I Need a Mantle

And a rose garden.

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I've followed abchao's flickr stream and great decor ideas for like 3 years (I found her through television without pity, which used to be a regular website of mine). All of the sudden I see her stuff popping up everywhere.

I want her house, and her before/after bedroom, real bad. And I tried to paint a piece of furniture the same color she used for her bedroom. It did NOT turn out that dark.

Wow.

I grew up camping. Clearly it has become a lot more fashionable.

Bandanas, sturdy shoes, and a New Kids on the Block sleeping bag won't cut it anymore.

I want to dress up like this immediately and go camping. Let's go.

Believe it or not, these are actually from a teen vogue shoot.

I'm pretty sure these models have never been camping in real life.

via, via

i like the feeling when you check into a hotel room and first open the door.

it's not really personal. they make beds for everyone, and give everyone a key.

everyone gets the little soap. and plastic wrapped cups.

but they feel like yours. somehow its exciting.

i like my own bed even more. and the feeling when i walk into my room

and slide between the sheets

not scratchy. or dirty from someone i don't know

i like beds.

I don't look around on Etsy very much. While it is amazing, I find it overwhelming. So unless I'm specifically directed to a link, I rarely browse. Tonight I decided to take a chance and look for some vintage fabric, and I stumbled upon this amazing shop - Vintage Stew.

I want everything in this shop - everything. Rompers! Maxi dresses! Sheaths! Yay!

home improvement

Last year I bought this little stand from some antique dealers in St. Louis. It lives by my door and is a catch-all where I put my keys and wallet. The black doesn't go with any of the dark woods in my humble abode, so I finally decided to paint it. The color advertised, "Down Pipe", was supposed to be a dark slate gray-blue.

Before.....

After. Much lighter than I thought, but I like it alot. I let some of the black peep through for a "weathered" look. I don't think painting is really my strong suit.

I'm going to need to add a few extra bucks to my grocery budget each week. I just can't do fake flowers.

this is a lovely tumblr site. the tumblr layout has been growing on me lately.

frido kahlo
my birthday card from libby
love you

Some days are just one step at a time days.
It's been raining for like a week now. I love rain. But a little sun would be nice too.

image via the amazing k

22/24

Almost all my pics came out from my most recent 2 rolls of Diana film. I couldn't believe. Some a bit blurry, but that adds to the Diana intrigue. A few more~

faux j. crew shoot

I need to do more of these with my sisters in law. They are so photogenic and will put up with me while I fiddle with camera settings and composition.

finished product

Living room....Imagine the old tv in place of the plasma. And nothing else.

New Ikea clips for mini-gallery on the wall.

and......

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

before and after

Boring wall in my living room before. It was like this for a full year. I hate compromising and I knew what I wanted to get.
Awesome antique tile mirror. I found a company that makes these from salvaged tin ceiling tiles while I was at a flea market in New York 3 years ago. I've coveted them forever and finally bought 2 this fall.

Tada! New bookshelf, antique glass lamps and blue vase. My mom put this together over the weekend for me. Excuse the flash and terrible lighting; I do get good natural lighting in my room but the sun had set already.

Mirror detail. See more amazing this like this here

The lamps were unbelievably $5 each at a flea market, and the vase was $3.50 - I almost cried when I found them. I'm on a quest for shades today.

so much to say

So many fun things happening. My mom was here for a 5 day visit and brought me this beautiful hand crocheted afghan for my birthday.

I love it. My mom also put together a new bookshelf for me, bought me a kitchen cart, and totally reorganized my kitchen. I also had some antique mirrors hung by my apartment maintenance peeps (they were so heavy, I didn't have the hardware to do it myself). And I finally did my mini-gallery wall with Ikea frames that my mom brought me. Many posts to come....including a little photo shoot with my sisters in law.

dress up

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I need more dresses like this. Why am I still stuck on summer clothes when fall is in full swing?

double exposed

I keep forgetting to wind my Diana after each shot. About half the roll came out. I'm shooting for 3/4 next time.
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autumn days

Lazy Saturday. The next three weekends will be packed, so I'm relishing this now. Drove into the city to visit Val and go to 2 farmer's markets. I took a whole roll of film on my Diana - we'll see how they turn out. Stay tuned. Tomorrow: fall foliage shoot with Mer in Forest Park.

Loving my new cardigan. Old Navy, of all places. I just want to live in it.

So I really don't want a big wedding. After becoming somewhat of a wedding expert this year through attending many weddings, I've determined that a small ceremony on a tropical beach somewhere is the way to go for me. Just family, I show up wearing something white, a luxurious hotel feeds us, and I enjoy my honeymoon. No details, no hassles, no drama.

BUT. if..........I decide differently, I pretty much want to copy this wedding. Every single detail.

OnceWed, via Jo