life on churchill

in honor of valentine's day

2012-02-10T07:49:00.016-06:00

So thankful for my husband...

I love his sense of humor and how he laughs at his own jokes.

his patience with our kids.

his loyalty.

his endless supply unconventional creativity.

his spiritual leadership.

how he plays with the kids when he gets home from work.

he's a bit of a tech nerd. i am too. it works out beautifully.

he likes macs. see above statement.

rides the bus several days a week so i can keep the car.

enjoys garage sales+thrift store trips.

his love of coffee. hot sauce. balsamic vinegar.

how we design together.

he is quick to forgive.

his hardworking nature.

Our love is inherently imperfect. So grateful we have an advocate whose grace daily refines us.

Who are you most thankful for this valentine's day?

toy storage

2012-02-08T15:05:00.006-06:00

The picture on the left was our kitchen last week. The bookcase acted as a catch all for mail and playdough and magazines...not very attractive and we needed it out so we can update our kitchen floors.
Lee had the idea to repurpose it for toys in Bryce's room. We already had the itso bins so the project didn't cost us anything. The bins now house playdough, legos, geotrax, brio trains, cars, car ramps, and Kinsey's baby dolls. I'm so happy with the result!

And while I'm on the topic of toys, I couldn't resist buying the Happy Little Train Game at the antique store last weekend. Bryce asked to play it all weekend. The rules remind me of Candyland and the 1957 graphics are adorable, don't you think?

white shelves are gone!

2012-02-07T17:17:00.002-06:00

Lee worked hard last weekend to remove the white shelves from our basement. He had a loyal 4 year old assistant who reminded him often to "be careful!"

Almost there...

Now he's pulling up the last of our stubborn tiles. I was surprised how much larger the nook under the stairs feels now that the storage is gone.

What did we do with the leftover material? We tried out a Bagster bag. Lee bought the bag, filled it, then called Waste Management to schedule a pick up. Pretty easy!

plates and cups

2012-02-06T15:42:00.005-06:00

We don't have a lot of shelf space, and for years the kids plates have just stacked on each other..

Last week is struck me, why not have several of the same plate? (I know, this is a "duh" moment!) So I grabbed 6 melamine white plates at Target last week.

Quick and easy solution! The shape even fits on our regular dishes.

And while I'm talking about dishes, my friend Inga and I went antique shopping on Saturday. I picked up these vintage cups for the kids. I love the handles.

And my favorite part? They stack! Perfect for our small kitchen.

More things to share later this week, but for today I'm busy helping our baby girl feel better. Happy monday :)

paint: the neutral

2012-02-03T08:16:00.005-06:00

Ok folks, after much deliberation we picked our colors. Even just writing that makes me nervous! Its just paint, but chances are we'll be living with these colors for several years.

I think the swatches were making Lee crazy because last night he asked me to make a decision.

Read great things about revere pewter but the swatch shows up more dark and green that we like. I found a picture of walls painted in edgecombe gray with wood trim and it showed up beige. We also considered abalone (and painted a sample on our wall) but we weren't feeling the purple undertones.

So it was down to two off-whites. Balboa mist and pale oak. Lee broke the tie, his vote is for pale oak.

Are we back to beiges? Now that I look at this I wonder...but I'm late for preschool (as usual) so there you go! I'll have to share about our blue pick on Monday.

this week in the basement

2012-02-02T14:37:00.002-06:00

Time for a (weekly?) basement update!

A family friend recently gave us this tool box. I admit it doesn't sound like something a girl would love. But oh my goodness it is SO nice! Last week when I made Bryce's tent the drill bits were in this drawer. I didn't have to hunt around the basement or email Lee to find them. love it.

All our bins are out of the storage area. Now that they are gone (well not gone, rather moved/recycled/organized) Lee will demo the white shelves. We have a few more tiles to remove before the concrete can be polished.

Meanwhile we're going to make sure this little vintage pencil sharpener gets reused somewhere. It works great and I'm pretty sure it was original to our basement.

Thats it for now! Another slightly random basement update...

joy

2012-01-31T15:28:00.016-06:00

Lee is on a business trip until tomorrow. I was feeling particularly frazzled last night, and read through some of James after the kids went to bed. When I woke up this morning this verse came to mind.

by julia fain

Hope its encouraging to you as it was to me...

january's end

2012-01-30T15:25:00.010-06:00

January's cold, short days are a challenge for me. I grew up in a warm climate near the ocean. I love sunshine and sandals. I had no idea we would end up in Minnesota. For the first few years I told myself it was temporary. This past year God's been working on my heart. And though I'm homesick often, my husband and I are raising our own little family. We've made good friends here. Minnesota summers are beautiful and we love our home.

To celebrate the end of January I've pinned spring clothes for the little ones...

top row l-r: old navy floral hoodie. mini boden playsuit. gap woven blue.

bottom row l-r: mini boden pedal pushers. old navy hoodie. mini boden sailing shorts.

Do you enjoy the winter months or are you looking forward to spring?

our little tent

2012-01-26T16:34:00.007-06:00

We had an ikea tent last winter..the kids loved it so much they bent the frame. Bryce has been asking for another one. So following this tutorial I bought the supplies and Wednesday afternoon put the frame together.

This afternoon I sewed the fabric part of the tent. I found an adorable cowgirl/cowboy vintage print fabric I wanted to use. But at $7.99 a yard I decided to use an extra twin flat sheet we had on hand. The fabric was on a grid which helped a lot.

I spent $11 on the wood and a little over a $1 for the elastic. I already had the sheet, white thread, and bumpons.

I should put in a little disclaimer if you build this. It is relatively easy to knock over. This tutorial has extra support beams. I'm still considering adding them at the bottom...

getting organized

2012-01-26T08:49:00.005-06:00

We keep our mail, shredder, bills (playdough...) in our kitchen and its been making me crazy. I decided it was time for a change. I made a "hey I never spend money on organizing stuff but I need help so here goes..." trip to target tuesday night.

I purchased multiple organizing systems. And its Thursday which means the kids and I are at home so I have a full day to work on it (well in addition to bath time, meals, playtime...so more like an hour, ha!).

Do you have any organizing suggestions for mail, bills, kids crafts? Where do you sort everything? Do you have a home office? (I'm envious if you do!)

weekend review

2012-01-24T14:30:00.006-06:00

Friday I made a quick stop at the paint store to gather swatches. It gave us more to talk about, but I'm not happy with the middle swatch. I pinned a few more color palettes and plan to pick up more swatches later this week.

We're almost ready to buy new flooring in our kitchen. I'm scheduling what needs to happen when (for example, our gas stove needs to be disconnected. fridge moved, baseboards removed, ect). Since the stove will be disconnected its an ideal time to replace our old one. I stopped by a local appliance store to check out their scratch and dent appliances.

Lee is almost ready for our floors to be polished. He is still working on some stubborn tiles under the stairs. Last night the kids came down to help mop. They had such a fun time!

It just recently hit me that we are working on 3 different projects right now. How do you tackle home projects? Do you take them one at a time or do they overlap?

home design trend at CES

2012-01-23T08:44:00.004-06:00

Every year thousands gather for CES in Las Vegas. And while many displays were (expectedly) futuristic, Lee noticed several displays integrate vintage with modern technology.

My favorite image is the kitchen. Touch screens with butcherblock, glass jars, a vintage-style stove. Oh, and I want the pegboard wall in the 1st image. While the design trend with planks will probably come and go, I appreciate the way designers softened technology exhibits with vintage accessories. Do you have a favorite?

paint inspiration: dark blue + brass

2012-01-19T13:38:00.006-06:00

A few weeks ago I blogged about color ideas for our dining area. I noticed that Hokr painting had a pretty good crowdcut deal this week. I called and scheduled an estimate for next week! We plan to have the living/dining area and possibly the stairway + upstairs landing painted.

We want to add color to the fireplace/sculpture wall. I'm leaning toward a dark blue. I was inspired by these brass + dark blue combinations. It should keep our beige brick fireplace from looking yellow and it would compliment our aquamarine lamp and desk.

left to right. benjamin moore downpour blue via pinterest via the marion house book. behr nightshade #740F-7 via pinterest via AT jen and nate's house tour. benjamin moore hale navy via pinterest via design sponge.

Meanwhile those archiver squares I mentioned monday are helping us define the right color.

Our floorplan is small (about 600sq ft per floor) so we're planning a light, neutral tone for the other walls. I'm over beige. Any suggestions for a warm grey? Or off-white? We tested benjamin moore abalone in our dining area but it wasn't quite right. I do like the SW popular grey in our bedroom.

[ps] ...we still plan to do something fun for our dining area wall. My favorite idea this week is creating a design with metallic contact paper (idea via Lay baby Lay). If you have any paint color advice we'd love to hear it!

family time, colors and a new penguin

2012-01-16T21:48:00.007-06:00

Lee was at the CES show til Friday night, so we took it easy this weekend. Saturday we headed to a community center with an indoor playground and waterpark...

Sunday I visited Archivers. The shades of blue caught my eye. For just over $5 I basically got 8 large color swatches. We've been testing them in different parts of the room. Its so much easier to visualize with a 12x12 sheet of color.

And no, we're not going with this color. But its almost spooky that I picked this shade of blue again!

I've been battling a cold and it was time for another humidifier. Our kids are into penguins thanks to Pingu (a clip from pingu here) so it was an easy decision to pick up this cute little guy!

If you have kids or like animals check out these designs (I wasn't paid to say that. Its just my product design background coming out.) Adorable!

So that sums up our weekend. Family time, talking colors, and a new penguin. Happy Monday!

family photo shoot (part 2)

2012-01-16T14:28:00.008-06:00

Last month we took our first family photo shoot at the Walker. I shared a few last month and today we got the other 100! Here are the highlights...

life with kids :)

headphone love.

ps i do not have my makeup and hair fixed like this everyday.

the half-way point. let the snack bribery begin!

gold hairband lasted about 5 minutes.

angry birds.

love this guy!

and more family picture attempts...

We had such a fun time. I haven't been a part of photos like this since our wedding 6+ years ago. Thank you Jenny!

facebook

2012-01-14T15:30:00.005-06:00

Life on churchill now has as facebook page! Will link occasional articles and questions (just posted a question about flooring). If you are interested the link is on the right sidebar, just click "like" and you should get the updates. Thx!

winter creativity

2012-01-12T15:06:00.007-06:00

Its January and cold outside which means extra creativity in the house! We've been building lots of couch-cushion forts and last week Lee modified Bryce's car ramp with a few strips of command tape...

I'd like to make a teepee or tent, it will need to be pretty tough (our kids have a lot of energy). Have any fun indoor ideas?

repurposed cookie cutters

2012-01-11T12:59:00.003-06:00

We have a 2 1/2 year old and her hair barrettes lived all over the house. I mulled over making a modern hair bow holder and finally pulled out my craft box, prototyped a few ideas using cardboard, fabric, ribbon. Then noticed these cookie cutters.

We had leftover shoe string from a birthday banner and simply tied it to the handles.

It was Lee's idea to flip them. That way I'd have a flat surface to attach command strips. We've had problems in the past using command on our plaster walls, so this time I attached them to the door.

Simple, free, and perfect for our little girl's room....

january

2012-01-10T14:27:00.004-06:00

We've lived in Minnesota for over 4 years, and I've learned to brace myself for January: bitter cold with temperatures staying in the negatives (like this from last jan). Not this year. It was 47 degrees this afternoon. I've been taking the kids outside as much as possible to soak up the sunshine...

How is your winter so far? Is it warmer than usual? If you live in Minnesota, are you missing the snow?

basement over the holidays

2012-01-09T09:21:00.002-06:00

Over the holidays Lee sketched out his plans for our basement. I am so excited...built in desks, work benches, locker storage. An entertainment area, a corner bed for guests.

I caught a quick picture of Lee with the kids. When they started touching his drawings, he simply taped down craft paper and pulled out markers so they could mimic his sketching. (love his dad heart, he so patient...)

He used more solvent to loosen the black mastic and then scraped it up over the last few weekends.

Think/hope we are about done with this phase! All of the laundry that was in the washing machine and dryer smells like biodegradable solvent. Which means the shirt I wore to church Sunday smelled like floor cleaner. One of the joys of home renovation...

a thrift store trip

2012-01-04T15:17:00.014-06:00

I stopped by a nearby thrift store to look for artwork, furniture, ect. Didn't find anything vintage but ended up buying for the kids. Yep, our kids wear a decent bit of used clothes. Here are a few things I've learned...

Some brands run smaller than others. Circo, Jumping Beans, and Old Navy shrink. If you buy them used I'd buy a size up. Watch for Carters, Gymboree, Oshkosh, Janie and Jack, and Gap. They wear well.

Thrift stores often mark up clothes with well known labels like Gap. Less known brands like Hanna Andersson and Janie and Jack can be cheaper. My personal rule for used pricing- $3 and under is a deal, $5 if its a good brand. If you're planning to spend over $5 you could find it new.

If you buy Gap or Old Navy used check under the tag for a date. It will give you an idea of how worn it is. Re-sale stores like Once Upon a Child will also check this label when deciding what they want to buy.

Goodwill and Once Upon a Child have return policies but thrift stores are usually final. I spotted a Gap fleece today for Bryce but the zipper was broken. Watch for holes and stains. Good condition, used boy clothes are hard to find.

Don't assume because its used that its a good deal. The bibs on the right were $9.99, Circo brand. Not a great deal. You can buy new bibs for $12. The jacket on the left is Columbia and marked at 5.99. A much better deal for a name brand.

I came away with 4 books, a Gymboree vest, 2 Oshkosh shirts, a Carters sundress, and a Lands End dress for $21. Didn't plan on buying all girls clothes, but that is the beauty of thrift store shopping. You'll always end up with something unexpected :)

Do you have any second hand shopping tips or favorite places to visit?

our new, old desk

2012-01-03T09:01:00.010-06:00

In September we bought a school desk at our favorite thrift store. It was in solid condition, and for around $3 it wasn't a big investment. We used it as a prop for 1st day of school photos, did a little research (produced by the American Seating Company. no inkwell, most likely from the 1950s) and enjoyed it as-is.

Fast forward to the day after Christmas. I was craving a quick, low-budget. So when Lee told me we needed to stop by Menards I knew--spray paint the desk! And the weather was perfect, a balmy 40+ degrees. We discussed navy, yellow, white (we have a boy and a girl so neutral is a must!) and ended up with Rustoleum Ultra Cover Satin Lagoon.

After some light sanding, Lee spray painted the desk. We skipped primer (the next day was cold so we had to work fast). It was a deep enough color it covered the dark green perfectly.

Lee bought a corner sander and sanded the desk + seat in the garage.

Used a water-based finish leftover from refinishing Kinsey's floors.

Some after detail shots. Yes, we're a little crazy and took pictures in the snow.

Before and after of the front...

Before and after of the side...

Cost Breakdown
Desk $3
2 Cans of paint $7

Sandpaper owned/free

Clearcoat owned/free

Sander $30

Refinished Desk $40

they love having their desk back! And thank you to Lee for painting and sanding. love you babe!

before kids

2011-12-31T08:20:00.014-06:00

I mentioned a few weeks ago the storage bins are in our bedroom. I discovered a bin of my design projects today. Nostalgia hit hard...last night I photographed some printouts.

I'll be honest. I miss earning an income, organizing consumer research, seeing a product go to market. At the same time, I find staying home with Bryce and Kinsey very rewarding.

So I'm learning to integrate the best parts of design to our everyday life.

Lee and I just finished (or rather, refinished) a project. I'll share in a few days.

painted Christmas mugs

2011-12-28T18:56:00.005-06:00

I went crafty with Christmas presents this year. I'd pinned a lot of painted mugs and decided to give it a try. I followed these directions...I won't give you a full tutorial but I will share some tips.

Where to buy

I bought the markers at Blicks. For the mugs I checked Goodwill first but most had a logo. I bought these at Dollar Tree. The boxes are photo archive containers from Target, they were the perfect depth.

Check the pens

My black + aqua markers worked great. I bought a 3rd color and after multiple returns tried markers in store with the manager. I ended up with gold porcelain paint-it was thicker but great as an accent color.

Sketch ideas

I was too impatient to trace anything first, but I drew quick pen sketches on the kid's construction paper. It was helpful in deciding which design would translate to the mug.

Wipe off the mistakes

If you make a mistake its easy to wipe off with a damp cloth. If its been a few days rub it off with some warm soapy water. It won't be permanent until you bake the mugs.

colors for our dining area

2011-12-27T09:28:00.001-06:00

I want to paint our dining area. Since its shared with the living room I've got to think about the whole space...Last month we received a few samples of Ferm Living wallpaper.

And while I still really like the idea of wallpaper (more ideas here) the reality is we're renovating the basement + hoping to put in new flooring soon. So paint is the cheapest option. I've thrown together some images of my favorite blues + greens with wood accents.

Top left clockwise (links to pinterest) Elisabeth Dunker's Swedish Kitchen.

Colorful Family Brownstone. Kristen + Mike House tour. Industrial Modern Italianate.

Chezerby home tour. Logan Square apartment.

I really like aqua (even when I was little I loved blue mason jars) and I'm afraid of over-using it. My practical side says paint a neutral greige and decorate with color accents. What do you think?

Christmas Eve vintage hunt

2011-12-26T08:56:00.012-06:00

With Christmas Day preparation (mostly) complete I took Kinsey antique + thrift store shopping.

We drive by Wescott's on 7th Street at least once a week with both kids in tow. But chasing two preschoolers in an antique store isn't exactly my idea of a fun time. So I enjoyed taking taking baby girl shopping with me--she behaved beautifully. I really wanted a soda crate for crafts like this or this but couldn't justify spending $30 on a coke crate.

So we headed to my favorite thrift store where antiques are undiscovered. I really liked the globe floor lamp but one of the bulbs won't tighten--is that fixable? I also found a Wolverine metal play kitchen. The condition was fair and at $15 a piece (3 pieces for $45, they resell for up to $75). I passed. I like knowing I can resell for at least 50% profit.

Meanwhile Kinsey discovered the TV section and watched a few minutes of Over the Hedge in Spanish...

We ended up buying several games. Picked from 3 Hi Ho Cherry-O games and decided the oldest 1985 version was the most durable (built from 1 mold = less pieces to loose).I'm planning a visit to Architectural Antiques and Hunt and Gather later this week. Anyone visited before? Tips before I go?

merry christmas

2011-12-25T14:09:00.007-06:00

Eager to share some things next week, but today I am going to enjoy the day with our little family. Wishing you and yours a blessed Christmas Day.

flurries

2011-12-23T12:01:00.002-06:00

We had a few flurries today, just enough to cover the ground. Its such a change from last December's snow.

And though I'm not one that loves cold + snow I really hope for a white Christmas this year.

But if the ground is free of snow it will feel a bit more like Christmases I grew up with in Georgia and South Carolina...a taste of home. Do you wish for a white Christmas?

night trains

2011-12-21T14:08:00.004-06:00

Saturday night we went to the Night Trains exhibit at the Model Railroad Museum. Our 4 year enjoyed watching the holiday trains (while our 2 year old attempted to derail them). It was a special way to spend our Saturday night, and at less than a mile from our house I hope we make it a family tradition.

We still plan to check out the Macy's display in Minneapolis. And I'm really looking forward to the Christmas Eve service Saturday night. Do you have any special activities planned before Christmas?

quick Christmas tree wreath

2011-12-19T16:12:00.004-06:00

One of the things still on my "to do" list was a wreath. The kids and I were home today, and they both napped (love when that works out!) so I laid out some crafting supplies...

kraft paper and leftover glitter paper from archivers

grabbed a piece of cardboard from the basement and a few lampshades to trace. In hindsight I suggest mixing bowls!

used a box cutter (x-acto knife works too) for the cardboard.

outer circle

inner circle

wrapped strips of kraft paper around the frame.

I didn't have a plan before I started. this star caught my eye decided to trace it.

cut a quick triangle

added a base

used some leftover felt (from last Christmas) for the ribbon. voila!

basement floors

2011-12-19T13:52:00.006-06:00

Last time I updated on the basement I showed Lee removing the mastic glue in preparation for polishing the concrete. The concrete has a nice patina to it, we even like the cracks.

Oh and in case you are wondering--where are the boxes? The things you stored in your basement? Well, its been dispersed throughout our little house and especially in our bedroom! Not ideal but its given me great access to sort and organize. Where do you store things? I grew up using attics, we have one here but its not very accessible!

family photo shoot

2011-12-17T12:44:00.010-06:00

Excited to share some photos from our photo shoot at the Walker last Saturday! First time we've used a photographer since our wedding 6 years ago. It was definitely a different experience this time- chasing a 4 and 2 1/2 year old and encouraging (read: bribing with cookies) them to sit still and smile.

Our sweet Bryce. Playing angry birds of course...

Kinsey our little risk taker. Her hairband definitely didn't stay on her head..

Love this guy

Our photographer, Jenny Rigney, did an awesome job. We took some outdoor shots and will see those in a few weeks. Perhaps a part 2 next month?

happy friday

2011-12-16T16:45:00.005-06:00

Our little guy had his last day of preschool and speech for a few weeks. I noticed when I picked him up from speech class they decorated a snowman and said "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." Can public schools celebrate Christmas? I don't have an education background so I'm curious. I've enjoyed having our little guy in a Christian preschool where they do crafts and read books about Jesus' birth.

Anyone reading have school-age kids? What type of education did you pick for your child? The options are overwhelming! Private, homeschool, traditional public, public charter schools...

Somewhat unrelated but excited to share...we took family photos at the Walker Art Center last Saturday! I'll be sure to share a few when they come in. Have a great weekend!

festive tuesday

2011-12-13T12:38:00.012-06:00

I had a busy morning. Bills on the table and gifts to prepare. After wrapping and prepping boxes, I picked a leftover cardboard box and made a few trees for the kids to decorate. They LOVED the glue and glitter. I'm not big fan of making them stay in the lines. Many of Kinsey's "ornaments" were below the tree. I call that creativity.

Ta-da! Their beautiful trees. Hung with less-beautiful painters tape. Any ideas for hanging temporary artwork?

I also made a few cupcake-liner snowflakes.

Notice our snow melted!? my native-Georgia self loves seeing grass...

Then I brought out our Christmas tree (yep, its fake. i get a migrane from real trees)

Each branch is tagged with a color and letter. It was a great sorting lesson for the kid and they loved helping me...Excited to hang lights when Lee gets home!

more Christmas ideas

2011-12-11T09:35:00.008-06:00

We have allergies. But I'd love the experience of buying a real tree.

Perhaps a mini one?

i (gasp) usually make cookies from a mix. Its much easier when you have

little helper hands. But I'd like to try these swirl cookies.

a cardboard tree like this from Tinker Lab. we should have everything on hand.

an ice wreath. this can wait until January. we won't get above 30 next month so it
should last a while...

Ever feel a little over-inspired? I have so many Christmas projects running through my head. And Christmas gatherings, presents to get ready for teachers, ect. Its a busy month. Love little reminders like this that help me keep perspective on the meaning of Christmas.

our lego house

2011-12-08T13:43:00.012-06:00

Its cold and wintery here in Minnesota. To pass the time after dinner we're playing Christmas music with some good old fashioned family time. Earlier this week Lee brought up his childhood legos to share with the family.

Meanwhile my husband decided to model our house. for the fun of it. finished in a few hours...

front.

side.

back.

Love how accurate it is! Clearly some lego-giftedness going on. If you haven't been to our house before, you can see a front shot here or here.

How do you pass the time after dinner when its cold and dark outside?

decorating with kids

2011-12-06T17:07:00.003-06:00

A few days ago the kids pulled most of the ornaments off our plant and hung them on the stairs. I found it rather pretty + unexpected.

It also reminded me of how our decorating has changed with kids. We broke at least 4 ornaments in one year with Bryce. We reminded him not to throw, touch, ect. But he was 2...

So now, we use a huge box of red ikea ornaments that are pretty tough. Any thoughts on decorating with kids? For those of you with young ones do you use delicate decorations?

basement floors prep

2011-12-05T17:10:00.003-06:00

Lee's prepping our basement floors for polishing, which means removing the rest of the tile and the majority of adhesive. We removed flooring adhesive a few years ago, so we'd already done the research and knew which product to use. Basically he uses the adhesive remover to soften the adhesive then scrapes it up. The cat litter absorbs the liquid and makes it easy to remove.

Lee learned to bag his shoes when he lived in Italy. I have a picture, will try to scan in later..

the window washer

2011-12-05T08:11:00.007-06:00

Saturday afternoon (before the snow) Lee used a telescoping pole for washing our large upstairs window. It didn't clear things up like we hoped so he borrowed our neighbor's ladder to get the job done. He had a close admirer inside...

decorating with paper: tutorials

2011-12-03T19:02:00.006-06:00

I plan to make some Christmas decorations with the kids later this month. These are a few of my favorites made from paper (aka affordable and easy)...

Wreath from paper bags. kraft paper Christmas stockings. Cupcake liner snowflakes. Christmas tree cones.

Want more ideas? Check out these pins..

hello churchill

2011-12-01T07:46:00.008-06:00

A few months ago we bought a new (to us) dining table off craigslist. The same day we headed to IKEA to look for chairs. While we didn't buy chairs there, Lee did buy an Ung Drill frame.

Lee had an idea: Winston Churchill. Because we live on Churchill Street. I spotted a painted Ung Drill which inspired Lee to spray paint the frame to match our woodwork. He found a printer less than a mile from our home.

I admit it. I was hesitant to have a stranger with a cigar in my home. But now that he's here, he fits in nicely!

hints of Christmas

2011-11-29T08:07:00.013-06:00

vintage mason jars with ikea ornaments

Christmas books. thrift store finds + a few from the library

Oversized felt ornaments from dollar tree

fontanini nativity set. my aunt gave me a piece each Christmas

decorating a Christmas plant

Its been sweet to decorate with the kids and see their excitement build as we prepare to celebrate Jesus' birth. I have a few more Christmas projects planned, if I finish I'll be sure to share...

$10 pantry

2011-11-28T09:08:00.005-06:00

We have storage issues in our kitchen. It was designed without a pantry, so for 3 years I've used my upper cabinets for dried goods. Over the weekend Lee bought a couple of boards and installed shelves in my broom closet. He used leftover shoe molding to hold up the boards, and angled the bottom shelf so I can see things at the bottom.

Isn't it great? I love my new storage. And for $10 in materials its one of our cheapest projects yet. Since this is a kitchen post...We are considering a black and white checked sheet flooring at Menards. We wanted something more high-end, eco-friendly, ect. But at this point I'm just ready for a kitchen makeover and at .77/sq ft its affordable. Opinions? Would you go with a sheet-flooring or vct tile?

falling leaves

2011-11-28T08:31:00.002-06:00

Lee finished raking over the weekend and took 2 + loads of leaves to the nearby compost site. In years past we loaded leaves into the back of his truck. But we sold the truck earlier this year so stuffing bags of leaves in our suv was the way to go...

I took this on thursday. note the red leaves at the top of the picture? they are all over the front yard now. it never ends!

basement plans

2011-11-25T16:38:00.006-06:00

The holiday weekend has given Lee time to work on our basement. He's developed a multi-use plan for the space. Washer and dryer will stay in the same spot as well as the furnace + water heater. We plan to add a media/guest area, a workbench, and locker storage. In case you are wondering what the Mondrian-looking panels are, they were original to the house. You can see them here.

We are waiting on a quote for polishing our concrete floors. That is hopefully the next step. Meanwhile Lee has been pulling up the old tile..

thankful

2011-11-24T18:17:00.004-06:00

Each year I struggle with our cold climate. An ongoing lesson in my life is appreciating God's goodness even when life's circumstances aren't ideal. I am so thankful for the near record high's today. After lunch we played at a nearby playground. Our kids ran and ran...This thanksgiving I'm thankful for the sunshine. The warmth. And my precious family.

a few things

2011-11-23T23:33:00.001-06:00

Lee and I headed to the thrift store yesterday with the kiddos. While I mostly bought children's books, we also snagged a Michael Graves trivet. And Lee picked up bookends for .99.

Placed the bookend on the inside of the book jacket. Quick and easy.

Also, our snow thawed! We had temperatures in the 50s. It really felt like the 70s while the sun was out. Lee spent much of the afternoon raking up the remaining leaves before our next snow hits.

afternoon outside

2011-11-22T10:32:00.005-06:00

A few pictures from our afternoon yesterday investigating snow. We bought baby girl her first snow boots and she walked beautifully in them.

(ps) Lee just completed a project yesterday and I ordered some wallpaper samples. I'm also making Christmas presents. Will blog more soon...

top-shelf classics

2011-11-21T08:52:00.007-06:00

We house our classic books on the top shelf in Bryce's room and spend time reading them as part of our bedtime routine. In my opinion they have stronger content + values than his newer books.

We love the illustrations in Andrew Henry's Meadow. This is our newest book (thanks Goodwill..)

In a Big Ball of String a little boy finds invents all kinds of things with string. A little close to home as our little guy winds thread around our living room when he gets the chance.

Giant John is another of Bryce's favorites. Its a magical book and shows John going to work to feed his Mom and rebuilds a castle when it is destroyed. The humor in it is great...

Do you have a favorite classic? One I should watch for?

first snow

2011-11-19T15:48:00.003-06:00

goodbye flats, see you in april.

17 degrees

2011-11-17T07:55:00.004-06:00

We are beginning our 5th winter in Minnesota and I still get a wave of anxiety when I think about the cold months ahead. 17 degrees this morning and we expect snow on Saturday. I should mention that I grew up near the coast of Georgia where frozen puddles were a rare event.

But God...God is a God of seasons. The first snow will be beautiful. And I'm excited for the Christmas season.

What about you? What is your favorite part of winter?

master bedroom inspiration

2011-11-14T17:59:00.000-06:00

1. Reading lamp in our bedroom. Right now I'm digging the taper shade sconce from west elm. 2. Small mid century console for a tv. Inspired by this bedroom. 3. So many things I love about this room. The chairs. The bedding. But most of all the wallpaper. 4. Pop of yellow to compliment our grey walls. So cheerful!

And more ideas on pinterest...happy monday!

{part 2} the party

2011-11-13T12:07:00.020-06:00

November birthday's are tricky: outdoor playgrounds aren't an option. And our little guy has a lot of energy so we opted for Eagles Nest, an indoor playground.

I used brown packaging paper on the tables and brought a bucket of crayons for coloring. I already had paper towels on hand so I put those on the tables rather than buy napkins. I ordered the mini cupcakes from target. They were perfect for small hands.The kids had an awesome time and I think the parents did too...

{part 1} party planning

2011-11-13T11:20:00.003-06:00

We threw a party last night to celebrate our little guy turning 4 (his first official party since he turned 1!). Picking his theme was a challenge: he had a theme in mind that wasn't really a theme. While my parents were visiting my Mom and I headed to Archivers for inspiration and were instantly drawn to the vintage rocketship paper. He was a rocketship for Halloween and I knew he'd approve. Stay tuned for part 2 with pictures of the party!

loved the mix of space, bears, robots. perfect for a 4 year old. picked up 3 sticker sheets + 8 sheets of paper

nametags for the mix of work, neighbor, and church friends

traced a dollar store birthday sign

studied a pinterest pin for help on adding the hole-punch

shoestrings from the dollar store (big pack for a $1)

added stickers to plastic toothpicks for the mini-cupcakes

vintage-inspired rocket ship ads glued to brown paper lunch bags

crazy squirrels

2011-11-10T14:56:00.001-06:00

Last week I blogged about our pumpkins. 10 days later...

I blogged about the same thing last year. We get such a laugh watching our squirrels...

In other news, our little guy is turning 4 this weekend! Will share a few pictures next week..Have a great weekend!

lovely grey

2011-11-09T16:14:00.006-06:00

Our room isn't finished and I already love it.

We spent around $50 on paint and supplies. Used our store credit on a new sheet + pillow covers. I flipped our west elm duvet cover over to hide the brown stripes. Pulling out the old carpet was free. We ended up with the Mandal bed from IKEA. Paid about $50 out of pocket, cash from the furniture set we sold on craiglist covered the rest.

Hopefully next month we can buy a ceiling fan. Any suggestions for a nicely designed modern fan?

stillwater

2011-11-08T21:23:00.011-06:00

My parents headed back to Georgia today. We had a great visit with them and crammed in stops to Mall of America, shopping for our little guy's birthday, painting, and a saturday visit to Stillwater. First we headed to the apple orchard so our kids could run off some energy.

family picture attempt :)

After lunch we went to Midtown Antiques. I bought a 1922 paper-doll poster for K's room...the store seemed a bit overpriced but I also openly admit that I'm cheap! They had several large vintage metal signs (we're looking for something in our dining room) and I'd say the prices were between $150 and $300. A friend from Lee's work recommended Hunt and Gather...I plan to visit soon.

And a huge thanks to Lee and my Dad for watching the kids while I shopped with Mom. I'm not totally sure where the next two pictures were taken, but I think it was a coffee shop..with cupcakes.

paint project

2011-11-07T08:59:00.007-06:00

We've been working on our master bedroom (a before shot here) And I'm excited to announce that our yellow bedroom walls are gone! My parents are visiting this week and offered to help paint our bedroom. This time we taped-off in just a few places and didn't prime. It saved a lot of time.

goodbye old yellow walls!

family project! thanks mom and dad...(sorry for the blur)

after the 1st coat

We test painted Benjamin Moore Abalone and it showed up too purple so we ended up with Sherwin Williams Popular Gray (which also has a purple tone, oh well!) In any case, we love our new grey.

lingering fall

2011-11-02T07:15:00.000-05:00

We had a long winter last year. I don't think words can describe how done I was with winter after several blizzards and negative temps beyond a typical Minnesota winter. But God remains faithful. It is especially apparent to me this fall. We've had beauty to look at all month with leaves changing from green to yellow and gold.

comic book banner

2011-10-31T16:06:00.012-05:00

Last weekend I made something from Pinterest! My easiest sewing project yet (and I'm definitely a beginner). I had pinned a banner for inspiration and these directions which helped tremendously. I actually planned to hang it at our little guy's birthday party, but I like it so much I hung it in his room...

The thread and bias tape was about $5. I bought 3 comic book sets for $6. Not including my new rotary cutter (you could cut the paper with scissors, it'd just take longer) the total was $11.

comic books from the thrift store (picked comics without creepy images. after all, he's just turning 4)

new rotary cutter. i LOVE it

double wide bias tape (and my new pink pin cushion)

my view. what a nice day!

other than the paper being a little delicate, this was super easy

half-way done

At the moment it is attached with thumbtacks.

finished!

PS I added it to Young House Love + Bower Power's (unofficial) Pinterest Challenge. I read about it last week and it enough to nudge me to finish the banner. Love the pinterest challenge idea!

pumpkin hunt

2011-10-31T09:19:00.008-05:00

Pumpkins are a big deal in our neighborhood. Its an unspoken "we welcome you, fall. we're friendly. and you can come trick-or-treating here." I hoped to have a fun family outing to a pumpkin patch but it just didn't happen. So yesterday I headed to the grocery store and picked from the leftovers: bottom of the box, moldy pumpkins. I'm happy with ours. They're imperfectly beautiful, don't you think?

What fall traditions do your neighborhoods have?

ps. I did something a little out of my comfort zone today. I linked up with a bloghop from muchloveilly. If you are visiting today, welcome!

{pause}

2011-10-28T13:10:00.003-05:00

We have family in town! Lee's brother, Uncle Mike, is visiting us for a few days, then my parents (Grandma + Papa) are visiting for a week. We love having visitors. In all the preparation I haven't blogged about our bedroom progress. Consider this a small pause, and hopefully you'll see a post or 2 next week.

(ps) our 6th anniversary is tomorrow! We met in Savannah 8 years ago...I'm so happy we wed there. I can honestly say I had no clue we'd end up in Minnesota. Lee Fain, you are my best friend. I love life with you!

accent wall inspiration for kid's rooms

2011-10-25T22:12:00.002-05:00

closet space (love the grey crib and yellow mobile)

gold + white wilderness wallpaper (a designmom house tour)

cheerful swedish bedroom. and proof that wallpaper can go on a window wall

gender neutral shared bedroom

chalkboard and wallpaper.

I love this trend. Do you have a favorite? You can also find these on my kids@home and accent wall boards...

working in the basement... progress

2011-10-25T08:59:00.002-05:00

Lee and his buddy Chris took down the last of the paneling on Saturday. We had an old built in desk and when they pulled it out they found mold behind it. SOO glad its out of our house! They also took down the old ceiling tiles. Lee has a lot of ideas for the space (my favorite--polished concrete floors), I'll ask him to blog about it!

our new light

2011-10-24T08:25:00.013-05:00

Lee and I both have a background in product design and often each our own taste in new purchases. So Friday as we wandered through the IKEA lighting department we came across this red brasa pendant. And we both liked it! So of course we bought it...under $50 and it gives our landing some personality. We had a plain ceiling-mount light before. Also, we also purchased a bedframe for our room! Will post pictures soon.

In other news, our little guy's room was on Ohdeedoh last week! You can see it here. If you are visiting from Ohdeedoh, welcome...

store credit

2011-10-20T21:47:00.003-05:00

We have a $60 store credit to Pottery Barn Kids or any of its affiliates. We've had it for several months and I can't decide how to use it. Here are my top picks from Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Teen, and West Elm. We could definitely use more storage. Or a good lamp. What would you buy?

24x36 Batman Puzzle $19. Medium Wire Crate Storage set of 2 $55. Chalkboard Storage Bin $19. Gray queen fitted sheet $32.

Benjamin Moore Ben Paint $35.95. Perch Glass Lamp in yellow $69. Glass Bubbles $9-24. Large Basket $54.

autumn at aadmodt's

2011-10-19T14:01:00.006-05:00

Growing up near the coast of Georgia and South Carolina, if we wanted to experience the change in season we trekked north to the Smoky Mountains. Fall in Minnesota is filled with color, chilly weather, cider and pumpkins. I love it. Monday we met friends at Aamodt's, an apple farm in Stillwater with plenty of space for tots to run and climb.

evolution of a chalkboard, part 2

2011-10-17T13:43:00.006-05:00

A few months ago I painted a chalkboard for our kids. It took on a decidedly different look after our little guy dumped water on the still drying chalkboard. (You can read part 1 here...)

To give the artwork some depth we glued wood strips to the back. After finding the studs (no pencil handy so I used a white washable crayon--worked great!) To hang it we used a product called Hangman. It was designed with a built in leveler and was so worth it.

Project complete!

(ps) want to see a before of his room? You can see it pre-painted here. Or an even older post from early february before we took the carpet out (feels like years ago!)

estate sale tips

2011-10-14T14:35:00.029-05:00

1: Join a mailing list. A few years ago I signed up for emails from a site devoted to estate sales. The weekly email shares how far each sale is from our home and includes photos. You can also check craigslist (garage sale section).

2. Check for images. For example, this sale has 72images with a lot of stuff...including some trains, cars, a few old signs. More stuff sometimes means cheaper prices.

3. Go to the sale. The best way to judge condition. Were they smokers? Was the basement water-logged? I noticed antique books at a sale a few weeks ago, but they were covered in mold and bindings were broken (and for resale, condition matters)

4. Divide and conquer. If you have kids, try to go solo. The sales are usually on multiple levels so strollers won't work. One of my favorite estate sale visits was with Lee on my birthday, he sat in the car with our kids while I looked then we swapped.

5. Take a risk. If its $5 and you like it, buy it! Its a fraction of what you would spend at the mall. If its a big ticket item, throw out a lower price. A few months ago I spotted a mid century curio cabinet. I offered $80 in cash. He moved his price down $20.

6. Go the last day. If you aren't looking for anything in particular, go on the last day. Prices are usually marked down 30-50%.

7. Reflect. Its humbling to walk through years of a family's life. I often see their faith in the material they owned. When we find old Bibles and theology books, we buy them. Buy buying an old book or piece of furniture you are preserving its future.

Any other tips? I'd love to hear them!

playground in october

2011-10-12T16:38:00.000-05:00

basement storage wall gone!

2011-10-11T08:38:00.002-05:00

Lee's been hard a work in our basement. With the old storage and walls gone, he will paint drylock on the outer walls and will add a wall around the furnace/water heater. We also have 1 more wall to remove (it currently houses a built in workbench)...

Meanwhile I will help organize. I have bins and bins of baby + kid clothes, any ideas for storing them? We're probably going to need a few of these.

wall + storage Lee tore down last month (notice the brown paneling on the left?)

yep, he removed all of it Saturday. good thing we have a dumpster in our backyard!

notice the concrete? thats new square footage

and lost treasure unearthed... (a toy gun and wooden nickels. one from stone mountain!)

rummage sale

2011-10-08T16:31:00.002-05:00

Baby girl and I visited a sale friday at a nearby church. Didn't find much in the toy, art, or kitchen departments...then I discovered the books. Great, old, classic books. Right now our classic kid books are on a top shelf in B's room. I'd like to display a few on his wall--any ideas for that?

we have a dumpster!

2011-10-06T21:29:00.005-05:00

Between removing the carpet upstairs and Lee tearing down a wall in the basement, our garage was FULL of construction material. We are so excited for its arrival! And it means we can move on to more projects.

estate sale

2011-10-05T13:22:00.002-05:00

I stopped by an estate sale in our neighborhood last Sunday. I found a box of old books (and I love old books) but noticed the bindings were gone and the book covers were stained. I was seriously tempted on the coffee/sugar/tea/flour set but it needed a new coat of paint which would destroy the charm of the containers. Can anyone give me background on Red Wing Pottery? I've come across it a few times now and wonder how collectible it is.

bed designs

2011-10-04T17:53:00.002-05:00

Last weekend Lee created some bed concepts. We're will see which design is affordable to build and hopefully end up with a custom bed. Do you have a favorite? Mine are concepts s and c...

goodbye bedroom set, hello floors

2011-10-02T22:25:00.009-05:00

the bedroom furniture sold and picked up saturday!

which led to me pulling up carpet this afternoon...

bag of fun (just kidding!)

minor injury. mrs. incredible bandaid a coincidence? i think not

carpet roll-up

almost done!

So much better (you can see a photo with carpet here). And in case you are wondering, we won't keep the mattress on the floor permanently! Lee modeled some designs in sketchup...I'll show those later this week.

a fall-ish walk

2011-09-30T08:20:00.001-05:00

mid century fireplace question

2011-09-29T16:38:00.004-05:00

We plan to paint 2 shades of grey in our living/dining area. Abalone for the couch and dining room walls and lacey pearl for the fireplace wall. I'm afraid the contrast of grey with our cream brick will make the fireplace look dirty. Anyone have experience with this? Or ideas for a different color?

cheerful pillows

2011-09-28T15:19:00.004-05:00

Sewing this set was much easier this time (I blogged about my first set here). Only downside is they turned out a little big. I'm planning to wash and dry them on high-heat and they should shrink a bit.

I purchased a yard and a half of the fabric (around $12) from Hancock and 2 down pillows from IKEA ($6.99 each). Thats about $13 per pillow, with extra fabric leftover. Yellow will be a cheerful addition, especially this winter. All in all, a relatively easy afternoon project!

master bedroom before

2011-09-26T09:06:00.007-05:00

Its been 3 years, and our bedroom is overdue for a design overhaul. We inherited the furniture from Lee's family--in the family since the late 1970s--so thats a bit bittersweet. But we are so ready to design the room for ourselves. We emptied our drawers. Donated several bags of clothes to Goodwill. With the help of a few ikea organizers all our clothes are in the closet--and its definitely not a walk-in.

I listed the furniture on Craigslist yesterday. Older furniture is a bit tricky to price, but I found comparables and listed a fair price. Once the furniture is out of the room, we will pull up the carpet. Then our house will be carpet free--horray!

Our next purchase will be a bed. Will probably share some ideas later this week. Until then you can check out my board on pinterest...

raspberries

2011-09-23T15:19:00.000-05:00

the coat (catch-all) closet

2011-09-21T13:39:00.004-05:00

before. the coat closet. aka where we stuff toys when guests come over

in progress. hello sortera recycling bins

after! we need 1 more...

final shot, much improved don't you think?

ikea weekend

2011-09-19T09:22:00.008-05:00

Saturday we headed down to IKEA for storage solutions. It was long overdue, and with our 1350 sq ft of living space, we need every inch. We're organizing the coat closet, linen closet, and our bedroom closet. Will show the progress this week!

ps--i'm working on an html glitch right now. sorry folks, hang in there :)

the air travel game

2011-09-15T08:01:00.003-05:00

I picked up the World Wide Air Travel Game (1957) last year--bought at Swank not realizing they'd go out of business this year. (The light rail construction on University really hurt small businesses). The kids discovered it last night and made a huge mess. I love the graphics and the sturdy metal airplanes.

product design

2011-09-15T07:43:00.002-05:00

Lee was recently mentioned in a Fast Company article related to 3M. It reminded me to share the video he helped produce last year with Uber. Love you babe!

life

2011-09-14T15:39:00.014-05:00

I'm home with the kids. I love seeing chapstick smeared on our 2 year old's nose and nap time in pajama pants. Picnics in the backyard and bouncing on the bed. We're not wealthy. We share a car. I coupon and sell things on craigslist. Shop 2nd hand stores for kid's clothes. I love it.

accent wall inspiration

2011-09-13T14:11:00.017-05:00

We've been mulling over our dining room. The first (and cheapest step) will be to paint the space. I'm planning Benjamin Moore abalone or lacey pearl. And we want to give the back wall some personality. Thinking wallpaper (more ideas here) or wall flats.

blue + white petal pusher wallpaper (2 rolls for $250)

inhabit luna wall flats (4 boxes for $344)

vintage sign from lilly and brothers ($100-200?)

Our latest idea is to find and hang a vintage metal sign. Any ideas for finding an old sign? I've seen a few on etsy but would prefer to buy locally. I'd love something cheerful and yellow to look at this winter.

(ps) if you are visiting from apartment therapy, i was excited to see my question on the site yesterday. welcome!

project updates + vintage finds

2011-09-11T07:58:00.026-05:00

I'm sure the biggest question is: when are we redoing the kitchen? The reality is there are more pressing "broken" things we need to accomplish before winter. A new patio screen door will be built this month and in October we need to replace our garage door and install garage door opener before snow hits. So hang in there! We'll get to the kitchen eventually...and I hope that means in a few months.

yes those are puffy sticker letters at the bottom of the pic. yet another reason to have a $10 ikea side table...

Here are a few thrift store/garage/estate sale finds from this week (in addition to our new desk). The kids are crazy about the 1970 jiffy dump truck. Do you remember that the 3rd little pig boiled the wolf and sings a song in celebration?! Definitely changed a few words reading that one to the kids!

school week

2011-09-09T12:30:00.003-05:00

This was the 1st week of preschool for our little guy, and a pre-preschool (1x a week) for our baby girl. We scooped up the desk at a thrift store sale earlier in the week, and last minute decided it'd make a great prop for photos. Pinterest gets credit for sign inspiration...

back to school

2011-09-08T08:10:00.004-05:00

My life is about preschool this week...do they have enough socks? is the paperwork filled out? Did they get to bed on-time?

Here's a preview of our 1st photo shoot...

opening the basement

2011-09-06T12:19:00.002-05:00

Over the weekend Lee tore down the middle wall + storage in our basement. Old toys hid there, mixed with forgotten bowls and kitchen appliances. He taped off where we plan to put in new walls. Windows were hidden and we want those visible this time, we love natural light--especially in the dead of winter!

And yes we definitely need a dumpster...

the great minnesota get-together

2011-09-05T08:00:00.004-05:00

summer's end

2011-09-02T14:53:00.003-05:00

basement progress

2011-08-31T13:04:00.001-05:00

Thanks to my hardworking husband the first storage area is gone (you can see the before here) and the partition wall for the heater/water heater. Do you see unpainted cement on the floor? Thats about 2 feet of new floor space. Excited to see our basement open up!

monday monday

2011-08-29T08:37:00.002-05:00

I was inspired by this blog post on Ohdeeoh. This is our busy weekend turned into a monday morning...(i'm sure I will regret showing this!) And now I'll down my coffee and tackle the day...

wishlist

2011-08-27T13:06:00.003-05:00

Any favorites? Suggestions you think we'd like?

Daydream wallpaper in white. Coco Pendant. Pyrex mixing bowls.

Inhabit wall flats in seesaw. Schoolhouse Electric Satellite 3. Etsy Paper Mache Vessel.

Petal Pusher Wallpaper in white and blue. CB2 Firefly Pendant Lamp. West Elm Recycled Glass.

numbers breakdown

2011-08-26T08:04:00.028-05:00

a few of the bolts were finicky. matte/textured finish shows dirt but also cleans up easily

aldi wheat puffs glamour shot ;)

our little guy is in feeding therapy...the arms on the chair will help him sit still and finish meals

love this view from the kitchen

Eames Armchair is $500 per chair or $2000 for the set.
A new Axis Table from Room and Board (at 42 inches, same dim as ours) is $479.
A new dining set total $2479.

or...Two sets of retro-classic chairs $340.
Craigslist table base and two tops...$80.
Chairs + table set total $420.
(With cash from our old table and a previous craigslist sale we paid $260 out of pocket)

What about you? Would you buy a replica or wait until you can afford the original?

last week, this week

2011-08-25T21:34:00.008-05:00

This was our table last week. We purchased it 4 years ago from World Market. It was in rough shape...nicks, scrapes and a broken slat. After weeks of looking I saw this table on craiglist...

A few days later I listed and sold our old dining set and hoped to find chairs quickly. After two days of searching in stores, we searched online. I mentioned to Lee that Overstock had Eames replicas with good reviews. Good price, good design. We took the plunge and purchased them sight unseen.

vintage table fix-up

2011-08-24T07:58:00.010-05:00

Lee added a protective DI-NOC film to the tabletop (thanks 3M!)

just trimmed around the edge--the black trim was helpful

yep, you can write on it

the buffer we bought for our VCT tile was handy for the scratches

the polish we had on hand too

shiny and ready for the new chairs (scheduled to arrive today!)

chair-land

2011-08-21T09:02:00.006-05:00

We are on the hunt for new chairs for our "new" table (similar to the one below). These are under $80 and are available locally...we will hopefully buy today! Favorites?

Clockwise from top left: IKEA Snille $21.99. Breur Cesca Craigslist set of 6 $200. Target Acrylic Chair set of 2/$99. West Elm Scoop Back $158 set of 2. DWR Cafe Chair $51.75. Room and Board Jake Chair $79.