etsy finds...

i've been searching for something cute for my niece on etsy...no luck yet. however, i did come across this picture and thought it was adorable.
"Flopsy Bunny Hat" by madhelmeteer

a short playlist...

1. Fleet Foxes - Ragged Wood

2. Nick Drake - Rider on the Wheel

3. Sonny Clark - Deep Night

4. Delta Spirit - Trashcan

5. Jeff Buckley - Lover, You Should Have Come Over

6. Fiona Apple - Paperbag

7. Massive Attack - Teardrop

8. Mazy Starr - Five String Serenade

i miss my sister this week...

the lost art...

from a box that i stashed years ago... handwritten letters and cards are irreplaceable little gems. i'm sad that they're disposable due to cell phones and email because the handwritten word is so thoughtful and precious.

progress this weekend...

the past two days were very hectic. here's the run-down-

1. my parents helped both days. they've been homeowners for their entire adult lives and every inch of advice they give is gold!

2. the two key word pairs of the weekend: elbow grease and PREP WORK.

3. we decided to start with the bedroom and bathroom. i originally wanted to do the kitchen but that can wait until my two most functional rooms are complete.

4. Henry and i are officially moved in! he is surprisingly cozy and relaxed as opposed to how i thought he would react, still being a puppy/momma's boy and all.

5. i realized how much stuff i don't have (i.e. iron, ironing board, dishes, furniture, appliances, cleaning supplies, painting supplies....agh!).

6. what i do have a lot of: art supplies, books, teacups and ideas. teacups... i don't even drink tea.

7. Mom was in the bathroom for two days straight.

8. the cottage is FILTHY. it hasn't been thoroughly cleaned in what seems like years. all of the past tenants were obvious smokers. everything in the bathroom was (key word, was, thanks Mom) yellow, which means they smoked in... the... bathroom. GROSS.

the nightmarish mirror is sold and gone!

and this is what it was hiding. oh the horror...Henry getting nice and comfy... Mom: bathroom renovator, thorough cleaner, die hard BoSox fan...stripping the wallpaper... she also brought a prepared dinner: beans and hot dogs! the three of us slugged some well-earned beers...started stripping the basket border in the kitchen...and bought paint! the cream and light green is for the kitchen and hallway, the dark olive green is for my bedroom. yes, i finally decided on a color and we're getting married...sexiest wall color........ever. i think the reason i love it so is because to some degree i've always had a feminine-looking bedroom color. the dark masculinity of Olive Leaf is strangely empowering, not to mention that when the whole room is done it's going to be striking.

SAVE DOMINO...

a very important toast...

also- my dog is very goofy in the morning...

c'est le weekend...

this picture makes me want a snuggley-friend for winter
holy cow, some women are insanely talented
i would say it's a big DON'T
i don't even care what i smells like, i just want the bottle
gorgeous in their own way, women from Rio, Paris, New York and Moscow
oh it's not fair how amazing the Curious Sofa is, i wish Home Accents had that space!
if i could have one thing right now

my favorite Selby home exhibit so far

image via Krisatomic

oooooo...

knitted thingamajig...

Ikea pendants...

i want to replace the nasty brass chandelier, but with which Ikea pendant?
Leran... Foto...

or my favorite, Kulla...

Susan Gower...

...you are so inspiring! damn. Susan attends fairs where she sets up her quilting supply booth. it's probably a good thing i don't like quilting because if i saw her booth i would have a heart attack. nonetheless, the buttons and trim and arranged beautifully and she's so far from the idea of Michael's i can't even stand it.

it must be incredibly gratifying to be a female entrepreneur, using one's creativity while making a profit. not to mention travelling the country and meeting women from all walks of life.

here is a glimpse of Susan and Nifty Thrifty Dry Goods from Country Living. if you get excited about vintage ribbon you should really check out her website or visit her next summer somewhere on the road and buy her stuff.

what to do...

unfortunately these pictures don't do the colors justice but i thought they were fun to look at nonetheless. i've decided on the kitchen colors. i'm going for Ralph Lauren's Lafayette with Behr's Beach White.

for the living room I was originally going for this:
excuse the awful scan, i took it from my inspiration book. isn't that color nice with the white, green, mirrors and touches of blue? i thought it would be perfect but there is a lot of white in that room (damn rich people with their floor-to-ceiling windows) so that wouldn't work. i always like gray and i'm pretty sure i can make it work so i'm painting the living room Natural Grey from Ralph Lauren.
hm, the scanner washed this picture out so i guess you're not going to see the real colors until i actually paint!

and no, i'm not going to paint my bedroom that plum color. i have no idea what i'm going to paint my room and i have to decide by Sunday. yikes. i would paint my entire room with my favorite color (see "Accent Wall" above) but i'm pretty sure the landlady wouldn't be impressed. sadness.

in case you haven't noticed i love dark colors in my bedroom.

any suggestions?

first glimpse of Glenwood, inside, part three...

the hallway to the backyard...

another nice touch, shutters on the bathroom window...OH MY GOD... that wallpaper... the floors are a tricky color but that double dry sink has to go...oh no...euw... oh, oh no...NO...NOOO...more storage galore...scratched, what a bummer...

the attic! i could only go up a few steps before i got really freaked out...