For the Pups
Many of you wrote us to inquire about the indoor/outdoor dog beds we added to the cottage recently. Here are some more views, along with some of our other favorite pet gear:
Lil' video from the Cottage
A little hello from our tiny home in Venice! 👋
(Thank you Shotgun Honeymoon for the wonderful music!)
Father's Day at the Cottage
This post was sponsored by Baileys.
From the first moment we discussed the possibility of having children together, I knew my husband Adam would be a wonderful father. He has a calm and carefree way about him that encourages everyone around him to be at ease. His presence reminds me to relax and breathe— it’s a rare and valuable trait that’s so helpful in the context of becoming a parent, and raising a child in a busy world.
For Adam’s first Father’s Day as a dad, we agreed to celebrate simply. No presents— we have everything we need already, and tiny homes function better with fewer items anyway. Instead, we’ve opted for a quiet night in Venice.
We have lavender in our garden here at home, plus there were buckets of it at our local Farmer’s Market as well, so we decided to use it in a celebratory Baileys cocktail shake.
We rode around town on our bikes gathering up the other groceries we needed. (West has grown up enough now that we can secure his car seat into the cargo bike, which has been amazing.)
Adam came up with a quick and easy concoction that we threw into the Vitamix after dinner:
• 2oz Baileys
• 2oz Bulleit Whiskey
• 2 Cups Ice
• 1 Cup Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
• Topped with Lavender Sprigs
Earlier this weekend, Adam installed a little shelf on our Dutch Door, which is the handiest little add-on for our tiny kitchen. We put it to good use while making our drinks, and while enjoying the porch after West fell asleep for the night.
The ingredients smelled so good that we couldn’t get Sophee to leave them alone while we were preparing the shakes. (In the end, she only knocked over one glass. Given her track record, it could’ve been worse. )
This was a laid-back and delightful way to observe a special occasion together. We wondered: why scream over each other at a restaurant, or go out and contend with LA traffic while a babysitter watches our son? For us, being in our little home with our little family is the perfect way to connect, celebrate and surround ourselves with love.
The Dog Dirt Dilemma
The following post was sponsored by Bissell.
I receive numerous questions on Instagram about how we manage the dirt and hair left behind by our pups, Stanlee and Sophee. How do we deal with it all in our white home? How do we keep the place so clean? Has our patience for it changed since having baby West?
My first answer is always that there is dog hair and dirt everywhere. (While Sophee sheds very little, Stanlee sheds so much that it's a wonder he has a coat left at all.) Then my follow-up reply is that we simply have to vacuum daily, keep removable cushion covers on the couch, and wash our bed quilt constantly. While we'd figured out how to clean up the daily dirt, we'd yet to prevent it from occurring so intensely in the first place.
Frankly, we should bathe Stanlee and Sophee far more often than we do-- especially since we regularly take them to the beach and the dog park. But the last time we had the pups groomed here in LA it cost us around $120, and mildly traumatized them. Now that Adam and I are trying to save more of our income for West (and for some exciting plans here at the Cottage in the near future), we are searching for any way to cut back on spending. And since we're now both here at the Cottage all day long, it seems ridiculous to hire someone else to tackle a job that we could accomplish ourselves. While searching for a solution, BISSELL reached out to us with a product they suggested we try-- their BarkBath:
Overview: This is a self-contained, mess-free system, so you can use it inside if you don't have an outdoor space. Compared to bathing the pups in our stand-up shower (which always results in scratches all over my body and a killer backache) or washing them with the garden hose, this is extremely easy and FAR less messy. And it effectively reduces the dirt regularly entering our home in the first place.
Usage: At first, Sophee was skeptical of the nozzle attached to the bath. So I put a treat on the head and presented it to her, and she quickly got over her fear. Stanlee, on the other hand, didn't mind the nozzle, but he jumped at the hum of the machine itself. Luckily there's a long hose attached to the bath, and once I put some distance between him and the device, he was fine with it all and loved the feeling of the nozzle on his coat. The bath and the de-shedding brush worked perfectly, and they cost nearly same price as one trip for two dogs to the groomer. Over time, this will save us money, along with the hassle of transporting the pups, and time spent cleaning more dirt from the cottage.
Storage: As always, we are cautious about bring any product we don't absolutely need into our tiny Cottage. But this bath fits easily alongside our suitcases and slippers under our bed. Given the hassle and money this will save us in the future, we're so glad we tried it, and that we now have it at the ready.
Everyday Details
This post is sponsored by The White Company
Spring is my favorite season here at the Cottage. The garden grows rapidly, looking lush and bright, and we can fully benefit from our tiny indoor-outdoor setup. As it's our first spring here with baby West, we've been exploring new ways to modify the Cottage to suit our evolving needs. We've found that it's the little changes that have been the most practical. Tiny details have enabled us to enjoy our space more and more. I partnered up with The White Company to share some of my favorite updates for happy, easy small space living.
Now that West is nearly able to crawl, we were having a tough time relaxing in the garden with him, as the pavers that are scattered throughout most of the property were too dangerous for him to sit on. We tried a couple of children's play mats, but the materials were synthetic and too thin to protect the baby from hitting his head against the rough stone. Luckily I discovered the Aubrey Outdoor Mattress. Not only is the outside fabric composed entirely of linen and cotton, but the mat is thick and large enough for us all to lounge on comfortably and safely. Suddenly our entire yard became available to us again in our new lives with our son. Regardless of how long this lasts, it is bringing us immense happiness and satisfaction during the prime outdoor months. We've even started using the mat inside, protecting West from bumping into the hardwood floors during tummy time. The mattress rolls easily into a carrying case made of the same materials, and fits perfectly under my side of the bed.
Adam and I have also started donating and selecting belongings with childproofing in mind. For example, we're slowly swapping out our porcelain kitchenwares for wooden plates and bowls. We saw the benefits of this on day one, as West has already begun sweeping his hands across every surface possible, sending our things crashing to the ground. Since switching to mango dishes, we've been able to laugh and enjoy the moment, rather than scramble to clean up broken pieces before the dogs step on them. I pretty much love everything from their new outdoor collection, and from their organizational products. Patio accessories are usually more durable, which helps around pets and kids.
Another small nursery-related change we've made was giving up our changing table / bath combo. We loved it, and it was completely perfect for our son's first 7 months, but he was becoming too active to keep using it safely. We gave it to a family with a newborn, providing West with more room to scoot around in the house. This extra space in the bedroom means we have a bit more room for the functional decor we love so much. I've been able to replace our homemade swing shelf, and top it off with a various relaxing candles. All of our other candleholders now hold flameless light for safety, but it's been a simple pleasure to burn one remaining, beautifully-scented candle.
In the delightful rush of new parenting and running my businesses, I realized that Adam and I weren't making much time to take care of ourselves. Updating a few little things-- such as our bathrobes and towels-- made a surprisingly notable and positive difference in how we feel while going about our everyday routine.
I've also been trying to be more mindful of the fabrics I wear daily. I've learned that materials such as raffia and linen make me feel better, and that natural fibers don't irritate West's skin when he's pressed up against me.
Linen Shirt Dress in Smoke / Straw Visor / Cashmere Scarf (Coming soon)
We've always been fans of paying attention to the tiny details and moments, but now that we're a family of 5 every detail and every moment seem to hold more weight than ever. Here's to celebrating the everyday with the ones you love, in the places that bring you joy.
Stanlee and Sophee with a gorgeous gift box of essentials from The White Company
The White Company is opening their first store in the U.S. on June 15th in NYC-- check out some more info on The White Company store opening.
I acknowledge that I am partnering with The White Company in sponsorship for this post. All expressed opinions, photos and experiences on this post are my own, and are written in my own words.
Christmas at the Cottage
December was a beautiful daze at the Cottage. The weeks rushed by, and West grew so much that Adam and I can hardly believe our eyes. I posted most of my content from the month on Instagram Stories, which allowed me to share moments from the Cottage without requiring me to spend additional hours at the computer away from West. My goal this holiday season was to spend less time fussing over presents, and to spend more time focused on my family. It was wonderful, and some of our highlights are below. Happy, happy holidays to you and yours! Thank you for making our entire 2016 so very merry & bright.
Market Friday
Today was a particularly successful one for me at the Venice Farmer's Market. Look at this pokeweed! EPIC. (Folks with kids and pets-- be careful if you put this branch in/around your home, as it's toxic. Luckily our pups aren't interested in trying to eat it.) This is my favorite branch to use in the house-- it's full and leafy, yet simple to cut and arrange. Plus it doesn't shed. The subdued plum-rose tone of the vines adds a pop of color without being too noisy for those of us who lean towards neutral tones.
I love to liven up our home with market greenery, as it allows me to change up the look as frequently as I want, without causing clutter, creating waste or costing much money. These branches were $10 total, and will last for at least a week.
I also stocked up on fresh produce for the weekend. At nearly 31 weeks pregnant, the baby and I are craving citrus, watermelon and peaches these days. There was no need to buy berries-- as you can see, we have PLENTY of grapes growing in our tiny garden right now!
Cozy in the Cottage
I decided to take a few weeks away from the blog in mid/late July and just stay calm and cozy in the Cottage. But as the month is somehow already over, we're back! August will be fairly crazy for both my creative firm and my personal brand, so I felt like it was wise to rest up before-hand (especially since I was particularly wiped during the transition into my third trimester). This post recaps a bit of what we were up to these past weeks. While I was still running my creative firm from my home-office, I took a significant amount of time to declutter in anticipation of the baby's arrival, relax when possible, and organize the little things that I'm sure we won't have time to tackle once our son is here.
PUPPY LOVE | First and foremost, we took time to overly-smother our pups with love. Everyone says that pets get neglected when a new baby arrives. We hope that won't be the case for us, but we wanted to give Stanlee (10 yrs old) and Sophee (1 yr old) as much attention and affection as possible, just in case:
We also had another health scare with Sophee a couple weeks back, and we were terrified that she wasn't going to pull through this time. Luckily this little adopted beagle is one hell of a fighter, and she is nearly fully back to her normal "Menace of Venice" behavior already.
Above: Sophee upon returning from emergency treatment at the pet hospital.
DECLUTTERING | While you can't see most of the decluttering we did, we certainly did a TON. We donated several car loads of clothing, shoes, home goods, dishware, and books. It feels good to see the surface of the Cottage looking so simple, and to know that simplicity is echoed behind every cabinet and within every drawer:
ENTERTAINING | We did some very low-key entertaining at home. I didn't feel much like going out (just too damn tired), but several of our amazing friends were sweet enough to make the trek to Venice to hang out at the Cottage:
Above: Justina Blakeney of The Jungalow, Erica Reitman, and Jennifer Harrison of Flea Market Fab having dinner at the Cottage.
Above: Lindsay Hollinger of Casa Joshua Tree (with Adam, Sophee and Stanlee's stub-tail) in the Cottage garden.
Above: My life-long bestie Nell (also pregnant!) and her husband Chandler visited the Cottage and canals for a summer movie night along the water. Nell officiated our home wedding and co-hosted my bridal gathering back in May.
HOSTING | We hosted some video and photo shoots here throughout the month. Once those wrapped, we spent time messing the house back up with my three year-old Nephew Finn and his infant brother, Digby. We enjoyed the outdoor section of the nursery with Digby, and started harvesting the grapes off the Cottage vine with Finn:
EVENTS | I did manage to make it out of the house for a few events, my favorite being this tastemaker dinner at Rolling Greens. How dreamy is this set-up at their LA location? (And how easy is it to pick out the giant 6'-tall preggo in the photo below?)
Despite all the sickness-- both Sophee's and my own-- it was a wonderful, peaceful month. I feel so grateful and so damn lucky to be surrounded by so much love and beauty.
I'll leave you with this-- my favorite Boomerang thus far. Here is our 10 yr-old adopted beagle-mix, Stanlee, leaping up onto the dishwasher while trying to scare a squirrel through the window. It makes me smile every time I see it...
Tiny House Nursery - The Garden Lounge
Our first child-- a boy-- is due this October! Since our home is so tiny, we won't have a traditional nursery. Instead, we're getting creative with indoor/outdoor and mobile pieces. We started the first little phase of decorating last weekend, and it made everything feel much more REAL in such a beautiful way:
View from the bedroom stoop.
Obviously we will have a (mini) crib and other necessities inside the Cottage, but there is no space to fit a glider or rocker indoors. So we decided to update the garden just off our bedroom stoop to accommodate the nursery's lounge component:
View of the back patio, showing the distance from the bedroom stoop to the garden nursery lounge.
I pulled out my back while hauling everything around the house at 20 weeks pregnant during the post-wedding clean-up, but luckily my parents were visiting from their home in Florida where I grew up, and they helped me assemble this beautiful driftwood grey rocking chair from Joss & Main:
View from the bedroom to the garden nursery lounge.
It's important to note that we are very lucky here in SoCal to have fair weather most of the year, so that opens up our possibilities tremendously. We can cover larger items overnight or in the rain, and they are fine.
Sophee entering the bedroom from the garden stoop. our closet, on the right, will soon be redone as the nursery.
I added yard stakes by CB2, a throw pillow and blanket (which can easily come inside during inclement weather) from Loloi Rugs, a gorgeous handmade mobile by Sea & Glass, and a few other accessories and plants to warm up the space.
View from the garden lounge area looking into the bedroom. Our curtained closet will soon be redone to accommodate the crib and other nursery items.
in the garden (at 21 weeks pregnant) with stanlee and sophee. (Photo by adam)
And voila-- we now have a tiny, peaceful place outside for us to rest in the grass or rocking chair with our baby boy and the pups!
Groom Gifting
Adam and I aren't having traditional wedding parties at our cottage ceremony, but that doesn't mean we don't want to offer tokens of thanks and love to our nearest and dearest friends! For the guys who helped orchestrate Adam's bachelor party, I put together a few little groom's gifts featuring some of my favorite goodies that I know they'll use and enjoy. As always, we strived to select items that are practical, beautiful, and won't clutter up the guys' homes:
We picked Tech Dopp Kits by This Is Ground. They're the most practical leather organization tools, and the company is based here in LA. (I've worked with TIG several times in the past and absolutely LOVE them-- here's a recent video I shot with them at the Cottage.) We added some bites and drinks (the best items for clutter-free gifting!), including small-batch OOLA Whiskey, and locally-made chocolate by our long time friends at Nohmad Snack Co. Lastly, we topped off the presents with ties from Combatant Gentlemen-- the company where we found Adam's wedding suit. We love how they turned out!
Bridal Gifting
Our wedding at the Cottage is less than a month away! While we don't have a traditional bridal party or groomsmen, Adam and I are of course celebrating with our nearest-and-dearest this month in anticipation of tying the knot.
I wanted to gift something practical and beautiful to my closest friends, so I decided to make them little gift boxes featuring some of the goods I use daily here at home. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out, but Sophee is quite the critic:
Inside the boxes:
Lulu & Georgia Acrylic Sheepskin Throw
I use this Sheepskin Throw daily to cover my desk chair. At night, I move it out into the garden when I lounge around with Adam and the pups. I have another that I placed in a willow basket and turned into a spare pet bed.
True & Co "Best Lace Hipster Ever" Panties in assorted colors
The team over at True & Co. is completely delightful, and their underwear is 🔥🔥🔥.
Nohmad Snack Co. Chocolate
The makers of Nohmad Chocolate and I have been close friends for years. Their chocolate is my absolute favorite, and is my go-to gifting item from the Cottage.
Aquiesse Candle Travel Tin in my favorite scent, Luxe Linen
I burn these Luxe Linen candles daily-- I even pack one for road trips. The smell relaxes me, and the branding is simple and beautful.
Urban Decay NAKED products
I use Urban Decay any time I put on makeup. Naked 2 is my preferred eyeshadow palette, and I always have one of their Naked On the Run boxes in my purse.
California & Venice Cards by Brittney Banks
I recently discovered the California-inspired illustration of Brittney Banks in a local store, and it actually made me laugh out loud. She created a compilation card of iconic Venice Beach visuals, and it's spot on. Not only did I get these cards for my Bridal friends, but I also got one for every party attending our wedding.
Cinch Belts
Since the ladies range from sizes 0 to 12, and since some of us are pregnant-- from the first trimester to the third-- I included a selection of Cinch Belts for us all. I've been using my Obi Belt Long (in Camel) a few times per week to help accommodate my rapidly-changing waistline (I'm currently at week 16). These compact and versatile wrap belts make for handy gifts and accessories.
Fresh flowers, bread and satsuma mandarins from the Venice Farmers Market
I love our little Venice Farmers Market, just a block away from the Canals. (Click here to view my #WLMMarket series.)
Click on the images below to enlarge:
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Dealing with a Built-in Couch (while having 2 Dogs)
For those of you who’ve inquired about how we keep the house so clean while having two dogs, here are the honest answers:
- We simply don’t own much stuff. With fewer belongings, we naturally make less of a mess.
- Everything is washable.
For the past 5 years, we’ve used throw blankets to cover our white, built-in couch, which helps us handle the pet hair and paw prints. But I recently received THE BEST PRESENT that anyone has ever sent us for the cottage— custom couch cushion covers from @rachelashwell by @officialshabbychic:
When I first got the swatches, I literally rubbed them on the pups to see which cloth hid the most hair. (Our 9 year-old rescue beagle-mix Stanlee sheds A LOT.) I best loved the results and the overall look of the Grain Linen:
We've now had the covers on for two weeks, and they look and feel amazing. They've weathered the wear of the pups perfectly, and they help our little living room / dining room / guest room / office look clean and bright.
This is not an advertisement, nor a paid post.
Cottage Bedroom Garden Chandelier
January is such a weird month in the Cottage. The greenery outside is gone and all the winter holiday decor is packed away. The house just feels kind of bland and lifeless. Usually we see the overflowing grape leaves through the windows over our built-in bed, but in January and February we're stuck looking at the barren vines and the line of homes nearby. I decided to make a small greenery chandelier for the bedroom to cheer up the space a bit.
I do tons of handmade projects here, but I'm not a particularly patient person, so I tend to lean towards DIY-lite. This chandelier was quick and simple:
I got the smallest chandelier I could find and made sure that the lightbulb holders were still large enough for a standard small pot. I clipped all the electrical components off the fixture with garden clippers, leaving me with the perfect platform on which to put the pots.
I debated between white or clay pots. I ultimately chose terracotta, which corresponds with the color of the built-ins. We suspended the fixture from the interior wall of the skylight, and voila! We love it.
I was tempted to get succulents (I mean, look at those colors!). But in a tiny space like ours, I generally opt for simpler palettes to help the room feel uncluttered. But to each his/her own! There are endless beautiful options...
Sophee - Cottage Rescue Pup no.2
Back in August, we adopted another dog-- this time from Much Love Rescue. She was three months old, and was going to be put down after being a cosmetic testing animal. Luckily, Much Love saved her. They provided her with some necessary surgical procedures, and planned to put her up for adoption once she healed.
Adam and I initially intended to foster her... but we fell victim to a serious case of #FosterFail. We fell in love with Sophee immediately, as did Stanlee:
It was a tough start with little Soph-- she's had a run of serious bad luck and health issues. But, after months of routine trips to the vet (general and emergency), she finally seems to be on the mend. By mid-Jauary, we hope she'll be enjoying a healthy re-start.
Thank you Jax & Bones and Healthy Spot Marina del Rey for Sophee's new, custom bed in "Gatsby Grey". It looks beautiful in the Cottage, and both she and Stanlee use it constantly.
Here's to 2 (loud) dogs and 2 (large) humans living in 362 sqft and still loving each other endlessly.
More photos of the pups are available via our IG hashtags: #🐶sophee / #stubsandsoph / #stanleestubs