Lame

My rocking chair will not be getting my beautiful aqua/turquoise vintage fabric. Unfortunately, the upholsterer thinks it's too thin and will not wear well on the chair over time. On the one hand, I'm glad that he let me know so I the chair doesn't end up worn out in a couple of years. On the other hand, I really loved that fabric!! On the upside, I *think* I have enough of the fabric to use it for curtains. I think it would be great for that. I already bought some sheers from Target that have a Moroccan-ish diamond pattern on them, and I think the two textures would look pretty together.

Since I'm in the midst of a storm of end of semester papers and don't have time to drive the 45 minutes to the fabric store my upholsterer recommends, my mom is going to go for me tomorrow. I trust her, and the beauty of a camera phone is that she can send me some of the contenders. My mom and I send each other thrift store (or other) finds via picture text all the time. These days, she's able to do more shopping than me, so it's a little one-sided, but I really really appreciate it. She's found so many great pieces for the baby's new room. Some day I'll have time to do more thrifting, but in the mean time, she's been a champ. Most recently, she found a Dwell crib skirt for a few dollars. It's from a different line than the brown and white, but it will work fine.

So, if you want to weigh in and read this before tomorrow, feel free to chime in with some fabric suggestions! I'm wondering about doing a brown velvet or brown boucle, but I don't want the chair to end up looking "old lady." The fabric store is called Fabrics and Fringe, and the online selection is a little sparse, but there are a few samples I like. Oh, and we are buying from here because they offer a discount via our upholsterer, and because he can pick it up from them easily. If I bought online, I'd have to get it shipped to me, then shipped to him. No thanks. Also, this way my mom can see the samples (and feel the samples!) in person. Definitely an advantage. I know a lot of online shops allow you to get cheap samples, but then that's just even more time to factor in. Double no thanks. Here are some pattern samples I'm digging from the website.

The new baby's room

OK, I'm trying to get caught up on everything. Or at least sort of... My mom and I have been busy plotting out the baby's room, and she's been doing some fabulous thrifting. Don't worry, my husband has plenty of input, too, and we aren't railroading over him on anything. He does like having a say in decorating things. He has strong opinions about style. Seriously. Fortunately, ours are usually in tune.
Aside from the wonderful rocker that I'm still waiting on (the upholsterer has it, but I have no ETA for when I'll get it back. Does anyone have any suggestions about how long it usually takes to get a piece of furniture back?) these blankets are the base inspiration for the baby's room. They are from Target (duh) and I'm in love with the graphic patterns and the warm colors. And of course, gender neutral.
Don't they look pretty together? The blanket on the bottom is a knit blanket. I'm thinking maybe it will be used on the rocking chair as a throw blanket, or maybe as a "stroller blanket." But I'd probably be too worried it would get dirty. Sigh.
These receiving blankets are so neat. I love that pattern on the far right. I wish they were sheets or something more useful. Receiving blankets are great to have, but more from a utilitarian standpoint. They don't give tons of impact. The set is under $20, and it's very tempting to go get another set to have on hand "just in case..." Same with the knit blanket. That one is a little more, but I want to say it's maybe $16. Much much cheaper than the DwellStudio line that isn't associated with Target.
Speaking of DwellStudio, this is the "dream set." It's around $350 on Amazon, which is just never ever going to be in our budget, but isn't it lovely? The similar line that is DwellStudio for Target is not nearly as cute. The stripes are different, and the dots are just regular dots, so it looks more girly and babyish. It's also about $300 cheaper... After finding the blanket sets at Target (the ones I bought and love) I found this set on Amazon and sent it to my mom in one of those "can you believe how cute this is?" e-mails. So brace yourself. Not too long after that, my mom found the comforter FROM THIS SET at Goodwill for $3. Yes. $3. Granted, it's only the comforter, not the bumper or crib skirt or sheet, but it's definitely from this fancy set. My dream set. It's the dotted comforter depicted above folded over the side. One side is the dots and the other side is the stripes. Isn't that the weirdest/awesomest/happiest coincidence? I think so.
Here's a depressing and weirdly dark photo of the baby's room. Sorry. I don't know why it came out like this. I think my camera might be on its last leg. As you can see, the room is teensy. And full of junk. We are still in the process of clearing Roxanne's toys out of here and finding new homes for them. It's not an easy process... The wall on the left features the amazing chest my mom found at Goodwill. It came with the amazing dresser on the right! Better pictures below, I promise. I just wanted to show what the room sort of looks like now. The chest will be put in the closet (which is also on that left wall, but out of this shot). I measured the room, and that spot is the only place where the crib will fit. The dresser will stay where it is, and we plan to put the changing pad on it. It's looooong. And lovely.
Here's the chest. If you can see it behind all of Roxanne's toys. See those legs? The laminate on both pieces needs a little TLC, so I'll need to brush up on my DIY tutorials and get them cleaned up at some point. But neither is that bad, and they are sturdy and solid pieces.
Here's the dresser. The mirror is pulled over the left because we need to have room on the right side for the changing pad. And for the lamp collection... We're not going to keep all of them. We're just trying to decide which ones we should keep. Isn't this gorgeous though? From what I remember, the two pieces together cost around $115. Cheaper than the one IKEA dresser we were considering, and a zillion times more sturdy. My mom has a great eye.
This is what the center knobs look like on the dresser.
The handles on both the dresser and chest feature this carving detail. Amazing, right? We were trying to figure out the era that this set probably dates from. No firm conclusions yet...
The set is by Bassett, as evidenced by the stamp inside the drawer of the dresser. The back of the set is marked "Pageant," so I was hoping I could find some information about this line somewhere on the interwebs, but nope. Either way, Bassett is a great company, and this furniture is fantastic.
I'm hoping this stool will work with the rocker. I spotted it at Goodwill but talked myself out of buying it. My mom ended up going to my Goodwill the same day I found it to do me a favor and look at a daybed I was having second thoughts about not buying. I didn't end up getting it, but she helped me realize that this stool and the cute nursery lamp that I had her look at while she was there were worth buying. This stool was $8 and the lamp was around $5 I think. I originally planned to have this stool recovered in the extra fabric from the rocking chair, but then I realized we were using a lot of brown, and I decided to keep this fabric on the stool for now. It has a pretty deco charm.
The one on the far right is one I just recently found at Goodwill. It was $8, and is a fakey kind of wood. I like it, but I think it's too much wood/wood-look in there. The one in the middle is my favorite. My mom found it at her Goodwill, and I think it was around $11. It's a lovely shiny lamp. And I like that it's a lighter brown. The nursery lamp on the far left is super super cute. But it's also kind of tiny on this dresser. And I'm not sure if the colors will be OK.
Here's a close-up. Cute, right? It's a little broken, but I still think it's adorable as is. Sorry the image is blurred again. My camera and I are not big buddies at the moment.

OK, that's all for now! We still have lots to figure out, like if we are going to paint (Justin wants to, but I still kind of love this wall color) and what will go on the walls. I'm really hoping the rocking chair gets done soon. I can't wait to see it all done!

Mid-Century Motel

This past weekend, I took Roxanne for a mommy-and-me trip to St. Simons Island, Georgia. It's not too bad of a drive, and there are some inexpensive options for lodging (under $70 a night!). My family has been going to St. Simons for a very very long time, and so I always feel comfortable navigating the beach and the restaurants, etc. It's low-key, too, even though things have been changing there for a long time. Just the usual progress from sleepy beach town to vacation spot replete with lots and lots of fancy condos and villas. But, there are still plenty of charming mid-century and older beach houses and buildings that fit in so nicely with my memories of St. Simons (disclaimer, I was born in 1983, so I'm merely pointing out that the fancy architecture didn't really pick up speed until I was a teenager, so all of my little kid/toddler memories are of the low profile buildings). There's something about cinder block and Spanish Moss adorned live oak trees that just works. Trust me. So anyways, our family used to always stay at Queen's Court, which is right next to "the village" and had the most lovely layout ever. It's three buildings shaped in a "U," with a pool right in the middle. As you can see from the photos, there are beautiful established trees and other landscaping placed all around to make the grounds seem lush and fancy, even though the rooms themselves are comfortable but definitely not luxurious. Not that I'm complaining. The sad part is that the motel has been used as staff quarters for one of the nearby luxury resorts for the last few years, so it's not available to stay in anymore. It kind of boggles my mind that they could take such a perfectly located property and turn it into "staff quarters" in an area that again is not quite as ritzy as Hilton Head, but is certainly a nice beach community. Location-wise, you can walk to all of the best restaurants, as well as to certain public access beaches. Prime real estate! That being said, at least the building is still there. I always worry that someday I'll come back for a visit and find those lovely white concrete boxes and their cheerful green trim all torn down, replaced by something that looks gaudy and Italian or French (yes, that does exist in St. Simons, and personally, it gives me the creeps). But this trip, I tried to snap a few photos. Just in case... These buildings date from around 1948. They've still got it.
Look at the greenery! Gorgeous! And don't you love the stairwells? Although you might need to click the image to enlarge to really appreciate/see at all. And the windows... If I remember correctly, I think the stoops have always had astroturf on them. Perfect for getting the sand off your feet...
Just to point out; I'm not against growth and development. I think there are some really lovely new construction projects in St. Simons (and a few that really don't fit, in my opinion). I just hate that the general public (i.e. my family) can no longer enjoy Queen's Court. I fondly remember knitting lessons in my grandparents' room across the courtyard from ours. And sneaking Little Debbie's cakes out of the kitchenette where my bedroom was when we were lucky enough to be in one of the "suites."

On another note, my fabric came in, and it's lovely! The upholsterer said he'd pick up the chair on Friday. Let's hope so! He first told me Monday or Tuesday of this week. Sigh.

Sneak Peek

So, after asking around for recommendations, I found an upholsterer who gave me a great quote for recovering the rocking chair for the baby's new room (under $200!). We talked it over and decided to go for it. I'm sure that the quote might end up being a little lower than the end price, but I still think it seems very fair, and the upholsterer is extremely responsive, professional, and willing to come pick the chair up from my home. I searched some upholstery online sources (like the recommendation one of my lovely readers suggested, www.newtoto.com) and found some great options. But after thinking it over, I decided I wanted to try and find vintage fabric. Ebay was overwhelming, so I turned to Etsy. Etsy was overwhelming, too, but I was at least able to narrow it down more easily by search term. I found this fantastic fabric, but thought I'd just mark it as a favorite and keep looking. Five minutes later, I had a panic attack that someone might buy it while I shopped around, so I went ahead and got it! The upholsterer told me I need 3.5 yards, and there are 5 yards of this, so I'm hoping it will work. The fabric is also 43 1/2 inches wide, which seems more narrow than most modern upholstery fabric, but again, I'm hoping the extra yardage will make up for it. I'm also hoping the weight will be OK. This is described as thin, almost similar to linen, but I just love the bright color and the texture looks so pretty! I'm really excited, since this is the first time we've sprung for getting something upholstered, and I can't think of a better reason than a new baby.
Again, here's the chair in question. I wish the upholstery were in better shape. It really is neat.
Here's a sneak preview of the fabric. This is the listing photo from GiantFlea's etsy shop (which by the by, is full of neat vintage goodies. The fabric with shipping was a little more than I had been hoping to spend, but still under $60 (which is more than the price of the chair...). But I think the color is just gorgeous, and I'm happy to have found vintage fabric. So after all of the costs, I know it feels expensive, but to put it in reference to new mama/baby chairs, an upholstered glider runs around $400 on Craigslist, and about $600-$1200 new (of course, the sky is the limit with really fancy rockers and gliders). Wooden gliders with cushions start around $200 and run up to about $500. So getting a vintage rocker with the perfect shape for our design taste and built like a tank and having it redone with a fabric we choose, seems like a great deal for what I hope will end up being around $300. The upholsterer said to call him as soon as I get the fabric delivered, and he'll come and pick up the chair. He said once he has it he can give me a better idea about what they can/need to do for it. The estimate he gave me was based on photos. But like I said, hopefully it stays in the same ballpark as the end price... Either way, I'm so excited. This will likely be the only real "splurge" for the new baby's room, and it's something that gets a lot of mileage when you are nursing little ones, so I think it's a good place to spend a little extra. Also, it's totally going into our living room after the baby's done with it...

Roxanne's Room

OK, so I know that Roxanne's bedroom is not really a designer showcase, but we are just not one of those families that have few enough toys to make her room look like the pretty ones on ohdeedoh, etc. But we love it. And so does she. We've been wanting to get Roxanne a play table for a while, since she has so many tiny toys and dollhouses and they end up in weird jumbles in different corners of the house. Alas, even on Craigslist, the fancy play tables are super expensive and HUGE. Roxanne's tiny room won't accommodate the size, and our tiny budget won't accommodate the price. I felt like there HAD to be an IKEA something or other that we could use instead of a play table, but I just wasn't finding the right thing. Obviously, I've been checking thrift stores, but nothing has been coming along that was right, hence the IKEA move. I googled something along the lines of "IKEA play table hack" and found an adorable playroom with LACK side tables pushed together to make a play table. Sold! So a few weeks ago, we went to IKEA and bought 3 LACK tables (and some new, solid colored, less busy curtains) and some pink bins for underneath the tables. And it's a great change to her room! And since the LACK tables are around $10, it's OK if they don't last forever.
Here are the little tables. We went with the light blue, just to cool it on all the pink in there. And I'm in love with this green curtains. I think the pack of two panels is $10, if I'm not mistaken. And the pink bins (made to go in the Expedit shelving unit, but also fit perfectly under these tables) fit an amazing amount of stuffed animals. Trust me.
I know this bin storage unit is cluttery, but it really does help with little ones being able to see what is where. I have found (and I'm a nanny ya'll, I am with little monsters all day every day) that they play with stuff more if they can see it. They're also more likely to clean up if they can see where to put things...

I know that little red framed picture is way too close to the big one. I need to move it. Also, please excuse the insane amount of junk on Roxanne's dresser. Kids=insane amounts of junk.

Settling

I'm sorry. I realize these photos are horrifically dark. It's kind of an ugly day here in Decatur, and even with the flash, they were too dark. My only suggestion is to click and enlarge and that helps a bit. I guess waiting to take photos in better light would have been the better solution, but I'm just not very patient, and I've got TONS of reading to do. Tiny violins anyone?
We have added a couch (the gray one on the right). It fits that whole "Mr. Right Now" instead of "Mr. Right" rule. It's an Urban Outfitters Night and Day convertible bed and the rumors are true. It's not very comfortable, and feels cheap. However, it sure does look good, even though this one is quite worn and the price was right. I found it on Craigslist for $100, and it's normally $600 before shipping. If I paid anymore than that, it would be stupid, but for that price, we're all OK with it not being the most comfortable couch ever. We just wanted another landing spot in the living room. Not a chair, but something to lay on. This fits the bill in the looks and price department. Some day, we'll win the lottery and buy a sectional, but for now, this is pretty OK.
We moved the credenza under the window, which is actually pretty nice, and only slightly awkward because it's not centered under the window. But the dang arms on this brown couch are just so high that anything put under the window next to it looks weird because it gets blocked. I'm vaguely toying with the idea of trying to sell the brown couch and trying to save up to get a sectional. Justin is in agreement, but we also both understand the time and difficulty involved in trying to sell something on Craigslist... Plus, we'd want at least $500 for it because that's close to what we paid a friend for it, and new it's $1500. And it really is in pretty perfect shape. It's definitely the nicest piece of furniture we own, so I'm loathe to think of getting rid of it, but it just doesn't quite work in here! If we had a different house, I'd marry this couch, but as is, I'm just not sure what to do.
I put all of our magazines on this shelf. We love magazines... It's an addiction I think.
Here's the new couch. It is about 2 inches too big for this spot, but it's the least awkward place to put it of all of the myriad of awkward ways we tried to make it work.

So this is our living room at the moment. It's feeling pretty OK, and definitely offers better/more seating than before. Which is a big plus.

A New (Old) Chair

Ever since I found out I was pregnant with baby number 2, I've been obsessing about getting a new glider or rocking chair. I've combed Craigslist constantly and looked new, but everything is either too expensive or too granny. Today, on the way to my cousin's baby shower, my step-mom and I stopped at an antique mall out in the country. I should point out, we were early, so we didn't miss the baby shower for it. I'm not that bad... There was a consignment section of the antique mall, where the furniture was marked with a price, but for every month that the item had been there, it would marked down 10%. This chair was marked $85 but had been there for a full year, so I got it for a total of $45 (they max the discount out at 50% which I understand... I guess...). The chair has great bones, and while it's not a glider, or rocker, it kind of bounces. If you have your feet up on a short stool (which I now have to hunt out the perfect one) it rocks nicely. It has springs on the underside attached to the base.
You can see the legs need a little love, but they look they will clean up nicely when and if I get around to it. The upholstery is kind of on the icky side, but it's really not that bad. We can live with it until we win the lottery and get it re-upholstered.
Look at the profile! I've never seen such a modern looking granny chair!
Here's a close-up on one of the arms. The upholstery has kind of split from the staples, and I feel like the upholstery job on the chair overall is not great. But again, it's got good bones, and will be worth it to use as-is and eventually get it fixed up when we can afford it. It's not something that screams "BABY" so I think we could even have it in the living room once it's done with baby duty. I'm very excited though!
Here's a rough spot on the back. It looks like a cat got to it. For a few years... But face it to the back and it will be fine!
Speaking of backs, here it is! I wish I could do these upholstery jobs myself. I just don't know that I have the right skill-set or tools. If anyone has guesstimates on the price of getting a piece like this re-upholstered (or a good online DIY tutorial for me to follow along with and do it myself) I'm all ears! My dream fabric would be a bright happy Marimekko print. Budget-wise, we might try for some IKEA upholstery weight fabric.
Here's a close up of the fabric. I kind of love it, but it really is pretty worn, and like I said, I think it was kind of a cheapy job to start with. I plan to use orange in the baby's room (gender neutral, just like we need!) so I think it will work well.