You can stand under my umbrella (ella ella ella)

At Ye Olde Dayjobbe I've been living in a world of outdoor fabrics for the past few months. But guess what? They rock.

Sunbrella is the general term for any ol' solution-dyed acrylic fabric, but it's also a name brand. Used to be, you'd associate Sunbrella with the hard, scratchy "fabric" that covered your pool furniture, but these days Sunbrella makes fabrics for lots of high-end designer lines. Almost every designer showroom I've been to has its own line(s) of Sunbrella fabrics and boy have they come a long way!

Outdoor fabrics don't have to be stiff and scratchy any more. I've come across some baby-soft chenilles and knits that your baby would love--and that could also handle your baby's barf and poop. They can range anywhere from $60 to $150 a yard, depending on where you go.

I've had this handy storage ottoman from Ballard Designs for the past couple of years and I must say I've been pretty happy. I got it upholstered in one of Ballard's outdoor fabrics:

BUT...check it out. Sometimes you get what you pay for. I was kind of disappointed that they didn't bother to line up the pattern.

But you know what else? My cat threw up on this ottoman a little while ago and I cleaned it up with some soap and water. It couldn't have been easier. After that, I felt like I totally got my $495 dollar's worth.

So...you have a baby? You have an army of messy kids or roommates? You have a cat that eats a bit too much and barfs all over the place? Then get yourself some Sunbrella, friend!

Yes I did, yes I did...would someone please tell 'em who the f--- I is

Well, I went without a post last week for a good reason--I had not one, but TWO projects wrap up at Ye Olde Dayjobbe on the same day. This had me working crazy 10- and 11-hour days to get everything sorted out. After logging many miles in my car (and earning miles on my AmEx!) I got through it. Of course, the commercial job entailed some magic products from Cliff's Variety:

And my residential project was saved by a big accessory run at West Elm. They had pillows in the perfect shade of yellow (see last week's post about my obession with yellow this summer). I love how they call it "horseradish":

Both projects kept me busy, but both were also great examples of high-low design and decorating: custom pieces (like sofas and chairs) mixed with fun, off-the-shelf accessories.

(Well, the commercial project was also about getting crafty and industrious with the carpet tape and switching out light bulbs here and there...)

Okay, more next week, I promise!

I wrote a song for you and all the things you do...and it was called "Yellow"

For the last couple of years I've been drawn to orange because I wanted to challenge myself. I thought it was weird and garish and yet I was inexplicably drawn to it--heck, I even started Retrograde and created the logo based on my love-hate-fascination with the color.

But I think I'm moving on--to yellow!

Check it out. I'm more partial to mustard-y yellows, but there are so many shades out there:

Here are some great furniture pieces from When Modern Was in Noe Valley--affordably priced and cheerful yellow pieces!

And I guess it all started last year when I spray-painted my rusty Michael Graves clock (from Target) a warm yellow. It really made my bathroom sunnier.