Estate Sale Treasures - Part Five

Well, this isn't an estate sale find this time, we actually found this on our local craig's list. I was perusing the antiques section and as soon as I laid eyes on this vintage filing cabinet I knew we had to make it ours. It was a little on the pricier side for our purchases, but it's a huge piece (over 6' tall!) and is in really lovely condition.

Some of the drawers need to be forced open and I still need to clean it all out. I put new cardstock in the labels though I think we might tea stain the paper or somehow make it a little softer and then once it finds a permanent home and use I will use my typewriter to label the drawers.

Also, note the lamp on top. That was also an estate sale find I'm still debating on what to do with. I wish it were white (anyone know how to paint glazed ceramic?) and I need to find a nice shade for it.

My newest venture - Outrageous Dog

Some of you have been wondering where I have been lately and this mysterious new venture I keep mentioning. As the official website launch is less than a month out now I feel like it's time to give you a sneak peek. My aunt and a good friend of hers have started a new business specializing in wearable art for dogs that are so pretty, you'll want to borrow them. They invited me on board and for over a month now we have been busy bees working on prototypes, nailing our market down and starting to establish our web presence. Tomorrow I will be off to Michigan for 5 days of sewing, brain storming and on Saturday to network at a dog show.

Along with a ready-made line of bridal, puppy and other specialty collars we will be holding Signature Sunday sales that feature one of a kind luxury collars like the one pictured here (featuring high quality hand-cut and sculpted flowers, guinea fowl feathers, mustard deer skin leather and velvet ribbon).


I'll have more photos and links to the official website when it launches at the beginning of April. Check back for more updates and pretty collars!

Desk Chair Project - Part Two

Remember that chair I got at the estate sale for $2 I was working on re-upholstering? Well I have the bottom cushion finished after I took it apart and re-padded it (which was messier than I ever expected since the original cushion had completely disintegrated). I just pinned some fabric to the seat back for the photos, so I plan on centering that pattern better when I finished it.

I love the way it's looking! The wood on the base might need a little bit of attention, but once the back is finished I think it will be gorgeous!


PS: Still loving my Sea Pinks pumpkin pincushion. Thanks Jenny!

"Greetings" from lace-land!

I've been busy busy busy with a new project I will be happy to announce once things are a bit more ironed out. I will tell you I find myself swimming in a sea of lace, pearls and fabric these days. Today I set out to make a mountain for lace rosettes and spread out in the kitchen. It all looked so pretty I had to stop and take some photos.

Don't mind my Sweethearts (they were on sale yesterday), palm and laptop. A girl has got to stay in touch and have something sweet to snack on while she works, right? Here are a couple more...

Time to make something for myself.

I snagged a yard of this Joel Dewberry wood grain fabric in chartreuse when I saw it on sale. I have had my eye on it for awhile and was picking up a few things for work so I threw it in the basket (not on the company's tab of course). Not sure what I'm going to make with it yet. Any ideas?

Look what I got for Valentines Day...

My wonderful, one-of-a-kind husband outdid himself this year. After we discovered this squirrel pair in Sleepy King's shop awhile back he came back to my favorites and snapped up a pair before they were gone. Their names are Bon-Bon and Belchick and they now live on our bed when we're not in it. I love them.

Old Standbys - Bar Keepers Friend

Jared and I received a set of beautiful stainless pots and pans a year or so ago for Christmas from his parents. We were living with a roommate at the time so until recently they have been packed up in a box. I love cooking with them and they are so nice to look at. When I had trouble getting them clean and shiny I asked my Grandmother about it and she went to the cupboard and pulled out a gold can of Bar Keepers Friend.

I must have been living under a rock for my 22 years since I had never heard of it. Now I can't live without it. It's been keeping my Grandma's stainless steels pots and pans shiny and beautiful for about 40 years now and has been a staple in kitchen cupboards since 1882. If you don't have a can under your sink right now you ought to go out and grab one as it cleans just about anything (and I do mean CLEAN).

No. 4711

After reminiscing with my mom about my Granny's (Great Grandma who immigrated from Germany when she was a teenager) perfume my mom surprised me by sending a bottle of it to me for valentines day. I always remember her glass bottle of No. 4711 being so pretty. It's a very light scent and has clean citrus notes to it. As soon as I got the beautiful bottle in the mail I opened it and took a big whiff. Not only does it bring back so many memories but I love it! It's not overwhelmingly floral or too strong. It's a little fruity (Jared likes fruit smells). And it just smells clean and fresh.

I think I have a new signature scent borrowed from my Granny's good taste. Thanks mom!

Valentines Day is on it's way.

(Looking for Love by Irene Suchocki)

Valentines day is quickly approaching and I know it's pretty cool these days to have a cynical view of the commercial greeting card holiday, but I don't care. I love valentines day. Our 6 month anniversary since the wedding is the day after Valentines this year and we plan on going out that night to celebrate in order to avoid the crowd. I think it's fun to pick out a valentine and I got something small, cute and cheesy for Jared this year (I don't even know if he's going to like it but I think it's fun).

What are you doing to celebrate?

Finally got the pictures up in my studio.

Took an hour or so getting the pictures up on the wall above my desk. Got the two paintings and baroque mirror at estate sales. Also snagged that vintage photo at a thrift store and put up a photo from our wedding reception my brother in law took during the beach bonfire (my dress smells a little smokey to this day). Also put up my linen calender after I threw a hem around the edges. Didn't take a lot of time but it really goes a long way in making the room feel more like a room.

Currently I'm working on a pillow sham for our sofa made of felt and one of my granny's vintage doilies. It's nice to take a day getting all the projects done I have been meaning to do for ages. More progress photos tomorrow.

My Oh My Cavalier Fox

Ordered two prints from Julianna Swaney of Oh My Cavalier! and I could not be more pleased. I got the Fox Tea print and as soon as I got it in the mail I knew it needed and oval frame. I found this one at Big Lots (who surprisingly has great frames for CHEAP) and have it in the entrance right now. It is so charming and makes me smile every time I see him.

Check out Julianna's shop for more beautiful prints and brooches (which I have my eye on) or her blog for more of her drawings.

Happy 2010!

Happy 2010 everyone! I hope you all had a lovely holiday and weekend! Jared and I spent the weekend at home on the sofa playing Monsters, eating sweet mints (on Christmas sale) and filling frames with art.

I wanted to share our first wedding photos to go into a frame. Our photographer, Christina Gilchrist took some Polaroids as props for photos and after the wedding she was sweet enough to send them my way. I couldn't resist hanging one up. I found this shadow box at Big Lots of all places for $7 and cut a map out of a vintage atlas and put it in instead of the mat it came with. I'm quite smitten with it and I'm now in search of the right place to put it.


Anyways, thank you for your continued support and comments! I hope the next year is filled with exciting adventures for our little family. Have a wonderful new year!

Christmas at the Fowler House 2009.

Jared and I had a quiet Christmas together for our very first Christmas as a married couple. We woke up a little late, let Logan open up his gift first (the biggest rawhide we could find) and then exchanged gifts and stockings full of toothbrushes and deodorant. The big surprise of the year was a sleeping bear bean bag for our living room from Jared that he got from Chic in Design Dot Com! It's super comfortable and so cute in the corner of our living room.

Logan's eyes were so big when he figured out that it was in fact a real rawhide and nomed on it the rest of the morning while we got ready to go to my Grandparent's house for Christmas dinner.


Other etsy gifts this year was:

• I am a Ninja hoodie from Steppie for Jared from me.
  
• Handstitched Leather Wallet by Office of Minor Details for Jared from me.
  
• Snow Owl Print by Sharon Montrose for me from Jared.
• Happy Sloth Necklace by Mary Mary Handmade for me from my sister in law.
• Frames with wedding photos from DA Custom Frames for all our parent's and grandparent.
• Oriel Earrings in Mint by Lost & Fawned for Jared's mom from us.
• Bird Henley by Blonde Peacock for our sister in law's girlfriend from us.

It was a very etsy Christmas around here. :) Hope you all had a lovely holiday!

Holiday Decor - Our Apartment

Jared and I bought our first tree last weekend. Everyone was sold out of lights so we finally got some the other night and decorated. I made some little acorn ornaments from acorn tops outside our apartment. I think they turned out pretty cute. Jared loves them.

Our stockings came out pretty well. I used the left over Skinny Laminx fabric from our telephone table and backed them with linen. I also made some felt garland for the kithen window (see it in the background of the photo below?).

I also finally got around to hanging our letterpress type drawer and start filling it with my little knick knack collection. I need to find the rest. They seem to have gotten misplaced in the move.

I'm pretty happy with our quiet christmas decorations. Our new furniture should be here this week! Then it will really feel like a home. I'm having new danish modern legs made for the sofa in January. I'm really excited about it.

Christmas came early this year.

Jared decided there were a couple gifts I would want to use as we got ready for Christmas this year. He was right! He game me my new limited edition plaid Gingher fabric sheers first. I LOVE them and they are so much better than the crappy ones I've been using forever. I used them to make our new stockings first. I'll have photos of those later.

Next he gave me a large box wrapped in these adorable Zakka Japanese linens. He picked out a bunch of adorable fat quarters I can't wait to use on some little projects for the kitchen and maybe a little coin purse for me.

In the box was a special something I'll post later. It's AMAZING and I never expected I would have one so soon! I'm so excited. I'll give you a clue... it's pistachio green.

Setting up my new space.

I've been busy busy busy moving into our new apartment and today I am nearly finished setting up my new work space. I need to sew a new cover for Logan's "den" as well as a new cover for the birdies but generally it's coming along quite well. I think I have set up a nice spot to photograph pieces and it's pretty well organized (with the exception of the closet which I'm setting aside for another day).

Meet my shipping and handling "department". A pear crate I found at an estate sale fits shipping envelopes and jewelry boxes quite snugly.


My cheering squad has been moved to the office from the bedroom and they seem to be pretty happy with their new home. Logan is learning to leave them alone and loves watching them (sometimes he gets a tad too excited and needs to walk away for awhile).

Meet our flock of finches, 3 of which we hatched ourselves). Pictured are Fred and Ron (the boys with the red cheeks) and Jane and Lydia (the two light colored girls in the left photo). I believe that is Olive's tail that is poking into the frame. They were very curious about camera.


My fabric collection needs to be organized as well. Right now it is on my cart in the corner covered with a sheet of linen I use to photograph. I haven't decided how to organize it yet. Perhaps I need another shelf. Any ideas?


So that's about it. My desk is a mess so it was omitted from this photo drop. Back to work for me! Have a lovely afternoon everyone!

Moving is time consuming.

(Vintage Book Bundle No. 2 from Lost & Fawned HOME.)

Sorry I've been so MIA lately. Moving is taking it's toll and between unpacking and the holiday rush I've hardly had time to get anything done. I will try to get better about it. I'm off to start cooking dinner and going to finally do some grocery shopping tonight (we're having Jared's parents over for dinner Wednesday and we're planning on serving Pesto Salmon). A few orders are also going out tonight.

Successful Ikea Trip

Jared and I trekked down to Ikea in Pittsburgh this weekend after we picked up our new keys! We got there before they opened on Sunday morning and they were serving free breakfast for black friday weekend. We knew we wanted the Nordmyra chairs and were unsure how many they had left so as soon as they opened we raced through the marketplace and into the warehouse. We grabbed out chairs packed them in the car and then made our way through the store more leisurely.

We managed to also get the Bjorkudden table as well and got the "seize the deal" for the day grabbing up a gorgeous kitchen caddy that was originally $60 for $20!
To set our table we picked up the Dinera set in gray-blue as well as the cups and saucers to match. We also grabbed the Fornuft flatware set and some glasses. We have all the basics now and I can't wait to pair them with my new mid century place mats and trivets I treated myself to.
My fabric should arrive this week from South Africa for my telephone table. I'll be sure to post before and after photos as soon as it's finished. I'm so excited to get it finished. We are trying to decide what to do about a sofa. Our living room may be a little empty for awhile. We'll see.

I'll be sure to post pictures when everything is moved in and ready!

Spice Cupcakes.

Spent the afternoon baking some spice cupcakes and playing with our new mechanical pastry bag from William Sonoma. Added some store bought cream cheese frosting on top and sprinkled a little cinnamon on top for added spice. The sweet plaid pink liners are from Hey Yo Yo on etsy. They turned out so delicious and so pretty! I think I'll make them again for a christmas party of thanksgiving.

Trick-or-Treat Alternatives

(Tops and photo by Goose Grease)

Halloween is fast approaching and we'll soon be gearing up to hand out treats to the neighborhood kids. Tired of giving candy? There are some great candy alternatives out there to consider.

• I love these handmade tops from Goose Grease! They are so reminiscent of vintage toys and will certainly stand out in the neighborhood! At $20 for 20, they are pretty competitive with premium candy bar pricing!
• Back in the day my grandparents used to open their garage, put some decorations up and serve warm cider and cake donuts to the kids. They also had hot coffee for the parents and often times parents would stay warm in the garage while their kids hit a couple houses near by. It was a great way to get to know the neighbors and throw a mini halloween party.
• Host a halloween craft in the front yard! Set up a picnic table with all the materials to make halloween colored friendship bracelets, masks, treat bags, something that doesn't take too long to put together. Put on a costume and help the kids make something themselves!

Any other ideas? Post them here and help some other people out! Have a happy and safe halloween!