Moriah Makes

A Holiday Weekend

2012-05-25T11:54:00.001-05:00

I feel like there's been a celebration almost every week for the past few months. There have been tons of birthdays in our family, lots of baby showers, and anticipation for pretty weddings this summer. I'm still enjoying the flower bouquets from last week's baby shower, and getting ready to celebrate once again this weekend with my Dad for his 50th birthday and Chia's 1st!

We're looking forward to our long weekend together as a family. Although there will be lots of get-togethers, I still plan on sneaking in a nap or two. We'll be celebrating Lucia's birthday on the 28th, Memorial Day, although her actual first birthday is on the 30th. We're going to have our parents and siblings over for a simple and fun cookout if the weather lets us. I'm spending this morning collecting decor and scheming up the cutest little pink party I've ever imagined (on a $10 decorating budget).

I'm also putting the finishing touches on some new products that never made it to the shop this week because they sold out through Twitter. That was the easiest listing job I've ever done! I'm having so much fun making this simple beaded necklaces. Expect more soon, maybe even some in the shop in this time.

We painted our moss green walls in our living room to an off-white color yesterday. It makes such a difference in our dark home! I don't feel like I live in a dungeon anymore! Now to decorate the white walls. I've got a beautiful calendar from Rifle Paper Co. that I'm trying to turn into awesome wall art for our new space. Got any ideas?

Hope everyone has a lovely holiday weekend! Stay safe, wear sunscreen, and eat lots of watermelon!

A Baby Shower

2012-05-21T22:04:00.000-05:00

I got to spend my weekend hosting a baby shower, along with my mother and friend Megan, for our dear friend Courtney. She's expecting her first baby boy in July and we couldn't be more excited for her family! She and her husband both decided to keep their baby's name a secret until he's born, so we had fun referring to him as Dusty, Bob, and Zander all afternoon...

The baby shower was held at my mom's house on Sunday, early afternoon, so we thought it would be most fitting to celebrate with a brunch. We served: lemonade, mimosas, peasant potatoes, danish pancakes, egg bake cupcakes, spinach salad, greek yogurt parfaits, caprese, quiche bites, a fruit baby, scones, cookies, raspberry tart cake, and cupcakes. It was delicious!

Megan and I had so much fun planning the decor and menu for the shower, so I thought I'd share some pictures of the table spread. Try to ignore Barney in the reflection of the mirror. There were babies present at the shower, after all:

I love the picture above of Courtney, the mommy-to-be, with her also-pregnant sister, Chelsea! Their due dates are 2 weeks apart! I'm so excited for more babies to snuggle and cuddle this summer!

She Sings

2012-05-21T08:54:00.000-05:00

She doesn't say much, but when she does say something, it sure melts my heart. So, when she sings something? I'm DEAD.

Miss Priss

2012-05-18T12:58:00.001-05:00

I recently found out that my daughter hates grass. We were hanging out at my parents' house outside on a blanket when my mom put Lucia's foot on the grassy ground. Little Miss Priss quickly moved her foot back to the blanket and gave us both a look of don't-you-ever-do-that-again-or-I'll-bite-you! She can be vicious, I tell you. Do not mess with Chia.

I've decided to use this to my advantage. Now that I know she'll never leave the blanket, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to take some up-to-date pictures for her dedication on Sunday. It was also great photo shop practice for removing her leftover sores from being sick last week.

Have a great weekend, everyone! Enjoy this amazing weather we're having around here. I know we will.

The Influence Conference and a Survey

2012-05-17T13:21:00.000-05:00

As many of you lovely ladies have already heard throughout the interwebs, Jessi of Naptime Diaries, Casey of The Wiegands, and Hayley of The Tiny Twig have come together to create a conference specifically designed for women in the blogging and handmade community looking to "grow in their ability to leverage the internet to make much of Jesus." Before making their big announcement, I was contacted and asked if I wanted to be part of this exciting event. I jumped at the chance to be included in something so awesome with such admirable and humble women of God. Seriously, if Hayley, Jessi, and Casey touch something, it's gotta be good. So, if you come to The Influence Conference, be sure to meet me there as a community leader. Haven't heard of The Influence Conference, yet? Check out their site and read up on the event. It may be exactly what you need to help boost your influence on the internet and learn how God wants to use your talents and passions to help others. This is exactly what my blog was meant to touch on, folks. You were created for something awesome, and God wants you to find your purpose and potential in this world in order to spread The Awesome.

If it sounds like your thing, pray about it, ask others to pray for you about it, and then hop online and buy your ticket to attend! There are still some Early Bird Tickets left, but they won't last long. So... pray fast? Just kidding.

On a semi-related subject, I'd like to ask my readers to take a survey centered around my blog. As I'm preparing for this conference, I'm trying to focus more attention around the purpose of Moriah Makes and how God wants me to use it to influence others. It's always been a personal documentation of my family life, with some tid bits of business-related posts, creative inspiration, faith-inspired topics, and other randomness. Those things will never change. Recently, I've taken a break from posting multiple times a week to focus on my family, re-opening the shop, and learning to balance all three. Now that I'm finding more time in the evening to blog again, I thought it would be beneficial to ask you all some quick and easy questions I've had in my head for a while. So, if you wouldn't mind filling it out, it would be greatly appreciated (even you, grandmas): The Moriah Makes Survey.

Thanks, everyone! Have an awesome almost-Friday!

Sunshine, Chalk, and Sweets

2012-05-16T01:06:00.004-05:00

There's nothing that hurts a mother more than knowing her child is in pain. Or even worse: knowing your child is in pain while you're on vacation in a completely different state. Yeah, the babies got sick while I was in NYC last week. My poor in laws. They were looking forward to an awesome week spending quality time with their grandkids, and the dreaded Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease had to come in and ruin their plans. It started Monday night with Josiah losing his appetite, getting a fever, and having some stomach pain, soon leading to throwing up all over Joseph before bedtime. He continued to have stomach pain and no interest in food for several more days, had trouble sleeping, and eventually started showing small red blisters on his feet, hands, and mouth. It wasn't long before Chia was hit with the same blisters, trouble sleeping, and loss of appetite. I came home Thursday night and spent Friday through Monday nursing them back to health with lots of cuddles and ice-cream. Yeah, ice-cream. For all of us.

I'm pretty sure they're almost back to normal, other than just a few small sores left on their hands. They've definitely got their energy and appetite back, and have enjoyed spending time outside in this refreshing weather!

In related news, we bought Josiah his first stash of sidewalk chalk in hopes of sparking an interest in art. Unfortunately, he couldn't care less about the chalk. Well, I should say that he's interested for maybe 3 minutes. Or a couple more if he gets to watch Joseph draw different vehicles and animals. Then, interest fades and he'd much rather run laps around the neighbor's driveway or sit and eat a brownie under his tree.

My NYC Vacation

2012-05-14T00:07:00.000-05:00

BOY, it feels good to be home. I just spent the past week away with my mom, brother, and my brother's girlfriend in the oh-so-amazing NYC! It was the first vacation my mother had ever been on that didn't involve a bathing suit and an ocean, but blisters and sweat. Lots of it. We had the best time venturing out into the city, pigging out on some awesome food, sight-seeing until our ankles ached, and enjoying all that the Big City had to offer us.

For anyone who has ever wanted to visit NYC, we've come up with a list of our favorite hot spots from the past week:

- China Town and Little Italy for some good, touristy fun. You want Prada? Well, you'll have to crawl behind a hidden back-door to get one...

- Central Park, top to bottom. Well, my favorite is towards the bottom, but the top of the park was where we walked past Marcus Mumford. It was fun watching my brother's girlfriend almost pee her pants from citing her celebrity crush.

- Time Square and Broadway for obnoxious lights, crowds, TV characters, and unnecessary candy stores. It's something every tourist must endure and experience so they can go home and appreciate their quiet, uncorrupted home.

- NY Public Library, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and 9/11 Memorial so you feel like you didn't completely waste your vacation sitting on the subway.

Our New Favorite Eats:

- Joe's Shanghai, Alice's Tea Cup, Katz's Delicatessen, Grimaldi's Pizzeria, S'Mac, Al Di La, Screme Gelato Bar, and Gray's Papaya.

New York City was very good to us and our bellies. Now, if you can excuse me, I'll be taking this week to recover.

Practicing My Skills

2012-05-06T00:31:00.000-05:00

This is what practicing photography with my new lens when stuck at home on a rainy day without a car taking care of sick kids looks like:

Just be grateful that I didn't practice taking some self-portraits. My skills definitely need work, but it was fun capturing my children's runny noses and bed head. A question for you all: what picture editing software/site do you use? Now that picnik.com is extinct, I've been trying out some different ones. My favorite, so far, is picmonkey.com!

Also, some fun news: I'm leaving today for NYC with my mom, my brother, and his awesome girlfriend. It will be quiet on the blog this week since we'll be busy vacationing, but feel free to follow along with me through my Twitter and Instagram updates! My username is: MoriahSunde

Getting Outside

2012-05-03T14:23:00.002-05:00

We've been getting outside a lot, friends! Rain or shine, cloudy or windy, we don't care. It's been so good for all of us, especially the boy:

It's been the perfect escape from the house that we've been stuck in all winter. When the kids get crabby, WE GO OUTSIDE:

I'm super excited for all of the adventures we're going to have outside this summer. It will be the first time in 3 years that there won't be a newborn or a sick preggo to take of! I'm anticipating making memories at the beach with both kiddos, lots of outdoor meals at our favorite malt shop, and teaching Josiah how to ride his new Strider:

What are you looking forward to this summer?

It's Back! For Now...

2012-04-30T10:28:00.002-05:00

I feel like I've had a dry season of lacking creativity in my personal life. I wrote about this before, and shared that I believed it to be an awesome opportunity to enjoy the creativity coming from friends around me. God may not have been giving me ideas or inspiration in my own life, but He sure was doing something incredible for other people. It was a season for me to sit back and enjoy what He was doing in them. It was a really restful, refreshing, and encouraging time for me and I'm so glad I got to have a break!

But, now it's back! At least for now. When God gives me an idea, I tend to jump on it as fast as possible for fear that it will suddenly disappear. I feel like when He gives me inspiration to be creative, it comes in little spurts, and it's an opportunity for me to put all of my energy (at night when the children are asleep, of course) into making something that reflects me and my faith. I had that opportunity last week and it was so invigorating for me!

I created some new pretty things for the shop (more to come when I have a chance to take pictures and list):

I invested in a new lens for my camera that has inspired me to start taking more pictures of my kids with my DSLR again, and not just from my iPhone anymore:

I had a dear friend over to teach me how to make maxi skirts. We had so much fun troubleshooting together, and I'm a little ashamed to say that I have become a maxi-skirt-makin'-addict:

Have any of you ever gone through a season like this? I'd love to hear how you got through it and what happened when/if your creativity finally came back. Hope everyone has an awesome week!

Josiah Turned 2

2012-04-23T13:50:00.002-05:00

My little boy turned 2 years old this weekend! We had an awesome week celebrating him and how much of a blessing he's been in our lives. I can't imagine life without my little Josiah.

We got to visit Grandpa Jeff (my step-dad) earlier in the week at his work where he owns a construction business. Josiah's new obsession is trucks, bull dozers, tractors, and anything that moves dirt! He was lucky enough to ride around in the Bob Cat with Bumpa for a long time!

We celebrated Josiah's birthday on Saturday with my best friend and her hubs at their house. They were so sweet to want to celebrate his birthday and get him an ice-cream cake. Josiah loved it!

Sunday was spent celebrating his birthday again with all of his grandparents. We had so much fun watching him open his gifts enjoy TWO cupcakes in a row! We let Josiah drink Ginger Ale for a first time and had a blast watching the poor child crash on sugar.

And now, today I sit and let the children enjoy the new mountain of toys and deflating balloons. This has probably been one of the easiest days of parenting I've had in a long time.

Spring in My Step

2012-04-16T13:19:00.002-05:00

For weeks I've had a lack of energy and haven't felt like doing much of anything productive except take naps while the children napped. It was really starting to bug me, because even after downing a couple extra cups of coffee, I would still feel the same mopey-ness as usual. Because I'm too lazy to Google or ask my doctor for advice, I sent out a tweet asking the universe what vitamins they take to get their energy level back up. So, back to prenatals I am (why did I even stop taking these things? They're awesome!) and I feel so much better than before! Want proof? After spending the afternoon/evening at the mall...

after putting the children to bed... and after watching Celebrity Apprentice with the hubs (our guilty pleasure), I still had energy to make his lunch, iron his work shirt, fold some laundry, and crank out 4 scarves and 2 headbands for the shop:

This hasn't happened since I was pregnant, people. I am feeling so refreshed and am finally getting things done around here! I feel like I need to start jogging or something!

Life Lately

2012-04-10T22:13:00.000-05:00

I may officially be trading in blogging for Instagram... okay, maybe not, but it sure sounds tempting. Life has been moving faster than I can type these days. By the time I have a chance to sit and reflect in front of my computer, I quickly give up and go to bed. However, my popular friend Instagram understands my pace and makes reflecting on my day much easier. Do you have it? If so, follow me! My user-name is: MoriahSunde

Life lately:
- potty-training the toddler
- learning how to handle two mobile children
- morning stroller walks with friends
- giving the hubs back rubs while he works his night job
- picnics at the park
- dreaming of a house with a yard
- watching the girl try new foods and actually enjoy them
- a new (to me) Phil & Ted double stroller from Craigslist
- gaining a new appreciation for family, especially grandparents
- a weekend getaway and antique shopping with the hubs
- celebrating lots and lots of family birthdays

The Shop is Open!

2012-04-06T11:05:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone is having a great Friday and looking forward to having an awesome Easter weekend celebration! I've finally gotten up the courage to re-open shop and start taking orders again. For those interested in purchasing a scarf, if you buy this weekend, I will include a free custom Rose Headband of your choice! Head on over and put your order in now!

Head on over to the shop!

Bro and Sis

2012-04-02T08:29:00.000-05:00

Can you tell they're related?

God Loves Minnesota

2012-03-25T22:41:00.000-05:00

I think God knew that His Minnesotans needed a change in weather... and He answered our prayers by giving us summer weather in March! The icy lakes have melted, the snow has disappeared, and green is starting to pop up on our trees! We've been able to introduce Lucia to grass, have numerous family picnics, and long walks outside within the past two weeks. It's been amazing!

My birthday was last week, and it's an understatement to say that I was truly blessed by my family and friends. My bread fast ended last Sunday, so I asked my mother-in-law to make me a grilled cheese sandwich on her homemade bread as my birthday meal. It was the best grilled cheese I've ever had in my life. Thursday, the 22nd, was my real birthday, and I got to celebrate it with my husband and babies at Panera. We had so much fun sharing our food and getting Chia to try some new things...

I spent Friday continuing my birthday celebration by myself while the kids hung out with their grandparents for the day. I was able to do some therapeutic spring cleaning around the house, as well as some shopping at my beloved Anthropologie for home decor and clothes. It was a very relaxing day and much needed time alone to reflect on everything God's blessed me with these past 26 years of life.

Saturday was spent antiquing with my mama up north and finding some more fun decor for my house. We had a blast shopping around and hunting for some awesome treasures...

My birthday celebration continued to Sunday where my mom made an awesome picnic for all of us by Lake Minnetonka. All I wanted was a simple sandwich picnic outside, but that was too easy for her. She had to take it up a notch and make an awesome asian-inspired picnic meal for all of us...

It's been an awesome birthday week, filled with too many blessings to count. I'm so thankful for all of the special people God has given me in this life, and am excited for the year ahead for our family! I'm also thankful for this weather and the new spring it's put in our step. We're so ready for summer!

Admiring Creativity

2012-03-21T11:09:00.000-05:00

Since recovering from being sick, I still haven't had the energy or time to get back into crafting for my shop. Sanitizing our home after being infested with germs, catching up on the backed-up laundry load from having a broken wash machine for a week, and catching up on naps from lack of sleep is what my life is all about these days. I also haven't felt very creative or even had a desire to make anything pretty lately.

However, that hasn't stopped me from admiring everyone else's gorgeous work. I love looking at the ideas God gives my friends and watch them become something real. I thought I'd share some of my favorites with you today:

My friend, Jessi, is getting ready to launch her Etsy shop this week. She posted a sneak peek of the adorable headbands on her blog. Be sure to check them out and follow her blog so you can be sure to know when her shop opens:

{Suzie Studios}

My friend, Kim, just added a new headband design to her shop! She set up the cutest vintage-inspired photo shoot to show off her Fayette Headbands, and I am in love with how they turned out. These headbands are definitely on my birthday wish list:

{Oh, Sweet Joy!}

My cousin, Rayna, recently added these adorable child-size turban headbands to her Etsy shop! They are so stinking cute and her daughter makes the most gorgeous model for her handmade accessories:

{Rayna Jaye}

My girl, Jessi, is always adding more and more inspirational artwork to her lovely Etsy shop. I already own several of her prints and look at them every day in my craft room. They truly brighten my day every time I read them and am reminded of God's provision over my family. This is my new favorite of hers:

{Naptime Diaries}

Do you ever go through a season of lacking creativity? I encourage you not to be discouraged, but to see it as an opportunity to admire what God is doing in other people and be blessed by their creativity.

Blog Anniversary

2012-03-14T09:26:00.000-05:00

I just realized this morning that I've been blogging for over two years now. I never thought this little ol' blog would turn into something that would bring me so much in life: a creative community of friends from all over the world! I've learned so much about handmade, motherhood, and my faith through all the conversations I've had with all of you in this awesome blogosphere. I've had a blast opening my own shop and sharing other's handmade treasures. It's also been so much fun documenting our journey as parents and being able to look back at all the memories we've made with our children. It's been an awesome ride so far!

I thought I'd post some of my favorite pictures from the start of this blog adventure, from March of 2010-March of 2012. This will obviously be a long, long list of photos. Enjoy!

Thank God for iPhones, huh? Life sure gets busy once there are two babies to handle. If I didn't have a camera phone on hand, most of this would never have been documented! Someday I'll pick up that DSLR again... maybe.

I'd like to thank all of the people I've met through this blogging experience so far. It's been so much fun, I've learned so much, and I'm excited to continue sharing my fun memories with friends and family online. Thanks for following along!

Feature Post: Lisa Leonard Designs

2012-03-13T00:19:00.000-05:00

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Surely, you've heard of this lovely lady: the one and only Lisa Leonard. If you haven't, then consider her a gift from me to you. She's been one of my favorite bloggers/business owners for a long time, and for so many reasons. When I first discovered blogs and the handmade community, Lisa's blog and shop was one of the first I fell in love with, not only because of the gorgeous jewelry she creates, but because of her passion for doing what she loves. Most importantly, Lisa's story has been an inspiration to me as a mother and wife, as she always shares the beauty of her family through her blog.

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Lisa designs beautiful and elegant jewelry and accessories that make the perfect gifts for those you love. Her classic style shows through in every piece she has created, and is meant to inspire and encourage. Lisa is offering Moriah Makes' readers 20% off their entire order (expires March 20th) with code: SHOPPING20

Be sure to visit her shop and purchase something special for yourself or a loved one. Also, if you haven't already, you should "like" her Facebook page and join her newsletter in order to stay updated on the latest specials and sneak peeks from her shop! And when you're finished getting lost in her shop, be sure to hop over to her blog and get lost for a couple more hours over there. You're welcome.

Hey! It's Been a While.

2012-03-12T13:42:00.001-05:00

Things were very quiet around here last week as our entire house recovered from sore throats, coughing attacks, runny noses, fevers, teething, and stomach flu. It was hard to watch my babies go through such a rough time, but even harder because I could barely help them myself. I'm so thankful for family. My parents came over Tuesday so I could rest for hours in bed while they took care of the babies. Joe's parents took Lucia on Thursday so I could sleep while Josiah napped. Being so close to all of our parents is such a blessing, but I learn to appreciate it even more at times like this. There's no way I could have done it on my own last week without all of their help. Joe was just as sick as I was, and wasn't even able to take a day off of work. So, thank you Grandmas and Grandpas! We love you and are so thankful for you!

An update on Lucia's sleeping dilemma: she finally sleeps on her stomach! It has made all of our lives so much easier now that she has finally decided that it's comfortable and helps her sleep longer hours. Thanks for all of your advice and encouragement, everyone.

We're feeling so much better this week and are ready to enjoy this awesome weather that has finally reached Minnesota! We've already been outside twice for walks and playing at the park. I'm excited to take them to the zoo and walk around the lakes later this week as the temperatures get even warmer!

I hope everyone has an awesome start to their week!

My Babies: 22 Months Old and 9 Months Old

2012-03-02T10:39:00.000-06:00

In just one more month, we are going to have a two year old in this house. I'm in denial, obviously. I sometimes still picture my blue-eyed blondie as a helpless baby who needs his mommy for every single thing. And then we start a conversation about shapes, trucks, and "Martin" (MLK is apparently Josiah's favorite historical figure this week), and I'm thrown back into reality. Yes, my toddler still needs me a lot. But, not as much as I sometimes wish. He's become such an independent, curious, and confident little man. I keep reminding myself that his independence will only grow and to cherish every time he asks for help, asks to play, or asks for a diaper change. We're about to venture into what society calls the "Terrible Twos" and I'm hoping I can make it out alive.

Now, about Lucia. Lucia is the complete opposite of her brother. It's funny, because I'm constantly praying this child becomes more independent and less clingy to her mother. Which is weird. I'm always reminding myself that I need to embrace her spirited and fragile personality. It's only a matter of time before she, too, will want to do things on her own. She's going through an interesting stage in life right now that may be exhausting for me, but very fascinating for her. Becoming more mobile, trying new foods, transitioning to a convertible car seat; these are huge milestones for her! As her first birthday approaches, I'm continuing to remind myself that my baby girl's needs are going to evolve, like her brother's, and she will need me less and less for certain things. I should be waking up with a smile on my face when she cries for help at 6:30. In a couple of years, she won't need my help. And that makes me sad.

Wow. I think I'm almost ready for Baby #3.

NYC: Here We Come!

2012-02-28T23:56:00.000-06:00

I'm so excited to share that I get to visit my favorite place on earth in May: NYC! My mom just booked our tickets and I'm already planning some of our fun activities. I've visited NYC several times in the past and have a handful of special spots that I can't wait to share with my mom, my brother, and my brother's girlfriend. It'll be just the four of us, enjoying all the awesome things of New York that I know my husband would never want to do on vacation. That's why he's happily staying home with the kids.

Reminiscing from past trips from before Lucia, before kids in general, and even before marriage:

Aside from the famous landmarks, stores, tourist attractions, and museums (that I love), here's a small list of my favorite NYC spots:

- Central Park, China Town, and Little Italy (duh)
- Cafe Lalo
- The Apollo
- Alice's Tea Cup
- Max Brenner
- Zeytuna Deli

Yeah, I know that the majority of these are restaurants. That's what I do on vacation. Eat.

I know that we won't have time to hit all of these, but I thought it'd be fun to share! If you either live in New York, or love to visit, share some of your favorite hot spots with me! I'd love to check out some new places!

Chia's Sleeping Dilemma

2012-02-27T08:08:00.000-06:00

6:30 am

6:00 am

5:30 am

We're regressing, Chia. Regressing. You're supposed to start sleeping longer hours, Dear.

Ever since Lucia mastered the art of rolling over to her stomach, we've been facing some issues in the sleep schedule department. I'm not sure if it's a mix of teething, sharing a room with her brother, not having enough food to fill her stomach before bedtime (we mamas are really good at coming up with a long list of excuses just to have an answer, aren't we?), or what, but I'm not sure how to fix this. The girl rolls to her stomach as soon as she wakes up and then cries for help. I know that she could roll back if she really tried. But she doesn't try. Like a damsel in distress, she cries for help and wants me to come and pick her up. My child, that used to sleep in until 8:00 am, cried for help at 5:30 am this morning. It's time to change something.

I'm going to be moving her back into my craft room until she can figure out how to either roll back or start sitting up/standing on her own. It's not worth running two flights of stairs and waking up her brother anymore. Josiah's overtired, Mama's overtired, and Chia is overtired. One of us deserves a better night sleep, so I'm letting The Boy get a break from his sister for a while.

Has anyone else ever dealt with this issue before? Josiah went through a similar phase, but at a much earlier age. He was already crawling by 8 months, whereas Chia still can't sit herself up from laying on the floor. I think we'll be practicing it a lot more these next couple days. It might be the only thing that can help her out of this dilemma.

Love Your Business

2012-02-24T07:46:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday, everyone! I wanted to shoot you a link to a guest post I did this week for Heather at Just Lovely Things. She's doing a blog series on how to love your business. I had the opportunity to share my thoughts on how to truly love what you do. Come check it out at her place.

High On Thrifting Thursday

2012-02-23T13:00:00.000-06:00

I'm linking up with Mandy over at Harper's Happenings for a fun little post where we "thrift addicts" and "mouth breathers" unite and share our latest trash/treasures. I've had some great luck this month trying to find new-to-me decor for my living room makeover. By the way, remember the big blue couch I scored for $40 on Craigslist? GONE. I scrubbed my little heart out and couldn't get that musty stench out. So, we flipped it for $150 and put the money towards a beautiful Crate & Barrel couch! It's gorgeous and I can't wait to show you pictures when my living room is complete. For now, let's check out my thrifts:

A new secretary desk! I found this baby a couple weeks ago while furniture hunting in Buffalo. The town has many awesome occasional shops that are open a couple days a month, but there is also a thrift store that accepts furniture from those shops. This desk was newly painted and just missing the knobs, so I snatched it for $40. It was exactly what I was looking for, in the exact color, and luckily missing knobs so I'd have an excuse to shop from Anthropologie. Here are the knobs I purchased:

Lime green Anthro knobs, on clearance for $2.95. I loved them so much, I had to buy a coral one for the coffee table:

I know Anthro is nothing even comparable to a thrift store, but I figured $2.95 for knobs was worth sharing. One more thing to add to my thrifting treasures for the week:

A mustard lampshade that matches my mustard pillow! It was $15, definitely not a thrifty price, but totally worth it. I was planning on saving up money for an Anthro lampshade, but this will definitely do for me. It was a great thrifting month, but I'm still on the hunt for several more items to complete our living room makeover. Next on the list: a buffet, a dresser, a rug, new curtains, and more colorful decor. Now, please excuse me while I go daydream on Pinterest.