Gimme a Giveaway Winner: Primele & Gifts

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Raise your hand if you’re excited for the weekend.  I know I am.  Not that we have anything fun planned, but it’s always nice to spend time together.  Oh, and we all love when Ben makes us home-made waffles.

I’m sure the winner of a custom Primele stamp, Sarah Frantz, will have a great weekend, too.

This summer has been busy for us, with many visitors.  First, Handy Sammy’s family spent a night with us, then my sisters and their boyfriends stayed for a week.  After that, Handy Sammy’s family spent another night with us before going home.  Ben’s brother came back for a few weeks from Africa with his wife and her family.  He also brought Ben and I fun African gifts.  For Ben, J bought a set of hand carved Ebony monkeys.

Because each is hand carved, there are small differences, but the details are beautiful.

Three monkeys link together, hooking to the other’s tail.

The way the monkeys link reminds me of the Barrel of Monkeys.

For me, J chose two Ebony bowls, a wooden spoon, and a small lidded jar.

The larger of the two bowls has elephants carved around the edge.  J said he watched the guy hand carve these.  How amazing is that?!

And this lidded jar is adorable.  I don’t know what I’m going to use it for, but I like looking at it on the shelf.

On the return trip, my mom rode in the car with me and the boys.  She spent two nights at our house.  The day she left, Ben’s aunt spent a night with us.  Two days after that, my grandma and grandpa visited.  She brought along a cute little set of bone china Lily of the Valley cream and sugar bowls.

Of course we love hosting guests, but the presents are pretty darn great, too.  Thank you so much J and Grandma!

Finding Our Center

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While the boys and I relaxed, played, ate, and shopped, Ben was still working his butt off at/on our house.  In fact, he finished the shingling on the house roof, with only the pool roof left.  While he was up there, he started determining the placement of the Sky Tube.  If you’re not familiar with a Sky Tube, it’s a small, round sky light, similarly installed like a vent.  Ben installed one in the windowless main bathroom at our first house and we loved how much brighter it made the room.

The main bathroom in the Mountain house is windowless, and very dark.  As fate would have it, Ben was looking at Craigslist for insulation and found a 14 inch wide, brand spanking new in the box Sky Tube.

But, let’s go back to our recent Sky Tube conversation.  First, take a look at the bathroom as it now stands.

Before leaving for Minnesota, Ben and I discussed the placement of the Sky Tube.  I thought centering it on the 8 foot by 8 foot room would spread the light around the best, like this:

He agreed and that was settled, right?  Wrong.  While away, Ben installed the roof part of the Sky Tube, and decided he preferred it centered on the bath tub, like it was at our first house, which would look like this:

And like this from the door:

Either placement is fine with what Ben has already done on the roof.  The flexible duct work can move to either place.  I see where he’s coming from, because when centered on the room, the Sky Tube doesn’t look centered on anything. With the shower curtain closed, the shower is slightly darker than I’d like.  And it would be nice to have the additional natural light in there, so maybe centering it over the shower is the best placement?

Really, the placement is only a few feet apart, so it’s not the biggest deal.  But I’m wondering, which do you prefer?  Centered on the room? Or over the bath tub?

Other than a small hole to mark the location for Ben to find in the attic, we haven’t done anything in the bathroom for it yet.

So that’s the latest debate.  What have you been debating over recently?  Which rug to buy?  Where to hang something?  Let’s share so everyone can vent and feel better.

Good Goods

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I’ll be honest, when I’m back in Minnesota, I like to visit with friends and family.  But I also like to do the things we can’t do in Montana.  Namely, shopping at Ikea and Home Goods.  My sister had to make an Ikea trip, so the boys and I tagged along.  I set a mission for myself to only buy things I needed or already planned to get.  The list included bath towels, chairs for the boys, organizational items, and possibly curtains.  Surprisingly, I stuck (mostly) to the list.  I bought two of these bath towels, but I wish I had gotten two more after hanging each on a hook.

I’m very pleased with the color, and the loop on top is a nice feature, and for $4.99 each, I’m happy.  Just wish I got two more to look a little more full.  Oh, I got antsy and hung the thank you business card that came with my Primele stamp, too.

In the curtain area, I added a set of Vivan curtains to the cart.  For the interim, I think we’ll hang these in the living room to block light while watching tv.  Once I figure out a plan for the living and dining room, I plan to put these in the guest bedroom.  Of course, I was near the fabric, so I got a yard of wide green stripe canvas-y material.

Then, in the planter department, I spotted cute metal floral buckets, on sale for 99 cents each.  I grabbed two to add inside the coral stripe box for feminine items.

V and E love to sit at their little table, a Lack table we’ve had for a while.  But for the past year, we’ve only had one little chair.  I saw the Latt table and chair set for $19.99 and decided the chairs would be great.  After a quick assembly, the boys have enjoyed their own space, perfect for coloring or snacking.

And that’s when I made an impulse purchase.  While waiting for my sister, we strolled into the As Is section and I spotted a 15 inch Foto pendant for ten bucks.

I haven’t decided if it will go in the boys bedroom or the hall, but I just couldn’t resist.

Just a few days before leaving, I got a chance to meet up with my pal Jen for some girl and shopping time.  Mostly, we talked and looked around.  However, I did find two things that came home with me.  How cute is this little ten-dollar mirror?  It’s double-sided, with a normal and close up mirror.

And it looks adorable on the bathroom shelf.

I’ve been on the hunt for a clothes hamper to fit in the bottom of the closet, but haven’t had luck because the closet is narrow.  When I saw this basket, I knew it wouldn’t work for clothes, but it sure would for holding toilet paper.  I really like keeping necessities in view so our guests don’t have to rummage through the bathroom to find what they’re looking for.  Though I’m not crazy about the color, its sturdy, the perfect size for the vanity, and cost $10.

At some point, I’ll paint the basket.  Maybe gray.  Or coral.  Even simple white.  We’ll see, but I’m always happy to have better storage.

How about you; are you good at sticking to your list?  Or do you make impulse purchases?  What’s your favorite home store to shop at?  I wish Montana had an Ikea or a Home Goods.

How’s it Hanging?

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As usual, when back in Minnesota, Ben and/or I try to help my sister with something on her house.  Over our Christmas vacation, Ben refinished her stairs and built an awesome bookshelf.

Of course Ben’s skill set grossly out does mine, so I decided to do what I do best.  Hang a few pictures.  Ash gathered up her frames and art to take this wall from blank to beautiful.

Ten framed pictures later, we’ve got a super simple gallery wall.  To simplify the hanging process, I held up the pictures, asked for opinions, then marked the wall to hang using this method.

For the arrangement layout, I tried to follow the line of the stairs.

As they accumulate artwork, this wall can be added to and rearranged to fit large and small art.  But it makes their home feel more lived in and cozy.

What have you been up to lately?  Hanging pictures?  Going on a vacation?  Helping your family with a house project?  Getting help for a project?

Letting it Out

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As I mentioned last week, the boys and I took an impromptu vacation to Minnesota.  In addition to our regular activities like the Como Zoo, a lake day, visits with friends and family, Ikea shopping, a quick HomeGoods date with my blog pal Jen, and indulging in all the foods of home, I made my way to a new store.  My cousin and pseudo sister told me about it, and she happily let me tag along.  Where did we go?  SR Harris Fabric Outlet in Brooklyn Park.  Jenna warned me, telling me it was 30,000 square feet filled with fabrics.  Well, now I believe her.  Look at this:

That’s one aisle of fabrics stacked over my head.  Surprisingly, the store is organized pretty well.  Cottons for quilting in one area.

Rows of home decorating fabrics.  A shelf covered in bolts of silks, taffeta, and tulle.

I had to practice serious restraint not to walk home with an carload of various silks, knowing full well it doesn’t stand a chance against my kids.

And the ribbon.  Oh, the ribbon!  Several end cap shelves of assorted ribbon.  I especially loved the velvet trims.

In a way, SR Harris reminded me of Ikea.  Huge store with plenty to look at, great prices (everything is 50% off the list price), and a do it yourself attitude.  Get this, you cut your own fabric!  How awesome is that?!?  So now, let me show you what I came home with.

Forgive me, because I don’t know most of the names.  The green stripe is actually from my Ikea shopping trip.  I couldn’t see a designer of the blue stripe, but it’s a nice weight canvas type fabric for $5.00 per yard.  P Kauffman makes the blue swirl, and I think the gray is by Ralph Lauren.  Both home dec fabrics are originally $19.99 per yard, but everything is half off.  No clue about the white sequin brand, but it was too fun to pass up.

Like a raccoon, my eyes like shiny, sparkly things.  I got a 1/2 yard to make an accent pillow or two.  To top it off, I got a few yards of an aqua grosgrain ribbon for 35 cents a yard and two yards of green velvet ribbon for 50 cents a yard.  Perhaps I’ll add it to a plain pillow cover for more detail or around a lamp shade.  Haven’t decided yet, but I’ve decided to buy things I love to work in.

Minnesotans, this is definitely worth a stop if you’re looking for any fabric.  I can’t wait to go back again to see what other treasures I can dig up.

Do you have a go to fabric store?  Do you go looking for something specific?  Or just by what catches your attention without a plan for it?