Paper Thin...

This afternoon, on my lunch break at work, I had gone down to the Ann Arbor Farmer's Market and decided to pop into a store I have never been in. I have to share it with you all. I could have spent an entire day in this place. It is called Hollander's and its in Kerrytown, Ann Arbor.

This store is a wonderland of the most stunning papers, stationery, notebooks, pens, calendars, greeting cards and other ephemera. This place made me want to wrap every box with a lid and every notebook in my house in delicious color and pattern. I am going to just keep fantasizing about projects I can do now, which require paper, as an excuse to go back!
I knew I could not just walk into this store and not walk out with empty hands, so I picked out these papers to use as part of a Christmas project in my house. I will post pics of that as soon as it is ready...

I couldn't resist those little elves-- the reminded me of the little claymation characters from "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer".

I also picked up this little gem for another project, which I will show you when I have implemented my plans for it... The metallic gold on this shimmers so beautifully.

Here is the link to their website:

http://www.hollanders.com/aboutus.aspx

If you find yourself in Ann Arbor, you MUST check out this store. You won't be sorry!

(This is not a sponsored post, just a nice little shout out!)

Mirror, Mirror

Greetings, y'all!
I took a few days off. I was tired. And I have been crafting and DIY-ing my heart out! I will have lots to share very soon. In the meantime, check this out...
I like to go "treasure hunting" at the thrift store. It requires patience, and sometimes a few trips before I get a good score, but when I do, it is totally worth it. Case in point, this mirror:

I know, you may be thinking, "Hmmm, not so hot..." BUT hear me out-- look at the edge detail on this puppy!

Better, right? Wait-- it gets even better....

So, I painted it with some medium gray, very high gloss spray paint. It took about 3 coats (after the primer), but I love the way it turned out. 

Here are the after shots:

(The detail shot was taken before I used a straight blade to scrape off the excess paint that leaked around my tape.)

And this is where my fancy, $26 mirror resides today:

 Right next to my front door, so I can make sure I don't look like a fool before I walk out the door. 

So there you have it folks, one person's trash is another person's treasure. Keep an open mind and an imagination when you are perusing garage sales and thrift stores!

Over the Moon...

A few weeks ago, I received this super cute (and pricey) catalog in the mail. When I win the lotto, I will buy Lily one of everything out of here.

You can pick out what you will buy your kids with your lottery winnings here:

http://catalogs.restorationhardware.com/babychildholiday/WebProject.asp?CodeId=7.7.1.6&link=Viewourholidaysourcebook#

In the meantime, I swooned over the chalk moon on the cover and was feeling guilty about the fact Lily is almost 11 months old and her chalk wall has has the same "Welcome, Lily Marian, you are loved..." with my sad rendition of a tiger lily next to it this entire time. It was sweet like the first 6 weeks. See below...

 I thought, "Hey, if that 5 year old can draw a sweet moon, I can too!" So, I busted out my chalk and went to town.... When I was done I was a little upset that this 5 year old, with no formal art training, on a ladder somehow drew a way better moon than I did, but I bet he also didn't have an 11 month old tugging at his legs the whole time. And who let's a 5 year old climb a ladder anyhow?! But it's the thought that counts, right? And I'm not gonna lie-- it looks pretty sweet in the dark. 

Here's my moon:

And there you have it.... Goodnight Moon!

'Tis the Season

...to spread your germs to unwitting, innocents. I am one of those innocents. I have been feeling like garbage buckets. So in honor of my sickness, which the doctor has informed me is a virus and therefore, would be impervious to antibiotics, I have decided to mix up a good old home remedy. Hot Toddy! Cause what is being sick good for, if not an excuse to drink more whiskey?
So, below is my small arsenal of sickness weapons.

1: Immutain by Solaray: this is an immune support supplement. Clearly I wasn't taking enough of it soon enough, but you can buy some here for $7.33 + shipping if you would like to give it a try...

http://www.vitacost.com/solaray-immutain-blend-dp-40

2: EmergenC: This stuff is fizzy citrusy vitaminy powder you mix with water (I had tangerine flavor, but I guess it comes in a vast array of flavors). It's mildly tasty and has loads of vitamins. I suggest everyone stock up on this cause y'all are gonna get sick sometime this year...you can buy it here:

http://www.vitacost.com/alacer-emergen-c-vitamin-c-fizzy-drink-mix-tangerine

3: Hot Toddy Ingredient #1: Lemon Juice. This comes from a variety of sources, but this particular bottle is Organic Italian Volcano Lemon Juice from Trader Joe's (fancy, huh?). 

4: Hot Toddy Ingredient #2: Jack Daniel's. You may be saying to yourself, "boy, that is a large bottle of Jack." That's because it is. It's a 1.75 liter bottle. And I buy it at the local CVS. Don't judge me. The bigger bottle is a better price...   ;)

5: Hot Toddy Ingredient #3: Honey. This is local honey that I bought over the summer at an art fair. It's blueberry flavor. You can buy your very own jar from here (and you should because its local and delicious): 

http://hardyhoney.com/

6: Hot Toddy Mug: This one is from an art fair that I went to in Ludington, MI in July. It was made by a ceramic artist named Rebecca Nice and her Etsy page seems to be down, but you all can email her at spinninginthemudpottery@gmail.com (I'm assuming its okay to share this info since its on her business card...)

7. Hot water kettle: This was a wedding gift from our dear friend Kendall. You can get yours here:
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=201877&RN=899&

HOT TODDY RECIPE

2 ounces whiskey (we're Jack fans)
1 tablespoon honey
4 ounces hot water 
1 teaspoon lemon juice 
1 slice fresh lemon (let's be real-- I haven't had a fresh lemon in my house in ages)
Directions:
1.
Place the whiskey in a large mug.
2.
Add the honey.
3.
Pour the hot water into the mug over the spoon you used for the honey to get off the last little drops.
4.
Add the lemon juice and stir well.

ORIGINAL RECIPE LOCATED HERE:
Read more at: http://www.food.com/recipe/dr-pats-hot-toddy-cold-remedy-234344?oc=linkback

I'd say enjoy, but so far, I'm not enjoying myself...I should also say that none of this is intended to be legit medial advice. Cause, c'mon. I'm an interior designer, not a doctor....

Cheers!

Etsy Faves #1

I'd like to share a little Etsy love. Check out the Etsy shop called "chrdesigns". This shop owner, Cindy, is amazing. A few examples...

• When I saw she made necklaces with a bird, a nest & 3 little eggs, I thought it would be perfect for my mom, if only the nest had 4 eggs (one for each of her daughters). Cindy custom made it.
• When I saw one of her pendant necklaces she had already sold, I thought, "that would be just perfect for my bridesmaids, if only it were the right colors ..." Cindy went way above and beyond custom making them and ensuring the bead colors were just right. 
• I also purchased my bridal jewelry from her, which you can see yours truly modeling in my wedding photos. 
• I've also bought many other pieces of hers and they are always well made with an incredible attention to detail.

I hope you check out her page and find something sweet and hand made for yourself, your special lady friend, wife, mother, sister, dog walker, etc...

http://www.etsy.com/shop/chrdesigns?ref=ss_profile

Happy Bejeweling!

Did you just say "Hello"?

Once upon a time, my husband and I rented {most of} the first floor of a house near downtown Plymouth. The house was about 180 years old, so with all of its quirks {re: ghosts & $$$ energy bills}, the only thing about it that I miss was this spectacular Dahlia bush that grew out back. A few days before our wedding {in 2010}, I was walking in when I spotted this little fella. He seemed to be saying "Ello!" {just like the caterpillar from "The Labyrinth"}...

Mahvelous, Dahling!

Hello! This is my inaugural blog post.

My blog is intended to be chock full of things that I think are downright marvelous and I hope you will agree! Happy marveling!

A reminder of what's important in life: Art. I took this photo while ambling down the streets of Detroit-- the city is full of great signage, graphic eye candy and vintage advertisements.