Cozy Little Cave

Pineapple Poster Beds!

noreply@blogger.com (Tess Carter) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 01:06:00 +0000

Picked up these two beauties via Craigslist today! I went to check on the ad for just one and discovered they had 2! We know we'll eventually have 2 kiddos in our second bedroom, and I've never been a fan of bunk beds, so to find a matching set was a pleasant surprise! I love the pineapple poster style of these guys, and they're a nice lower profile- perfect for a pesky little toddler I know!

They'll serve as Pippa's big girl bed (and #2's when the time comes), but they need some TLC first. Lots of nicks & scratches, and one has a broken foot board. Previous owners "James and John" were clever enough to also leave their mark- carving their names into the headboards (also... "Go Jets"). I was originally going to paint them fire engine red, but now that they're cleaned up.... they look a lot better than they did at first. So I'm going to throw on a couple more coats of polish & see how they're looking. I might just lightly refinish the main, flat headboard portions.

We don't plan to move Pippa into her new room until Christmas, but she could technically figure out how to escape her crib sooner than then. If that happens, well, she'll be moving a bit sooner...

Gonna be a big sister...

noreply@blogger.com (Tess Carter) — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 03:33:00 +0000

Sgt Pippa's Lonely Hearts Club Band

noreply@blogger.com (Tess Carter) — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 01:42:00 +0000

Still Alive!

noreply@blogger.com (Tess Carter) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 01:04:00 +0000

No, I've not fallen ill or died. I'm still here. Things have just been hectic, and amid it all blogging has taken a backseat. It doesn't help that I started this blog with the intent of posting about decor, art, and home design projects. I don't blog to document Pippa's life or our day-to-day, but lately we just haven't done m/any things that I felt went with the purpose of the blog. I do have to say though, that now that Pippa's getting older, I've started to think about her 'big girl room,' so there'll be some blog-worthy stuff pretty soon. And we did some updates to our upstairs bath as well- nothing major, but enough to definitely warrant a post or two... I just have to touch up some paint first! ;)

Meanwhile, here's what the little Pipsqueak is looking like these days...

The Felt Christmas Tree

noreply@blogger.com (Tess Carter) — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 18:43:00 +0000

It's been all over the internet as an adorable, cheap, DIY activity for the little ones, so I figured I'd best use up the stack of felt scraps I have and make a tree for Pippa. I cheerfully walked to the local fabric store for the green tree felt. I came home and fed Pippa a lunch of peas, carrots, potatoes, and cheesy chicken while cutting out perky little ornaments. I burnt my fingers hot gluing the ornament decorations. I felt so productive... then came the big moment... I hung it on the wall... and I called her over- anxious to watch her play and squeal in delight. She wanted nothing to do with it. Nothing. She didn't even want to pull the ornaments off. Pippa: 1 Christmas: 0

I did manage to get her to go stand near it with some sneaky luring just long enough to get a photo... but she quickly ran away right after I snapped the shot.

Jump From Paper

noreply@blogger.com (Tess Carter) — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 19:26:00 +0000

Words cannot express how cool these bags are; they look so fun and frisky! It looks like they're all pretty slim- so you can't go dumping your whole life in them, but still... pretty neat. Definitely a great statement piece! If it wasn't for all that white (which I could never keep pristine), I might be tempted...

Tetris Stackable Desk Lamp

noreply@blogger.com (Tess Carter) — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 17:35:00 +0000

Pretty sure this is THE coolest lamp ever. Ever. Ever. If I didn't have Christmas gifts to buy... I'd have already bought this for myself.

More Paintings!

noreply@blogger.com (Tess Carter) — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 01:37:00 +0000

Nights around these parts have been mostly filled with painting these past few weeks...

Bubble Clock

noreply@blogger.com (Tess Carter) — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 21:43:00 +0000

I think I have a thing for clocks. I'm always finding interesting ones I love, and I even have a prized set of clockwork china hanging on my wall. Anyway, my latest timepiece crush is this Newgate Bubble Clock over at West Elm.

I think it's the perfect amount of whimsy and practicality. The $85 price tag doesn't seem too bad... although I'm wary since we've had a bad history of clocks going bad on us. I'll have to keep this one bookmarked in case our current red kitchen clock ever conks out.

It's Fall Yall!

noreply@blogger.com (Tess Carter) — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 23:41:00 +0000

My loves! We went to Raccoon Creek State Park yesterday to take some pictures of the babe and our little family (minus the dogs) with the fall color. It's peaking around here, so the drive was lovely, and we got some great shots. The Pipster wasn't as cooperative as she could have been, but it was still a success. :)

The best!

Little Bo Pip and her Dog Sheep

noreply@blogger.com (Tess Carter) — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 00:54:00 +0000

We're all ready for Halloween in this house!

Oscar

noreply@blogger.com (Tess Carter) — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 14:50:00 +0000

It's been a long time since doing a commission, but if I was gonna get back in the swing of things, I couldn't have asked for a cuter model! And no- I didn't fabricate the pose... this little guy really was sitting there 'reading a book' lol! :) The painting is on its way to Canada now to Oscar & his awesome owner!

My New Favorite Artist

noreply@blogger.com (Tess Carter) — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 20:44:00 +0000

We've got a new addition to our living room picture wall! The Pipster is officially my new favorite artist, and I couldn't be more proud. I was volunteering at a children's Paint Out event in our town Saturday and called Jesse up to bring Pippa. I figured I'd be thrilled if she managed to not eat the paint, but she did surprisingly well (with guidance lol). I can't wait for more masterpieces!

The Basement Playroom

noreply@blogger.com (Tess Carter) — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 16:49:00 +0000

Our basement has undergone quite a few big changes in the past couple of months. We got a new sofa, rearranged the layout, painted, revamped Pippa's play area, and of course, put down new flooring. I still have the wall by the stairs to paint and a bit of drywall to repair where they fixed our small leak, but I decided to go ahead and photograph it anyway...

The sofa was from Macy's and is a very graphite, neutral grey color (which is surprisingly hard to photograph). While our basement is actually pretty well lit, the lighting photographs terribly. I wanted leather (it wipes up soooo easily), but Jesse was all over the microfiber; the price difference won me over. We actually went one night just to check them out, and Jesse liked this sofa so much we ordered it on the spot & he wanted to bring it home that night! It got bonus points when Jesse was holding Pippa and she passed out within minutes of Jesse laying down on it. The yellow Moroccan pouf is from Overstock- and I love it!! A little trendier than I like, but I thought it was perfect for the space. Jesse's vintage Star Wars posters also got a prominent new home.

It's quite cozy, and the dogs think we bought it for them.

I love this wool rug I snatched for a bargain at RugsUSA.com! It makes the floor soft enough, is super fun, but doesn't look like a crayola box vomited all over it. It also hides the (still noticeably uneven) area where we had to repair the floor. It's a cow print rug, but I call it the dalmatian rug.

Another Star Wars appearance. Jesse's the one who'd been pushing a new sofa, but somehow I'm the one who lost my desk & storage space while he gained desk space. Hmmm... Good thing I love the new room enough to let that slide.

TV placement was the #1 reason we were limited by sofa size. This placement isn't as ideal as the nook was, but it's the best compromise for a larger sofa. We were still pretty limited though... furniture is so enormous these days!

Love it!

Gated Up

noreply@blogger.com (Tess Carter) — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 13:18:00 +0000

One of the main reasons I've been so scarce around the blog lately is simply that Pippa is walking now. She was plenty mobile before, but with walking comes speed and a sudden desire to race up the stairs as quickly as possible. So, I set about ordering a baby gate for the foot of our stairs (our one weakness!). Unfortunately, not only is the space wider than the normal gate can accomodate, it's right smack in the middle of the living room- so I of course demanded something with at least a little flair. It didn't need to be fancy; I just wanted something that blended in a bit more than most gates I'd seen.

Thankfully, I eventually stumbled upon the Munchkin Wood & Steel Deco Gate... and was able to figure out how to add additional extensions to make it fit. It was a little tricky to get the measurements right since any gate with extensions is likely to have 'blind spots' ...distances that are between two sizes, and Munchkin's customer service wasn't very clear or confident in their recommendation. Luckily, I figured out which extension to buy and was on my way... or so I thought. The gate itself came from Amazon and was here quite quickly (as expected); the extension had to come direct from Munchkin though, and FedEx took their sweet time getting it here. It spent three days in Grove City, Ohio for no apparent reason other than to make me crazy. I couldn't wait to get that gate up. But it did finally arrive, and we got it installed- much to our delight! Maybe now I can finally get back to accomplishing something during the day...

The wood & steel look blends so well with the living room, and installing it wasn't too bad (although it took a while to figure out the 'pictures only' instructions). The lock doesn't seem like something a toddler would figure out at all, but it's easy-peasy for an adult to use. It seems very well made & sturdy and opens in both directions. It does not close on its own- but we wanted that since there are times we want to leave it open. Very, very satisfied!

My little girl is ONE year old!

noreply@blogger.com (Tess Carter) — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 04:07:00 +0000

We've had a pretty busy past couple of weeks. A (still unresolved) basement leak, painting, ripping up flooring, major problems with the subfloor, installing new flooring, house guests, and Pippa's first birthday party! Things should be calming down now though, so hopefully I'll be back to blogging. In the meantime...

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY TO MY DARLING LITTLE PHILIPPA!

This little doll is the best blessing Jesse and I could have ever asked for!

Well that sucks...

noreply@blogger.com (Tess Carter) — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 22:39:00 +0000

A little less awkward...

noreply@blogger.com (Tess Carter) — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 04:13:00 +0000

This is probably the most awkward photo I've ever taken (or one of them anyway). See that little white blob on the Pickle Dog's chin? It's a growth. Like a skin tag. Totally gross, right? The vet said we could pay them hundreds of dollars to surgically remove it & it could still come back. Uhhh... no thanks. Then she added that they sometimes just fall off (yeah right). It emphasizes her awkwardness exponentially. Or... it DID. It actually did fall off! Thank God.

So now she's (just a little) less awkward. But still pretty awkward.

I love you this much!

noreply@blogger.com (Tess Carter) — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 02:29:00 +0000

A reader tipped me on to these adorable Watercolor Pet Pillows from Pottery Barn Teen. Ah-doh-ra-ble. Bought that doxie one immediately- it looks like it was made just for my bedroom!! The little French Bulldog is pretty darn cute too...

Sorry for the break- the Pipster and I had been in Maryland, but we're back now. Jesse's parents are here for several days, so I might still be a little sparse. Meanwhile...

What a little toot.

Madeline + Crab

noreply@blogger.com (Tess Carter) — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 16:43:00 +0000

In case you hadn't seen it yet. And frankly, even if you did, you probably want to see it again.

And if you're still feeling the need to cool off this summer with some doxies...

Yellow Pears & Felt Bowls

noreply@blogger.com (Tess Carter) — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 17:55:00 +0000

Check out this nice little bowl of fake pears on my coffee table...

(ignore the ratty dog tennis ball trying to pretend it's a chic pear)

Yup. This is what happens to it pretty much every day...

It's hard to be mad at that cute little face (especially when she's smiling and giggling while she flings them around the room), but the one part of this little ritual I'm not fond of it the banging of the metal basket on the marble table top. I don't think she'll do any real damage with it, but it makes an awful annoying 'clang' sound.

So I'm thinking a softer receptacle might be a wise choice for something within Pippa's grasp. Surely a colorful little felt bowl or fabric basket would be dirt cheap, right? Wrong. Of course, the prices are often reasonable when they're made by hand, but I'm just not in the market to spend much on something like this, and my favorites were all really expensive. But anyway, here's what I've dredged up so far...

This is the Wobowl Softbowl. Looks pretty awesome, 100% felt, bright & colorful... $40.

Love the bright colors of this handmade coiled fabric basket by AbbysSewAwesome on Etsy,
but I'm not sure it's the feel I want. $25

This crocheted trio adds a nice dose of texture. By odpamm on etsy- $40.

This is like what I originally had in mind. Nice, thick, felt. $32 from feltplanet on etsy.

Perhaps the surprise winner? Soft CORK bowls (warm and pliable like leather- who knew?)
A conversation starter from Branch $34-$48.

This little guy is priced right on sale at $20, but he's small and only left in charcoal.

Another felt Branch bowl.

I can't bring myself to spend $14 per pebble on these beauties from Branch, but wouldn't they be awesome!?? They seem like a great blend of colorful decor & safe toy. I looked into colorful wool dryer balls to replace the pears, but they too got a little too pricey. Not that they weren't worth the price, I just don't feel like spending $100+ on a baby-friendly coffee table display right now.

I'm thinking the blue beauty from feltplanet or the cork bowl from Branch might be the one for me...

WOOF Dachshund Speaker

noreply@blogger.com (Tess Carter) — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 19:36:00 +0000

I think Jesse might need this. It randomly 'woofs' and nods its head while it plays your music. Because he wishes there was more barking and noise in this household you know. ;)

Happy 4th of July!

noreply@blogger.com (Tess Carter) — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 21:10:00 +0000

New Look!

noreply@blogger.com (Tess Carter) — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 20:59:00 +0000

As you've probably noticed, I gave the blog a face-lift yesterday; I might be doing a little more tweaking here & there, but the design is pretty much complete. I hope you like it as much as I do! Unfortunately (as you can see on the right), I still have a ways to go repairing all of the missing images. I've deleted a huge hunk of posts, I've updated many, but I'm just not done yet. I'm worried that I might not have every image easily accessible of rooms that have gone through many changes; we'll see. My plan is to do a whole house tour when I'm done- to document new changes and replace any posts that ended up deleted. In the meantime, enjoy the rad new look!

MeasureMe!

noreply@blogger.com (Tess Carter) — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 16:06:00 +0000

We finally got our MeasureMe Stick up! It was our Mother's Day/Father's Day gift from my mother-in-law Barb (thanks Barb!). We had to wait quite a while to get an extra set of hardware (ours didn't ship with any), but I think it was worth the wait. It matches our decor perfectly, it's playful, and now we can measure the Pipster. I'm glad we waited for their hardware instead of hanging it on our own- the specially designed knobs keep it securely on the wall so tots can't swing it or pull it off. It's also nice to have something to take with us if we move- but without being made out of something flimsy and easily damaged like paper or fabric. And of course my favorite aspect is simply that it looks like grown-up decor... not something that belongs strictly in a nursery. Highly recommend.