Summer 2015

Hi friends.
It's been a while.  :)

Adorable foster kitten Harley

I've been sharing mostly on Instagram these days, so be sure to follow me there!  
My handle is, of course, Airstreamdiva.

So... to catch up.
What have you been doing?

I've been:

1. Directing a huge heap of shows, including several brand new productions.

• Il Ritorno d'Ulisse at Rice University, which was a super fun production we set in a grand villa on the Italian coast.  Check out the fun pics on my professional webpage!  (www.tarafaircloth.com) 
• Gorgeous new Eugene Onegin at Arizona Opera, with the lovely Corinne Winters.  What a blessing to work on this amazing opera, with friends old and new.  Pics HERE. 
• Visited the great flat North.... North Dakota State University, where my long time designer pal Rooth Varland runs the theatre department.  She and I created a lovely Midsummer Night's Dream (opera) for the music school.  I stayed with her family for the month and had a grand time working on this gorgeous score.  Also staying up all hours painting banana leaves on massive scenic flats.  A director wears many hats....    Pics HERE. 
• Not a new production, but directed my very first Nozze di Figaro.  At Atlanta Opera, my homeland.  This show has always seemed the pinnacle of opera to me... massive, deep, important, "sacred."  I did a lot of sweating in the months prior. Like so many things in life, there was a lot of dread and angst, it was hard, and it ended up being wonderful.  Pics HERE, and scattered all over the website. 
• And a few other productions, but those are the highlights.  :) 

Munger St "River"   May 2015

2. Basically spent about 5 days at my home in Houston between Christmas Day and May 17, so it was pretty wonderful to crawl into my own bed for a bit.  Just in time to enjoy the crazy floods we have experienced this spring/summer!  Man, I was feeling pretty smug about my decision to raise the house 18inches last summer. 

3.  Did MASSIVE work on the foundation and exterior of my house, fall 2014.  Another post on this to follow. 

4. Big news: my man-friend Matt moved from NYC to Austin!  Not the same city, but at least we are in the same state again.  Moving him was the normal pain in the rear x10 that anything involving NYC means.  But now he is here, and has a lovely apartment, and I have actually been able to spend some time with him before heading off on my summer gig! Huzzah! 

Ok, that feels like enough updating for the moment.  I am feeling "bloggy" this summer, so check back soon for more updates.  Thanks for stopping by! 

Tiny is beautiful

I'm kind of obsessed with tiny space living.....makes me nostalgic about my Airstream days.   Watching vids like this makes my 550sqft feel palatial!

Like this guy who lives in 78 square feet...  what???!!

But I really like the stories about people who are building their own tiny homes...

I love how these people are taking control of their own lives, deciding that they are not going to be slaves to a big mortgage, or that owning STUFF is less important than living a quality life.

Very inspiring, don't you think?

DIY Roman Blinds

OMG these DIY roman blinds are gorgeous and look pretty darn easy to accomplish.  Little Green Notebook has done it again, with an easy-to-understand tutorial for ALMOST no-sew blinds that are made using cheapie plastic mini-blinds as a base.   I wish I had come up with this.  But, failing that, I am delighted that Jenny did.  Le sigh.

Productivity

Well I have been back home in Houston for just about two weeks. Two very hot, but fairly productive weeks! This is what I have done since my adventures with Sweeney Todd at Wolf Trap:

1. Took my time driving from Washington DC to Houston with my boyfriend as co-pilot, making stops to visit my parents in Georgia, and his parents in New Orleans. Little to no bloodshed in the family meet-ups, lots of laughs. Verdict: good times, sore fannies (from the long drive!).
2. Meet with the Tax Authority to protest the new valuation of my house: It had miraculously increased in value nearly $40,000 in just a year! Amazing! Especially since that valuation was $20,000 more than I paid for it just over a year ago! Luckily, the protest guy agreed with me and set the tax value of the house at my purchase price. Oh, home ownership.
3. Have been tediously transcribing a literal translation in my Barber of Seville score; thinking about and studying the show; having major doubts about my ability to direct this piece well, interspersed with feeling really good about it.
4. Assessing the situation and hiring contractors to do interior work in the tenant side of my duplex before my new tenant moves in. They are over there right now, re-tiling the bathroom. It's gonna be so pretty!
5. Working my ever loving buns off on another major home project! The tenant side yard of my property was a total nightmare when I bought the place... there was once a concrete sidewalk but it was all broken and it basically looked like an earthquake had hit that side of the property. I had the concrete pieces taken out in the early summer and had hoped the mud would miraculously smooth out and grass would seed and all would be lovely. On my return I realized this was a fool's wish, and thus I have been spending my mornings creating this:  

  

  Can you even believe it?  I excavated and hauled sand and gravel and bricks and pavers and this morning it is done!  Now my side yard is jealous of the tenant side yard.  As well it should be.

Ok, off to be productive for today....  more soon?

What have you been doing with your August?

All Things Thrifty Home Accessories and Decor: Tutorial: How to make a Fabric Headboard

Absolutely putting this on my to-do list!

All Things Thrifty Home Accessories and Decor: Tutorial: How to make a Fabric Headboard: "In my master bedroom, I wanted an extra large headboard that would make a statement. Here are my instructions on how to make a fabric headb..."

Spring cleaning

So my boyfriend is away this weekend, visiting his family in New Orleans for Mardi Gras.  When he asked me about attending MONTHS ago, I said "oh sure, that sounds fun...hope it works out."   Little did I know that to native New Orleanians, this is like Thanksgiving and Christmas all rolled into one.  When I stupidly took a job during this time period, I simply did not realize its import.  I thought it was much like missing a weekend bbq or a nephew's birthday party.  Little did I know. 
ANYWAY, suffice it to say, here I am, spending the weekend at home alone.  Nice for me: gorgeous weather. So while it is odd to find myself without any real social plans, I have tried to make the most of it..... i.e. spring cleaning.  I.e. "trying to turn this hovel into something bearable."  hahah

What I have done:

1.  Friday night:  Dungeness crab, Dos Equis, and Double Indemnity.  Yes, better with a pal to curl up with, but not too shabby a way to spend a Friday night.  :)

 2.  Sang a funeral.  No this does not sound fun, but it IS fun to sing a bit in a great space, possibly touch some folks that need a bit of musical healing,  and make some spare change.  Hollah!

3.  Dinner and a movie with some pals.  The Adjustment Bureau.  Totally enjoyable. Also I have been told that Emily Blunt may be my "celebrity who stars as you in the movie version of your life."   Verdict:  Totally flattering.

4.  Cleaning my bedroom.  Bought a cute wooden dresser at a yard sale and promptly set up shop in my bedroom, trying to be organized.  Went thru ALL of my clothes for the annual "what haven't you worn in 2yrs" clear out.  Hung some pics.  Room is looking fairly spiffy, if I do say so.

5. Yard Work!  Today I spent 6 hrs.  YES 6 HOURS!  raking, digging, mowing,  burning leaves and sticks, etc from my yard.  Why on earth did this take so long?   My yard is tiny.  But lordy does it need work.  My back is sore but I am feeling rather self satisfied. Stilll loads to do, but what a great start.  Yay!

6.  Finished the weekend with 2 margaritas at Original Ninfa's which was totally packed.  And totally delish.  

What still needs to happen:
1.  more yard action in the backyard.  sigh.
2.  washing dishes.
3.  straighten up living room

Am I a party animal or what???

Brick path saga

So I thought it might be nice to build a little brick pathway off the side of my front porch.  Lord knows, I have enough spare bricks around here, and just a reminder, this is the "path" before:

Not pretty. And constantly muddy and gross. I hated this area.
So I had a dream... a dream of a cottage-y brick walkway. 

Countless hours of back-breaking work later, my dream is almost a reality!!
First step: excavate the pounds and pounds of clay mud, rock and tree roots in the area:

Good lord this took longer than expected.  Good lord my back has ached for 2 weeks.

That is definitely the hardest part. Then you put in landscape edging, and add the first bag of gravel! So satisfying!

Here it is with all the gravel in place:

Next I poured lots of sand on top of that gravel, and smoothed it out. Perfect levels are for sissies. I like a more organic (lazier) look.
Then the painstaking brick-laying:

So pretty!!  Now I am taking my time brushing sand into all those nooks and crannies.  Could do with a light rain, but looks like we are cursed with perfectly gorgeous weather for the nest week.  Oh Houston spring.
That did not stop me from planting some edging plants though!
Check the Dwarf Mondo Grass:

Should fill out that area nicely. 
Look for "final" pics in the days to come!

Wednesday Delights

Wednesday delights:

1.  The Ikea Kitchen Planner.  What an amazing tool! Check out my plan, above.  Now that I have paid for my new adorable roof, I am dreaming of the next big move.... kitchen reno.  White cabinets, butcher block countertops, white tile on floor, soft yellow on the walls, dry goods in glass jars on a shelf.  It is a beautiful dream, and I am diligently saving AS WE SPEAK.    See also the pic below....mine will not be a literal interpretation, but definitely the model I am after....

2.  Getting my home inspection scheduled, after multiple occasions for literally pulling my hair out in the home insurance biz.

3.  Grapefruit.  So good.  Nature's little gift in the winter.

4.  Cleaning my desk at work.

5.  Slow but steady progress on the ole brick walkway.  Can't wait to show more pics!  But here is a sad one from day two of digging: 

It is hard to tell, but that soil is mostly clay filled with rocks and BIG tree roots.  Digging is not easy, fo sho.  I've managed to break a couple of garden tools already.  I am just so freaking strong, you see.

6.  Looking forward to some real time off.  During which I can plan for the upcoming months. So much planning!!!!

My little pad

So here she is.... my new little home.
I closed on this cute little duplex just last week.  I can hardly believe it is true.
Yes, she needs a little work. She was born in 1935 for pete's sake!
No, she is not in the best neighborhood, but it seems this neighborhood (Eastwood.... developed in the 30's by the same guy that developed the Heights) is on its way up.  Prices are certainly rising, and I happen to know several pretty interesting folks who live there. 
Yes, she is small.

BUT... yes, she is adorably historic!
Yes, she already has a great tenant on the other side of the wall... a lovely tenant that makes a big dent in my mortgage payment!
Yes, she has a big yard, front and back!
And yes, SHE IS MINE!!

A tiny tour....
View from front door.... den, into dining room, bedroom in back.

tiny kitchen.... higher on my "fix it up" priority list...

tiny bathroom....

Backyard... (washer/dryer in storage shed!)

close up of bedroom...

And another view of the front porch....

And that is that!  When you are tiny, tours are short. hehe
Anyway, stay tuned for updates as I get all moved in and start making improvements.  Ridiculously, I was only able to move a few boxes after signing on the place, because I had to leave town for a gig almost immediately! And now I am pretty much out of town until next August, excepting about 10 days in May.  Ridiculous, I say.  

But while we are on the subject, I am going to go ahead and take the liberty of crossing off a big one on my Ultimate To Do List:  "Live in a cottage with ivy and rambling roses."    Whoduthunkit?!