Friday, January 27, 2012

Take a seat

Again, here we go with another blog title that sounds vaguely familiar...

Anyhoo! Moving along. I've been doing a considerable amount of thrifting lately. I know there's a whopping two of you out there who are excited to see what I've picked up this month. But before you get yourselves overly excited...I haven't bought a thing. I've been visiting every last Goodwill, Salvation Army, Amvets, etc. in search of a few specific items (two nightstands and a small console table for the real, real entryway). In the words of the Rolling Stones, "you can't always get what you want". Mick must really be onto something here, because try as I might, I just can't find these damn things.

But in my journeys, a trip to Amvets turned up this beauty...


It's in mint condition, doesn't smell (always a bonus!), and was only $20. Not bad, huh? I'm no thrifting newbie, but I foolishly thought about this chair for an entire day before actually returning to purchase it. Luckily it was still waiting for me, but sadly, some other chairs I was eyeing had already gone home with someone. When I saw that this baby was still hanging around, I nearly took out kindly made my way around another shopper to snag it. There's no time like the present to make that thrifting purchase. Let that be a lesson to all! Me included.

I'd been looking for some extra seating in our living room, but check out just how ridiculous it looks next to our existing furniture...



OMG. Totally ridiculous, right? We have zero plans to replace our existing furniture right now (not to mention this oversized chair is uber comfy), so I'm thinking this thrifted beauty might be finding another place in our home. Depending on where it ends up, I'm planning to have it reupholstered. My mom and her mad skills used to reupholster stuff, but she recently informed me that she got rid of all her tools. What?? I know! So if anyone knows of a good reupholsterer in the Buffalo area...do tell!

And just because I'm excited to share, check out the beautiful fabric that recently showed up on my doorstep...


SIX beautiful yards of this greatness from Anna Horner's Innocent Crush line! As a side note, Fabric.com is fabulous by the way. It was my first ordering experience with them, and although I had heard how great they were...I guess I needed to place my very first order to see that myself! We're (i.e. my mom) are planning to make simple panels to add to the stairwell of the entryway. The lone window in that space has been bare for way too long. I'll be sure to share photos when we finish up this project!

TGIF!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Let there be light!

Something tells me I've used this title in a blog post before. In which case, we'll just refer to this as "Let There Be Light 2". I've never been a fan of sequels, but in this case, I am...

We finally tackled the awful lighing issue in the kitchen. Which, it's about time! We only remodeled the space over a year ago, but never bothered with the little details like lighting or floors. I know, Miss Attention to Details here....honestly, sometimes even I surprise myself.

Anyway, this is the beaut that we were working with before...


I'm aware that taste is subjective, but seriously, the creator of this light fixture should go to lighting prison. The lighting was never appropriate for the space (seeing your food while preparing it is usually a big plus), not to mention this thing was a huge bug collector (trust me, you don't want to know what was hanging out in there when it was taken down...for reals...).

So off I went in search of something new. The husband gave me free reign to figure this one out on my own, which is totally what I love about him. Although, given that the kitchen is his domain, I figured I would hear about it later if he didn't like it (Oh well. I'd cross that bridge when & if we got there...right?). I searched the local reuse stores, but nothing struck my fancy. In the end, I settled for a $35 clearance light from a local hardware store....


And by clearance I mean, they took it off of the display & I hauled this baby out of the store without the box, nor option for return. Which made me a little nervous...I mean, who the hell knew if this thing even worked or not? But for $35 I was taking my chances.

Okay, so I have zero shots of the in between process, but you'll get the picture...prime, spray, and then in a classic rookie mistake apply gloss enamel over gloss paint and watch your DIY project go up in flames. Okay, not really. But instead just watch the paint peel away from your light fixture. And then panic. And then run to another location of said hardware store, praying that you'll find another $35 clearance light fixture (which you do), until finally coming to your senses and realizing the small area that was sprayed with enamel is totally fixable if you just calm down already. I'm happy to report I took a second to relax, review and form a plan of attack (but not without screaming multiple expletives in the process). Turns out the problem was fixable, but cost me a few extra days of work in the end. The fixture is still not perfect, but do me a favor...don't look for the imperfections when you come over to our house, mmmmm kay?






I replaced the existing bulbs with round ones & added a $15 ceiling medalion from Lowes. Then I ended up buying a second set of bulbs since the first ones blinded us everytime we turned on the damn light. And best of all...it's all husband approved!

Oh, and I ended up hiring an electrician to do the work. I know, that's not very DIY of us (especially considering the husband would typically do it). But with the husband busy & an upcoming girls' night at our house just days away...sometimes it's just easier to pay the professionals $185 for 3 hours of their time. Easy-peasy.

I've been working on a few fun projects lately, which explains my abscence from blogland. But I'll be back to share some updates and pictures soon!

Friday, January 13, 2012

Friday randomness...

Okay, hold on to your underwear. It's about to get random up in here....

So for starters, we got a new area rug for the living room. Last month we received reimbursement from our insurance...you know, after the whole break-in fiasco. Aside from our big to-do (replacing the damaged door), we also intended to replace the rug. But lest you get yourselves too excited, we (actually, just me) decided to get the same 'ol rug we had in the first place. I know. Bor-ing!


(disclaimer--OLD PHOTO!--you didn't think our living area was currently this tidy, now did you?)
I had high hopes (and money burning a hole in my pocket) of purchasing something a bit different this time around. I searched West Elm, CB2, Pottery Barn (where the only rug the husband and I could agree on was $600...um, no thanks), etc. And I was also this close to purchasing a lovely WHITE shag from Homegoods. But then I realized I have a husband, a dog, and the inability to take my shoes off before walking in the door. So in the end I ultimately hauled my ass back to Target, and $145 later we have our new-old rug. The end.

Did you know people are pinning my stuff on Pinterest? And by people I mean my cousins and two other people I don't know. But still...pretty cool, right? And this is coming from your's truly who still hasn't pinned a single thing to my account (note to self: take advantage of this upcoming long weekend and learn how to use Pinterest, alright already).




Ever get lost on the internet & in blogland (who me? never!) and suddenly feel your space and belongings don't measure up? Well, in and effort to keep things real (and make you feel better about yourselves), I present to you the current state of my office/craft room......brace yourselves.......um, for real.....omg you guys...




Aside from learning how to use Pinterest this weekend, I know what else I'll be doing.

And last but not least, we have snow.

the view outside my office today

You guys, "sprinter" is o-v-e-r! Ugh.
 
So with that, I'm off to hunker down and keep it cozy! TGIF!

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Thriftin'

If you know me well, then you're aware I spend a decent amount of time thrifting. Goodwill, Salvation Army, Amvets....I'm like a kid in a candy store at these places. Only there's no candy, just smelly belongings that someone left behind (potato, potah-to).

I'm pretty bad when it comes to updating the 'ol blog with my found treaures. I figure you'll all get to see them at some point (when I figure out exactly what to do with them). But after the Christmas decorations got tucked away, I realized I'd been hoarding a lot of my recent finds. Because frankly, I had no freakin' clue what I was going to do with them. That's how I roll when presented with the opportunity to purchase something cool for $5...buy now, figure it all out later (or not).


These little guys were a Salvation Army find for $3 (I just realized this photo is a little deceiving...these things are tiny...like, fit into the palm of my hand tiny). I don't know why, but I think they would look great in a nursery, no? But don't go getting any crazy ideas in your heads...not our nursery, just any old nursery. So until we have a baby & a nursery, these things will just have to take up space elsewhere...of which, I'm still trying to figure out. Surprised, much?



"But it's a fake!" That's what my mom kindly pointed out when we were thrifting & antiquing one day. I mean, for $25, I sort of figured that out. Ain't no real federal style mirror sold at that price point! But I've been wanting one for a long time, and this one fit my budget. Real or not...I have no shame!



I have zero clue where this thing is going. But at $8.99, I could not pass it up. End of story.


Okay, so this one was not a thrift find (and I'm well aware that these birds are grossly disproportionate to the size of the bell...I'm still working things out here), but I couldn't resist this bell jar that I picked up at Paris Flea. I think this thing is in temporary placement for now. Seriously, I need to get my act together. You would totally get that if you came to our house right now.

So that's the latest & greatest on the thrifting front! It's so hit or miss most of the time, but I'm thinking that if I have a jackpot month of great finds, I'll be sure to update on a more regular basis!

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Start fresh

I've been feeling pretty inspired lately, and that's a cool thing. We had a fabulous Christmas, but let's face it...I'm done with the holidays. Not to mention those damn decorations that finally found themselves a home, tucked away in the attic. I'm guessing I'm not the only one who feels this way, right? Here's to a more tidy, organized and less cluttered 2012!



I've been thinking a lot these last few days about tackling some upcoming house projects, entertaining, decluttering the house & getting rid of stuff we just.don't.need (our attic is a hoarders dream...in fact, we're dangerously heading in that direction). I'm a firm believer that everyday is an opportunity to make changes, but there's just something really motivating about doing it at the start of a new year, no? I'm still perfecting my list of resolutions, but to give you an idea of what I've been working on, here goes nothing...

Floss more. Because everyone should be doing it really (at least that's what your dentist tells you). Yep, true story, I'm not a flosser. Which would explain why the husband asked what the hell I was doing last night.

Eat clean. I'm a fairly healthy eater by nature, but I married a foodie (and a darn good cook at that), so it's easy to be tempted now and again. I know, everyone vows to eat better & lose weight in the new year. But that's not my intention. The simple truth is that getting on track (when I've fallen off) is a pretty incredible feeling.

A new blog design. A new year, a new look...right? I'm currently exploring my options right now, but I'm definitely planning some upcoming changes to the 'ol blog. I love what I've got going on right now, but change is a good thing. I'm not exactly sure when it's all gonna happen, but consider this your notice.

Start pinning. In one of those you 'didn't see it coming' moments, I joined Pinterest. But don't ask me what that means because: 1) I haven't pinned anything, and 2) I don't know how it all works (which would explain my lack of pins). I suppose my next resolution should be something to the effect of Learn how to use Pinterest.

House projects. I wasn't very good about tackling my 2011 to-do list, which included (in my delusional mind) redecorating just about every last room in our home. This year I'm sticking to a simple, more managable list that includes a master bedroom makeover (finally...this one is way overdue), window treatments for the dining room (we've lived in our home for, ahem, over four years...so shall we talk about what's really overdue here?), and a side entryway/hallway makeover (that includes finally covering that ugly drywall from a door enclosure during the kitchen makeover). And speaking of the kitchen, I guess another really good resolution would be to finally post kitchen pics on the 'ol blog. But let's not get ahead of ourselves here....

So here we go! Onward & upward, and ready to take on 2012! Even if it's already January 4. It's never too late to get started!

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