To Market to Market

Yesterday was Farmers Market day. In town we have a market downtown on Tuesday afternoons, I try when I can to swing by after work hit the market and then the library. Yesterday I was able to do both.

As a result I had a yummy, rather green dinner of; green tomatoes with parsley, salt and pepper, cucumber with lime juice and salt, fresh mozzarella and farm bread all while watching Last Chance Harvey a kinda cute movie.

Umm yea hi!

Oh my I have had great luck thrifting lately. The weekend before last my I stopped with my mom at an antique shop downtown I think the name is Salt City Antiques and I found not only this vintage Pyrex in great shape and in a pattern I have never seen before, but also this awesome step ladder.

When you are not exactly the tallest girl around, things like shelves and curtain rods tend to be out of reach. I had this functional, but frankly ugly step ladder that I am now happy to send to the basement to live. Isn't it just great so cute when tucked beside the fridge or when accidentally/lazily left out.

Plus how would I reach the top shelf to put away my new baking dish with out it?

Fashion Show, Fashion Show, Fashion Show at Lunch - Marie Antoinette

I am talking about the 2006 Sofia Coppola Marie Antoinette staring Kristen Dunst. I really love this movie, it is beautiful; the sets are delish and the casting is (in my opinion) spot on.

And the clothing is mesmerizing. They are of course way more over the top than anything anyone I know would wear, but they were much more over the top than anyone I know.

Ms. Coppola said that a photo of colorful French cookies was the inspiration for the color of the sets and costumes. You can see it so well in the picture above how well that translated to the screen.

Don't you wish you could go a masked ball like the one above? I know I do!

These two blue numbers are just so spot on.

To be honest part of why I like this movie is because it ends just as all the truly bad stuff happens in her life. You don't have to see her time in prison or being beheaded, you just get to enjoy the good life and know what will happen next.

fashion show, fashion show, fashion show at lunch! - Mad Men

I'm not really much of a fashion follower, but there are those people or tv shows or films that have such great fashion you can't help but be inspired by them. Mad Men is totally one of those shows for me. I love the program because it has an interesting story line and great acting, but also because it has wonderful set design and costuming.

I love Joan Holloway/Harris' clothing the most. She is just so fab. I think that this purple and pink number is just to die for. One of the things I love about the clothes on Mad Men is that they are totally believable as clothes that someone actually owns and wears. Case in point this dress is seen in at least two episodes in at least two seasons.

Joan also wears that totally awesome necklace in almost every episode. Love it!

After being absent a little from Season 3 I am looking forward to seeing more of Joan and her great clothes in season 4!

I am really think that some of those sixties bangs might be showing up on my head sometime soon.

I love the character of Trudy Campbell maybe best of all. She has had a lot of growth and development for a secondary character. And her clothes are so fashion forward. She is the young wife living in the city and (for the most part) enjoying the good life. And that means having great clothes - I couldn't find a good screen cap, but in the wedding episode from season 3 she has a truly inspiring fashion moment with dye to match shoes. Really, like the horror of all bridesmaids only awesome because they are shiny blue. Yeah, I'm really saying that I want to dye shoes. Really.

Love the blue and love how they had her hold the pink elephant - it shows it off perfect. I think that this is season two, but it might be three anyway whatever season it is she and Pete start seeming like more of a unit and the way the dress adds to it so nicely.

Okay I don't like Betty Draper. She has no joy, but she does have killer clothes - this is what she wears when she has been asked to babysit a neighbors kids, yes she is a grown-up with her own family, the whole thing is very odd, but she looks great.

Anyway I am waiting with high hopes for the new season to start this weekend. And if you like this little feature I am going to keep it around for a few weeks so look for it on Thursdays at lunch time.

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?