$25 Deck Chairs from IKEA

May 23, 2013 by mymateriallife

Samantha and I ate lunch at our favorite spot yesterday, the IKEA cafeteria*.  Because we were at IKEA primarily to eat, I spoke those words that are so often said, but so not often lived by, “we’re just going to look; we’re not going to buy anything″.  We made it all the way through the showroom, the newly remodeled marketplace, and the warehouse with not one single thing to purchase, but right before we got to the registers, we found […]

Categories: Furnishings, TV & Movies • Tags: beach chairs, deck chairs, easy to assemble, ikea, illeana douglas, sling chairs

Rachel Khoo’s Little Paris Kitchen

January 13, 2013 by mymateriallife

Isn’t it funny that with so many television options these days, there is so little that is new and hopeful and refreshing to watch?  (And it’s not that I’m a TV snob; I’m certainly not above a little Real Housewives of Beverly Hills – not proud of it either – or better yet, Million Dollar Decorators.)  So I was looking for some House Hunters Internationals to record when a title on the Cooking Channel, Little Paris Kitchen, caught my eye.  […]

Categories: Savories, TV & Movies • Tags: crème fraîche, french toast, little paris kitchen, rachel khoo

Movie Suggestions for a Rainy Day

January 20, 2012 by mymateriallife

I don’t know what the weather’s like where you are, but around here, it’s been unseasonably sunny and dry.  Yesterday some clouds rolled in and that’s such a good thing not only because we need the rain, but because my January ennui just doesn’t feel right with so much sunshine!  I was beginning to think we might go an entire winter without dark clouds and rain.  And there’s nothing better for a rainy day than a favorite old movie.  I’ve […]

Categories: TV & Movies • Tags: desk set, indiscreet, with six you get eggroll

Red Plaid Bags I Have Known and Loved

September 9, 2011 by mymateriallife

I’ve had a life-long love for red plaid bags.  My first memory of one was a school case from early childhood.  I would take it with me when my mom and I would go to pick up my older siblings from school. I’d get out of the car with it and pretend that I was older and coming out of school just like they were.  It must have looked great with our red Falcon station wagon. And I’m sure my […]

Categories: Sewing, TV & Movies • Tags: flight bag pattern, red plaid bags, the rain shed

Turk’s Head Knot Plus Hercule Poirot

June 26, 2011 by mymateriallife

I made two exciting discoveries today.  The first was this water bottle cover that I found next to the cash register at REI.  I asked the young man at the register where he got it.  I was hoping he’d tell me he made it and indeed he did!  I asked him how – it didn’t appear to be knit or crochet – and he said it was Turk’s head knot.  I tried to maintain my composure as I wasn’t alone […]

Categories: Other Textiles, Reading Material, TV & Movies • Tags: masterpiece mystery hercule poirot, turk's head knot

I Know Where I’m Going

March 21, 2011 by mymateriallife

Do you like old movies?  I do and I’ve seen a number of them over the years, so I was surprised that I’d never heard of this movie or of its makers, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, when I read about it in this article from The New York Times about pairing movies and drinks.  The first time I watched it I was really sleepy and though I loved the beginning, I was dozing through the rest of it (and […]

Categories: TV & Movies • Tags: hebrides, i know where i'm going, powell and pressburger

A Little European Culture: Isabelle de Borchgrave & Euromaxx

January 21, 2011 by mymateriallife

I have a confession to make:  I recently started following The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.  I’m not even sure how it happened, but there it is.  I guess I just find them (and their marriages) kind of entertaining or at least strangely interesting.  Look at Lisa with her “permanent houseguest”, Cedric.  That’s just straight out of My Man Godfrey. Remember Carol Lombard’s mother and her “protege”, Carlo?  Was that his name?  I haven’t seen the finale yet, but I sure […]

Categories: Paper, Places, TV & Movies • Tags: euromaxx, isabelle de borchgrave, legion of honor

Jill Clayburgh in Starting Over

November 17, 2010 by mymateriallife

I was in Target earlier today and learned from one of those tabloid magazines at the check-out counter that Jill Clayburgh died.  Somehow I missed that earlier this month, and I’m sad to hear about it.  She starred in and received a very well-deserved Academy Award nomination for her role in one of my all-time-favorite romantic comedies, Starting Over.  Did you ever see it?  It’s from 1979 and it’s just a great, great movie.  Everything that happens in this movie […]

Categories: TV & Movies • Tags: jill clayburgh, starting over

Alone in the Wilderness

November 11, 2010 by mymateriallife

We stumbled upon the most amazing show on KQED the other night.  Alone in the Wilderness is a one-hour documentary about a man named Dick Proenneke who moved to the wilds of Alaska in 1968 at the age of 51.  He brought a movie camera and filmed himself doing the most fantastic things, like building the cabin in the photo above.  He lived in that cabin until he was over 80 years old!  He also documented his life there in […]

Categories: TV & Movies • Tags: alone in the wilderness, dick proenneke