Monthly Archives: April 2011

dc:finds | motherly love

With Mother’s Day just around the corner, we wanted to share with you some of our favorite mom finds. We selected things for all motherly moods: being pampered, staying home, going out on the town, and even some expectant mother finds! Have a looksie..

[1] angel’s balm organic body butter [2] cozy robe [3] compagnie de provence body milk [4] blown glass makeup brush [5] kate spade twirl perfume [6] lavender hand cream

[1] citrus summer mug set [2] april evening wood prints [3] cable knit throw [4] kate spade iphone 4 cover [5] four french macaroons [6] bargello chevron pillow [7] set of four triana yellow plates

[1] mother and child necklace [2] custom nesting dolls [3] custom silhouette portraits [4] minimalist octopus family tree [5] happy family silhouette portrait [6] monogrammed bamboo felt pillow

[1] featherweight cashmere cardigan [2] eci print charmeuse blouson dress [3] entwined necklace [4] all wrapped up pearls short necklace [5] pleated petal jersey scarf [6] blair cornograph watch [7] nomad scarf bag

[1][2] modern burp cloth [3] only child birds nest necklace [4] new mom pendant necklace [5] mama and baby basket

As you may have found, we’ve also included some more pricey items, but honestly when it comes to the person who gave you life, money really should not be an object ;)

Sidenote: because some of these are Etsy items, they do sell out fast so the links might say SOLD, but if you like something contact the seller, they usually do custom orders. Or add them to your favorites and keep a lookout because they usually make more. Also be sure to browse around their other items, you’re bound to find something you like!

dc

reader DIY: wine cork wall

3 Comments

We get a lot of fun reader projects sent to us, so we wanted to start sharing how awesomely talented our lovely readers are!

Today we wanted to share with you a closet-turned-bar renovation by our dear friend Lori, complete with a wine cork accent wall and backlit onyx shelving.

Materials: ¾” solid mahogany, ¾” mahogany plywood, 12” x 12” onyx tile, glass shelves, 2,000+ corks, straight pins, wine.

Since moving into our new house a few years ago, the space under our stairs constantly bugged me. Because of the builder’s limited creativity, any odd shaped or extra space in our house was turned into a closet. The area under the stairs has 7’ ceilings, and is big enough for 2-3 people, so it seemed like a missed design opportunity. Most people would be happy about having as much storage as possible. But, being the winos that we are, we decided to demo the biggest closet in our house and turn it into a wine showcase. Our biggest problem now is keeping it stocked.

While I love our house, it is a sea of right angles and straight planes. In the bar, I knew we had to introduce some curves- much to the dismay of our new builder (aka, Rob, my husband). The counter is made of solid mahogany, purchased at Houston Hardwoods. All the shelving below is clear finished mahogany plywood. The real show stopper is the backlit onyx tiles. The main goal was to cast a warm glow, and highlight our Iittala wine glass collection. The light source is a fluorescent tube mounted to the underside of the stairs. The tiles are mounted to a ¼” plexi-glass backer and then inset into a metal frame. The wine fridge is sitting on a rolling panel so that we can pull it out, and access all the storage that is left underneath the stairs. Just above the glass shelving is a flip door that hides all of our openers, and other not so stylish bar accessories.

Last but not least, is the cork wall. Again, because we are major winos, we had been saving corks over the course of our 11 year relationship. The wine bar justified saving them, and they added a great texture (and sound insulation for the recessed speaker in the ceiling). There are over 2,000 corks- pin mounted with straight pins. I know the quantity b/c I went through almost 3 boxes of pins (750 pins/box). Our Rosendahl wine tube is mounted into the corks in such a way that you can’t see the attachments, and it appears that the tube is floating. The wall is washed in incandescent light from a dimmable MR16.

Now we can enjoy our wino life in style. Who cares where our winter coats and suitcases go?!?!?

-Lori

If you have any cool DIY projects you’d like to share with us, we’d love to see them and who knows? They may end up on our blog!

dc

what’s going on in the bedroom

2 Comments

Okay people get your minds out of the gutter, this is a family blog. But now that I have your attention, I’ve been in the process of updating my bedroom since moving into my new apartment. It’s been a pretty slow process, I usually put my bedroom on the back burner while I focus on more of the public spaces of my apartment. But lately my mind has been reeling with ideas for it, so I decided to put together a mood board to show you guys what I have in mind. It’s also a good thing for me to look back on when I’m rummaging through the shelves of Home Goods. [Ask Tiffany, she's seen this action first hand.. except it was a Wallgreens, and I was rummaging for Starburst jellybeans.. I digress.] As most of you know, I try to rearrange things and reuse items in different rooms, so I’ve really tried to do that for my bedroom. Most of these things I already own, but a few new fabrics make for a whole new look. Check it out:

I spotted these euro shams at West Elm. I just love how crisp and white they are, and how much texture they add without being too busy.
I’m seriously a sucker for Schumacher’s Chiang Mai Dragon, ever since I got a Schumacher shopping bag with it covered in the print back in college [which is now framed on my wall] what? I said I was obsessed. So when I found these throw pillows in Aquamarine I was sold. These really were the inspiration for the room because they’re bold and they broaden the color palette to include all of the orange stuff I already have! Perfect. I still can’t decide between the Aquamarine and the Alabaster colorway, what do you guys think?
These are pillows I already had. The yellow rosette pillows are from Dwell Studio and used to reside on my living room sofa, in fact one of them still does. And the teal tufted pillow was from Target, but they’re no longer in stock.
This is the color of the wall that my bed is up against. since it’s an apartment I wasn’t allowed to do much painting so I just accented one wall to bring a little color into the space. It’s called SW 6698 “Kingdom Gold” by Sherwin-Williams. We color matched it to Valspar though, because Valspar is less expensive and will color match anything.
This is the headboard I’ve had a few years. I made it out of two bi-fold louvered closet doors we found in the garage at my parents house. So we spray painted them black and now it’s a headboard! I love how much height it adds to the space.
Remember my Hepplewhite armchair? I’ve decided to paint it high-gloss white, which is what that little chip is for.
This is the fabric that I want to reupholster my chair in. I think I might also frame the extra in rectangular frames and flank each side of my headboard with them above my night stands. We’ll see though.I love the compliment of the geometric print with the dragon pillows. It’s almost like a twist on combining stripes and florals.
I purchased this duvet cover at the beginning of this year from West Elm. I’m obsessed with wide horizontal stripes, and the combination of grey and yellow. I mean, who isn’t?
I bought this throw last year at Anthropologie for 75% off weee! I just love the overscaled cableknit weave and how chunky and soft it is. I don’t really need it now, but it sure comes in handy in the winter!
Of course I’ll be including a lot of my ceramic animal collection. I just love how they pop on my black dresser. I want this pig SO bad!
I’m using the lack side tables [I mean seriously, these things are only $8 each] from my former living room as night stands now. I ended up having to put my desk on one side of the sofa so I didn’t really have a use for them in there anymore, and my former nightstand from my bedroom is now a side table on the other end of the sofa. It worked out pretty well.
These are the lamps from my former living room. I like how they’re clear and white and really don’t draw a lot of attention to themselves. They’re just kind of there. Instead of being like “hey! I’m a blue lamp!” The blue lamps are now hanging out in the living room with the blue wall, it seems fitting.
And what better way to polish off a room than crisp airy white linen grommeted drapery? [Did I have enough adjectives there?] I just love how much light they let in during the day, they’re pretty much on every window of my apartment now. I found these particular ones at West Elm [for 40% off during their store closing]. I had to get the 108 inchers for this room because my windows are obnoxiously tall. And no, I’m not complaining.

So there you have it, you’ve just seen what’s been tumbling around my brain for the past few days. I’m really excited to put it all together! The only big project is painting my armchair and upholstering it. I miss having a garage, it makes this kind of stuff a lot more difficult now. Oh and I may have an art project up my sleeve for above my dresser. So stay tuned!

cfs

10 things: mark stevens can’t live without

2 Comments

We’re continuing with our series featuring some of the creative people that we know. Every Tuesday we will introduce them as they share with us the ten things they can’t live without. And this month, we’ve decided to feature our parents! Get ready for lots of embarrassing pictures of us from when we were little, as well as getting a little glimpse of where we came from. Today we are introducing the father of the girl, photographer, antique military paraphernalia collector, muscle car restorer, model train builder Mark Stevens.

Location: Commerce, TX

[one] family, friends, and my network

“So far away. Doesn’t anyone stay in one place anymore. It would be so fine to see your face at my door.”… Carol King

My wife Becky (The Girl’s mom), who for unknown reasons has blessed my life with her presence for thirty years. Our daughter (The Girl), who is amazingly intelligent and talented and makes us so very proud. Friends, some of which I have known for decades and still remain in touch. Friends that I haven’t heard from in decades, but still remain in my heart and my memories. My network of co-workers, aquaintences, and the doctors and nurses that saved my life when I fought cancer.

[two] music

“…and songs are never quite the answer, just a soundtrack to a life that is over all too soon…David Gough aka Badly Drawn Boy

It started innocently. As a child, coming indoors and hearing Hank Williams or Johnny Cash on my mother’s radio. My sisters listening to Johnny Mathis or Elvis. Kind of like second hand smoke. Then I started to experiment on my own with The Beatles, the Stones, the Hollies, the Animals, the Kinks. When I started high school, I moved on to the harder stuff. The Doors, Hendrix, the Who, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd. I was soon out on the street trying to score some Alice Cooper, David Bowie, Velvet Underground, Lou Reed. Mellowed out for a while with James Taylor, Neil Young, and Simon & Garfunkle. When I got my first job and had some bread, I turned to the dark side. The short-lived Texas Progressive Music of the mid-seventies. I got strung-out on Jerry Jeff Walker, Willie, Asleep at the Wheel. A long haze followed with the Eagles, Queen, ELP, Fleetwood Mac, ELO. Met Robert Johnson at the crossroads, was led out of the darkness by Bruce Springsteen. Re-lapsed with Nirvana. Lyle Lovett and Nanci Griffith led an intervention, and brought Robert Earl Keen for back-up. And here I am today, with nothing out there on the airwaves that tempts me to damage my hearing. I always go back to my old heroes. Speed kills, but my speed was 33 & 1/3 rpm.

Man, I wish John Lennon was still around.

[three] pets

“A dog is the only thing on earth that will love you more than you love yourself.” ~ Josh Billings

Our two Chihuahuas Maggie, aka Moodles, Moo Moo, Moosie, Magdaline Fairchild, Mooster; and her brother Rupert aka Roodles, Roo Roo, Rupie, Batman, Rooster, and Little Man. Growing up, I never cared for small dogs until we filled our empty nest with these two little cherubs, and newly acquired Chester the Siamese Cat aka Curtis, Kit, and Sam of Siam.

[four] texas

“You say you’re not from Texas, man as if I couldn’t tell.
Well you think you pull your boots on right and wear your hat so well.
So pardon me my laughter as I sure do understand.
Even Moses got excited when he saw the Promised Land”…Lyle Lovett

Blistering summers. Bone chilling winters. Hurricanes. Tornadoes. Dust storms.
Bluebonnets. Mockingbirds. Longhorn cattle. Pretty women.
One of the most recognized flags in the world.
The greatest state in the Union.
Did I mention I was born here?

[Photographed by Mark Stevens]

[five] english literature

“And you read your Emily Dickenson and I my Robert Frost.
And we note our place with bookmarkers that measure what we’ve lost”…Paul Simon

From William Shakespeare to William Blake to T.S. Elliott.
From Thoreau to Poe to F. Scott Fitzgerald. It makes no difference on which side of the Great Pond it comes from, the beauty of the written word is man’s greatest achievement.

[Lower left Photographed by Mark Stevens]

[six] planes, trains, and automobiles

“and I swear I found the key to the universe in the engine of an old parts car”…Bruce Springsteen

No, not the movie. I have a tremendous fascination for the planes of WWI, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam and the men who manned them. I am in awe of the railroads that built this country.

But of the three, it is the auto. More specifically cars of the 60’s. Fairlanes, Falcons, Mustangs. Chargers, Challengers, Barracudas. Chevelles, Novas, Corvettes. The GS, the GTO, the 442. Cragar mags, Hurst shifters, Isky cams, Holley carbs. Tommy Ivo, Mickey Thompson, Junior Johnson, Carroll Shelby, Jim Hall. Back then, all cars looked entirely different from each other.

The first Job I ever had was working all night at a gas station in Leonard, TX (pop. 1117). Just me, a car magazine, and my transistor radio. Every once in a while a couple of cars would pull in. Maybe a Competition Orange ’55 Chevy and a black ’57 Ford. The drivers would be a couple of locals who had graduated from high-school and had jobs at TI in Dallas. Spending most of their pay on their cars. They would grab a Dr. Pepper and say “Filler-up with Ethyl”. I would pump the gas (yes, that’s what people who worked at gas stations used to do!). “Ten gallons”, I said, ”Thattle’ be a dollar-seventy. You guys gonna drag?” They would line up on Hwy 69, in front of the station, and scream off into the darkness. I can still hear the tires “chirping” in all four gears.

I was 13 years old. Life was good.

[Photographed by Mark Stevens]

[seven] reading

“If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you are reading this in English, thank a soldier”…bumper sticker

Whether it is a poem, a magazine, a technical manual, a novel, or the ingredients to a bag of chips, I enjoy reading.
I do not have as much time to do so, but I still manage to flip a page now-and-then.
Next on my list is to re-read the “Ender” novels by Orson Scott Card. Recommended!

[eight] sci-fi

“You maybe haven’t been keeping up on current events, but we just got our asses kicked, pal.”…Pvt. Hudson…from Aliens.

I still call it Sci-Fi, some new-age folks call it “speculative fiction”.
Written or filmed, I love stories involving giant bugs, terminators, ET’s, time travel, space travel, and best of all……ZOMBIES!

[nine] film lines

“What we have here is failure to communicate”…the Warden, from Cool Hand Luke.

I use these everyday. Unfortunately, the only response I usually get is…What??. Once in a blue moon someone will spit out the next line, and its game on!

“Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here! This is the War Room.”…President Merkin Muffley, from Dr.Strangelove

“If we’re wrong, then nothing happens. We’ll go to jail. Peacefully. Quietly. We’ll enjoy it. But if we’re right, and we can stop this thing…..Lenny…..you will have saved the lives of millions of registered voters.”…Dr Peter Venkman, from Ghostbusters.

“Vacant, with a hint of sadness. Like a drunk who’s lost a bet.”….Diane, from Shaun of the Dead

“I don’t know, there’s just something about him. Something around the eyes. Reminds me of…ME.
Nope, now I’m sure of it. I hate him.”… Doc Holiday, from Tombstone.

[ten] hobbies and collections

“…These are a few of my favorite things.” – Maria, from The Sound of Music

Coins, stamps, photography, model railroading, military paraphernalia, railroad memorabilia, baseball cards, LPs, golf clubs, WWII rifles, old cameras, automotive memorabilia, and replacing some of my childhood toys that my mother gave away.

[Photographed by Mark Stevens]

Stay tuned for text Tuesday when we feature the father of the boy, professional photographer, guitarist, model car collector and lover of airplanes Dan Klepac [@daklepac].

Until next time!

dc

contemporary art with a southern accent

2 Comments

We’d like to introduce to you the newest sponsor of Your Modern Couple, contemporary artist Dolan Geiman. Dolan Geiman is a nationally recognized mixed media artist creating original paintings, collages, constructions, and limited-edition reproductions. Produced from salvaged wood, found objects, and other recycled materials, Geiman’s eco-friendly artwork emerges from a folk art tradition infused with a contemporary, urban style. See why we love him:

Isn’t he fantastic? We just love his use of bold colors and organic forms. His peices are nostalgic for us considering both of our fathers love automobiles, airplanes, cowboys, and trains, and both of our mothers love birds, flowers, nature, and even Crawfish!

Dolan Geiman really does have something for just about anyone. His artwork brings life and whimsy to any room, and his three-dimensional elements create a visual interest that keeps you wanting more.

We love his re-use of random found elements that others would usually consider trash. Paint sticks, reclaimed wood, and metal are some of his go-to pieces. As they say “One person’s trash is another person’s treasure”, and his work is a prime example of this.

Each item is truly a conversation piece. We love his collaging method that doesn’t look too busy or confusing, his work is flawless.

This has only been a glimpse into the portfolio of Dolan Geiman. He has countless pieces, and we have only scratched the surface. If you’d like to see more examples of his work, check out his website, “Like” him on Facebook, “follow” him on Twitter, and visit his blog to stay up to date with his work and where he’ll be traveling to next. So without further ado, welcome to your new home Dolan Geiman: our sidebar. We hope you enjoy your stay!

If you’re interested in also becoming a sponsor please contact us for more information.