What do you do when you see a modern chandelier you really like but it costs 1000s of dollars? Why, make it yourself of course! That's just what my father, Steve White, did at my parents condo. The new light hangs over their dinning room table, and it certainly is a conversation piece. I've already commissioned him to make one for us. 

From the designer:
A unique dining room chandelier was created by modifying standard under-the-counter LED lighting components. The LED lights are available from Lee Valley Tools on reels of peel-and-stick tape in any length.  Also available are one meter long aluminum tracks (to mount the LED tape), light diffusers, wiring, connectors, power supplies, and dimmers for complete kitchen counter or bookshelf lighting.

It was discovered that the LED tracks are made of a soft aluminum extrusion which can be gently curved or twisted into almost any shape prior to installing the LED tape.  The possible lighting designs are only limited by one's imagination.  In this case, 5 of the tracks were bent over a wine bottle into various curves, such that they all line up to be of equal lengths at the two ends.  The ends were then clamped by sandwiching them between two aluminum plates cut in a semi-circle shape and bolted together.  The space between the plates contains the interconnecting wires joining the LED strips.  

A 12 volt power supply, mounted in the ceiling box, can be dimmed using a standard AC light dimmer.  The chandelier is suspended from the ceiling box by 4 picture wires, which also carry the 12 volt power to the fixture.

I just love how unique it is, and even more special since it was handmade. It's amazing what can be done with a little imagination and hard work. Can't wait to have one hanging over our dinning room table!

This is such a unique house, and the cubes make for interesting interior spaces. This place overlooks the Mediterranean Sea in Spain. It was designed by architects Cadaval & Solà-Morales. I love how it looks like it was just plopped down in place, especially with the contrasting colours of the browns, with the black and white. Lots more photos at Contemporist.  

About:
The project breaks down the panoramic view into the addition of many different conditions; the diverse uses of the house are minced and articulated so that each of them (of small dimensions) is positioned frontally to the diverse landscape conditions previously enumerated.

It was my birthday this past weekend, and I am now in my 32nd year of being alive! Even though I sometimes have to think really hard about what my age actually is, I still enjoy having birthdays. It's the one day of year to celebrate being you. So here are the best things that happened in the last year.

1. Baby Elara! (This is by far the most amazing thing that happened this past year)
2. Exploring Our Area (We did so much more exploring this year, as last year I was pregnant and didn't have as much energy)
3. Creating New Family Traditions (We have started doing a few things around the holidays, like at Thanksgiving and Christmas, which I think will continue as our family gets older)
4. Our House is Now a Home (We have been here almost 2 years now, and with all our projects, our house is starting to really feel like ours)
5. Bonding with Friends (Having a baby has brought me a lot closer to friends who also have young kids. It's great to be able to share in the good and not so good times)

Designer Walker Workshop has created a glass house, located in Beverly Hills. I really like how is disappears into the landscape. It would almost feel like you are living outside while inside. Plus I love that pool, and the secluded courtyard. See lots more at Contemporist. 

Architect Description:
The Oak Pass main house sits on the top of a 3.5 acre ridge site with panoramic canyon views. The house was sited to take advantage of the views without the house becoming a central visual focus.

We have been cloth diapering full time for about 6 months now. This has been a pretty good amount of time to find out what I like and don't like, which fit best, and what systems work best for us. Overall, I'm liking it a lot better than using disposables. These are my main reasons why:

1. So much better for the environment! (No guilt required after every diaper change)
2. Cheaper in the long run! (Although we have no broken even yet, mainly because I keep buying more, it will be cheaper once we have our set of diapers. Especially since we can use the same diapers on future kids)
3. As many changes in the day as you want! (You almost want to change diapers because they are all so cute, and you don't have to worry about money down the drain with each change as you know you will just wash them and wear them again)
4. Resale! (You can resale your diapers and make money back. We have already sold a few that didn't work out for us. You really really can't resale your used disposables)

Diaper Covers with Inserts: This is what we use the most. We even use a lot of our pockets as covers and simply place the inserts on top of the pocket. This system we find to the easiest, and fastest to use, and also the quickest clean up after use as well. 

We are currently using quite a few brands of covers. Some brands I only have one of them, shamefully because I really liked the pattern. Others I have a bunch of because we really like how they perform. 

Brands We Use:

• Bumgenius: These are quite popular, and you can now even buy them at Babies R Us. We have 6 of the pocket type of diaper, called 4.0, although looks like there is now a 5.0. However, we have stopped using them as pockets and simply lay inserts on top of the diaper and use it as a cover. I find they fit our baby the best of any diaper, and are nice and trim. We have both snaps and velcro, but I find you get a better fit with the velcro as you can place it anywhere. Until she figures out how to undo the velcro!
• Thirsties: We have several of their covers, called Duo Wrap, in both small and large (she has out grown the small now, they are put away for the next kid). I really like these covers as they have double gussets to stop spills, and they fit well. Ours are all velcro which I like for a customized fit. Not to mention their patterns are adorable, and all made in the USA.
• Sweet Pea: These diapers covers are pretty big, so they are not going to fit your newborn, maybe not even until 6 months. They are designed with a lot of snaps to do up, but because of this you get a great fit. They also have some super cute patterns and are quite affordable. 
• Kanga Care/Rumparooz: We only have one of these covers, mostly because I couldn't resist the cute pattern (seen in the photo above). I like the feel of this diaper cover, but it isn't the best fit on our baby. It does have double gussets for holding in the mess, and the material is nice and thick compared to some. 
• Blueberry: We also only have one of these covers. I find they perform similarly to the Sweet Pea, in fact, I forget they were different brands. They are quite big, have double gussets, but have less snaps to do up. I find these are quite expensive for something so similar to others for a lot less. 
• Best Bottom: We have one of their covers as well, and they fit small. Too small now for our baby. However, if you also buy their inserts (they have nice hemp ones) they snap in place which keeps them from shifting around. I thought their cover as OK, but I do like the look of their trainers, which also snap in. And the systems are interchangeable with each other. I'm planning on looking into it when the time comes.

Pocket Diapers with Inserts: The pocket ones we still use are ones that agitate out themselves in the wash. Which means less touching of the dirty diaper before throwing it in the laundry pail.

The brands we still use as pockets are:

• Apple Cheeks: These are Canadian made and agitate out in the wash. They have nice wide pockets for stuffing, and nice soft elastics around baby's legs and waist. Lots of cute patterns too. Only down side is they come in two sizes only, without adjustment, so for awhile our baby didn't fit into either size one or two. She now fits the size two nicely, and I wish I had more.
• Thirsties Pockets: These also agitate out in the wash, however, so far they aren't my favourite. I find they don't hold much and are hard to stuff the pocket.
• Giggle Life: We have had these from the beginning. I actually ended up selling a bunch and only kept a couple. I only tend to use these when I have nothing else left, or  at night we have been trying to stuff them as they are quite large. They work, but aren't a great fit. However, they are cheap so if you have a limited budget these aren't a bad option. Same with Sun Baby diapers (all of which are too small for our baby now), they are a cheap pocket diaper that does the job. I actually found Sun Baby pretty good, except the fact they fit quite small. We will use them for the next baby.

 Nighttime Solutions: We are still trying to work out a good nighttime diaper combo, as she often wakes up wet. One brand we are trying out is Sloomb, they are all organic and make an overnight solution in the form of a fitted diaper. Once the fitted diaper is on, you still need to add a waterproof cover over top. They suggest a wool cover, however I have not yet adventured into using wool, so for now I just use one of my covers. It seem to be working so far but it is just huge! Baby can barely move when she has it on, so we will see how well it works out.

Favourite Inserts: My favourite insert material is hemp as it is the most absorbent. And my favourite brand is Geffen Baby. We use their Quick Absorbers, which contain the highest percentage of hemp in any cloth diaper brand and are super soft. All made in the USA.

I always double my inserts or else I will have wet clothes to change as well. I tend to pair one of the Geffen Baby Quick Absorbers or a Thirsties Hemp insert with an AMP or a Thirsties Fab Doubler. The two inserts together seem to do the trick for us. 

We also use:

• AMP Hemp Inserts: They are good if doubled with something, but not overly absorbent on their own. Canadian Made!
• Thirsties Hemp Inserts: I'm a big fan of Thirsties products, all made in the USA. These hemp inserts seem on par with the Geffen Baby inserts. The small are a little smaller than the Geffen (which is pretty small) and the big are really big. Something inbetween would be perfect, but they perform very well. 
• Thirsties Fab Doubler: These are super soft and come in great colours. They are great as an extra boost when baby will be wearing a diaper for awhile and you need it to last, as they also wick the moisture away from her skin.

I'm in love with this take on the grandfather clock. Created by Finnish designer Ari Kanerva, it is called Tiuku Clock. It almost looks like a cartoon or something out of a Salvador Dali painting. This clock would definitely start conversations leaning against the wall in the living room. So much fun!

I can't believe it, but half the shelves beside the fireplace are up! Do you remember that project we started, so, so long ago. I'm so glad we took the time to do it right because they look great. I had way too much fun putting all my long lost things back on display. It makes the room so much cozier, and less barn like. I can't wait to get the other side done (and hopefully it won't take another year to do).

Above are the "envelopes" that we created to go over a support system, making the shelves easy to remove. In the photo they are all put together and sanded, right before the stain was applied. 

These are the wall mounted supports that the shelf envelopes would then slide overtop. Each one is drilled into the studs in both the wall and the fireplace making the shelves super sturdy. 

Here we are sliding the shelf envelope onto the supports. They fit perfectly, so there is no need to attach the shelf to the support system; it's not going anywhere.

From the side you can see all the lengths and neat angles of the shelves. We wanted to design something unique, and I think we have accomplished it. Can't wait to get the other side up on the wall.

We finally got some art on the wall in the guest room. It had been sitting bare for many months now. I'd still like to get more for the other walls, but at least there is something to look at over the bed now. These are photos I took while walking along the waterfront near our house (as seen below). I really liked how they turned out, and I thought it was a good idea to showcase the surrounding area to our guests. Hopefully we will get other pieces on the walls in the future. Maybe more local art?

Check out these fun wooden animals. Funny Farm animals were created by  LZF Lab and Isidro Ferrer.  They are so cute and whimsical! Lots more pictures at Contemporist. 

About:
Funny Farm is a project which arises from our admiration for Isidro Ferrer, a very talented designer who has been awarded with the National Design Award, the most prestigious prize awarded in Spain to a designer for his career achievement.

November is here! It's the in between month, Halloween is over and people are just starting to think about Christmas. It's also my birthday month, so I always have something to look forward to in November. The weather starts to get colder, and everyone wants to get cosy. ​Enjoy the last part of autumn before the winter months. 

Sources: 

• Leaves - November Calendars ​
• Rain - Sweet Dreams
• Scarf - Top Dreamer
• Boots - Glamour