By Monica Ewing, Sunset senior designer

I have two collections: postcards and seashells. I haven’t thought of a good way to display the postcards yet (suggestions welcome!), but I came up with two seashell solutions that work for me. Here’s how I did it…

1. Seashell candlescape
Making seashell candles is not a new idea, but they’re a rickety container ill suited for holding an open flame. Inspired by Zen sand gardens, I thought of a solution. Placed in sand, the seashell candles would be stable. Plus, it’s a beautiful and easy way to display them.

Step 1 Gather supplies
First, I needed a shallow box or tray to hold the sand. I found this stained black wooden tray at Pier 1 a couple years ago. Next, I bought a bag of sand, pouring container, and candle thermometer at Michael's. Finally I bought a bag of tea lights at Ikea.

Step 2 Make the candles
First I dumped the sand into a disposable pie plate and placed the seashells level on the sand. Then I removed the trays and wicks from several of the tea lights and deposited the wax in the pouring container, which I had put in a pot of boiling water. Next I clipped the thermometer to the inside, and watched the wax melt. The wax became transparent and ready to pour at about 160 degrees. After filling each of the seashells, I waited a few minutes before placing the wicks in the bottom of the shells. In about half an hour, the wax had hardened and developed a well around the wick. It was time for the second pour. I reheated the wax, filled the wells, and let them cool.

Tip #1 Keep your wax between 160 and 180 degrees for pouring. 
Tip #2 Don’t use your display container when pouring the wax. You don’t want to  dribble—and you will—on your nice container.

All I had left to do was transfer the sand to the wooden tray, place the candles, and light them. I’d say gazing at a glowing seashell candlescape is more relaxing than raking a Zen sand garden.

2. Seashell shadow box
I love this solution because I can see each individual shell—plus I never have to dust them. I found an unfinished pine shadow box on eBay. I applied a polyurethane varnish (to protect it from moisture in my bathroom, where it now hangs), then nailed two picture hangers to the back of it. Next, I hot glued the shells in place. Finally, I assembled the box, glued it shut with wood glue, and hung it on the wall.

Now, if I can only find a great way to display postcards…

Next week: An oversized clock.

By Daniel Gregory, Sunset senior editor

The cavernous XtremeHomes factory at Oroville, an hour north of Sacramento, was full of activity last Monday as the media gathered for an update on mkLotus, the latest green prefab. We saw the fully installed folding glass panels, which are called Nanawalls, "Disapparate"—to use a J. K. Rowling term—three sides of the living-dining room. They silently glide away to unite inside and outside: this is how to live large in a small space. Bedroom and living room walls are almost completely taped. Next will come the cabinets, flooring, siding, plumbing fixtures, appliances, and paint. And soon the house will roll down the highway to West Coast Green. It was exciting to see the progress and though the drive back to SF took a while, a timely root beer float kept the occupants of my hybrid happy. How green, I mean, cool, is that?!

By Jess Chamberlain, Sunset home writer

I've been enchanted by Satsuma Press for a little while now. Artist Lynn Russell's letterpress stationery designs seem to define simple elegance.

I adore this quote from her website:

"Simplicity is an exact medium between too little and too much."
—Sir Joshua Reynolds

This morning I received an email from Lynn about some limited edition stationery sets (released today) that are a collaboration between her Portland, Oregon-based business and designer Lara Cameron of Kirin & Co, based in Melbourne, Australia.

Gorgeous. I love the mix of nature inspiration and crisp design.

Info:

a limited edition collaboration
patterns by lara cameron
printing by lynn russell
melbourne, australia + portland, oregon

The first three patterns – japanese tree, birch and treehouses – will be for sale beginning August 27th (today) on the Satsuma Press and Kirin & Co etsy shops.

These limited edition sets combine Lynn and Lara’s fondness for Japanese-influenced design and letterpress printing. The cards are printed on Crane’s 100% cotton lettra – a soft white, luscious paper that takes a deep, crisp impression. Inks were mixed by hand and each piece was printed with care on a Vandercook SP-15 by Lynn in her Portland studio. Every set is hand numbered – there are just 50 sets of five cards for each pattern, plus 25 sets with one of each.

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Buy quick while they're still available. And if you've missed this run, check out Lynn and Lara's respective work and stay tuned for more enchantment.

By Monica Ewing, Sunset senior designer

I wouldn't actually call it a china cabinet, because it won't hold china, and it's not a cabinet. How about dish shelves? Either way, it's not a boring bookshelf anymore. Here's what I did this week...

Step 5 Fill the holes
I used wood filler to fill all the nail holes and caulk to fill in gaps at the corners and edges of the molding. I find wood filler much easier to work with because I can always sand out mistakes when it dries. Caulk? Not so much.

Step 6 Paint
I painted one coat of primer and two coats of white paint. For the larger areas, I used a small paint roller, which made the job faster and eliminated brush strokes.

Tip #1 Don't be tempted to buy cheap paint rollers and brushes. You'll only end up tossing them and buying better ones. Splurge on the good stuff. Why? You'll get a smoother, more even finish, and the job will go much faster.

Step 7 Attach the backing
I bought a sheet of bead board to replace the original tattered backing. After Dan cut it to size for me, I painted it pale blue (Behr Prelude 740E-3). When the paint was dry, I nailed it to the back of the shelf unit.

Step 8 Anchor it to the wall
It's tall, skinny, and a bit top heavy, so it needed to be bolted to the wall. I screwed two L-brackets into the wall, then screwed the top of each bracket to the shelf unit.

Tip #2 When anchoring to drywall, use a stud sensor to find a stud, then drill there. Or use a drywall anchor or "molly bolt."

Step 9 Screw in the cup hooks
I found chrome cup hooks at Lowe's. After measuring and marking where I wanted them to go, I encountered a problem: My drill wouldn't fit between the shelves. So I hammered a nail into each spot, yanked it out, and screwed the cup hooks into the nail holes.

Finally, it was ready to load with dishes, napkins, and candles. My palette was inspired by Iris' dishes in the movie The Holiday. (Iris was played by Kate Winslet.) Don't I wish I had her cottage kitchen too.

Next week: It's all about seashells.

By Daniel P. Gregory, Sunset senior editor, Home

The countdown has begun: Construction of mkLotus—the green prefab destined for San Francisco Civic Center as part of West Coast Green—is well under way at the factory. The architect Michelle Kaufmann just sent this snapshot. The big corner windows are framed in and most of the walls are up. I'll post more images after I tour the factory myself in a week or so.

By Monica Ewing, Sunset senior designer

After Dan cut all the wood for me, I sanded and attached the pieces to the bookshelf frame. This is how I did it...

Step 1: Remove the back
The back was falling off anyway, so I removed the rest of the staples it was hanging on to. I’ll replace it later.

Step 4: The hard part
Lining up the moldings and trim boards was a little more difficult. I used wood glue, finish nails, and a nail set (to counter-sink the nails). I had to yank out a nail or two and start over, but I finally got it done. Now all I have to do is fill in nail holes, caulk the corners and edges, attach the new back board, and paint. Is that all?

Next week: The final product.

By Jess Chamberlain, Sunset home writer

Have you, like me, always secretly dreamed of turning your home-spun crafts into a full-time—even lucrative—business?

Okay, now put down your coffee cup, minimize this blog page, click open your google search engine, find phone number listings of your nearest bookstore and call to reserve a copy of hot-off-the-press Craft, Inc.: Turn Your Creative Hobby Into a Business. Then tell your boss you have a personal emergency and flee to your salvation. (Don’t turn in your resignation just yet; it’ll take a little time to jump-start your start-up).

Details: "Craft, Inc. is the hipster business primer for entrepreneurial crafters to turn what they do for fun into what they do for money. Pro crafter Meg Mateo Ilasco offers a step-by-step guide to everything from developing products and naming the company to writing a business plan, applying for licenses, and paying taxes. Chapters on sales, marketing, trade shows, and publicity round out the mix. Plus, in-depth interviews with such craft luminaries as Jonathan Adler, Lotta Jansdotter, Denyse Schmidt, and Jill Bliss provide inspiration and practical advice. Accessible, informative, and more than a little spunky, Craft, Inc. paves the way for today's creative minds to become tomorrow's trendsetters."

Author Meg Mateo Ilasco is a sharp, creative, and talented designer, writer, and illustrator who’s also published The Space Planner: A Home Decorating Design Workbook and You Can Wear it Again: A Celebration of Bridesmaid Dresses. She started designing wedding invitations for extra money while in grad school and demand for her distinctive designs took her craft full-time. I adore her line of pillows, linens and paper goods.

A couple weeks ago, I met Meg at San Francisco’s Modern Economy sale—an exclusive home & lifestyle sample sale event that Meg hosts twice annually (in SF and LA). With prices up to 70% off retail, it was nothing short of a can’t-typically-afford-it design enthusiast’s pipe-dream-realized: modern, independent designers’ samples, overstock, and last-season goods. It’s like Meg read my mind: What if there were an event that stripped designers’ warehouses of excess stock AND provided us salivating wanna-bes with affordable supplies for décor makeovers? And she made it happen.

You could say she’s kind of my hero.

Participating designers included: Rae Dunn, Deadly Squire, Dwell, Dwellbaby, Sophie & Lili, Nurseryworks, thomaspaul, Three Sheets 2 the Wind, Spaltana, Plush Living, Balanced Design, Boodalee, Sara Paloma, Octate, Salvor, inhabit, Good on Paper, Relish at Home, Henry Road, Everyday Studio, Holden Designs, Perch, Variegated Inc, Mateo Ilasco, Emma Gardner, Eieio Studio, Studio Dinor, Kiosk, and Baby Star.

LA locals: Do NOT miss the next event this fall. Date and time TBA. Stay tuned for details.

By Monica Ewing, Sunset senior designer