Pepper Design Blog

Meet Our City Chicks

We welcomed a new batch of ‘pets’ to the home just this past weekend… we are now the proud owners of three lovely little hens! I know what you’re thinking, and yes, it’s a little crazy – especially since we live in the heart of suburban San Diego with pretty much zero backyard space.

But in our continued effort to go green and sustainable, we couldn’t help but entertain the idea of adding delicious, organic, properly fed, no pesticide, free range eggs to the mix.

Currently, we support our local farmers by participating in Community Supported Agriculture, a neat concept that includes paying a quarterly growing fee and picking up a huge box every other week stock full of seasonal fruits & veggies fresh from a farm within thirty miles of our home. Best part? They deliver to our neighborhood, so we literally drive five blocks south to grab our treats. It’s organic, it’s sustainable, it’s cheaper than the super market and it’s de-licious.

CSA’s are located all over the US, check out this link to learn more. If you’re from San Diego, here’s the link to our local ranch though there are many to choose from. Of course farmer’s markets are a great option, too!

But back to the chickens…

A couple of months ago we decided it was time to build a coop. After much research learning everything we could about ordinances around ‘city chickens’, asking our neighbors kindly for their opinion, and of course, hunting down what every chicken farmer needs to know… Kevin created the perfect little hen home in an 8×10′ area of space between our fence and house.

Chicken farming goes something like this…

1. Protect little chicks from any predators (chicken wire above, below, on all sides and buried in the ground)

2. Offer chicks a warm, cozy and well-ventilated home to nest in (see big blue box)

3. Find a comfortable spot for chicks to roost on (sleeping when not nesting – and this old peach box plus a few 2x4s did just the trick)

4. Add plenty of delicious and nutritious food to their diet – in addition to the usual seed and mash prescribed by the local feed store (local = well out of town), we add watermelon rinds, corn cob and really any other kitchen scraps that are healthy for them to peck at. And they LOVE it.

5. A clean environment equals a happy hen! I’m proud to say that after just five short days these chickens are not smelly and are not noisy in the least. You’d never know they were there.

In six short weeks we should have our first round of eggs! We opted for five month old hens as this allows us to make sure we actually bought hens and not roosters (neighbors would not love us if we did) and gives them enough time to acclimate to their new environment before they are old enough to produce.

So, you might ask, is it worth it?

We’ll get one egg each day from each lady (if all goes well) and that works out to be an abundance of eggs for a reasonably low price. Chicken feed is a bit pricey (roughly the cost of a dozen store-bought eggs each week) and given the overall upkeep, it’s probably a labor of love that is best saved for those who don’t mind a few extra pets around the house.

But I’m definitely excited to see how it goes!

Dreaming Up a New Living Room…

We’re celebrating our 21st month of home ownership and that re-decorating itch is creeping up once again…

In all honesty though, it seems to be a constant in our home – in with the new ideas, out with the didn’t-we-just-change-that from six months ago. And while I can’t make drastic upgrades on such a whim, throw pillows, art and mantles have been known to make the hit list on a regular basis. I keep it as close to DIY, thrift store and Etsy as is humanly possible for the dear wallet’s sake.

Here’s what we began with nearly two years ago (taken before we moved in):

And here’s a bit of inspiration that I’m currently smitten with:

I love a soft and cozy palette of rosy reds, burnt oranges and various shades of brown. Texture is a key component as well as modern lines & patterns (keeping the 1930′s Spanish cottage new, in an older sort of way). More inspiration:

I fell in love with Amanda Peet’s home from my first issue of Domino and it’s been downhill ever since. Other sources for the above photos include DecorPad, the fabulous blog over at Isabella & Max, the latest issue at Elle Decor and this perfect suzani print from Calico Corners.

The troops pulled together and we began with a painting overhaul (white to tan might not seem like much of an overhaul, but keeping a modest, clean backdrop for the rooms was a key strategy in future decor change-ability).

In one amazing Saturday morning we had the entire living room and dining room covered, taped and painted. I am blessed with some pretty fabulous friends – a big heartfelt thank you to our team. We have a little home makeover project going on amongst the group and every few months we join forces to conquer a major project at someone’s home. On this particular day we were inside painting while the boys were out back ripping up the backyard (pretty cool, right?).

A bit of painting, quite a few DIY projects, some major Craigslist finds… and a new living room is just around the corner. Excited to show you soon!

Sledge Hammer Stories Part 2

Here’s a quick catch-up on the little project of overhauling our outdoor space. The above is a picture of our backyard when we purchased the property – a modified ‘Outdoor Room’ complete with carpeting and brick planter boxes.

We envisioned a different sort of… er… outdoor space. One that was a bit more practical and a bit more appealing – and one that would, in fact, be outdoors. Here’s a quick look at the inspiration board that sat patiently in the back of our minds: Sledge Hammer Stories Part 1.

And then the project began! What fun to tear down walls and roofs with the hopes of a beautiful new backyard soon to come.

Weekends were spent pulling up carpet, knocking bricks apart, ripping old cabinetry off of walls, and finally tearing down the roof and support beams. Here’s the hubby hard at work re-routing electrical… as Bodie, the patient puppy, looks on. More to come!