After a wonderful long weekend, I screwed up my back last night and, as of today, cannot sit or stand without way too much pain and cannot walk without assistance. My big milestone for the day was making it from the bathroom to my bed without yelling for help. Yippee!

This is definitely not the post I wanted to be writing today. I’d actually planned on just taking a snapshot of a rose out by my shed but instead I’m left with a memorial for Trigger.

Trigger first came into my life back in 2003. My Achilles tendons were fraying (yes, both of them) due to chronic tendinitis and so I had to wear a “boot” for several months. I’d wear it on one foot one day and then the other foot the next day. Needless to say, I couldn’t walk around much…no more leisurely strolls to Trader Joe’s, no hotfooting it to Raley’s, and even if I knew how to drive, I wasn’t allowed to.

Enter my hero, the Spouse. He found Trigger for me and put him together. Initially, Trigger came with a “trunk” but it was too dorky even for me. (And you know something is REALLY dorky if I think it’s dorky.) So off with the trunk and on with the way cool metal mesh basket.

Trigger and I went just about anywhere…the farmer’s market on Saturday mornings, Raley’s, Trader Joe’s, the hairdresser, the post office. People generally would smile at us (probably because we looked dorky) but anytime gas got particularly high, they’d stop us to ask questions.

Trigger has had his ups and downs in the past. After the first year, we had to replace his batteries and then, last year, he got re-shoed (new tires). I went to plug Trigger in this morning and both lights on the charger were on, the red “charge” light was flashing and the charger cord was heating up. Not good signs…

I’m pretty sure this signals the end of Trigger’s life with us. It was good while it lasted, old friend.

In case anyone was wondering how to spend their economic stimulus payment, here are a few possibilities for your consideration (assuming you have dogs, of course).

Top on my list would be any of these three beds from Bark Deco:

The Chou-Chou Bed from Bark Deco

The Elly Bed from Bark Deco

The Dino Bed from Bark Deco.

(All photos from Bark Deco.)

This bed from Generate is cool for those dogs who like to burrow (Dachshunds maybe? rat terriers?):

(Photo from Generate)

The eiCrate from Go!PetDesign is a cool and modern take on that old standby, the wire crate:

(Photo from Go!PetDesign.)

Last (but not least) there is the “crate as end table” approach taken by DenHaus and AlumaDen:

The ZenHaus from DenHaus.

(Photo from DenHaus.)

And AlumaDen’s less expensive version:

(Photo from AlumaDen.)

And now I’d better go take care of my hounds. I can see Dayton through the window, tapping his wristwatch, and saying “It’s six minutes past my dinner time, Mummy!”

It’s funny how things work out, isn’t it? Yesterday, I spent HOURS trying to shoehorn my safari designs into a format that would work with Gocco printing. I started out with a giraffe, a rhinoceros, a hippopotamus, and (my favourite) an elephant. Then I added some tribal-inspired leaves. Then I took away the giraffe and the rhino. Then the hippo got deep-sixed. Pretty soon, I was working on a leaf design.

I woke up this morning determined to get something finished up with the leaves. However, being the professional procrastinator that I am, I was willing to do anything other than those damn leaves.

And so this is what I came up with!

The inspiration for the card was the Spawn. When she was a very little girl, we used to play the “I love you [this much]” game. To keep it somewhat under control, we decided that “I love you more” topped everything. Everything that is except cheese. The Spawn came up with the saying one bedtime three or four years ago (okay, we still play the game) and it seemed like the right time to share it with the world. (The world feels like a better place already, doesn’t it?)

This is the first time I’ve worked with 100% recycled paper and I like it! More info on the cards here:

the etsy shop

(I really need to figure out a new way to take photos of my cards.)

One of the design themes I’ve been really liking lately has been “negative space”.

I think it started when I saw Room and Board’s Perspective bed in a catalogue:

(Photo: Room and Board)

I convinced the Spouse to whip me up a couple just like it…

(My duvet cover isn’t dirty but my camera lens is!)

For some reason, the idea of what ISN’T there making a statement really appeals to me. I love these shelves:

and these ones too:

And this nightstand:

(Again, if anyone can remind me of where I found these photos, please let me know so I can attribute them properly.)

With the exception of the nightstand, I think any of these would be easy enough to DIY. Unfortunately, I think I may have cashed in all my DIY chips when the Spouse made the beds for me…

(Unless I get over my fear of power tools!)

Back in January, we took the train in to Berkeley to spend the day shopping and lunching in the wonderful 4th Street shops. One of the stores in which I love to windowshop is The Gardener and, on this particular trip, they didn’t disappoint. They had the most beautiful terra cotta planter, literally crammed full of different cacti and succulents, for sale in their outdoor display.

I joke that it cost $700 when in fact I don’t remember the exact price. It might as well have been $700 though; it was that far out of my budget.

In March, I made another trip into Berkeley and, sure enough, the planter was still there and I still couldn’t afford it.

By the time my sister’s visit rolled around, I had a plan. We would be taking a trip into Berkeley and, by god, I was going to have her take a photo of that succulent planter. I reckoned it was something I could approximate at home. Needless to say, the planter had been sold and I was on my own as far as “building” one.

While sightseeing with the Sister, I happened to notice a sign advertising the annual show and sale of the Carmichael Cactus and Succulent Society.Sometimes the universe is trying to tell you something, don’t you think?

In this case, it was trying to tell me to make a succulent planter.

So last week, we hit a pottery shop’s clearance outlet where I picked up a terra cotta planter for a mere $15. Then it was off to the nursery for some plants. I held off on planting my treasures until I could attend the CC&SS’s sale this past Saturday.

While it’s not as big as the Berkeley planter nor as jam-packed full of plants, I’m very happy how my planter turned out.

Despite my best intentions, I did not record which plant was which but I know that the one in the middle is an agave and behind the agave is Fenestraria Baby Toes. Other than that, the little tags that came with the plants tell me that I have the following: Graptopetalum paraguayense (or ghost plant); Anacampseros telephiastrum (or Pan American love plant); Haworthia sp. (I think it’s the little green one at 10:00); Anacampseros sp. Nova; Anacampseros sp. Sunrise; Adromischus sp. (perhaps the one at 5:00); and Sempervivum ‘Emerald Empress’ (this one is definitely the Hen and Chicks at roughly 3:00).

One plant, the light green one between the agave and the Hen and Chicks, had no name tag at all so I’ve named it Freckles.

Whenever I’m out surfing the web and I see a design or decorating idea I like, I will save the image to my hard drive. Usually, photos saved include some items that I’m pretty sure I can make myself (or have the Spouse make for me).

This wonderful Friday morning, I’d like to leave you with a small selection of the images I’ve squirrelled away on my machine…

(Unfortunately, I only just started noting the website from where I nabbed these photos. If I’ve used one of your photos, please let me know so I can attribute it correctly!)

(L: Photo Heine.de)

I love the shelf/circle combination in the left photo. The shelves would be easy enough to nail together from MDF and would look superb with a coat or two of glossy enamel. For the wall decal, well, that’s why we have a vinyl cutter, right?

The raised circles in the right photo could be achieved just by painting some wood or cork rounds…like maybe cork trivets from IKEA?

More wall circles! When I first saw these, I immediately thought of nested embroidery hoops. Easy peasy!

Okay, this is one that falls under the “something the Spouse can make” category. I know he could whip together one of these panels…wouldn’t it make a great screen for my “guest room” (especially if I got new furniture for it…)?

Can you tell I like geometric shapes?

Have a great weekend and stay cool!

With temperatures here reaching triple digits for the first time this year, my thoughts turn to one thing and one thing only: air conditioning. And once there, those thoughts wander all over the place, from iced tea to conserving energy.

After going through the rolling blackouts a few years ago, our local electrical utility, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, really stepped up their green programmes. Along with their conservation offerings (like free shade trees, carbon offsets, and tips on saving energy), SMUD has some pretty imaginative programmes going on.

Their “Greenergy” programme, for instance. When you sign up for Greenergy, you agree to pay slightly more for your electrical power. In return, SMUD will match your energy purchases and use those dollars to buy power from alternative power generators, including power generated by harvesting methane gas at the local landfill!

Another example: their SolarSmart Homes programme. SMUD teamed up with local builders to create communities of new homes with solar panels providing a good portion of their energy needs. And if your house generates more power than it needs in a year, YOU get the money for that power!

So my point today? check out the conservation programmes offered by your electrical utility.

(Oh, and I’m making “refrigerator tea” … sun tea without the bacteria content)

I was hoping I’d be able to unveil my newest design with this post but the world has once again conspired against me. Grrrrr.

While I was in Berkeley last week, I picked up some more supplies at Paper Source, knowing that once my sister left, I could put the finishing touches on a design I had been working on. This particular design doesn’t lend itself well to Gocco printing but, as it has no colour, I reckoned it could be printed on the laser printer.

The first two prints went off with only minor hitches. With a quick file adjustment, I was ready to go.

Then the printer ate my card stock. And the temperature in the office where the printer is located hit “Suburb of Hell” levels. And the door bell rang.

Now, my first inclination in such a situation is to stomp my feet, tear at my hair, and throw myself to the ground, wailing loudly but, for some reason, today I decided just to pack it in and try again another day.

I think I made the right decision as not only do I have all my hair, but I’m also already starting to formulate a Plan B.

So, while I can’t unveil the new stuff today (and it’s so freaking cool too!), I can say that it will be coming soon.

Julia Rothman is guest-blogging at Design*Sponge this week and one of her first posts was a tutorial on how to make repeat patterns by hand. I couldn’t wait to try this out but, as I’ve been feeling a little tired/brain-dead today, decided to use one of my existing designs…my Fetterangus stationery design!

Using that Pictish-inspired design, I was able to come up with what would make some pretty darn nice paper:

This gives me tons of ideas for more paper designs…if only I knew where to get it printed!