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.

My Mom's Fantastic Eye

So, my mom has been collecting vintage goodies for the past few months in the hopes of opening a booth sometime soon. She's got quite an inventory built up, and will hopefully start looking more into booth rental in the next few months. In the mean time, I asked if I could do a post about some of her goodies! These photos were taken by my step-dad, and show how she has styled different vignettes to display everything. Keep in mind, these are taken in the garage, but I think they look amazing! I already told her I'm going to sneak in once she opens her booth and buy some of my favorites. All of these finds were either thrifted or from estate sales. I'm pointing out which things I'm proud to have helped find, but almost everything was found by my mom and her fantastic taste. She has more than what is pictured, and I assure you it's all awesome. I'm putting in small photos, but you can click to enlarge.
Here's the "warm colors" set. This hutch was something I actually found on CL, and it was not listed in any way as being MCM or even vintage, I don't think. I called my mom and freaked out and told her to go get it. I think it was around $100, and it's in amazing condition. It's Drexel, and it actually lights up in the glass part. Gorgeous.
I love all of the autumn plates and the planter's clock together. I saw that planter's clock in the photos advertising an estate sale, and when my mom ended up going, she bought it. I think it's really cool. It tells you when to plant what.
I love this little bentwood chair. Especially the arms. It's in great condition.
This pillow/rocker is something I covet for our baby's new room, but my mom assures me that the rocker is really not very comfortable. I think maybe it's small. But I'm thinking toss a sheepskin in there and call it a day...? But don't worry, I'll get it fair and square once it hits the booth floor. I don't want any of those awkward, "stop taking all my inventory for free" situations. :)
Look at these colors! Love it!
I love this teapot, and sugar bowl. The water pitcher is so graceful.
Who could resist this little set? Here's what it looks like when the hutch is lit. It's like disco dishes. But more elegant.
The cool colors set! This table and chairs set folds, and is in amazing condition.
I love these glasses and carafes. I especially love the way she put them together like these. I think she's got a great eye for staging. Way way better than mine.
Don't these all look so pretty together?
I LOVE these little glasses.
And this china is so cool.
Is there anything not cool about this set? I love the lamps, and don't even get me started on that white stool.
I don't know how she knows so well that these glasses work well altogether and with the other things from this vignette, but it so does. I feel like all of her vignettes could just move into a room together and make that room perfect.
I love this color palette. And that print... Don't even get me started.
Yes, please. The louvered cabinet behind the wicker beauty is from an estate sale. At first, my mom and I were both convinced that someone had painted it. But after some research, it seems like it probably actually came in that color. I love the handles.
Last but not least, I think this looks like the cutest little "diner" vignette. That chair is darling.
Aren't these apple canisters adorable? I love the coffee tray back there, too.
Penguins. So cute.
I dream of someday having a kitchen big enough to display some cute metal canisters. I have an Everedy set that is awesome,but I love the look of these brushed metal ones, too.
OK, this is a special entry, and if anyone has any information about this piece, we'd both love to hear it. This is a gorgeous (and huge) watercolor. It's an original, and is signed (and has a watermark that we can't read).
Here's the signature (and the watermark is to the left). We thought maybe it was by Charles Hopkinson, but it looks to say "H.C. Hopkinson," which doesn't really match up with Charles. And when you look at other examples of Charles Hopkinson's signature, they don't really match up. Either way, it's a lovely painting.

Hope you enjoyed! And for the record, my mom reads my blog, so please feel free to tell her that she's wonderful! :)

OK, brace yourself...

Here's photos of what the yard looks like *after* my clean up today. I didn't have the courage to take any as it was before that.
Let me open with something that I know you will like... This is my treasured Bertoia and my fabulous wood table. The Bertoia should probably not be out here, but it's under the roof line and it just looks so good out there! I will say, when I actually sit in it, I use the fake sheepskin/flokati that is normally inside. It prevents waffle butt beautifully. The little table was under $10 from what I remember. I found it in the basement at an estate sale with my mom a few months back. I think it's home-made and I just love the way the base looks kind of like a retro rocket. My idea was to clean it up and give it a fresh coat of paint, but I parked it out here while figuring out where to put it inside, and it just looked so good with the Bertoia, I left it. The metal edging around the top picks up the metal legs on the Bertoia beautifully. Oh, and the chair is from a local antique place, and although it was expensive, I'm assuming it's a knock-off. The things we do for waffle butt...

The view while standing on the stoop. Mmm, brown, brown and more brown. You can see the weird patch of sod the HGTV people put in to smooth out the curve. Before, it was straight across. We had to WATER that patch, as well as one on the front of the bed. Sod does not like being planted in the hottest part of summer. Trust me.
Here is the other side of the driveway that I mentioned before. If it looks familiar, you are probably just thinking of Chernobyl. Or Siberia. Oh, the house to the left across from ours (the one that is kind of beige-y/greige-y was one of the small "neighbor projects" on our episode of Curb Appeal: The Block. It's cute, and a nice family lives there.
This is that same little stretch between driveway and fence. The bermudagrass here really never got dug out; I'm convinced. I think they just sprinkled a tiny bit of mulch on top.
From the front. At least the house looks pretty...
Here where the bed is supposed to widen again where it meets the street has basically disappeared. We get really heavy water run off up here, so the mulch washed away really quickly, as did the plants they put in. I think once we get a divider in, I'd like to put in rocks instead of plants. But we'll see. Monkey grass seems to do fine.
Close up of what used to be a planted bed... Gross.
Another angle. And Roxanne's lovely Retro Red Radio Flyer. It was a gift from her cousins, and it's so cute now that she's starting to be able to actually pedal it. She just can't steer well, so she just yells a lot if you don't hold onto her while she's riding.

Getting Started...

Today I went ahead and did about an hour's worth of work in the yard (who needs to do midterms anyways?). Roxanne and Justin even helped a little, too! Roxanne decided to go after all of the wild onion weeds. I can't get anywhere near her hands now, since the smell is making me nauseated...

I didn't do much, just pulled about an 1/20th of the weeds, and (I think) all of the dead annuals. The flower perennials I pulled the dead parts off but left the roots in the hopes that they will come back and be just as lovely as last year. The stalks were so insanely brittle, they just cracked off with almost no effort at all. I also discovered that one of the camellia bushes that has been struggling had a large vine root next to its' roots, so I got that beast out. Hopefully it will help the bush recover. That being said, this one particular bush seems to have been half dead ever since it was planted. It's weird, because it always has some green leaves, but then lots of brown. It's probably got some really super common problem that if I knew ANYTHING about gardening I would immediately recognize. Oh well. At least that stupid vine is out.

We have vines all over our property, as does our neighbor. The backyard looks like the jungle in some areas, and we spent a lot of time last summer cutting the vines back and ripping them out, etc., but then we realized that even if they are weedy vines, they were giving us more privacy. Which is significant since our neighbor on one side uses a line to dry all of his and his wife's unmentionables, and it's kind of unpleasant to look at someone's underwear during a cookout and/or picnic. The backyard will probably remain neglected for a couple more years. It's functional, and hidden beneath the overgrown stuff, it's obvious it was beautifully landscaped at some point since you can see lines of monkey grass and there is a gorgeous hydrangea bush that I trek my way back to in the summer time to get beautiful blooms off of. The scratches and bug bites are SO worth it. Oh, that's the other thing... There is a slow creek behind our fence (it runs between our house and the one that backs up to ours) as well as some other serious drainage issues that cause our backyard to be kind of swampy for days after it rains. Make that weeks. That kind of water everywhere makes our backyard a mosquito haven. Gross. I looked at getting a bat box, since they supposedly eat mosquitoes, but I talked to several people who have tried that, and they say it's pretty ineffectual. Apparently bats are picky and might not like your bat box, and even if they do, it might take years for them to get established enough to actually make a dent in the mosquito population. However, the county sent us a letter a while back about a proposed drainage plan in our neighborhood that should address a lot of these issues. Of course, the meeting they scheduled to show the plan (which apparently includes taking some of our property) was in the middle of a work day, so we asked them to send us a copy of the plan. No word yet. Shocking, I know.

Wow, I'm rambling today! Back to the yard, I finished up by spraying Ortho Garden Grass Killer. We haven't used it before, but we had the bottle, so I figured I might as well try it before we spend hours and hours trying to dig up the bermudagrass. It looks like we'll need to respray in a week, but then it should work in one to four weeks. We'll see how it's looking, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it at least helps get some of the grass and weeds before we have to really dig everything up... We still plan to get some free mulch in a couple of months, so we are trying to get started on getting the other stuff under control before we get that figured out. Oh, and we do plan to get the plastic divider, too. We thought it would be easiest to try and fight off the existing bermudagrass first...

Thank you again for all of your suggestions! They were very very helpful. I definitely felt better about taking out dead plants knowing that I wasn't ripping out anything that might come back! I also remembered my 1955 copy of the Better Homes and Gardens gardening book. I might start reading in there to get ideas about period-appropriate plantings, etc. It's such a great book, and it was published the year our house was built, so it must be fate.

Other vantage points

Here are some more photos from other angles of the house right after it was finished. It shows more of the enormous size of the flowerbed that is now half covered in bermudagrass. Also, you can't see it, but to the right of the driveway is all flowerbed. It's only a few feet between our driveway and the neighbors busted chain link fence, but it's probably the worst looking patch of flowerbed. It has some more knock-out rosebushes and some more camellias, but other than that it's pretty just weeds and grass now. Oops.

My sister watering the lawn; isn't she sweet?! As you can see, the flowerbed curves around and widens again as it hits the street. It's really a pretty big area.
This was taken the day of the reveal, and I feel like the plants already look hot and uncomfortable. It was late summer, so I'm not sure it was an ideal time to be planting these, but again, what do I know? Maybe I should have asked for gravel and succulents only. Maybe if we didn't live in Georgia... Or if anyone had asked my opinion. :) When the water main broke and flooded our basement, this raised bed in concrete was SO flooded. It was gushing over into the driveway. I will say that the contractors replaced the water main and fixed most of what we asked them to in the basement. But holy cow, I never want to deal with that again.