New Blog Location!
Hello readers! I’ve had so much fun sharing little design aspects of my life that I’ve decided to amp up the design of my blog itself. I would like to humbly invite you to read my blog at its new location:
Explore, read, comment, add it to your reader, and let me know what you think!
First yard sale where I’m not the one buying…
This morning Tim and I got up at 6:00am to set up our first ever… YARD SALE!!!
Since we’re moving, we went through all of our stuff and thought this would be the best way to get rid of it all at once. We were right. The haul? $563.75
But it wasn’t just luck. Tim and I did a lot of prep work and a fair amount of yard sale research before launching into things.
My favorite tip source was this article by Apartment Therapy (AT). Of special significance were these tips (narrated with my thoughts)…
- Set sale hours: AT suggested 9-4 for a Saturday yard sale. We did 9-3 and ended up calling it a day at noon because we had sold almost everything. I think the rest of the AT tips helped make our short afternoon possible.
- Be Prepared for Early Birds: Oh my god yes so true. I am SUPER glad we followed this tip. We posted the sale start at 9am, but one guy showed up at 7:45 Other people were there shortly after, and most of our traffic was from 8-10am. Would have been annoying, but we were planning on being ready by 8am (per the AT tip) so we were almost all set up. The first guy bought $160 worth of stuff, so I’m glad we were. WARNING: these career garage sale early bird people are pretty savvy and know how to get a steal. Don’t let them shake you. Know your prices and remember you have all day to sell these things. I kind of wish we had stuck to our guns on a couple things we sold for super low prices to our early birds, but hey, a sale is a sale :)
- Price Everything: This was awesome. We set up price zones - we had 50 cents, $1, Free, and individually priced items with stickers. Then our own tip: shift things around the groups throughtout the day. We moved things from the $2 to $1 and the $1 to 50 cents as the day moved on and we just wanted to sell things. It was nice not to have to re-sticker things, or forget/second guess prices.
- Price Realistically: We chose prices to move things. For example, DVD sets were $3 and singles were $1, which is nothing. We figured you can rent movies for just a little more, so our prices were a deal. Two ladies came in and bought almost all of them. Score!
- Free Pile: As I mentioned above, we had one and it was great. Stuff went that wouldn’t have sold. We didn’t have to throw it out or drag it all to Goodwill. Plus, I think people stopped by who might not have otherwise. Everyone likes free right?
- Have change: YES! We had a ton of 10s, 5s, 1s, and quarters. People bought things that they were “maybe” on because we were like “oh we have change.” It was just friendlier, nicer, and faster. No waiting for someone to come back with correct change. Do it.
- Advertise: We bought $7.50 worth of neon yellow and green poster board, cut them in half, and made the signs. They said YARD SALE in huge letters, then 9am-3pm, my address, and a giant arrow. A lady at the sale even complemented their size and clarity. We were competing with a lot of other yard sale signs today, but it seemed to work out. We also posted to Craigs List two nights before, then the night before with the info and a sample list of our things. As a result, someone came and bought our Gorilla Costume. Then someone else came and asked about it. Nice :)
- Get rid of the leftovers: I am so glad we did this. When a bunch of people came by and didn’t buy (there was NOTHING left) we packed up. Then, instead of taking a break - even though we were really tired and hot - we put everything in the car and took it straight to Good Will. Now we’re done. Period.
People, this was so the way to do things. Tim and I are pumped about the results. It’s only 2pm now. We had a yard sale, made over $500, took down our signs, took the leftovers to Good Will, had lunch, showered, and I’m writing a blog. Seriously? Do it :)
What is this thing called…?
It took me forever to write this post, not because it’s so complicated but because I have no idea what this thing is called! Wall art? Art collage? I don’t know. Does it even have a name…?
Anywho, Tim and I have wanted to put something above our radio for a while. It used to look like this which was fine, but it just didn’t feel balanced with the mantle or anything else in the room really. Just a little bare… Tim came up with the idea of putting a bunch of pictures together. Something like this by the incredible Emily Henderson, but smaller:
I was totally on board, but it took a surprisingly long time to get the artwork together. Here’s our version with a closeup!!
Here’s the breakdown of stuff…
- The postcards are from an antique store in Salem, MA - $2 to $4 each
- The key art was from the same store - $25 (it’s a little more than I wanted to spend, but I priced out making my own and this was actually a good deal. Keys were $2-$3 each, plus burlap, a frame, and taking the time to do it)
- The silhouettes are from an antique store in upstate NY - $15 for the pair
- The metal bird was from a design store in Encinitas, CA - about $6 (can’t remember exactly)
I wish I remembered all of the store names, but it’s been a while. I’ll try to do better next time :)
Either way, it’s a great little addition to our living room. I’m really excited to keep collecting more wall art. Happy-sadly Tim and I will be moving in a month into a new apartment in San Diego, CA. We can’t paint the walls there, so I’m sure we’re going to use a lot of wall art. More wall-art-collections-collages-combinationsofpicturestogethers.
Sigh… if you know what it’s called let me know!
Antiquing and yard sale scavenging finds of the day!
I had a fabulous time antiquing with Kait Moreno today! We went to the Cambridge Antique Market - a five story, vendor based, store. It’s really fabulous and you should go (but please leave some of the cute things for my next trip).
Here are the spoils :)
- Bentwood Bird - $7
- “Room In Use” sign - $19.50 (marked down 70% from $65 woo!)
- Small brown ottoman - $6 (actually from a little yard sale down the street, but I wanted to go in order of the pictures…)
- “The Boll Worm” print - $8
I almost bought these really cute metal birds, but they’re $37 and I just can’t get myself to do it. Also, I was on the lookout to find a painting to do this project, but couldn’t find the perfect one:
Maybe next time :)
I’m definitely an avid lover of small pretty things. I love a combination of vintage, whimsical, industrial, mid-century, who knows what else. With a rather large and evolving collection of pretty objects (don’t you dare call them knickknacks!! Chotchkies?! I’ll never forgive you) I’ve had a lot of fun arranging them in pretty combinations. Here’s my latest attempt to “style” the two bookcases that flank the little sitting area in my living room.
Here’s some things I try to keep in mind when I’m arranging:
- Evenly space color. For example I have two green vases and a green model car. I made sure they are spread out, so it wasn’t like “oh hey, look there how you used that green a lot.” Instead it’s more of “wow, these objects are random, but it all works. It doesn’t seem planned… how did you make it so cohesive!?”
- Evenly space and mix finishes. I was really conscious of the finishes I had and made sure to mix them up. For example I have two small bugs: a mercury glass grasshopper and a brass ant. I could have put the brass ant next to brass hourglass I have, but that would have been a lot of brass all together. Instead, I spread it out.
- Rule of threes! I’m sure you’ve heard of this and it is SO HANDY! Now, I think the trick is, three doesn’t mean three objects. It can be more like three heights or three weights. Take the right bookshelf: The top cubby has three items, period. BUT the second cubby has 10 objects (technically). If you count the books and the jar with balls as one thing each it has 4, which still isn’t 3… BUT, since the large jar/balls is stacked on top of the books and they’re all in the same-ish color scheme it becomes like one bigger object to your eye. Then the hourglass and the grasshopper pop off of it. So, the rule of threes still kind of applies. Hey, you gotta embrace the rules to break them right?
- Height and weight. This one was trickier for me. Height is height right? But weight? Visual weight? Whaaaaa….? Here’s the conclusion I’ve come to…
- Color: Neutrals and colors with low contrast are lightweight. Colors that are bright or have high contrast have more visual weight.
- Sheen: This one is a bit of a mix for me. Shiny objects look and feel more lightweight, but they also draw your eye in certain contexts. So for this one, I think this is a case by case thing. Most of the time, they’re visually light.
- Transparancy: A really simple one. The more transparent something is, the less visual weight it takes up. Glass jar - very light. Block of (dark) wood - very heavy.
- Size: This is pretty simple too, if something is tall and wide, it takes up more visual weight. Tall and thin is less. Short and thin is even less. So my brass ant, doesn’t take up a lot of visual weight at all. The big basket behind it takes up a lot more weight.
SO, let’s take a case study in visual weight. My lightbulb jar and my owl lamp.
- Color: The Jar has a little color on the top, but it’s not very bright. The owl is dark and has a pop of orange.
- Sheen: Neither are particularly shiny….
- Transparency: The Jar is 99% transparent. The owl is decidedly opaque.
- Size: They’re essentially the same size in both height and width.
The Owl is definitely more visually heavy by color and transparency. Thus, if you put them next to each other (which I wouldn’t suggest because you want to vary your heights) the owl draws your eye and will act as more of a visual center. At least… this is what I’m thinking from my experiments…
Anywho… I tried to make sure that the “pattern” of heights and weights varied from cubby to cubby. Example! Bottom two cubbies on the right bookshelf! The top one goes: tall/medium-weight, low-small/heavy, medium-tall/light. The bottom one goes: medium/heavy, tall/translucent, small/light.
Ok ok enough about staging. I’m probably totally wrong anyway :). But I love it and I guess that’s all that matters. My REAL advice? Check out Emily Henderson’s styling and try to learn by watching. She’s kind of my styling hero and has really encouraged me to mix things up and not worry about matching. I’ve never liked matchy-matchy so her work has been really validating and inspiring.
I’d also love to hear what you guys think? Totally wrong? Vaguely wrong? Did I blow your mind? Are you just shocked that I obsessed that much about cubbies?
The perfect end table…
As I mentioned in a past blog, I’ve been looking for perfect end tables for my living room for fooreeevur (pronounced like this from the Sandlot). Well, Tim and I finally broke down and shelled out the cash for this end table from West Elm that I love love leurve.
Since both of the chairs there are low and from very different styles, we needed an end table that would be the right scale and neutral enough to fit in without competing stylistically. I can’t tell you how perfectly this end table fits the bill. Well, I guess you can just see in the picture!
I styled the stump with a metal donkey my Dad got me from Mexico, some similarly colored books, and a small jar with a twig. The jar was from a garage sale and the twig is from my back yard. It’s simple but makes us very very happy.
Bonus: Tim and I are moving in September. This is very sad, because this is the best apartment ever, but such a neutral and timeless end table will look good in almost any room. A great design investment :)
This weekend was another great craigslist adventure for Tim and me. I found this rocking chair on craigslist some time last week, and we got to pick it up Saturday. Only $35!!
The other bonus was the lady selling it was incredibly sweet and a huge craigslist fan. If you’ve bought and sold a bunch like I have, it’s always a treat to meet someone who enjoys great finds as much as passing treasures along to other people who will love them.
So, a few details about this rocker - It’s solid wood and wicker, which I wasn’t ever in to before but I love now. The texture is a great addition to our room. It’s painted white, as you can see in the picture, but the paint is old and chipping. It blends right in to the antique pieces we already have, but it’s also really low profile, so its proportions are great with the mid-century seating in the room.
Basically, it’s pretty much perfect and I love it :)
This is going to be a little bit of a catchall for two reasons… 1. I want to show you my living room as a whole and 2. There are a lot of little things I want to point out that don’t make a great post by themselves.
Let’s dig in!
The most important thing to point out is how much I love our apartment. It’s beautifully cared for, has amazing vintage archetecture, and we have AMAZING landlords. I’ve come to terms with the fact that it’s all down hill after this - I’m spoiled.
The ceilings are about 12 feet with arching on the seam between the walls and ceiling. The great height is matched by all of the sunlight we get through our 4! windows - three of which are bay windows.
We’ve covered several of the things in this room in other posts. Namely: the mantle, the ottoman, the philco radio, the table lamp, the side table, the paint, and the Scrabble letter art. Other things of interest…
Couches and chair: We got these through a combination of craigslist and dumb luck. We started our couch search pretty early and took our time to find just the right one. The result was this amazing vintage couch in goldenrod nagahyde. It’s in amazing condition and was only $80! When we went to pick it up the woman selling it threw in the great mid-century chair we have for free! We were stoked. It seemed the furniture gods were smiling, but little did we know the extent of our sofa destiny - wow that was bad…
The day we got the keys from our friends who were moving out (we miss you Casey and Cody!!!), they told us they hadn’t been able to have Salvation Army take their old couch away. They asked us if we wanted it or could put it out on the curb for trash day. Something looked familiar… yes, this was the exact same model couch we had just bought in a different colors! Sisters reunited! Someday we might reupholster the green one, it’s had a lot of lovin over the years, but for now we’re just happy to have the girls together again. Weird right?
Coffee table and rug: These were both craigslist finds. The coffee table was a splurge for us, but still a deal at $125. The rug is a little small for the room, but for some reason I love the scale of it. I know, cringe - sorry. It’s from West Elm for about $300 usually, but we got it for $40. Just gotta be persistent!
Floor Lamp: This is Tim’s baby. We were looking around at Fun Antiques in Porter Square when Tim fell in love with it. It’s a little more than we would usually spend at $125, but still a decent price. It’s a vintage industrial type lamp and still has the original tag on it! We’ve pointed it up to get more light into the room, plus I think it looks really sculptural that way. Definitely a huge step up from the Target lamp we had before (sorry Target, you know I love you).
Miscellaneous: Keeping our eyes open and walking frequently has led Tim and I to some great finds. For example…
The clock on the mantle was in the trash! Works and everything - we love it.
A lot of the glass ware on the shelves came in a crate of vases a guy sold me for $1. He was tired since it was the end of the day, and ready to get rid of things. He even threw in the crate. I didn’t keep every thing in the crate, but the stuff that I liked was great.
The little office lamp and bug printed boxes were from Target, and the rest of the chotchkies were from Pier 1, antique stores, or are family hand-me-downs.
Still to do: I know we need curtains, they’re just so expensive most of the time! That combined with my pickiness equals curtain paralysis. We’ll get there, I promise. We’re also looking to add another chair and side table to put between the book shelves. More posts with those changes to come soon!! …hopefully…
When we moved in, our living room was a really great blue. Our friends, the former tenants, have amazing taste, but since we wanted the room to feel like our own, we decided to paint. Paint is cheap and has a huge impact. You can check out more pictures of our living room on this post.
I came up with this two toned grey idea based on high chair rails I had seen Genevieve Gorder do on HGTV. It played in to our two toned couches and coffee table nicely. Also, the height was a modern take on a traditional detail, which I love. I chose grey because it’s really warm and a modern neutral when you use it right - I love it. The only challenge we faced with the big line is that old houses are not level at all. In particular the windows in this room ARE level and the mantle is NOT. How to trick the eye?…
After a lot of brainstorming, here’s what we came up with:
1. Start the line at the windows and make sure it’s level to them on three of the four walls. We used a laser level throughout - saved a ton of time.
2. Work our way from the door, to the windows, and around to the wall with the mantle.
3. On the mantle wall, use string to make a line that curves ever so slightly to give the illusion of a straight line without having to follow the wonky angle of the mantle. This took a lot of experimentation, teamwork, and stepping back to eyeball things.
4. Angle the line slightly as it comes into the door frame. This is where the biggest jump in the line occurs. We decided to put the jump here because the break for the door is a great camouflage for the problem. Also, it’s not an area of the room with huge visual focus (ie. it’s not the first thing you see when you walk in the room).
So now I’ve given away our dirty secret. Don’t judge us for making you believe it was straight, we just wanted everyone to feel happy and level! You wouldn’t believe the measures we’ve had to go to to stave off vertigo in this house…
This has to be one of our favorite home DIY projects so far. We’re going to try a combined “voice” blog post here so bear with us… confusion possibly ahead…
Background (Tim): I stumbled onto this beautiful mid-1930’s Philco radio years ago at a Cape Cod antique store and had to have it. It was in rough shape. It obviously has taken some water damage over the years, the grill was torn, the knobs were missing, the speaker was beyond repair, and I didn’t even try plugging it in to see if the amp worked. But the visible wear added a lot of charm to it. I was sure it would look great as a side table in any room, and at $25, I couldn’t say no to picking it up.
The Idea (Jen): Obviously, this radio is beautiful and an amazing addition to any room. But, it’s a little sad that aging and poor care had reduced it to a decorative end table. Tim and I wanted to bring it back to it’s original glory, by turning it back into a sound-producing-device.
Tim’s Plan: Initially, I had all these grand schemes in place to very literally restore this radio. I read about vintage radio amplifiers to see if I could learn enough to repair the old tube amp and AM receiver that were in there, and then replace the deteriorated speaker. As a part of this, I was hoping to learn how to rewire the receiver to add an input for MP3 players or a turntable. Obviously, this would be a huge undertaking, so naturally it got put off for years and years. After a while, bringing this radio back to life seemed like it would never happen…
Jen’s Plan: Because I have no idea what I’m talking about when it comes to audio equipment, I assumed this would be a super easy project. After looking over the innards, I thought we should take out the old broken speaker, put in new speakers (Tim had some upstairs that would fit beautifully), then attach those speakers to a bluetooth-connection-device-thingy. I totally didn’t understand why Tim thought things would be hard… then we realized the difference in our plan that you’ve already picked up on.
The Process (Tim): When the switch went off in my head about what Jen meant, it seemed so simple I can’t believe I’d overlooked it. And since I had a pair of small powered studio speakers collecting dust upstairs, we could get right to work on setting it up.
Here’s how we did it: We went to Home Depot and got a couple of tiny strips of wood from the scrap bin (for $2 I think) and cut them to the right length so it would make a tiny platform inside the radio for the speakers to sit on. I carefully removed the original speaker and placed it next to the amplifier inside the radio, so I can restore it to its original condition if I ever feel the urge (I’m big on making sure mods aren’t permanent - especially on antiques). Then, we pulled out the torn grill and Jen stapled in some burlap, which makes a nice substitute! For the finishing touch, I was actually able to find replica knobs for this exact model radio online.
One thing I wanted to completely avoid, though, was having to have wires running across the room to play mp3s on it. That’s where the magic comes in. I bought us one of these. It’s a bluetooth music receiver, which basically allows any computer or device with bluetooth to connect to it. Any iPhone / Laptop / iPod with bluetooth can stream its audio output over to it without lag, and from any software, whether it’s internet radio, iTunes, or youtube. It’s seriously a great piece of gear - I’ve since bought 3 more, so every room in our apartment has access to wireless music!
The Result (Jen): A video is worth a bazillion words in this case …
The Philco sings again! We love love love being able to listen to our music whenever we want, and in great style to boot. Plus, at parties our friends can play their music from their own iphones, allowing for tons of fun and sharing of the novelty.
Hey… I think we did it… a combined post. Hopefully you aren’t completely lost, but we had fun!
