From Mizzou to Missoula

Fab Finds Friday: That's Grate!

2013-04-12T07:00:00.000-06:00

It's no secret that I love to collect things--Pyrex, vintage jars, decorative letters, and Fiestaware among them. Lately I've had a ton of luck at finding things I collect, and even starting to collect new things, like vintage graters.

It may seem odd, but I found two that I couldn't resist at a thrift store, and since I already had an old box grater back home, 3 makes a collection!

This 5-in-1 grater was $2. I'd never seen a round grater before and I really like it!

And check out the awesome little logo in the center:

This is the other guy--a wooden-handled 3-in-1 grater. It is supposed to come with 2 other interchangeable plates, but at $3 I wasn't sweating that mine only had one.

Continuing my vintage kitchen gadgets theme, I found this set of 8 little Jell-O molds at Goodwill for just $0.99! I think they'll be great for storing odds and ends in my office.

I also managed to add 4 more aqua mason jars to my collection. This trio was impossible to leave behind--each were$0.85 plus 50% off because the whole store was having a Friday sale! I love that the original prices ($6 for the quart, $3 for each pint) were still on the jars since I got them all for $1.25, ha!

This wide-mouth quart jar was a more expensive antique mall buy ($6), but I had never seen a "Special" jar, just the "Perfect Mason" and "Ideal" ones, so I had to have it!

I also seem to have a thing for vintage flashcards. These ones were $4.50, are from the 50s, and came in the coolest box.

I love how the backs have more detailed problems--I've never encountered any like these!

I also found another letter for my collection. It's pretty large (11x14) so for only $5 I snatched it up.

And it looks like I may have a wooden cheese box collection too. I already have two in my pantry but I'd never seen a cream cheese box or one this shallow, so I nabbed it for $8.

I also got this plain medical jar for $8. I plan on creating a vinyl decal for it and using it to stash cotton balls in the bathroom, which will be one more thing crossed off my thrift wish list!

I also found a set of eight greenish-blue goblets for $0.99 apiece and I couldn't resist 'em.

Anyone else growing some collections out there?

Under the Sink

2013-04-09T05:08:00.000-06:00

That title was meant to get this song stuck in your head, in case it wasn't clear :)

I'm back to share another organizing mission I recently embarked upon. We're fortunate enough to have a very spacious vanity for storage in our bathroom. However, because there was so much room, it became crazy disorganized and packed to the gills with stuff, which led to many issues: buying an unnecessary bottle of shampoo when I already had some stashed down there, or causing a cascade of deoderant when I reached in to grab something.

See Exhibit A:

And Exhibit B:

And a full-on shot of the chaos:

Yikes. I had clearly tried to implement some organizing, but the containers weren't exactly doing a good job, and it was annoying to move things out of the way every time I needed to get something out of the drawers.

Enter some awesome baskets from TJ Maxx! I picked these guys up because they're durable and they have lids, so I can easily stack them. I got 4 small ones for $7.99 each and 2 medium ones for $9.99 each.

Next a picture to show that before any space gets better, it has to get worse. Much worse. This was the room after I pulled everything out of the cabinets and settled in to sort and purge. I watched some TV while I did this, hence the laptop. I also had some cat assistance (as in they kept jumping in baskets and climbing under the sink).

After better categorizing my bathroom products, donating the plastic bins to the preschool, and pulling in a few unused organizers I already had, I ended up with this:

Ahhhh, much better! Let's talk details. On the left side, I stacked two of the smaller baskets. One's filled with hair products, my curling iron, and headbands, and the other is full of skincare products (sunscreen, extra lotions, etc.) The basket in front holds some vitamins and supplements.

I grabbed some stackable plastic bins that I had previously used in our fridge and stashed travel-sized toiletries in the lower bin, then more-used items (body sprays, extra deoderant, mouthwash) in the upper bin so they'd be more readily accessible.

I also added an over-door basket to wrangle my hair dryer, straightener, brushes, and styling products I use when blow-drying.

On the other side, I stashed our extra shampoos, conditioners, body washes, Q-Tips, and my lady supplies. We buy most of our body stuff at Costco, so we have a lot of overflow items. Keeping them in the baskets keeps things contained, but still easy to get to when needed. I put my curlers on top of one basket stack, too. That black and metal contraption is my hair dryer stand. You just attach the dryer to the top and then you can sit and comb your hair without having to hoist your dryer up. (Yes, I am very lazy! Haha!)

Anyway, that's what's working for our current sink situation! Our future home has an even more spacious vanity, plus 2 more drawers, an upper cabinet, AND an awesome closet, so I am sure I will be back with an update of how we utilize that organizing space once we're there!

Fab Finds Friday: Survivors Edition

2013-04-05T07:00:00.000-06:00

Lately I have been struck by a bit of a thrifting curse: it seemed like every time I went shopping, something ended up breaking before they even entered my home. I'm talkin' drop-in-the-parking-lot-five-steps-from-the-door breakages.

Case in point:

In some cases I was okay with the breakage (like the votive holder above, which was only $0.29 and wasn't something totally unique). But in other cases the item was a present, like the pottery my mom collects which I spotted for $0.99 at Goodwill ($24 cheaper than retail!) Boo to my butterfingers!

Anyway, I think I might have changed my luck because the following breakables made it through the past few weeks unharmed!

$1.99 Colonial Mist casserole

$0.25 apiece for these Shiny Brites at a garage sale!


This $0.99 pitcher matches the glasses I bought back in February!

I've also been on a bit of a brass kick lately. I got this little pear dish for $1.49 at Goodwill...

And this brass door plate at a little vintage sale for $8. I think it'd look cool amidst a grouping of frames.

And my love for vintage textbooks resurfaced at an eBay seller's garage sale. The best part? As I was browsing the books, the guy told me I could take any of them for free! Sweeet! I dug up the ones with the best cover graphics and typography.

At the same sale, I got this chippy old juicer, a really nice heavy duty paper cutter (not pictured), and a big box of toys that I took to the preschool, all for the measly price of $8!

And check it out--the juicer was made in Kansas City, MO! Woo hoo!

Continuing my kitchen gadget trend, I found this old sifter at Goodwill for $0.49. There's just something about the old patina and cool typography that I love!

Here's hoping that my breaking purchase curse is the last thing I'll break (har har). And thrift on, y'all!

Linking to the Nifty Thrifty over at A Living Space and to The Joyful Thrifter!

Tea Towel Art

2013-03-19T07:00:00.000-06:00

A while back I discovered a fabulous Etsy shop, Fresh Pastry Stand. The shop owner/creator, Deva Mirel, makes amazing vintage-inspired housewares, from beeswax candles shaped like antique bottles and cake stands made of vintage plates to Pyrex tea towels!

Being a true Pyrex fanatic, I knew I had to snatch one up for myself. With some Christmas money I bought myself the Butterprint tea towel, which was at the time the only print available. Then I checked back into her shop months later, only to see that she'd added Pink Gooseberry, Friendship, and more! Even though my other tea towel was back in Kansas City, I decided to treat myself to two more towels and make them a trio.

I chose a pink Gooseberry towel and a red towel featuring two vintage milk bottles. And once they arrived I realized they were much too pretty to actually use, so I chose to frame them instead!

This project did confirm one thing for me: when shopping for frames, if at all possible, bring the art you plan to frame with you so that you can better visualize it inside its future home. Silly me--even though my tea towels are easy to travel with, I neglected to stick them in my purse when I went shopping the first time around. Thus I ended up with two gray faux-barnwood frames from Michael's, scooped up for $44 total during a half off frames sale.

They were quite large and had a great weathered look to them, but something about their blue-ish undertones just wasn't right to me. It kind of made the unbleached tea towels look dirty/yellowy because the two tones were competing, not complementing each other. Kinda like how red lipstick can make teeth look yellowed.

Enter this lovely natural wood frame from Target ($19.99). Originally I bought two to frame my Macklemore Challenge photos from Goodwill ($4.99 for both. Woot!)

The photos looked good in there, but then I realized the tea towels might look even better.

I used the true lazy man's way and just popped the new, lighter frame around the already-framed towels to see if the whole image would fit and how the colors looked. That way, if I decided to stick with the gray frames after all, I wouldn't have to re-frame the towels.

I loved the lighter wood frames right away. They matched the yellow undertones of the natural linen towels so nicely! Another bonus? I was going to have to attach a sawtooth picture hanger to the back of the gray frames, because when wrapped around the backing the tea towels covered the existing hanger:

But my lighter frames had the picture hangers on the actual wood, so the tea towels wouldn't cover them!

Oh, and I didn't cut the towels down to size or anything, in case I want to do something different with them in the future. I just used the backing of the frames and wrapped it like a present, making sure to center the design on the front. The fabric was light enough that I could fit the backing into the frame's grooves so that the glass is secure.

The tea towel art lives over my yellow table where my map previously stayed--as you could see in the living room tour, I relocated the map there.

I love how it looks with the wreath and table.

And the red in the milk bottle towel really looks great with all the red accents in my corner shelf.

Once we're back in KC in our new place, I plan on buying another identical frame to house the Butterprint tea towel I got for Christmas. And maybe I'll even buy another one to make a set of four? We'll see.

Anyone else framing items as art? Do share!

Tiny Tweaks

2013-03-15T16:52:00.002-06:00

As you can tell from my pantry re-organization post shared Monday, lately projects around my place haven't been major undertakings, but just little tweaks to current rooms. I'm here today to share a few of those tweaks, all involving the addition of a little art to brighten up some empty apartment corners!

First up, some laundry room love. I found three cool vintage laundry-related pictures from The Graphics Fairy, an awesome site for finding free printable art! I had a trio of frames (previously in my bathroom) that were empty, so I printed the iron, ironing board, and washbasin pictures, popped them in, and hung them up over our washer & dryer. I dream of having one of those beautiful laundry rooms someday--like this or this or this--and these prints will look lovely in a space like that :)

Another area that received a little tweak was the new corner gallery wall in our bedroom. As I was staring at the area one day, I remembered a little wooden shelf I'd bought during my first trip to Echo Echo. I'd loved the little guy for just $5, but had never found a home for him. But he fits right in here!

I liked adding some 3-D objects to the gallery wall for more interest. You might recognize the tree (a $0.99 Goodwill find) and clock (also $0.99) from my thrift recaps earlier this year. I like how the gold helps tie in the gold from the frame and Montana art.

Another gallery wall that received some attention is my kitchen Happy Wall. Can you spy the changes?

Let's start in the upper left corner. I spray-painted the little square frames I scored for $0.69 at Goodwill and popped in a tomato soup can label that I'd saved to frame. It was an Andy Warhol anniversary edition one sold at Target last year. It fits right in with the color scheme of the whole gallery wall and also brings out the red in the striped mat.

And in the opposite corner I framed another Graphics Fairy print--a Ball Ideal jar with wire closure.

The Graphics Fairy strikes again! I also printed this art depicting different types of arm fractures and hung it up in our bathroom.

Now I'm off to go enjoy the lovely Montana weather! Hope your weekends go great!

Pantry Revisited

2013-03-11T07:10:00.000-06:00

Since I first organized our hallway pantry and shared it here on a blog a year and a half ago, it's become my most-visited post of all time! Thus, I thought it was high time to share a few tweaks I've made to make the space even more functional for us.

When we last left off, our hall closet was a sort of pantry/linen closet, with food occupying the middle shelves, and extra sheets, towels, & our vacuum cleaner occupying the upper & lower spots.

However, once we added a chrome shelf to our laundry room to create more storage, I had plenty of space to stash the linens 'n things (ha ha!) in there, opening up a ton of space in our pantry. Since we buy our basics like cereal, crackers, rice, canned veggies, and pasta in bulk from Costco, new pantry space = great and much-needed!

So here's what the space has evolved into since making those changes:

Let's zoom in a bit, starting on the left side.

The top left shelf is home to our pasta. We buy in bulk from Costco because pasta is a quick and easy side dish, and Ryan is sort of a spaghetti addict.

The second shelf has more of our snack foods--crackers, cookies, dried fruits, etc.

Just below that I stashed our rice, granola, nuts, & candy, along with these "Spice" and "Flour" cannisters I got during one of my first trips to the Missoula Goodwill way back when. They were $1.99 apiece.

I stash brownie mixes (from Costco) in the "Flour" cannister and extra spices in the "Spice" one (go figure!)

Below that third shelf is a pretty large open space that I always struggled to fill in an effective way. These stackable baskets from Target did the trick. They're sturdy and don't wiggle around like some stackable bins tend to do. I keep chips & dip-making stuff in the top basket, cheez-its and goldfish packs in the one below, potatoes/pantry veggies in the third from the top, and pasta sauce in the bottommost basket.

And now the right side:

I added a wire shelf to create a little extra space here and take advantage of the height of the pantry. This is our little "breakfast nook" which holds cereals, Ryan's breakfast drinks & poptarts, plus some fruit strips. Once I am reunited with my Silhouette machine (it's back in MO) I plan on making cutie vinyl labels for these containers, similar to Jen's.

You know I'm a sucker for vintage storage (especially if it has fun graphics) so I liked using my two vintage cheese boxes here. They're the perfect size to hold the tarts & drink packets. The oil-rubbed bronze basket is from Target's Dollar Spot.

I love how the graphic even peeks out when you look at the other side!

I placed a faux-vintage crate (one of Threshold's lovely containers from Target) just below the breakfast area.

The crate houses overflow food items that don't fit elsewhere.

Below that is my little baking corner. I got rid of my kitchen cannisters a bit ago to free up counter space, and my sugar, flour, chocolate chips and such look great in the Oxo containers and are just as accessible here.

On the shelf below, smaller versions of the blue stackable baskets sit atop a shoe rack from Target.

The baskets hold baking mixes, sauces, and overflow K-Cups that didn't fit in my new coffee corner.

The lower shelves of the shoe rack house all our canned goods. There was just enough room under the bottom of the rack to slide in one of the K-Cup storage drawers that used to be out in the kitchen. There wasn't enough room for two of them side-by-side, but that's alright--as you can see I stashed some overflow food there (Costco Cheez-Its, how I love thee!)

Oh, and for those wondering, all of the labels are from Better Homes & Gardens, and I got most of my Oxo containers over time from Ross and TJ Maxx. I also got a set at Costco a while back, and now my Costco has a larger set in stock for $47.99--maybe check your store to see if they have them as well?

Of course someday I hope to have an awesome walk-in pantry with built-in storage (like this one, or this one), but for now this space totally works for us!

Fab Finds Friday: March Madness

2013-03-08T06:33:00.000-07:00

Though it's still cold and a bit gloomy in Montana (but nothing compared to the snowpocalypse back home), I found a few estate sales to hit up in the last few weeks. Here are the treasures I unearthed!

First up, these two "Server" bowls for $0.69 each! I actually picked these up at Goodwill. They appear to be Corelle Pyrex compatibles, meaning they are dishes produced to match a Pyrex pattern (Butterfly Gold). I've seen many a plate, tea cup, and sugar/creamer, but I have never seen little dishes like these. I think I will use these to serve dipping sauces.

The next few finds were found at an estate sale. This guy bought a house with all the previous owners' stuff still in it, and he was selling it off himself. He didn't have prices in mind for anything, so I scored a lot of loot for only $17! I can't share it all--some are presents--but these jars were among my finds.

I also found this Pyrex casserole at the estate sale. It appears to be an oval Verde casserole with a mismatched "Midnight Bloom" lid.

This little blue Ball jar was too cute to pass up for $2.50 at a local thrift. No glass lid, but that's okay, as I am using it to store pens on my desk.

I also got this cute "Swiss Chalet" pattern bowl at Goodwill for $0.99.

And this bright orange book called to me--I love the geometric cover! It was $1.49.

Lastly, I scooped up this cute little Santa mug for $0.99. I had to get it to replace one I bought last year--the cat decided it would be cool to knock it over and break it. NOT!

So there it is. Hopefully the weather will perk up more and inspire people to sell me their junk :) Hope you're all finding some fabulous this as well!

A Changed-Up Coffee Corner

2013-03-06T06:43:00.000-07:00

Last month I spotted this gray-brown metal card catalog at a local thrift for $2.95. Even though I didn't have a specific use for it, I loved its look and character and I just had to bring it home with me!

For a few weeks it just sat patiently on the floor, looking good but awaiting its purpose. Then one day I was looking at the little coffee station I have set up on our island, and it hit me--wouldn't the card catalog make much more stylish coffee pod storage?

As a refresher, here's what I was working with previously:

This little patch of wall/counter space on our island accomplishes many tasks, and these K-Cup storage drawers I purchased a few years back were certainly helping increase the area's productivity, but they weren't exactly aesthetic showstoppers.

Since I already have an eclectic mix of vintage/industrial type items and modern pieces in my kitchen, I thought that the metal card catalog would be a great candidate to replace the old coffee pod storage drawers. I especially liked that the drawers already had a way to affix labels, so that I could separate my coffee pods from the cocoa and apple cider ones. A couple of printed labels later, and whoop, there it was:

For anyone wondering, even though it's deeper than the drawers, the card catalog holds fewer K-Cups than the previous two stacked drawers did, so I stored the extras in our pantry (I'll be sharing some updates I made to that space soon!) I also have a K-Cup carousel that picked up some of the slack.

The carousel and those two cannisters (both originally from Target, but scored at Goodwill) sit to the left of the card catalog and coffee maker. I keep tea and my mocha packets in them.

Since the card catalog has more surface area, I had a little more room to stash things next to the coffee maker. Hot cocoa, sugar, more tea and sweetener packets, some spoon-straws, and a bright orange ceramic votive all made the cut.

The little milk bottle was an antique store purchase I made back in Kansas City--funny because the bottle is originally from Missoula!

Here's a head on shot:

But that's not all. I also added a chalkboard to the mix!

This came about after I purchased a large glass-less frame for a project that just didn't pan out. It only cost $4.99 at a thrift so I wasn't too torn up about wasting money on the frame, but still I knew I could so something else with it. So I grabbed a bottle of Martha Stewart chalkboard paint in gray, gave the back of the frame a few coats, primed it with chalk, and I had a kitchen chalkboard!

I wasn't crazy about the lighter wood tone of the frame at first and planned on spray painting it a teal or goldenrod, but then I realized that it matches our cabinets exactly. Thus, once I attached it with velcro command strips, it almost looked built in! Sweet. I still need to perfect my chalk penmanship, but for now it'll do. I wrote a quote from a reading at our wedding at the top of the board, then divided the rest into "To Do" and "To Buy" lists.

I really love the whole look of the island now, from the memo area to the Pyrex display to the coffee station to the bunting to the chalkboard to all the art on both sides.

For kicks, let's take a final look back.

Before:

And after:

Small changes, but they make me happy! I'm excited to share more home updates soon :)

A Look at Our Living Room

2013-03-01T07:19:00.000-07:00

As I teased in last week's Fab Finds Friday post, some of my thrifty finds have been placed in new living room vignettes. After taking down my Christmas and Valentine decor, I was definitely ready to switch things up in there!

As a refresher, check out this post to see what our living room looked like earlier this year (I love a good before and after!) And now, here's what it looks like now:

And here are all the lovely little details:

{Coffee table: from my mother-in-law // Decorative balls: Pier1 and Ross // Oval tray: Ross}

{Rhino: $5.99, TJ Maxx // Books: Design Sponge at Home // Rustic Wedding Chic // Young House Love}

{Etched lantern: $2.99, Goodwill // Wedding Photo Book // Missouri Review}

{Futon: Small Wonders Futons}

{Bookshelf: Target // Bird Art: Target (a gift from my wonderful sister) // Globe: $14, Montana Antique Mall}

{Tree votive holders: $0.99 each, Goodwill // Antique shipping routes map: $25, Rocky Mountain Maps // Frame: Walmart // Bird: $0.99, Goodwill}

{Books: $1.49 each, Goowdill}

{Clock & letterpress apostrophe: River Market Antiques // White Butterfly: Target // Cheese dome: $1.99, Goodwill // Moss Rocks: Ross // White Bird: $3.99, TJ Maxx}

{"V" art: Prairie Sisters vintage market // Small globe: Ross // Letterpress R: River Market Antiques // Vintage camera: thrifted // Wooden fruit: $2.50, Goodwill}

{Gunlocke Chair: Prairie Sisters vintage market // Stars: Ross // Wii storage ottoman: Walmart // State pillows: Uncommon Goods (gifted from my awesome mama // Quatrefoil pillows: Sewed by my sister // Frames: Walmart}

{Map: $15, thrifted // Console table: $70, Roomer's Consignment Gallery // Bookends: Gift from husband's grandparents // Jar: $5, thrifted // Frame: TJ Maxx // Parking meter: Gift from White Elephant exchanged // White vase: Ross // Baskets: Michaels}

{Chunky candlesticks: $1.49 each, Goodwill // Candles: Target // Stained glass lantern: $1.99, Goodwill // Window: $20, Echo Echo Furniture // Small painting: $0.99, Goodwill // Gold letter "N": Prairie Sisters vintage market // Iron & glass candleholder: $5.99, thrifted // Lamp: Pier1}

{Globe: $14, Montana Antique Mall // Frames: TJ Maxx // Aqua tray: $0.99, thrifted // Candle: Target}

{Blue jar: Target // Berries: Target // Pillar holder: $1.49, Goodwill // Oil-rubbed bronze lantern: $2.99, Goodwill}

{Lantern: Michaels // Vase: Ross // "13" Letterpress numbers: Preserve Cottage on Etsy}

I am seriously loving how "done" the living room looks now. To some people it might look a little crowded/cluttered (especially since it's a smaller space), but I've always loved a collected, "filled" look (like Candace Olsen if she were a flea market frequenter). Once we have a bigger living space I'm sure I'll spread out my surface decorating a bit more :) I am excited to move back home but kinda bummed to pack this all away. Then again, I will have a whole new space to decorate and share! Wahoo!

Linking to these parties:

A Bakin' Station

2013-02-25T06:52:00.000-07:00

Since my spring cleaning kick started early this year, I was a little worried that by now I'd be burnt out on organizing. Lucky for me and my apartment, that is so not the case! Bizarrely, though I know we'll be moving in just 3 months, I have been digging into the little forgotten corners of our place. One such corner is the skinny little cabinet to the left of our stove, which was home to my baking supplies and a few cooking prep items.

Before, things were a little messy. My sprinkles, silicone cupcake liners, & cupcake decorations were up top, so whenever I went to grab them, things would inevitably topple out and make a mess. They also weren't really filling the shelf, so I felt I was wasting space. The second shelf was crowded with ingredients and baking tools, including the sifter front and center, which I don't use too much so I was constantly shifting it out of the way to get to what I needed. The bottom was a mish mash of baking stuff and cooking prep items (my breading trays and awesome chopper).

On my first go-round of organizing the cabinet, I decided to move the food prep tools up to the top since they're less-often used and easier to grab from the top than the cupcake stuff. I also added my grater and Brita filters which had previously been crowding another drawer. Then I grouped my cupcake items and KitchenAid mixer attachments on the second shelf. The attachments were also in another drawer and it just made more sense to relocate them here, since the mixer itself is right below this cabinet. I grouped all the baking ingredients on the last shelf.

It was better, but still not the best. I knew that moving the KitchenAid attachments around in order to get to the other stuff on that shelf would bug me, and all the loose spices on the bottom shelf seemed like a bad idea.

Enter two dollar spot containers I picked up at Target a few months ago. I couldn't resist their fun pattern and color even though I didn't have an exact purpose for them in mind. Before this organization project, they'd been chilling in my craft closet awaiting their destiny. So I grabbed them and two Martha Stewart bookplates I had on hand.

Muuuuch better. I also decided that the door was a little lacking, so I relocated my little DIY bulletin board there and added a few baking printables from Martha: one on candymaking, one on pan equivalents, and one on measurement equivalents.

I probably won't make candy any time soon, hence why that printable is up the highest. I laminated them all because let's face it, I'm not very clean when I'm cooking, and you can bet that those babies would end up smudged with chocolate or something.

Oh, and I already had both of the glass jars I used to store my baking soda & powder in on hand--you might recognize the green-lidded one from here. I used labels leftover from my spice organization to mark those jars.

How about a before:

And any after?:

I love how just a little bit of easy reorganizing and decorating can make a small space cheerful and more functional! :)

Fab Finds Friday: February Pickin's

2013-02-22T07:20:00.000-07:00

Wowza. Hard to believe that next Friday marks the start of a new month. March? What?! Seeing as this is the last Friday in February to be had, I thought a Fab Finds Friday was in order.

As you can see from the tags, these two bottles were $6.50 total: the old rubbing alcohol bottle for $3.50, and the plain medicine bottle for $3. I discovered them in a previously unknown "antiques" section of a local thrift store, along with these three mercury glass ornaments which the owner generously gave me for free!

At the same store, I also found this cute little "Bake King" loaf pan for $3.50.

And I couldn't resist a blue mason jar for just $5.

This large flour tin was also $5--loving the bramble-ish pattern!

I know that Christmas is over, but I keep hitting the vintage ornament jackpot, as evidenced by these two boxes of red Shiny Brites! The boxes alone are so cute--just check out those graphics! (Edit: Oops, forgot to share the price of these the first time! They were $4.50 per box!)

I got this little wooden well thing for $1.49. I think it'd be so cute at an engagement party or wedding with a sign that says"Well-Wishes for the Happy Couple" or something to that effect. One of my best friends is getting married this summer, so maybe I'll get to use it then :)

I picked up two bright orange pieces you might've noticed in my vintage displays shared earlier this week: an Isaac Mizrahi plate for $0.99 (which I added to my shelf on my happy wall):

And a little Gemco juicer for $0.69. I couldn't resist the orange design on there:

This trio of squat shot glasses was too cool to pass up at $0.69 apiece. I am so dorky, but the crests on them kind of reminded me of Harry Potter. So of course I had to have them!

Last up, I snatched this pair of wooden votive holders for $0.99 each. I like the sort of tree pattern they have going on. They had a new home in the living room that I'll share soon!

Here's hoping March continues the bountiful thrift trend and also brings awesome garage & estate sales with it!

I'm linking to A Living Space's Nifty Thrifty and Sir Thrift A Lot's Thriftasaurus!

New Vintage Displays

2013-02-19T07:12:00.000-07:00

Since I've been hitting gold so much during my recent thrifting adventures, it was time to remix some of my vintage vignettes. I was really inspired to do so after I picked up two sunny yellow Pyrex pieces at Goodwill--a 1.5 quart #402 for $2.99:

And a 1 1/2 quart lemon carafe for $1.99.

I loved these sunshiney finds, but didn't necessarily have a good spot to display them. So it was time to pull out all my Pyrex and rearrange things.

As evidenced by my blog, I love the combination of yellow and blue, so I decided to pair my new bowl and other yellow pieces with my aqua butterprint collection and robin's egg blue "Eyes" bowl.

They're all perched above our island in our kind of odd space created by our vaulted ceilings.

This vignette really ties in well with my happy wall. And look, you can even see the lemon pitcher peeking from the top of cabinet next to the sink.

Here's a better shot of that cabinet vignette. I bought the cake stands 2 years ago from Bed, Bath, & Beyond (clearanced at $14.99, woot!) The orange pitcher was an antique store find for $5 from last summer, and a vintage aqua nut chopper that was my grandma's.

On the other side of the island shelf I arranged my milk glass and my horizon blue bowl set. I still have my pinwheel bouquets from last year's baby shower, so I displayed those for a little more color.

Waaaaay back in August during my long blogging hiatus, I saw a neighbor dragging something to our apartment complex dumpster. It was a rickety wooden corner shelf. After she went back in (and after I did a little looking around to make sure that no one was watching) I promptly pulled it out of the dumpster and brought it inside. After some cleaning and fixer-uppering, the shelf was sturdy enough to be propped in our dining room corner.

Now it holds a plethora of vintage goodies--tins, bakeware, utensils, Pyrex, and more!

My cookbook shelf also has a few pieces of Pyrex on it, including a $1.99 Golden Honeysuckle casserole with a cool wooden cradle.

I think my Snowflake Blue loaf pan looks great nestled in there.

And my Dandelion piece looks cute with a light blue frame on top.

The shelf next to our dishwasher used to host more of my Pyrex, but since I changed things up just the top two tiers do.

The bottom three shelves store our cake stand & dome, dutch oven, and cat plates/treats.

Lastly, I grouped my green & brown pieces atop our cabinets. Most of these items were thrifted for no more than $4.99! I kind of dig this color combination, even though the bright pieces are still my favorite!

Stay tuned for even more decor tweaks I'll be sharing--there's been some redecorating around these parts, and almost every project I've completed has had a ripple effect on other spaces! Can't wait to share! Til then, spill--how do you display your vintage finds or your collections?

Will You Be My Valentwine?

2013-02-13T06:30:00.000-07:00

I love a good holiday vignette, so I popped a few Valentine's Day decorations in our place this year.

As a wreath lover, I couldn't pass up a heart wreath form for $1.99 from Goodwill. I wrapped it with twine and created some "LOVE" bunting with scrapbook paper and glittery chipboard letters. One white satin ribbon to hang it, and boom! A V-Day sight greets our guests at the door.

Since our apartment doesn't have a fireplace (ha, I wish!), our entry bookcase has to function as a mantel. Thus, I like to swap out the art for seasonal prints. All of it was found online and printed at Costco, except the LOVE canvas, which was on clearance at Target last year.

I decked the top of the shelf with a ton of thrifted goodies that I already owned: a blue mason jar ($5), bird ($0.99), a collection of red books, and a white birdcage with an old Valentine's card inside ($4.99). The globe was from Ross a while back.

The bottom two shelves also featured vignettes of items I already owned: our dictionary page backed monogram, a Target dollar spot plate (bought last year) which is propped up on a heart-shaped bookend, and a cute white bird from Ross.

I also framed a free "Keep Calm & Love On" print and propped it up next to some photos and a glittery "Love" block (another dollar spot score.)

I also strung up a little chevron love banner by our dining room memo station.

The kitchen also got a spot of V-Day love in the form of these towels (compliments of Gabriella in last year's Valentine's Day swap):

And this art:

Anyone else out there decorating a bit for V-Day?

Fab Finds Friday: January 12th-31st

2013-02-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

All the new year cleaning that people are doing means one thing: well-stocked thrifts! In the tail end of January, I found a bunch of holiday items, some Pyrex, antique jars, and more!

First up, this cute little pinecone carafe for just $1. I think it'll look quite good with my pinecone space saver that I got from Madee.

I also found a bunch of vintage ornaments from the antique mall. I plan on having an all-vintage tree next year, just like my mother-in-law! Here's a cute little Santa for $1:

A trio of printed ornaments for $1:

A large teardrop for $2:

These three indent ornaments were just $3! They are so lovely:

These teardrop indents were $3 as well.

I liked these striped cuties that were $1 total.

And these little bells were too sweet to pass up at $2.

I just love antique jars. I found this beautiful little blue one at the antique mall for $5. I love the rusty old lid and the fact that it's from Boston, one of my favorite cities!

This oddly-shaped jar was $3. I like its green lid!

I just love vintage labels, too! This peach can was $5. Aren't the graphics cool?

I found a 1 pint Butterfly Gold casserole for $1.99. It's not my absolute favorite pattern, but the casserole was in great condition and I just love its size!

I've also been scoring in the frame department lately. The art inside this weathered wood one isn't my style, but for $5.99 I liked the large frame!

More Pyrex! This Town & Country divided dish was $4.99 and in mint condition. I love divided dishes for serving and baking 2 foods at once, so I new I wanted it!

This, my friends, was quite the steal at $9. It might seem like a steep price for a smaller bowl, but this one is part of the rare "Eyes" chip and dip set, and it has sold on eBay for $50. So when I saw it at the antique mall, I snatched it up!

I've also gotten a lot of candle holders lately. This one with dark wood and faux stained glass looked like something my husband would love--he has always liked stained glass--and indeed, when I showed it to him, he loved it!

I've had this vision for a fancy schmancy bar set up ever since Chris & Julia shared theirs over at A Living Space. Seriously, isn't it chic?

{photo from A Living Space}

Anyway, I thought that these silver-rimmed cordial glasses would look great in the vintage bar area I want to have eventually. I would love to find a vintage 2-shelf bar cart like they have! I have also started collecting vintage alcohol bottles when I come across well-priced ones with cool labels. I think they'd be fun to display along with vintage barware and our wines and spirits.

Last but not least, I got this acrylic cookbook holder for $0.99. I've been wanting one of these for a while, and they sell for $10 online, so I was happy to scoop it up!

Any other thrifters finding tons of goods?

Brightening Every Corner

2013-02-07T06:34:00.000-07:00

Our bedroom is one of the least-featured rooms on my blog, mostly because 1) It's usually quite messy and 2) Some of the stuff in there is not so aesthetically pleasing or easy to photograph--like our TV & laundry hamper. You still won't be seeing all of it today for those reasons, but one region of the bedroom recently got a little facelift that I do want to share!

The last time we peeked into the land of sleep and laundry piles was a whole year ago when I arranged some art above our bed. This time another spot received some art-love: this semi-awkward corner of dead space created by the near intersection of our dresser and window.

Don't ask me why I decided to hang these two pieces of art at different heights like that...I don't know. But I do know that things were lookin' sparse and half-arsed. Not a fan.

Being a gallery wall addict and a Goodwill frequenter, I knew the answer was to hang some other art with these two lonely pieces. Boom, looking good!

Let's zoom in a little.

On the left wall, we have one of the existing pieces (an engagement picture in a floating frame), plus a $0.99 floral piece from Goodwill, a photo I cut from my Mizzou alumni calendar (the "Tiger" sign is from an old hotel in my college town) and popped into a frame I already had, and some DIY state string art. I actually got the oval plaque at a thrift for $2, and the gold thread and nails were $0.99 apiece, putting the project at just $4 total!

On the other wall, we have the framed Montana print that was already there along with a new-to-me photo I scooped up from Goodwill for $5.99. The frame isn't exactly my jam, so down the line I will probably replace it (maybe with this one from Target?) or maybe even spray paint the existing gold one an oil-rubbed bronze?

Here's a close-up of the photo. I just love the lighting. It ties in well with the engagement photo on the opposite wall.

Now I really enjoy staring into this corner of our bedroom! I think it'd be even cuter with a chair popped under there, but my storage ottoman (which is full of blankets) looks good for now.

I must admit that this corner wasn't really on my to-do list or at the top of my mind when I bought the photo and floral art from Goodwill--so I'm happy that all the art ties in together. Any empty or odd spaces you've been tackling, intentionally or not?

Challenge ACCEPTED!

2013-02-01T07:30:00.000-07:00

Guys, I'm like the Barney Stinson of thrifting challenges.

Need something for a craft project? CHALLENGE ACCEPTED. Sure, it'd be easier to go to a craft store--but why when I could scour a thrift and find the same supply for half the price?

There's a cart of bins to be unloaded at the front of the store? CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.Oh, you can bet I'll be digging through them, finding all the gems that are buried within.

So when Young House Love challenged their readers to complete a Macklemore Thrift Store Challenge (like the song, yo), I literally screamed "HECK YEAH!"

Luckily, I was alone in my car on my lunch break at the time, so no one looked at me weirdly or anything.

The challenge rules? Head to a thrift store, spend only $20, find one item from the song and photograph it, then share all your buys. Since Friday thrifting is already my thing, I just swung over to an ATM so that I could have twenty dollars in my pocket, then I cruised over to Goodwill and let the thrifting fun begin!

Without further ado, here are my Macklemore spoils:

This lovely dark wood frame was $3.99. YES. $3.99. It is large enough to fit an 11 x 14 and it's perfect. This would cost like $15-$25 at any other store. I love thrifting!

This oil-rubbed bronze candle lantern was only $2.99 and I knew it had to be mine when I laid eyes on it. I'm having an urge to switch around my usual living room vignettes and this guy will look just lovely in there. I'll share pictures once I'm all done :) He had a little "Made in India" sticker on the bottom. I feel like the shadows cast from the starburst-esque cutouts will look really awesome.

These next two pieces were kind of hard to photograph since they're photos themselves. They are large (11 x 14 and 10 x 10) and were $4.99 apiece originally, but I got them half off (wahoo!) So really just $4.99 total. There was a bunch of photos by the same guy, but these two were my favorites.

Next up, this little gold pinecone candle, a Target castoff, was $0.99. My local Target donates all their clearance merchandise that fails to sell to Goodwill, so we currently have a TON of Target Christmas stuff. I had already hit the 90% off Christmas sale at Target (better deals than Goodwill is offering now!) but somehow I missed this guy, so I brought him home for next winter.

I like that the top easily comes off to reveal the candle (and protect it from dust & dirt when it's not in use), but the whole thing is cute enough to sit out all the time, too. And it smells great!

As expressed here, I love vintage alarm clocks! This gold-rimmed "Baby Ben" clock was quite cute for just $0.99!

And it's no secret that I have a thing for jars. I'd never seen this lined Kerr jelly jars before. I like the logos on the lid! These cost $0.49 apiece.

I also picked up this gold etched glass thing (it's not really a vase, but I'll probably just display it decoratively as one) for $0.99.

And can you blame me for buying this little guy for $0.69? C'mon, y'all, it's a candle squirrel. When will I ever see one again? Ryan has always dreamed of having a pet squirrel. This is as close as we'll come.

I love the shade of these amber compotes, and for just $0.99 I got two of them. I think I have a DIY project cooking up my sleeve for these guys, involving this pin.

Isn't it amazing how far a $20 bill can stretch? Almost done now. I got this trio of frames for just $0.69 each. The art in them ain't my cup of tea, but I liked the size of the frames and can imagine popping some cute art in them (like this) for my eclectic gallery wall. I might end up painting some white, but others will definitely stay wood.

Last up, I scored a quartet of fun-colored Fiesta mugs for $0.99 each. Fiestaware is our main dinnerware, so when I see it in a thrift (and I've only seen it one other time!) I buy it! Funny story: I bought two of these, then had to go back in the store and get a bag of purchases I forgot (whoops!) when I spotted the other two. So I hopped back in line again.

Oh, and here's some pictures of me with the awesome zebra flannel PJs (okay more of a robe thing, but someone could wear it as PJs, right?) that I found to fulfill the second part of the challenge--finding and posing with an item from the song.

Since this is a challenge, I figured I'd better do some official calculations.

TOTAL:

$3.99 for the large wooden frame
$4.99 for 2 photographs ($8.98 total)
$2.99 for the bronze starburst-esque lantern ($11.97 total)
$0.99 for the gold pinecone candle ($12.96 total)
$0.99 for the vintage alarm clock ($13.95 total)
$1.47 for the jelly jars (3 at $0.49/each; $15.42 total)
$0.99 for the gold etched vase ($16.41 total)
$0.69 for the squirrel votive holder ($17.10 total)
$1.98 for the amber compotes (2 at $0.99/each; $19.08 total)
$2.07 for the small frames (3 at $0.69/each; $21.15 total)
$3.96 for the Fiesta mugs (4 at $0.99/each; $25.11 total)

BUT BRITTANY! You're thinking. THAT IS MORE THAN TWENTY DOLLARS YOU CHEATER. And what about sales tax dummy?

Well friends, to you I say HA! I get a 20% student discount (as long as I still look like myself from 3 years ago when I took that ID photo...booyah!) AND here in Big Sky country we have no sales tax. Woot. Which brings my total to $20.088 when the discount is figured in. So technically I went almost a dime over the total...I am assuming the Thrift Police will not come after me for that one.

Whaddya think? Did I do good or what?

Oh, and be sure to check out the other finds over at Young House Love!

Fab Finds Friday: January 1-11th

2013-01-25T06:44:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but with this new year came a newfound urge to purge my home of my unwanted stuff. (Maybe it's also the fact that we're moving in May and I don't want to make the move any more difficult by dragging along junk). I've made a donation to Goodwill each week that I've stopped by there.

It looks like others are having that same urge, because I'm finding so many treasures at my thrift shops! I'm sharing what I unearthed during the first two weeks of 2013.

First up, this awesome microscope slide set for $4.99. There are 12 slides per box (none were missing, yay!) in fun categories: tiny creatures, plants, organs of insects, and animals.

Here's a glimpse of some of the slides:

I think they're much too pretty and cool to stay in the box, so I have a DIY project up my sleeve...

I also found this pretty little etched glass candle holder. I like the subtle floral detailing and the brass sides. It's sort of terrarium-esque. I'm crediting this $2.99 buy to my mom & dad since I used a Christmas gift card from them to buy it :)

I also found this little gold tree hanging out in the candle section. Initially I thought I'd paint it (maybe even something bold like emerald and teal--I want more of those accents around the house--which might make it look a bit like coral. But I might also just leave it natural. Brass and gold accents are kind of growing on me.

I also grabbed this pair of milk glass vases, mostly because they were only $0.25 each! They already look great clustered with my growing collection.

This next one is a little whimsical. I just couldn't resist this little Volkswagen bus toy when I saw it for $0.99 because it reminds me of the little VW van on How I Met Your Mother.

I also snapped up this pretty little plate when it was half off. I'd admired it for weeks and decided it will look great in an eclectic gallery wall I have in mind for our new place. The gold detailing is quite pretty.

On my way out of Goodwill on one particularly fruitful shopping trip, I spied a bunch of my favorite cork-topped glass jars. A few were damaged so I skipped on them, but still ended up with these pretties. The smaller ones (two of which came with extra cork toppers) were $0.99 each, while the big guy was $1.99. I will probably use these as additional spice storage once we have a bigger pantry. These are also from my parents via that gift card :)

Also on my gift card shopping spree, I found a trio of chunky wooden candlesticks for $1.49 each:

I also found two more pieces for that eclectic gallery wall I mentioned earlier--one is a small 5x7 painting which I snatched for $0.99:

And the other is this old-timey looking print of "The Black Crow," which is an antiques shop! I thought it was cute and liked that it gives a nod to one of my favorite pastimes: shopping for vintage goodies :) Plus the frame is in good condition! It was $2.99.

Anyone else finding any goodies in 2013? Do tell!

Snapshots

2013-01-22T07:30:00.000-07:00

This year, Ryan and I decided to pool our Christmas money and purchase a DSLR camera and some lenses. We've both been experimenting with the settings and are definitely still newbies, but here are a few of my favorite photos I've taken so far. Clearly I enjoy macro shots, haha. Enjoy!

13.

2013-01-06T21:16:00.000-07:00

To most people, 13 is an unlucky number. But it's always been one of my favorites. In fact, I got married on Friday the 13th, so obviously I'm not superstitious about the number--quite to the contrary, it's a cherished number to me.

So I'm taking it as a good omen that this is 2013. I think it'll be great. In fact, I'm pledging to make it awesome. Here are thirteen things I plan to do to make that awesomeness come to fruition.

1. Soak up our last few months in Montana. With Ryan's graduation in May, we only have a little more time here. We want to do some hiking and more exploring. Once the weather's warmer, expect me to be outside a lot more!

{photo by Kristine Paulsen Photography}

2. Get a good job in my field. I absolutely LOVE my job here in Missoula (I work at a preschool and I love the children, their parents, and all my coworkers!), but when we head back to KC I hope to get a job in marketing writing, editing, or publishing.

{source}

3. Write more--meaning stories, and also here on the blog! I had a good run going for a while last year, but lost my footing this summer because we were so busy, and with my full time job this fall it's been hard to keep up, too! I don't know if I'll be able to get back to 3-4 posts a week, but am sure going to try to!

{source}

4. Work on my photography skills, since the hubs and I bit the bullet and bought a camera with our Christmas money. I'm excited to start playing with it!

{source}

5. Start cleaning messes soon after making them. Now that I have a 7:30-3:30 job, things around the house have kinda fallen to the wayside...and it's a bummer having to clean stuff up on the weekend, then dirty it again, then clean it again, etc...I just want to get better about keeping my projects in check so they don't clutter up things! But on the bright side, the biggest culprit (the dishes--our dishwasher doesn't work well) has been conquered by Dawn Power Clean! Best soap ever. For real. Also, I have been on a major cleaning/decluttering/donating kick lately and we've gotten rid of a LOT. I have many organizing posts to come!

Remember my terrible closet? NEVER AGAIN.

6. Continue following our budget and saving. I've gotten a lot thriftier than I've been in the past, which is great! I don't want to fall off of that wagon, though, so I'm keeping this in mind as a goal.

{source}

7. Really launch my business with my sister. As I mentioned briefly here, we're starting an event rental and styling company. We've done a lot of work so far in terms of compiling, photographing, and organizing our inventory, but have more work to do on our website, marketing, and all the legal/business-y mumbo jumbo (securing permits, writing client contracts, etc.) I would love for us to do a bridal show this summer!

8. Follow through with more of the projects I take on. On the docket--our wedding scrapbook, some Montana string art, and a painting. I'll share details when they're all done :) I'm hoping to add a lot more to my DIY portfolio this year!

9. Try out some new recipes in the kitchen! Thanks to Pinterest I've tried some in 2012 (and really enjoyed a few), but I want to keep expanding my repertoire. This includes adding some more healthy items to our favorite recipes list.

10. Allow myself time to do nothing. Sometimes (usually on the weekends) I find myself feeling lazy if I'm not accomplishing something every hour--which is kinda silly. This is a time in my life when I should be allowed some unproductive moments. So I'll try not to feel bad if every moment isn't dedicated to checking off an item from my to-do list.

{source}

11. Travel somewhere new. I would love to road trip to Chicago, Nashville, or Louisville with my fam!

12. Kinda like #1--I want to explore Kansas City more once we move back there. Eat a few more local places, go to some of the museums, see what festivals or events are in town, go to live theatre more often. I love the farmer's markets and vintage fairs in Missoula, so I want to continue going to things like that when we're back in the Midwest! And it'll be fun to do so with family and friends.

{source}

13. This is a little one, but I made a perpetual calendar last year similar to this one, and it's really easy to fall behind on writing on it! I need to be better about keeping up with it.

So there you have it. Have you made any resolutions for 2013?

Merry & Bright: Our 2012 Christmas Decor

2012-12-22T08:12:00.001-07:00

Welcome to our cheery home! This battery-operated wreath and reindeer hanger, both from Target and embellished with Target finds as well, greets you as you come in.

To your left, you'll see our entry bookshelf, which is decorated in icy blue, maroon, and gold, with a few other accents thrown in.

I popped a few sparkly trees into some mason jars and my Michael's lantern for a snowglobe-ish vibe. Most of the items on this bookshelf are from Target, Michael's, or Goodwill.

Looking into the living room, you'll see our tree, entertainment center, coffee table, and console table all decked out!

The console features a thrifted window with a cheery holiday print, some Christmas-y frames, an angel & champagne sparkly tree gifted from my uncle, a glittered Ho Ho Ho sign from Target's dollar spot, and some berries, candles, & bowl also from Target. The velvet monogram stockings were gifts from my Mother. The print hanging above says "May your days be Merry & Bright," from my favorite song, White Christmas :)

Oh, and I made the bunting myself with some Christmas scrapbook paper! There's also some hanging over the window (which you can see reflected in the frame).

The Christmas-colored book were thrifted.

Right next to the console is our tree! It was a Black Friday purchase our first year in Missoula, since our vaulted ceilings made our little 4.5 foot tree look pitiful.

My ornaments are from Hallmark (I love the ones that play songs!), Pier1, and Target, with some vintage ornaments.

Here's the tree all lit up with our presents under it:

I love hanging out in the living room to be around the cheer!

The "Star of Wonder, Star of Night" print hangs next to our regular stars. (Clever placement, eh?)

Our entertainment center is right next to that print. I draped an old poinsettia garland across the front and a "Merry Christmas" plaque on the shelf.

To the right of the TV I placed some sparkly pinecones in a large apothecary jar, both past purchase from Ross. The Santa art is vintage from my grandma's, and the print block letters signify our wedding date as shared here.

To the left I placed some Walmart sprigs in a blue and broze vase from Ross, more glittery cones in an amber hurricane from Target, and a thrifted glitter deer and green ink pot.

To the left of the media center is an end table. I kept it fairly uncluttered since it's not too large. It features another holiday print, a gold letter N from last year's antique fair, a bronze platter from Target many moons ago, a thrifted champagne-colored candle holder, and two red mercury glass hobnail votives from Target (two of my only new purchases amongst all these decorations!)

And in the center of the living room is our coffee table! I added some red and green balls to my bamboo oval bowl, along with a large jingle bell. Most of the filler in the bowl is from Pier1, Target, or Ross. The snowflake platter was from Target last year, along with the red berries and gray vase (a clearance find!). The small star was displaced when I hung the 'Star of Wonder' print shared earlier. The bird was thrifted for $0.69!

Next let's take a peek into our dining room, shall we?

First up is our bookcase. While the entry one is a little more sophisticated in moodier colors, this one is full of spunk and traditional Christmas flair!

I printed the Santa Claus art from here. I thought it looked fun taped to the front of the frame featuring my existing art (plus that was easier than changing out the photo). I popped a quote from Elf (get it here) in my faux-wood frame and accessorized the top with old Target acquisitions, color-coordinated cookbooks, an advent calendar, and some candles. The lace votive was thrifted along with that little "Merry Christmas" plate ($0.25 and $0.69, respectively). The cheeky little gnome was a Target "splurge" at $6.

Keeping with the fun vibe of the bookcase, I strung up a banner (Target, $4) and lined the window sill with some of my Christmas tsotchkes (most gifted or from Hallmark on clearance in the past). The cats surprisingly do not knock over these items!

You can see one of my dumpster diving finds peeking out in the left of the photo above. That's right, I saw a neighbor hefting this large corner shelf into the garbage earlier this year, so I rescued it and cleaned it up! It usually holds a bunch of my vintage kitchenware (I will share a picture later) but for the holidays I changed it up to only feature Christmas-y vintage items.

I popped my Chinese checkers board on top ($8, shared here). It's propped against some shelf supports so that my Dandelion divided dish (acquired during a recent Pyrex swap) could sit pretty. The snowglobes were past gifts from my mom. Below that, I placed some red baubles in my star of David coldander (woah, just realized that the checker board and colander kinda double as Hannukah decor! Sweet!) A red and green milk carton rests to the right and an angel perches on the left (it was a gift from my uncle!)

Just below that I placed a Christmas frame, an empty gift card tin, and two festive Pyrex pieces--a Friendship casserole shared previously, and a new light green casserole I found at Goodwill for $2.99! You can see its friend, a larger dark green casserole, two shelves below (it was $3.99). I also included some other vintage kitchen items that fit in with the red and green scheme (cheese grater, potato masher, pretzel and nuts bowls) and some Christmas stuff gifted to me by my mom (elf, sparkly present).

Immediately to the left of the corner shelf is our yellow table, featuring a tabletop tree, and my map. I made a tiny bunting for the map which reads "Joy to the World." I placed a few decorations under the tree, too!

I kept our tablescape simple. I used brown, ivory, and blue dishes with golf leaf picks from Target placed across the plates. The centerpiece is similar to our Thanksgiving one, with faux snow instead of the acorns & mini pumpkins (the wood coins are still there).

The island is also decked out from head to toe. I removed some of our milk glass so that I could place holiday items above the cabinets. Like last year, I strung up some garland and hung oversize ornaments from there.

Here is our little food-themed tree. It used to stay near our sliding door, but with the addition of a bookcase last year, it was displaced here, right beside the island. Can you see my mustard ornament from Brin peeking out?

So that's it--Christmas 2012 in our little apartment!

I hope all your days are merry and bright and full of love and family fun!

New Ornaments!

2012-12-03T07:55:00.002-07:00

As my title suggests, I got a few new ornaments this year I wanted to share, courtesy of an ornament swap I participated in (and some vintage ones courtesy of myself). Before I reveal all our Christmas decorations, I figured I'd share these little details :)

First up, the ornament I received from the swap from the lovely Brin of Bold Butter Baby! I told Brin I had a food-themed tree that it would be nice to have a new ornament for, and she didn't disappoint when she scooped up this adorable mustard ornament to send me!

Here's a peek of it hanging out on my food tree--can you see it?

Brin was a sweetheart and also sent me some of her favorite eos lip balm, which I also love! Thanks, Brin! And thanks to Erin and Jessah for hosting.

Now on to the vintage baubles I picked out for myself while doing a little Christmas shopping at the local antique mall. I picked up this bundle of beauties for only $3 and spread them around our main tree.

I also nabbed this cute santa for $1.50.

I got two of these simple silver and white-striped orbs. I liked their patina!

Last but not least, I scooped up this red bell with lovely gold glitter detailing for $1.50. There's a chip in the red but I think it adds character :)

I will be sharing allll of our Christmas-y apartment in its full glory later this week! Stay tuned!

Quick DIY: Pine-ing for a New Wreath

2012-11-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

My name is Brittany and I have a slight wreath addiction.

I have a Pinterest board dedicated to the ones I've drooled over and dreamed of making.

So far I've shared a springy paper pinwheel wreath:

A coffee filter wreath, which I hung in our dining room:

And a Thanksgiving yarn wreath:

Now I'm back with another fall-inspired wreath. The supplies were simple: some pinecones (scooped up from around our apartment and left to dry in the sun to prevent any molding issues), a grapevine wreath, and some hot glue (not pictured, but I assume you know what a hot glue gun is...)

This wreath was so stinkin' easy to make that it really doesn't require a step-by-step. Just start gluing on pinecones at one point. Move from the middle of the wreath to the inner and outer edges, fitting the cones together as you see fit. Since my wreath was grapevine, I didn't bother to spray paint it, because any bits that show through are brown like the cones. I did try to alternate the directions I pointed my pinecones, so that you could see more of the dark insides of the cones and the lighter grayish-brown of the outside. I mostly used 3 pinecones for each "row," but sometimes used 4 to fill things in (especially if they were smaller cones).

And here she is hanging up on our door:

I like that this wreath is fall-ish without screaming THANKSGIVING! I think it's versatile enough to go on mid-September, hang out part of October (to be replaced by a more Halloween-y wreath--this one or this one, perhaps?), and then return again November 1st.

And I'm already thinking of making another pinecone wreath--this time one with a bit of spray paint to make faux-snow-covered cones, like so:

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I also love these other nature-inspired wreaths, featuring corn husks:

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Wheat stalks and leaves:

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Sweet gum balls:

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And wood coins:

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Has anything else made a fall wreath lately?

A Global Sensation

2012-11-12T08:30:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official. I'm hopping on the globe-loving blog bandwagon.

I've already shown my love for maps (both large and small) and state-related art, but until now I haven't had a globe, though I've been searching for an affordable one for the past few months. After all, they're all around the blog world, looking fun-yet-classic in decor.

Katie from Bower Power had a cluster in her son's nursery, and eventually hung them from his ceiling (and PS, how cool is that teepee she made him?!):

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Young House Love have a few around their home, including an adorable white one with a wooden whale base:

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And one of my favorite thrift and vintage blogs, A Living Space, has a lovely grouping in their living room:

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So I knew that I wanted to make a globe a member of our decor family. Little did I know that I would find two for what I consider steals--$14 apiece (compared to the $25+ I'd seen all summer as I thrifted).

One has a lovely wooden leg and the USSR marked on it, with continents in shades of brown, green, and yellow:

Here's a close up of that leg. I love the tone of the wood.

I put her next to our green chair and rustic-y console table in the living room.

My other globe find was more modern (no USSR or Berlin wall) and has an off-white/pastel color scheme and a really cool bronze spine and foot!

This guy sits on our side table in the living room.

Someday I'd like to create a cluster of globes like the ones I linked to above, but for now these spots work!

What about you? Any map-related purchases of late?

I've Been Framed So I'm a Basket Case

2012-11-07T08:30:00.000-07:00

Yeah...I had to get all punny up in here to introduce two of my latest Goodwill finds. I know that most of the time my thrift store scores are vintage, but I'm sharing more contemporary decor that I scooped up this month.

The first? A giant (we're talking 36" by 24") real wood picture frame for $5.99. When I saw this beauty tucked behind a dresser, I hurriedly put it in my basket. I thought that it would fit a large poster that had stayed unframed in our bedroom for the past 2 years, but since I was only eyeballing it and estimating, I couldn't be quite sure that it would work. However, I decided to snatch it up and return it if it didn't work. That turned out to be a great decision, since it fit my poster like a glove!

The funny part was that I told my husband how good of a deal $6 was, since getting that large of a frame at Michael's could cost up to 10 times as much. Then when I was removing the backing of the frame to put in my print, I found a "Custom Framing by Michael's" sticker on the inside! Ha!

The frame looks great above our bedroom chair and end table, and really ties in nicely with the reddish tones of our dresser.

For another small sum ($3.99) I found a lovely woven ottoman to house our extra blankets.

Ryan loves to keep the windows open during winter (or, as he says, to "let the joy in!") so I like to have more covers on hand for the colder nights. I'd previously been piling them on our chair, but they look much better tucked in the ottoman.

So that's the tale of two of my decor-related Goodwill finds. Have you picked up any good home items lately?

Pinspired: State String Art

2012-11-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

Like many people, I've salivated over the state string art projects floating around the blogosphere, Etsy, and Pinterest. I almost convinced myself to purchase one, but my husband said "No way! You can totally make one yourself!" That boosted my DIY confidence. Sure, I've made state-related art before, and I do my fair share of paper crafts, but this nail and string project did seem more challenging than my usual DIY fare.

Still, I decided just to bite the bullet and give the project a shot. So I set off to Michael's to buy a plack. I ended up with a "wooden canvas," which was perfect for the project, and I used a 50% coupon found by googling on my phone, which put the canvas at $7.50. While there I also picked up some black thread for $0.99. Then I snagged some painter's tape and nails from Walmart.

After gathering supplies, I taped off the edge of my canvas to ensure that no paint would spill over its front face. Then I mixed some orange and yellow craft paint I had on hand to create the perfect shade of Mizzou gold that my husband and I had agreed upon.

I let the paint dry for a night before moving on to the next step. I just googled for Missouri State Outline, picked one, sized and printed it, and then cut out my state shape. Then I used a map to locate Columbia, MO on the state, and I freehanded a heart there. Columbia is, of course, the base of our beloved Missouri Tigers! The hubs and I decided to make our art Mizzou-centered since we both attended MU and root on the Tigers in all of their sports. Plus, we figured that using a more central location (rather than the far-left location of our hometown, Lee's Summit) would make the art look best.

Then I taped the state outline on the canvas and used a ruler to mark dots around the perimeter ever 0.5 centimeters.

The next step was to hammer nails onto the dots, including the heart outline. This step took around 30 minutes, since I positioned the nails and hammered them in carefully, using needlenose pliers to straighten out the nails whenever needed.

Once the nails were in, I tied the black thread to my starting point in the upper right corner. Then, using one continuous string from my spool, I just looped the thread around the nails in the heart. I will admit that this part was super tedious and I restarted 3 times because sometimes the string got a little clumpy. Eventually I decided to add more nails to the heart so that I had more spots to wrap my string around. This definitely helped with the clumpiness!

And here is my finished product!

I hung it up next to our window in the office.