One Rare Bird

Crush of the Week: Naughty Betty

I'm not sure I've mention before how addicted I am to greeting cards and ephemera in general, so let me go public with my addiction by sharing one of my new favorite card companies: Naughty Betty (aka: Christine Montaquila and Courtney Weinberg). When I say I love greeting cards I don't  just mean any old greeting card. There are three basic criteria I am looking for in a greeting card: 1) Humor - usually something that pokes fun at the idiosyncrasies of life, 2) Sentiment - it has to have the right sentiment behind the humor or else it's just stupid, offensive, or demeaning, 3) Design - it's gotta look good. So I hope you love Naught Betty as much as I do because Hell really is more fun when you have others who are willing to go with you...

"[Naughty Betty] strives for a life filled with creativity, sarcasm and organized chaos..."

Bargain of the Week: Coffee & End Tables

I've been wanting a grown-up coffee table for quite some time now, and after I found this credenza at an estate sale a few months back I knew I had to start my search. It took a while, but my diligence finally paid off when I found this mid-century coffee table and two matching end tables on Craigslist for only $30. They are original Lane Furniture pieces from the 1950's and they fetch quite a price at the swanky vintage shops in SE Portland. They also happen to look very grown-up in my living room :)

Now I need just need a few more Coffee Table books!

Bargain of the Week: Mid-Century Credenza

A couple of weeks ago I went to an Estate Sale, and despite the fact that the sale was a huge disappointment I managed to walk away with this awesome mid-century teak credenza.

I can't tell you how much I've been enjoying the revival of mid-century and atomic-era goods, and this was my first mid-century find that was bigger than a kitchen canister. It was also insanely affordable - none of that $900 nonsense - and I'm loving how fantastic it looks in my living room. Score!

I'd Rather Be Thrifting

 

Ashley G

I started thrifing when I was 13. It all started with vintage 501 Levis and grew to include grandpa cardigans, retro graphic t-shirts, and beat up Birkenstock's - a look I proudly sport to this day.  But my obsession with thrifing took a backseat for several years while I transitioned from teenager to young married woman, Californian to Oregonian, then whatever-I-was-before to Mom, and now I'm happy to report that I'm back on track. Granted, most of my thrifting energy goes toward my Etsy shop, but  sometimes I stumble across a vintage find that I would never dream of putting in my shop. Here are a few of my recent finds...

{world globe via Goodwill}

{vintage t.v. via Nordstorm's display sale}

{breakfast tray via Goodwill}

{matching vintage tins collected over time from various places}

{pyrex bowl and butter dish via Goodwill}

{pyrex bowl, juicer and pitcher via Goodwill}

{metal lamp shade via Humane Society thrift store}

{mid-century kitchen canisters collected over time from various places}

I also can't help but share some of my favorite items currently in my shop. I always feel a twinge of sadness when parting with items because I usually won't sell anything I don't  already love or use myself. But ultimately my shop funds my habit, without which I'd go insane.

Upcycled Cake Stand

Stacking Mugs

Lamp Base

Crochet Pillow

Rug

Before & After: Breakfast Nook

As I mentioned before one of the biggest selling points on our new rental was the sunny breakfast nook directly off the kitchen. I've been making plans for this space since before we moved in and I've finally put some of my ideas to work. Of course I'm still not done - because when am I ever done? - but I can't stand it any longer... I have to share the Before & After of what has become my new favorite hang out.

Before...

Notice how dirty the floor is? It took John and me the better part of six hours to get all those tiny tiles and grout scrubbed back to their original sparkly white...

After...

I found the table on Cragslist, and the Heywood Wakefield chairs in the basement of a local antique shop. I painted them a bright sunny yellow - a color that goes endlessly well with grey, black, and white, and always, always lifts my mood.

The print of our family is something we commissioned artist Jackie Bos to do for us last Christmas, and the Tuesday painting is from my dear friend Erin in honor of our weekly standing coffee date every Tuesday. I found the other three prints on Etsy from Claudia Varosio, Yellena, and The Big Harumph.

Before & After: Haven's Room

After sharing some of my favorite little girl rooms, I though it would be fun to do a Before & After of Haven's bedroom.  The "before" isn't quite as dramatic as it would have been if I hadn't neglected to take a few pictures of the dirty yellow walls (circa 1970) before we painted it blue,  but it's still fun to see the transformation. And since her room is still a work-in-progress, I might come back at some point with an After & After.

Before...

After...

Kid's Rooms

Now that we're settled into our new home I've been going from room to room creating ideas for how to arrange and decorate - with Haven and Brannock's rooms a the top of the list! Of course I can only do as much as our small budget allows, but that doesn't mean I can't go searching for inspiration. So, today the focus is on little girl rooms - with all their sugar and spice and everything nice, I can't not love having a girl.

Mallory Greenlee

Frillie Designs

Joy Thigpen

Xenia Taler

Emily Henson

John Murphy

Sandra of Feinedinge

Crush of the Week

A few weeks ago I stumbled across the very talented and crush-inducing awesomeness of  The 10 Cent Designer (aka: Lori Andrews). I don't know what I love more, her amazing photography skills, interior design genius, her love of food and cooking, or her I Lost My Head Again series. Though to be honest, it's not just one of these things that has me crushing big-time, she's the whole package; and if I possessed one ounce of Lori's eye for style and design I promise I wouldn't be sitting here now- I'd be off in a snowy meadow wearing scuba gear or staging ariel scenes of me and John laying lifeless on the living room floor. Swoon. 10 Cent Designer, thanks for being my Crush of the Week. It wouldn't be the same without you.

And she  looks fan-freakin-tastic in a Wonder Woman costume! Told you she was awesome.

Before & After: Dining Room Chairs

I've been on the hunt for a Duncan Phyfe table for weeks, and my efforts finally paid off the weekend before we moved. I found the perfect table with 8 chairs (2 kid's chairs included) and a leaf.

The table and chairs will probably need to be refinished at some point, but for now I decided to just recover the seats.

I can't remember a time when I didn't absolutely love cobalt blue. It's not a color I use or wear much, so when I thought about what color/fabric to use for these chairs I immediately knew this was my chance to use my fave shade of blue without it going terribly array. So I made a trip to my local fabric store and picked an awesome Electric Blue velvet.

I can't even tell you how happy I am with the results. I love how the blue velvet compliments the dark wood of the table and chairs, and adds a funky touch to the otherwise too-pretty formal dining room.

I plan on sharing more Before & Afters as I get further into making this house a Home, so stay tuned...

Black,White, and Kitchen All Over

Our new house has the most adorable black and white kitchen. The awesome hexagonal floor tiles and white subway tiles on the counter and back splash couldn't fit my style and love for old details more perfectly. So today goes out to the always classic, and ever-versatile, black and white kitchen. You had me at Black. Then again at White. And now it's Tile. Sigh.

 

I think I'm in love.