Monday, January 31, 2011

eventfully uneventful

This weekend was eventfully uneventful.  

I made a little project, inspired from here and here


Ellie paid a visit to the groomer, 


we drove by a few houses (yes, we are "house hunting"), 

we dawdled around the apartment, 

we watched our neighbors,



we made really easy (and yummy) Chinese food from a box [great Chinese food option if your on a budget - only $3!],


we picked up my mom from the airport in OKC (yay!), 

and had some fun with Callan.


 My mom is here for a few days, and then the three of us (my mom, myself, and Callan) are flying to NJ on Thursday for my sister's baby shower (which is on Saturday).  Should be interesting!  If you have any tips for flying with infants, please share!  I'm excited and nervous all at the same time.  I can't wait to celebrate the upcoming arrival of my niece with my sister and family, though!  So if you don't hear from me until sometime next week, don't be surprised because over the next week or so, I'll be looking at houses, packing, finishing last minute projects for the shower, and spending time with family.  Good times.  :)  Hope your weekend was wonderful!



Friday, January 28, 2011

while he sleeps

While our little guy does this...



I've been working on finishing a quilt for my soon-to-be-born niece,




and playing with felt.
(This has something to do with the empty hoop you saw on the wall in this post.)




Meanwhile, there are quilts to be quilted,




wreaths to be made,




pillows to be sewn,




catalog pages to be re-purposed,




frames to be painted, 




and houses to be hunted.

And that's the short list.






Thursday, January 27, 2011

curtains, returned

 A few posts ago I was "thinking out loud" about adding some color to our very bland living room.  Remember this curtain option I was considering for our living room windows? 

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I loved them.  So I ordered them.  They were exactly what I was looking for.  A dark teal background with a cream colored floral pattern all over.  I was excited to replace my current curtains that tend to blend right into the wall.  A punch of color was needed. 




The curtains were delivered last Saturday.  I let the box sit for a few days while priorities took precedence.  I finally got around to opening the package last Monday night.  Instant disappointment.  The curtains were way blue-er than the online image led me to believe; not teal, not even in the slightest.  Needless to say, they've already been returned and I've starting my hunt for just the right curtains all over again.  Bummer. 




So, I'm exploring some fabric options.  Making drapes can't be that hard, right?  It's frustrating when you know exactly what you want but you can't find it anywhere.  
Oh, to be a fabric designer...



Wednesday, January 26, 2011

float my boat

I love decorating, rearranging, project-ing, and coming up with unique design ideas just as much as the next girl (or guy) {if not more; I am a former interior design student, after all}, but lets pretend here for a minute.   Is there a designer out there that just floats your boat in all the right ways?  
Sarah Richardson is that designer for me. 

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I fully believe she designed this kitchen just for me.  It's bright, it's open, it's airy, it's...perfect.  I would totally let her loose in my place to do as she pleases.  Given she foots the bill, of course.


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Sarah's designs are comfortable, a little bit country, yet refined.  She masterfully blends patterns and textures, as well as old and new, to create a stunning, cohesive finished space.  I love that she repurposes tired furniture and incorporates vintage linens.  Not much of what goes into her rooms are "off the shelf". 


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So who would you let loose in your home and give full permission to design as they please?  Someone a bit more refined, like Sarah or Genevieve Gorder?  Someone bolder and more colorful like David Bromstad?  Or maybe someone who goes for full-on luxury like Candice Olson?  Do share!

(Remember good 'ol Frank from Trading Spaces?  Maybe you want your walls covered in chickens...to each her/his own.)  ;)





Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Monday, January 24, 2011

love a lazy weekend

This weekend was fabulously lazy.  Saturday we stayed in our pj's until about 4:30 pm, then hit up our favorite thrift store (I snagged a few items I'll share with you soon) and grabbed some dinner with friends.  Sunday we headed out to church for the first time since Callan was born.  It felt good to be back at church after not going for the past few months, even though I did spend three quarters of the sermon in the foyer with a fussy little boy...  After church we came home for lunch and a quick rest, then headed over to a local antique mall, meeting up with the same friends from the night before.  We wandered for a few hours, pointing and saying, "how cool is this?!" and "ooh, I love that, but not for that much".


You know you want a golden alligator and an ugly goose... (gag!)


I love old hand tools - they are so well made and beautifully sculptural.  Particularly wood planers.

 
 The Tupperware below (bottom right) is exactly the same Tupperware my mom had when I was little.  Come to think of it, she might still have it...


A few items did make it home with us today.  I can't wait to clean up these pieces of art and spruce up the frames.


Hope your weekend was lovely!




Friday, January 21, 2011

birthday wishes

My birthday is coming up.  It's less than a month away.  I can't believe I'm actually going to be 31.  I'm not going to just be 30 anymore...I'm going to be in my 30s!  Sigh...

(source)

Since Travis did so well shopping from my "keep dreaming because it's never gonna happen" Christmas list, I thought I'd throw a birthday wish list out there.  This way, he doesn't have to ask and I don't have to be like, "here, this is what I want for my birthday".  So babe, I hope you're reading...

These items are listed in desired order.   
 
I adore these bracelets/cuffs.  They are unique, casual, comfortable.  Either of the ones in the picture below would do.  (My wrist measures 6 1/2".)

from ponderandstitch on etsy.com

Having one of these wrist key chains would make my life a whole lot easier now that I have a baby; for keeping keys accessible while out and about - instead of having to dig through the diaper bag for my keys while trying to push a cart or stroller.
Babe, I'll even let you pick the color/pattern.


from PuppyDogsNPolkaDots on etsy.com


I found these earrings while entering a giveaway on a favorite blog - love them!

from stellabellaboutique


I love this ring.  With 'yellow gold' "eggs".

from oftheearthjewelry on etsy.com


Perfect to replace my painted ampersand over our bed, or hang in the living room.

from oldnewagain on etsy.com


I'd smile every time I open the refrigerator door, seeing my eggs on display in this colorful egg crate.  

farmer's egg crate from anthropologie.com



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Thursday, January 20, 2011

snow in the house

I was up last night until almost 1 am.  I had been working on a few projects while Callan was sleeping.  Sometime after midnight it started to snow.  This makes snow no. 2 for us in Enid since we moved here in September.  


It was around 12:30 am that I went to look out the back door to see how much snow had accumulated so far, and found this.  

The weather stripping wasn't exactly doing it's job...

Snow in the house.


This morning as I let Ellie out to do her business, I was a smidge disappointed at how much snow we actually got.  I was hoping for inches, but we ended up with just a little more than a dusting.  The "snow drift" at the door, though, made me smile.  Yes, it's the little things...


 Still beautiful. 



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tied up

Guess what I got?


Yup.  A new ironing board.  Exciting, right?  Well, for me it was long over due.  My old one was the kind that you hang over a door; it was ready to get tossed.  The metal surface beneath the fabric cover wasn't in the best shape.  The "grid" had been punctured at some point leaving me with a not so smooth surface on which to iron.  Not exactly ideal.  So a new board made me a very happy girl. 



My sister's baby shower is just around the corner, so I've been staying pretty crafty over here in my neck of the woods.  I can't share what I've been making just yet, because then it wouldn't be a surprise!  Although I'm sure my sister wouldn't mind a little peek, right Karin?  Too bad.  But I will show you a little something I whipped up for my little guy over the weekend, using my new ironing board, of course. 


 I know these cute little tie onesie are all over the place, but my guy didn't have one yet.  (At least not one that fits him now.  A close friend made Callan one for my baby shower, but it's a 12 monther.)



 I think he looks quite adorable in it.  Although, the tie looks a bit too long, so I'll be whipping out the ironing board again and down-sizing my pattern.  It's all good, because it was so fun to make!