Working From Home: Folding Desk for Small Spaces
Note: Click here to view the standing desk featured in this post. (The child’s desk was a vintage find.)
At the start of the new year, our 3 year old graduated from his folding baby/toddler desk to a proper kid’s desk. I patiently searched vintage and secondhand shops until I finally found the piece that best suited his needs, along with the the format of our home.
We eventually ended up with a vintage wooden desk + chair + chalkboard combo that folds up neatly, allowing it to slide behind our sideboard or be suspended from a wall.
I liked the piece so much that I was determined to find something similar for myself.
For years I’d had a dedicated desk, but we replaced it at the start of the Safer at Home order to help us simplify our main room and keep our small home better organized. (Full details on that here.)
I discovered an Etsy maker/shop that crafts clever folding tables of varying sizes, heights and formats - click here to view.
I selected their standing desk*, an original, handcrafted design that can be customized to accommodate specific heights. This is particularly helpful for me, as I’m 5’11” and I usually have to use a laptop riser on most standing desks.
(*Note that the shop appears to make everything to order, so they don’t always have all listings marked as available at all times, depending on their pending orders. I had to check back a couple of times before I was able to place an order for my desk.)
This model has an optional lower shelf that can be slid on for a touch of extra storage and surface space without requiring any additional inches.
With or without the shelf, the lower bars are great for a footrest if, like me, you can’t stand up without pause for the entire work day.
My favorite thing about this piece is the ease with which it can be moved and set up, allowing me to work in the smallest pockets of our home, and anywhere outdoors.
For those struggling to work effectively from a small home-office during the pandemic, I shared some tips/lessons I’ve learned during my 12+ years of working full-time from tiny, multitasking spaces here.
Before + After: Styling a Small Stoop for Versatile Daily Use
I’ve been missing spring, despite the fact that it’s all around us here.
In the blocks surrounding our home, Jasmine plants are dripping over fences and climbing up light posts, ducks are pairing off and tending to their eggs along the canals, and a myriad of pollinators are touching down into bursting gardens.
But, since we we’re on our 9th week of strict social distancing here at our <400 sqft home, we’re experiencing this season from the narrowed scope of our tiny lot here in Venice.
Thanks to steep reduction of auto transport in this time, we can hear birds flying over our cottage, the waves crashing on the beach, and the sea lions barking in the marina. Through our skylights and on our shared porch, we can feel the light changing as the sun beams down on us longer and with increased intensity.
In order to best enjoy it all from this sliver of land, we’ve been making the absolute most of our outdoor spaces— now more than ever before.
Four years ago this month, Adam and I were married on our tiny front stoop. We said our vows under the pendant lamp (that we forgot to turn on,) while our friends and families stood around us, both inside the house and out.
Our home wedding, 2016
Since then, we renovated our outdoor spaces and poured sweat and love into our garden and porch. But over the course of those larger projects, our little stoop itself and the surrounding yard/pathway suffered some neglect.
As this part of our home sees some of the highest traffic, we felt it was time to give it a good scrub, some fresh paint (an imperfect match, as we worked with what we have on-hand to avoid an unnecessary trip to the hardware store), and a deeper appreciation of how our family seems to have limitless experiences in this limited space.
We paid close attention to how we used the stoop and side yard within a 24 hour stretch. Within a day it was a place to:
Read books with our son
Dry laundry (both via a makeshift clothesline and a collapsible vintage rack)
Take on/off our shoes (and masks) for our quick dog walks
Tend to our container and vertical gardens
Pluck mint to drop into our mason jars and share glasses of water in the sun
Check in on the fairies and add to their garden
Chat with our neighbors across the fence
Play with the pups
Blow bubbles
Watch a few episodes of Sarah & Duck via the projector
When we first moved in, we were gifted two lovely, low + wide terra-cotta planters with boxwoods, which sat on either side of the stoop. They were simple and pretty, but they consumed valuable inches that, with a bit of creativity, could be used to enhance everyday life.
Since then I’ve styled this area to be practical, versatile and suitable for our lifestyle and climate. (Those planters are still being put to excellent use 9 years later… just not right here.)
Instead, I’ve filled our welcome area with smaller plants— one on a pedestal and one suspended from above— to save space without losing the impact of greenery.
I decided to forgo the traditional doormat, and opted to use a squat runner-style outdoor area rug instead. This expands the stoop visually, and makes it feel more like a miniature room than a step.
On one side of the doorway, a low vintage chair creates the perfect petite perch for putting on / taking off shoes, sorting mail, corralling toys neglected throughout the garden, and gathering leashes.
On the other side, a vertical rack holds a hand broom, our sun hats, and baskets that we once used daily on our trips to the library, local bakeries and farmers markets.
Now, as we shelter-in-place during the pandemic, the baskets are being put to use in various playful ways throughout our home and garden, and contain a few odds and ends as makeshift storage containers.
A ceramic dog bowl tops it all off, as this is where the dogs rehydrate after barking loudly when the mail gets dropped off, or after our (sadly abbreviated) walks.
A small stoop can be magicked into something so much greater with the help of a few key accessories.
For example:
Hanging tiered troughs from either side could enhance privacy while offering valuable space for a vertical garden.
Slim rolling carts can organize most-used shoes and reusable bags + to-go containers.
A compact storage bench can house necessities and double as a reading spot with the help of a cushion and a throw pillow.
With clever hardware and a bit of handiwork, wall and overhang hooks can hold everything from collapsible strollers to umbrellas to bikes.
Above: Lighting a non-toxic, bee-safe mosquito repellent stick in preparation for an outdoor movie night during sunset.
It’s not just about creating more space. (If we wanted more space, we’d explore finding a bigger home.) Instead, it’s about using what we have to the fullest, and finding creative ways to enjoy the same handful of inches in an endless permutation of ways as the years go by.
We don’t take any corner for granted. Each bit of space is either used in movement, or to grow something green to aid in cleaning our air, providing bugs with a place to live, and giving soil (and compost from our tumbler) a place to thrive and regenerate.
I never realized just how important soil is for our overall wellness until recent years. The way it impacts the food we eat and the fabrics we put on our bodies is hugely important to our human and planetary health. Our bodies absorb not just what we ingest and apply, but also traces of what we wear.
Throughout the imagery in this post, the three of us are mainly wearing Pact fair trade clothing, made with organic cotton + linen that not only feels good on the skin, but is good to the skin.
Pact uses no toxic chemicals nor toxic dyes in their clothing, and they practice organic cotton farming, which saves vast amounts of water compared to modern conventional cotton farming.
Another reason to transition to a wardrobe comprised of natural, organic fibers it to prevent microplastics from seeping into our waterways with every wash. Synthetic fibers like polyester, nylon and rayon (among others) are plastic that we’re unwittingly draping on our largest organ, and then flushing into our water systems.
Pact offsets the carbon footprint of their shipments, and uses biodegradable, recyclable and compostable packaging. They also partner with local non-profits to whom they can donate your used clothing if you’d like to ship any garments (Pact or otherwise) to them via a pre-paid shipping label provided by Pact. But before doing this, please keep in mind that the majority of donations (in general) end up in landfills. So I say buy less, buy better, repair more, and wear your comfy sustainably + ethically made clothes until the end…
…and then turn them into endlessly reusable cloths for polishing up that beautiful small stoop of yours.
This post about creating and enjoying a small, versatile outdoor space, was sponsored by Pact. (Thank you to Pact and the readers of my blog for keeping our small business going, and our home’s twinkle lights glowing.) As always, all photos and words are my own, and any imagery featuring my child and/or pups was taken as they interacted in their own natural ways.
Clothing pictured:
Drying line undergarments: Lace Hipster + Smooth Cup Bralette
Whitney’s painting shirt: Featherweight V-Neck Tee
Adam’s painting shorts: Essential Sweatshort
Whitney’s dresses: Trapeze Tank Dress
Adam’s afternoon garments: Garment-Dyed Henley + Woven Roll Up Pant
West’s shorts: Softie Shorts
West’s t-shirt: Everybody’s Friend Tee
West’s pants: Classing Leggings
Quarantining in <400 Square Feet for Two+ Months
Recently, Domino asked me to answer some questions about what life has been like in our tiny house since we began self-isolating— the questions + responses are below.
We hunkered down on March 13, and we intend to continue the course as long as our state and local officials instruct us to do so, in an effort to keep ALL members of our community as safe as possible.
(Thank you to Elly Leavitt for the questions and the Domino feature!)
Q: How long have you been self-isolating in your space?
A: We’ve been practicing strict isolation and physical distancing since March 13th.
Q: What tweaks have you made to accommodate everyone staying inside at the same time?
A: While life beyond our walls has changed drastically— as it has for everyone— our existence at home is remarkably similar to how it’s been for years. We are used to being mere inches from one another for days on end, as my husband and I both work full-time from our <400 sqft live-work office, and our 3½ year old was not yet in a full-time school.
However, just before the lockdown here in Los Angeles, we swapped out my desk in exchange for a large credenza. This has helped us all tremendously, as it provides a generous, streamlined and accessible storage solution for our son’s toys (among other items). This has lead to a simplified clean-up process, which is helpful in space of any size, but particularly a compact home
Q: Your main room is a multipurpose area - can you elaborate on that a little?
A: We’ve been in our tiny house for 9 years, and the main room has always been a multi-purpose room. As such, we didn’t need to acquire anything new to help us keep the space adaptable while sheltering in place. With the help of rolling and folding furnishings and accessories, this zone can easily become my office, our son’s place space, our workout room, a pop-up dining room, a makeshift office, a screening room, and our son’s bedroom at night.
Q: How do you carve out time (and physical space) for yourself at the home?
A: We are lucky enough to have a small yet highly usable garden and porch. When the weather is nice, any one of us can separate from the group and sit outside under the shade of our canopy of vines. It’s a great place to read, work or enjoy an outdoor shower.
Within the house, we’ll sometimes set up a mini, portable projector to create an oversized screening surface in either the main room or the bedroom at night, which keeps our son occupied while my husband and I check in with each other about the business and/or personal matters.
Q: What does your work-from-home station look like? How have you altered it (if at all)?
A: I’d always had a dedicated office zone within our cottage until this Spring. Now that I no longer have a desk, I either work at the kitchen counter, or via a pop-up office that consists of a garden table and an easily portable basket of essential office accessories and supplies. (My favorite spot is on our tiny back stoop, as it strikes the perfect blend of indoor and outdoor.)
Q: Can you tell me a bit about what it's like having a kid in a tiny home during this time? How do you balance everything?
A: I’m less interested in finding “balance” and more interested in going with whatever flow seems healthiest and most natural for us as a family and as individuals, day by day. Sometimes I’ll pass the entire day with my brain focused on work while my husband, Adam, cares for our child and our 2 dogs. Sometimes I’ll stash my tech away and focus solely on family and the house/garden. While we miss our library, beaches and community events, we feel so grateful to be here right now. Sheltering at home is a privilege that we don’t take lightly, and by turning every little thing — like gardening, cooking, cleaning, creating, reading, and exercising into family activities, the days have rushed by.
Q: Are there any fun activities you've loved doing together? (IE crafts, ways to get West involved around the house)
A: We have 2 Lettuce Grow Farmstands that we tend to daily— they’re great tools for growing leafs greens and vegetables in small spaces like ours. West loves monitoring and harvesting the plants with us. We also do simple activities like paint our fence with water, play “darts” with suction cups, set up tetherball within the house (aka a ball in a stocking tied to an overhead beam), go “fishing” from our folding Pikler Arch with magnetic rods, hang laundry up to dry on the line, and more. Everything can be turned into some sort of a game with a bit of creativity and patience. I am not a cook, and at best I’m a DIY-lite sort of person, so none of these things require extensive crafting or specialized skillsets. (Whew.)
Q: What have been your biggest challenges?
A: Teaching small space living tips via live online classes has been a joy, but also a struggle. With 2 loud pups, a delightfully playful young child, and neighbors in close proximity, there is a lot that’s beyond my control when it comes to creating a quiet and focused environment during the sessions. But that’s quite all right— this is a time for global empathy, understanding and patience.
Q: What are you doing to unwind together as a family - how has that routine changed?
A: Family yoga (thanks, Cosmic Kids!), gardening, and movie projector sessions have all been so enjoyable lately. We’re much more lenient about how much time we spend viewing shows— I think our son has seen every episode of Sarah & Duck and Puffin Rock 1000 times, but he still loves them. And we’ve been making (and thus eating) cake a bit too often. But the last thing I’m going to do while trying to keep the family and business thriving during a pandemic is guilt myself over such things. Instead, we’re embracing them. (Further details via this blog post.)
Q: What tips can you share for those living in a smaller space during quarantine? What have you done that you've personally found to be the most helpful?
A: I have countless blog entries, IGTV videos, and even a book that are dedicated to cultivating comfortable, beautiful and efficient small spaces! But the main takeaways from these resources that I’ve been implementing at this time are: continuing our use of washable goods in lieu of disposables (this saves so much space and prevents unnecessary household waste), creating pop-up offices that offer a bit of a visual barrier so my son better understands when I’m working, and communicating clearly and efficiently with my loved ones so that we’re all on the same page and happy to be together in our tiny home, 24/7.
Frequently Asked Question: What do we do about bugs?
Thanks to the weather here in Southern California, we live a very fluid indoor/outdoor lifestyle year-round. Our windows and doors are almost always thrown open wide, welcoming in the ocean air, the occasional hummingbird, and, inevitably, some bugs.
Not a day goes by that someone doesn’t message me to ask what we do about critters making their way into the Cottage, or finding their way down from the vine canopy. So I thought it was time to post about what we do (and don’t do) to manage our tiniest housemates.
First, keep in mind that bugs in Los Angeles are nothing compared to bugs in many (probably most) other places. I’m from Florida, and we could never leave our home open there unless we wanted to be swarmed by mosquitos and joined by snakes (and perhaps an alligator or two) while going about our business indoors. Screens and overhead fans are borderline necessities in my childhood home, whereas here at the Cottage we have neither.
At the end of the day, it’s not my goal to rid our home of any living thing beyond our family of 5 and our plants. I feel like it’s all a natural balance, and that if we have healthy soil and thriving greenery we’ll have more pollinators and bugs. (And other than the damned mosquitoes, that’s quite all right by me.) Here’s how we handle it.
MOSQUITOES
Since we’re located by the canals, we sometimes get mosquitos. During the drought, there were few to none. But in the (blessedly) wetter years, we get mosquitoes from roughly April through November. (As we had a particularly wet March, the little rudelings already here for 2020.)
To keep them off of us at night, we use a box fan that we point at the bed. This is nice anyways, as we don’t have (or want) AC. When in the garden during sunset when they’re most active, we’ll wear long linen clothing and burn these non-toxic, bee safe mosquito repellent sticks, which we simply stake into the pea gravel. The smell doesn’t bother me the way citronella sometimes does, and the sticks burn smoothly.
For a bit of extra coverage if we’re hosting or if we’re in the thickest part of summer, we’ll sometimes add a citronella hanging coil, and/or a traditional multi-wick candle. We also have a smattering of Aunt Fannie’s Mosquito products— West is particularly fond of this tin of “balm-balm,” as he calls it.
SPIDERS
I know spiders give a lot of folks the shivers, but they simply don’t bother us. In fact, since they helps us keep other bugs at bay, we appreciate them. If we find one in a corner of the shower or up on the ceiling bends, we just help them outside via a jar. No biggie.
When it comes to the vines, we sometimes see webs, but rarely are they occupied. They’ve never repelled down onto us. However, we tread slowly through the garden during the early morning hours, as more than a few set up camp overnight and need a some extra seconds to raise up out of the pathway back into their secret hiding spots.
HUMMINGBIRDS & BUTTERFLIES
Winged beauties will sometimes fly into our home and try to escape through the skylights (which, sadly, don’t open). With a bit of patience, we’re always able to get them to land on a potted plant that we then carefully carry back outside.
MISC BUGS
We almost never see other bugs in the house. (Again, it’s LA— I know that’s not typical of other environments.) But if we get sugar ants or or fruit-flies (which sometimes happens in July/August), we use non-toxic fruit fly punch and simple soap-and-water solutions to curb the onslaught.
Enhancing a Small Outdoor Space with Vertical Gardens
The Cottage is on the Lettuce Grow blog today in a feature entitled: You Don't Need to Live Large to Live Beautifully: 6 Space Enhancing Tips From Whitney Leigh Morris. (Click here to read.)
Even the tiniest slice of outdoor space surrounding your home can be transformed into a functional and tranquil retreat without much effort. A stoop, driveway, porch, or miniature garden can all be effective ways to enlarge and enhance your living space.
Tailor your outdoor oasis to suit your style and the members of your household, being sure to keep your climate and safety in mind when selecting furnishings and accessories.
If you have an outdoor area—and even the slimmest balcony will do—don't miss the opportunity to make it into a practical yet dreamy retreat.
I’m sharing 6 tips for livening up a lil' patio via the Lettuce Grow blog— click here to read.
Simplified Video + Photo Editing
For years, I used to love all things tech. My work life and personal life have long been deeply intertwined, and, as a result, my large desktop, accessories, and my collection of reference books were items I used constantly and couldn’t imagine functioning without.
But technology changes, as do priorities. And, after having West, I realized that the majority of the tools I relied upon for business for were no longer tethered to my dedicated work area or desktop computer. They were increasingly accessible via the phone in my pocket, and through my tablet. It dawned on me that I could truly conduct most of the administrative and creative aspects of my job from anywhere.
Above: Photo by our professional videographer, Tinylicious.co.
As a result, I streamlined and pared down my equipment and office in general, passing on select items to folks who could use them, and swapping out my lift-desk (full details on that here) in exchange for mobile work zones.
My office supplies are now totally corralled in a single drawer nestled within one of the three built-in cubbies in our multi-purpose room. My reference resources are no longer on our bedroom bookshelves, and instead are either accessible online or via our local library.
When I need to physically be in my content, or when the project requires a polished and professional look, we work with our exceptionally talented friend Lucia Doynel of Tinylicious.co. Otherwise, I happily do most of my content creation myself.
With this shift in how I create came several reader questions about the software / apps and devices I use to edit my media, and what tasks I accomplish via each.
Above: Our masks drying on the line over our stoop— a normal sight these days, but one I never expected to get used to. Shot on my compact Canon and edited via Lightroom + ColorStory.
So here is my very 101, unfussy and unabashedly amateur method of editing my videos, Stories, and photographs.
CAMERA
Canon EOS M50 mirrorless
I use my camera for most brand and blog imagery.
iPhone 11 Pro Max
I rely on my phone for nearly all of my IG photos (as they’re taken in-the-moment), and for ALL of my videos. (I also use my phone for most of my editing… more on that below). When using your phone, ALWAYS wipe off the lens first. It makes a huge difference in the quality of the photo or video.
VIDEO
Adobe Premiere Rush
I use Rush (on my iPhone and iPad) to cut and arrange and compile video clips. Beyond organizing and tightening content, I also use Rush to alter the speed of select footage. I also use this app for basic exposure adjustment.
Filmm App
I use Filmm via my phone to add styles / effects to videos exported from Rush. It also has stock songs that can be applied to footage, or you can import an audio file of your own to add to your video.
PHOTOS
Lightroom (mobile)
Before anything goes up on my blog or Instagram, I adjust it in Lightroom. I don’t use any presets, as I prefer to edit every photo to tell its own story.ColorStory
I use ColorStory for all the fun stuff in photos, like more playful effects and filters. I also run some of my Stories videos through this app.Snapseed
To quickly target areas of a photo for more precise editing, I’ll sometimes adjust a photo in Snapseed after using Lightroom.
STORIES + TEXT OVERLAYS
Unfold
I use Unfold or Template to format ALL of my Stories. They’re simple apps for adding various frames, scrapbook-style visual accents, and text overlay to both videos and photos alike. Plus they’re handy for creating Stories in advance, as well as creating title-card style video frames to add into Rush and splice into larger video projects.
Self Care Through a Low Maintenance Home
Reading about everyone’s varying experiences while sheltering at home has been fascinating. This past week I’ve spoken with someone who works in the medical field and is staying in a hotel room to keep his family and home safer, parents of newborns who are ecstatic to have so much unexpected time with their new babies, parents of multiple kids who are antsy in confinement and missing exposure to physical contact both with people and the natural world, and folks who are at home alone and longing to be reunited with their friends and loved ones.
While not much has changed for us here in terms of our day-to-day lives, this time has helped me realize how deeply I cherish simplicity when it comes to our home, and why it’s relevant to my role as a business owner, a partner and a mother.
Above: Vase and no-maintenance-required dried/preserved florals from Bloomist.
Before so many of us were staying home 24/7, I appreciated our pared-down residence because it made me feel as though we have more time to get out together and explore the world beyond our walls.
Now that leaving home for anything other than essential errands isn’t an option, I appreciate our home for similar reasons, but from another angle…
Above: A handmade multi-use caddy on the bedside cubby holding an e-reader with access to a library’s worth of books with no printing, packing or shipping necessary.
I’ve discovered that this house is not just my happy place. It also helps me manage stress.
Above: An open book on display as art on an easel in the main room.
Studies show that Americans spend exorbitant amounts of time each year just looking for things in their homes, and waste financial and natural resources replacing items they can’t seem to locate.
By contrast, here in our small space, we know where just about every single object is placed. (Though I must admit that we’re still on the hunt for a small orange rubber ball and a set of spare keys…) And anything we’re looking for is easily within arm’s reach. There’s less to maintain in general, less to outfit, less to organize, less to clean, and overall less to manage. And for me — a person whose default mode is WORRY!— those little things add up to a form of notable stress relief.
For whatever reason, I never understood just how hugely important that is for me until now.
Above photo by Tinylicious.co.
In recent years, whenever a holiday draws near (just as Mother’s Day is about to), I find myself bracing for the well-intended gifts I never asked for and don’t want. I don’t want to sound ungrateful— I’m just being honest. The random boxes and packages dropped onto our property for my business and family don’t usher in serenity and relaxation. Instead, they spark images of the manufacturing used to make the packaging, the resources required to create the goods, and the recycling bin filling up as I break down the boxes, and sort the reusable materials from the single-use materials. While these are small issues for an individual and a household, they have monumental global ramifications. (And it perpetuates climate injustice.)
Above: Vase and dried/preserved florals from Bloomist.
Yes, I still order things online sometimes. And I am neither “zero waste” nor an actual minimalist by definition. (Just look at the bursting basket rack on our stoop.) But a low maintenance home allows me to direct my energy with greater clarity towards engaging in pleasantly slower activities with my family, and it opens up precious time to concentrate on keeping my business and household afloat in this upside-down moment in history. And, for me, that’s certainly a form of self-care with lasting and meaningful benefits.
Over the weekend, I took a slow stroll through our home and garden to visually identify and acknowledge some of the ways in which I’ve cut back on my daily to-do list when it comes to our home.
Above: The grapevine and trumpet vines creating their seasonal draught-tolerant canopy over the garden.
Turns out that the examples are diverse, and they’re everywhere.
Above: Resilient succulents on the vertical garden wall.
From unfussy succulents, to lightbulbs that we rarely have to swap, to vines that grow on their own without interference, to dried florals that beautify our space with no upkeep efforts on my part, to artwork that can be swapped out at home within seconds rather than at a frame shop, to edibles growing outside our windows with the help of recycled materials and recirculated water, to a bathroom vanity that is free of the clutter of haircare products (despite the fact that I’ve had long, thick hair my entire life), I was touched by how we’ve prioritized and minimized certain elements of our home in order to better support that which enables us to thrive.
Above: Lettuce growing on the porch via a hydroponic stand.
So, with some of this “extra” time and energy surrounding this Mother’s Day, I’ll be turning my attention to Every Mother Counts, because I believe that safe and respectful maternity care is a fundamental human right.
This organization is working towards championing long-lasting health improvements for every mother, everywhere.
Above graphic from Every Mother Counts.
This work is vital, as 303,000 women die around the world as a result of complications of pregnancy and childbirth, every year, and almost all global maternal deaths can be prevented if women have access to quality, respectful and equitable maternity care. Learn more about the organization here, and read about their efforts with respect to the pandemic below:
Childbirth and newborn care is by far the leading cause of hospitalization in the U.S., and the maternity care system had been failing to meet families’ needs prior to the COVID-19 crisis. Now, pregnant and childbearing people face greater challenges to accessing prenatal, childbirth, and postpartum care, as hospitals are restricting labor support companions and visitors and labor and delivery units are being closed to make room for patients with COVID-19.
Join Every Mother Counts by using this form to contact your policy-makers in local, state, and federal government to demand policy action that supports pregnant, childbearing, and postpartum people in the response to COVID-19.
On Mother’s Day, 10% of sales from Bloomist will go towards Every Mother Counts.
Before + After: Creating a Canopy of Vines
We have two fast-growing, seasonal vines in the garden of our tiny house: grapevines, and trumpet vines.
While the grapevine plant recedes completely and becomes bare in winter, the trumpet vine recedes only partially, so we can enjoy it in varying degrees of fullness year-round.
When we first moved in 9 years ago, the trumpet vine was only a few feet high:
Above: Years ago, when the trumpet vine was just a handful of feet high (as seen on the right in dark green), and tucked beneath the grapevine.
Now it spans the entire length of our back garden. (See the video here.)
Above: The house when we moved in 9 years ago.
Above: The house in Spring 2020.
Bright red flowers burst out in Spring, just as the tiny grapes are starting to form on the other vine:
For the most part, the grapevine is trained along our side garden and fence line, as it originates on our neighbor’s property.
But it spreads from there via strong branches and slim creeping tendrils that latch on to anything within reach, ultimately landing on the roof of the cottage.
The trumpet vine is mainly concentrated in our back garden. For years we watched as our string lights drooped lower and lower under the weight of the greenery— so much so that Adam and I had to duck beneath them to traverse the compact corridor below, and to ensure that we wouldn’t disrupt any birds’ nests.
Above: Baby hummingbirds in their tiny nest in the trumpet vines.
Last year we worked with our friends at Big Red Sun to lift the vines out of the walkway, and up towards the roofline. They installed 3 slim vertical steel beams in the garden via concrete as anchor points to start the job.
One post was attached to our back gate/fence.
The other 2 were positioned on either side of the space allocated for our custom sofa and mirror set, which was in the process of being crafted here in LA.
Above: 2019, immediately after the posts and sofa were installed.
From the posts, the Big Red Sun team attached strong cables, which they then anchored to various points along the house.
Above: Fall 2019
They zip-tied the vines to the new cables as a method of wrangling the mess, and left us with a beautiful zig-zag of greenery that followed the path of the twinkle lights intertwined within it.
Above: A close-up look at one of the 3 posts.
As the trumpet vine continued to grow and branch out, I then used lightweight wire to connect the stretches of space between the main cables, so smaller tendrils could then span the open areas to create a more comprehensive canopy.
The canopy has a few larger gaps that allow sunlight to pour through and pass across the garden throughout the day. But otherwise it’s almost as though we have a living ceiling of green out back.
This provides us with much-appreciated relief from the intense sun during the summers.
It also creates a safe home for hummingbirds, as well as a spot for bees and butterflies to congregate and rest.
Above: The view while standing on the garden sofa and breaking through the main/bottom layer of vines.
I’d never had a garden before this one, and I had no clue what I was doing when I started out. The yard was cracked, dry and bare.
This “before & after” is proof that even the most barren patch of city soil can give birth to a sea of life.
DIY Hanging Board Frame for Children's Art & Photos
When West was born, we bought 4 of these clipboard-style frames to use fluidly throughout our space:
Even though the boards/frames are not new to our space, readers still ask about them regularly. They’re a great way for switching up your child’s art, photos, calendar pages, and and prints with ease.
To my knowledge, this particular style is no longer available, so I thought I’d share a quick and super simple visual DIY guide for creating something similar using NO new materials— just repurposed items from around the house.
We used a postcard / photo our videographer sent us, an old bulldog clip, twine from our jar of used wrapping supplies, a flat-head thumb tack, and a small box top from a gift crate that was recently sent to our home. Wine crate lids and clipboards would also work well for this project.
If your child is looking for a way to display their art, these can be strung from doorknobs, wall hooks and S-hooks to be enjoyed and swapped out within moments when desired.
Current + Upcoming Events & Recent Features
There’s been so much going on here lately! Below is a brief roundup of current and upcoming events and appearances, as well as recent editorial features. Thank you as always for visiting our lil’ blog, and I hope you and yours are staying safe and feeling well.
NEW & ONGOING
Create Calm in a Small Space
Online Live Interactive Class via Airbnb Experiences
Click here for info and/or to took book a tour
Your home is where you play, relax, work, and imagine. And it can be inspirational, functional and comfortable no matter the square-footage. Over the course of an hour via this live and interactive Airbnb Experience (conducted via Zoom), guests and I will explore how to generate and maintain sense of calm, maximize space, and create a truly unique small space unlike any other with the help of plants, pop-up zones and functional decor. We’ll explore my home and garden via a detailed tour as a way of demonstrating small space solutions first-hand, and we'll touch on the topic of sustainable sourcing, and eco-friendly space-saving swaps. (Note: new dates and times being added regularly to the class schedule.)
Journeys In Greenery Podcast Episode with Hilton Carter
Click here to listen via your preferred platform
(Warning: I say “like” repeatedly in the first few minutes while I’m getting settled— sorry about that, folks. It’s only at the start, I promise.)
“My guest today is Whitney Leigh Morris of the wonderful blog The Tiny Canal Cottage and the beautiful and informative book, Small Space Style. Whitney is a small space lifestyle consultant based along the canals in Venice, CA and as she would say, "a firm believer that you don't need to "live large" to live beautifully." She, her husband Adam and son West are all featured in my new book Wild Interiors where you'll see how they found such an elegant way to utilize plants in a <400 sq.ft. space, while blurring their outside patio into the inside of the home.” - Hilton Carter
UPCOMING
Create & Cultivate Money Moves Digital Summit
May 2, 2020 (All day event. My live segment is from 4:00 - 4:30 PDT.)
Click here for info & tickets
As part of this all-day online conference, I’ll be conducting a 30 minute workshop entitled: Staying sane while working from home in a small space and the hacks you need to thrive. I’ll cover creating a pop-up workspace, minimizing distractions, and maximizing productivity for those who are working from home during the pandemic or year-round.
RECENT PRESS & FEATURES
Lula & Georgia:
Whitney Leigh Morris on Living with Less
(Click to read)
Travel + Leisure
You Can Chat With a Famous Author or Listen to Drag Queen Storytime With Airbnb’s New Literary Experiences
(Click to read)
Insider:
Tiny House Residents Reveal What It’s Like to Live in a Small Space During Coronavirus
(Click to read)
PopSugar:
Styling an Entryway (or lack thereof(Instagram Stories Takeover)
Small Space Style on World Book Day
It’s World Book Day, so I’m sharing a bit about my book, Small Space Style: Because You Don’t Need to Live Large to Live Beautifully, and my writing experience:
When I began writing the book, West was an infant and Adam was still working at an agency full-time. I never took a single day for maternity leave, because that’s how it goes when you run your own small business. I’d get up at 3am to write the book at a 24-hour diner, and at 6:00 I’d bike back to the Cottage to nurse West. My husband and I would walk the dogs with our son in the baby carrier, we’d eat breakfast, and then Adam would get ready for work. At 8am, I’d take calls with my East Coast and European clients, and an hour later Adam would leave for his job. All day until around 7pm, I’d care for West and the pups, attempt to blog and Instagram, and work for clients when the baby slept. When Adam returned home, we’d put West to bed, eat dinner, and I would get right back on the computer to resume working on the book (while sporting my hands-free breast pumping bra) until I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer. Then I’d feed West on demand until 3am, when we’d start the whole routine over again.
It was dizzying, but I believe it was worth it. I ended up with a sweet lil’ book that features 200+ tips for folks looking to make the most of their compact quarters.
My book was released in November 2018, and since then I’ve been surprised and thrilled by the ways in which it has unexpectedly connected me with folks all over the world. I’m sending heartfelt appreciation to everyone who has contacted me to share their positive experiences with Small Space Style, and to everyone who contributed in the making of the book.
About Small Space Style: Because You Don’t Need to Live Large to Live Beautifully:
For me, the key to living in a small home or apartment is not figuring out how to Tetris a life’s worth of stuff into limited square footage. It’s about understanding what you truly need — and don’t need— in order to live comfortably and contentedly, day by day. Compact homes aren’t necessarily stepping stones on our path to larger lodgings. Small space living can work (and work spectacularly) for all sorts of evolving family structures and income levels. Plus it can lessen our negative impact on the environment. Living tiny can be fulfilling, comfortable and, yes, stylish.
My intention is for Small Space Style to help you as you embark upon your own journey into the world of small-space living. I hope that the book’s pages provide you with ideas for crafting a tiny space that feels infinitely beautiful, inspiring and welcoming for you and your loved ones.
The book features 200+ tips for making the most of your little home, with chapters centered around the essentials— living, sleeping, eating, and bathing. It offers imagery from our home as well as others, and is brilliantly illustrated by Magdalena Zolnierowicz.
Click here to shop via a small, independent shop that ships with no waste packaging.
Click here to shop via Amazon.
Small Space Gardening for Kids
Earlier this year, Adam and I both read The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis, and felt inspired to make changes to the way we live our lives here at the cottage according to what we learned from the book. As part of that lifestyle shift, we decided to grow much of our own produce here at home. So we began converting our sunny 8’ porch into a tiny grow zone.
I’ve shared the following quote before, but I’m doing so again because it was this particular passage that helped me visualize exactly how I wanted to start our growing efforts:
“Every vacant lot, every grimy unused alley, has been repurposed and turned into a shady grove. Every rooftop has been converted to either a vegetable or floral garden. Windowless buildings that were once scrawled with graffiti are instead carpeted with verdant vines… Things that used to be done individually are now done communally— growing vegetables, capturing rainwater, and composting… In community gardens, on rooftops, at schools, and even hanging from vertical gardens on balconies, food sometimes seems to be growing everywhere.” - The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis
That passage made me feel like every space — no matter how small — is an opportunity to plant and nurture something green and good, both for the planet and for our bodies.
As discussed in a recent post, we got two 6’ tall Farmstand growstands from Lettuce Grow (which we are absolutely loving). But we also wanted to create some raised garden beds so that all three of us could tackle growing fruit and vegetables in containers in our compact outdoor space in this big city.
I’ll share our hack for creating the raised beds in the near future. But first we started out by getting some seedlings going in compostable egg cartons.
We’re attempting to grow several different plants on our little porch, from carrots to tomatoes to squash. We’re expecting plenty of failures, of course, but we’re hoping for some successes as well. To experiment, we’re trying a mix of soil types— some enriched with compost, some peppered with small doses of rinsed coffee grounds, and some sprinkled with fragments of nutrient-rich soil amendment courtesy of our FoodCycler.
West has been helping with it all, planting seeds and tending to the Farmstands. But we also got him a Root Viewer, so he could plant radishes, onions, and carrots and then watch them grow downward over time.
This family activity has been productive and entertaining as we shelter at home during the pandemic. I’ll share more from our experience soon, as this is just the beginning of our greener journey together.
How to Apply the “Three Rs” to Your Skincare & Cosmetic Products
Note: This post was sponsored by Josie Maran Cosmetics in celebration of Earth Day, and as part of their partnership with One Tree Planted and TerraCycle, along with their donation efforts to support workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis. All words (with the exception of direct explanation of products or services) and opinions are my own. As always, any content featuring our child and/or pups was taken as they interacted in their own natural ways.
We all want to be healthy and feel confident — especially now, as the world is in such a challenging and stressful state of flux and uncertainty. But we can no longer embrace beauty and wellness products that incorporate ingredients, production methods and packaging that take such a massive collective toll on the environment, and on the individuals working throughout supply channels.
In this crucial decade for the protection of our planet and the health of its inhabitants, consumers can choose to do better.
Reduce
Reduce (or ideally eliminate) your dependency on single-use beauty supplies. Items like ear swabs, cosmetic swabs, cotton rounds/swabs and wipes are all available in washable, reusable formats. You can also cut back on single-use plastics by swapping bottled shampoo, conditioner and body wash for their counterparts in bar-form.
Select multi-tasking, long-lasting products that aren’t formulated with wasteful filler ingredients helps reduce vast amounts of transport and packaging waste.
Products like Josie Maran’s 100% Pure Argan Oil — a powerful oil that’s packaged in a compact glass bottle— performs multiple functions. It’s a moisturizer, cuticle oil, lip salve, eye treatment, and hair serum.
And with each bottle of it sold at Sephora, they’re currently donating $5 towards One Tree Planted. (Additionally, for every purchase of their 100% Pure Argan Oil, customers will have the option of either donating $10 of the purchase towards helping provide resources to healthcare workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis, or simply taking $10 off the purchase altogether.)
You can also curb your intake in general by vetting the origin of a product’s ingredients, as well as the social responsibility policies and supply lines behind the brands you considering supporting with your hard-earned dollars. If a company isn’t in compliance with environmentally-friendly practices and human rights protections, first, don’t buy from them. (Next, make some noise about it.)
Josie Maran Cosmetics sustainably harvests their Argan Oil from a UNESCO-protected region to help prevent deforestation and overharvesting. A single Argan tree can survive for more than 600 years and can give fruit throughout its entire lifecycle (including trees that are 600+ years old). And Josie Maran Cosmetic’s 100% organic, full-spectrum CBD products are sun grown in California using sustainable farming practices.
As this decade is paramount in fighting the Climate Crisis (see “The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis” for full details), look to products and brands who have a plan for the future. For example, by 2021, Josie Maran Cosmetics has pledged to: print all product boxes using only 100% recycled materials, recycled material will be both Green e-certified and FSC-certified, meaning it’s always held to the highest social and environmental standards, and shift box printing to a carbon-neutral facility so less waste created during the production process. (Currently, several of their products are already being produced in facilities that utilize 77% renewable energy.)
Recycle
Don’t just toss your empties into the bin— they might be fully recyclable, no matter where you live in the US, and can be used to create something new and useful (like office supplies and furnishings, for example). All of Josie Maran’s products are recyclable via TerraCycle. You don’t even have to clean your containers out to do you part. Just box up your empties, print your free shipping label from your account on TerraCycle, and UPS will ship your package for free. (Visit the UPS + TerraCycle websites to verify safest practices during the pandemic.) To date, over 202 million people have helped to collect and recycle enough waste to generate TerraCycle points that have raised raise over 44 million dollars for non-profits around the world.
Reuse
Arguably the number one way to tackle the issue of how to minimize landfill and ocean-bound trash is to stop generating generating so much of it. Products like Josie Maran Argan Sugar Balm Body Scrub are cleverly packaged in beautiful containers that, once used up, can be cleaned to then hold a myriad of things (like reusable cotton rounds). The teardrop shaped bottle that holds Pure Argan Milk Intensive Hydrating Treatment (or most of Josie Maran bottles, for that matter,) is the perfect size for a little bedside bud vase for calming lavender clippings to encourage a soothing sleep.
Let’s all do our part— we are facing these global challenges together.
(Thank you, as always, for supporting the businesses that help us keep our tiny cottage’s twinkle lights glowing— especially now.)
Activities for Sheltering at Home in a Small Space (Week 6)
Sheltering at home looks different for every household. Here at the cottage, we haven’t deep cleaned the house, nor have we started taking new classes, learning new skills, or watching new shows.
Our home is a daycare from 7am - 9pm.
And it’s a small business office from 6am - 11pm.
7 days a week.
I’m not complaining. Being able to shelter from home with my family is a privilege.
And thankfully, to my surprise, West still hasn’t asked to go anywhere the entire time. I was expecting daily questions and requests, but they never really manifested. I find myself holding my breath for a breakdown that has yet to come.
Above: West speaking to our neighbor from across the 8’ porch that separates our homes.
The days go by quickly, some smoother than others.
West sweetly requests more undivided attention than I can necessarily give, I fall behind on work, I’m out of shape, I’m distracted during most calls and meetings, I’m making more typos in my writing, and days go by without being able to touch base with my parents.
But this is a time for heightened flexibility, compassion and patience— with others, and with ourselves.
WORK
As a far as conducting business is concerned, I stick to many of my Tips for Working Effectively from a Small Home / Apt During the Outbreak. Even though I can’t work uninterrupted for more than a 30-60 minutes at a time, I do try to practice helpful habits like separating myself from the rest of the family, clocking-in for the task and clocking-out when it’s completed, and having necessities and comforts within arm’s reach (and notifications off) so I’m not sidetracked.
PLAY
We are turning nearly everything into an activity to do with West. Our days usually consist of the following:
Reading (about 2 hours each day)
Listening to Pinna audiobooks / stories while playing with trucks, building blocks/tiles, train tracks, etc.
Watching episodes of Sarah & Duck or Puffin Rock with our mini projector
“Painting” the fence with water
Bubbles
Cooking, baking, cleaning and laundry as family games
Dance parties
Playdough (I refer to Erin Boyle’s DIY instructions here)
Building forts (on the couch, with a tablecloth tent, and with play silks / scarves)
Window darts (these are plastic, but I’m glad we have them—- they’re fun for the whole family and we use them constantly)
Running around the house and yard with the pups
Art class (stickers, simple crafts, color pencils and crayons, paper planes, etc)
1 hour of French zoom class with friends, 4x / week
Gardening, Farmstand harvesting and monitoring, and careful watering of the indoor/outdoor plants
Puzzles (we only have 4-5 small ones, but they’re enough at this point)
Basketball
Video / Portal calls with family and friends
Chatting over fences and through windows with our neighbors
“Fishing” in the main room or garden
Switching up meal and snack formats in the PlanetBox for in-home picnics
Outdoor Shower
In searching my own blog recently, I realized I never shared a dedicated entry about the garden shower we installed a year ago. As we receive inquiries about it daily, I figured it was finally time to add this post.
During the warmer times of year, this simple outdoor shower brings us so much joy. Whether it’s being used strictly for cleaning or purely for relaxation, the shower has proven exceptionally useful here at our tiny home. We live a short walk from the beach and right next to the canals, so — when we’re not practicing social distancing, of course — the 5 of us often return home with sand or muck on our skin (or fur and paws), clothes and gear.
By digging out a bit of pea gravel and sliding a shallow potting or boot tray beneath the shower’s built-in teak platform (and by using a simple, organic shampoo + soap bar), we can collect water to then reuse on our non-edible plants.
This particular model uses a basic hose hook-up, and doesn’t have hot a water connection. This actually helps us limit our shower time, and encourages us to turn the knob on/off only when we truly need the water running.
As such, it’s been a great way to teach West about water conservation. (And he’s used to showering since he outgrew his portable folding tub between year 1 and 2 and we don’t have a tub at the Cottage.)
This past weekend I decided to try a sunset shower as a form of self-care. It was a bit cold, but it was well worth it. It found that, when paired with a mug of hot lemon water and some music from our portable bluetooth speaker, a shower under the vines and twinkle lights was a healthy way to sooth my mind and calm my nerves.
Adjusting Business and Expenses During the Pandemic
Talking about money makes me uncomfortable— it always has. But at the request of readers, I’m writing this post to share some of the ways in which our small business and family have been financially impacted by the ripple effects of the pandemic, and how we’re adjusting to stay afloat.
Our larger monthly expenses are the typical ones: our home, healthcare, education, food, and various business fees (which are hefty here in California). We don’t spend much on things like clothing (we buy very few garments since we share one closet and are trying to reduce our fashion footprint), accessories (we don’t dress ourselves up, as we work from the house), home goods (I try to decorate with what we already own and use daily), gas (we share one car and rarely drive), or books (we borrow most from our libraries).
Like countless others, we’ve lost a significant amount of revenue during the shutdown. I’ve tried really hard to separate my business as much as possible from the selling and promotion of tangible goods, and focus instead on services. Obviously my contracts for in-person events and speaking engagements were canceled. And campaigns that I’d already conceptualized, shot and edited were also pulled due to COVID, as they were mainly rendered for service-based companies. And while it’s normal for me to get numerous requests daily for various forms of unpaid labor, those requests have skyrocketed, as nearly everyone has felt a squeeze.
As a single-income family running our own small business, it’s all scary, of course. For a while now, money has been steadily going out without steadily coming in. But when I think about the fact that we are able to shelter together here at home and that we have food in our kitchen, I cannot complain.
Here’s what we’ve cut back on:
Education
One of our 2020 goals was to actively work towards learning more. Adam and I signed up for courses from Kiss The Ground and SkillShare, and were looking into continuing our educations via classes at local colleges, either in person or online. We had also enrolled West in classes for 3 days per week to diversify his experiences while simultaneously helping Adam and I get through our workload, volunteer commitments, and learning endeavors. We’re now no longer engaging in new spending with respect to the above.
Dining
One of the reasons we love living in Venice is that it has some of the most incredible, healthy food. Going out here— even for just a juice or coffee— is pricey. It’s one of the reasons we live tiny, so we can balance out spending. Now, as much as we yearn to support local small restaurants and their staff, we just can’t afford the expense of takeout. We get a fresh market box from a regional farm once per week, and one batch of groceries delivered per week. We’ve prepared every morsel of food here at home for the past month. Again, this is a privilege, and we know it. While we’re not in a position to donate funds right now, we are still looking into ways to get food routed to local nonprofits who are working to feed at-risk groups. (I’ve committed to donating a part of every sponsored campaign to select organizations, but I have to book and be paid for the campaigns before I can pass a portion of those dollars onward.)
Production
We’d been working on the 2nd season of our educational video series from the Cottage, as well as other shoots regarding sustainable small space living. We’ve canceled those plans, and are in the process of navigating the production of other content at no cost.
Contractors
We’ve had to cut back on the work we do with independent contractors. This upsets me on a personal level, as I care about these individuals and the work they do with us. But I’ll only hire someone if I can afford to pay them on the same day they invoice me— I never want to make anyone wait for payment for services already rendered.
Savings
Since we run our own business, we have to save for our own healthcare expenses, retirement and insurances— and we try to save for West’s education. All of that is on hold, as we shift our focus instead towards not going into real debt.
Subscriptions
We canceled most of our subscriptions, with the exceptions of the ones we use daily, or the ones we rely upon for news and information we trust.
Entrance Fees and Transportation Costs
Since museums and community events are shuttered, our family and business is no longer allotting the money required for those, including the associated transportation costs. West and Adam used to visit at least 1 or 2 museums/attractions per week while I worked.
Above: Handmade masks by our friends and neighbors at Late Sunday Afternoon.
New Purchases
We’ve committed to using up everything we have at home before buying anything new. Every single bar soap/shampoo. Every toothpaste tablet. Every drop of oil. Every candle. Etc. Same goes for toys. West has plenty already, and if we put them on rotation, he doesn’t get bored. (I must say, I really, really miss our library though. “New” books would be great…) We did, however, invest in some masks for the family from our friends at Late Sunday Afternoon and Hedley & Bennett, and I also got a mini projector since we don’t have a TV.
Holistic Medicine and Practices
I’ve been trying to get pregnant for over a year. I’d recently been visiting my doula, trying dietary supplements and probiotics, and doing acupuncture. (The acupuncture was also for the back injury I’ve had since September that has yet to heal.) All of those are luxuries I could afford because we live tiny, but I’ve stopped them all, with the exception of my Ritual Prenatal vitamins, which I find to be both affordable and easily digestible.
One more thing of note:
I know that reusable goods aren’t possible for all. Not everyone has easy access to a washing machine, for example, and not everyone can afford the up-front costs of reusable goods. But I will say that our reusable bath and kitchen goods, as well as our Lettuce Grow Farmstand, are really coming in handy right now. For example: we haven’t bought toilet paper for months, thanks to our bidet. We never have to go to the store for paper towels and wipes, as we have our washable cloths. I didn’t need to buy tampons or pads when the time came and I discovered that, for yet another month, I wasn’t pregnant. And we no longer have to go out to buy heads of lettuce or bundles of spinach, as they’re growing outside our door on our tiny porch. I want to be delicate about this, but I also want to provide this information in case it’s helpful to others.
Above: Our Lettuce Grow Farmstand outside of the living room window.
Stay safe, folks, and know that we appreciate you being here with us. Any time you visit this blog, you support us. For anyone reading this who works in essential services: my family thanks you from the bottom of our hearts.
9 Years in the Cottage
This month marks the 9th anniversary Adam and I moving into our lil’ cottage. I’ve now lived here longer than any other residence during my life.
Since sheltering in place like countless others across the globe, I’ve received the same question from someone at least once a day: How do I feel about tiny living now that we’re at home around the clock?
The truth is, Adam and I have been practicing this style of 24/7 live-work tiny life ever since he left his digital advertising job 3 years ago shortly after West was born and began working with me at home.
While the virus outbreak is devastating and extremely upsetting on so many levels, the “Safer at Home” order has changed very little for our family in terms of our day-to-day routine. While our hearts are aching for communities across the globe and our minds are racing from current events, our schedule and practices here at home are largely unchanged.
In Hilton Carter’s new book, WILD INTERIORS (which comes out on Tuesday!), the author, filmmaker and plant stylist wrote:
“When I visited [the cottage], I was amazed by the choreographed dance I saw taking place throughout their home. One person steps here so another person can step there... one two, step, one two, step.”
I love doing this dance with Adam every day, and am thrilled to mark this 9th anniversary of living here together. I can’t imagine a more comforting place to be with my husband, child and pups during this pandemic.
Thank you for being here with us. While we’re all physically separate, we remain emotionally (and digitally) together.
Photos by Lucia Doynel.
Nurturing a Sense of Wonder in a Tiny Garden (Part II)
A month ago, I introduced a fairy door + window to the cottage garden. The full post is here, but here’s a brief excerpt for context:
In a small space, it’s arguably easier to pick up on the mood shifts of your family members due to proximity and the level of familiarity that comes with such closeness. And while I always want to be honest with my 3 year old and nurture his sense of empathy, I certainly don’t want him to be negatively impacted by the way I operate when I’m feeling off. So, in order to redirect the focus away from my issues and towards something joyful, I decided to nurture West’s sense of wonder with a lil’ addition to our tiny garden.
Now the entire world is feeling off.
Since we’ve been home 24/7 for weeks, West and I decided to add a ladder to the fairies’ tree.
As I’ve mentioned several times before, I’m not great with DIY activities.
Luckily, things that look ridiculously flawed to adults can still be just as magical for kids.
I’m more of a DIY-lite kind of person, so this simple activity was perfect for both of us.
All we needed were some acorns, scissors, and twigs.
Our friends at Big Red Sun are making handmade fairy kits for families at home during the COVID-19 outbreak.
If you’re interested in being added to the release list, just send Big Red Sun an email: info@bigredsun.com. The kits should be in a week or so!
Growing Food in a Small Space
How do we grow some of our own food in very limited square-footage? Vertically!
We are extremely lucky to have a small but highly usable garden space (which also serves as a shared thoroughfare with our neighbor), but for several reasons we’ve chosen to use it as an outdoor living space.
So, in order to produce veggies, herbs and fruit this year, we’re converting our sunny 8’ porch into a tiny house grow zone!
It’s is still very much a work in progress, but we started it all off with two Lettuce Grow Farmstands, enabling us to grow 72 plants within about 4 sqft.
The stands are made in the USA with plastic recovered from coastal communities lacking recycling facilities.
They require only a fraction of the amount of water needed for growing in soil, which helps here in drought-prone Los Angeles.
We’re just getting started, but already Adam has made meals using greens from the stands.
We’ll continue to share our grow journey with you throughout the year.
An At-Home Cinema in a Small Space (Without a TV)
We don’t have a television at the Cottage. I haven’t had one in nearly 11 years, and I genuinely have never missed it. However, I will wholeheartedly admit that since we’ve been following the Safer at Home protocol for the past 3 weeks, I have absolutely wished for a larger screen while watching the occasional random Netflix show or movie. (We used to use my old iMac — even while in the garden — but that machine has since passed on.)
So instead of caving and getting a television, which I really, really don’t want, we got a tiny, wireless, portable CINEMOOD, which is basically a stay-at-home cinema. (Update: Cinemood saw this post and provided me with a promo code to share with readers for a free smart cover: tinycanalcottage.)
Suddenly we are able to watch movies and shows in the living room, bedroom, porch, and garden on a giant scale. (Where has this thing been for the past 9 years?!)
But my favorite thing of all is that there’s no bulky screen to attempt to hide (or roll up for storage) when we’re through. The projector itself can fit in the palm of my hand. (And we added a playful little case to keep it safe while West is holding it.)
Plus there are no cords. A quick charge is all that’s required, and then the device can go anywhere.
And, since our house and garden are so tiny, we can project from nearly any point on the property and the picture makes it clearly to the viewing wall. (The set-up was easy, but the app and functionality took me a bit to get used to. But I got there!)
West still watches shows sparingly. (His favorites remain Sarah & Duck and Puffin Rock.) Projecting the CINEMOOD on to the ceiling, walls, or even our closet and window curtains prevents our child from having to droop his lil’ neck to watch a show on a handheld screen.
I also feel like the cinema-style projection adds a new dose of magic to our normal day-to-day activities. That extra spark is particularly welcome in this odd time of being tethered so completely to our homes during the COVID-19 outbreak.
(Above: West’s Casa Straw Clutch by Olli Ella, which we turned into a nightlight with battery-operated twinkle lights.)
Since we’re practicing strict social distancing, we can’t gather with friends or family for a movie night, of course. But I do hope that I can come up with clever ways to watch something on the porch with our neighbors during the warmer months to come. (I’ll definitely share photos if we do.)
I’m all for creative solutions for simplified small space living, and this lil’ gadget is a perfect example of a way to think beyond a traditional setup without sacrificing comfort or style.
Note: This post was not sponsored.