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I am so much more productive at night. I wish I was a morning person, but I’m not and I’ve come to accept the fact that I am not. I can get more done between 11pm & 3am than most can during an entire work day. Especially when I’m rockin’ out to good free tunes (thanks Kate!) The fruits of my labor? Rearranging my bookshelf for a more aesthetically pleasing style. We’ve got an open house this weekend and so I’m trying to dot my i’s and cross my t’s. I thinned out quite a few of the books too. I’m terrible at returning people’s books promptly so I have a stack of those; I have another stack to donate to our church and yet another to the library. I also decided to pull all of my journals. I had no idea I had such a collection (over 20). And no more magazines. Those can all go in storage down below. This is what I was left with:
I also thought that people who arranged their book shelves by color were pretentious people who liked to surround themselves with books they don’t read. However, if you are the person who has arranged these books #1. you become well acquainted with your books and #2. i do tend to remember things visually, so I know what the color of the book is that I’m looking for. Yet again, I’m having to eat my words and step off my high horse. I will however still reserve judgement for those people who turn their books around backwards for display. Now that truly is impractical!
But even the trees were playing along with organizing color today. It is so beautiful in Michigan this time of year. I’m glad I didn’t miss it.
it’s my mother-in-law’s birthday and she already has everything. i thought about picking up something that smells good or more kitchen utensils, but i feel weird when i don’t hand-make my gifts. but the poor woman has had to suffer through quilts, bags, jewelry and other things I’ve crafted. but this latest idea is a combination of picking up something already made and customizing it. i tried my hand had “glass etching” with Armour Etch. it’s a cream that you apply to glass and five minutes later, a personalized gift. and because I’m southern i think everything is better monogrammed.
this could get addicting.
Even though we are trying to sell I am still changing the way things look around here. I have been actually hanging things on the walls and continually changing the accessories on what few surface areas I have. I recently acquired the oval painting from my Grandmother and thought the colors went well with what was going on in my bedroom. And while in Chicago, I was able to snap a photo of the ferris wheel at navy pier which also involved the Red/Blue/Black theme. With much anticipation I nailed the first hook into the wall and it did not turn to ash, so I added another frame to the mix. Now that creative energy is spilling over to other parts of the house. I’m hoping that Murphy’s Law applies and just when I get things hung in the right place, we’ll have to sell! 
Oh, the second photo is of some lovely Gladys I picked up for $.99 (no kidding) that I think make such a dramatic statement. I love fresh flowers.
Peruse these lovely blogs for some home inspiration:
Those words don’t seem to go together in my mind; however they seem to fit seamlessly in my friend’s new baby room. She chose a lovely theme from CoCaLo Couture. If I was getting ready to decorate for a new addition I would definitely head over there.
(Is is just me or does it look a little Amy Butler-esque?)
Here are pictures of the completed attic project I posted about a while back. I’m glad to see that my little shower project turned out quite nicely. And I really like the Joel Dewberry fabric for the room.
Over at Oh Joy! there was a little give away challenge. Oh Joy! teamed up with DwellStudio for a fabulous oh-so-help-me-this-would-be-amazing-prize. One lucky person will get a full bedding set (over $800 value). Each person was asked to choose a Dwell pattern and then find a coordinating fashion accessory. As of Saturday they had over 500 combinations from which to choose! Good luck not going blind.
So here’s my combo. A little prosaic, maybe, but I liked the idea of a little something for me…& a little something for my man.
But the best part about this whole endeavor was that I found a really cool Etsy shop: Toybreaker. She makes really cool ties. And with Father’s Day just around the corner, not a bad idea.
I think it’s funny how even though I have lived in my home for 3+ years, I still can’t get myself to do things like put art on the walls. It has always felt too permanent. I know, I live with a builder for crying out loud, it’s nothing a little spackle and paint couldn’t fix. But I also think I had a mental block too. I was always telling myself, “We won’t be here long…” & “…this isn’t a style I want to commit to.” Well 3 1/2 years later and I’m finally ready to make a decision about art… ironically the day before we sign with a new realtor. (Yes, we decided to try again and we feel much better about our newest advocate & opportunity.)
Anyway, I really like the simple, but lovely, designs of Jennifer Ramos. Her blog is quite something too. Again I will suffer the color dilemma of choosing just the right one, but what a lovely predicament to have.
Well, our building is either going to look great or like we were on acid when we picked these colors. Our local hardware store was running a Grand Opening Special so we decided to take advantage and spruce up the outside of our building. We have put a ton of TLC into the interior of both floors, but we’ve neglected to outside. And we’re hoping this will give it a little more curb appeal. I will certainly post the final product. (But we have to wait two weekends before tackling this one.)
{colors from L-R: Ohio Buckeye Brown, Glendora, Olive Oil, Dried Hydrangea, Cotton Fluff}
Have you ever visited the time-killer website colour lovers? Check it out to be inspired and lose 3 hours of your day!
I rarely use this forum to express deep, personal emotion. I try to keep things light and focused on things that have made me smile or cleverness discovered. But today it’s different. Today I need all the positive thoughts and energy of the universe to head our way.
We have to sell our home.
It’s to a point that this has to happen. We’ve been through the circus that is the real estate market and agents. I’m so angry… so bloody angry. At the economy, at incompetent people, preconceived notions and f*ing stereotypes. Believe me I know that our property is a bit unorthodox (for this area), but my god people, it’s not like we’ve re-invented the wheel here. And I’m so angry that just because of things beyond our control we have to sacrifice our price tag. It’s just plain unfair. I know there are plenty of people way worse off than us, but we had so many plans… and now we have needs… not just wants.
I feel as if our home doesn’t sell (and soon) then nothing will work out. I’m usually quite a hopeful person, but this is too much. If I hear one more person make a negative comment about our situation I’m going to scream.
I see nothing but positives about our home. Seriously. Some people think 1100 sq ft of living space is too small…fine. Some think that the idea of not having a yard is a down side… fine. But the unwillingness to see how living above a commercial space (and having that person pay you rent… that yes, goes towards your mortgage) has HUGE advantages that seriously outweighs the perceived disadvantages drives me insane.
I’m so sad. I’m SO sad! I love my home. We built it to sell. I don’t understand why there isn’t a realtor out there who doesn’t know how to sell a mixed-use property!?! It’s these freaking real estate agents that are setting the bloody prices… for entire communities. And they screw them. You would think that since realtors are having such a hard time selling property right now that it would make them work that much harder. But you would be wrong.
And so now I feel stuck. Not knowing how to do this ourselves. (And clearly the realtor thing is not working out.) And every freaking website we go to doesn’t have a “box” for us to check. It’s either commercial step to the left, residential step to the right. And each excludes potential buyers. This place is perfect for someone who is looking for an investment property and they can cash-flow the entire purchase by renting the top and bottom. It’s perfect for someone looking to have commercial space and then pay their mortgage by renting the apartment or vice versa. I also think it’s a nice location. No… it’s not the uber-hip town just to our west, but it’s perfect for someone (or couple) who splits their time between the lake-shore and the city.
I don’t know what to do.
I went to a wedding yesterday (I know, Friday wedding are weird to me too…especially when they are at 4:00.) Anyway… bride, groom, vows, they’re married, go to the reception. And although there was nothing unexpected about the whole ordeal, on the tables was a very lovely and unique centerpiece. I’m not up on wedding extravaganza (or fancy party) details, so this is probably not be a new idea, but putting apples in the vase, I thought, was quite clever. It added a lot of interest & height to the table w/o spending crazy money are “tall flowers”. I’m not that crazy about the flower arrangement up top, but I definitely like the apple thing. (Oh, and it ended up at my house because I won the arrangement at my table… yea for me!)
I’m so flattered by all the positive feedback we’ve received from D*S readers about our lovely home-made sink vanity. We originally purchased this dilapidated, yet functional dresser at an antique mall for $30. We then purchased a vessel-style sink from Lowe’s and a union was formed. I stripped, sanded and painted the new dresser while my husband cut out a hole in the top. We just both guess at how deep we wanted it to sit in the dresser, but I’m happy with the height. While the top two rows of drawers are not functional b/c of plumbing, but bottom one does offer a bit more storage for our small bathroom. The paint was Behr “Fired Earth” (or another brand that I can’t remember now) and then we put a ton of poly on the top to seal it since it would after all, get wet. I thought about punching it up a bit with some fancy hardware from anthropologie, but I think the subdued silver goes with the rest of our home nicely.
I was so excited to receive a little package in the mail this week. I ordered my Joel Dewberry fabric from this great place and it arrived neatly wrapped and with a hand-written note. I will get started on the attic window seats this weekend/early next week and then I’ll work on the couch cushions when the home owners get their new furniture. I think the color and style is exactly what I was looking for in that great open space.
I’m so happy with the way the attic remodel has turned out. Once we painted the floors that glorious black, I knew I was in love. I’m kicking myself for not doing it to my own house. But the homeowners are thrilled and are ready to start moving furniture up there. The plumber needs to come by yet to install the sink and toilet and then it’ll be done structurally. I’m pretty excited that the homeowner wants me to make some cushions for the two window seats and a couch. Joel Dewberry is calling my name. I’m just proud as punch of my husband and his clever bookshelf idea. As you can see it is floor to ceiling (which is 15ft) and since it’s tight quarters with the chimney close by, he incorporated a ladder on the tallest row. So now everyone can access those top shelves. I can’t wait to snap a few photos of the kids on the bookshelf. It’s going to look beautiful completely finished.
Another apron made and delivered. She loved it.
I also made some potholders & appliqued some dishtowels to match.
