stay tuned...

i'm just stopping in real quick. i have lots and lots to share- recipes, a most hilarious picture of brooklyn, a picture of the new dresser, bathroom updates, etc. etc...

i'm hoping to post during nap time. :o)

i'm decorated in oil based paint. i don't know how you do it, i always get paint all over my hands, or in my hair, or on an elbow or my leg. same goes for eating. i rarely eat a meal without some mishap on my shirt. maybe its a curse or something.

my dear pottery barn,

i'm sorry for the things i said. i don't know what came over me. when i received the catalog from pottery barn kids, i knew i had made a big mistake. where your "adult" store deflated my decorating spirit, your "kid" store sent me soaring! its not you, its me. i'm just the kind of girl who finds comfort and solace in any place "kid" - please understand. to show you how sorry i am, i am going to order this for miss brookie to go to school:

(in purple, of course)

can we just start over? why throw away years of a relationship for one post of disappointment? today is a new day! in the mean time, in the best interest of being green and saving trees, only send me the kid catalog, okay?

i will always love you,

kali

(all goofiness aside, the pbk back to school catalog is awesome! new rooms that aren't yet online...)

happy thursday!

(who needs uppercase?!?! :o)

joy is a special find!

There are some secrets to thrifting that I am willing to share, but only under certain conditions. You must share with me your best finds, your favorites, your best deals!

1. If you have kids, this is one time it is okay to bribe. For example, today while thrifting I told Brooklyn that if she was good, I would take her to get ice cream afterward. That, coupled with the promise to pick out a toy, bought me a good hour of thrifting. If you have the option, leave them with dad. It is so nice to look around on your own. If you have a tiny one still in the baby car seat, go during their nap time. Okay, now that you have that worked out...

2. Always pay attention to areas that aren't in your direct line of vision- top and bottom shelves, under shelves. Most people don't take the time to look in these places, and I have found some great things this way.

3. Look in boxes. Often times there will be small boxes thrown in among other things. My incurable curiosity forces me to look inside. Its a good thing, too. One time at a flea market, I found a booth of what some would call junk. Everything was dirt cheap. In filtering through everything, I found a small greeting card box. I opened it, and inside was a collection of vintage hand sewn baby doll clothes! Each little outfit was beautiful! There was even a little wedding dress with a veil, and little blue panties for underneath. I bought the box, and the tiny wardrobe, for $2! Today I saw a little box on a shelf. I opened it, and inside there were vintage poker chips! (I love poker. I might be addicted, but I don't play for money. I just like the game.)

These are just a few of my secrets, that really aren't secrets. But here is some of what I found today:
left to right:

- I think this is a holder for matches. It is definitely vintage. I had no idea what it was, but the picture on it is really so pretty. There is a little spot on the side that says "strike here". Maybe one of you knows what this is? The little flap on the front lifts up.

- I found another cake stand! This one is bigger than the other I just bought, and I like the glass cover. I see a creamy coconut cake in our future. :o)

- I bought a grab bag of vintage sewing baubles. I am selling most of the loot on ebay. But I kept a few items for myself. I am most excited about the linen lace! I should have taken a close up of how intricate it is...maybe next post.

- Brooklyn loved this little bunny tin.

- A big kerr jar! It even had its old lid. I don't know what I fill it with.

- Surprise box of vintage poker chips!

(not pictured: two vintage dresses, and some curtains, and a new dresser for Brooklyn! will share later :o)

Here is one picture of the collection I'm listing on ebay today:

Don't forget to share you favorite finds!!!

something strange goin on around here...

I don't know if I am going through a quarter life crisis or something...

I almost always find something I love from Pottery Barn. I thumbed through the most recent catalog...and nothing. Not one page inspired me. Maybe I'm not ready for the fall colors, or "sophisticated" patterns. I can't be sure. I guess there was one page, but it was more a decorating idea:

I like this idea for a stairway. I think I would use frames in the same color family. Okay, so I wasn't left completely uninspired. I have noticed that I feel drawn to things a little more...um...quirky. Something is happening to me. Is this what they call "evolving"?

I want to get rid of nearly all my clothes. I look in the closet and nothing really matches me. I just feel an overwhelming urge to purge, and get back to simplicity. A lot of what you need, and a little of what you can't live without. An old love has waltzed back in and decided to stay a while...vintage dresses. I love all things vintage. I loved this one on ebay, beyond my budget:

Right now I am in love with anything from the 1940's. I have a 40's dress I bought on ebay some time ago, and I am just waiting for the right occasion to wear it. I am going to need one of these too:

I so badly, so so badly, so very badly want a 1940's turquoise truck. Maybe I will find an old one to restore someday. I know, I know- as if my plate wasn't full enough. But a girl can dream, right?

My mom has always said that I am an old soul.

no more training wheels :o(

This is a week to go down in history. This week, my baby girl learned to ride her bike without training wheels. I can't decide whether or not I am totally overjoyed or if I might start crying. It is a bittersweet moment, when your first born learns to ride without training wheels.

Charlotte has also learned something new...the airplane sound. You know, that sound you make when you blow air through your lips. And she LOVES to make this sound. Like, all day long. It is cute every single time! She even changes the pitch of the noise she makes as she does it, and it is hilarious!!! How fast they learn and grow and discover...I hear her now...

I didn't wind up having a garage sale. Some unexpected things came up, and I wound up giving most of my baby items to someone. It was funny, really. As I was preparing for the sale, an old coworker asked if I had any baby items she could buy from me. She knew a young mom in need. I was glad to give it away. I know its hard, and I was helped out tremendously by my mom when I had Brooklyn. Blessed to be a blessing, that's what I say.

I picked a blue color for the bathroom. Its similar to the blue in the counter top. I was trying to decide between a warm gray color and a soft white for the cabinet. I think I am going with white.

And the cabinet will need new jewelry...

or maybe:

I love this smokey gray, but the flower pulls are very pretty too. Decisions, decisions...

I planted a hydrangea plant today. They are one of my favorite flowers. Its so hard to do work inside during the summer.

I will post bathroom pictures soon. I hope you are all well and having a great summer! I can't believe they have the school supplies out in the stores already!!!! Geesh!!!

recipe for magic: one radio and one pot of coffee

I don't know what hit me, but I spent the entire day yesterday cleaning the kitchen. Not like, do the dishes and wipe down the counters clean...no. I mean went through every single cupboard/cabinet/drawer, filled a big box with items for goodwill, organized everything in its own little home, kind of clean. Give me a radio and a pot of coffee, and the possibilities are endless!!!! I can't say how good it feels to walk into a very clean, very organized, less is more kind of room. I want my whole house to be this way. My goal is to clean and organize the whole house before the end of August, when school starts. One room at a time, one room at a time!

I hope you all had a fun fourth of July! These times aren't easy, but I am so thankful for my country and my freedom.

If you are in the neighborhood this weekend, you might stop on by. There will be a garage sale here...with things like vintage table linens/napkin rings, a variety of dishes, some funky furniture, and clothes of the teeny tiny sort.

Today: go through clothes, wash and package bed linens for sale, clean and organize bathroom #1

hmmm...what will I do with the garage sale proceeds? Maybe this sofa...

or this bed....

Okay, back to work!

TJMaxx, how I love thee! Let me count the ways...:o)

I have been sick. Very very sick. I am feeling much better today. I haven't been able to work on the bathroom much, but I have some other exciting things to share!

A while ago I found this beautiful duvet cover by Ralph Lauren at TJMaxx. I have been slowly putting together a bed of all whites. I have had a hard time finding a duvet cover that I just loved. Then I found this one! The price tag from its original store said $470!!! It has lots of embroidery and detail, but my word that is way too much money! TJMaxx's tag was significantly lower. Affordable for a girl like me, well, with the help of layaway. I couldn't help but look around, and boy I am glad I did! I found these pretties to come home with me:

The cake stands are a rose colored glass. I have been wanting some cake stands. I was so excited when I found these in graduating sizes. The small one was only $4.99, the middle $5.99, the large one was $6.99! Won't this other pretty look nice filled with various soaps, in my new bathroom?

such pretty detail:

Remember this post? Well, its finally finished! And I think it looks happy with its fresh, new, cream outfit. This piece is especially close to my heart.

I think the funk is over. I am finding inspiration again. I think I have figured out the colors for bathroom #1. I still feel a little weak today (for some reason Charlotte's car seat feels especially heavy :o) but I think that tomorrow I will be ready to get to work!

Happy Wednesday!

~kali