Happy New Year!
Hey there! Phew! The holidays are OVER! I hope everyone survived unscathed and is ready to take on this great new year!
My blog posts have been few and far between lately with all that’s been going on. Here’s what I’ve been up to this past month.
First off, if you didn’t know already, I am my mom’s primary caregiver. She has M.S. and I also help run my father’s construction company and take care of their home, the house I grew up in. So, not only did I have to get my own apartment ready for x-mas and keep the cheer alive there, I had to do it at my folks’ house as well. Taking care of two homes is exhausting enough as it is but during the holidays, I go into this insanely hyper-efficient Martha Stewart mode and it takes a toll on me once it’s all done.
So, yeah, I cleaned and decorated 2 places which meant that once I opened the storage closet, I had to organize that as well. I had to haul everything to my place and then haul it all back after I took it down (since we don’t have enough storage space).
I baked 7 dozen mini pecan tarts, 12 dozen oatmeal cookies and 6 pounds of fudge. That all went in a bunch of tins to give away. I don’t know how I managed to lose weight this month but I did. I guess running around like a maniac will do that to you.
I painted a blatant rip off of this painting by Hannah Stouffer, only I used oranges, reds and browns, which is now in our livingroom.
Then there was shopping… well planned out shopping spread out over 2 months so I wouldn’t be broke come Christmas. Since we were going up to NOVA the day after Christmas to see the bf’s family, I had to add them to the list as well. We had a really nice visit and I finally met his sister after a whole year! She’s awesome.
I got the bf a Navy issue peacoat and books, and treats and tshirts, some xbox thing, and more silly treats. He got me those flashy Onitsuka Tigers with the gold on them that I have been coveting for months as well as a Marimekko shower curtain and fabric panel I plan on stapling to a canvas. Oh, and he told his sister to get me this sweet sweet mounted deer head wall decal from Decor Designs on Etsy. The one I have is like the center one. It’s above a door so along with the painting, we’re getting a real ski lodge effect in there!
“Hetkiä/Moments” shower curtain
“Pelimanni” fabric panel designed by Iiro A. Ahokas
Since my mom can’t shop, I pick out things I want (which is sad and awesome at the same time) so, she hooked me up with a bunch of matching bra and panty sets which I was in desperate need of, a fresh bottle of Kenzo Amour, a handbag, and a few things I’ve mentioned already.
My father made us a round wood kitchen table. Six months in our apartment together and we were still eating on the sofa. My dad makes reproduction Chippendale style furniture and truly hates clean modern design so, he had to put his stank on the base, which really isn’t our thing but oh well, it’s a table and I’m thankful.
We ordered 2 of these chairs and just got them on Monday, from of all places Sears! Seriously, they have a line that’s attempting to compete with Ikea-style design. They’re completely awesome and we’re ordering 2 more this week. They go great in the living room as well so, we will probably keep 2 in there until we have people over for dinner.
It snowed about 10 inches the weekend before Christmas. So there were magical walks and lots of cozying up and staying in. I loved every minute of it!
my neighborhood
New Years Eve, we decided to keep it low key and avoid the insanity. I fixed a big steak dinner and we took a walk around our neighborhood with a giant mimosa in a plastic container and shared earbuds, listening to music and looking at Christmas lights. It was magical until we witnessed a 3 car accident right at the intersection we were about to cross. Luckily, the bf grabbed the back of my coat before I darted out. My hero!
This past week, I got a wild hair to tackle my parents’ basement, again, but way more seriously than I ever had before. I swear, my father should be on Hoarders. Only, he actually collects antiques with inherent value and they are over running my parents’ home. I have sorted, organized, wrapped and boxed tons of stuff in sturdy plastic boxes instead of the open dusty torn cardboard boxes everything was thrown in. Old toys, trains, antique tools, pottery, old kitchen gadgets, you name it. Then the closets down there needed to get cleaned out so I could get the boxes in there. Holy crap. I filled a huge trashcan in one afternoon and there have been two enormous car loads to the Goodwill truck this week already and it’s just Tuesday.
This Spring I plan to start painting the entire interior of my parents’ home and convince my father to redo the outdated bathrooms and replace my mom’s bedroom carpet with hardwood flooring. It WILL be done.
Oh, and have you seen the Valentine’s Day stuff in the stores already? OMG.
Tight Times
Do you remember the show Reading Rainbow? One story has stuck with me since I was a child. It was called Tight Times. A family is going through financial troubles and the little boy finds a kitten outside and of course wants to keep it. Things are so rough that the parents get upset about having another mouth to feed but after everyone breaks down and starts crying, they figure that they indeed can spare a bit more to keep the kitty. (watch the episode here)
Everyone I know is having a hard time staying above water right now but still want to give those they love a meaningful gift, so here are some inexpensive but thoughtful suggestions to get your Christmas shopping done without breaking the bank!
I am a huge TJ Maxx fan. I honestly think you could get all your shopping done there. It’s full of practical luxuries, so cheap it can make your head spin at times. So here are some frugal gift suggestions that could be knocked out in a jiffy at everyone’s favorite discount store.
I recently purchased a small high quality wok great for quick side veggies for $4.50. This and a package of asian noodles, some sesame oil, a head of garlic and a small ginger root (picked up on your next grocery trip), all bundled together could get your favorite foodie inspired for around $10. You could do the same thing with a pasta strainer or large bowl, some interesting sauce, and a bag of fun pasta. A friend did this, with bottles of wine added, for everyone she knew one year and it was a huge hit. It also makes an excellent hostess gift for any parties you attend.
Another nice combo gift great for mom, grandma, or any lady friend is the fancy tea cup/tea package. There are tons of random patterns of china tea cup/saucer sets, mugs, tea pots, kettles, and a bevy of fancy flavored teas and cocoas available at ridiculously cheap prices. Pair some tea up with a thoughtfully picked out cup or pot, and maybe even a box of cookies, for a gift that should be well below $20.
Practical gifts like scarves and gloves can be boring unless chosen in fun colors that the recipients normally wouldn’t pick out for themselves, but will be excited to work into their wardrobe. There are tons of gorgeous Italian and Irish wool scarves available right now for both men and women at about $15.
Babies all the way to teens aren’t left out. For baby, there are adorable hats, pretty storage boxes for nurseries, a slew of cute onesies and clothing, soft blankets, toys for all ages, and classic books. For older kids there are small electronics like colorful ear phones (usually some from Skullcandy) , portable ipod speakers and cases, hip room decor like bright throws and mirrors, there are tights (usually from Betsey Johnson), fuzzy slippers, pajamas, and luxuriously packaged bath products (for anyone really), all hitting well below $20.
If any of the above suggestions don’t work for office pals, there are tons of stationary and desk organizing tools.
There are loads of beautifully designed hand soaps and towels both for kitchen and bath that would go well together.
There are name brand wallets, cosmetic bags, clutches, yoga accessories, men’s accessories, cook books, coffee table books, photo albums, handblown glass vases, picture frames like crazy, scented candles, kitchen tools, gourmet spices… all at inexpensive price points.
When it comes to presentation, I really can’t stand the suggestion of wrapping a gift up in an additional gift, like a jewelry box wrapped in a scarf. No, I’m not spending an extra chunk of change to wrap the originally intended present. Then there’s the ideas of painting or stamping your own paper. Please. The season is hectic enough.
For wrapping gifts, I usually hit the 50%-75% off sales after Christmas and stock up for the next year. Take advantage at the stores you shop at and ask for their complimentary boxes, especially for odd sized items. A well wrapped gift can make a small item pretty fantastic to open. If you need to stock up on gift wrapping supplies right now, I highly recommend the dollar store. They have tissue paper with designs and huge packs of solid colors, curling ribbon, rolls of wire edged fabric ribbon for luxurious bows, bags of traditional bows, tags, tape, gift bags and boxes of all sizes and the usual seasonal wrapping paper – all for $1. Sometimes just sticking with a solid red or white paper or the big rolls of brown craft paper will allow a $1 ornament to stand out as a gift tie-on. There are glitter snowflakes, large sequined balls, and other novelty ornaments. You can also check the craft section for bunches of berries, fake birds and raffia ribbon for a rustic look.
There’s no reason to go broke this holiday season! Have fun being a thoughtful smart shopper!
chairs
Rarely do we have guests over but with all the Thanksgiving entertaining posts in full force, a little part of me is dying for a dinner party. (I think I want to design centerpieces more than anything.) Cooking for a group was something I had always fantasized about and thought I would be doing a lot of when I moved but we never even made getting a dining set a priority and we don’t have enough seating in the livingroom. (What do we do with our money?!) I have been collecting chair ideas for some time now. Some for the living room and some that would be suitable around a simple dining table. Let’s not even talk about prices on the high end stuff. I’m just digging the designs. I believe it was design personality Nate Berkus who said on Oprah that he didn’t have a sofa for a year or two until he found the perfect one. Totally feeling him on that – don’t settle for less than the vision you have in your head. A deal will come along eventually. Only problem is, I’m not even looking that hard.
This “Copenhagen” chair designed by Alvaro Uribe is made of fiberglass. I like the splash of color it would bring to our neutral living room. Yes to a red chair!
The classic 1958 design Cherner armchair
I’ve posted these before - Bistro chairs - low seating has always been appealing.
Kenneth Cobonpue’s Noodle chair
Target’s chair selection had a lot of modern pieces like this, a 4 chair set influenced by an Eames wire chair.
Also from Target (and now out of stock online), I saw these in person and wish I had swiped them up. A serious deal, at 2 for about $60, stackable and good to have around in a pinch.
I love acrylic chairs! Of course it would be ideal to have the Philippe Starck Ghost chairs but these from Target and Ikea would do just fine!
Last but not least, this Wishbone rocking chair by Toby Howes takes the frump out!
winter decorating
I want to decorate our place a tiny bit for Winter. Nothing is going up until after Thanksgiving but I did find these glittery snowflakes at Target today and swiped them up in preparation. All of them for $6! The red ones are sparkly felt and were $1 each and the rest are glittered plastic and came in multi packs for $1. I’m seeing these hanging in a cluster on different lengths of fishing line from the ceiling in a corner of the livingroom.
I don’t particularly like decorating for the Christmas holiday. Wintery things make the whole season more special instead of having one specific day in mind. That way, you can leave things up past Christmas and not have to stare at Santas and candy canes.
I also love how bright blues, lime, pinks and purples have become so accepted. These are available at Target and they’re right up my alley!
There was a great silver glitter deer ornament that stood on its own for $4 and I really wish I had grabbed it as well. He’d be super cute just hanging out among our every day things.
tubes
Technique and the process of making something is more fascinating to me than the end result most of the time, especially when it’s something that appears as if I could do it myself.
A while ago, I bookmarked these tables by Martin Dieterle (via Design Milk) and I have been pondering how I could get this done – lots of dowls cut just right, only paint what will be seen, glue glue glue in batches over time, sand the top and voila!
Then, I saw this umbrella stand by Loris&Livia that coudn’t be more easy. This one is made from blue aluminum tubes and some sort of strap but, the same could be done with PVC piping or other metal pipes and a belt. I don’t have some massive collection of umbrellas but if you do, or have lots of guests over, or if you have a business, why not give this a shot?
Sanctuary
Does anyone remember Cher’s two gothic home decor catalogs called Sanctuary from the 90s? I had both of them but sold them on eBay a long time ago. They’re pretty hard to find these days. So many ridiculous decadent things in them! Wish I could find more pics! She’s fabulous. (a NY Times article about the catalog)
Fall/Holiday 1994
Fall/Holiday 1995
horse head
HomeGoods finally opened a location in Richmond a week or two ago and I checked it out this afternoon. A friend had been to one in Tennessee and said it was an entire store like the home decor section of a TJ Maxx (they’re owned by the same company). She was right, and the place was a friggin madhouse – full of elderly women poking along and gripping their carts for dear life and middle-aged yuppies who just stood in the middle of aisles aimless and blank… and things that these people would like. I really wasn’t impressed with the selection and considering I have all that I need for my home, I wasn’t on the hunt for anything except a room divider/screen to conceal the cat box. No dice on that.
I did see this beyond awesome huge white ceramic horse head for $50. In love, no where to put it, and I just spent too much money on desperately needed bras. It’s still on the shelf. Go get it (for me).
drawers
With limited closet space and cold weather arriving, I have been thinking about dressers and chests of drawers. I have a ton of warm clothing I still need to bring over to the apartment and I have no place to put it all. My father makes reproduction Chippendale furniture and made me a huge dresser when I was little. It’s beautiful but really not my style and I have been reluctant to haul that monstrous mahogany piece over. Yesterday on Design Milk, I fell in love with this chest by SylvanSF. Their website is a dead end, difficult to look at individual pieces and prices are nowhere to be found. Each piece is a limited edition and everything is made from unique materials like horn, bone, leathers, and exotic veneers. Obviously, I could never afford any of it but, I just thought I’d share this gorgeous chest. The size is perfect and so is the pattern.
This chest is so decadent and despite the fact that it’s gold, it’s muted and warm and would blend in any decor without being garrish.
My bf is a huge lover of squids and whales and kind of oohed and ahhed when I showed him this chest.
The shapes are simple and with a some patience I think someone could diy something similar to any of these pieces for their home. There are tons of metalic paints and antiquing finishes/techniques out there. There are also continuous walpaper stencils in abbundance on the interwebs and I know I’ve seen some geometrics. Maybe you could find an intricate wall decal and simply cut accross it carefully and apply it to a set of drawers you already have.
milk glass
From the title of my blog, I get a lot of incoming searches from antique collectors looking for milk glass. So, I figured a post was in order.
What is milk glass? It’s basically an opaque glass that has tin oxide added to the glassmaking process to create the milky appearance. It resembles porcelain with a glassy shine. It is usually formed and pressed into molds.
Milk glass is at home in any decor because of its clean simplicity. There are figures, vases, dishes, glasses, cake stands, etc. I fell in love with it when my mom bought this tiny hobnail bud vase with milk glass gradation at an antique show. Hobnail simply refers to the raised bumps. I find this glass to be soothing, with a gentle, delicate quality.
White isn’t the only color available. Here is a French egg cup, circa 1910 in a dreamy blue shade.
There are many different stories of origin out there, spanning from the 14th to 16th centuries, and possibly coming from Venice, Italy. It’s always synonymous with prosperity for some reason, but the glass produced during the Depression era is of lesser quality and has a lower value. If you are interested in collecting, The National Milk Glass Collectors Society has a wealth if information. Keep an eye out for marks/signatures on the bottom of each piece and avoid damage like cracks and tiny chips on edges called “flea bites”. (etsy and ebay finds)
Milk glass is still being produced by glass companies like Fenton. Check out this modern chandelier from Martha Stewart!
Here is an owl toothpick holder from the Westmoreland Glass Co. People don’t really go around displaying their toothpicks anymore but, for a party with hors d’oeuvres, or in your bathroom for cotton swabs (I have a little green ceramic koi fish toothpick in my bathroom), or at your bedside with a small flower, it would be adorable. I did a post about a year ago on functional/controlled collections and mentioned Degenhart Glass. They also produce a lot of toothpicks in a range of milk colors, which are super easy to collect and keep.
Omg look at this awesome dish found at this site! It was described as:
A steer’s head covered dish of opaque white milk glass more than doubled its presale high estimate to sell for $3,955 to a private collector bidding in the gallery. On a swirled rib base, the piece made by Challinor, Taylor & Co. in the fourth quarter of the Nineteenth Century stood 5 inches high and featured striking nonoriginal applied eyes.
4 grand for a 5″ high covered dish?! Makes you want to scour some flea markets and antique shows for an amazing deal once in a while, doesn’t it?
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