Monthly Archives: January 2011

Home Decor Wishlist

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Posted by on in Design

So, this year I’m making a concerted effort to save my money and not spend it on decorating our apartment.  It’s only January 27th and already I’m annoyed at my resolution.  It’s not that I buy everything I like, but knowing I have a “no buy” policy this year is making me regret my resolution.  I thought I’d blog about some of the home decor things I’ve had my eye on to help relieve some of this pent up shopping fervor. 

These would go great with our new West Elm bedding that I bought on ubber-sale this winter. Hint: I haven’t debuted it yet but it’ll emerge when the winter weather starts to leave. 
Garnet Hill Fair Isle Hooked Wool Rug (Ocean Blue)
I bought the Natural round 3′ rug for our bathroom, again on ubber-sale, and love it.  We bought three large cheapo rugs from Ikea and Target when we moved into the apartment but sadly our crappy handheld vacuum is starting to destroy the rugs.  I would love to invest in good rugs, like these, but James has forbid me from buying anymore rugs so this one isn’t going to be mine anytime soon. 
Crate and Barrel Sedona Hamper
We are in need of a new hamper and I’d love to get a hand-woven one, like this!  

I know I’ve mentioned this one before but it’s just too adorable to forget. :)

 Burlap Pillow Cushions on Etsy
I love the moose!
Again, so cute. 

Sigh… Well, those are some of the things I’d love to have but instead I choose to admire them from afar.  Self-restraint is hard! :)

Our New Home

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Posted by on in Design

Full Disclosure: we have not won the home…yet. See, this weekend I spent a lot of time on HGTV and discovered they have the 2011 Dream Home sweepstakes. It’s against my interest to tell you all about it (since you might try to enter and win) but I’m a good person so I’ll let you know about our future home.  And if for some reason you were to win the house I’m sure you’d let me come up to Vermont, spend the weekend, and at least take one object from the house for free as a thank you, right?

As I said earlier, I was a sloth this weekend and became obsessed with this house. And yes I have started referring to it as our home, which has caused James to become slightly worried about my perceptions of reality.  The winner will be announced in March and soon after they can move into their new abode in Stowe, Vermont.  I told James if when we win we are immediately quitting our jobs and moving to rural Vermont where I will promise to learn how to ski.  Enough about what we’ll do when we move there though, I need to take you on a tour of the place!

Here’s the Mudroom.  
Mudroom isn’t a term I learned until moving to the East Coast, where everyone and their grandma has a mudroom.  I love the idea and think for functionality’s sake everyone should have a mudroom to dispose of their coats and shoes before entering a home.  Why only have a closet when you could have an entire room dedicated to it?

And this is the Gathering Room.
It has all you need to survive: couches, blankets, candles, a fire, and a beautiful view–all of which is conveniently located ten steps away from the kitchen. :)  

Here’s the Deck and Hot Tub/Outside Fireplace combo.  

Master Bedroom and Bathroom.
Though I’m not one for red on the walls, I could make this work. 

Living Area and Bar.
Perhaps the best room of all!  I love the old bar door attached to the wall as well.  I imagine I’d pour myself a glass of wine and then stare at the beauty of the door for hours on end, like you’re supposed to do in art galleries.  Truth be told, I get tired of all the standing around and usually rush through art museums so I can go to the truly important place–the gift shop.  That way you can buy books that show you’ve been to an art gallery and stick them on your bookshelf to never look at again.  And no, I’m not going to tell you how many of said books I own. 

And for guests, the Ski Dorm and Dorm Bathroom. 
I love the bathroom–it reminds me of college living, only newer, cleaner, better looking, and entirely different.

So that’s the quaint home!  Even though Destiny and Fate both told me that I should win, you can enter too.  Just go to the website and enter every day! Family, if you win the deal still holds that I get to pick one thing to take from the house if you win instead of me.  In exchange, when I win you are all welcome to stay with us and all you have to do is help pay for the utilities and property tax. ;)

All images courtesy HGTV Dream Home 2011.

Trunk 2.0

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Posted by on in Projects

I finished the trunk, woo hoo!  Last week I mentioned how I’ve been meaning to complete the trunk once and for all.  After careful consideration, we decided to go for the grey-toned look. 

Here’s the before

And here’s the after

The quality of the photos isn’t great and therefore it may not look very grey in the photos but I like how it turned out.  I simply got out my acrylic paints and mixed a medium grey and a light grey and then diluted it with water.  I used the dry brush technique which left a nice distressed look on the entire piece.  After the first coat of medium grey was dried I went back and did another layer of dry brushing with the light grey to give it a two-toned look. 

So that’s the documentation of my weekend project.  Maybe someday we’ll get a nice camera and I’ll learn how to take great pictures. :) Until then we can all enjoy my spotty and flash-happy photos!

Gifts from Santa

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Posted by on in Christmas

This year I had a number of things on my wish list, and Santa & my family were kind enough to give me a number of them. I thought it’d be nice to share some of the great new things (in no particular order) I get to use in 2011.  Off we go!

In the kitchen 

Chips ‘n Dip Bowl

Around the Apartment
Owl sculpture
(post holiday super sale gift to myself) 
(post holiday super sale gift to myself)

Crate & Barrel reindeer candle holders
 
Down Feather mattress pad
I love everything I got this year!  While James was on the couch playing his new video game wrapped up in his new blanket I was traipsing around the apartment clutching my new gifts to my chest and fa-la-la’ing my happiness like a Disney princess.  I was so excited to use all my new stuff that I was extra expedient this year on Christmas decoration tear down and cleaning in order to get my new stuff up faster.  I even made waffles within hours of getting my waffle maker…and I’m sure no one is surprised by that either.
A lot of my gifts have this fashionable Northern Exposure rustic vibe going on which goes perfectly with my design aesthetic.  Have I mentioned that James and I are watching Northern Exposure on Netflix? Perhaps if you’ve seen the show you’re thinking how is Northern Exposure fashionable?  You’re right, it’s not.  But my modern day take on Northern Exposure in a metropolitan city apartment is fashionable and that’s all that really matters. :)

 
Are there any new gifts you received that you’re looking forward to using?