Welcome to E.L.

Setting up a new apartment can be daunting. While it's certainly exciting to get to pick out all your own things for the first time, it can also be a bit of a shock to realize that all of those household necessities you once took for granted are no longer around. In my case, this panic is coupled with the horrifying realization of how expensive every little thing can be. Take, for example, the trash can. There really couldn't be a less exciting component of a kitchen--it is, literally, a receptacle for things that you no longer want. However, when you do a lot of cooking, it seems like a sensible thing to invest in. I gleefully went online to order a nice one and nearly dropped my hand-painted coffee mug when I saw that what I had in mind was a little more than I had expected. Thus began my first quest, and the beginning of Eastlake Lavender.

After many early mornings and a fair amount of frustration, I finally found a beautiful cobalt blue trash can at a nearby yard sale. A quick Google search confirmed my suspicion that it was one I could never normally afford, and I snagged it for $7 after haggling.

I bungeed it to the back of my scooter, and carefully headed home.

 I can never remember when to put out the bins for collection, so I made a cute sign to remind myself.

This whole escapade captures the type of project that this blog is going to be about. Solving a household issue with creativity, perseverance, and a little bit of hard work. I'll probably throw in recipes occasionally too, so stick around!