Out and About

I am always seeing the cutest things online and then forgetting where it was that I saw them. This is my window shopping post of the adorableness out and about on the interwebs.

Today's post is brought to you by the magical world of Etsy.

I know this seems to be the popular poster to have at the moment, but I kind of want one for my office.

Therapeutic? Questionable.

Care? Eh.

A print on a vintage dictionary page? Swoon.

I cannot get enough of these nesting herb crates from Whitewash Sundries. Be still my heart.

It is almost planting season and this Heirloom Red Corn Poppy is almost enough motivation to get me digging in the dirt.

Almost.

Accessories on Standby

So I am cleaned up from Christmas and things around the house always seem rather flat and uninteresting after the holidays. I like things bright and gussied up. I have been contemplating a recent post by The Nester that you can see for yourself here.

I have a serious problem that once an accessory or a piece of furniture is in a really good spot I mentally deem that ITS PLACE. Not a big deal when you switch apartments once a year and it takes 6 months to find that spot. But now I have a house. It has been 2.5 years. Time to get a little jiggy wid it. If you know what I mean.

So, back to the ever fabulous Nester's post. I try to think as I am reading about what thing sI have that are the same size, the same color, and I have a mental block. I cannot picture it. I cannot even think about what I have stored away. I seem to have lost all imagination.

What to do. Oh what to do.

Drastic measures were clearly called for in this situation. So I proceeded to take every accessory in the house and pile it on the dining room table in my melodramatic "I have lost my imagination" way.

I did leave a few exceptions in their place as too much work is just not sensational. I left the goodies above the kitchen cabinets where they were, and I left the office alone so the hubs could still have a safe place.

I have decided to live a bare house for a few days in hopes of reconfiguring my brain not to have specific homes for specific items. So far I have switched out a few lamps. Next I will do something with all the bookcases as the holes that have been left clearly show the need for some rearranging.

Also, you start to forget what exactly you have in your possession after a decade of carting things around. I also want to have a home goods swap at some point, so I am hoping to find some things I truly can live without. We will see.

Random Find

Up until it got so COLD I was not having good garage sale juju. I don't what the deal was, it just was not working out so well for me. An entire neighborhood-wide garage sale, and this was all I brought home. So sad. Even Isabelle looks tired of thinking about all that work getting up early for no payoff.

But on the plus side, my current Christmas craftiness has inspired me about what to do with this piece of architectural yumminess! Look at Iz perk up - she is so my girl.

I officially have something like 5 weeks? Maybe 4 now, of break from school. Sounds official, doesn't it? As soon as presents are out I will be posting some of my craftiness.

The Only Clean Room in My House

So, keeping up with my house this semester has not gone according to plan. I did commit some time yesterday to one room. I have decided to go room by room rather than try to get ALL the sweeping and mopping done, or ALL the vacuuming done. Tasks like that are just too big and daunting with everything else swirling around.

So I committed to the guest bathroom because it is my favorite and it is small, and when it is clean - it looks REALLY clean!

Not to mention, months ago I promised pictures of the hubs brilliance in solving my bath mat dilemma. He found these all-colors-of-green-striped numbers at Target for $5 each. They are so cute! And the cats don't like them at all. Score one for the hubs!

My mother bought me these fabulous purple onion flowers for my birthday! They were at Target. Which is why birthdays are so great when you get to go shopping with your mom and pick out the stuff you would never spend the money on for yourself. Which are always the things I end up liking the most in my house.

The sandstone I bought as a present to myself a couple of years back at a hippie rock shop.

I got the tray for $1 at a yard sale a while back. The amethyst is from my grandmother's guest bathroom.

My cute sister S brought me a bag of goodies from Lush and in it was the bar of soap you see above. It looks like a rock! Which is perfect for my earthy-leaves-nature bathroom. It is made out of sand and something that makes the bathroom smell good. I kept the regular soap dispenser because not everyone is exciting enough to use sand bar soap.

I even straightened the linen closet. The basket at the top is full of shampoos and things guests might need for showering. Thank you Martha for the tip a bazillion years ago.

I also keep my candles in the linen closet to make it smell delicious.

I made an effort to make the bathroom more guest friendly. I put in toothpaste, floss, $1 travel Shout spot wipes, $1 travel deodorant, and then some contact solution, lotions, and hairspray. We are going to be having a lot of guests in the next few months, so I wanted to have all this stuff done now. Most of these items I found in my own bathroom and am not going to use but could not handle wasting.

The thing is now I do not want to use the guest bathroom. I really want to tell the hubs he cannot use it either. I want to close the door and let the perfection last a little longer. I mean I even cleaned the baseboards! I wish it wouldn't be ridiculous to not use it. Or I wish that I was not such a ridiculous lover of perfection. I am working on that.

Nostalgic Nest

The International School of Color and Design offers a quiz on your decorating style here. My results were Nostalgic Nest which apparently means I am sentimental, not driven by trends, down to earth, and make my own treasures. 

Spot on! Besides, I love an internet quiz that doesn't involve spelling errors and checking boxes. 

Sadly, after coercing the hubs to take the same quiz we discovered his tastes are quite a bit different. His style personality is Sleek New Earth which apparently he considers the technological side of our space. Whaaaaatevs! The plus side is that supposedly he loves the outdoors and loves to bring the into his space. That would complimentary to my results except for the fact that he hates the sun. Which gives me a whole new idea for a blog on the crazy things the hubs abhors. Tune in next week! 

'Tis a Puzzlement

So these are my newest acquisitions: 

They are old tin ceiling tiles. I got the largest at an antique store in Burnet, TX on my birthday and the other two I got off Ebay, because I could not wait to stumble upon them on my own. I also needed them RIGHT THEN so I could hang them all together. 

As it always goes, they are just leaning against the wall in the dining room a month past when I HAD TO HAVE THEM. Just like how I HAVE TO explain this with capital letters. 

So, here enters the dilemma. How to hang them? Below are some pics of the empty wall that NEEDED HELP RIGHT THEN. 

I am concerned about balancing the three shapes. I also need to figure out how to Superglue some sort of hanging contraption onto the back of them. 

Of course now I am looking at the pictures and thinking about how plain that wall looks, and should I paint it first? I probably should have whispered that so that hubs doesn't have a conniption. 

But I do think the tiles will look great with the sea shell centerpiece and white curtains. Which I intentionally brought up JUST SO I could show you the picture! I picked up the shells in May at Shell Beach in Florida. The beach had perfect shells there, but most had living creatures in them, and I was not down with committing a senseless murder just for a shell with no specific purpose.

Maybe I should clarify: Not down with senseless murder for specific decorating purposes or any other reason. 

There was also the question of the plane ride home, so I opted for the already busted pieces to take with me. Some broke even more on the way home, but that was fine given I found this fantastic woven plate charger on sale before I left, which made me a girl with a plan. 

I have never been one for shells or sea themes. However, I have enjoyed these shells immensely. Maybe because they are not perfect. Maybe because the entire centerpiece cost $5 including the doily runner I picked up at a garage sale. Maybe because it was the first vacation I have ever taken with the purpose of relaxing and not SEEING. 

So, the dining area. A work in progress. I'll keep you posted. 

More Isabelle Approved Items

I got these fabulous finds at a random INDOOR sale! Woo-hoo for shopping in air conditioning. I remembered the hubs and dug through the dude's record collection to find Johnny Cash and John Denver for him. I found for myself the Buddy Holly record Sis and I used to dance around to when we were kids.

The framed mirror is solid wood and here is an up-close shot of the corner detail. 

Isabelle obviously still thinks Buddy Holly lives, so we will just keep dancing and keep it quiet. 

The mirror tray was $1 and the pots $2. I also snagged a vacuum cleaner for $10, but it just wouldn't have looked good in the picture. Not to mention I didn't want to empty it or vacuum before the picture taking. Priorities people! 

Treasures

So, it all started with a model home sale nearby a month ago. Since then, garage sale-ing has fast become my new favorite form of shopping. 

I think garage sale-ing is all about THE HUNT. I am bringing home the decorating bacon.  I feel like a hero when I get something great!

Here is my first ever blog tip: On craigslist under "garage sales" start off first with a search for "model home". The items they furnish model homes with will be slightly more expensive than garage sale prices, but they have never been used and are solid. 

Here are some buys from my first model home sale!

This same lamp retails for $120 at Hobby Lobby. 

And in another stroke of good fortune, it came with the tassles! 

As you can see, Isabelle has given it her stamp of approval. Always important. 

At the same model home sale I got this wall hanging/fake wood thing at the top of this post and here below. I am thinking I will have to paint it, because I am not fond of the gold sponge design on the border. Minor detail. 

I also got this fabulous plant cart! Next project: plants that match the iron cart in niceness and aliveness. I am considering moving it to the front stoop. But since yesterday was 107 degrees, I might wait. Let's all not zoom in on the carpet I didn't vacuum in my excitement to take pictures. We all know where our priorities are, and vacuuming before fun is not one of them.

At the same sale I also picked up this little framed wood carving number for Sis' new grown-up apartamento. It is super heavy and matches her new couch.

Once again, Isabelle gives it her seal of approval. Huckleberry did as well, but he is not one for having his picture taken. You can also see the sad little plant table my new iron cart is replacing!

All in all, a good sale. I filled the Civic. It would have been even better, but I managed to get there only 5 minutes early instead of 30. Tip #2: If your hubs is going to come and carry things and pay for them, you must let him buy you lunch first. It's the only decent thing to do. 

Misfortune and Redemption

This morning I woke up to set out to buy, buy, buy! I had my handy list of directions with garage sales and times all ready and I had on my good juju garage sale t-shirt. I was ready to conquer Georgetown. I have never "shopped" in Georgetown, but had visions of golf course homes, sterling silver, and jewels for quarters. 

The whole way there my adrenaline starts pumping, I am singing along to The Killers, and getting this unshakeable feeling that I am going to find something great. 

Cue the violins, this is where my tale of misfortune begins.

So last night I noticed a craigslist ad I had marked had been deleted. Doh. 

But then I found it reposted. Yay! 

Then all my homies cancelled. Doh! 

Then I found a post where someone had already mapped out the Georgetown garage sales and their times on google. Double Yay! 

Who needs tag-alongs anyways? They only slow a sister with a list and directions down. 

I put my marriage in jeopardy by setting the alarm for 6:15am, and was on the road by 6:45am. The sun is shining, Mac Brown is being hilarious on the radio, I mean things were going good. 

So I hit the first 2 sales. Or should I say I drove repeatedly by the same 2 houses looking like  a stalker since there was no movement. I brush it off. After all, people can change their minds at 6:30am. I'll swing back by after the others.

Two more sales and nada, zip, zero. I am still not upset because the whole reason I came to Georgetown in the first place was a purported Warehouse Sale with antiques. I knew it was for a charity, but I was not on my A-game. The "warehouse" description is what swayed my better judgement. I should have known that a Maternity Home was going to mean donated baby crap. I am not dogging charity, but this girl has a goal. And well worn child's crap is not it. Sigh. I trudged back to my car. 

Back in the car I gave it a good 'ole college try and stopped one last place before getting on the highway. Nothing. At this point I gave up and called my mother to get sympathy for getting bamboozled. I still cannot understand why a person would do that. Lead me on a goose chase all over Georgetown? What high do they get out of that? How do they even know anyone followed their advice? Argh. Sigh. 

So, I am headed home - going the speed limit all the way home. Sigh again. There is now nothing on the radio. There is now traffic. It is looking like a Very Bad No Good Rotten Day. I figure my good sale juju of the last month is gone. 

But cue the trumpets, a SALE sign on my way home! Oh, to have seen it on my way out! I got a Tiffany lamp, 4 Pier 1 pumpkins, and a box! The sun began to shine and I came home a hero!

P.S. The pumpkins were originally $10 at Pier 1, and I got them for $1 each!

Favorite things

This year I am beating Oprah to the punch. Well, hopefully I am since I don't watch Oprah very often. Here is a list of my favorite things: 

bath product: Aveda Caribbean Therapy Bath Soak

bath music: Coleman Hawkins encounters Ben Webster

shampoo: Lush BIG

hair Product: Aveda Sap Moss

interior decorator: Katrin Cargill 

furniture: Shabby Chic's, Large Squadgy II Chair in pink velvet

decorating accessory: globes

place to pick up random accessories: Uncommon Objects (South Congress, Austin, TX)

patio: Retro vintage style in bright colors

nursery: Natural Gardener (Austin, TX)

flower: red geraniums

lawn products: Lady Bug Natural Brand

cleaning product: 409 Antibacterial Kitchen Lemon

cleaning tips: Flylady.com

cleaning tool: Swifter duster

And in no particular order...

Bath and Body Works Lavender and Chamomile sleepy scent

Gap Favorite Stretch T

Flat wallets

Viking glass in amberina

SOB junk store in Las Cruces, NM

I would like to state for the record that finds at yard sales and old junk shops always trump items you can buy anywhere else based on their uniqueness and thrill of the hunt. I also have no idea why I only want to blog lists. Probably because it is the only place in my life that the lists get finished. 

Procrastination

Tomorrow school starts for me. That means I have been out of school on Christmas break for a month. I have not done a single thing on my project list. Yes, I worked and worked some overtime, but still.

Here is the real problem. It has been called to my attention that I start projects and do not finish them. I know you are all thinking, "We all do that, so what?" Well, the so what is that the hubs had his birthday last week and the half-finished project that was one of his presents last year is still sitting in the garage. 

So I told myself I would not be starting any new projects until some of the old ones were complete. So I did nothing. I was fine with nothing getting accomplished until 2 days ago when I realized school was this week. 

So I bought some filing folders and started the office project. When I got bored with that I started looking around. Luckily I ended up on the phone and a good friend recommended Flylady.com. The website has a 30-day get organized program that I read through ahead of time. I am not content to do a little at a time. I must try and accomplish all the steps at once. Why you ask? Because school starts tomorrow and I have today. Hello.

Luckily some of the FlyLady's points did sink in. The point is not to start some huge project and make the mess worse, but to give it 15 minutes. 

In the name of 15 minute jobs, this afternoon I: filed some more, cleaned and organized the bookcase in our bedroom, went through my shoes and threw some out, cut the buttons off old clothes and threw them out, cleaned out my jewelry box and threw non-matching earrings out, made a Half-Price books pile, and picked up the living room. The FlyLady recommends starting with a shiny sink, but mine was already shiny. 

I feel fairly accomplished and not worn out. I predict this will last until I get my first homework assignment.