Library card catalogues.

After the light show last night (that's what I've begun to call thunderstorms when there is no rain but lightening illuminating the black sky one bolt per every 2 seconds), I woke up to the sound of progress. Saws, voices, large trucks, and the sound of wood piles being made. Yes. This means our garage is being built. This means that we will have a place to put outdoor things and big tools for big projects. This means that the cave can soon become a room. This means you can visit. And, this means that my dreams of a guest room doubling as an art multipurpose work room can become reality. With progress on the garage as more of an actual reality, I have also been making progress with my dreams for the second room. I would love to find a library catalogue to fix up. The children's center I worked at in my college years had one of these in the preschool classroom, and ever since I laid eyes on that beauty it has stayed in the "to find" category of my mind. How lovely are these?

Photo Credit

Photo Credit Library Card Catalogues

Photo Credit

When researching for these on eBay, I've concluded that these go anywhere from $100-$700. I do not have that much to spend. Here's hoping that Goodwill or Craigslist is faithful or I stumble upon one at a garage or estate sale. I am willing to be patient for one of these beauties!

UPDATE: Lo and behold, I browsed craigslist and found a listing for one of these bad jacksons (see below). It is massive, with 60 drawers and measuring 65" wide x 29.5" high x 18" deep. The ultimate storage and junk drawer haven. I emailed the lister and here's hoping the wood isn't laminate, that I can haggle the price down, and that I can sell Matt on the project (because, I will need his man power and tools to help me fix it up....). It isn't the ultimate vintage vintage, but I am willing to compromise a bit if it means that its more affordable. I would have to drive an hour to get it if I do. I don't care, I am giddy at the thought! Loyal blog readers, what would you do? Buy, not buy? Help!

My mix and match kitchen tour.

Mix and match comes with the territory of bargain hunting. My style really is a collection of lucky sale finds at otherwise pricey stores like Pottery Barn and Anthropologie, mixed with inexpensive yet classic finds from Ikea, garage sale hunting, craigslist, thrifting, Ross, and Home Goods. Whenever we travel I like to pick up something for our home, adding something functional and unique. We do have some really nice things we got as wedding gifts too, and those things are special because each time I use them I think of the person who gifted it. The kitchen is a perfect example of mixing and matching, taking what you already have, and coming up with cute ways to arrange and set everything up. Pinterest has a way of making me want to start from scratch and do a whole new design and color feel, but I like to challenge myself to figure out ways to use what I already have, or DIY it for cheap, and style on a dime. Our kitchen doesn't have one set color theme, because it is a collection of things from the past to now (Yes, I even thrifted for house items before I had my own home....you should ask my mom about the closet situation I had during my teen to young college years. At one point there may have been lamps, artwork, kitchenware, and linens stored up in there. Dowry? Hope chest? Quite possibly my version). This kitchen has already doubled as my project area and makeshift dance studio.  It is also our dining area for when we have guests. I spend a lot of time in this room, so I want it to feel pretty, bright, yet functional. It is so much bigger than my last kitchen! (disclaimer: lots of photos in this one.)

Mexican hutch: Garage sale

Soon to be made over stools: Craigslist

Cushions: Home Goods

Rug: $10, Urban Outfitters Sale

Antique cake pedistool: Wedding gift from Caitlin

Match stick cup: $2 votive from Anthropologie, diy 

Spoon rest: Find from our Mexican travels

Egg timer and Russian doll cups: Anthropologie gifts

Dog treat containers: Thrifted jars and diy paint touches

Cork Board assembly and inspiration  here.

Table with expandable leaf, Chairs, cushions, step stool: Trusty Ikea (I'm in need of a fitting table cloth or runner, and that stool could use some sprucing up!)

That fish bottle opener I found, yet again, on sale at Anthro. I gave it to Matt for Christmas one year and it is maybe one of my favorite things in the kitchen.

Repurposed pottery made by Matt, and Ikea.

Anthropologie Pure and Good Hand Duo (gift, but I would have splurged, because you can refill it with inexpensive soap and lotion. Money saver in the long run.)

Turtles: From my grandmother

    

Utensil crock: Made by Matt.

Dark wood cutting board: Made by my grandpa.

Other wares: Gifts or sale finds.

Rug: Home Goods

Flour and Sugar containers: Repurposed from our wedding day decor

Indoor/Outdoor Rug: Tuesday Morning bargain

Dog: The best bargain hunting of my life, Burbank Animal Shelter

Elephant hook: From my grandma's kitchen

Cork Board Tetris.

My best friend Miranda requested the kitchen be up next for our photo house tour. That meant I needed to get to work putting up the kitchen wall decor I had been avoiding as it sat dormant in the second bedroom (more like cave, less like bedroom) .

When waiting to make a return at Ikea one day, back in the land of Burbank, I was sitting thumbing through the catalogue, when BAM!, cork boards in the kitchen. I loved how the 6 Ikea boards all put together created a solution to massive wall space. And, very very affordable with the potential for the boards to be painted. At our home in Denver, the wall we share with our neighbors spans from front door to back door (we live in a duplex). The wall is pretty large. Breaking it up was a thoughtful process, and again, because I didn't want to purchase anything new, or more than $10, I made due with what I already had...the cork! 

At our last place, the boards served as a place for papers to be pinned. It was a makeshift gallery, with the potential for anything to be switched around. 

I kept the gallery going in the kitchen, but will be keeping my thinker open for new things to pin. (Hey, its like a real live Pinterest, although I don't see myself pinning delicious foods and outfits in my kitchen...but maybe.) Pinned are tiny postcards of art from our travels, a page from an old book of Degas' ballerinas, polaroids, playing rules to Monopoly circa 1930s found at my grandparents, and a small quilt my grandmother made. I like that the neutral tones combined with the red and green from the quilt and the sky blue in the polaroids tie into my kitchen colors. The papers that are pinned also have a worn in feel, which I think balances the bland new cork boards that canvas them. What are your large wall solutions? What would you pin on a cork board? 

Bargain art and a frame makeover.

I realize that so many of my posts lately have focused more on wall items, and I promise you, that's not the only trick in my bag. If you are like me, the minute you move into a new place you want to get things up on the walls. That is where my mind has been when it comes to setting up house. Hmm...now where to put this? and what am I missing? I really did not want to buy anything new to put on the walls, and when walking into a thrift store you can't always plan what you are going to stumble across. Yesterday, while on yet another impromptu thrifting trip, this framed and matted Van Gogh print caught my eye. I love Van Gogh's work, and can even say I've been to the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam (a must if you love his work and you happen to be in Amsterdam). I had yet to put anything above my dresser and since I have a print of Van Gogh's "The Bedroom" up in our room, I felt this might be a nice compliment. Oh, and it was only $6.99. Treasure find, yes. The marbled gold frame was atrotious, however, so i set out to use some of the celery sprig paint I had left over from my nautical mirror stripe project and give this thrift store find a makeover and a place to look lovely. 

Here is the print I already had up in our room:

The color of the frame worked perfectly with these off white framed portraits of Matt and me from our wedding day. Van Gogh's Irises no only pull together the two wedding photos but also make me think of that beautiful garden we said "I do" in over 3 years ago. I am really happy with how this wall turned out. The blues in the print go well with the blue jewelry box and lamp too. Wow, Goodwill really did do well for me, don't you think?

 

Gaudy frame turned minty fresh. What are you going to make lovely with a little paint makeover?

How to build a garage for your husband.

I have the best husband. Not only does he support me in my ups and downs, but he makes plans with me. Thought out and efficiently engineered plans. (I'm not talking about date plans. I'm talking about DIY plans.) And he does them late at night before going to bed so that we can get excited about our next project that we get to work on together (any guess as to what it is?).

And he comes home from work and makes the trek to help me pick up a rickety dresser, take a trip to home depot, and still finds time to read about fixing things, teach me about the tools I'm using but still have a lot to learn about, and catch up on basketball articles all while fitting in a cat nap. He is my favorite, and my very own Westley (for you Princess Bride fans out there).

And then he loves me even when its been almost far too long that our countertop has been filled with paint cans, measuring tapes, and thrift store finds, and drop cloths. I am so thankful to have him because he is the person who encourages me the most to be creative even when it seems like it won't work, to try new things, and to be my toughest critic. I think to show him my appreciation, I will build him a garage. The ultimate DIY gift a wife can give her husband, no? Look, I already poured the concrete today.

Garages facing alley...That's the back side of our home.

I'm just kidding. I only wish I knew how to build a garage. We'll leave that to the professionals though. Our garage should be done soon, fingers crossed!