Tuesday, May 27, 2014

elephants trunk season

i love spring time for so many reasons; tulips budding, everything turning lovely shades of green, berries in season, sun brewed iced tea and to trump all of these things: elephants truck/flea market/garage sale season. i actually get all giddy with excitement when i see my first garage sale sign of the year. bring on the bargains!

so, naturally, i dragged the whole family along for a morning of extreme fun at the elephants trunk the other weekend. we left with a car full of goodies and stomachs full of typical connecticut fair food; apple cider donuts and fries.

bargain #1 - this beautiful, irish wool, plaid blanket. i was kind of obsessed with the color combinations and am totally picturing it pin cai's big boy room transformation




made in ireland exclusively for lord & taylor...and me

plus, i totally reminded me of these amazing blankets from terrain. seriously gorgeous. 


but i got mine for a mere $15 vs. $348. bargain? check!


bargain #2 - this little gem of a throw. seriously, look at these colors. and baby fringe! who doesn't love wool baby fringe?!  it's beautiful. it's pretty small, but perfect size for nia snuggles.






bargain #3 - metal magazine/book holders. they were priced $15 each, but it was late in the day and i got both for $10. score! i'm sure they were used for mail or something, but my plan for these bad boys i'm still deciding between as book holders next to the kids beds or near the guest room nightstand or as a magazine holder in the bathroom. (after 10 years together, stuart and i still aren't sure how we feel about encouraging reading in the bathroom, so we're still on the fence)





bargain #4 - hand painted, gold leaf box from florence, italy. so sweet, great size and in great shape. $7. currently housing pinecone treasures and special rocks :)





bargain #5 - really fabulous, super soft, red quilt. i love it. the colors are pretty simple reds, yellow and black + whites. it is an such great shape and is SO COZY. i was originally thinking nia's room, but her room is feeling a bit more french/pastel/antique to me, leaving me to think cai's future big boy room. clearly, cai is making out like a bandit; throw, quilt, (possible) book storage. 





i feel obligated to note that i do 3 weird/strict testing on anything fabric before i buy it. goes as follows, not always in this order...

1) sniff test. sounds gross, but i would rather do it that realize when I'm home it fails a sniff test. gross, but vital.
2) washable, or cheap enough that if its not washable and i ignore all laundering rules, wash it anyway that it's a not a huge loss, or if its just simply that amazing and can only dry dean, that i can afford to get it properly cleaned. 
3) judge. yup, i most definitely judge sellers.





Monday, May 5, 2014

DIY triangle garland


after making these awesome heart strands on-a-whim valentine craft, i decided i wanted to do something to jazz up cai's first birthday party.

i made nia a really fun + beautiful ribbon garland for her 2nd birthday party, which now hangs over her bed, but wanted something a little less feminine...not that cai can't handle it. he loves butterfly wings and has been known to wear crowns



... and maybe bring into his room decor once the party was over. and i didn't want to do the ribbons again but instead wanted something new and original.

well, admittedly, not so original, as i was pretty seriously inspired by emily hendersons triangle baby shower. how gorgeous is that and what a clever theme! i obviously didn't take the triangles as seriously and cai's party was far less festive and beautiful, but hey, i have to craft solo, a midsts an elmo spaghettios clad dinning table, with toddler safe scissors.





i basically chose a few different shades of blues + green paper, cut them into different sized triangles and sewed them together in the same way i did the hearts.

they all kind of hung out, scotch taped to the wall for a few weeks. but i really loved how they looked on a blank wall. it reminded me of a variation of a fine little day wallpaper or something. 





turns out, the morning of the party was kinda crazy and i forgot about them until about 20 minutes before company was due to arrive. oops! so my fabulous friend caroline helped string them up behind the bar station, where they looked pretty cute and helped hide the awkward behind the stairs space. 







in hind sight, i would have made less, but longer strands, as they were constantly getting tangled and are now draped over a chair, in the basement, in a big, awkward single strand. "E" for effort, no?



things to come...


*DIY triangle garland, partially inspired by Emily Hendersons triangle baby shower

*our upstairs bathroom DIY renovation...that has been ongoing since december. it's finally complete! we have big plans to celebrate, drinking champagne, in the tub... er,uh, which the tub was actually the only original thing we left in there

*sweet finds at the elephants trunk in the spring 2014 season. so fabulous!

*easy + delicious meal ideas for babies + kids

*pictures of cai's room...of which i've rearranged about half a dozen times

green inspiration

i just came across this gorgeous photo of a house front. how incredible! imagine this was part of you daily walk to work?!



one of my favorite blogs for fabulous images family living