The Phoebe Post

Oh Hi! This is my sister Phoebe, she's cute hu? When she spent the night at my house a few weeks ago (when this picture was taken - at the Bomber the next day) I promised her a blog post just about her (well and a little bit about me), so here it goes!

Phoebe is ten going on eleven and going to be in the sixth grade in the fall. Holy cow SIXTH GRADE when I was that age I felt like such a grown up. As if I was going to over take the world (it was also the year that I had my only school picture EVER taken - on a side note Phoebe's only EVER school picture was taken in Kindergarten and then she dropped out) and make everyone see that my ways were the best. Plus I remember laughing a lot and breaking my arm, wow sixth grade awesome! Anyway back to Phoebe, she is a dancer, she always looks very serious when she dance and has perfect hands. She is also the baby of our family and the runt.

I was sixteen when Phoebe was born and not all together interested in having a little sister. In fact I can't ever remember wanting a sister. But then she came, and at first I was a brat (wow did not see all the confessing happening in the Phoebe Post), but you see she wasn't so bad. And before I knew it I kinda liked her, as it turns out, having a baby sister in high school is rather fun. And the next thing you know I was off to college. I would get a kick out of telling people that I was the oldest of six kids and that I had a one year old sister. It was fun, when she was in Kindergarten she came and stayed the weekend with me, I still remember laying in bed and making up a story about sisters named Phoebe and Libby, silly and lovely!

I know that we do not have the same relationship that most sisters do. We haven't really had to share much, when we have shared a room it was always more like she was staying in my room or I was staying in her room. We never had to get ready for school at the same time or share a car. I didn't have to be upset about a tag along little sister. For the two of us I think it is better that way, I don't know that we would do so well with the normal sister thing.

Well so here is Phoebe, the only sister I ever wanted.

Treasure Hunting

We have this wonderful place downtown Ann Arbor that is only open Saturday mornings from nine to noon. It is run by the Kiwanis (we actually always just refer to it as Kiwanis in my family) and has the best thrifting in the area in my book. It is still the place where all the little old ladies donate all the wonderful things that they are done with.

The stuff you can find there is amazing. When I went this past weekend (joined by my sister in-law and her mother) it took a lot of self control to not spend all the cash that I had. For example I left these little Fireking dishes behind even though I really love them (truth is I already have some that my grandma gave me and I have never used so I knew I didn't need them).

When you first arrive you are greeted by the books. I love the way it smells and the old man who hops on the loud speaker every few minutes to remind you about how the place works (you pay for your items in the section you find them) and recommends that you say check out the tvs upstairs or the mattresses by the loading dock.

I did bring home some treats. My mom has a tray like this one and I have been on the look out for one for a while, I think I paid all of $2 for it. Isn't he a cutie?!

I also picked up an assortment of glass candy dishes for my up coming desk organization (more on that later) I paid no more than $0.75 for these.

Plus I got to finish off my morning having brunch with this cutie! Good day!

Checking in

I don't know why I am so surprised by the way the summer has been flying by, but it is really catching me off guard this year. It seems that just yesterday I was planning what to do with all my "extra" time. Needless to say I have been keeping busy. What with projects around the house and visits with friends and all the other things good and bad that can fill up your long summer days.

My hands have not been idol these past few weeks, I have been working working working away on a few secret projects that I can't wait to show you once they are finished (and in some cases in the hands of their intended)!

Happy 4th of July!

As we celebrate our nations Independence, I hope your weekend will be full of; fireworks, picnics, family, friends, sunshine, parades and other persuades of happiness!

Summer Break

I have a real case of the Sum-sum-summer time blues. I really wish I could have a summer break this year - maybe it is because it has been 5 (eeek 5!) years now that college ended and so ended my summer breaks. It is times like these when I am feeling all school year break jealous that I think - just for a few minutes and imagining a really unrealistic school - I should have been a teacher. I'm happy not to be a teacher, though I think I would love to teach art or humanities or something else equally fabulous, but I would love a summer vacation every year. About this time of year some time between when the beach towels and the picnic blankets come out in the stores and when the school supply shows up I wish for summer break. A good old fashion summer break: with a fun summer job (mine was life guarding at a small local water park), driving around with the top down on warm long northern nights, sleeping in on sunny summer mornings, listening to new music, getting tan in the hot sun, drinking ice cold pop (or ice tea) and hanging around with family and friends. So I'm going to make this weekend a mini summer break, just a little bit of what I miss.

P.S. I would let you know where the picture of those lovely ladies came from, but saddly I can not remember, aren't they so cute just waiting to take a dip!

Would you like to come stay with me?

Part my my weekend fun was to have my very first house guest! The guest room is in a inbetweeny state. It is a very dark red painted by the last owner. And is furnished with my old bed and bedding, from back in the day when I thought I was into a more modern look.

Anyway it was a great weekend, my friend from college; Karin came into town to stay. We talked and laughed, we drank coffee and browsed the stacks at the book store. And then we met up with another friend and talked and laughed and drank more coffee! Over all a great time was had by all.

Now I'm just waiting for the next house guest. I hope that this room with get good use, so just let me know when you want to come.

The Bedroom Before and After

before:
The time has finally come my friends to show off the first almost totally made over space at the little house! I had a party on Friday night so everything was whipped into a some what acceptable shape so forty people could parade through and peek into my rooms and wonder why I can't seem to pick paint colors.

So do you remember these pictures, it seems like a million years ago that my bedroom was in this state (it was six months ago to be exact), seeing these two images takes me right back to that first time I walked through the house trying to imagine my life here around all that junk.

In progress:
First the stuff was removed.

The walls were washed and the carpet was pulled up.

This was the only room that I picked up only one possible paint color for.

My dad was very devoted to painting the room. We spent a few fun afternoons listening to the NPR weekend line up - with my fave "This American Life" and his fave "American Roots".

My brother James moved my bed for me twice, once when I bought it at our local Saturday morning charity sale and then again when the room was ready. My sister Phoebe and my dad set it up one night while I was out, again lovely family members have made the move/make over of this little house possible.

After:

So here it is my sunny room.

The dresser was one of the finds left in the mess of the house when I bought it. The drawers are a little stiff and it is a little scraped up, but that is how I like things anyway.

The only real down side to making the attic bedroom mine is the small funny closet. It just means I have to be good about hanging stuff up and not letting laundry collect at the bottom.

Here is the reading nook at the top of the stair, you can't see this but there is another window just to the side of this space that makes it a nice cozy spot to sit down with a book or some paper work and a cup of tea.

Finally the bed in all her glory. There is nothing like waking up with the sun pouring in the South facing windows reflecting off the yellow walls. The bedding is a few years old and from Anthro, the hope chest to the side was a birthday gift from my parents last year. The pictures are vintage bird pictures that my aunt found in the living room the night that I closed on the house and the crate that I am using as a night stand was another item salvaged from the junk collecting in the house.

Okay I hope you have enjoyed the before and after. My wonderful friend Beth said this weekend that the picture don't do it justice - but I think that might be because she is a loving and supportive friend and likes to feed my ego! We all need friends like that!

Happy Week!

More to come

I'm having a little party . . .

The chair in the room

If I had a little extra coin I tell you what this lovely chair would find a new home in my guest bedroom. It is the exact essence of what I am hoping for in that room - something glossy and different from anything you would have at home. My hope is to have a guest bedroom that feels like a special place to come and visit, not quite a hotel, but like the room that feels comfy, but not like your room at home. Anyway if you are in love with it as much as I am and have $400 bucks to buy yourself a new chair you can find it over on etsy and who knows maybe it will still be around when I have a little bit of extra mooola-la - you know after I buy the bistro set and paint my dinning room and tile my kitchen back splash and and and . . .

To perch on a porch

I've been thinking and pondering and thinking some more about a little bistro set for my front porch (you remember the dilapidated one). I had settled on this very basic - read boring - set from Aco of all places, when I happened upon this set at K-Mart on my lunch break today. I am smitten, they are just the right mix of practical and whimsy. Defiantly number one on my "little house wish list" that isn't little at all.

I love flower pots

I of course had a big to do list for the long weekend. A lot of it got shelved, but I did get some flowers potted to brighten up the dilapidated porch steps. Can you see how they are sinking into the ground? Uggg.
There is also a little garden of herbs growing next to the back door. Cute hu?

Think-Wink-Link

I have been busy busy busy, and not had a lot of free time that I want to spend on the computer. So this is just a short and sweet post to point you toward one of my favorite blogs Design*Sponge and one of my favorite segments that they do "Living In" where Amy pulls together design inspiration from some well known and not so well known movies. This week she has taken her inspiration from Wes Anderson's "Darjeeling Limited" (do movie title go in quotes or are they underlined, I can never remember). When I saw this movie in theaters a few summers ago I had a total design crush on it, don't get me wrong I loved the story, but the sets the rich colors and quirky luggage just called to me, so I am happy to see it high lighted here.
P.S. will someone tell the weather that it is May not August and I do not like these sticky hot days, thanks!

Teardrop Dreams

Still no charger so we continue in our detour from house stuff to talk about a long time dream of mine. This post is inspired by Lucy I could not glance through the lovely images that she had of caravans over at her blog with out thinking about my own trailer dreams. I have been wishing for one of these little Teardrop trailers for so long I can't remember when I first saw one.
I love how cozy they seem with a little bed and a few shelves in the main compartment and a little kitchen off the back, they are just the slightest bit above tent camping on the terms of comfort and convenience. I grew up camping in a pop-up camper so these seem like the small scale little sister of those campers to me. I imagine my to have yellow gingham sheets and a fluffy floral comforter. And a kitchen stocked with mismatched cups and silverware. Now that spring is here, I have a bit of the camping bug and day dreams of sunny days and campfires!

Random Goodness

Dear blog readership (ummm Hi Lydia!),
Long time no post!
This has nothing to do with house stuff. I have no new pictures as my camera charges has not been unearthed. In the mess of boxes that are living in my basement. There have been many thrilling things happening around the little house though, I will not gross you out with the details, but lets just say that I have added a sewer and drain guy to my ever growing list service people. If you are ever in need of Sewer work I highly recommend Reed's Sewer and Drain in Ypsilanti!
Other than still finding homes for all my belongings and spray painting picture frames and not mowing my lawn to my shame. I have been doing a lot of crocheting and watching netflix. Crocheting is my true crafting love, I have been mostly working on baby sweaters these days (sorry no pictures see camera problem stated above), but I thought I'd show off some blanket from days gone by. I made both of these for babies born last fall, the top image is of a pattern I made up (and didn't right down so I now have know idea what I did) and was for my cousin Maggie's son Topher. The second is a slightly modified version of a pattern from Vintage Crochet a wonderfully inspiring book for anyone who enjoys yarn craft, it was a gift for my darling niece Evie. So just a little note to say hello and I am looking forward to more posts soon.
xoxo,
Libby

weekend wonder

Oh hello there, even though I haven't been the best little blogger this past week I have been working away on little projects to make the house more livable. I arranged the living room after a week of up turned chairs. It is looking good, if I do say so myself, of course I haven't picked a room color yet, but I'm getting there.

There are dishes in the cupboards! (after having them for almost a year I still can't get enough of those green bowls - love them!) There are rugs on the floors! There are towels in the cupboards! There are even curtains on the bedroom windows!

Now of course this weekend also was full of time spent with family. Here you see my sister in-law and me in our matching Easter sweaters (she is the tall one with the cute hair, I am the short one who should really start wearing more makeup) - we just showed up in the same thing not even knowing we both had it. It is a great sweater - so great in fact that at least two of my cousins now have it. We'll just have to check before we show up at church all dressed the same. I also took the afternoon of of work on Thursday and drove down to Toledo to see the touring company of Wicked with my mom, sister and brother James. It was wonderful. I had never seen the show and was impressed with both the performances and the over all look of the show. I loved the set and the costumes were fantastic! When I have a little more time I will wax on about the monochromatic green costumes for the Emerald City.

Proof that something has happened

Do you see that! That is a bed with bedding and a nightstand yes can you see someone might be able to in fact sleep in that room.
The living room doesn't look so good, but we will be working on that one tomorrow. Anyway the walls need to be painted and lamps need to be added.
I just love seeing my little belongings starting to fill up the corners of this little house. This is the office/craft room, ahhh it is just going to be so cute!

Labeled

I have been thinking about mail today. I have a little project that I am going to be starting that will involve sending letters among other things and realizing that I after almost a year I know what my address will be for what I hope is a good while.

So address labels are surely needed - see how my mind works I must have cute address labels (all of these labels are from tiny prints). I think that I am kinda in love with the sweet silhouette stamp at top. So cute!

I guess I am just letting myself be distracted after my very long week that I am still recovering from three days later. Oh well I'm off to line dresser drawers with pretty flowered wrapping paper. Small joys!

Give me Liberty

Gosh sorry about all the bad puns and cheesy ripoffs I've been using lately, but I always have loved puns!

Now the real subject of the post the much anticipated, by me anyway, Liberty of London line has arrived at Target. And sadly from what I can tell most has also departed. When I stumbled on it Sunday I ran into women with carts full of patterned goodness. Then when another shopper told me they were already totally sold out of most of the home goods online, I just had to snag a few things. I picked up the small frame at the top of the post as well as the shade on the lamp below.

I think it will find a home in my living room. I only wish that curtains, rugs or sheets had made it into the collection, I have been longing for living room curtains sewn out of this Liberty print for a long time now. Sigh someday!

You light up my life

Now that the dust is settling and it is starting to feel like a real live human could live inside these walls I have turned my thoughts to a new fixture for the kitchen. I think we (and by we I mean my mother and me) have weeded it down to one of the following:This one is from Schoolhouse Electric I love the interest that the black adds.

This one is from Rejuvenation and reminds me of one of my favorite things vintage Pyrex!

And yes of course they are both yellow, are you picking up on a theme?

Moving right along

Things have been going very well over at the little house. This is a shot of the nice clean basement it is the same space as this one:

Worlds of difference isn't it. And that is just the tip of the ice burg. My family was actually able to have our weekly get together for Sunday dinner at my house! (even if someone had to sit on a step ladder) It is really starting to feel like a place I might live and not just spend a great deal of time/energy/money on. Hey by next weekend there might even be a bed and a couch there, isn't that going to be great!

There wil be packing

I have a confession to make:
I hate packing. I hate packing for a trip, I hate packing my stuff up for the day and I really hate packing to move. I have been "working" on packing for two months now and I am in no way ready to actually move. Last night I though I'd get so much done, but then I packed a whole box of books and had to look high and low for my packing tape and then I lost steam. Isn't it bad. Uggg I hate packing.