must love junk

Friday, August 10, 2012

Nice To Meet You...

(Thank you to Jennifer Rizzo and The Ironstone Nest for featuring this post!)
Hi, everyone! In case you missed it, on Wednesday, the wonderful Amanda of The Ivy Cottage Blog invited me to guest post. Here I tell a little more about myself and my blog…

First of all, let me introduce you to my hubby, Keith. He makes me laugh every single day, many times so hard that my stomach hurts! We’ve been married for about 13 ½ years (and been friends for 26) and we don’t have any kids. (My sister has 4, and we enjoy them and our friends’ kids!) He works in a crime lab-yes, a real ‘CSI’ guy! But best of all, he totally supports me in everything I do, including all of my sometimes crazy decorating ideas. (I just roped him into totally changing around ALL the furniture in 4 bedrooms upstairs when he took a few vacation days! He hardly complained at all ;)

I am a self-professed decorating addict. My mom and I have owned a little 'recycled home goods' shop for about 5 years, and we have the best time with it!! We love to scour flea markets, garage sales, thrift stores…just about anywhere to find our goods to stock the shop! Hence, the ‘must love junk’! Here is a picture of a room in our shop…

Naturally, a lot of our goodies find their way into my home, which we’ve lived in for about 7 years. My style has changed and evolved over the years, and I’d be hard pressed to put a specific label on what my style is. All I know is that I love a mix of farmhouse, vintage, and rustic, with some industrial thrown in, and I love to display things in sometimes whimsical ways! This is my front entry/hallway, which you can read more about, here.

One of my favorite things to do over the last few years has been perusing (ok, stalking) décor blogs. I just love looking at other people’s homes! It’s so fun to view what others have ‘scored’ and how they incorporate them into their décor. There’s so much inspiration out there! A while ago I began to itch to have my own blog, but too many fears and plain old procrastination deterred me, until I finally took the plunge in May! I just went for it!

(Here is one of my many addictions, I mean, collections, that I’ve shared--vintage suitcases, also in my hallway, here.)

And I’m so glad that I did! It’s been great fun to share my home with peeps who ‘get’ me and my style! On my blog, I've recently wrapped up the tour of our first floor. One of my favorite rooms is our sunroom. We spend a lot of time out here relaxing, reading, napping…I post more pictures of this room here.

Another room I use a lot is our office. This is where I blog! It was really fun to put together and display more of my collections on these built in bookshelves. You can see more of my office (plus a cool picture of it from 1957!) here.

Well, I sure hope that you enjoyed this little recap of my home tour, and a little more info about myself! I'm so thankful for you, all of my faithful followers and readers! Have a wonderful weekend :) I'm linking to these wonderful parties:
                                           My 1929 Charmer
   The Tablescaper
   Alderberry Hill
   Joy 2 Journey
   Debbiedoo's
   Boogieboard Cottage
   Coastal Charm
   i should be mopping the floor
   Kathe with an E
   A Stroll Thru Life
   Cozy Little House
   Knick of Time
   The Farmhouse Porch
   My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
   The Ironstone Nest
   One More Time
   Primp
   Ivy and Elephants
   Faded Charm
   From My Front Porch to Yours
   Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olsen
   Live Laugh Rowe
   Jennifer Rizzo
   A Delightsome Life
   Common Ground
   The Brambleberry Cottage

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Special Guest Post

Hello, everyone! I'm very excited and honored that Amanda of The Ivy Cottage Blog has invited me to guest post today! She has such an inspiring blog and is one of the 4 co-hosts of the popular weekly 'Cowgirl Up' party! Please pop over to her blog today for my special visit...thank you!!

Friday, August 3, 2012

Tour the 'Loo'

Today I'm showing you the recent updates I've made to our upstairs guest bathroom...this is the bathroom that the laundry 'closet' is in. (I posted about that here.) I don't know why I didn't think to take a before picture, but basically it was just a blank wall. I hadn't found the right thing to hang on this back wall, until I discovered this chippy shelf. It's just the right size and color.

I decided to use one of my favorite things-you guessed it-a locker basket, to hold some extra t.p! I wanted to add a little splash of color in here, so I chose this shower curtain- it has a pretty coral color paired with a sage green. Not my usual M.O., but I liked it, so I thought what the heck?

Next, I gathered some goodies from my 'stash' in the basement and added them to the top of the toilet. (Hey, we decorators gotta 'merchandise' wherever we can!)

Here's the newly completed back wall of the bathroom now...

I got the chandelier at a garage sale, then added the shades.

I keep switching the toilet paper holder and the trash can back and forth! (did you notice?)
Overall, I'm pretty pleased with how this turned out!

I know the floor in here is awful. We've actually bought new flooring (wood) to put down, but I'm not sure when that will happen. I think it'll really improve the look in here!
This is the little wall to the right of the shower (the outer laundry closet wall) that holds a clock and towels.

I found this mirror at the flea market and fell in love with the shape and weathered patina!
It hangs over the sink, which is across from the shower.

My mom just found this cabinet at a garage sale last week. She bought it for our shop, but I kept it! It's perfect for this space right across from the laundry. I love it!!

I found the chippy little step stool at the flea market...it comes in handy, since I'm a shorty :)

Well, I hope you enjoyed this tour of our 'loo'!   I'm joining up with a monthly swap party at Ethereal Plus What I Love...go check it out, and join up, too! It's gonna be fun :)
                                 I'm linking to theses wonderful parties:
   Twigg Studios
       The Tablescaper
   Joy 2 Journey
   i should be mopping the floor
   My 1929 Charmer
   Debbiedoo's
   You Are Talking Too Much
   Boogieboard Cottage
   Stuff & Nonsense
   Live Laugh Rowe
   Debt Free Mommy
   Alderberry Hill
   Between Naps on the Porch
   The Dedicated House
   Cozy Little House
   A Stroll Thru Life
   Coastal Charm
   The Ivy Cottage Blog
   Knick of Time
   My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
   The Ironstone Nest
   Common Ground
   Kathe with an E
   Primp
   Restore Interiors
   Savvy Southern Style
   No Minimalist Here
   The Vintage Farmhouse
   Rooted in Thyme
   Stuff and Nonsense
   Ivy and Elephants
   aka design
   Shabby Art Boutique
   Katherine's Corner

Friday, July 27, 2012

Laundry Room Reveal

I say laundry 'room' tongue-in-cheek, because it's actually a laundry 'closet'! The laundry 'closet' is in one of our second floor bathrooms. I like having it upstairs as it's very convenient (except that the washer, dryer, and shelves are behind those bi-fold doors, which I don't care for, and would like to replace with a fun curtain someday!) The shelves have been one of those projects that for some reason I kept putting off...we'd gotten lazy and just sorta kept throwing everything up there, and I wanted them to be organized, and well, pretty. So, in 'keeping it real', here's the scary 'before'...

Pretty, huh? A mish-mash of lightbulbs, laundry/cleaning supplies, toilet paper, towels, etc. A hot mess! (I know none of you have hidden storage that looks like this! :)

When I spied these baskets at Homegoods last week, I snapped up every one, hoping they would work in this space. (I mean, metal baskets + words=love in my book :) Within an hour, everything on the shelves was given a new 'home.' This is what it looks like now...

Just a wee bit better, don't ya think?

I was so excited that they fit perfectly!

I don't know why I waited so long!

Ahhh, the magic of baskets!!

Hope you all have a wonderful week!
I'm linking to theses wonderful parties:
                                                 Twigg Studios
   The Tablescaper
   i should be mopping the floor
   my 1929 charmer
   Alderberry Hill
   You are Talking Too Much
   Joy 2 Journey
   Boogieboard Cottage
   Between Naps on the Porch
   The Dedicated House
   Common Ground
   Cozy Little House
   Kathe with an E
   A Stroll Thru Life
   Coastal Charm
   Farmhouse Porch
   Knick of Time
   My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
   The Ironstone Nest
   Jennifer Rizzo
   Primp
   Restore Interiors
   Family Home and Life
   Faded Charm
   Delightsome Life
   No Minimalist Here
   From My Front Porch To Yours
   Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olsen
   Ivy and Elephants
   Savvy Southern Style
   The Vintage Farmhouse
   The Charm of Home
   French Country Cottage
   At the Picket Fence
   Rooted in Thyme
   Stuff and Nonsense
   Homespun Happenings

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Kitchen du Jour

Hello everyone! My home tour is now taking you to the (almost) smallest room in the house-the kitchen! So those of you with your sprawling, gorgeous, farmhouse kitchens, eat your hearts out! :) Lucky for me, since I don't like to cook, and my hubby and I love to eat out most of the time anyways, it's no big deal...but I do find it strange that the front of our house is so open and big, while the kitchen is a tiny room in the back of the house.

This view is from the dining room into the kitchen. We did manage to find probably the smallest butcher block ever made (at an auction) to put in the center and use as a 'mini' island! We put up stainless steel shelves from Ikea over a small table that holds our microwave, and I've kept the black and white theme going. Some old signs, a vintage wire basket to hold napkins, a little of this and that...

My friend Carol (it's really nice to have such talented friends!) made the little curtains for the window above my sink and for the back door. Aren't they adorable?

To the right of the sink I hung this fun menu board that I found at a barn sale (I added the 'chow down' :) The little spoon and fork cabinet pulls were there when we moved in-cute!

Going to the left, 'behind' the kitchen, there is a short 'hallway' where there is a half bath, the stairs to the basement, and then it continues on into the office again.

This is one of my most favorite pieces ever-an old time card clock! You wouldn't like me very much if I told you how cheap this was at my beloved flea market (hint-less than $20!) The guy said it came out of a factory in Pennsylvania...I don't care, I just love it!

Well, my kitchen may be microscopic, but I've still stamped it with my own, quirky style!
Have a wonderful weekend! I'm linking to these wonderful parties:
                                           Twigg Studios
   The Tablescaper
   i should be mopping the floor
   my 1929 charmer
   Debbiedoo's
   You are talking too much
   Liz Marie Blog
   Alderberry Hill
   Boogieboard Cottage
   Southern Hospitality
   The Dedicated House
   Jennifer Rizzo
   Kathe with an E
   Knick of Time
                                           Coastal Charm
   My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
   The Ironstone Nest
   Faded Charm
   The Farmhouse Porch
   Primp
   Ivy and Elephants
   Restore Interiors
   Family Home and Life
   Savvy Southern Style
   A Delightsome Life
   No Minimalist Here
   The Shabby Creek Cottage
   The Brambleberry Cottage
   Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olsen
   Homespun Happenings
   The Charm of Home
   Rooted in Thyme

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Blog of the Month

You know how there are certain blogs that are just at the top of your 'drool' list? Well, one of those for me is Savvy City Farmer...Joy's home has been featured in many magazines, as well as Fifi O'Neill's incredible book Romantic Prairie Style! I have been a huge fan of hers for a long time, so needless to say, I am extremely honored that she has chosen me as her July Blog Pick of the month! Stop over and check out her amazing blog (and home, and shop!) Thank you, Joy!!

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Dinner is Served!

Hope you're enjoying your weekend! I'm now showing you the other side of our dining room. This is a metal cart that I got at the Country Living Fair a couple years ago-I love it for storing and displaying my 'kitchen wares'!

As you can see, here is more of my love of black and white, as well as numbers!

I don't think you can ever have too many locker baskets! I use them everywhere!

On this wall, we (by we I mean my hubby and my dad:) hung a HUGE, heavy oak mirror that we got at an auction...it supposedly came out of an old tavern...all I know is that it's cool and it makes the smallish room look larger. I chose an old piece of ceiling tin for over the cart.

There's a little sliver of wall space between the hallway and the dining room windows, so I filled it with the ever popular wall 'crates' and placed a metal stool underneath.

And once again, here is the other side of the dining room...

Thanks for joining me! Try and stay cool, and I'll be back soon with more of my house tour! :)
I'm linking to these wonderful parties:
   The Tablescaper
   Twigg Studios
   You Are Talking Too Much
   I Should Be Mopping The Floor
   My 1929 Charmer
   Get Outta My Head Please
   Boogieboard Cottage
   Between Naps on the Porch
   The Dedicated House
   The Ironstone Nest
   Coastal Charm
   A Stroll Thru Life
   The Farmhouse Porch
   My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
   Knick of Time
   Kathe With An E
   Primp
   Restore Interiors
   My Girlish Whims
   Faded Charm
   Free Pretty Things For You
   A Delightsome Life
   Common Ground
   No Minimalist Here
   Brambleberry Cottage
   Coloradolady
   From My Front Porch To Yours
   Katherine's Corner
   Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olsen
   French Country Cottage
   Ivy and Elephants
   Homespun Happenings
   Rooted in Thyme