Suzanne Tidwell, a Seattle area fiber artist, installed this amazing public display of art titled “Artificial Light” in Redmond’s Anderson Park. Since I work nearby, I stopped by for a visit the second it stopped raining and could not stop taking pictures of these pieces! I can’t even believe the amount of work {and stitches!} involved in executing something like this – it’s truly stunning! There is nothing else I can think of to brighten a dreary Northwest day more than this. More photos of the installation can be found in this Seattle Times feature. Gorgeous!
Design & Decorating
April 05, 2012
February 27, 2012
Jenny Lind Bed Makeover
Remember when I got this beauty last summer off craigslist for a cool $15?
Well, after months of prep and a prompt from this month’s colour me happy project, we finally finished it! I say WE because Josh had a huge part in seeing this to completion. I did the prepping, sanding, and priming and he did the painting and sealing. Go team! Another crucial component was all the wonderful guidance provided by Centsational Girl. Without her, I would have stood on the spray paint isle…for probably, hours.
In case you care, here is a quick step by step of our process:
1. Wipe dirt and grime off bed. Sand like crazy…but not too much!
2. Prime. Sometimes priming isn’t always required but I wanted to give myself the best odds. The primer acts like a bonding agent for the spray paint and makes it nice and smoooooth. I used a Zissner oil-based formula.
3. Paint. As long as you follow the instructions on the can, you’re golden. Make sure it’s not too cold when you are painting! To avoid cracking, bubbling, or peeling, it needs to be between a certain temperature range. For this, we went with a gray/blue color – Slate Blue by Rustoleum.
4. Seal. To protect your paint job and give it a long life, a polyurethane spray, like Varathane, will do the trick.
DISCLAIMER: I am not an expert furniture re-finisher so would highly recommend doing your own research as well based on what you want to paint!
This bed will soon be in Sky’s “big boy room” which we are working on little by little and I can’t WAIT to share sometime in the coming months!
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January 19, 2012
Can stripes be an addiction?
As you can see if you are viewing this post on the actual blog page, I have a thing for yellow and a big thing for stripes. Put them together and it just might be my favorite thing. Remember the yellow stripe tablecloth I used for Sky’s birthday party? Well, it wasn’t really a tablecloth. It was actually 2 yards of fabric that I had secret plans for later.
You see, we have this bookcase in our living room and while it has doors and is perfectly fine as is, I wanted to try and brighten it up a little.
If you look close, there are imperfections. But overall, I think it will do! With the doors closed you don’t really see it but I like knowing that there is a little bit of color hidden in there. In case you’re in the mood for more bookshelf “backing” inspiration, here are a few of my other favorites: one, two, three, four, five.
{Linking up with the Colour Me Happy Project!}
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January 11, 2012
A cup for the Keurig
We recently got a new coffee machine – a fancy keurig that makes individual cups within minutes! I was a bit skeptical at first but I love it and probably won’t ever be able to go back. It’s perfect for mornings where Josh needs coffee at 3 am and I need it at 7 am. Are you one of those people that has matching coffee cups or all different? We used to have matching but we are slowly amassing a collection of very unique mugs and I like it! Even though it’s inappropriate, this is one of my favorite mugs we own. It stands for Salt Lake, Utah – that was the first thing you thought of, right?
{from left to right, top to bottom: dandelion mug, orla kiely mug, garden mug, jonathan adler mug, le creuset mug, vintage flower mug, arrow mug, branch buddies mug, and listen to the world mug}
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December 05, 2011
Eye Candy For Your Monday
When Josh and I were out on our date last Friday, we happened to wander into Anthropologie while we were hanging out at U Village. I’m in love with this store, I could live there, seriously. It’s funny that it’s one of my favorite places, yet I don’t actually own very much from here – it’s all so expensive. Sometimes though, the sales are great and I can get my fix with some home items, which are usually more reasonable. It’s amazing what a little twine and some pretty pencils can do for my mood!
Ever since I took Blogging Your Way and we talked about using stores/shops as a blog opportunity and asking for permission to take photos {vs. just being sneaky about it}, I’ve been scared! But, I had heard somewhere that most Anthro’s welcome photos, so I got the courage to ask….and they said YES! I still felt a little awkward because I thought other shoppers would think I was a crazy person who takes pictures in stores without asking. I didn’t end up taking that many photos but it was still fun and I was proud of myself that I asked. I think I need to stop being so shy!
The merchandising is always so pretty. I’m kind of in love with the Christmas balls all grouped together. I think I could do this in our dining room?! Maybe hanging them all at varying heights would be pretty!
I get giddy when I see things like Rifle Paper, and books by my favorite bloggers – Grace and Holly.
The polka dot frilly paper picture above are pencils…and yes, I bought them. My heart skips a beat just holding them – is that weird?! The gift tags are actually cards with red/blue thread sewn on – SO CUTE, right?! We will be making these for sure!
There’s so much to love, it’s unbelievable. Happy Monday friends!
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November 30, 2011
Birthday Inspiration
1. Paper Circle Garland 2. Antipasto Kabobs 3. Felt Birthday Banner 4. Old Fashioned Birthday Cake 5. Ice Cream Cups 6. Pizza Muffins 7. Streamers! 8. Nilla Wafer Goodness 9. Simple Decorations
Sky will be 2 in a little less than a month, I can’t believe it! We are having a small, simple family party and even though most of the house will be decorated for Christmas, I still want to have some traditional birthday touches so Sky knows it’s his day! At this point, I’m definitely planning on circle garland, a fat striped table cloth, some sort of birthday banner, and balloons {maybe polka dot?}. The party is happening between lunch and dinner so we will have lots of appetizer-ish snacks and of course, cake and ice cream. Sky’s favorite food is {what else!}….pizza so I think the pizza muffins are a must.
Much more pretty party inspiration can be found on my pinterest boards: general party ideas, garlands, buntings, & banners, and cupcakes & cakes! What did we do before this site existed?!
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October 06, 2011
Another Sign I Might Have OCD.
Remember the sweet nightstands I scored on Craigslist a while ago? Well, I finally got around to lining the drawers!
Did you know that the shelf and drawer paper selection out there is dismal? It’s hard to find anything remotely pretty. After LOTS of hunting, I eventually stumbled upon Chic Shelf Paper. FINALLY, some options! But, after measuring, it would have been almost $70. Not really within my “drawer lining” budget, especially for something no one really sees!
I soon realized I would have more options if I went with fabric or paper so after lots more searching and second-guessing, {a little about paper but more about why I can’t stop obsessing and must find THE ONE}, I landed here:
This is actually wrapping paper from Paper Source, one of my favorite stores in the entire world. At $3.50 per sheet, my total spending for this project was only $21! I also used a little bit of removable double sided tape in each corner of the drawer to keep it in place. I really like this paper, although it’s not like….to die for. It’s pretty and it works {it’s one of the few papers that was actually wide enough to fit!} and as Josh had to remind me a million times, IT’S IN A DRAWER. I guess I was hoping to find something that would spark me and be the perfect thing, but I now realize that’s unrealistic given how picky I am about EVERYTHING. Please don’t ask me why I feel the need to find “perfect” paper for the inside of a drawer. I think it’s a sickness, for REAL.
In case you are also in the market for some unique paper, here are a few of my favorite online shops:
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September 19, 2011
It's like this and like that and like this....
This post is going to be random today…lots of little bits of stuff to mention!
First, I went to the Pacific Northwest blogger meet up on Saturday. It was kind of amazing. Can’t wait to see the pictures and share them with you all! If anything, I realized that the people I felt most connected to on their blog definitely translated to real life. Like same, whoa! It’s pretty cool stuff.
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I have disqus on my blog now. it’s a commenting system that is more interactive and allows you to subscribe to the comments via email and also get notified when I reply to your comment on the blog. Yay! Speaking of interaction, Peck Life is on Facebook. You should like it if you don’t already!
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Fall is here. I broke down and got Sky a Halloween costume from Target. I know a million other kids will probably have it but I didn’t have the motivation to be creative this year…partly because I know he won’t wear whatever we land on. I’m not sure if he'll be into trick or treating. He has a pumpkin pail and currently uses it to carry around his binkies.
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A few weeks ago, I had some luck at the goodwill and came home with a few treasures. I’m in love with the bed sheet!Josh wasn't a fan of using it on the bed so I’ll probably just use it for projects, it’s perfect fabric!
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We have potatoes! We grew them in a garbage can this year (thanks dad!) and were unsure if they would make it, but they did! These are Yukon Gold and this was only what we uncovered in the top layer of dirt. The rest are still in there….ready to be harvested when we need them. I really want to make this pizza.
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Does anyone watch Project Runway? It’s my SHOW…the one thing I have to watch each week. I don’t really have a favorite {so far} this season. I’ve LOVED reading all of Ez’s posts about fashion week, sneak peek at the collections!
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I think all the hubub around Missoni for Target is funny. Don’t get me wrong, I’d totally buy it all if I could, it’s super cute. I just can’t believe how it’s all gone down! I loved these pictures of empty display racks. haha! I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised, Target seems notorious for never having enough of anything in stock {although it's clear I probably can't live without this store}! Bah!
Ok, now onward to Monday...back to the grind at work after being off for a week. I think there will be multiple cups of coffee needed to start this engine back up! Yeeee-hawwww!
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September 12, 2011
Collecting: Globes
First and foremost, let’s talk about collecting. Do you have collections of things? I wish I was better at being strategic with my collecting, so I had a full grouping of something that’s eye-catching. But, I’m usually not. I have one or two of lots of different things and then it just looks like a hodge podge. I also never seem to have time to go scavenging for goodies. I think it’s a combo of not having fund$ for collecting (kind of not a necessity), or the fact that there is an almost 2 year old running rampant throughout the house who would probably break whatever I collect. But all that aside, I love collections, especially when they are displayed….and I’m envious of people who manage to perfect this art of decorating. I thought it might be fun to regularly feature some collections I’m coveting, both to inspire and to free up some of my brain space to stop obsessing about gathering objects to collect dust put in my house.
My first collecting obsession? GLOBES.
I know globes are all the rage right now, but I can’t help it. I love. Globes look really cool as a stand alone item but I think they look ten times better when they are grouped together….two (or 20) is better than one right? I’m especially loving black globes right now….and globes used in kids rooms. swoooon.
{the pleated poppy – one of my favorite blogs}
{both images via life made lovely – another favorite blog!}
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August 30, 2011
And Then Craigslist Got Awesomer.
In case you missed my post last week, I’ve been high on craigslist lately. It all started with finding a pair of matching dresser/nightstands for our bedroom. Two other pieces that I’m constantly on the look out for? A dresser for our bedroom {still searching} and a twin headboard and footboard for the day when we move the twin bed out of our guestroom and it becomes a big boy bed for Sky. I’ve always been a fan of Jenny Lind style beds so imagine my excitement when I found this little gem:
This bed has a history. It belonged to the 70-something year old brother of the woman I bought it from. It was most likely manufactured during the great depression in the 1920’s or 1930’s. The clue being that the side rails connect by the use of steel hooks that slide into a slot in the headboard {you can see it above since I accidentally photographed the backside each piece!}. It does need quite a bit of love but for only $15 and literally minutes from my office, I thought it was a complete steal, especially since this same bed brand new retails for $499 at Land of Nod. Jenny Lind isn’t really a brand or manufacturer, she was actually an opera singer who preferred spool beds and somehow this style of furniture got her name. I should let you know that I AM aware that if these beds aren’t done right, they can border on something you’d see in an insane asylum. In the article linked above, it even says the beds were used in prisons in the olden days! Eeek! The dark colored frames actually creep me out a little so I want to make sure this bed gets a cheery coat of light color and doesn’t resemble anything even remotely depressing.
Jenny Lind style CRIBS all over blogs and decorating sites. They are super popular and rightfully so, they look adorable in any nursery. But, the beds are catching on as well and make the perfect mix of old and new, especially when they are given new life with paint or modern bedding. Here are just a few of my favorite Jenny Lind makeovers:
{via ebay}
There are so many fun colors and options! Now, time to pine over paint colors…
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