I'm Pretty Sure That....
...Real Lemonade = Summer
...I have the sweetest husband in the entire world (July 1st = 9 years since our first date)
...I should have pedicures more often
...Retail Therapy is often the best sort of therapy
...Sometimes, a STAYcation is one of the best vacations.
A few weeks after the fact, but better later than never, n'est-ce pas? Finally, photos of the second of the two baby showers that I threw for my sister, this one at her place in Boston. I found those Martha Stewart tissue paper flowers & after that, the theme was set. I stamped invites in two shades of blue flowers to match.
The party was great & I got to see several of her friends that I hadn't seen since Terri's wedding, in 2001. I also caught up with an old friend of Terri's from high school, with whom she recently re-connected. Turns out, they currently live about 2 blocks from each other, over 400 miles from where we grew up! And, last, but certainly not least, I discovered that one of Terri's friends is a follower of my blog. That was super-cool to find out & it was really great to talk to her. She is trying to convince me to move to her neighborhood in the Boston area, and, if we ever move up there, she has me convinced!
Terri received some really great gifts, both practical & really creative. In addition to the super secret quilt, she received several handmade items, including the adorable sock monkey shown above.
Now that the showers are over & the quilt is finished, I'm attempting to get to things in my life that I was neglecting while planning & sewing & so on. You may actually see a few non-nephew related posts. But, not for long. He is due in 6 weeks, after all :)
I've been working on a super secret project since November, but haven't been able to even mention that there was a project in the works, much less what it was!
Here it is! A quilt for my little guy, the little baby in my sister's tummy that in 7 short weeks will be my nephew!!!! I'm just a *little* excited to be his aunt, so I wanted to make him a super special thing that he could play on & use & every time he sees it, it will make him think of how much his aunty loves him and when he is big, it will bring back good little kid memories.
Here's the thing. I don't quilt. I never have made a quilt or a blanket or anything resembling a quilt. But, a week after she told me that she was preggers (I was the first to know, after my brother in law!!! To say that I was (am) honored is an understatement :)), I was in this quilting store in Salem, IN (if you are ever in the area, GO. It's amazing & makes you want to do foolish things like what I'm about to tell you about). And, everything was so inspiring & beautiful & I wanted to make something perfect, so I decided to make a quilt. Because, hey, if other people can do it, why can't I? I chose the most adorable vintage inspired children's prints, all with a 1950's primer theme.
The starting off wasn't too bad, piecing it & all. But, the quilting...hmmmm....you'd think that the straight lined diamond pattern would be super easy, right? Well, it was really hard to evenly space all of those lines & keep everything straight & well, I'm not really good about getting things all SO. And so, it took me a long time. Just about every Sunday afternoon for months. I know, pathetic. But, I got it done in time for the baby shower at my sister's home in Boston.
So, don't look at it too closely. Just see all of the love in it.
Isn't she the most scrumptious thing ever in her ballerina costume? She had her first dance recital 2 weeks ago & we are so proud of her, even if she did cry once she was on the stage....nevertheless! She was just the sweetest little ballerina & we treated her to a day full of fun....
Yummy ice cream at a roadside stand that's only open during the summer...
And, had our first Mommy & Daughter pedicures!!
The very next day, we set up her Big Girl Bed!!!
It was SUCH a fun weekend and it made me so happy to spend all of that great time with Hope, doing fun-we-don't-have-to-be-anywhere-but-here stuff. That is the GOOD stuff.
This is my HAUL from the AAUW booksale, held in State College 2 weeks ago. I came away with enough books to keep me happy for a long time, not one of them over $4 & most of them about $2. Have I mentioned how much I love the AAUW booksale?
Loads of decorating inspiration from classic Mary Englebreit books as well as some organizing inspiration from the guru of good things, Martha.
Gorgeous old books from the 1900s & 1920s...I just love the covers & the feel of them in little vingettes around the house. It kills me that they put the sticker over the paper cover of that one book & taking it off further would rip the book...but, what are you going to do?
Check out this 1940s primer. I just love primers, mostly for the illustrations:
Judging from the rosy-ness of Father's cheeks in the drawing above, I think that he should cut back on the Manhattans before dinner.
The books are already being worked into my decor....
Just look at this treasure trove that I found in State College & on the way home this weekend! And, the most expensive item in the group was $6!! To start off, I ducked into the Goodwill, which happened to be running a 50% off everything in the store promotion!! I was thrilled but also a little amused -- as if Goodwill isn't cheap enough! But, I wasn't complaining! I got the lamp, which is going to be perfect for our screened in porch once the wood has been painted white, the wooden organizer (which will also be painted -- white? black? red?), the silverplate tray & the clock. The whole lot came to about $10. The clock has a photo frame on the other side that is missing it's glass & backing. No problem -- I think that I'll just put in little decorative paper with a monogram & not even bother with glass.
I told Glenn that all that I wanted for Mother's Day was to stop at antique shops on the way home from State College (he got off easy, huh?). The first one at which we stopped is one that we have visited previously & has a great back room, full of junk & treasures. Those who are afraid of dirt & digging, don't bother. But, if you are willing to dig, you are rewarded! I found the little oval ironstone plate ($1!), the mixed up silverplate flatware (50 cents each) & the postcards (also 50 cents each) there. I thought that it was wonderful to find that "To Dear Mother" card on Mother's Day!
The second stop was a dusty old barn that has been converted into a flea market/antique shop. This place is a real mixture of true goodies & true junk. 1970s magazines anyone? How about plastic promotional items? But, also to be found was the silver container (tarnished, but look at that detail! For a dollar!), the white footed dish, another green Ball jar for my kitchen & the tole wastebasket, which was a STEAL. It is something that I don't need, don't have a place for and may just end up selling, but I could NOT leave that sitting there, at that price!
The red & white kitchen towels are just from TJ Maxx, but they look so pretty with my other finds that I threw them into the picture :)
Now, I just need some time to put all of my finds into cute displays around the house!
We are back from an absolutely wonderful weekend of family & baby goodness & mommy celebrations & bargain hunting & book buying!
The shower was a wonderful success, full of lots of family & good wishes for my sister & my nephew. I created the decorations, invites & favors around a pale blue & chocolate brown color scheme, with an adorable elephant die cut as the accent. My mom made elephant shaped cookies as part of the dessert, which were also adorable. I can't decide if my favorite project was the banner (I just love those sparkle-y letters!) or the favors. My mom & I pitched in together to make the food & we got a to.die.for carrot cake from Wegmans.
Here are photos of my glowing sister, the honoree:
She is all preggie-beautiful & my nephew is already just the most adorable thing! How do I know? I got to feel him kick (or nudge or punch or whatever he was doing) & it was one of the most special things ever! I think that he knew that it was me, his very special aunt, on the outside, giving him a tickle.
My bloggy friends, I have so much more to show & tell about the weekend! Remember how my yard sale-ing was a such a disaster? Well, this weekend more than made up for it! Thrift shopping, flea marketing, antiquing & book shopping added up to a weekend full of treasures. More to come later this week!
I was really looking forward to this past weekend, as there were 3 or 4 neighborhood-wide yard sales right around my house. I've been searching for good blog topics & I knew that I'd find a treasure trove to share with you.
Or, not. Almost 2 hours of yard sale-ing & I ended up with TWO things. And, one of them, I can't share here because it's a Christmas gift for a faithful reader (yes, you, Mom).
So, here it is, my one treasure...
That cute little red ceramic pedestal.
From another angle....
Right there beside my color-coordinated jar of ribbons.
Well, so this is not what I'd hoped to be able to show you, but I'm really hoping that I can show off a true treasure trove next week. We are headed to my hometown, State College, PA for, among other things, the AAUW Booksale. See that picture at the top of the page of the link? Those are just a fraction of the books for sale & for cheap. We normally come out of the sale with bags of books.
I'm also co-hosting the first of two baby showers that my mom & I will be throwing for my sister. I've been working feverishly on the decor, favors & invites & I'm excited to share them with you!
What? Those photos don't look like a master bath to you? They look like a room that is smaller than most master closets? Why, I was just thinking the same thing!
Well, since it's what I've got (no plans to knock out the back wall of the house, unfortunately), my goal is to take it out of the 80's, brighten it up, and bring it to the cottage-y, vintage vibe that I'm going for throughout the house. We've sort of been putting it off because we want to replace the shower with a bathtub, which is beyond our meager remoldeling abilities. The time has come & we are planning on getting estimates for the tub! I can't do exactly what I'd dream of doing, due to space & budget constraints, but this is the general vibe that I'm going for:
The paint is going to be the same as what is in our bedroom:
Behr's "Rejuvinate"on the walls & "Bridal Veil" trim.
We've already purchased a light fixture that is very similar to this:
(photo: Restoration Hardware)
And, we also have matching hardware such as towel bars, toilet paper holder, etc.
The tub will most likely be a fiberglass shower/tub insert (the white subway tile will have to wait until the dream house) & I like this shower curtain from Kohls:
We need to replace the vanity cabinet. I'd love to have a pedastal sink, but we have far too much junk that needs to be out of sight. This one at the Home Depot is nice, though I'd prefer a white counter:
My real dilemma is about the wall 'o mirror that currently exists & the medicine cabinet. Obviously, both have to go. The question is, do I keep the medicine cabinet where it is? If not, do we drywall over that space? Or, take out the cabinet & put in shallow shelves in the little space in the wall that remains? If we do not put a medicine cabinet in that space, we will definitely put one over the sink. I quite like this one from the Home Depot:
Also, I'm not really sure what to put above the toilet. A towel bar? We will already have one on the wall opposite the toilet, but another might not be a bad idea. I'd love to have someplace to put my makeup that is easily accessible, but not unsightly.
As you can see, I'm really open to & looking for ideas!!! Any suggestions that you have would be welcome!!
Oooo, I'm so in the mood to get all spring-y fashion-y, aren't you? The warmer weather just makes me want to put on a sundress & sit outside at some cafe & drink a margarita...as if that happens often!!!
I can dress the part of my dream life, even if I'm just wearing my cute clothes on the train to work. I'm particularly into fun accessories right now...they are so cute & cheap & can make a t-shirt look great.
I just bought this set from Sam Moon:
Hel-lo Sam Moon, where have you been all of my life??? The CUTEST things, for DIRT CHEAP. In, fact, I'm sort of kicking myself for not getting this:
and this:
Thank you Kelly of Kelly's Korner blog for posting about Sam Moon. Incidentally, if you haven't ever been over to Kelly's blog, you should visit her. She is one the of the absolutely loveliest people out there in the blogging world.
Then, there are the shoes....I love love love the trend for cute ballet flats! Sandals aren't always comfortable for me, so I'm so excited to have a stylish option that goes well with summer dresses & capris.
I just bought these:
From Walmart -- can you believe it?
I'd love to have a pair of black flats with a little embellishment to make them a little more dressy for the office. I'm in love with these:
But, let's face it, $195 for the Tory Burch originals is not going to happen.
Probably, it will be more like this:
From Target, 24.99.
