Lazy Weekend Music

I'm a huge fan of anything from the WWII era. Mama served as a WAC on Staten Island during WWII, and Papa (her husband) fought in Italy. There were so many pictures around the house of them in by gone days. Papa, looking quite dapper in his uniform, leaning against an old Studebaker. Mama and Papa on their wedding day. Mama in HER uniform up in Staten Island. I heard so many stories through the years. I used to love to sit on the floor and listen to Mama tell tales from her golden days. I think it's one of the things I miss most about her.

Some time ago, while out running errands, I found a radio station in my car that played 30-40 era music. Oh MY how it brought back memories. I could just close my eyes and see Mama & Papa doing their little dance and song all along with it. It brought me such happiness. I've left my car radio on that station as a nice surprise when I have to run out and run errands.

Today was a particularly nice day, and we have all of the windows open in the house. I'd just come in from running errands, had the music in my head & came in to find it on my radio. The signal was weak, so I did some searching and found it online!! Woo hoo!! Now you can listen to it, too!

WKCR 89.9 FM Columbia University

(You'll need Itunes or Real Player to play this. It doesn't work with Windows Media.)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! :)



Update: Looks like the Benny Goodman Marathon ended. :( There's still some great Jazz to be hear, though!

Lampalooza

This is my first time getting involved in one of these parties! Nester is having Lampalooza this week & I'm excited to join in!

I found this Chandelier on Craigslist for FREE.



It was tacky bright brass before, very ugly. I got myself a bottle of spray paint & went at it! That hot mess above became this:



And yes, I wired it and hung it all by MYSELF! :)

Dangling starfish also thanks to KariandKijsa! They have the cutest stuff!

Vintage(y) Hardware

I have a project coming up with this:



I got the sideboard for free off of Craig's List. I removed the hardware, primed it & painted it black. As much as I want to like it, I really just don't think the color suits my decor style. I am much more into a neutral color palette. So, this one will be getting a revamp soon.

I had mentioned previously that I really liked the hardware at Anthropologie. However, I saw this post this afternoon and found that similar things could be elsewhere on the web for much, MUCH cheaper!! We don't have a Hobby Lobby in my State, so instead, I decided to check the next best place: Ebay!!

Look!!

$3.45 a pop from 4maltese4!

And what about these?


19 bucks for a set of 4 from GypsyJessy

Wow!

PS - The prints came from my favorite, FAVORITE Etsy seller: KariandKijsa.

Anthropologie....

I've discovered Anthropologie.

{Insert long sigh here......}

I'd previously thought it was just a clothing store -- and since I refuse to buy clothes until I lose weight (I have plenty of skinny clothes, ah-thankyou-very-much!), I never paid attention to it. Yes - that means I've been waiting a while......and no, I'm still not motivated. Despite the holes forming in my last fitting pair of jeans...... C'est la vie!

Recently, I've been hearing around the blogosphere about the great home items coming from Anthropologie. I took a look at the website and while I was impressed with what I saw - I was a bit taken back with the prices. Truthfully, I didn't see the point of paying such high prices for something that was mass produced, vintage inspired when something similar -- the authentic version -- could be found via thrifting (and likely for much less). To me, it seemed, if you were going to pay that much, you'd look for the Authentic Version at a Vintage/Antique shop. But, that's just me. And, that was before I actually set FOOT into an Anthropologie.....

So, yesterday, after hearing about the sale on the numbered teacups, I decided it was worth it to go in to my local store and see what all the fuss was about. Oh.my.word. I have to agree that this place could be highly addicting.....They're very clever in their display & ambience. You almost feel as though you're in a vintage shop and that what you see in front of you is an Authentic, limited edition item. Surely the other 5 sitting there just like it are the last ones on Earth??!! Makes resisting temptation very, very difficult!

Their hardware really took my breath away. I must've spent 30 minutes browsing through all of the cabinet pulls, knobs and handles. I found the Snow Field Shower Curtain another blogger had previously purchased. Oh MY!! So gorgeous!!! My mind conjures up an image of an open window in a bathroom on a sunny Summer day; a quiet breeze wafting the scent of sweet honeysuckles in......

.

Then, I found the sales table...so many super cute things!! There were a few aqua lettered plates that I'm not seeing on the website - but alas - no C, K or M. Not even after looking through all 3 stacks. Several Fabric Letters that were cute - but not fitting with my decor -- and, of course, the numbered teacups. My teacups. I had to bring them home!





I made a mental note of everything I wanted to come back for (hardware!!!), picked up a set of the teacups for purchase & quickly made my way out before I found myself in all sorts of trouble.....

This morning, while I was sipping my morning coffee from my brand new #54 teacup, I decided to take a virtual tour around Target's shower curtain section. Low and Behold! I found my breezy honeysuckle shower curtain for a 1/4 of the price!!! Woo hoo!! Of course, it isn't made of Poplin, but you know....the wind coming in through my bathroom window isn't at all selective about the type of fabric it billows. ;) I'll definitely be picking this up on my next trip to Target!

Photo Credits: All images from Anthropologie.

My first post...

Many months ago, I "stumbled upon" a decorating website that changed my life. I had been in a deep depression for a long, long time as my dear Mama had fought a long illness with Alzheimers & had finally succumbed to it some months before. I had shut down. Not being able to talk to Mama, not just after her death - but during her illness - made an enormous hole in my heart and in my soul. Piles and piles of clutter built up around me. While the kitchen stayed clean, as did all of the necessities to keep a healthy home -- dust settled up in layers on the windows. The yards went unattended. Well thought out home cooked meals turned into my wonderful husband cooking 99% of the time. In losing Mama, I had also lost myself and I.simply.stopped.caring.

Somehow this new blog that I'd found, this blog about home, about family, about creating - ignited something inside me. I was hooked! From there, I discovered a great many other blogs, and found myself waking up eagerly each morning with a cup of coffee in hand, ready to soak in whatever new information was put out there by these domestic divas. These women who blogged about home & family evoked this deep sense of comfort inside of me that I'd not felt since before Mama became ill.

Slowly, slowly, I found myself coming alive again. I started first making "mistreatments" Nester Style. I cut up a beautiful red tablecloth I'd found on clearance at Target sometime before and made mistreatments for my living room. Feeling quite empowered, I took myself to the Fabric Store and bought more fabric - and trimmings - and I hot glued it all together and made even more mistreatments! Window after window, I started feeling like my old self again. It felt great!

Slowly, the piles of clutter started dwindling, and out of the chaos emerged a home on the brink of something truly fabulous. With each mistreatment that I hung, with each chair that I slipcovered, with every piece of furniture I painted, I felt myself connecting more and more with my Mama.

Now, Mama wasn't much on decorating, except for holidays. She was pretty set in how her home looked in regards to decor. But she loved to garden. She loved working outdoors. She kept her home clean and tidy -- devoting each Thursday to laundry, each Friday morning to cleaning her little old brick cottage and each Sunday she devoted to God. She was an amazing woman, with an incredible zest for life, God and her family. But make no mistake -- she was also fiery - having that fierce Southern Sass about her - and would've kicked my butt if she'd have seen how I let myself & my home go.

And so, it is here that I begin my blog journey with you: Amongst ever dwindling piles of clutter, deeply abused windows & slipcovered furniture. While my home may be in the Suburbs, I will continue to pay homage to the little, unpretentious, old brick cottage in the pines that so inspires my soul. It is my way of feeling connected to her, even though, I know, she's gone on to a much bigger castle in the sky.