by it’s cover. The cover is actually more stylish then the book itself. So that was a good marketing move from the publishers.
Here is nice little synopsis from Publishers Weekly:
