a simple life afloat

Table of Blue Colors

2012-02-14T14:47:00.000-08:00

Just because. (Reminds me of this.)

Image: From Ignaz Schiffermüller, Versuch eines Farbensystems (Vienna, 1772), plate II. (Photo: 2002, Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC) via Sarah Lowengard

Semi-Gloss Paint

2012-02-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

My boat's looking a bit grimy -- it's bound to happen in such a small space, and so there are marks from Lily's constant running-into-walls, nail holes that need to be patched, places where the paint's come off for one reason or another. I usually touch it up every few months, but I'm starting to think that I should use Semi-Gloss Natura this time, rather than Eggshell. Pros: More durable, easier to clean. Cons: More glare, shows imperfections. Hmm.

Image: Benjamin Moore

A Bunch of Flowers

2012-02-13T14:10:00.000-08:00

If I feel like adding colour, I simply buy a bunch of flowers.

For me to feel good, all I need is to be surrounded by
neutral hues and clean, simple lines.

-Architecture student Elizabeth Broeng Jorgenson in "Inside Out" magazine

Image: Stuart McIntyre

American Whistle

2012-02-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while it occurs to me that I should probably wear a whistle (like this one from KIOSK) when I take Lily out very late at night. That way, if we fall in, I can get someone's attention. But I never get around to doing it. I hope I haven't just jinxed us.

Image: KIOSK

Bristol Harbor Painting

2012-02-12T07:00:00.000-08:00

Oil by Phyllis Dobbyn Adams.

Image: Phyllis Dobbyn Adams

Eccentric

2012-02-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago my sister said that people who live on boats are eccentric. And she pointed out that yes, that includes me.

Image: seriousfun/morgueFile

Cabin on the Water

2012-02-10T13:14:00.000-08:00

Intrigued by Tricia's blue house. About as close as you can get to being a floating home without being one.

Image: My Cabin on the Water/Pinterest

Boy with Toy Boat

2012-02-10T06:38:00.000-08:00

Henry Page Dyer with toy boat, Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, early 1920s. Just because I like the photo.

Image: cecily dyer/Flickr

Breathe Print

2012-02-09T11:55:00.000-08:00

Print by Sarah Palisi. (Nope, still haven't come up with a word for this year, so I guess I'll just stick with breathe.)

Image: Sarah Palisi/Society6

Dark Wood Floors

2012-02-09T06:00:00.001-08:00

When I re-do my floors, eventually, maybe I should go with dark wood. I love the contrast with all the white, like in the dining room of Tricia Foley's Long Island house.

Image: Tricia Foley

Teardrop Vase

2012-02-08T11:00:00.000-08:00

Such a nice, simple, little vase. Available here.

Image: Mignon Kitchen Co.

Oregon Floating Home

2012-02-08T06:00:00.001-08:00

For sale: This cute 400 sq. ft. floating home in Oregon, $55K including the slip. More info here.

Images: Tiny House Listings

Linen Pillows

2012-02-07T11:00:00.000-08:00

Loving these linen-covered pillows. In fact, if I had these, I might even re-think my two pillow policy.

Image: Remodelista

Door Handles

2012-02-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

How to feel like a dork in one easy lesson: Over three years after moving aboard your houseboat, notice that the handles on your side doors are different.

Hanging Mason Jars

2012-02-06T11:00:00.000-08:00

I just might have to steal Tammy's idea. (Read more about her tiny kitchen here.)

Image: Rowdy Kittens

Houseboat Screen Print

2012-02-06T06:00:00.007-08:00

Screen print by Lizzy Stewart.

Image: LizzyStewart/Etsy

Bed Nook

2012-02-05T07:00:00.002-08:00

Nice little sleeping nook. Love the white linens and windows. I bet it's great in the summer, but I'm not so sure about the winter.

Image: Mykle Coyne

String Lights as Ceiling Lights

2012-02-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

Hmm, an interesting idea.

Image: ouno via The Improvised Life

Beach Abstract Photo

2012-02-03T12:32:00.001-08:00

Photo by Chris Seagal.

Image: Chris Seagal Photography/Flickr

Houseboat by Piet and Karin Boon

2012-02-03T06:00:00.004-08:00

Designed by Piet and Karin Boon, this floating home in (where else?) Amsterdam is bordered by water on three sides and land on the fourth. Its box design includes sleeping quarters and bathrooms that are partly below the waterline, and floor-to-ceiling windows that open up to the outside deck -- and can be closed off by shutters in bad weather. (Reminiscent of the Woonboot Muggenbeet.)

Images: Est Magazine, Issue 4

Life on a Boat

2012-02-02T11:00:00.000-08:00

Life on a boat sounds fun! Plus, I imagine it forces you in a good way

to only have around you the things that you love.

-From a recent email

Image: joellybaby/Flickr

Vintage Ampersand Marquee Light

2012-02-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

Cool. (For sale here.)

Image: VintageMarqueeLights/Etsy

White Nook

2012-02-01T11:35:00.000-08:00

Such a nice balance of white and wood.

Image: Skona Hem

Lily

2012-02-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

She gets me up twice a night. She whines if she's in the car more than a couple of hours. She eats better than I do. I have cheap, washable rugs because of her. And every day, I'm grateful that she came to live with me.

Mr. Noah's Houseboat Book

2012-01-31T11:08:00.000-08:00

Well, I never thought of an ark as a houseboat -- or heard of Noah as Mr., for that matter -- but okay. (Book for sale here.)

Image: ArcaniumAntiques/Etsy

Dutch Doors

2012-01-31T06:00:00.000-08:00

I love Dutch doors.

Image: Laura Resen

Cowboy with Labradors Vintage Photo

2012-01-30T12:14:00.000-08:00

Such a great old pic. (For sale here.)

Image: maclancy/Etsy

Boathouse

2012-01-30T06:00:00.001-08:00

Wow.

Image: Church Estate Vineyards via Debra Prinzing

Trunk Bay Fiber Art

2012-01-29T07:00:00.001-08:00

Raw-edged collaged artwork by JacqM.

Image: JacqM/Etsy

Reclaimed Apothecary Matchstick Bottle

2012-01-28T07:00:00.000-08:00

I love the way the wood matches look in this reclaimed apothecary glass bottle. The bottom of the bottle's etched for striking matches. (For sale here.)

Image: Jen Pearson Designs/Etsy

Painted Floor

2012-01-27T11:00:00.000-08:00

Just look at Tricia's pretty painted floor.

Image: My Cabin on the Water/Pinterest

Seagull and Fish

2012-01-27T06:00:00.001-08:00

Yesterday: This seagull caught a fish that was so big that the gull couldn't get out of the water with it. Instead of being able to dine on its meal on the dock, the greedy bird ended up paddling around and around, trying very hard to eat it while not dropping it. Not such an easy feat.

Quilts by Comma Workshop

2012-01-26T11:00:00.000-08:00

Fabric+typography+storytelling. Yes, please. Check out Comma Workshop's amazing quilts on their website and blog.

Images: comma workshop (blog)

Old Center Houseboat

2012-01-26T06:00:00.001-08:00

Sometimes I think that all the best houseboats are on the Amstel in Amsterdam. More info on this two-bedroom floating home here.

Images: HomeAway

Child's Bed Nook

2012-01-25T13:06:00.000-08:00

So cute.

Image: Stadshem

After a Storm

2012-01-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

I love the day following a storm, when I can open up all the windows and doors on the boat and let it air out. I always feel soggy after a lot of rain, and the fresh air helps fix that.

Image: andreasnilsson1976/Flickr

A Boat on a Roof

2012-01-24T13:08:00.000-08:00

It's a boat, it's a... rentable one-bedroom apartment atop London's Southbank Centre. Click here for more pics and info.

Images: David Hosea/Dezeen

Have Less of It

2012-01-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

... if you don't like to clean, sort and fool with stuff, have less of it.

-Janet Luhrs, The Simple Living Guide

Image: Linie Design

Wind

2012-01-23T11:43:00.000-08:00

It's interesting how much windier it is at the harbor than at other places in the city. (Although not quite this bad.)

Image: billaday/Flickr

Animals of Whittling Wood Coat Rack

2012-01-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

I guess I'm just a big kid because I'd like this for myself. (For sale here.)

Image: Theo

Kelp Photogram Cyanotype

2012-01-22T07:00:00.000-08:00

Photogram cyanotype on butcher paper by Adam Davidow.

Image: enframingpress/Etsy

Where I'd Rather Be

2012-01-21T07:00:00.000-08:00

Today, I'd rather be here.

Image: L'Ilot

Burlap Curtains

2012-01-20T11:00:00.000-08:00

Simple curtains. Burlap. Plumbing rod hardware. Wooden dowels on the bottom for weight. Light and privacy.

Image: Matthew Williams/Remodelista

Knocking on Wood

2012-01-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

Funny: I'm always knocking on wood for luck -- but I didn't realize that a possible origin of the superstition (and there are many possibilities) is that 17th-century sailors would knock on the wood hull of their ships to check for rot.

Image: Chris Blakeley/Flickr

Boat Shoes

2012-01-19T12:13:00.000-08:00

Well, that's interesting.

Image: ADiamondFellFromTheSky/Flickr via Black and WTF via The Improvised Life

There is Beauty in Simplicity Print

2012-01-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

Print by Melissa Baswell Williams.

Image: BubbyAndBean/Etsy

Franklin Caravan

2012-01-18T10:50:00.000-08:00

Oo. Ah. "Frankie," Kara Rosenlund's 1956 Franklin Caravan, houses Travelling Wares, a pop-up shop of vintage home and kitchen items. Check it out next time you're in Brisbane.

Images: Father Rabbit's Blog, Kara Rosenlund

Gimlet Hand Drill

2012-01-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

Who needs a fancy electric drill? Silly me, I didn't even know these existed. (For sale at Kaufmann Mercantile.)

Image: Kaufmann Mercantile

Simple Framing

2012-01-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

I kinda like this really simple framing.

Image: pi'lo

Play Your Life

2012-01-16T11:24:00.000-08:00

A few months ago someone said to me, "Play your life." And on this, the first anniversary of my father's death, those words seem especially appropriate -- because, you know, life's too short: play your life. And so, soon, Lily and I will head to the beach.

Image: eschipul/Flickr

Seascape 2 Painting

2012-01-15T17:14:00.000-08:00

Acrylic by Niki Arden.

Image: NikiArdenFineArt/Etsy

Friday

2012-01-14T12:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday: Bittersweet. Quiet coastal towns. Blue-green-aqua ocean. Warm, sunny, cloudless. Cormorants, pelicans, geese, dogs. Thrifting. Memories.

Image: HBarrison/Flickr

Cadiz Rug

2012-01-13T10:00:00.000-08:00

As my friend LJ said, "sort of a Gee's Bend carpet." For sale here.

Image: West Elm

White Paint

2012-01-13T06:00:00.001-08:00

Have I mentioned lately how much I like white paint? I don't believe I have. At one point I painted one wall blue-green (a small wall, this one) and hated it -- it was too much color for me, if you can believe it -- so of course I went back to white. Just like with my grey floor. Now white. Again.

Image: The Young Readers Press First Dictionary by John Travaskis & Robin Hyman, illustrated by John Seares Riley, Young Readers Press, NY, 1967 (1973) via Stopping Off Place

Sky Lanterns

2012-01-12T12:22:00.000-08:00

When MM and her son visited a couple of weeks ago (and how fun was it to meet such a dedicated reader -- and genuinely nice people? Very), she brought me some really thoughtful gifts, including sky lanterns. When you light and release them, you make a wish. I'm a little nervous about the whole fire aspect, so I'm going to have to get someone braver than I am to do it with me. Maybe at the beach.

Image: andreamabry/Parallels, snapshots & serendipity

TV on a Boat

2012-01-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

In another attempt to further simplify my life: Yesterday BP and I took down my satellite dish. (Goodbye, frustrating constant re-booting and unnecessary expenditure. Hello, online TV.) I feel like it completely changed the feng shui of my boat. Just look how much better it looks than it did before.

White Bathroom

2012-01-11T13:16:00.000-08:00

Simple. Lovely.

Image: James Leland Day

LED Lights on Copper Wire

2012-01-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

I saw these battery-operated LED lights on a copper wire at a shop in Carmel not long ago. They're really pretty in person. And much more expensive there than here.

Images: Amazon.co.uk

Pillow Set

2012-01-10T10:00:00.000-08:00

Speaking of enhabiten, I'm coveting this set of lavender and buckwheat pillows. (Scoop 'em up here.)

Image: enhabiten/Etsy

Bold and Fearless

2012-01-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

... last night, perhaps psychically linked with my printer frustration, i purged all sorts of stuff from my little baby house. i was feeling claustrophobic. everything is off the walls
and the shelves are bare. i'm selling it all in the shop today. crazy?
nay, bold and fearless!

-Liane, enhabiten

Image: enhabiten/Etsy

Stoneware

2012-01-09T10:54:00.000-08:00

Lovely, simple stoneware from Olmay.

Image: Olmay

FinBack Cruise-a-Home

2012-01-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

The FinBack is a 40' Cruise-a-Home with a cuddy cabin underneath the bow. If those cabins don't creep you out, like they do me, there's sales info here.

Images: Planet Yacht

Abstract Photo

2012-01-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

Photo by Lora Krenzler.

Image: DiLuce/Etsy

Boathouse

2012-01-07T14:01:00.000-08:00

Dominique Browning and her sons rented a house on the California coast over the holidays. She slept in the boathouse. Clearly, she's made of sterner stuff than I am -- it was unheated (except for an electric blanket), yet she threw the windows open and watched the constellations. Click here to read more on her blog.

Image: Slow Love Life

Word of the Year

2012-01-06T12:39:00.000-08:00

Some people, instead of coming up with resolutions, choose a word -- or phrase -- for the new year. It represents a theme, an idea, something to focus on. For a long time, Simplify has been a huge part of my life, and for the last couple of years, my word has been Breathe, although Fun has been on my mind, too. But here we are, a week into 2012, and I don't know what my new word is. I think it'll just come to me and feel right. What word would you choose?

Image: emdot/Flickr

Cool Caravan

2012-01-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

Lovely little converted caravan. Read more about it here.

Images: Viceversa via AT:LA via Tiny House Blog

Let it Be Print

2012-01-05T10:25:00.000-08:00

Print by Jan Skacelik. And, always, good words to remember.

Image: handz/Etsy

Wool Mattress Toppers

2012-01-04T09:15:00.000-08:00

I don't sleep on a regular coil-spring mattress, or on foam. Instead I sleep atop several cozy wool-filled mattress toppers. (So my bed looks kind of like this.) And I love it. In fact, I just bought another topper off Craigslist, and it makes me very happy.

Image: sma & store drommer via my ideal home

Lily

2012-01-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

Here you go, tammy j, et al.,: Lily on Tuesday evening.

Boat Neighbors

2012-01-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

I know -- almost always -- which of my neighbors is knocking on my boat. Each person has their own distinctive knock, and some people go to the starboard side, and others to the port side. (Although every so often I'm surprised.)

Image: Leo Reynolds/Flickr

Iron Ornament Labrador

2012-01-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

I'm not a fan of things that sit around collecting dust, but I love this. (For sale here.)

Image: Tortoise General Store

New Year

2012-01-01T11:54:00.000-08:00

Off to start the new year right by looking at the waves and smelling the sea air. Happy 2012, everyone.

Image: somebody_/Flickr

Burning Bowl Ritual

2011-12-31T17:18:00.000-08:00

A couple of years ago I wrote about the Burning Bowl ceremony, where you write down the things that you want to release from your life, and then burn 'em up. Well, 2011 has been... challenging. And maybe it's because last New Year's Eve I didn't, at the same time, write down the things I wanted to bring into my life in the next year. (You don't burn that list, you keep it in a safe place.) C'mon, 2012, will you be good to me if I do the two-part ritual?

Image: thefrenchmouse/Etsy

Labrador and Dolphin

2011-12-30T09:17:00.000-08:00

But of course it's a yellow lab.

Breathe Tattoo

2011-12-29T08:00:00.000-08:00

Ah, here's the tattoo for me. If I weren't too much of a weenie to get a tattoo.

Image: Gluten-Free Girl

The MIMA House

2011-12-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

Very cute, affordable, little prefab house. Read more here.

Images: Jose Campos/Dezeen
Via: **Happiness Is...**

Thieves Oil Blend

2011-12-27T08:00:00.000-08:00

Fighting off getting sick. Wishing I had some Thieves Oil. Based on a protective concoction used by a group of robbers during the Plague, the blend of essential oils is supposedly anti-viral, antiseptic, and anti-bacterial. You can find various versions online, or on Etsy. Being a sucker for good packaging, I like alchemylifestyle's label.

Image: alchemylifestyle/Etsy

Winter and Wool Blankets

2011-12-26T09:42:00.000-08:00

I need more wool blankets. This winter is so cold and dry that sometimes I touch Lily and there's a shock from the static electricity. Poor dog.

Image: moon angel/Flickr

Wish Tree

2011-12-25T09:32:00.000-08:00

Yoko Ono has installed wish trees all over the world, asking people to write down their wish and tie it to a tree. I like this one. This cracks me up, and the ones with afterthoughts, like this, this, and this. According to Wikipedia, prior to Prince Albert's introduction of pine trees in 1840, wishing trees were a Christmas tradition. Evergreen boughs were hung with apples, sweetmeats, candles, and ribbons representing wishes. Happy holidays, and may your wishes come true.

Images: (Carrie Sloan)/Flickr, little oceans, Burns!/Flickr

The Calm Before the Storm Photo

2011-12-24T09:22:00.000-08:00

Photo by littleputbooks.

Image: littleputbooks/Etsy

Where I'd Rather Be

2011-12-23T13:34:00.000-08:00

Today, I'd rather be here.

Image: Verana

Bird Footprints

2011-12-23T09:55:00.001-08:00

On the dock this morning.

Seasonal Wardrobe

2011-12-22T11:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I saw a neighbor moving many boxes off her boat. When I asked if she was moving, she said no, she was swapping out her summer clothes for her winter clothes in storage. Freaks me out to think of having that many clothes. And of paying for a storage unit to store them.

Image: FortGirl/Flickr

Camera

2011-12-22T08:14:00.000-08:00

On the 2012 to-do list: Better camera. Better photos.

Image: tibchris/Flickr

Winter Solstice

2011-12-21T11:18:00.000-08:00

One step closer to spring. (Oops, belatedly realized I was a day early.)

Image: Chiot's Run/Flickr

Bed Nook

2011-12-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

Cute bed nook in a Norwegian summer house.

Image: Mary Beth Koeth via Desire to Inspire

Midday Sail Photo

2011-12-20T11:15:00.000-08:00

Photo by Kelly Kellogg. (See this and this, too.)

Image: PacificPhotoArt/Etsy

Remodeled Airstream

2011-12-20T09:51:00.000-08:00

A while ago I blogged landscape architect Andreas Stravropolous' '59 Airstream. Check out the video of his remodel. Cork floors, track lighting, birch plywood cabinets. Very cool.

Via: Tiny House Blog

Seagrass Squares Matting

2011-12-19T11:00:00.000-08:00

This makes me want seagrass matting again.

Image: Ben Pentreath via Pure Style Blog

French Can Opener

2011-12-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

It's crazy to covet a can opener, right? Even if it's cute and compact and French?

Image: Museum of Useful Things

Cold Lily

2011-12-18T09:31:00.000-08:00

It's been so cold after the sun goes down that Lily seems cold even with the heater on, so I've been creating a little blanket wall around her every night. Yes, I'm a dork.

Sailboat

2011-12-17T10:48:00.000-08:00

Beautiful.

Image: The Larchmont Yacht Club, 1939, by Morris Rosenfeld
Via: Toy Sailboats

Just Enough

2011-12-16T13:11:00.000-08:00

I only keep what will fit into this remarkably small space, and it's just enough.

-Brooke Berman, No Place Like Home: A Memoir in 39 Apartments

Image: Anne Naumann

Amsterdam Houseboat

2011-12-16T09:37:00.000-08:00

This houseboat in Amsterdam has two bedrooms, a fireplace, a terrace, and a "bedstead" in the living room. That little nook: Cozy or claustrophobic? More details here.

Images: Apartments Houseboats Amsterdam

Industrial Loft Room Divider

2011-12-15T12:00:00.000-08:00

I love this room divider in a London loft. (Even more than this one.)

Image: rumid via The Room Vote

Sailing Ship Poster

2011-12-15T11:00:00.000-08:00

Poster by Banquet. (See her marine animals poster and waterbirds poster, too.)

Image: Banquet/Etsy

Hot Cocoa Mug

2011-12-14T11:00:00.000-08:00

It's been very cold (well, for California), and I've been drinking a lot of hot chocolate. Unfortunately, not in a mug from White Forest Pottery.

Images: White Forest Pottery, White Forest blog

Showering on a Boat

2011-12-14T06:00:00.001-08:00

Many of my neighbors shower on board their boats. Many of them don't. I don't because I'm paranoid about mold and don't want to add more moisture to the inside of the boat than is already there. I don't mind the short walk to the harbor's showers. Besides, I can do without more things to avoid cleaning, and I have to refill the water tank often enough as it is.

Image: gfpeck/Flickr

Innermost House

2011-12-13T11:02:00.000-08:00

Twelve feet square. Living room, kitchen, study, bathroom, sleeping loft. Fireplace, books, beautiful wood and white lime plaster. Two people. No electricity or power -- they cook and heat bathwater over the fireplace. While I think the little house is beautiful and inspiring, so natural and uncluttered and peaceful, I'm not sure I could live such a plain and simple life. Could you? (Read more here.)

Images: Tiny House Blog

Gifts for Boat Dwellers

2011-12-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

I finally learned, when asked what I'd like for my birthday or Christmas, to request help with projects on my boat. Instead of stuff.

Image: GoodBonesVintageCo/Etsy