Modern Country Inspiration

I ran across these photos from a fellow blogger decor8 and I had to share. This is my dream home. Someday...

A little birthday shopping

Timeless Treasures was running a sale on Archipelago candles so I had to stop by on my birthday last Monday. Some photos from my visit and Joan had my shabby chic pink dresser out front and center!

Happy Friday!

I'm thinking about buying a print of this for our living room. What do you think?
Enjoy your weekend! I'll be working on Saturday for a College Prep day and Sunday I'm on a mission to find a used road bike in the city.

Yellow Shabby Chic Bench

Another one of my recent projects: saddle-style small bench painted with old fashioned milk paint which is all natural, organic paint that is earth friendly. Edges a little bit worn.

So much paperwork!

I'm sorry I've been lazy at posting lately. I've just finished up a graduate school application to the University of San Francisco for a Masters in Education. Keep your fingers crossed! I will post some new updates on Sunday!

Meet Mr. Cooper

Cooper on the right is our easily excitable five month old Boston Terrier cuddling here with his favorite Uncle Hooker. This photo taken on our recent vacation to northern Michigan. Cooper misses his play friend and we miss Hooker to help entertain him too!

DIY Chalkboard

When decorating our new place, we had so much trouble finding a chalkboard that was the right size and price. The one we found at IKEA was too small and the one at Pottery Barn was too big and didn't fit our modern country kitchen decor. A friend of mine suggested we could make it ourselves and it was pretty easy.

We found an old black worn frame at Goodwill and bought some masonite board at Home Depot sized perfectly to fit in the back. Then we painted the masonite board with chalkboard paint and it was ready to go. It turned out to be a $20 chalkboard!

My first big hit!

Very exciting news! Recently, I've taken up the hobby of distressing and painting old and new furniture. I've sold a couple pieces thru CL, but this is my first major hit! I was contacted by the lovely Joan O'Connor, owner of Timeless Treasures and she bought my pink shabby chic book shelf below for her store in Pacific Heights! This is one of my favorite stores in SF and features vintage home furnishings and gifts with whimsy, comfort and style.

A solid investment.

I'm a huge fan of beautiful hard cover cookbooks with tons of photos. After working for Chronicle Books, I have a pretty decent collection started of everything from delicate pastries to Asian cuisine. I love trying new recipes, but sometimes, you just need a recipe that is always dependable. Something you know that's been tried a million times before and you have friends coming over at 7pm and you can't screw it up. That's the classic Better Homes & Garden New Cookbook. They are printing their 12th ring-bound edition and the recipes are easy to follow and call for everything you can find at your local grocery store. A nice gift for someone with a new home.

Off soon to the good life...

We're headed home to Nebraska in couple of weeks. Yep. Seven days of sitting here on my parent's porch with a glass of lemonade, a good book, and my sister to wait on us hand and foot. She doesn't know this yet!

My obsession = Old red barns!

On a recent vacation to northern Michigan (to see Derek's family), we came across the Port Oneida Rural Historic District. It was an old settlement town that still had some abandoned old barns and farms. I just love how simple and peaceful they look amongst the fields. Here's some of my favorites from Flickr and our trip.

Keep Calm & Carry On

I recently purchased one of these Keep Calm posters from sfgirlbybay and can't wait to hang it up in our living room. The posters are 23.5" x 16.5" and fit the IKEA Ribba. I think this is a great motto to live by!

Reminds me of home.

Looking for the Perfect Coffee Mug

On a shopping trip to our favorite neighborhood store, Cole Hardware, I ran across this mug for $9.99. It goes perfect in our kitchen. They have these in assorted colors and designs.

Reminds me of home.

Lotta Jansdotter, my hero.

I first learned of this amazing woman from Chronicle Books. They published Lotta's first line of stationery. Since then, her line has expanded to beautiful textiles, bags, and ceramics. Recently, she published a new book, Simple Sewing, also by Chronicle. The projects are truly easy to follow and photos coming soon of the apron I made on Sunday afternoon.

Mason Jars

What a find! You can still buy Mason Jars at Michaels for $1.50 each. I didn't know they still made these old-fashioned Kerr jars. They are perfect for storage in your kitchen or to use a vase for gerber daisies. If you were my mom, you would still use them for canning tomatoes!

Kitchen Storage Solution

The kitchen shelf is a CL find for $20. It was an old dark wood book shelf from a lawyer's office that I painted white to match our kitchen trim. With less cabinet space, this is a practical and fun way to display our red and white dishes.