Fly the World

Have you taken the Etsy Taste Test before? If not, you should. You're prompted with several items and choose which you like best. After a few rounds of this Etsy compiles dozens of items that you're likely to be a fan of. They're not always up your alley, but it's a good way to find items you may never have stumbled across otherwise. The Taste Test is how I happened upon the Flutter By Globe in the top left. Click on over to it and check out just how intricate and beautiful it is. Out of my price range for sure, but enough to get me searching for other butterfly and world map items. Hence, my latest treasury. Hope you like it!

Good Health

I've noticed a pattern in the past year and a half that we've owned this house. Others (ie. my mother) may have noticed this too. I can't finish a room. As many ideas as I have about what to fix up here, what to DIY there, I haven't truly finished anything. The living room is close, but I'm still struggling with what to hang over the couch. Charlotte's room has a clear plan, but I've yet to make her drapes or hang art on the walls. And here I am, moving on to another room. Ah well...

This time we're on to the bathroom. The only full bath in the house. Yeah, Charlotte's teenage years may kill us all. The space is snug, but has lots of great light thanks to the ceiling skylight. Everything is in pretty good shape, just not what I'd have picked. The tile, which fully encloses the shower and goes halfway up the other walls, is cream colored. I'm pretty sure it was a mottled cream before, but was painted over to be a solid cream tone at some point. I know this because the paint is peeling on the built-in soap dish. Weird, right?! So in the near future I'll be working to get the paint from the soap dish off completely and then sealing everything to prevent future peeling. We'll see how well that goes.

In the interim (and by that I mean until I finally get around to the paint removing/sealing project) I'm shopping. It's what I do. :) I already snagged a clearanced shower curtain and bathmat and have some other ideas planned. My favorite purchase thus far is in the art category. Check it out:


Pardon the less than stellar quality of the photos. Taking pictures of pictures isn't easy. But aren't they adorable?! These Good Health Pictures are from 1965 and are meant for educational use. There are 12 in total, so I've got 7 other adorable options, but the ones pictures above make the most sense for a bathroom. Now I just have to decide how to hang them. Do I laminate them and just tack them to the wall? Put them in frames? White? Wood? A metal tone? Is 5 pictures ok, or should I add in a 6th to even things out? Decisions, decisions.

P.S. If you want a set of your own, I found another Etsy listing. It's going for less than what I paid. Hmmfph.

Too Short Slipcover Solution

Like tons of people out there, especially bloggers it seems, I have some Ikea furniture. I'm not a big fan of all the store's stuff, but I do love my Ektorp Jennylund chair. You just can't go wrong with a comfy armchair and its slipcover that can be washed at a moment's notice. Especially with an afforable $200 price tag. I do have one complaint though...


It's a little hard to see in this photo (taken just after we first painted), but the slipcover is so darn short. Ugh. That floodpants length really ruins the look of an otherwise nice piece of furniture. It's irked my nerves enough that I decided I needed to do something about that 2 or so inches of empty air. Wanna see my solution?


Do you see what I did? Need me to go in for a closer look?


I snagged some white pom pom ball fringe (from this Etsy seller) and added it to the bottom hem of the slipcover, going all the way around. I love the result! You really don't see the gap any longer, and it's such a fun addition. And since it only took about 1/2 hour from start to finish - taking the cover off, sewing the trim on (I didn't even pin) and putting the cover back on - and cost less than $7 including shipping, I'm left asking myself why I didn't do it sooner. I'm ready to add pom pom trim to just about everything now!!

Have you found any quick and easy solutions lately?

Raspberry & Tangerine

Sounds so much better than pink and orange, right?! As I've worked on gathering items together for Charlotte's room I've noticed that raspberry and tangerine hues are definitely a part of the mix. They won't be the only colors (I like a ton of different colors in every room), but they definitely will be noticed. You've already seen a variation of this pairing in the sheets I'll be turning into curtains and in the Peter Pan print that's hanging on her wall.

With raspberry and tangerine on the brain, here are some great Etsy finds in those colors:


Click the photo to be taken to the Treasury to get more details. One of these items is already on its way to me, to be used in Miss C's room. Any guesses as to which?

New Sheets Curtains

I made another purchase for Charlotte's room redo. Well, you can hardly call it a redo since it was never done to begin with, but I digress... I bought some vintage sheets off Etsy. To hang on her windows. Yup, I'll be making curtains with these fun pink and orange stripes. I think they're going to pair nicely with the floral sheet I plan to turn into a duvet cover for her bed, and make for a very colorful room!!


But I've got a bit of a dilemma. Do I go the easy route and split the sheets in half vertically, using the large pink trim portion as a rod pocket, resulting in vertical stripes? Or do I take the slightly more complicated route, and split them horizontally in order to get railroaded stripes? This would necessitate adding some additional fabric to the top or bottom of them (like Meg's that I mentioned in my planning post). The lazy part of me wants to go with the former option, but you can see so much more of the stripe on the railroaded version. So which do you like better? Vertical or railroaded?

The Rough Plan

I mentioned yesterday that for now my house focus is on decorating Charlotte's room. She's lived with basic pink walls, which thankfully is now her favorite color, for a year now. That's really been it in terms of decor for her space. She has no curtains, no artwork, no nothing. Poor neglected baby! I've had a board for her room for a while now, and added a boatload of pins to it yesterday. I'm starting to see how it can all come together and think I may actually accomplish something in her space relatively soon. Yahoo for small miracles! Here's a glimpse of the plan:


And now for some explanation... I just got the floral sheets for Christmas. For my own queen-sized bed. We never use a flat sheet though, so rather than have it sit unused in the linen closet I plan to pair it with a more subtle pattern to make a duvet cover for C's bed. Speaking of which, I'm on the hunt for an old iron bed to paint. I'm kinda digging the brass look of these, but may opt for white instead. Only time (and Craigslist) will tell. No matter what finish I go with, I'll definitely be making some egg carton twinkle lights and bringing in a bit of Mr. Pan, since Charlottes loves him so much!

And then I'll begin spray painting. I plan to peruse the thrift stores in my area to find some hideously ugly knicks knacks that I can liven up with a little paint. I'll also snag some frames to paint, and add them to the gallery wall I'll create above her dresser, which will likely include this super cute cuckoo clock that Gramma got her a while back. And once all that painting is done we'll have to see how much energy I have left in me, cause I'm thinking about painting some bold, crazy stripes (inspired by these) on her ceiling. Yeah, I know. I'm nuts.

The plan is rounded out with some awesome scripture art, some homemade curtains topped with soft, vintage chenille, the dollhouse that I hoped to have done by Christmas, but now hope to DIY in time for her birthday, and a Craigslist vanity that I'll be painting turquoise after falling in love with this cheerful piece. As I write it all out here, it sure seems like a lot. But like I said, I'm excited to pull together a space for my little munchkin. I'll be sure to share my progress along the way!

Sunshine

Months ago I won a giveaway over at Under the Sycamore. I was super excited to have won, especially since the particular giveaway I scored was from mixedmediamama, who specializes in handmade personalized items. I thought one of her pillows was the perfect spot to showcase a new favorite quote of mine:


"Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot help but bring it to themselves". An awesome quote, right?! And it seems there's no better time than Christmas to live this sentiment. Our family made a few boxes for Operation Christmas Child and my work group gathered toys for kids in a hospital nearby. But I'm looking for more ideas for next year, when Charlotte is old enough to really get the "giving is better than receiving" concept. What ways do you bring sunshine to others?

Etsy Love: Halloween Party

My friends and I will be having a Halloween party this year. It'll be pretty low key and won't involve much in the way of favors, decorations, etc. Sure, I'll have a couple special touches for the evening, but I won't be devoting much time or money to the gathering. That said, I can't help but ogle the fun party supplies available on Etsy. Here's a collection that I'd use if I was going for a cute, kid-friendly party:


I lurve bright colors, so I searched for cheery, happy hues for this treasury. My favorite pieces are the magnets and the bewitching garland. Despite my plan not to purchase much for this party, those may make their way into my shopping cart anyway! :)

Are you having a Halloween party? Do you typically decorate in a cutesy way like this, or go for a ghoulish gala?

Par-Tay

Amanda (my sister) and I were just taking about how we need to have more get-togethers and parties with our friends. We've brainstormed a bit and will definitely be having a Halloween bash, a Secret Santa party and some other fun events into next year. I was craving some more ideas though, so I did a little Pinterest searching for inspiration and found this:


Is it just me, or does it make you beyond happy just to look at that moodboard? It's got to be on the sweetest things I've ever seen. You can check out the sources here, the actual party here, and an Etsy treasury I happened to make using the same color scheme here.

Do you have any parties in the works? Or maybe some great inspiration images to share? Do tell.

Feeling Mood(Board)y

So I got to thinking the other day about how I would decorate my living space if I were just starting out in home ownership and had free reign to do whatever I wanted. You know, no husband, kid, or roommate to consider. Here's what I came up with:


I love me some bold, cheery color and this place is no different. I've matched up a bright turquoise on the walls (Behr's Cloudless) with a black and white chevron rug, figuring the rug will ground what could be an over the top color. The grey sofa and round coffee table also bring a little bit of calmness to the space. Aside from the white bookcase and industrial end table, that's about where the calmness ends.

I'd create a fantastic gallery wall, including the prints pictured - Giraffes, Be Awesome Today (super-sized of course), Funky Russian Architecture - and a handful of others, mostly homemade or clipped from magazines. On my bookcase I'd display some of my most favorite reads, those awesome Penguin Classics, alongside some cute owls, baskets and other knick knacks.

And then I'd go on the hunt. I'd search out some colorful, but cheap lamps (why hello Home Goods), some pillows full of quirk and pattern (thank you Etsy), and, perhaps most importantly, an impractical chair for reading in. Velvet in a crimson red would be ideal, but a host of other colors would work too. And I'd need a poof like this one to put my feet up on. Not to mention an entertainment stand (something in the same color family as the end table, perhaps this piece) and curtains (these in the charcoal color would be perfect, or maybe panels from this fabric if I'm craving more color).

Ahh, to be getting my first place again. :)

Getting Artsy

I'm officially done with overtime at work. At least for the time-being since there are more storms headed our way. I've got a little extra money in my pocket and decided it was high time I outfitted this house with some artwork. I went on a bit of a spending spree. At least for cheap ol me anyway. Here's what I picked up:


Please ignore the pathetic collage. I was racing to get it done and go to bed. It's pouring buckets as I type and our power already flickered off for a moment. I'm praying hard that it stays on tonight because we haven't got a backup sump pump yet (yes Lowe's, I hate you bigtime right now) and I don't want to be bailing out my basement overnight.

But back to the art... I bought four prints for our living room, three for Charlotte's room and one for a certain birthday girl, should we ever get around to celebrating her 28th year. Any guesses as to what goes where?

Sources: Let the Sun Shine In print, Peter Pan movie poster, All the Single Ladies (flamingo) print, La La Love You print, Animals of High Moral Standing print, Animals of Low Moral Standing print, I Can't Keep It In card, Funky Russian Architecture print

A Closer Look

On Monday I showed you the chalkboard wall in my kitchen, which I use to write down our dinner plans for the week. I'm back today to share what else is on that wall.


Waaaaaaay back in March I mentioned that I'd be doing a little shopping at CSNstores.com. I purchased that cool white cuckoo clock in March, but it took me a few months to hang it on the wall, and then another few months to photograph it. Yeah. It's pretty shameful, I know. But don't let that make you think I'm not pleased with it. Because I totally am. I love that it's traditional, but in a quirky sort of way. It's made of white acrylic (also available in orange) and sits about an inch out from the wall. So fun!

Also on that wall is a Teapots print from Etsy seller lauraamiss. My mom got it for me a while back and it makes me smile every time I see it. Mark's British, so it's a bit of a nod to him and has that same traditional but quirky quality that the cuckoo clock does. And last up is a vintage safety strainer (another gift from my mom - probably found on Etsy) that I attached a copy of last year's Christmas card too. It's still one of my favorite photos of Charlotte!

What hangs on your kitchen walls?

Etsy Favorites: Collections

Everyone knows that small things are good, but small things en masse are better. Here are some instant collections I've found on Etsy, in case you haven't started one of your own:


Are you a collector of anything? I have a couple kitschy calendars that I really love (seen here in my dining room), and a few old tins and crates, but nothing that I've truly displayed together as a collection. I am on the hunt for something to go on the wall going up my stairs. Maybe my trip to the antique mall today will yield some fun and interesting results. And an addiction to something other than Etsy and Pinterest.

Build Something From Scratch - Check

I mentioned on Monday that I'd completed a few items on my 30 Before Thirty list and, as promised, am back to share some details with you.

Item #23 was to build something from scratch. I'll be honest and say that I'd originally envisioned myself building some piece of furniture as part of this to do. Nothing too difficult, but something fairly substantial. In the end I went for function over size and built myself a ledge. Yup, just a ledge. But it serves a great purpose for me. You see, when coming in our front door, immediately to your right, is a wall about six feet long (click here to get your bearings). It separates the living room from the kitchen and has a light switch and thermostat located on it. Basically it served very little function. And in a house with no coat closet, I needed some function. Enter my ledge.

I'll admit to being a bad blogger and let you know that I forgot to take a before photo. I know, shame on me. But I did spend hours working up this rendition of what the space previously looked like:

















Yup, a blank white wall. Now that you know where I started, I can show you where we're at now. With just a few dollars in wood, some hooks and a little elbow grease, here's my ledge:


Impressive right?! Ok, so no DIY show is going to beg me to come work for them, but my neighbor, who has the same layout as me, did ask where she could get one. And that made me smile. Our door opens up to just before the thermostat, so typically the first three hooks are the only ones we use, but there are extra there for guests. For anyone who is interested in the details, here's a little diagram for you:


The piece of wood that lies flat against the wall is a 1x8 and the actual ledge coming out from the wall is a 1x3. The two were screwed together and then screwed to the studs. Well, I actually screwed the 1x8 to the wall and then screwed the 1x3 to it, but if you decide to take on this project you should definitely attach the pieces to each other first, then to the wall. I promise. The tiny trim piece at the edge of the ledge is called a top cap. I like the look of it and also that it keeps anything sitting on the ledge from sliding off since it creates a lip. The top cap was put on with finish nails and then everything was caulked and painted. A few Ikea hooks went up (love that they fold up when not in use) and it was done!



P.S. The canvas of Charlotte came from Canvas People during one of their pay only shipping deals. The letterpress stamps (which spell out welcome) are from Etsy seller Vintage Marvels. And the owl backpack is made by Skip Hop.

Charlotte Duck

Mark has had literally one complaint about our new place. The low hanging ceiling on the steps going from our kitchen to family room. (Need the floorplan to get your bearings? Click here.)


That's a pretty junky picture, but you can sorta get the idea of what the issue is - the stairs start at the opening you see and the ceiling is directly overhead just a few steps down. I have no problem with the ceiling height, but I'm also 5'3", so it'd have to be a crawl space before I'd have any difficulty. And, admittedly, the ceiling to the step directly below is only 73 inches, so anyone near that 6 foot range is going to bump their head if they don't watch out.

Mark requested that I put up a sign that said low ceiling, or install some sort of bumper pad to cushion the hits. Not gonna happen. Instead I searched for some artwork to put there that might call attention to the space and help guests notice how low the ceiling truly is. I decided a duck print (you know, duck for the low ceiling) was in order, so off to Etsy I went. I wanted something fun, but not too crazy, and the pickins were slim. It's like there's not a huge demand for water fowl prints or something. Go figure. But I did stumble upon the perfect fit.


I love that it's obviously a duck (duh) and is a bit quirky in its styling. I also love that its name is Charlotte. Seriously. The print came from Fall Down Tree and they name all their animals. And this cute duck is serendipitously named Charlotte. We had it custom printed to fill a 16x20 Ikea Ribba frame and think she's perfect for the space.

And here's a closeup of the print, courtesy of Fall Down Tree's etsy listing, since my awesome taken-late-in-the-evening-with-no-natural-lighting photography definitely didn't do it justice!



Charlotte loves her duck and I'm happy to finally have one piece of art on our walls. What can I say... I'm slow-moving! But we're finally picking up the pace. We've snagged two(!!) new couches, the dining room light fixture just arrived, the master bedroom curtains are up and I'm ready to start working on the living room drapes now. And I've been gathering all our existing artwork together to decide what goes where. Check back in the coming weeks for more progress.

Etsy Favorites: Fabric

You can find inspiration just about anywhere, in photos of other spaces, artwork, or just a favorite overall color scheme. It can be a great idea to look toward fabric for inspiration too, which is what I did with the three treasuries I made a while back. Check them out for some great stuff!

Amy Butler Inspired


Heather Bailey Inspired


Joel Dewberry Inspired

Etsy Favorites: For the Young at Heart

I love Etsy for it's home-related, vintage finds, but it's also great for creative toys for kids. Check out the ones I rounded up in my latest treasury!


Are there other great kid-friendly Etsy listings that you've come across? Do share!

Etsy Favorites: Vintage Valentine

There's still time to snag some of these kitschy V Day goodies. Head over to my latest Treasury to check out the particulars!

Etsy Favorites: Embroidery

I made a new Etsy treasury. This one is all about my newest obsession - embroidery. I don't have oodles of money to spend on this stuff (good thing, cause I would if I did) so I plan to learn to make my own items inspired by these. There are a few that I'm definitely considering purchasing though!


Check out my treasury for the link to each shop!

Charlotte's Mood Board

As we work towards settling into our new place (yeah, we're not actually in just yet, but getting there), I made it my first priority to get some semblance of a completed room for Charlotte. I started by ordering a Jenny Lind toddler bed in an espresso finish and this blanket from Sew Fun by Monique's etsy shop:


And then I stopped. I was stumped as to how to proceed. I had no clue on artwork, window treatments, lighting, etc. Normally I'd create my own mini mood board, similar to what I did for Oliver's nursery options. But I really had no vision. So I turned to Lauren over at With Two Cats, and boy did she come through for me! Look at the fantastic stuff she picked out:

Sources: Mirror - PBTeen, Chandelier - Little Kids Bedrooms, Curtains - Urban Outfitters, Dandelions Print - Etsy, Little Town Print - Etsy, Text Print - Etsy, Wooden Owl - Urban Outfitters, Rabbit Lamp - Anthropologie, Rug - Urban Outfitters, Owl - Etsy, Pillows - Etsy

I think the rug and artwork are my favorites!! What do you like best?


Pssst... Don't miss out on my American Pickers giveaway! You can enter up until midnight Thursday.