Seeing Double

As I mentioned earlier, we originally planned on using the pair of chairs we reupolstered in our master bedroom. While we only ended up using one of the chairs upstairs, I think it’s the perfect reading spot. Actually, I’ve used it every day since we finished it! Here are a few shots of the new chair in our master bedroom:

The knit throw was a gift from Zach’s mom, and I love it. It complements our master perfectly, and it’s incredibly comfy. Since we decided to opt for only one chair in this space, we were able to incorporate an ottoman for extra reading comfyness. The ottoman is the Ektorp Brommaottoman from Ikea (regularly $149), which we found at a yard sale for $5. I was thrilled to discover that it was the perfect hight and width for the chair. They were made for each other!

To help the ottoman complement the chair a bit better, I decided to add some welting around the top. You may remember that my sewing machine is totally broken, so I had to get creative with hot glue and Heat n’ Bond. Yes, I said hot glue. I know, you’re cringing. I thought about doing a tutorial outlining my creative rediculous methods, but I figured that would just be wrong. It’s held up so far (Heat n’ Bond is crazy!), and it’s the perfect spot for kicking up your feet at the end of the day.

Rainy Day Browsing

We were happy to get some much-needed rain today, but due to the lack of sunshine, I’m postponing posting (say that ten times fast) pictures of the second chair until tomorrow. For today, I thought I’d share with you a few prints that I’ve been loving. The wall going up our stairs is currently a big blank slate, and I love the idea of framing a few of these guys in some clean, simple Ribba frames. Here are some of my favorites:

My grandma was a huge fan of hummingbirds, and I often gravitate toward things that remind me of her. I love how this print is both sweet and modern at the same time.

So Very Happy via Etsy Seller dazeychic

I. love. this. I mean, really? Can you help but smile when you look at it? I think not. So stinkin cute.

Delight. Psalm 1. via Etsy Seller hopeink

When it comes to things I’ll be walking past multiple times a day, what better words to meditate on than Scripture? If you haven’t gotten to visit hopeink’s shop, I definitely suggest it. She does a great job of making beautiful prints out of amazing words. I love how the things in her shop are both inspiring and creative- a nice change from the sometimes cheesy stuff you find at Christian bookstores.

Custom Family Tree via Etsy Seller cozyblue

I love the idea of adding some creative personalization to our home, and I also love the fact that this seller is from the mountains of our very own state. Cozyblue also sells adorable embroidered pillows…I’m thinking one would look right at home on our couch!

My Story via Etsy Seller arian

Cute, happy, and gets a great song stuck in your head.

Home Sweet Home via Etsy Seller ishootnouns

Ok, first of all, can we talk about how adorable this print is? Second of all, can we talk about how hilarious this seller’s name is? I love it! Bonus points for creativity.

I hope you enjoyed this little roundup. The birds/tress theme was totally inadvertent, but I actually love that it brings some cohesion to the mix. As you may have noticed, all of the above prints are from Etsy, which is a great resource for unique pieces for your home. I also love that by buying from individual sellers, you are helping make someone’s dream of making a living doing what they love come true. That could just make you happier than a bird with a french fry!

Chair-y Exciting, Chairman of the Board, The Chairy On Top

Who knew that chairs were so punny?

For some people, it’s climbing Mt. Everest. For others, it’s swimming the English Channel. For me, it’s…reupholstering a chair. As lame as it sounds, tackling a project like this was totally on my bucket list. It’s one of those things that I knew I could figure out, but was pretty intimidated by. When we found this pair of club chairs (from a local fancy-schmancy inn that was redecorating) for a total of $75, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to try out some upholstery. At around $38 apiece, I at least had the reassurance that our budget wasn’t totally blown if I failed miserably. Once I worked up the courage to get going, the demolition began:

Our bedroom, where I initially planned for the chairs to go, is seriously lacking in pattern, so I chose Waverly’s Nassau Vine fabric in Onyx. The black and white colorway fits in perfectly with our furniture and bedding, but will also work with many other color schemes should we choose to switch things around. I’m normally not a huge fan of buying fabric at big stores like JoAnn’s, but for this particular project, I liked the idea of having the fabric readily available should I mess up horribly and need to buy more.

As far as tutorials go, I found Design Intervention’sposts to be incredibly helpful.Charis does a great job of documenting each step and explaining the details. That being said, every chair is different, so there were (and probably always will be) some parts that were a little bit different on my chairs. On those parts, I was surprised to discover that upholstery is really pretty intuitive. If it looks like fabric is supposed to go a certain way in a certain space, it probably is. When it comes to getting everything to fit, it’s a lot like wrapping a present. With a staple gun.

I love electric staple guns. The end. Mine was borrowed from my dad, and he also had a manual gun stored in the same toolbox. Let me just say that while I’m sure it’s possible, it’s hard for me to imagine not being able to fire little pieces of metal into the wood with just the mere touch of my finger.

Yes, I punked out on the cushions. I totally blame my “it might explode at any minute” sewing machine. I really do think I could’ve done it if it hadn’t been for the fact that my sewing machine is not…sewing. Zach asked if I could sew it by hand. I asked if he would like for me to come out of the craft room before November. If you are disappointed in me and would like for me to prove it to you, send me a new machine and I will happily whip out a cushion cover.

Machine frustrations aside, I was thrilled with the work of AFC Upholstery. They had the best prices of all the places I called, great customer service, and finished both covers in 24 hours. Not to mention the fact that the owner’s father helped give us a jump when our car battery died. Yep, the sewing machine isn’t the only thing around here that’s malfunctioning. Did I mention that our air conditioning has also been out for the past few weeks? Did I mention it’s been over 100? Sheesh.

Oh, what’s that you say? Quit whining and show you some pictures? Good idea.

You may notice that this isn’t our master bedroom. As I was working on the chairs in front of the TV (it’s much less monotonous to rip out staples while watching Friday Night Lights), we noticed that they went pretty well with the colors of our family room. After recently getting a new sectional, we had talked about wanting a chair for an alternate seating option. Thankfully, the other chair was the perfect fit in our master. I didn’t get to take pictures of chair #2 yet, but I’ll hopefully get some posted tomorrow.

All in all, I’m really happy with how they turned out. They may not be perfect, but it’s such a great sense of accomplishment knowing that I tackled something that was once so intimidating. Also, now that the fear factor is gone, I love the fresh perspective I have on the potential behind old, ugly furniture!

Don’t forget to check out the other inspiring finds at The Inspired Room,The Shabby Nest, Miss Mustard Seed and Fingerprints on the Fridge!

Is it Too Early to Start Making a Christmas List?

It’s HOT here. Please note: I am not complaining. I would take being hot over being cold any day, I just don’t want to spend too much time outside unless there’s water to jump in or lemonade to sip.

To beat the heat and to make the most of our summer break (which is quickly slipping away), Zach and I spent a couple of  hours in Barnes and Noble drinking Starbucks and leafing through new books and magazines. It was glorious.

I’m sure the people around me thought I was a total nutcase, because I ended up hauling a pretty big stack (ok, two pretty big stacks) of crafty books back to our table. So. much. fun. I’m always amazed by others’ creativity, and I came away giddy with inspiration.

I didn’t end up buying any of the books, but there are a few that I’ve already hinted to Zach as being great Christmas ideas. Because I am five years old. Here are some of the books that I will be notifying the North Pole of:

I know, she went to jail. That doesn’t mean that Martha still isn’t pretty much the authority on all things crafty. This book is HUGE and is filled with too many great ideas to count. It was fun looking through and seeing projects that I had saved from Martha Stewart Living magazines years ago, as well as some great new projects.

Joel Dewberry’s Sewn Spaces: Fresh and Modern Projects for Your Life and Home has some great ideas for adding pops of color and pattern around the house. His ideas are both fun and original this is definitely not your standard “how to sew a rod-pocket curtain” home decor book.

Remember the project I’m working on? I need this book like…yesterday. Singer does a great job of simplifying even the trickiest parts of the upholstery process. If you’re thinking about upholstery, this is definitely worth the investment.

Speaking of “the project”, I guess I’m glad I used the word “hoping” in my last post! I hit a little snag while making the covers for the cushions (aka my sewing machine is possessed- a new one will be trumping the books on the list this year). Since I want the covers to last for a long time, I decided I had three options:

a) take my machine in to get repairs done (not really a good idea since it’s pretty much the most basic model- it wouldn’t be worth the money put into it)

b) wait until I have a new machine to finish the project (I’m thinking that cushionless seats will not be so fun for the next five months)

c) call in the pros

Can you guess which one I picked? I’m a little bummed about not doing the covers myself, but I did learn how to do them, so now I just get to look forward to the next project! The new covers should be ready tomorrow, which means I should be able to share pictures of the finished chairs.

I Blame My Recent Blogging ADD On…

This:

 

I’ve reupholstered a few small things (ottomans, seat covers) before, but this is officially my first “real” reupholstery project. I’m hoping to get to a photo-worthy point tomorrow. Until then, I see lots of Diet Dr. Pepper and Googling “how to make welting” in my future…

I Have Not Dropped Off the Face of the Planet

Hello? Anyone there? I promise that I haven’t given up on the blog! Apparently I am incapable of any sort of consistent summer schedule. The past couple of weeks have been a little bit busier than I anticipated but, thankfully, we have been busy having fun! I have quite a few little projects to share with you!

Last weekend, we had the privilege of going to Greensboro to help throw a shower for Zach’s older brother and sister-in-law who will be adopting their first baby (which we just learned is going to be a BOY!) in August. We had so much fun catching up with the extended Angle family in celebration of this exciting addition.

Zach’s sister coordinated the shower, but she let us help out with the favors and games. For favors, I used Julie’s wonderful mason jar cupcakes tutorial. The only thing I changed was the toppers. Julie’s had sweet bows and looked just like little presents…I went the lazy route and just cut some fabric squares (pink and blue since we didn’t know the gender then) with shears and screwed them between the two lids. What can I say? I’m a cheater. Despite the fact that I cut corners a little bit, I was really happy with how the favors turned out. Not only were they fairly easy to make, they were also relatively inexpensive and the perfect sweet treat for everyone to take home.

 

We actually ended up only doing one game because the shower was scheduled for right before the World Cup final and….lets just say that was the second game. We had everyone hold a paper plate on their heads and use a crayon to draw a picture of the baby. When the artists were finished, Robby and Emily got to pick their favorites. The game worked well since we had a wide range of ages, from Zach’s youngest cousins to his grandma, and everyone was able to participate. Since Zach and I were in charge of games together, I let him pick the prizes. I would’ve probably picked something pretty cutesy, but here are the winners with my husband’s selections:

 Yes. Beef jerky, Pringles, Mentos, and Goldfish. For a baby shower. And guess what? They loved it! Hilarious, but also a great reminder to not get so bent out of shape over little details.

We’re so excited for the arrival of Baby Angle and can’t wait to meet him!

PS- Looking back at the second picture, I feel the need to explain that the shower was held at Zach’s sister’s pool. No, our family members are not accustomed to arriving to showers shirtless.

Shipshewana Flea Market Finds

While we didn’t buy anything at the Great Amish Country Auction, we did manage to get a couple of things at the adjacent flea market. First up, this vintage A:

 

I love old signs, and I also like the personalization that it brings to our living room. At $5, it adds character to our living room without breaking the bank. When I set up the bench in the first picture, I asked Zach what he thought of it. His response? “It looks like a funeral.”

At least he’s honest. And makes me laugh a lot.

Our second find was this old lard bucket:

 

If you’ve known the Angle family for long, you know that “lardbucket” is a term of endearment around these parts. I also  like that we can use it as a quirky side table in the fireplace room. We’ve looked at several lard buckets at flea markets, and knew that $10 was definitely a fair price. I also like that the colors coordinate with our existing decor, and that the big pig just makes me laugh.

Even though we didn’t have much luck at the auction, I’m really happy with our flea market finds!

Too Sweet Not to Share

We were so happy to have Zach’s parents stay at our house for the 4th of July. It was great to get to spend time with them- we just wish they could have stayed longer! Before coming to our house, Zach’s parents stopped to see his younger brother, Patrick, who goes to college nearby. He knew they were staying with us, and sent two gorgeous bouquets of flowers for us! (Don’t worry- he also gave a huge, beautiful bouquet to his momma!) Did I mention he’s in college? How many college guys do you know that are that thoughtful? I was totally blown away, not to mention the fact that the flowers are so pretty and have such a way of adding cheer to the house. The red bouquet (perfect for the 4th of July and for Zach, Patrick, and my beloved NC State Wolfpack) is by our kitchen sink, and the mixed bouquet is in our family room. I love how zinnias are such a happy, non-fussy flower, and just instantly pep things up.

 So, long story short, my brother-in-law is awesome. The end.

Midwest Road Trip: Inidana

Yes, I know what you’re thinking. “Who goes to Indiana on summer vacation?” I would’ve agreed with you if it wasn’t for the author of A Thousand Places to See Before You Die (who, coincidentally, has the same name as my mom- with the exception of a ‘c’ in her last name). I got the book of travel recommendations for a Zach a few years ago, and it has come in handy on numerous occasions. We regularly consult it before road trips, just to see if there are any unexpected places we should fit into our schedule. This time, there definitely was.

As I was looking up the states we would be traveling though, I noticed that Indiana had only one entry, but that it totally fit us like a glove. The Shipshewana Auction and Flea Market, or, as the book calls it, The Great Amish Country Auction, holds weekly auctions hosted by ten auctioneers. Given our love for secondhand finds and our interest in visiting Amish country, we added it to the list.

I feel like we’re pretty experienced when it comes to the world of secondhand sales, but I can honestly say that the Shipshewana auction was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. We entered into a huge warehouse packed wall to wall with a totally random assortment of junk. I ran from booth to booth like a kid in a candy store, making a mental list of my favorite things, one of which was this incredible old Carhartt mirror:

Then, the calling started. Aka mass chaos. Auctioneers in every corner of the building holding up items and looking for the highest bidder. There was no real order or organization to which items were called when, which led to people scrambling from group to group to see what was being sold. We were a bit overwhelmed, but very entertained, by the fast pace and excitement of everything. For the most part, things went for a bit more than we like to pay, so we didn’t end up getting anything at the auction. Thankfully, there was a massive flea market outside of the auction house, and we were able to find a couple of fun things there. For now, I’ll leave you with pictures of junk. Junk that I could’ve totally scooped up, brought home, and found a place for.

I would totally love to have a little shop and ring up customers on this incredible old cash register. In my dreamy make-believe life.

I love the detailing on this old crib. It would be great for corralling stuffed animals in a kid’s room or holding blankets in a living room. The antlers would add a great textural accent to a bookshelf or side table.

 I asked Zach if he thought we could fit a bike in our Civic. He said no.

So admittedly, I’m not sure what I would do with these old spools other than put them on a shelf and admire their cuteness. But that’s ok, right?

I. Love. This. We really don’t have any place for it, but come on. If you live near Shipshewana, Indiana, and have a huge empty wall in your breakfast nook, will you please buy this? I love things that make me laugh, and I think everyone can use a little laughter at 7am. Even Canada.

Midwest Road Trip: Wisconsin and Chicago Part II

After spending our first night in Chicago, we headed to Wisconsin to visit my aunt, uncle, cousins, and Nona who live about an hour outside of Milwaukee. Unfortunately (as in, totally annoyed at myself) we don’t have any pictures from the trip. That disappointment aside, we had an incredible time catching up with my mom’s side of the family. We ate a wonderful, HUGE Italian meal, went to a local custard place, and enjoyed listening to my Nona (who is 93) serenade us in Italian ( just like she’s done since we were little). Other than our wedding, it was Zach’s first time getting to spend time with most of my mom’s side of the family, and it was such a blessing to get to catch up. At the end of the night, my Aunt Harriet gave me some cookbooks that had belonged to my mom (she had quite the collection!). I’ve had fun looking through them and am excited to try a few new recipes. We loved seeing everyone and can’t wait to go back!

The next day, we decided to spend a bit more time in Chicago. I call this day, “Why My Husband Should Write a Book on Saving Money”.

First, he scored us a great deal on a beautiful hotel in downtown Chicago. We were super excited about the hotel, but a little worried about parking, which the hotel charged $27 a night for. I know. Crazy. Thankfully, my “you can’t take my money that easily” husband dropped me off to unpack and then drove around looking for a better deal. Somehow, he was able to find the one curb in all of Chicago that was being reapaved and, as a result, didn’t have a meter on it. Free parking in one of America’s biggest cities for over 24 hours? Done.

Next, as we were walking down the street, Zach found some Kenneth Cole aviators. After a brief debate about the ethics behind taking them, he convinced me that there are about a zillion people in Chicago and you can’t exactly turn in a pair of sunglasses…anywhere. Then, we began another debate about whether or not I could actually wear them and not look like a boy. Zach took this picture trying to convince me that they were doable:

 

I’m still not convinced. We took them to a Kenneth Cole store to ask if they were for boys. The woman working there told us that they were unisex. I’m not sure about the word unisex or wearing accessories that are described as unisex, but I haven’t ruled them out.

After exploring a few shops downtown (including a brief walk through the American Girl store- my husband was thrilled), we headed to Navy Pier. We loved people watching and enjoying the beautiful scenery. We also decided to ride the ferris wheel to get better views of the area. It might be a control thing, but I am a bit of a sissy on ferris wheels (evidence below).

Later that night, we took the Subway to Wrigley Field to watch the Cubs play the Pirates. Zach thought that it would be better to buy tickets outside of the park when we got there so while we were on our way I asked him how much he was hoping to spend. He told me that he wanted them to be free. I said of course he did. After talking to the first scalper we saw after getting off of the subway and him not offering us any free tickets (shocker), we decided to see if we fared any better with the people waiting in line around the stadium. To my shock and amazement (and despite the fact that I was wearing Pirate gold), a sweet guy offered us his extra bleacher seat (the bleachers are general admission). We then took the bleacher ticket back to scalper #1, who offered us two upper-level tickets in exchange for our bleacher ticket. Yep. Free Cubs tickets. Since Wrigley Field is an older stadium, the upper level wasn’t nearly as high as it is at most parks, and we had a pretty good view of the game. I was pulling for the Pirates and, since Zach had made a promise to my 93 year-old grandmother the night before, he was too. Thankfully, Pittsburgh won and we had another great night of baseball!

The next day, we walked around a little bit more and then stopped for some famous Chicago deep-dish pizza at Giordano’s,  a restaurant recommended to us by some friends that used to live in the Windy City. The atmosphere was great and the food was delicious. With full bellies, we stopped at the Dream Home (more on that later), then headed to the last stop on our road trip: Indiana.