Yard Sale Map

About a month ago I ran across a website that can map out local yard sales in your area called Yard Sale Treasure Map.  It pulls information off of Craigslist and uses Google Maps to pinpoint the locations of each garage sale.  You have many options available to modify what you see:

• Distance from your house
• Day of the week you'll be shopping
• Adding sales manually
• Delete sales you don't want

It will map out the locations and give you a route that is the most direct and saves mileage.  I used this a few weeks ago and really liked it as it's a great visual tool to figure out where you are going.

via Yard Sale Treasure Map

I have specific items I'm looking for this year while going to garage sales:

• Twin sized headboard (and footboard?)- prefer vintage look that can be painted
• Cuckoo Clock (to be painted white)
• Nursery Decor
• Gently used play clothes for my toddler boy
• Cool toys for my son (We've already found a Fisher Price Pirate Ship with all the pieces and a complete Duplos Circus Set that both look like new)

Wish me luck!

Personalized Art Ideas

Here is some more inspiration for wall art in the nursery.  Both are easy to create pieces that I will frame and mount.

via Design Mom

via ohdeedoh

If you click on the links you can see the easy to follow instructions.  I think they are a quick and easy way to add color and personalization to a room.  Can't wait to try them!

Owls and Books

As fair warning I think I should tell you that I plan on working on a number of projects for the nursery and I'm going to highlight a lot of them.  I get a lot of inspiration from the internet and I always think that I can make everything myself.  I don't want to rip off other people's ideas, but I'm not planning on stealing their ideas to sell them.  I like to think of it as borrowed creativity.

Here are a few ideas for the nursery:

via hilary cosgrove

I want to make an owl pillow like this to sit in the white Eames rocking chair we have.

via shophouse

 I have, actually, purchased a super cheap and vintage book to do this.  My book is less colorful, but will go in a teal room.  I might wall mount it instead of hanging it though.

As I actually complete these projects, I will post them and tell you how I've done them.  I thought some inspiration was in order first, though.

Even though I've had nurseries on the mind, our current house project is painting our toddler's room.  Things are in progress right now, but I'm hoping we can have some results in a week or so.  (We do things slowly at our house.)

Branch Mobile

via emmas designblog

I saw this photo last year and immediately copied it into my craft ideas folder for future reference.  I'm going to mimic the branch/crane mobile for our nursery.  I know I could just find a branch to use, but I really like the look of the Manzanita branch, so I ordered a 36" long branch yesterday.  It's sandblasted and I'm planning not planning on painting it.  I can't wait to get started on the cranes, but I have been speculation on creating different types of origami instead, like elephants or owls.  We'll see.

Girl's Nusery Room

As promised, I have put together a board for a girls nursery.  I decided that I realy like teal as a wall color regardless of the gender, but I did switch the shade of teal a little bit for a girl's room.  I thought it would make the yellow curtains POP even more.

(wall color: Trad Home, yellow light: Lighting Universe, chandelier: West Elm-already own, crib sheet: Amazon, rug: Dash & Albert, curtains: Premiere Fabrics)

I wish I knew the exact wall color, but my source didn't list it.  I will have to guess and match if it's a girl. 

We already own the chandelier as it used to hang in our old bathroom.  The idea is to install it in the center of the room where a, less than spectacular, fan currently hangs. 

I have a feeling we are going to buy a white crib skirt whether it's a boy or a girl because finding crib sets to match these rooms is hard. 

The yellow light is an obsession of mine as I've been dreaming about using it ofr a while now, but balked at the $170 price tag, until I found it's duplicate for $70.  I want to install it on the wall over the rocking chair/ reading nook.

What do you think?  Do you like the boy or girl nursery better?  I would love some feedback.

Boy's Nursery Room

We won't know for about another month and a half whether we are having a boy or a girl, so I've been stretching my brain and thinking about a nursery for either gender.  It's actually been a lot of fun, because I can focus on the little additions that add to a rooms appeal and less on the big items, like a crib and changing table, that we already own from our previous child's nursery.

Here's what I am thinking about for a little boy:

(wall color: ohdeedoh, light: ET2, curtains: Premier Prints, Hippo Bookends: Serena & Lily, rug: Dash & Albert)

To buy and install the above products will cost a grand total of $275.  I don't think that's too bad.  There are a couple more items that I am planning on doing whether we have a boy or girl, but I'll show those ideas later.  (The hippo bookend might make the transition to a girls room, too, as it is so cute.)

The wall color is called 'La Fonda Villa Fountain’ by Valspar.

Table Success!

Success!  My husband and I managed to make a quick trip to Chicago to pick up our new breakfast room dining set without too much of a hitch.  We did manage to park in the wrong adjacent parking garage and we drove through the loading docks, but we didn't get towed, so we were fine.  Parking garages can be confusing.

Here's our new set all put together and pretty in the no longer bare Breakfast Room.  It was a really easy table to put together and only took about 15 minutes.  The best part, however, was that we were able to get $100 off the set using my trusty coupons!

Now all I need are some kid friendly/easily cleanable place mats for my messy little boy.

Breakfast Room Set

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted and let me tell you why...I'm pregnant, due 11/11/11 (an auspicious date!) and I haven't been feeling my best until recently.  I am into my 2nd trimester now and that has made all the difference as I will not miss that 1st trimester.  So, all of a sudden I seem to have the energy to write and blog again.

Tomorrow my husband and I are making a quick run to Chicago to pick up a dining set for our breakfast room which has looked empty for the last 6 months.

It's a tricky room to place a table in as it's square, but has multiple paths through it from various rooms and has an, inconveniently located, wood grate in the floor.  I've thought about round table that could seat 6 and rectangular tables that aren't too big.  Finally, I ran across a set from World Market.  I love it as it's not too traditional or modern, but a nice blend of industrial and vintage.  We're going to purchase the table and 4 chairs.  In the future we are going to purchase a "matching" bench so that we can seat more than 4 at the table.

Image via World Market

The real sweetener in this deal (and the reason this short trip is so last minute) is that World Market just came out with a $50 off a $200 purchase that is good in store and online.  We are going to split the transaction into two and each of us is going to take advantage of this coupon.  I'll let you know if my devious plan of saving $100 instead of $50 works.  If you are interested, you can print or redeem your own coupon here.

Handkerchief Dye Job

My husband's grandmother is a sweetheart.  She religiously cut coupons for me every week and sends them to me so that I can save money.  A number of years ago she gave me a few vintage handkerchiefs and I have been meaning to do something with them for a while now.  I ran across this post on Once Wed about hand dyeing clothe napkins and thought it would be a great treatment for handkerchiefs too.

Subtle Color

Before Dye

In Process

Result

I dyed three handkerchiefs and was really happy with the result of a bluish tin to each of their edges.  It seems like a really delicate treatment, but artistic at the same time.  Now I need to decide him I'm going to frame them or use them as they were intended and give up my Kleenex habit.

Poppytalk Handmade

via Melanie Favreau on Poppytalk Handmade

I'm sure you've heard of Etsy by now to purchase vintage and handmade goods.  Another resource that I have purchased from in the past is Poppytalk Handmade.  They have a revolving door of artisans that sell their handmade goods from one, easy to browse, page that showcases all the "stores".

I really like the mustache ring above!

Mid Century Modern Find

A little over a week ago I saw a local seller, on Craigslist, offering a set of Mid-Century Modern dressers for $200.  I confess that I have been keeping an eye out for months now, looking and yearning for MCM furniture to furnish our new house.  I hopped right over to the seller's house (with toddler in tow) after work and looked at the furniture before deciding that I definitely needed them, scratches and all, in our new house.  A quick call to my husband and we set up the pick up via our trusty pink trailer for an hour later. 

Then, the dressers sat on the trailer for a week until my husband was able to move them to the guest bedroom.  You can see the difference from the old photo to the new.  An overall photo doesn't do them justice, so I opted to include the closeups instead.

Before

High Boy Dresser

Night Stand

Credenza dresser

Find my handle!

This room has taken a gradual transformation, but it is nowhere near being done yet.  It's a giant room, so it really needs a few areas designated in it; like sleeping, sitting, etc.

The "new" old furniture seems to compliment the antique brass bed that has been in my family for 3 generations.  The hardware is a matching brass and has a definite patina to match the wear on the bed.  The only serious issue is a missing handle on one drawer.  I've been trying to find a matching handle online or seeing about a different solution, but I'm in no hurry.

Craft- To Do List

Busy day for me, but there are a few projects that have inspired me.  I am planning on creating my own versions when I get the next opportunity.

via Lackluster Co's Etsy shop

source pending

Flip Top Notebooks from WhiMSy Love

Antique Stores on Every Corner

My family and I took the opportunity last Saturday to go to a few Antique shops in the nearby town of Chesterton, IN.  We stopped at 3 of them with a toddler in tow and had to skip quite a few.  My son REALLY liked all of the antique toy trucks and I had to trick him into thinking the truck I pulled out of my purse was off of one of the shelves.  He seemed content to leave the shops toys behind, when he realized I was going to let him keep the toy from my purse.

All of these shops were full, to the max., of precious collectibles/ junk, but I did see a few things that sparked my interest.  One shop had a vintage Lanvin dress from the 70's for only $14 and I was tempted as it was in my size, but it was 100% polyester and I couldn't bring myself to buy polyester.  If only I were 15 years younger and didn't care about fabrics breathing.  Another shop had a gorgeous kidney shaped vanity desk that has some wear to the wood veneer surface.  We already own 3 desks, so I knew to not even talk to my husband about it.  Finally, I had my eye on this painting.

It's a landscape oil painting that is signed S. Rodgers and the frame has a label from Oklahoma.  That's all I know about it, but I just loved the colors and scene so I decided to pay the $60 for it.  It does not have a permanent place in our home yet, but I'll find the perfect place for it eventually.

Prints Can Be Creepy

I ran across this bunny print before chirstmas and immediately added it to my wish list.  It's slight creepiness really spoke to me for some reason. 

Crazy Bunny Rabbit by Ashley White Jacobson

On Christmas Day I opened up the bunny print and saw that my husband purchased this bird print for me as well.  Ashley signed each of the prints on the back and included a nice little note.

It's taken me a couple of months, but I have finally purchased matching frames and hung these prints in our bedroom.

The best thing about many of Ashley's small prints is that they are under $10.  You can purchased them on Etsy at Ashley Spirals Art.

My Swap Entry

I admit that I tend to get a little obsessed with creative contests, so as soon as I saw the Blu Dot Swap Meet my gears started turning.

I used AutoCAD to build a 3D model of ...a model and imported it into Google Sketchup to render.  You can see my description below as to what, the heck, it is.  Let's think of it as "art" for art's sake.

My description is this:

Swap me a table for a world designed just for you.  Now you can stare at a hand-crafted landscape model designed with Blu Dot in mind; complete with wood base, plexi top, wood balls (who doesn't like wood balls?), and cork landscaping. 

Could be a great home to a couple of tarantulas! 

(Designer takes no responsibility for escaped tarantulas.)

Swap Meet

Blu Dot, a furniture maker, is offering their goods for swap.  Instead of paying for what you like, you offer an item or service and see if they accept your bid.  Detail are here.  You can see a few accepted bids include a motorcycle made out of popsicles sticks and 30 lbs. of Texas BBQ.

via Blu Dot

Blu dot has lovely modern furniture and I'm already drooling over these pieces...

(strut console table,  modu-licious #3, sprout dining table)