jane's apron

butter dish

 

I realized a few days ago that I had not changed my blog design since 2009.  One cute picture of a favorite dish inspired me to make a few small changes. A new banner and bigger space for pictures; easier to do than I remember.

 

plank wall and other sources

A plank wall.  Trendy yes, but also a good cover for an old plaster wall.  I kind of used this tutorial.  Except I used masonite (the guy at Home Depot cut all of the boards for me for free; for real).  And lots of liquid nails.  And lots of perseverance.  It is not perfect but it gives the room a nice texture and is way better than the chippy plaster wall (still needs some artwork or something).  

The sign over the TV is part of a vintage sign from our garage (I know the EV. 5 is Evergreen 5...an old-school phone number).  It fit the black and white theme and gave some interest to the back wall.  

The monster sectional was a Craig's List buy.  We drove to Chicago to pick it up and stopped at Ikea and bought the TV stand (Besta), side table (LACK), bar stools (GLEN) and pillows (Stockholm).  The other pillows and the ottomans (outdoor!) are from Target super clearance.  

It's not a total guy spot; I can clear out the room for myself when I start watching Downton Abbey.

to market

 

I became a fan of World Market last year; shopping for chairs for my mother-in-law's apartment I think.  I loved the kitchen stuff.  And still do.  The red berry basket, the jadite cookie cutters, the cute tags, and the red silhouette dish towels don't scream "Christmas" and I love that.  

The enamel sauce pan is so swedish-cool I want to keep it on my stovetop all winter and make real hot chocolate (here with free shipping...I might just go shopping again for the red metal cake stands).  No product endorsement here.  Just an enabler.  

fly over Target

"If I could fly, I would fly over target and it would become mine."  Evil genius?  

(artwork snapped at the FIGGE Museum in Davenport last weekend)

thirty-one days {27}

I had an etsy conversation last month about Martha Stewart paint colors.  Andrea was wondering if I had the old paint chips and possibly had the one for "Mercury Glass".  Of course I did...doesn't everybody save beautiful paint colors?...it's not just me right?  I had lots going on but dropped everything to help Andrea.  I'm that crazy about paint colors.

I matched the 12-year old chip to the most current Martha colors that I had and found a perfect match called "Nimbus Cloud" (MSL262 that Home Depot can still mix).  My point is...keep your favorite paint chips and trust your eye (not a computer match) to find a perfect match to an existing color.  

thirty-one days {16}

I went to World Market to buy this drying rack.  They didn't have it and I came home with this and this.  I ordered it (and the cute tags) online a couple of weeks ago and I wanted to link to it here but now is says "not available online"...huh?  I added a mix of red and green thrifted cups.  Coffee, hot chocolate, and egg nog ready.  

source {stools}

It's time to talk about our garage conversion/mother-in-law quarters.  It's not completely furnished/fluffed but from here on out, the space will no longer be completely mine so this is a good time to share some of it with you.

This is not my best source but it is probably the most urgent.  It involves a sale...a good 50% off sale.  There's a peek at my painted cabinets and our butcherblock countertop.  But this is about the stools.  I saw them in the current Country Living...

...and bought them here.

My mother-in-law does not like them.  I am keeping them...for a place in my house to-be-determined. Did I mention that furnishing the mother-in-law quarters is going to take a while?

new

Almost everything seems new on January 1.  Thanks to my strong urge to clean out closets and get rid of stuff, even my house seems a little new.   And, to me, there is nothing better than a new calendar, a new notebook, a new place to plan.  

I was lucky to win a Dreaming of Junking 2012 calendar from Colleen at FreshVintage via Sue at VintageRescueSquad.  And while I'm sending you to lots of links...

...you should check out Colleen's new blog...genius (and truly funny).

prepared

I read an article recently that has been sticking with me.  It talked about the competitive nature of being "done" with Christmas tasks.  I know I'm a participant in the race but I'm choosing to look at everything in a different way this year...so instead of seeing everything as getting done, I'm looking at it more as being prepared.  Prepared to enjoy the change of pace of the next few weeks, prepared to host a few house guests and looking forward to cooking and eating, prepared to end the year in our clean (ish) and cozy house.  

The picture is me and my Mom in 1963.  I'm loving the blue velvet capri pants.

5 and 49

Anthropolgie always remembers my birthday ;-)  I did take advantage of the small discount and did not hesitate to ask if I could keep the little clock on a string.  A crafty girl might need that kind of stuff.

More important than my birthday was the 5-year anniversay of my blog that snuck by me.  Five years. When I started this blog, I had two little boys and daughter that hadn't started school yet.  I now have two giant men and a daughter on her way to junior high.  I'm the same age though right?

The best thing about my blog has always been about sharing stuff I make and find.  I still love it...and might keep at it 5 more years.  And I'll still be the same age.