8/29/2013

california loot

After gathering up all the items I purchased over the summer, I was amazed by two things.

1. That all of this actually squeezed into our Subaru Outback, along with our personal items.
2. That I didn't buy more stuff.

Most of these items were found at thrift stores.


First up, a poster from The Postal Service, which is rolled up behind the antlers.  We went to see them live in San Diego, and it was great!  We know this poster doesn't have our city on it, but that poster was orange.  I try to stay away from orange for my home, so I opted for this blue one instead.



Elk and deer antlers.  I didn't purchase these.  They were given to me from a family friend of Matt's who works for a national park in UT.  The elk ones look dingy, so I will see if there is a quick way to bleach them without having them sit out in the sun for months or years.  He gave me two broken deer antlers not knowing that I wanted to use these for home decor.  What would you do with broken antlers?  Luckily, there are some good antlers in there that I can use.



I'm slowly collecting brass animals.  It all started with the adorable whale that many people liked.  The pig came from the Rose Bowl Flea Market, and the eagle, giraffe, and snail came from a thrift shop.


Thrifted flower petal bowl.


IKEA bowls and mugs.  These will be used for organization in my sewing room.


Butterprint Pyrex.  I actually bought these at two different locations.  The small dishes came from a thrift store, and the two larger dishes came from an antique store.


Pyrex was ahead of its time for making this modern rooster and corn print in the 1950s.  Don't you think?


Matt and I had a really good time with this globe.  We played "Name What Year That Country Existed" game.  Using a country's border is a great way to date a globe or map if the date is missing.  We found out this globe was manufactured in 1950.  I found this at an antique store, and I got the lady to take less than what she was asking for.   I really love the colors, and I think that's what drew me in.  And it's a cute size.  All the globes I were finding at the Rose Bowl were plastic or in rainbow colors, so I thought this was a good find.


Okay, am I the only one in love with this thrifted basket???  I'm thinking of taking off the handle.



After doing a little research, we found out these jars were made in the 1800s.  Just check out those irregularities and air bubbles!  Honestly, I do not care if these are antique since I will be using them, but I was so happy to see they were selling for less than what I would pay in North Carolina.  I picked these up from a junk store on the side of a highway in Colorado.  The owner was really old, still had curlers in her hair, and openly swore about anything and everything while I was poking around.  The place was a dump with broken glass on the floor and with the tiniest aisles to walk through, but it was filled with some treasures.  Unfortunately at this point, I was not able to buy anything large.



This is the brass lamp I instagramed awhile back.  Not too shabby for $10 at a thrift store, huh?



So the story behind this sign is I was strolling around the Rose Bowl flea market.  I didn't realize how bright the sun was nor did I notice how bad my retinas were until I came home with the sign.  When buying it, I thought the colors were black.  Nope.  PURPLE.  Dude, I don't do purple in my home.  So this sign will go in my sewing room unless I can find a way to incorporate it into another room.



Doily stretcher found at a thrift store.  I thought this could make a cool peg board.



The yellow rug you see in some of the photos came from IKEA.  We needed a rug to cover the hardwood floors in the apartment.  Not pictured - These black and white pillows from IKEA.  I picked them up for my living room.



The large stack of fabrics were covered in this post.  I weighed it too, if you are curious in seeing that.  I'm pretty sure that stack increased my current stash by 200%.

So that's all the stuff we got while in CA.  Living there for the summer was really great.  The weather was nice the entire time, there was lots to do and see, and it was nice change of scenery for me.  We felt very blessed for the opportunity we had to live there.  Matt's internship with Qualcomm went really well.  It's so weird to think he is now an electrical engineer who's taking his education a little further by going to grad school.  I felt like the end was never in sight.  Ha!

Matt and Owen will be away for the whole weekend!!  This means I should have some time to sew and get things done around the house without a 3 year old needing my undivided attention 24/7.   That will be so nice.   :)

Have a great weekend!


peaceout

8/26/2013

Stash Modern Fabric

This is not a sponsored post.

Happy Mail came today from one of my favorite shops, Stash Modern Fabric.   Beth is fabulous, ships quickly, and has some of the best modern fabrics around.  I am certain you will love shopping with her!


0"8/ f11/ ISO 400

I spy my new chalk wall. ;)

 0"8 / f11 / ISO 400

Pictured:
-Terrain in Slate
-Terrain in Cactus
-waterfront domino in dot
-Little Red Riding Hood Stripe in Green

-Indian Summer Forest mountain
-Koi Scalloped Edge
-Koi The Way of the Flowers
-Koi It's a Plus
-Koi Pennants Waving
-Koi Ebb and Flow
-Waterfront Flight

0"8/ f11/ ISO 200

Pictured:

Tule in 1/8th cuts

-Mojave Illuminated
-Native Fringe in Celest
-Meadow Vale in Dark
-Embroidered By in Moon
-Embroidered By in Sun
-Flora Oasis in Rosa
-Quietude in Dusk

My plans for Koi are a plus quilt, and the others are just stash builders.  I would like to incorporate Tule + Indian Summer into my feather quilt.  I was really thrilled when Beth was willing to cut me 1/8ths of Tule.  This way I am able to see the prints without investing too much.  I will definitely be ordering more of Tule!


1"3 / f11 / ISO 200



I am also linking up to Plum and June's photography link up, which explains why I have info below my pictures.  All my photos were taken indoors using my Canon Rebel T3i.


peaceout

8/23/2013

screw it || home





i said screw it.  i wanted a large chalkboard wall from the get go, and against my husband's wishes, i painted a large chalkboard wall.

we just got back from CA, and our neighbors came over for a quick visit.  after watching four kids try to draw on my existing chalk wall, i decided it was time.

without thinking of any repercussions, i started painting.  fortunately, it's just paint.  something i am not scared of.

so here is the wall before i slathered yummy black paint on it.





okay, i know what some of you are thinking.  holy freaking nut balls that is dark/clashes/insert thought here.

baby steps, okay?

i know my living room does not match this, but it's all a process and progress.  wait until i show you the ultimate clash fest photo.  don't worry.  it's coming up soon.



*the chalk bag was made by me using film in the fridge's tutorial // high chair thrifted*

"conditioning" the wall.




and if this chalkboard wall doesn't work out, i just paint it to match my living room wall color, which will soon be white.

i am not rushing into painting my chevron wall just yet.  i will definitely paint my living room walls first, but i need some time to live with my chalkboard wall.  i painted those chevrons when i was 41 weeks pregnant, and i just love that wall so much!  but one of them will definitely go in the end.  either the chevrons or the chalkboard wall.



so there's something you should know about me.  i don't really plan too much when it comes to decorating.  i just go and do it.  if it fails, oh well.  i have to start over.  i'm the type of person that if i have an idea i will do it almost immediately without thinking much about the pros or cons.  it's an awful characteristic of mine.  trust me.  but sometimes it can be a blessing because if i were the type who had to methodically think out everything and create a mood board, i may not take as many risks.  and then there are those times where i can't force a single design idea out of my brain.  and i wait.  and wait.

what's interesting about decorating, in my opinion, is it's an opportunity to discover yourself a little more in a way that's not conventional.

so . . . are you fan of chalkboard paint?  it's freaking amazing, and i think it should be in every parent's home.  just don't go painting a wall that touches carpet, m'kay?

here's why i love chalkboard paint.

1. it's a great black color.
2. it has a nice finish on it.  somewhere between matte and eggshell?
3. you can lighten it up by wiping white chalk on it, or you can leave it dark by cleaning it with a wet cloth.
4. you can draw on it.
5. kids love chalk, and they love to draw on walls.
6. it makes a great killer back drop for future photos.


this is why carpet is a no go.  apparently, i have issues wiping a floor properly.  :/

sometimes, you just have to say screw it, and take a design risk.  paint is probably the easiest thing a DIYer can fix.



have a good weekend y'all!!

peaceout

8/20/2013

2008 Home Tour



This is not Matt and I, but they sure do look happy to be homeowners! Via

Matt and I finally arrived back to North Carolina this past Sunday after living in California for the summer.  We have a lot to do before I can get back into the swing of things.  I mean, just look at this hot mess!  It's only the tip of the iceberg!


Now do you understand why that happy couple is pictured first?

So I thought a little home tour was in order to hold you guys over until I'm able to get back to a more regular blogging schedule.  And since I was living in a rented apartment for three months, I think I only blogged about sewing.

If you are a fairly new reader who discovered me through sewing friends, blog hops, a sewing link up party, or a sewing pin on Pinterest, I am letting you know that I blog about decorating too.  I frequently tell readers this because I don't want anyone to be confused (or surprised) when I blog about what seems to be something totally different.  My posts between sewing and home decorating are random and reflect my interest at the moment.  Thanks for sticking around!!  :)  Although, I will say Bloglovin' has been very helpful for me in understanding my readership.  The longer I'm around, the more I realize there is a community of people who love sewing and home decorating equally as much.  This is so exciting for me!!

It was definitely time to update the "My Home" page tab located underneath my header.  This home tour shows you what we saw in 2008, and I took the photos.  Clearly, I never thought these photos would ever be shared with the public, but I think you get an idea as to what my home looked like right before we moved in.

Since this is a page and not a blog post, I will keep the page updated as I complete projects.  If a room is in progress, I will include photos and links, so you can opt to see more of those if you like as well.

Enjoy!

Please click here to view my home.

Follow on Bloglovin

peaceout

8/09/2013

For Britt || A Swoon Pillow



Britt was married for all time and eternity in the Mesa, AZ LDS temple awhile back.  Her wedding colors were yellow and gray (sweeeeet!), so a pillow for the new bride and groom seemed fitting.   I got to get my swoon on, and Britt now gets a dose of lovely on her couch, bed, or sitting chair.



It's all in the details . . .








 Vanessa Christenson is rocking those chevrons.  Am I right?!  I really like this print from her simply style collection.

My original plan was to use gingham fabric.  I embroidered the state of AZ and included a little heart representing the Mesa area.  My next intention was to add their last name and 2013, but a little accident happened.  I misplaced my fabric pen, and my stitching became crooked from eyeballing everything.  It just didn't look hot, so I opted for this chevron fabric instead.


Picture from my Instagram.

I like how this accident happened.  I chose not to embroider on their pillow because I felt it just didn't need it with the chevron backing and would become distracting.



I know some people could care less if directional prints stay in the right direction in a swoon block, but for some reason, it drives me bonkers when they are not.  Am I the only one who has this weird quirk?

So after working hard on my beautiful pillow, it was not until AFTER I took photos that I realized one stinking block was facing the wrong way.  Seriously???  The one block that required little thought nonetheless.





Fixing that was a total pain but worth it in the end.  Thank goodness this pillow has a zipper!!




Swoon blocks are usually large, but I purposefully made mine small at 12".  Although I do like the look and idea of using a swoon block for an entire pillow, I feel that, sometimes, the design is lost by the curvatures of the pillow.   By framing the block, it allows the person to see the design without compromising the aesthetic look of a down filled pillow.


And that's the story of Britt's Swoon Pillow.

Other fabrics used:
Riley Blake Willow Herringbone
Essex Linen in Black
Kona White and Curry
Daisy Jane Mumsy


I hope you all have a good weekend!  I am cleaning our apartment from top to bottom today.  We drive back to NC this evening!!  We are heading to UT, to CO, to KS, to TN, and then finally to NC.  We'll be on the road for a little over a week.  I'm excited to get back home after this 3 month long vacation.  I'm ready to get back and spruce up our home!  :)

peaceout
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