Treasure hunt.

One of my favorite places in Indianapolis is Midland Antique Market. It’s an open warehouse space that has seemingly endless booths filled with everything from mid-century-modern large-scale furniture, to miniature trinkets and treasures. I could spend hours in there. And I fully intend to when my parents come to visit for Thanksgiving. I can’t wait to show Mom my Indianapolis Utopia. (Don’t worry Dad–I won’t drag you here.)

It really feels like a treasure hunt when you’re in there. My suggestion to you: if you find something you like and the price is right, BUY IT! If you walk away, chances are it won’t be there upon your return.

I’m thrilled with my most recent purchases, and can’t wait to introduce them to their new home:

The lamp is definitely my favorite find. The cocoon shape certainly tickles my fancy, and I love the ironic modern vibe; it hails from the 1950′s. Same goes for the plant stand that was destined to come home with us.

I couldn’t find a space large enough to unroll this rug completely, but you get the idea. I’m usually a little bit wary about bringing home second-hand textiles, but I just couldn’t leave this baby behind. It’s 100% wool, and at it’s almost 6′ x 8′ size, it was a steal.

And here is Olive, inspecting our charming, new fan. I’m not even sure what sort of smells a metal fan could emit, but any new object that barges into Olive’s home must pass a thorough Sniff Inspection. I love the contrast of the steal blades against the black iron cage. Not only is it insanely awesome looking, but it runs beautifully. BONUS: It was made in Ohio!

Closing is tomorrow! We are so excited and can’t wait to unlock our front door for the first time.

Paint Swatch Art

I am constantly scouring Pinterest for project, home decoration, and design inspiration. There is no shortage of good ideas out there, and it’s a perfect place for creative people to gather their ideas and share them with others.

Now, the goal with Pinterest is that you’re pinning these grand ideas to be implemented at a later date. I’m extremely good at finding crafty, new projects, and I’m also extremely good at finding a later date to implement them.

Even though much of our apartment is currently living inside large moving boxes, including all of my crafting supplies, I decided to finally give one of the projects I pinned center stage on my living room floor.

All it involved was paint swatches from Lowes, an X-ACTO knife, double sided tape, and a frame I already owned. You really can’t beat a project that involves free supplies and a little elbow grease.

The Great Chandlier Search

I knew as soon as we moved in, aside from a new couch and loveseat, (which we’ve already purchased–should be delivered mid-November) I wanted to immediately replace the light fixture over the dinette. Check out this lovely 80′s relic:

(Original owner furnishings)

It really doesn’t get much more wonderfully outdated than that piece of art. (Aside from, perhaps, the wallpaper in the last post.)

After many weeks of searching for the perfect chandelier, from high-end retailers to discount stores to antique shops, I couldn’t shake my obsession over this perfect specimen I found at Pottery Barn:

It has this wonderful rustic personality, while still maintaining a secret elegant side. The airiness and overall shape was exactly what I was looking for.

After seeing the price tag and then throwing up in my mouth a little I decided to continue The Great Chandelier Search. I searched high and low but just couldn’t find anything with the same refined-rustic disposition.

Fast forward to yesterday when my mom–who knows of my journey through the land of light fixtures–wrote me a very surprising email: “Dad and I are getting you guys the Pottery Barn chandelier for a house-warming/wedding gift. I think your eyes might be tearing up a bit and I’m sorry that I can’t see that.”

HALLELUIAH!
(Cue angelic singing)

It is the most perfect house-warming/wedding gift for us (although I’ll assume Steve would’ve preferred a table saw and/or kegerator), and I can’t wait to see it in it’s new home. Thanks to my parents for freeing up all of the time I was spending searching for the perfect chandelier.

Halloween just got better.

We just got word from our realtor that we’ll be closing earlier than expected… on Halloween! It will give us time to clean and slowly bring things over before the big move on November 5th. So, until we can snap some pictures of the empty rooms, here is one of my favorite features of the house: The wallpaper / brass ceiling fan combo!

Pretty awesome, right?

Aside from that gorgeousness, this is actually one of my favorite features: A walk in closet as big as my sophomore dorm room.

Home is where the…

WORK IS! We’re so excited to have just purchased our first home together. We can’t wait to start working on projects and get settled in.

We’re closing November 3rd, and will be landing in our new home shortly following. We thought this would be a great place to keep our friends and family updated on our house-to-home progress.

Check back for “Before” pictures!