Tooty-toot-toot-toot!

No, this post is not going to be about Boston Terrier gas, but let me tell you, it's amazing the stank a 13lb dog can lay down.

This post is to notify you all that I am tootin' my own horn that my silly little kitchen light is front page news over at Funky Junk Interiors.  Can I just say that I was baaa-lowwwwn away when I saw it today. 

This makes me really reconsider my current undertaking of getting my MSW and going into interior design.  Yes, I am just that over inflated that one little mention on an amazing and highly followed blog and I would consider a new and not always lucrative career choice.  Let's not even begin to discuss how I by no means have the talent to do interior design.  Anyways, head over to Funky Junk Interiors and check out the other amazing talent that's being profiled.  (Yeah, I just called myself amazing.)

I'm gonna do it. Sometime. Maybe.

I've lusted over open shelving in kitchens before.  But today I got a step closer.  I finally got around to spending a Kohl's gift card from Christmas and got an amazing deal on these lovely Oneida dishes.

These are the Oneida Souffle dishes.  The deal was great, 40 pcs for $59.99 plus my $25 gift card! Granted, I would have really liked to have found enough white vintage dishes to make a full set, but alas, these will do just fine.  Not to mention I have a set of lovely vintage china that I use for holidays and such, they just aren't white.

Now that I have a full matching set instead of two partial sets. (One with blue sponge painted farm animals on them, yes, you read that right. I really can't believe I told you all that, please, don't shun me for having country decor!) I can now proceed with my open shelving. 

My only hurdle is deciding which cabinets to use as shelving.  Should I do this side, the stove side? Sorry awful picture, but it's dreary here today and the pictures just were not coming out well and this was all I have in my files.  There are two equal sized cabinets on each side of the microwave which speaks loudly to my OCD nature of symmetry. 

The draw back for this side of the kitchen is that those cabinets house food and spices/cooking "stuff."  If I put my dishes over here I will then have to put the cooking stuff on the other side of the kitchen.   I suppose this goes to show how lazy I am, I hate the idea of having to turn around and walk 2 steps to get salt and pepper when I'm cooking.  Not to mention if the dishes are on the stove side the grease factor goes up a zillion percent than if the dishes were on the sink side.

Or should I do it on this side, the sink side?  These cabinets, each side of the window, currently house the dishes and glasses so it "makes sense" on this side.  BUT see that blurry white/green thing on the right? That's another cabinet, it's the "junk food" cabinet and I am not sure if it would look right to have four cabinets sans doors and then one with a door.  Because I will tell you now, there is NO WAY that junk food cabinet will ever, ever, ever be obsolete nor will it ever be purdy enough to not have a door.



So, whatcha' think?  Sink side all four doors or sink side, just the two you can see above?  Or are you a stove side sort of person? 

Tick tock...glug glug

This clock makes my heart beat fast (that's the glug glug part.)  Sorry, stolen pictures from the net do not transfer well to blogs.

I saw it in Country Living and spontaneously "ohhhhhhh, I want this."   My dear sweet husband endulged me and looked at the picture when I showed it to him but his "uh huh, it's nice" was by no means as enthusiastic as I had wanted.  I am hoping she will be coming home with me this weekend, she would be puuuuuurrrfect in our living room.   I'll let you know (and see) if it does make it home with us!

Here's the info on the clock, just please don't buy the only ones in the Columbus, Ohio area, or you'll have one sad Bellom on your hands! ;)

http://www.pier1.com/Catalog/HomeAccentsD%c3%a9cor/tabid/508/List/0/CategoryID/134/level/a/ProductID/28347/ProductName/Grandmother-Wall-Clockuu/Default.aspx

What you can do with $25

I tell people I'm "cheap" or "frugal" in truth, we live on a budget.  Some months are lean and some are fruitful but no matter the month I do try to do the most I can with the least possible.  This is evident in our kitchen where I used Goodwill finds and a great Ebay score to make a super cute gallery wall.

Here's the break down.

First off, the square frames are all from Goodwill for $1.00 each.  The vintage egg print in this one was $12.00.  I will admit, I thought that was pricey, but I love all things bird related and thought this would be perfect in my kitchen so I went for it. Using left over paint (FREE) and left over burlap (FREE) I just taped the print down and used the glass from the frame to keep everything in place.  Not bad for $13.00. (Please excuse the reflection, I wasn't about to move the kitchen table to take a picture, I'm not that dedicated of a blogger I suppose.But at least you can see my handmade curtains from Target grain sack dish towels and some seam binding.)

Next up, my Mary Poppins spoon.  I love, love, love Mary Poppins.  You may have picked up on that from my new blog header; Practically IMperfect in Every Way.   I scored this cute spoon on Ebay, in fact it was my first ever Ebay purchase!  I got her for $10.00 including shipping.  Pricey for a little spoon, perhaps, but recently I saw one on Ebay for $50.00.  This frame I purchased awhile back and couldn't figure out what to do with it, so I count it as "free" since I didn't go out and purchase it for this purpose, instead I "shopped" the junk closet for it.  I just used some super glue and some left over (FREE) scrapbook paper as the background.

I felt I "needed" some chalk board in the kitchen, a $1.00 painting from Goodwill was perfect.  I used left over (FREE) chalk board paint and left over (FREE) while paint and here you go!

Lastly, this was a $1.00 mirror from Goodwill.  Using a key that came with the music used in this project, which was bought for another project (so again, I count this as "FREE") I simply glued the music to the mirror and then glued the key to the music.  I didn't intend on distressing this frame but the finish on the wood did not agree with the paint so it bubbled, therefore, distress it!

I don't think that's too bad for $25.00, do you?

Is it too late for some Christmas trees and such?

For those of you who are suffering from Christmas postpartum as I am, enjoy some pictures of our trees and such. 

The den tree.  Most likely her last year.  Thanks to a curious cat she was knocked over and her base is less than sturdy.  Den Tree 2.0 will likely have a "nature" theme next year.

Even the animals have a tree.  There are mini pet theme ornaments on this little one.

Yes, even the laundry room got a tree this year.  She's wearing miniature French post cards. 

Claudia in the living room.

She's just so pretty.  The pine will likely get replaced with peacock feathers when she takes up residence in my office.

Goodwill frame, discount letters glittered in Martha's amazing glitter and some vintage music...wa....la....cute and sparkly Christmas decor for about $2.00!

Living room tree.  All our favorite "traditional" ornaments.  Some for E's childhood, some from mine and some we've gotten since we've been married.  Of course a bunch of Boston Terrier ornaments as well!

Chalkboard paint.  I love you.

I made the JOY banner out of vintage music and left over paper and glitter, love it.

And, now my "me cave" aka my office.  I am just going to give you a teaser, so watch for a post more about this room and it's recent transformation!

I hope you all had magical Christmas' and blessed New Years!

A dream came true.

I have been searching for a vintage dress form for about a year.  Do you realize how expensive these babies are?  No? Let me show you...

From Etsy $495.00 (plus shipping)

Granted, this next one is "dressed" in a way that makes my heart skip a few beats, having to pay the asking price would stop my heart cold.

Prepare yourself...

$1,625.00 from Etsy

Another from the same seller.  This one is cast iron, can you imagine the shipping?  It would likely be cheaper to fly to Utah (where the seller is) and carry it home on your back.

$1,975.00

Thud.  Yeah, I my jaw did that too.

Now, feast your eyes on this beauty.

She's delicate.  Prim and proper.  Wearing a lovely festive Christmas skirt.  And, thanks to this weekend's French Hen Barn Sale, she's MINE!  Better yet, she was only $110.00!

She is currently in my living room to show off her lovely Christmas attire, but once the holiday is over she'll reside in my mom cave (which is coming along slowly.)

And in keeping with naming my favorite pieces, I here by name her Claudia.

My worst enemy....Me

I am my own worst enemy.  I am a perfectionist and I am very, very hard on myself.   My current self abuse I can blame on blogland.  Now, I love more than anything to read everyone's blog.  I pour over the pictures, analyzing every detail.  I print pictures, keep notebooks, folder upon folder of favorites.  What's the problem with this?  Seeing the beauty you all create makes me second guess myself and what I really like and don't like.  I have to remember that just because it's on a blog and it gets 100 comments doesn't make it pretty and vice versa. 

For example.  I am painting the spare room in an effort to make a "mom" cave corner.  I hate the color.  Hate, hate, hate.  It's Glidden Barely Jade.  The chip shows a lovely blue, green, grey.  The walls, are blue.  Just plain, boring, baby blue.  Atrocious.  What makes me hate it even more? Because none of you have used it.  I love the color in my laundry room because Layla at The Lettered Cottage used it, so it has to be a great color.  Our den color was approved by Young House Love.  Our living room colors come from the very amazing Monique Keegan as seen in Country Living and owner of Enjoy Co in Granville. 

The spare room...some crap I picked.

Why do I do this to myself?

Are you hard on yourself like this or should I seek help?