vinyl wall decals

I'm still in decorating mode (or at least daydream decorating), so I thought I'd share some more ideas with everyone! Lately I've been kind of excited about vinyl wall decals. They seem to be a great alternative to painting (whether you're just not confident in your painting skills or you're in an apartment where you're not allowed to paint), and they're easily removable (though not reusable). I'm sure you could find them other places, but I've only been looking on Etsy so far. Here are some exciting things!

Pacman Wall Art from PaulasDecal for $9.50

Wild Flower Stalks from decalmonograms for $10

Row of Trees from Elephannie for $14

Chalkboard Decal from SpellitOutdesigns for $21

Headboard from janeymacpress for $50

Be sure to check out the shops these came from: they have nearly any vinyl decal you can imagine! I think these are an awesome temporary decorating solution, whether you just like to redecorate often or you have children who constantly change their minds about what they like. If I can talk Robert into it, we may be getting something neat for the new apartment!

bubble wrap effect

My best friend [a.k.a. husband] has gone off to work! This is my first day home alone since February-- it's been fairly productive so far! A lot of neglected chores have already been completed. Earlier I was listening to 'Join Hands' by Siouxsie and the Banshees (one of my favorite albums - sample here) on my record player while ironing some clothes. It made me want to be a housewife forever-- I'm only part-time now.

This past weekend ended up being pretty eventful. We got to visit with a few friends and make stops as Cafe Coco, Las Paletas and Grimey's. I have no photos to back up these claims! But here are some pictures I took for the last Souvenir Foto assignment.



The assignment was to take a blurred picture, with one option being to put plastic wrap over the camera lens. That wasn't doing anything too exciting for me, so I decided to try bubble wrap! Though it's tough to get a real subject in the background, I liked the effect this made. Sort of an underwater feel. I used the macro setting so the focus would be on the bubbles. Just a fun little experiment to try!

two new recipes

There are a couple of new recipes up at the hungry lemur! Go check them out and leave comments over there!

We've been eating so many good things lately, and not just sweets. Our CSA share is bulking up now, and we just found out we're about to stop getting beets every week. On one hand it's sad because I actually like beets, but on the other hand... I'm very tired of eating beets every week, so I'm a bit relieved! Either way, I'm very happy with how picking up a bushel of fresh vegetables each week forces us to eat healthier. Really, we can't let these things go to waste!

Oh, and a quick side note: We found a place to buy raw [unpasteurized and unhomogenized] cow's milk! Beginning in July we'll start getting a gallon most weeks - I'm excited! For anyone who's interested in finding a place to buy real milk, go to www.realmilk.com

treats

Guess what lovely surprise came for me in the mail yesterday? 2 rolls of Fleur de Sel caramels from Have it Sweet! Some of you may remember that this is a prize I won a while back from The Bright Side Project - and for any of you who don't know, check it out! The Bright Side Project is the loveliest thing which gives you a chance to win a prize every day by answering a question.

Anyway, this stuff is sooo yummy. So sweet (+ salty!) and it melts in your mouth. I think we're going to have to ration it so it lasts a while.

On another sweet note, Diana of our.city.lights gave me the above blog award! It's one that she created herself. Gabbi of *Felinofelice also passed it along to me. Thank you both! It's an honor because Diana and Gabbi have such interesting and beautiful blogs. I'm not going to hand this award out to any specific bloggers, but if I comment on your blog then you know that I think you're a great read as well! :)

I know it's not necessary to apologize, but I always feel guilty when I'm missing from here for two or three days in a row. My schedule keeps changing, but I've got a 4 day weekend ahead of me now! Hopefully I'll be able to blog about some neat things and also get some housework done. I've got nothing to show from the estate sale I went to yesterday - it turned out to be a nursing home selling all of its furniture, and it was a bit too creepy (and expensive) for me!

modish vintage and midcentury decorating

I'm hoping to list a few items in my Etsy shop this afternoon. I've decided that I'm not going to buy any vintage clothes for the shop until after we move, and I'm trying to get everything listed that I've been stowing away. Hopefully I can sell a few things so I won't have to haul them to the new apartment. I am planning to go to an estate sale later this week, but this time I'll be looking for a few pieces of furniture that need replacing. I'm excited because this will be the first time I've allowed myself to even consider buying any big items... yay!! Of course, they'll have to fit in my little car, which will limit me greatly.

Anyway, I was planning to share a few of my favorite etsy items today (including dresses) until I stumbled upon ModishVintage. Seeing how I'm in nesting/decorating mode, my jaw sort of dropped when I saw all of the lovely domestic goodness... So now this post is dedicated entirely to this one shop and the lovely items there. Here are a few of my favorites!

teal lotus bowls

teddy bear planter

tulip candleholders

I don't really need any of these things, and it's not exactly the items themselves- honestly I think it's the simple, clean nature of the photographs. Aren't they nice? Oh, and there's a Modish Vintage blog as well! Oh... [sorry, I didn't plan this post at all - it's kind of just happening as I type-- this is exciting!] Now I've just discovered the Mid-Century Modern Interiors group on flickr. Very amazing stuff. Oh boy, I can tell I'm going to be distracted all afternoon.

summer is officially here

It's HOT outside. I got in my car earlier and when I touched the steering wheel it burned my hands! Fortunately I keep a handy pair of Batman gloves in my car. They certainly weren't dainty driving gloves, but they did the job. My fingers still hurt, though!


Who can tell that I got a haircut? I know, it's not very noticeable as far as length goes (just about an inch and a half), but it certainly feels better to me! It was getting out of shape and starting to annoy me. I've been trying to grow it out, but I keep coming back to this length. I think it suits me pretty well and it's very easy to maintain.


Does anyone know what this thing is? Robert and I took a walk to the library and post office yesterday evening - it was fairly magical. Aside from seeing about 7 rabbits along the way, we began noticing lightning bugs (or fireflies... whatever you call them!) and we even caught one on a library book for a little bit. And then we found this thing on the ground.


We took it home to do scientific research (i.e. we cut it open and then Robert licked it and made a face and threw it away). It looks like a breadfruit, though I think we're very far from its native region. Anyone want to take a guess? I thought I'd see if I could get some answers here!

happy father's day!

Today is Father's Day in most countries! I hope everyone remembered to do something for their fathers. In honor of the holiday, here are a couple of my favorite pictures...

Above is a typical picture of my dad in the 70s. What is he doing? We may never know, but it certainly looks exciting! Yes, that table is made from cinder blocks and what is most likely a door.

This picture was taken by my dad the year I was born. On the 4th of July, actually, so my mom was very pregnant with me since I'm an August baby. He used his Minolta XG-1 (which I now own) and did multiple exposures so that he could catch a lot of fireworks at once. This picture isn't the best representation (there's a whole set), but it's the only one I have scanned in. I can also thank my dad for the nifty tripod he let me have, plus a camera bag full of micro and macro lenses which I haven't experimented with enough.

I've got to run off now, but I just wanted to let you all know how cool my dad is. :D Obviously he doesn't look like that anymore and doesn't always act so cool, but he's a pretty great guy and I love him!

jump start on the weekend

Once again, apologies for my disappearing act and not keeping up with everyone's blog - I've been keeping busy! Here's what I've been doing since Thursday evening.

Photo by Robert, the only one tall enough to see anything.

Thursday evening we went to see Patterson Hood play at Grimey's. He did a short set with songs from his new record, Murdering Oscar, and then he signed stuff and talked to people. Robert was happy about shaking his hand and getting his record signed. That was pretty cute! If you're not aware of Patterson Hood, he's one of the singers for the Drive-By Truckers. Don't worry, I don't like country music. They're more Southern Rock, and they have some really amazing songs... but Robert is the #1 fan in our household. :)

I got a haircut after this picture was taken, so next time you see me it will be shorter!

Today we started (and finished) our apartment search. At the end of July we're going to be moving to a much nicer apartment which is larger and less expensive than where we live now. That's right, we'll be saving money and living in a better place! I'm really excited. The picture above was taken from one apartment that had an amazing view, but in the end we decided against that place.

These sandals are so visually pleasing to me.

Nice surprise in the mail today - my new sandals from lisazain on Etsy. Her shop is filled with amazing shoes! These are the ones I mentioned earlier... I asked if she would be willing to do a trade for something in my shop, and she said yes! I was so happy.

And finally, a recipe for Potato Soup is up on the hungry lemur! If you missed the last one, it was for Kebabs! And if you're lucky, we'll show you how to make graham crackers this week... YUM!

help!

Thank you all for the sweet comments on the last post! Everything is still going as planned! Now, maybe you can help me answer the age old question of, "why are all the shoes I love too small for me?"

Both pairs, above and below, are exactly the sort of thing I'd love to be wearing this summer. There's only one problem: they're both a half size too small for me. Isn't that frustrating? Yes, I can make them fit, but it feels incredibly unnatural. So, if you're lucky enough to have magical size 7 feet, you can find them in the shoe section of my Etsy shop! Please, take them away from me so I can get over them!


And now, it's time for me to talk about rabbits again. Look! I was finally able to get a good picture! I don't think I've mentioned it since my last rabbit sighting, but we realized that there are rabbits all over our apartment complex. They come out in the evening and start hopping around between the buildings. It makes me so happy. This guy let me get pretty close before he got incredibly nervous and ran off.

By the way, I apologize for the sporadic posts, the random posts, and the lack of posts lately - but it's clearly an indicator of how scatterbrained I am right now. I'm not quite sure what to do with myself when I'm not busy; it feels like I deserve time to relax and do nothing but read blogs and talk about boring things... I'm sorry I've made you suffer through this! I may indeed be turning into a rabbit.

good news

the view from our front door at sunset

I've been a bad blogger lately - I know! For the last few days I've been either ridiculously busy or just trying to relax and do nothing. I struck a nice balance today, and something excellent happened: Robert got a job!

Those of you who have been reading for a while know that he hasn't worked since February, when we moved to Nashville from Texas. We both took a break to do our own thing (he's writing young adult novels and trying to find a literary agent) - which was incredibly nice - but we started to get slightly worried... I'm sure everyone is well aware of the state of the American economy and job market. So this is great news: we will now have a steady income and health insurance (as long as everything works out, he should start working next Monday).

It also means a lot of doorways have opened up. Yesterday we started looking for houses to rent because our apartment lease is over at the end of July. NOW, not only will we be looking in a different location (more convenient to the job), but there's also the possibility that we could wait a bit longer and *buy* a house. I'm sure you can imagine how excited I am! (If not, the answer is: very excited.)

Anyway, I thought I would let you all know what's going on! There may or may not be a new recipe up tonight on the hungry lemur, depending on how much excitement and celebration goes on around here. I hope everyone is having an equally happy day!

peas in a pod

It's finally Friday! It's been a while since I did a five senses Friday post, so I'm going to do that now! Here are the things I've experienced this past week.


See: Pretty peas in their pods (we got to shell a bunch from our CSA share this week!)

Hear: Quiet (at home), children (at work).

Taste: We had Sauerbraten this week (beef that's been soaked in vinegar with a sauce made from ginger snaps!!!! It sounds disturbing but it was actually pretty good).

Smell: Baking sourdough bread, potatoes frying - just yummy smells coming from the kitchen when Robert's in there.

Touch: Mostly work related this week-- wet paint, dry pottery, variations of wet and dry on my hands as I clean up tables.

Here is the horse my mom painted when she came to visit me at work last week! I'd been eyeing that pony and I knew it's what she would pick!

quick outfits

It's been a while since I did an outfit post, so I thought I'd just show a couple of things that I wore this week. I've become pretty lazy with how I dress, now that it's warming up! Everything in this first outfit is "new" to me.

Shirt I found in the Girls section of Target (XL!) on clearance for $6 - designed by Masha D'Yans

J.Crew jeans which were about $7 after a 75% sale at a consignment shop

Naturalizer sandals - $1 at an estate sale. So GRANDMA!

To quote Nigel Tufnel of Spinal Tap, "This is my exact inner structure, done in a tee shirt. Exactly medically accurate. See?"

I really am in love with these sandals because they make my feet look so dainty, but I think they're about a half size too small. I'm going to give them up when I get a chance to list them in my Etsy shop! I've found a nice replacement pair and a trade has been arranged... You'll hear more on that later! I hope everyone is having/has had/will have a lovely Thursday! (I was trying to cover all the time zones in the world - did it work?)

overwhelmed with awards

Over the past few weeks some very sweet bloggers have given me an array of blog awards. They've been piling up, so I thought it was time to show them off!

First of all, I received this from Jen of Pretty Little Pictures. - The Splash award is given to alluring, amusing, bewitching, impressive, and inspiring blogs. When you receive this award, you must:
1. Put the logo on your blog/post.
2. Nominate up to 9 blogs which allure, amuse, bewitch, impress or inspire you.
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have been splashed by commenting on their blog.
5. Remember to link to the person from whom you received your Splash award.


Next came this adorable award made by Gabbi of *Felinofelice [with an image from Found in Mom's Basement]. And then...

Ana B. from on dressing up gave me these 3 (along with passing on the one from Gabbi). A lot of awarding has been going on around here! Thank you, ladies!

Aside from checking out Ana, Gabbi and Jen's blogs (if you don't already read them), I will include a list of some other places you should all visit! Going by the rules of the Splash award, these are all bloggers that "allure, amuse, bewitch, impress or inspire" me in one way or another! Some of these are new discoveries for me, but all of them are people I haven't passed awards on to yet!

The Blah, Blah, Blahg

loxlie

Lucy & Diamonds

matou en peluche

Kindred Spirit

I'll leave it at 5 - all of you are entitled to the above awards if you'd like them! And thank you again to... everyone. Haha! I'm sleepy.

pretty little things

Here are a few things I found this weekend that I'm hoping to put into my Etsy shop this afternoon! [Hopefully I will feel obligated to add them since I'm posting them here.] The rest of my week is starting to look busy, so I'm hoping for a little shop update!

Check out this adorable Avon bottle! It's the Princess of Yorkshire which came out in 1976 and originally held Sweet Honesty cologne - now it just smells faintly like a little old lady. But it sure is cute! I found it amongst shelves of junk at a thrift store.

A colorful little clutch bag! This and everything below were found at an estate sale we went to Friday morning.

Some sweet plaid shorts from the 1960s (I'm guessing). A little bit too exciting for me! Yes, I am aware that by tucking the t-shirt I was wearing into those shorts, I became a certifiable nerd.

Look at this sweet little bed jacket, for wearing over a nightgown! It's super soft and silky.


And last but not least... NO, these paintings aren't for sale! My sister bought them at the estate sale and I'm going to have to ship them to her! It was the estate of a woman named Lula - she was a painter from China. You wouldn't believe the paintings packed into that little house. She seemed to specialize in portraits, mostly of women, and they were all amazing!

I bought a few other things (some to keep) that I haven't taken pictures of yet. Anyway, if you see something here that you like, check to see if it's in my Etsy store yet! I'm also going to be adding this dress - I gave up on altering it when I got a couple of new dresses this weekend.

popsicles and stir fry

I'm back! Sort of -- there is so much catching up to do after you have house guests for a few days! I don't have too many exciting pictures from the weekend, but let me make you hungry for a second.

One of the things we had to show my family about Nashville was Las Paletas. The best popsicles ever! And perfectly fitting for the hot weather we had to endure.

I got Chocolate Raspberry.

I didn't find any raspberries until I got to the bottom!

Aside from that, there was a little thrifting and a visit to one amazing estate sale. I won't comment further until I have some pictures to show you... perhaps tomorrow? I also procured a few new outfits - yay!

If you're hungry for something other than dessert, a recipe for Kung Pao Chicken will be up at the hungry lemur very shortly!

numbers

Hello, everyone! I'm in the middle of a very interesting family visit [an hour after my mom and sister got here yesterday, the water heater in the apartment above us went out.. and our kitchen started flooding]. We're doing some really neat stuff, but I thought I'd do a quick post for this picture!


This week's theme for Miss B.'s Souvenir Foto group on Flickr was NUMBERS. I wrapped a tape measure around a lamp shade... Magic! I liked the combination of textures and colors. And honestly, when I think of "numbers" I automatically think of my cloth tape measure.

I'll be back in a couple of days with plenty of neat things to share (and lots of blog reading to catch up on). Hope everyone is having a lovely time!