7 things:)

Ok - I have been tagged to do one of those "7 things" posts on 7 things people may or may not know about you.

Here goes!

1. I am passionate about cheap decorating. I have a theory that boring decorations cost more than cute, original ones. I will spend my life trying to prove this by buying all the cheap crap I can and spray painting it.

2. I think Ikat print is my favorite decorating trend right now. Oh my goodness. I want to buy a million feet of this and cover my house in it. Although, that would be a lot of leftover fabric...

Oh and this is Ikat. I totally would have no clue what it is except for the textiles class I took in college. Isn't it lovely and fun?



3. I just now today started following Pioneer Woman. And I call myself a blogger?Pioneer Woman is like the New York Times of the blogging world. I need to get educated!


4. Barnes and Noble is my happy place. In college I would spend countless hours at Barnes with my BFF Mel. We would pretend to study but would really just get double chocolate chip frapachinos and read magazines and talk and watch the snow fall. It was awesome.

Here is a pic of Mel and I NOT at Barnes but at my rehearsal dinner last November. Pay no attention to how tan I am. I am about 15 shades lighter without the spray tan.



5. I have been married 9 months to my BFF Josh. Who I love dearly. I mean seriously, sweetest, hottest, funniest man alive.



We're so in love we just make out not even caring that 11 people are staring at us:)


6. Speaking of Josh. He wants to use the computer. Meaning my 7 things is really only 6.5 and I will now spend the rest of the evening cleaning my kitchen and watching HGTV:)

7. Goodnight!

Look what I found Fridays

My blogging friend Mandi does a linky party called "Look what I found Friday" - so this week I am joining in:) This is where you post all your thrift store finds for the week. IF you go on a weekly basis. Pbsh. Who does that? :)

Anyways, last week was 50% off at Goodwill and boy did I go crazy. And by crazy I mean I spent like $20. But that feels like crazy at the Goodwill. The craziest part would be me strapping my antique rocking chair to the back of my honda by myself in 110 degree heat. Oy vey. Why did I think I could fit a rocking chair in my car? Love is blind people. It really is.

Here are my finds from last week!

Ok these are some bookends someone was giving away at work. At least I think someone was giving them away...they were in the general area of free stuff, so I partook. I knew they would look lovely with some yellow spray paint with a little of the old silver peeking out. Petina? Is that the fancy word for that? Anyways...here they are. Hopefully no one at work is missing their bookends.



And here is the rocking chair that will someday go in our sun room on top of this ikea rug....which I have been in love with since I saw it in the Ikea catalog, and then the House of Smiths blog, and then I went to Ikea to visit it and it was lovely. Someday. It will be mine.


Ok...back to the rocking chair. $15. I am going to recover it with some fun fabric and paint it:) I think it has potential...underneath the pet hair and itchy indian fabric.



And I saw a bag of really pretty marbles. And I decided right then and there - I liked marbles. Who knew? So I bought them...$1. And I put them in this cool looking jar .50 cents. It should be noted that I broke the first jar I picked out. Yep all over the floor of Goodwill. Hi embarrassing. Luckily, I went back and they had the same exact jar. I think God wanted me to have it.





And last but not least...an old algebra book. I just thought it was interesting. Turquoise and yellow and old. Plus - if you keep math books casually lying about - you look very smart...or nerdy...oh well.



So there you go! If you want to check out Mandi's blog, she has some fun projects she has done that might inspire you! http://vintagerevivals.blogspot.com/

pantrys and baking soda

So, this summer Josh and I have been living on a steady diet of Otter Pops. They are 100 for $3 at your nearest Wal Mart - (80 for $8 at Costco - so don't buy them there! And yes, I have comparison shopped Otter Pops.)

Anyways, if you happen to spill a drop on your white laminate countertops the stain of Sir Isaac Grape is there - for.ev.ver (must be said like in Sandlot).

409, water, soap, BLEACH, did not get these stains out. I guess we were just going to have to get new granite countertops? Yes, I think that is obviously the best solution:)

But then, I had Josh google stain removal tips and he came back with Baking Soda paste. Just baking soda and water - so I tried it and holy cow it removed everything!

I am sure they teach this in wife school but I must have missed it.

Also I did scrub using the dollar store version of the Magic Eraser. Worked great! I couldn't stop scrubbing, scrubbed my shower and then some baseboards. I was kind of going crazy - but everything was looking so clean!

So moral of the story.

Baking Soda + Water = will clean anything
Dollar store magic erasers = awesome ( the name brand versions are like $5!)
Otter Pops: they are good, cheap and 20 calories.

Ok and speaking of Kitchens....you all have GOT to see this pantry. It's just a little bit ridiculous.

I saw this on the House of Smiths blog and let me tell you this lady is awesome. She says she doesn't even have a junk drawer. Truly admirable!

I like the way she thinks about every little part of her home as being cute. She even likes her garage! I think I write rooms off and say "oh it's supposed to be not cute because it's just the laundry room" but, now I am challenged to go beyond that and see the potential for pretty in every little nook.

Ok, enough of me - more pantry goodness.

Here it is. In all it's pantry glory.

Look - her spice packets are in a labeled box. So, pretty.

and I thought my tupperware plastic baking containers were cute...

Anyways, defintely check out her blog sometime because it is great!

http://houseofsmiths.blogspot.com/

Goodwill Hunting

So - in honor of it being half off day at my nearby Goodwill. I thought I would do a post about all the gems I have found there.

My sister-in-law, Jen recently bought a chair and turned it into a candy apple red delight and it made me smile. http://kreatid.blogspot.com/2010/07/candy-apple-red.html

Now if that doesn't inspire to get out there and dig thru stuff at Goodwill - I don't know what will!

Here are some of my latest findings.

Here is a ceramic peacock. I didn't know I wanted or needed a ceramic peacock until I locked eyes with this little guy. And then I knew. I knew that inside my heart was a ceramic peacock shaped hole.

Luckily, it has been filled.

Sometimes I want to take a sharpie to him and do this....


I just think it would give him some flare. As if he needs any.

Moving on from ceramic peacocks...here is my find from today. $1.50. I must say I was pretty stoked about this. Not sure what to do with it. It could hold throw blankets or I could put it on our sun porch with some plants? Regardless, I knew I wanted it.

Westside Melons. Somewhere, a farmer who is in a gang is wondering what happened to his melon crate. Westsiiiide. It's so gangsta. I am just waiting for Josh to make an innapropriate joke about melons. It's there somewhere.

And here's this little gem. A mirror with a super cute frame that is calling out for some spray paint. But what color? And where? So many questions. Until they are answered my mirror will sit in my guestroom reflecting the mess that is my guest room. Can you see it? That's my wedding dress draped over a bulletin board. So sad.


And those are my goodwill finds for the month- and I didn't even upload the photo of the legit Diane Von Furstenberg purse I got for $3. I know. I felt like the guy who buys a painting at a garage sale and there is a Monet behind it. It's not that extreme - but I was indeed excited.

goodbye productivity

uh oh. I have found a new obsession. Polyvore.com - you can make outfits and room inspiration boards and they have sooo many cute things. It's downright ridiculous.

Here is my first outfit inspiration board. Mostly to inspire me to wear something other than my highwater-rolled-up-wannabe-capris and grey cardigan every day this summer.

Ok, I think I have to go to Forever21. Now. This tank top is soo cute. At least it looks cute here. Who knows how it will look on me. And that ring? Oh my. I can only hope charlotte russe makes a knockoff. And I spelled night wrong in the title of this set. Oh well. Who can spell correctly when you're mind is completely focused on the adorability of those ruffles? Not I.

Date nght in july by lstamm featuring Rebecca Minkoff bags

Jar Goodness

Oh my. Just saw some fun pictures of mason jars on apartment therapy. Anthropologie did a whole display of mason jars. I am feeling inspired.

I think in my dream world I would work for Anthropolgie's merchandising department soaking in all the creative genius that seems to flow from that store. The could pay me in clothing and aprons and sweater clocks.


Sometimes I do not have the guts to pull off stuff like this. I feel like people would come over to my house and be like - why do you have a jar hanging from your ceiling? And then I would have to explain to them it's so much more than a jar. And they would be confused. Kind of like when you say a joke and are afraid no one gets it - so then you explain it and then it's no longer funny. Kind of like that.


Like when I wanted to title this blog post "Jar Jar Binks" but was afraid no one would understand the Star Wars/Jar reference.

Anyways back to jars. And how pretty they are.

I would kind of be worried one would fall on my head. But it's pretty.


Let there be light.

I want jars in my backyard now.


Jars make lentils and beans look adorable.

School Houses Rock

I seriously am wanting to transform my kitchen to whatever it is now (not that cute) to schoolhouse chic.

I am not even sure that a schoolhouse can be chic....but I would give it my best.

I saw some lockers today in a magazine and I think I fell in love. A little bit.

I imagine myself finding the perfect vintage lockers that I hunt down on craislist and repaint.

Red apples.

Mason jars full of pencils (ya gotta have mason jars).

Chalkboard paint backsplash.

Somewhere my old holly hobbie tin lunch box could make an appearance.

Old framed artwork that Josh and I did when we were little.

Maybe some old flashcards on the inside of the cupboard doors.

But the lockers would be the best part. I loved having a locker when I was a teenager. I would decorate it at the beginning of every year. I would stay up the night before school started cutting things out of magazines to put in my locker. And now I could decorate a locker as an adult!

It's gonna happen. Even if I have to go steal some lockers from a school at midnight while wearing pantyhose on my head.

Ok, well I probably won't take it that far. Probably...

Here's some inspiration:)

Seriously love the globe and I think I could find that clock pretty easy. And yes, those blue lockers are full of locker awesomeness.

Lunch trays. Oh heavens that is cute. And I did just say oh heavens. Like an old lady.

And how cool are those edison light bulbs? I have absolutly no where I could put that. But a girl can dream can't she?