Kitchen Chaos!

It happened! They're gone!! Isn't it wonderful???

Don't worry... the tile is all gone now too!

That's right- the purple laminate & tile counters are gone. The new ones come in tomorrow, so there's been a lot of excitement around these parts. We did the demo ourselves (and by "we" I mean my wonderful husband Jesse), and it was quite an experience. Not only was the raised bar all glued in place (making cutting down the bar no longer optional), the downdraft vent was behind a cabinet- making it almost inaccessible. We're still in the process of cutting out the back of the cabinet & moving the vent as much forward as possible (the gas pipe is in the way). We've also got a kitchen drain that's way too high for our new sink & disappears somewhere to the right behind the cabinets. We'll either stay up late & try to find it & lower the plumbing (while we can still take out the cabinets), or simply do without a garbage disposal.

Poor Boo! Since we're storing all sorts of stuff from the living/dining/kitchen in his room, he's afraid he's in storage too!

I can't wait to share some photos when it's all in- we'll still have to pick out a backsplash (I'll probably be posting some options), get new stools, maybe paint the door, and find a creative solution to that now gaping hole in the wall where the bar was, so it'll be far from finished... stay tuned!

PS- I've also got another shirt up for voting over on Threadless! You can get your own baby kangaroo- no pouch required! If you have a moment, please go vote & comment on it! :P Thanks guys!

George Nelson Block Clock!

It's up... and isn't it beautiful? I think we really made the right choice- we love that it's stylish & bold but still somewhat understated.

CSN Stores was, as usual, awesome to work with (you can read the original post for the review here)! I used their price-matching system & couldn't have had an easier, faster, more painless experience. Plus- their customer service rep I dealt with was great too! I was really surprised with how fast it shipped (a week before they expected!). When the clock came, it was packaged really well- surrounded in fitted styrofoam. I'm always concerned about packaging (I've gotten some pretty beat up boxes in my time), and it's such a relief to open a box and see that the store cares as much about extra care that I do (or maybe they're as untrusting of the shipping companies as I am).

The clock itself is everything I hoped it'd be! The size is perfect- it's small enough to incorporate flawlessly into our picture wall, but unusual enough to still hold its own as a focal point. The colors are swell too- muted enough to work well in almost any decor I think! I'm always worried about clocks running slow (we have one elsewhere that does this all the time)- but the block clock hasn't shown any signs of that yet! It's slick, stylish, and efficient- just lovely! Overall, the whole experience was great- everything from making a choice on what to get (so many options!) to the ordering & actual product. Just look at how great it looks up on that wall- that alone ought to say it all! :)

DISCLAIMER: I received this product greatly discounted. The opinions, descriptions, and thoughts presented in this and related posts are entirely my own, and I received no other compensation.

The Formerly Blue Desk

One of my favorite pieces of furniture is a vintage (formerly) blue desk that came from my great-grandfather's farmhouse. My mom & I had always planned on refinishing it- the faded teal had been peeling and chipping more and more the past few years, but I just now got around to freshening it up!

Here's a reminder of the previous look... and before you get all "oh no! why'd you ruin it!?" Remember that it was not in good condition, nor was it valuable. No one in the family is despairing at its new coat of paint. And most importantly, while I agree that the before was lovely, it was simply way too dull and gloomy for the winter months- it just wasn't working for us.

We painted it a nice glossy white with chartreuse rings around the knobs. Nothing too fancy, but it's the perfect little punch of color & brightness we needed! :P Moral of the story: don't be afraid to make your furniture work for you. As long as your piece doesn't have major material value, go for it!! I feel like I've added a new layer (our layer) to the history of this piece- making it our own but not forgetting the layers of paint below...

As you can see, the little stool got a bright blue coat of paint on the seat too. We're really happy with how the room is coming together, and that floor is the only thing left to go! More to come...

A New Kind of Blueprint...

I know this was just posted on Apartment Therapy, but in all seriousness, how could I not post about it? I mean c'mon... dachshunds... art... architecture: it's got my name written all over it!

Dog blueprints (at $185 a piece... ouch!)- maybe one of the first doggie decor items that *might* escape the evil side eye from petless visitors! I love these- too clever!

Pelmet Boxes

I absolutely love the pelmet boxes I made for the bedroom! To make them, I followed Jenny's basic tutorial here. I highly recommend it- quick, easy, and a great way to punch up your windows!

That pop of color & pattern gets me every time; isn't the fabric super-cute? It's Melissa Bombardiere's Belbird Design (hand screen printed by her in Australia)! I fell for it as soon as I saw it, and while it was originally intended to upholster side-chairs, I wanted it in a higher profile place. Melissa's fabrics are all so wonderful! Her patterns are full of bold juicy color in slick, retro designs- you can check out her shop here.

Your Order has Shipped!

Don't you love getting emails that say that? I know I do- because it means a package is on the way- and I love getting packages. I got the email back from CSN Stores & the next one is going to be a pretty swell one since it'll contain... *drumroll please* the George Nelson Block clock! Yay!

Thank you all so much for your opinions- they really helped us decide! My second choice was #2, but Jesse really didn't like the green face on it (even though that green is all over the living room). As you know, I love being able to re-arrange & move around things in my home, and this clock was the one I could see working beautifully in any room of the house- versatility = another big plus!

I was really impressed with the transaction with CSN Stores too. I'm a deal-hunter, so I'm always looking to make sure I'm getting the best price possible, but price matching can be such a pain sometimes. Well, it turns out another site currently has the clock significantly cheaper- which gave me the chance to try out & report back on CSN's price matching process. Bottom line: easiest ever! All I had to do was click the "Seen it for less?" link on the item page & fill out the information (my name & email, the site with it less & how much it was going for). They got back to me within 24 hours, offered to match it 100% and gave me a code to use if I decided to purchase it- painless! So, I dialed up CSN Stores & placed my order with one of the friendliest customer service reps I've ever spoken with. The order was placed easily & smoothly, and the rep was very friendly but fast & on topic. The cherry on top? It's already shipped- a week before they said it would; I can't wait to see how it looks on the wall & report back! :D

DISCLAIMER: I will be receiving this product greatly discounted. The opinions, descriptions, and thoughts presented in this and related posts are entirely my own, and I will receive no other compensation.

Summer Sales

Isnt' this vintage print *too* awesome!? Not only is it British and retro... those umbrellas! So darling- and you can find a decent image of it here. My sister Nell is here, and we've been having a blast; today, we definitely hit up some summer sales! It's been a long day of walks, talks, and shopping, so I'm keeping this short 'n' sweet and off to bed! Night! :)

Father's Day!

Hope you all had a blessed Father's Day! My own amazing Daddy is in Australia, but hopefully he got to do some awesome aussie sight seeing for the day! Happy Father's Day Daddy- I love you so much!!

Have a Restful Weekend!

My little sister Nell is coming tomorrow! She's staying for a week before heading up to a summer program at Penn State, so today we're running around cleaning & getting things ready for her. Since our guest room will once again be occupied, I figured I'd share some of the little 'updates' that it got when my mother-in-law visited a couple weeks back...

The perfect little reading lamp (and only $6.99 at Ikea!)

Isn't this little pillow darling? It was a gift from Jesse's mom! :)

The pictures got rearranged... I like them much better this time.

...and of course, no guest room is complete without a couple pup tails!

Time to Find a New Clock!

I'm a big fan of CSN Stores. It seems like no matter what you want or need, they have a store for it: everything from wall sconces and barstools to wool rugs and clocks! In January I did a product review of the Areaware Brush Vase, and I'm excited to say that I'll be partnering with CSN Stores again... but this time, I'm in the market for a new clock!

On to the clocks! This is our living room picture wall...

See that clock? Yeah. It's broken. No clue how, but the glass front is chipped and won't fit within it's nook- it keeps sliding down. I guess that's what we get for having a cheapie clock though... so we'll be looking for something high quality this time around! I know I want something classic, but with a fun, mid-century feel (surprise, surprise!). Here's what I'm looking at...

1. George Nelson Block Clock

2. Bai Design Weather Master

3. Howard Miller Black Ball Clock

4. George Nelson Ball Clock

5. Nextime Mercure

6. Infinity Instruments Retro Round

My favorite by far is the George Nelson Block Clock. It's actually the clock in the main character's kitchen in the Showtime series Dexter. I loved it when I first saw it there & didn't even know it was George Nelson (but I wasn't surprised)!

So my dear readers, what are your thoughts?? Do I have the winner with the block clock? Or would you prefer to get your time from one of those other faces? I'd love to hear which you would pick for my living room!

DISCLAIMER: Depending on the product chosen, I will be receiving the product free of charge or greatly discounted. The opinions, descriptions, and thoughts presented in this and following posts are entirely my own, and I will receive no other compensation.

Warm Weather Bedding

No doubt about it- summer is here! Now that we don't live in Texas, we've been doing our best to keep the AC off whenever possible. It's quite nice to sleep with the windows open at night, but our duvet/comforters are just too hot (even the light one)! So, we went out & snatched up this chic, light quilt from Dwell Studio for Target...

Love it!! It's the perfect weight, looks great, and it's super-soft. We tried to find a simple white quilt (I love all-white bedding in this room), but the ones we found were more than we wanted to spend or looked cheaper... so color & pattern it was!

Tommy can you hear me?

I hope you all had a lovely weekend! Jesse & I checked out the Three Rivers Art Festival downtown. We rode the train, shared a funnel cake, and saw some really swell art- all in all, a great affair. My favorite booth by far though, was that of Mr. Hooper, who's work was full of nostalgia, robots, and witty sayings. I love gazing at talented still life/landscape/abstract artists' work, but in the end, this playful style is what I want hanging in my own home.

We took home a print of this little guy...

Isn't he hilarious? Not only is he a robot, he's quoting one of my favorite songs! :P I can't wait to get a frame & put him in our living room. You can check out Mr. Hooper's site here for more robots (and other amusing things)!

Have a Breezy Summer Weekend!

via Lovely Package

Robot Uprising Venn Diagram Clock

This clock from Diffraction Fiber has stolen my heart... seriously.

*Pouf!*

I totally took up the DIY pouf tutorial over on Design*Sponge...

After a long, miserable struggle with the sewing machine, I'm really happy with it! The pups seem to like it too, and even the Booman has been 'recovering' on it (much to the dogs' dismay).

I really recommend this tutorial, if you're considering it. It wasn't difficult at all & is a great, fun little way to add a pop of color! Here's hoping I can just keep the dogs from chewing off those buttons! ;)

Robot Prints

Maybe it's because I'm such an Isaac Asimov fan, but I'm totally loving these robot prints from Spur Stor...

I love that 'atomic age' retro vibe they've got! ...and they're all named too! This guy is Gus- he's my favorite. Love it!

Technicolor Sheep!

Perhaps my favorite part of our bedroom is now complete:

The sheep are back... in full color! And since I'm a big fan of humor in decor, I fully approve of their antics. Here's a before & after to see how they transformed:

I did love the 'before' bedroom scheme, but it was just way too dull during winter- we needed some color... and color we got! I do prefer the white lamp in the before, but it's currently found a home downstairs. You can also see some sneak peaks in this pic of other new bedroom additions... more on those to come! :D

Please Vote for the Wieners!

Yay! Check out my Threadless submission- it's a new version of my apron that made it into Everyday with Rachael Ray! For the next week, people can score/vote on whether or not they should turn it into a t-shirt. If you could spare a moment, please go check it out & vote here! You'll have to make an account, but it's super quick & easy! Thanks guys!!

Keep Calm...

Wait! Before you roll you eyes, sigh loudly, and vow never to return, hear me out! I'm just as tired as the next guy of all the Keep Calm & Carry On posters (even loving both British things and WW2 posters in general), and I was pretty sure that the uber-trend had ruined any chance of me happily glancing on one again... but then I stumbled upon this...

This is The Love Shop's take on the ubiquitous print. "...'Cause sometimes carrying on just aint enough" - well said!! Being religious myself, I find this spin to be not only a fresh take... but oh so true!

Learning to "plumb"

We've hit a snag in our kitchen counter adventure. Turns out with an under-mount sink (and slightly deeper at that), our garbage disposal drain will be significantly lower that the kitchen drain coming out of the wall. Oh... and water doesn't flow uphill, so our options are to...

a) Pay a plumber lots of money

b) Get rid of the disposal and learn to compost

(Jesse isn't going to like this- so if you compost, I'd love to hear your experience!)

c) Open the wall & lower the drain ourselves

I bet we're going to do option C. Jesse moved the sink in our basement & has a basic knowledge of plumbing, but I'm trying to do as much research as I can to learn how to do it. P-traps, and T's, and trap-arms, oh my! After a night of researching, I'm all "plumbed" out, so here are some more enjoyable 'plumbing' ideas. I wish our project was this fun...

1. Kitchen Rack via Apartment Therapy

2. Plumbing Entryway Rack via Apartment Therapy

3. Red Pipe, Blue Dots Sculpture via CandaceDaigle

4. Yellow Sea Horse Speakers via ikymagoo

5. Faucet Lamp via Napkn4sale

6. "Pipe (e)" via OneMinuteUntil9

7. The Knot-Pipe Light via MESHarchitectures

8. Piped out Table via Apartment Therapy

9. Pipes Wallpaper via WallsAndFabrics.com