Ef Are Eee Eeee

What does that spell? FREE!

I did a completely and totally free project yesterday and clearly I’m pretty darn proud.

I noticed that we had these absolutely gorgeous succulents growing in one of our flower beds. They looked like they were growing by accident, because they weren’t placed in any particular spots; they were growing all willy-nilly.

I thought to myself: “Self, why don’t we dig these out (knowing already that succulents have shallow root systems) and plant them in a container so we can enjoy them all year long?”

I did a little research and deduced they’re practically the easiest plant to care for. They are super hardy and low maintenance, and from what I read the most common mistake is over watering them.

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY LITTLE GUY!

Isn’t he kind of the most gorgeous thing you’ve ever seen? I can practically see him batting his eye lashes at me. He makes me blush.

I might have to eventually buy special soil for succulents that allow a lot of drainage, but for right now he seems happy as a clam plant.

I obviously don’t think one can have too many house plants. I’m like the crazy cat lady, but with greenery. I can see it now: 50 years from now little kids are going to huddle around my house telling tales of The Crazy Plant Lady.

They make me happy. What can I say? At least it’s not crack-cocaine, amiright?

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend. My mom is coming to visit me and will arrive tonight! I’m so as;ldkfjas;ldkajs;dlkfjas;ldfkjas;ldjfasldkfaslfjk excited! I’m sure I’ll have antiquing adventures to share on Monday. TGIF!

 

 

The Real Mower

It’s actually spelled “REEL”, but whatever. It’s the real deal, so I thought it could use a spelling change.

We finally got to use the new mower that Steve got for Christmas last year! Here it is, still in the box when it arrived:

Now that it’s finally warmed up here in Indianapolis, we had a chance to take this baby for a spin.

The verdict? We’re slightly masochistic and crazy.

Ok, let me break this down for you. This is a GREAT mower. The blades are sharp, it’s well-built, it’s quiet, and doesn’t need gas. Another item to add to the “pro” list is that we love the way it cuts. It is also a workout, which depending how you look at it could be a pro or a con. (Last Sunday I decided mowing the lawn while Steve was at work would be my workout — so I sorta had that mindset when I started, which helped.)

It also might just be our springtime grass. It’s thick and it grows super fast, which is a terrible combo. To get the mower to plow through the thick grass you literally have to get a running start. Unless you have the upper body strength of a linebacker.

I’m not sure if you can tell in this picture, but Steve is going all Forrest Gump. He is a runnin’.

But look at that grass shooting out of there! This mower does a bang-up job of cleanly cutting the grass.

And to be totally and completely fair, the mower glides smooth-as-can-be over the grass that isn’t jungle-thick. (The grass back there by the two Bradford Pears gets a fair amount of shade, which means it doesn’t grow rogue.)

Our yard extends about 12 feet past those trees and the fence, into a fairly deep ditch. The Reel Mower was definitely not going to work down there, so we snatched up a secondhand mower for fifty bucks off of one of Steve’s coworkers. It’s nice to have that for the wild jungle behind the fence.

All in all we really do like the reel mower and we love being green, but it is nice to have back up in the form of gas power in case we ever need the extra boost.

Steve can tell you all about gas power, if you know what I’m sayin’.

Have any of you ever used a reel mower? What did you think?

Some Artist Love: Part II

I just realized Roman numerals don’t really work with sans-serif fonts. Just to clear up any confusion, the title of this post is “Some Artist Love (pause) Part Two”, not “Some Artist Love (pause) Part Eye Eye.” But if it were, then that would make me think of Aye, Aye Captain, which would then remind me of Moby Dick, which would be a tremendously fantastic segue into the first piece of art:

I promise I haven’t smoked anything this morning. That is just how my mind works. Groovy, right?

I’m only somewhat, actually totally obsessed with these whales. I want to pet them and call them all varying dog names, like: Rover, Spot, Buddy, Tucker, Max, and Clifford. Look-ee there. I just went ahead and named them all. I think that means I must buy this print now. Sorry, honey.

GAH. Just look at these feathers. Aren’t they stunning?

She has tons of different prints, all with a different assemblage of feathers, and a large part of me wants to hoard them all. I also found this whale that she painted, which I obviously love:

More darling, bird-related artwork:

This next piece is by photographer and fisherman Corey Arnold. I could probably never afford one of his photographs, but I will go ahead and tell you that this image is plastered on every digital wallpaper I own:

It’s hard to describe what this image does to me. It’s like that sensation you have when the love of your life walks into the room and you sort of just light up inside. Like that. That’s how it makes me feel.

Here’s another one of his photographs:

Man, I really have a weird bird/whale-thing goin’ on, don’t I?

I love sharing the artwork that I find, because I think it’s important to spread the love, and support artists. You can always check out my Pinterest board that is devoted to this topic. All of the images in this post link to that board, and then you can click the artwork again to take you to wherever the artists are selling their work (most commonly Etsy).

Disclaimer: None of these artists have paid me to promote their work. It is all work that I have found, fallen in love with, and shared on my own.

Disclaimer II: (Disclaimer Two, not Disclaimer Eye Eye) This disclaimer is for my husband — Hi honey! — There’s a particularly good chance that I’m going to feel inspired to buy some of these fairly soon. Fair warning.

I Shall Name Them Tilly

For Tillandsia, of course. No. I didn’t just sneeze. That is the scientific name for my new favorite things: air plants!

Have you seen these guys before? I’m completely smitten. They are plants that require no soil, because they can absorb water and nutrients directly through their leaves. Which in home-decorator speak means that you can display these babies just about anywhere.

So, I did what any normal person does with a new obsession and ordered some. (I ordered from this website which is not only beautifully designed, it was a delightful process; I even got a handwritten thank you!)

When they arrived it felt like Christmas morning. I had this package presented to me which was obviously wrapped with tender love and care. And an instruction manual, of course.

Look how freaking adorable they are! whojoodoooboooboooo (I’ll fully admit I had majorly suppress my knee-jerk reaction to baby talk them.)

Those teeny tiny ones just about killed me.

According to my well-designed and witty instruction manual (much easier to follow than Ikea’s, btw) I was to soak them in a bowl for about 20-30 minutes.

After they drank their bottle absorbed their water and dried over night I could finally tuck them away safely in their new homes.

I was like Austin Powers: “Work it! Work it! YOU’RE AN ANIMAL… errr YOU’RE A PLANT.”

I hung these glass globes in a kitchen corner that opens to the family room, so you can see them from just about every angle.

And from the kitchen:

And obviously Olive made it into this photo session. She’s always there, just waiting. I think what creeps me out the most is I’m never sure what exactly it is she’s waiting for. Does she think I might miraculously cough up a T-Bone or tennis ball?

You have officially been introduced to my new babies. They’re not quite as easy to care for as I originally thought — I was under the impression you just gave them a little spritz of water every now and again. It turns out about once a week you need to give them a 20 minute bath in a bowl of water. I may as well go out and buy some miniature rubber duckies.

I Shuttered

Pun intended. I got my shutter on this weekend.

Isn’t that the cutest little organizer you ever did see? We were in serious need of something to collect our mail and the rest of the shenanigans you hold in your hand when you return home. We already had the shelf (which is perfect for Olive’s leash and my purse, which is from here) but needed an extra somethin’ somethin’.

I found a random shutter in my mom’s basement that she apparently got at an antique store/flea market type place because on the top, in sharpie, it read “$15/pair firm.” Not a bad price, mom!

I took it home with me and finally tackled this 15 minute project this weekend. First, I painted the green shutter white. You know how I feel about spray paint. Olive better watch her back; she might get a coat of glossy turquoise one of these days.

Once it was dry I cut out a piece of cardboard to fit behind the slots, to prevent anything from falling through once inserted.

To glue down the cardboard I used hot glue — WARNING — which dries super-duper quickly. I had to move fast so the cardboard would adhere.

After the cardboard was on it was time to hang! Just a little picture nail did the job.

And just like that we have a key/sunglasses/mail/everything organizer. Easy peasy.

Nothing like an organizational project to start the week with. I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. Any fun tales of organization or spring cleaning? (Yes, not many of you would consider that fun — I do realize this.)

The Hunt is Over

I have been hunting for a mid-century modern credenza for our family room FOR.EVER. Okaay, maybe I should be less dramatic. It hasn’t literally been forever but walking into an antique store and searching for a particular piece of furniture over and over and over again, with no luck, makes the time feel particularly long.

I am on “wish lists” at a bunch of stores. My parents have even joined in on the hunt; they’ve added their name on many “wish lists” as well. My mom and I both decided that these wish lists weren’t anything more than a way to pacify needy customers. We didn’t think we’d ever get called.

UNTIL YESTERDAY.

My dad called me to say he had received a phone call from Karen, the ridiculously nice owner of The Boomerang Room (in Columbus, Ohio), who wanted to let us know they just received a credenza that looked like something we’d be interested in.

My dad sent me the link, and I saw this picture:

SOLD! I’LL TAKE ALL OF THEM.

I was sold immediately. I called the owner to make sure the measurements would work out for our space, and then I told her my parents were coming to check it out and make sure that it was in a decent condition.

Blah, blah, blah, lots of communication ensued and then we decided it was meant to be ours! The store is delivering it to my parents house and then we’ll have to figure out a way to get it from Columbus to Indianapolis.

It is the last big piece that we needed (my husband would probably challenge my use of this word) for our family room and now the whole room is going to feel complete. Steve is already looking into how to wall-mount our TV. I think the whole reason he was so supportive of this purchase is so he can cut holes in the wall to figure out how to hide all of the entertainment cables. Fine by me.

These are a few phone pics from my dad from when they went to check it out yesterday. Aren’t they most devoted and wonderful parents? I know. I’m pretty lucky.

Sigh.

I can’t even explain to you how excited I am for this piece to make it’s way home. The level of excitement is probably unhealthy. I suppose it’s a particularly good level for a Friday, though.

I’ll recreate Glamor Shots when she arrives so I’ll have dozens of pictures to share. Happy Friday, everyone!

Victory! Shower Curtain Tutorial

So I’ve attempted this whole “sewing” thing a few times. I tackled a geometric pillow that took me a few tries, I made an envelope pillow cover, and I’ve hemmed curtains. None of these projects come anywhere close to these shower curtains I made. I mean, look how proud Olive is?

I’m going to go ahead and warn you: if you get annoyed easily you should probably stop reading riiiiiiiight about here. Because these curtains took me 8 hours to make and I’m super proud of them. EIGHT HOURS. Women can birth babies in that amount of time. So, I basically birthed these curtains. They are my babies. So no nay-saying. Because they are perfect and precious and can’t do anything wrong. Mmm hmm. I’m sticking to my story.

Ok, here’s the how-to:

First I sketched them up in a horribly rough looking photoshop sketch:

Which all you non-photoshop peeps can do with just a plain ole fat sharpie. Easy as that. No computers needed.

I measured. And measured. And measured, again. I don’t have a picture of the sketch I made with my measurements, but I do have this one that told me how long to cut my stripes.

The reason two of the white and black stripes were taller was to allow for the rod pocket at the top and the hem at the bottom.

After I measured 17 times it was time to cut.

I cut out all of my stripes and then laid them out on the floor so I could see how they would look in all of their finished glory.

And you’re done! <insert maniacal laugh here> Not. Even. Close.

It was then time to sew all these babies together.

I flipped the second stripe over on the first, and then went to pinning town. Which really just means I pinned them together.

Time to bust out the Sewing Machine. Please rise for the All Powerful Sewing Machine. Thank you. You may be seated.

At this point I had two stripes sewn together. Now you basically just repeat that two more times. Flip, pin, sew. Flip pin, sew.

I sort of fast-forwarded through that for you. You’re welcome.

Ok, so here’s where it gets even MORE fun. Once I had all four stripes sewn together, I ironed all of the flaps down. I know that sounds like a medical condition and I apologize for pointing that out.

Make sure that you’re ironing the flaps onto the dark side if you’re following along at home. If you flattened them on the white side you’d see them through the lightweight fabric.

After I repeated this throughout the whole curtain panel, it was time to sew the hem. I gave it a double fold so the edges would be clean on the inside.

And yes, I am 30-years-old but have the wrinkly hands of a grandmother. I’ve been like this my whole life. Maybe because I’m old soul. Or maybe I genetically have wrinkle-inclined hands. That’s a whole different philosophical discussion.

Anywhoo. After I folded I ironed. I’ve realized that’s sorta the “rule” in sewing. If you fold anything you basically need to iron it immediately to keep the nice crease.

See how lovely and flat? I even broke out the fancy seam on my sewing machine for the first time. It just seemed like this hem needed zigging and zagging. It felt like the right thing to do.

So this next part I’m going to be straight-up with you people. I messed up. I messed up big time. Well, not really biiiig time but enough that I had to rip seams that I had sewn.

In real life the next thing I did was make the pocket for the curtain rod… and what I should’ve done was sewn up all the edges first. So, we’re just going to proceed and pretend like this never happened. But I just had to tell you the truth so you didn’t think I really knew was I was doing as I made these bad boys. Because I didn’t. I really had no clue now that I think about it.

Moving on.

So the next step was folding the curtain in half to give ‘er a cut right down the middle. I am one of those weird people who like the french-door type curtains. I like the shower to be framed with fabric rather than be closed completely off. I think it makes the room feel larger. Personal preference. If you’re following along you can absolutely skip this step.

I’m not going to lie. It was terrifying to take a pair of scissors to something I had just worked so hard on. After a few deep breaths I was snip-snipping along.

After the cut was made down the middle, I sewed up all four raw edges. I used the same double fold/iron/sew technique from the hem and it worked like a charm.

Then it was Pocket Rod time! I feel like I should copyright that. ©Pocket Rod Time!

I also used the double fold/iron/sew technique here, but I varied it by making a 4 inch allowance for the curtain rod.

And then it was time to BE EXCITED.

You guys. I was so excited.

Which explains the picture below wherein you can see emotions on my face that range from exhausted to excited. With a little sweat mixed in. Because I was sweating heavily at this point.

Time to hang!

Don’t they look purty? I still need to add a bunch of accessories to finish this room, but it’s getting there! Also, I had to buy a new extra-long clear shower curtain to allow for the ceiling-to-floor length curtains. Once it’s not so new the wrinkles will go away and it will look slick and clean.

I love admiring her from the hallway.

And if you’re curious, the panels can be closed in the event that my guests would like a little privacy during their naked cleaning moments.

Gratuitous close up.

I also want to show you that I kept them about an inch or so off the floor. Since they’re made from a lightweight linen they’re not exactly waterproof. I thought keeping them off the ground would keep them nice and dry.

I had to make sure that they were Olive Approved. And by Olive Approved I mean I put them on her.

Perfect fit! And they don’t even make her butt look big!

Phew. This little blog post made all that look so easy. And it is easy, I suppose. Just time-consuming, but Oh So worth it. I seriously smile every time I walk by the guest bathroom. Maybe I’ll start showering in there just to enjoy my new curtains.

I hope you learned from my mistakes. If you’re trying this at home feel free to email me or comment on this post with any questions you may have. There’s a good chance I won’t know the answer to your questions, but lucky for both of us my mom is only a phone call away.

Have a lovely Thursday. Friday is just around the corner!

A Hanging How-To

One of the small projects I tackled while Steve was at work all day on Sunday was hanging our new hand-towel rack in the master bathroom. There’s something exciting about breaking out the power tools when my husband isn’t home. It’s sort of like a mom-and-dad-are-out-of-town thing.

I discovered a new-to-me marking/drilling/hanging technique that I thought could be helpful to share. You know how sometimes you think you’re accurately marking where the holes need to go, only to drill and discover you’re way off? This technique should help with that.

First, get your fixture all ready to hang, and then put a bubble of painters tape over the screw holes, just like so:

Take your screw (my towel rack came with its own hardware – bonus!) and poke holes through the tape to match the holes in the hardware.

I bet you can see where I’m going with this now. You smarty-pants.

Now stick that baby on the wall right where you want it.

Sorry about the blurry tutorial. I was doing this whole thing one-handed.

Now, gently pull away your fixture/towel rack/wall-mounted beer bottle opener while making sure the tape stays in place.

You should be left with something like this:

(It doesn’t look straight but I promise it was.) Now all you do is take your screw and scratch tiny little marks on the wall through the hole in the tape. Once you pull the tape away you can see exactly where you need to drill.

In the words of Sarah Palin: DRILL BABY DRILL!

Pop in the anchors (this towel rack is NEVER coming down).

You might have to gently pound these guys in with a hammer. Don’t smash them too hard though, or they’ll bend and completely freak out on you.

Make sure you have a dog who is completely impervious to the sound of a hammer. Shadows? Plastic bags blowing in the wind? TERRIFIED. The sound of power tools and a hammer smashing against the wall? Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

With your holes drilled and your hardware mounted (That’s what she said? No? Ok.) it’s time to get your towel-rack on.

Aww looks all sweet and charming, right?

Well, this is what it looks like when I pan out, but you get the idea. And I may or may not have used the straightening iron in this process. And yes that’s a nightlight. Don’t judge. You can’t run from the zombies if you can’t see them.

Oh the power of composition.

It looks like the towel was hung a little high, but I like them that way — personal preference I suppose. It bugs me when things hang too close to the vanity, and since we’re both tall this is a comfortable height to dry our hands.

Prrett-ty exciting stuff, you guys. And it’s only WEDNESDAY! Can you even handle this? Well, I’m going to turn things up a notch tomorrow. I’ll have a fun shower curtain tutorial comin’ at ya!

Happy Hump Day.