(Copyright Sarah Greenman)

I'm so excited to share that my little Tweed Cottage is on Houzz.com! I had the best experience with writer, blogger, and photographer Sarah Greenman when she came over to shoot the house a few weekends ago and I'm so pleased with the results. Check out the full article here!

In other news... it's been awhile, eh? I'm definitely not winning any blogging awards anytime soon. There's been plenty of activity over here, though, don't worry - parties, book clubs, game nights, quiet time, TV time (the most important time) and fun crafternoons. I should probably remember to start taking and sharing some pictures, huh? So that's what a blogger does! Heh.

Hope you are doing well, friends! And if you're new here, welcome!

tweed cottage // living room

1. chair // accordion 2. paint by number project // amazing thrifted hand-painted pants hanger! 3. living room // ikea rug 4. suitcase record storage 5. vintage desk record stand

6. paint by number collection 7. antelope lamp base (house warming gift!) // lampshade 8. chair // picture display 9. brown-saltman vintage surfboard coffee table

10. more paint by numbers 11. paint chip art 12. a new tv (f i n a l l y) 13. accordion (for looks only) 14. bits & bobs

15. silk thread collection 16. glass doorknob curtain tie-back 17. original art collage // color inspiration

thanks for taking a peek into my living room! it's my favorite room in the house - i love being in there listening to records, talking to friends, and watching tv (i never thought i'd appreciate a larger tv as much as i do!)

(you can see the green room here and full size images on flickr)

tweed cottage // the green room

confession: i named my house. i've always loved how british homes have names, so i decided to call my little 1940s house tweed cottage because it's cozy and twee, much like the rooms within.

strong natural light and tidiness finally coincided yesterday, so i snapped a few pictures of what was supposed to be the master bedroom; instead, the green room, as it is so ingeniously called, is my crafting, sewing, computer, and music room. the majority of the items in the room are thrifted or from estate sales, but i tried to source anything else as it appears.

wall color // martha stewart sultana

bearded men, mustachioed babies, and sad face boys // ashley g

pants hangers for concert posters // mostly vintage, some ikea

i don't think i've ever shown this couch on the blog before. i love, love, love it, but it does not love me. i'm mildly allergic to wool and the colorful crewel embroidery gets me itchy and sneezy in no time. i look, others sit, lola snoozes. it is too pretty to not have.

beatles art // my crazy talented friend nathan

ricky gervais print // elloh

megan sign // hand stitched by my mom when i was little 

chalkboard paint // home depot

bottle rocket motel poster // save the bottle rocket motel

octopus love // ashley g

most of the items from my apartment (living room // dining room // office) have found a happy new home in this green room (more close-ups over on flickr), but i've really tried to cut back on clutter. it still is a bit cluttered, but more of a stylized clutter? yeah, that's it.

thanks for taking a peek - more tweed cottage coming soon! (update: living room)

house hunting

despite the holiday weekend and steadily rising temperatures, my friend and i decided to wander aimlessly through historic neighborhoods in search of estate sales and garage sales. needless to say, we found not a single vintage ware.

since we were already in one of our favorite neighborhoods, we decided to hunt down the exact location of one specific mid-century home among so many other gorgeous mid-century homes.

sometime last year, i was in this same neighborhood for an estate sale and i got lost.

i have to say, it's the best place in which i've ever found myself disoriented.

on one of my many turns and u-turns and three-point-turns, i found myself on a shady cul-de-sac.

the cul-de-sac was actually a small roundabout with what seemed like a hidden corner.

tucked back in the hidden corner was the most amazing mid-century home i had ever seen in real life.

i literally stopped my car to admire this architectural wonder of the 1960s for a full five minutes, my mouth slightly open, i'm sure. i felt as elizabeth bennet must have upon seeing pemberley for the first time.

after getting similarly disoriented (this time on purpose), my friend and i finally found my mid-century dream house. the trees, the lawn, the clean architectural lines, the glass-walled dining room filled with vintage furniture... i've never seen anything so happily situated.

i'm tempted to try to contact the owner and ask questions and demand interior photos. i can imagine room after room filled with items similar to those in my 1955 house beautiful ads and those are happy thoughts, indeed!

i often find myself torn between my dream house being a small arts & crafts bungalow or a larger mid-century ranch-style home. as a singleton, i lean toward the small bungalow; if i ever have a family, i'd like a mid-century brady-style house. compromise, right?

do you live in your dream house? do you have a dream house style? i'd love to hear about it!

success!

let's just be honest here, shall we? i am messy. my surroundings are in a constant state of clutter, dishevelment, and chaos. for the most part, i've come to terms with the fact that i was never mother's little helper on chore days, but there is a small part of me that longs for clean spaces and strict organization. this part creeps up when i've been particularly neglectful of my space for long periods of time, when things have gotten so messy that even i'm bothered.

case in point.

this was definitely not my finest hour.

a slob, i tell you! these pictures were taken right after new years, when, like everybody else with strong resolution resolve, i decided to organize. this particular area is the sunroom in my apartment, a.k.a. my small home office. one side of this tiny cubby space holds a table for my craft supplies and items that need to be listed on etsy; the other side houses my desk and computer.

where to begin? ikea. isn't that always the answer? i spent a good few hours browsing the online catalog, taking measurements, and checking my bank account. after i made a list of potential solutions, i made my way to the land of always busy. luckily, there is an ikea exactly 4.9 miles from my apartment. i made my purchases and eagerly started assembling.

fast forward almost two months (can you say resistance?).

i have never, in my life, had anything so organized. it feels pretty good. pret-ty, pret-ty good.

i went with the expedit shelving unit ($99) and turned it on its side. there is literally not a millimeter to spare, so hoorah for measuring twice! while i was at ikea, i also picked up the orange dokument letter tray ($7.99). i'm using this for storing receipts, invoices, and shipping labels. the kitchen scale i use to weigh shipments (from williams-sonoma so many years ago) fits perfectly.

also from ikea, i used the green kassett magazine boxes ($12.99/set of 2) and the silver emu boxes ($6.99/set of 2) for storing craft supplies, cables, CDs, and shipping supplies.

i picked up a usb extension so i could move my printer behind my desk.

i wanted to make use of some of my vintage collections, so i used small pyrex dishes for clips and push-pins.

i used vintage fire king dishes for paper supplies and an old glass for my knitting needles.

i picked up this old coffee canister for $.50 at a thrift store and i used it for storing my markers (i am a total sharpie addict).

this vintage tin was just $1 at an estate sale this week. i love the fruit design and bold colors, so i wanted it to be functional - it stores my ribbon stash.

next to the tin is one of my favorite toys from my childhood. i adore vintage fisher price toys and luckily my mom, who runs an in-home daycare, kept all our old toys.

some of my favorite new toys are my dunnys. i might be obsessed with collecting them.

the third one from the left on the top was signed by the artist (amy ruppel) and is one of my favorites. i also love the owl and the virgin mary and the detective and the elephant man...

and the british guard and the kangaroo boxer and the devil... how could these not make you happy?

speaking of happy, my computer area is clutter-free for the first time! i'm usually typing over papers, knick-knacks, and dishes (i am extremely guilty of eating in front of my computer).

hello, desk. i haven't seen you in awhile.

i even de-cluttered my computer. i took off most of the old stickers, only keeping the essentials, like this old martha stewart apple of my eye. so punny.

oh, diet coke, i couldn't have done this without you.

my only purchase ever from pottery barn teen was this green double-decker storage unit and the pink computer stand (underneath my printer).

i utilized some more vintage wares over on this side, too: a melamine plate and bowl for girly storage (does anybody else paint their nails at their desk?)

above my desk is the best underground map ever. instead of tube lines intersecting, this map plots out music genres and is absolutely brilliant. i got this in london a few years ago and it is definitely my favorite souvenir.

and finally, i hung up this great vintage ceramic wall pocket/planter cuckoo clock i found at an estate sale a few weekends ago for $5. i'm really into bavarian/woodland/alpine decor lately. 

this 3-day weekend is off to a productive start! i'm going to visit some of my favorite people tonight and i have 2 birthdays to celebrate in the next few days, so it'll be busy, busy. what are your weekend plans?