Galvi Envy

I've noticed in the last year or so a modern rural decorating trend spreading itself across America. It could be that the recession makes simple design more appealing to Americans, it could be the popularity of The Carneros Inn in Sonoma County, CA or it could be that Martha Stewart made the trend hot 20 years ago and it's never quite died down. Either way, I like it.

The element I like most is the creative use of authentic galvanized containers. They're perfect for my house: they're simple, they look great and they're impossible to break. (see previous post Everyone Can Use a Little Luck to understand the importance of that specific point.)

My favorite ideas are:

Hanging galvanized pails for storage

Feed troughs used as planters

Buckets used inside for flowers

Little buckets used for organizing

Or lined with parchment on the table

And the ultimate indulgence, fountain made from a feed trough

A great resource for the authentic pieces is my local Alamo Hay and Grain. If you don't live in my neighborhood, though, Dover Parkersburg has a great assortment and will ship anywhere.

Whether the trend stays trendy or not -- no matter. Durable, low maintenance things that look good are always in style at the Furber house.

Five Things I Forgot I Had

The swap meet at the Furber house last weekend was a moderate success. JP,Jack, Andie, and Katie all got great things that they were very excited about. One man's castoff is another man's treasure, it seems.

I rate the event as only moderately successful because I didn't get the inbox I was hoping for. Maybe next time. However, as always happens when I start looking in closets and under sinks, I found some pretty good and useful stuff I had forgotten about. For example:

Some plastic storage drawers that were nearly empty under my bathroom sink are now in the garage holding JP's odds and ends on his workbench.

Some empty wine crates are now holding table linens in my dining room.


I found a supercool corkboard that now makes a great addition to my command center in my laundry room.

I found stashes of notecards all over the office. When I gathered them all together, it seems like we've got enough to get us through about the next five years of thank you notes. We now have a drawer in the office dedicated only to notecards and thank you note writing supplies. Stand by Grandmas and Grandpas -- thank you notes are on the way.

I found dormant frames all over the place -- in the garage, in the office, in the hall closet. Next time I think I need to buy a frame, I don't. And the next time after that, too.

Cleaning out my closets looking for stuff to trade just wet my appetite for a bigger excavation. I think I'll venture into the garage next -- maybe my inbox will be in there.

If I Were Stranded on a Desert Island, I'd Want My Husband, My Children, and My Two Bushel Rolling Hampers

A recent visit to our condo in Sun Valley reminded me of the single most useful tool that exists for a family with kids: the two bushel wheeled hamper from The Museum of Useful Things in Cambridge, Mass.

We have three of them in Sun Valley and use them for everything from holding toys (and moving them from one end of the house to the other), transporting laundry around the house, moving groceries from the car, and best of all, moving luggage from the car to the house when we come to visit. One winter, Jack took one of them ouside and filled it with snow so he could transport the snow and his shovel to the location where he was making a snowman. When Katie was a baby, the big kids used a hamper like a wagon and pulled her around the house in it. As I said, very useful.

I must warn though -- The Museum of Useful Things is not too big on mail order. It took several weeks, several phone calls and about $100 in shipping to get my rolling hampers packed, shipped, and delivered. By the time I had received my shipment of rolling hampers, I think I was in for about $500.

Best $500 I ever spent.

My Mom Was Ahead of Her Time

I'm always looking for ways to keep my house healthy for my family. It turns out my Mom had one of the secrets all along -- houseplants. My Mom just loved houseplants when I was growing up. Our house was filled with them: spider plants, ferns, shiffaleras, philodendrons. We had them all. I vaguely remember a cross country road trip with my parents that included a houseplant. My Mom was worried the plant would die while we were gone, so it traveled with us and spent each night in our hotel room. But I digress.

Houseplants (and their macrame hangers) were a big trend in the seventies, and had been out of fashion for several years. Now with the resurgance of interest in all things healthy, eco and green, houseplants are making a huge comeback, because they not only look pretty, they have a purpose. According to a research study conducted by NASA scientist BC Wolverton, plants are the most efficient and cost-effective method of cleaning your indoor air.

Research has shown that these 10 plants give you the most bang for your buck:
Areca palm
Reed palm
Dwarf date palm
Boston fern
Janet Craig dracaena
English ivy
Australian sword fern
Peace Lily
Rubber plant
Weeping fig

You should allow one plant for every ten square yards of floor space, which means you need 2-3 plants in the average sized room for good air quality.

Besides keeping the air clean in your house, houseplants offer one more great opportunity to express your personal style. The containers that hold your houseplants can be anything you love:


Galvanized Buckets (Bailey's Home and Garden)


Pretty Glass Vases (Bailey's Home and Garden)


Vintage Sugar Molds (CitySearch your local flea market)


Mexican Dough Bowls (Direct from Mexico)

Just get some good advice from your local nursery on the best way to transplant your plant into your favorite container so it can drain properly.

I'm happy to see houseplants make a comeback, as I love the happy color they bring to the house, the fresh air, and my kids love to water them.

Is it too much to hope, though, that the macrame hangers remain a thing of the past?