adventures at the hardware store

We've been working on our apartment since Friday, and although we've gotten a lot done, we still have so much more to do before we formally move in on Thursday! It seems like before we get any task done, there are at least three other things that need to be removed/sanded/painted/mounted before we start. And every task requires a piece of equipment or some tool we don't have! So the local hardware store has become our second home. I know the names of all the people who work there and I can direct you to almost anything you may be looking for. And because we spend so much time there, of course we're bound to run into some weird situations:

Husband: Hey, look over there! That guy has a parrot on his shoulder.
Me: Huh, really...
Husband: Yeah, and he's wearing a cowboy hat...Hmmm.
Me: What, is he a pirate?
Husband: ...maybe he's Australian.
Me: Maybe....Wait! WHAT?! How does that make any sense...?
Husband: (Looking into our cart) I think I might have to get a couple of different types of nails.

I'm really enjoying fixing up our new place and I can't wait for it to all come together! We're not doing too well on our timeline, but we're getting there! Slowly, but surely...

Clockwise from top left:
Vintage Workmaster Wallpaper Tool Kit from Crabapple Vintage
Set of Seven Vintage Screwdrivers from shavingkitsupplies
Vintage Green Metal Utility Box from ModishVintage
Foldable Yardstick from snapsink

100 abandoned houses

Much like the photos from the Looking Into the Past project, the 100 Abandoned Houses project is both hauntingly beautiful and heartbreaking. The photo series by Kevin Bauman documents abandoned homes in Detroit and the downfall of an American city. 

Found via 26 Olive Street.

brooch bouquets

I'm not a huge fan of cut flowers, there's something about them that seems so wasteful to me ("If you cut them, they will die, and then you will throw them out"). And this was an issue I had to really struggle with when planning my wedding. I made flowers a very small part of my decor, however, I stuck with the traditional floral bouquet. If only I had found out about these brooch bouquets from Fantasy Floral Designs earlier! They are made of gorgeous vintage (and possibly new) brooches. What I love most about this idea is the re-purposing of brooches to make something totally unique that will last a lifetime. I also think that it would make a great DIY project for crafty, hands-on bride.

Found via Post Grad Haircut.

boboniaa

This lovely lady living in Thailand has really great taste in vintage clothes! Check out her vintage wardrobe photo set.

(P.S. I've joined Flickr! Add me as a contact!)

the perfect (sweater) weather

For me, the perfect weather is sunny, with a bit of a breeze. It's one where you can wear both sandals and a sweater at the same time and sit outside with a hot drink in hand without feeling too warm.

Clockwise from top left:
Vintage Benetton Cotton Sweater from VintageVoyce
Vintage Sunglasses from SustaluxEyewear
Retro Pastel Mugs  from GallivantingGirls
Summer White Leather Huaraches from tinygirl

( How do you like the Polaroid frames? I'm trying out a different collage layout...)

chair vignettes

Gorgeous chair vignettes from Decor8's Interior Styling Flickr pool.

I love the 70s/granny's house feel to this one.

Via Simply Grove.

Have a great weekend everyone! Hubby and I are going to be shopping for laminate flooring and possibly pay a visit to IKEA to get some storage ideas. I'm going to try to convince him to take me out to breakfast as well :)

a big shoe box

So normally, I would never (never!) pass up the chance to buy fabulous shoes on sale, even if I had nothing to wear them with. But since we're gearing up for our move, I've had to be a bit more disciplined. Last night, I packed up a giant box of shoes and I found that...

... I have a lot of sandals and flip-flops...

... I have a lot of flats...

... and a lot of black shoes.

(I had to wrap up some delicate shoes in plastic bags.)

And those are the shoes that I had stored in our teeny-tiny apartment. I have another box, just like this one, stored at my parents' house. IKEA storage solutions, anyone?

summer sandals

Last night I had this sudden, strong urge to buy shoes. I was out looking for a birthday gift, when I found myself wandering into the shoe section of a department store. I spotted a pair of amazing platform gladiator sandals and had to try them on. They had some in my size and on sale! I tried them on for about half an hour before I realized that despite their gorgeousness and awesome price, I really had nothing in my wardrobe that I could wear them with. And oddly enough, that half hour I spent with those shoes had satiated my shoe-shopping appetite. For the night at least!

Now, these leather sandals, I think they would be the perfect addition to anyone's summer wardrobe.

The above white sandals can be found at lisazain's shop.

sleeveface

Sleeveface: one or more persons obscuring or augmenting any part of their body or bodies with record sleeve(s) causing an illusion.

I love it. It must be so much fun staging these photos. 

Found via Dalena Vintage.

1950s travel ads

I'm loving these 1950s travel ads. The men and women all look so fabulous!

The above ads and more can be found at Vintage Ad Browser.

wallpaper for your desktop

I've had this wallpaper (Camilla Engman for Design*Sponge, see more wallpapers here) on my computer desktop for a while now and thought it might be time for a new one. I came across some vintage wallpaper images while browsing online last night. I love the idea of "wallpaper-ing" my desktop.

Old House Vintage Wallpaper - Fairiegoodmother

Old House Vintage Wallpaper 2 -Fairiegoodmother

  Vintage Wallpaper - Sherrie Thai

Wallpaper - Industry Is Virtue

And I just love these two wallpapers available for free on the Ruche site.
 

reno long weekend

Hope everyone had a great long weekend! My family and I don't celebrate Easter so this past weekend we took advantage of the extra day to change out the flooring on the second-floor of my parents' home. They got sick of carpet in the bedrooms and since they're expecting out-of-country guests this summer, they wanted to fix up the place. This got hubby and I thinking about our new apartment. The whole place is carpeted and we'd like to put in some laminate flooring, but we can't decide on a colour. We're planning on switching out some of our current furniture, so we're not sure what would look good with our "future" furniture.

I found tons of floor inspiration online, and it all looks good!

 
I love the painted white floors in Becke's (The Vintage Cabin) dining room on Apartment Therapy

 Mixed wood furniture on light floors, Mostly Mid-century Home and Gallery on Apartment Therapy

Mixed wood furniture on dark floors, Janet's Peaceful Modern on
Apartment Therapy

I'm really liking the idea of white floors (maybe a faux whitewashed laminate?), in our apartment, especially since it's still a relatively small space and it doesn't have the best exposure to light. However, it seems like you can't really make a floor "clash" with a room. So maybe any colour will do!

inspired lunch

Remember how I wanted to have a picnic last weekend? Well, it never happened because the weather was so cold, wet, and miserable. And although it's supposed to be nice long weekend, I think we're going to be too swamped with packing to do any picnicking. So, I decided to have my own little picnic-inspired lunch today.

Have a great long weekend!

two astronauts

I've been discovering so many great online vintage shops and blogs through Twitter lately. I would never have come across this new shop, Two Astronauts, if they hadn't followed me.

Check them out. They have some really great industrial furniture pieces as well.