Today's Etsy!

I promised myself that I would take the weekend off, but then I remembered these and decided I had to post them. I was glad I did since they are on sale for the holiday weekend! They are the cutest most whimsical things I have seen in a long time. I wonder if it would be overload if I had one in every room?

At $32.99 these are a splurge for most of us being that they hold tissue! I'll take one in Green and one in Aqua, thank you very much. 

Sayonara till Monday or Tuesday!

Stacy

Fourth of July Banner!

I try not to buy a lot of decorations because they usually end up ruined. I "forget" to put them away and they get wrinkled and smashed and I feel guilty for wasting the money on them. I won't lie here...I am still working on my organizational skills! We usually make birthday banners for each other out of a huge roll of white paper we have had for 20 years! I like that better anyway! 

This year I decided to make a 4th of July banner since I didn't want to buy one. I just went to the hardware store and stole some stuff instead! Works for me! Now let me explain...I made my banner out of paint sample cards. Technically those are free for the taking right? They probably don't expect that people would take 30 of them, but I did! I don't think they saw me taking that many so, in all honesty, I felt like I was being sneaky and bad. I got over that pretty quick and went to work.

Here's what I did, and it took me about ten minutes. I think it would be a fun kid project, but I'm not limiting it to just kids. I'm thinking about going and getting one sample of a whole bunch of colors and making one for a friend's birthday. These are easy and cute!

This is all you need! Some twine or string, a hole punch, and paint sample cards.

First I decided what order I wanted the colors in. Obviously this was easy...I just did red, white, blue, repeat! Notice I had a "helper" who wasn't such a big help. His "help" made this project take more time than it should have, but I don't mind.

I gathered up a bunch of cards and started punching my holes. Do two holes in each card. They hang better that way!

All of the holes were done and here's what they looked like. Nothing has to be perfect here, my friends! Don't stress yourself out over this! 

OKAY! The hardest part for me was finding an end on the string. Seriously?! I looked at it for a fifteen minutes. Finally, I gave up and cut my own end into the roll. I like to play by the rules so I wouldn't usually do that....oh, and it's my husband's roll of string. He won't mind!

So with the end cut I got stringing! EASY as pie. Once that's done you will need to decide how close together you want your paint cards to hang in the banner. I like this look or further apart. It's a matter of personal taste here. Not a big deal.

I decided to string mine a little further apart so with that done, I had my helper chew on the string a little bit. Sorry for the dark picture...I'm working on that.

Here's the done deal! I think it turned out great. I hung it in the house quick to show you what it looks like done. When it's not a hundred degrees I'm going to hang it out on the fence for the weekend!

Now head to the paint store and gather up some samples! DON'T tell them I sent you!

Have a fabulous holiday weekend! Hope you spend some time with family eating good food, drinking fun drinks, and enjoying the sunshine and beautiful weather!

Stacy

Twin City Tidbit... Government shut-down got you down?

Well. It is official. The wonderful State of Minnesota is shut-down. Can't go camping? Here are some ideas of what to do instead.

1. Camp in your own backyard. Run and get a fire pit (most likely on sale) and all the fixin's for s'mores. Do a little midnight walk around the neighborhood. Who knows you may even run into an urban raccoon.

2. Head out to one of the many fun lakes around town! Lake Minnetonka will most definitely be fun albeit it busy. Or you could go for a quieter out of the way lake. Perhaps look at a map, pick a lake, drive out there as an adventure. Who knows what you will find along the way.

3. Find a resort with an opening. I suggest doing this quick as many people have probably planned ahead aware of the potential shut-down. Check out Minnesota resorts here.

4. Check out the free entertainment on July 3 on the river: live music from local band Communist Daughter at 7 p.m., a screening of the movie Iron Man 2 at 9.15, both at Nicollet Island Pavilion. More info here.

5. Head to Delano. This city hosts the oldest and largest 4th of July celebration in the state. The events are too many to list. Find more information out here. This web page is solely for the weekend of the 4th! This just went high on my list of things to check out...

6. Sit at home and watch the entire seven seasons of The Golden Girls. Ha! Just making sure you are still reading.

7. Oh and we can't forget the fireworks.. For a listing of the fireworks shows in Minneapolis and the surrounding areas... click here.

Have a happy and safe 4th of July!

Alyssa

An urban bedroom.

If you noticed here that you didn't see any pictures of my bedroom, it's because I didn't post any. My bedroom is in a constant state of upheaval. It needs to be painted and I need to decide on a color scheme. STAT. Things have come and gone from our room more than any other place in our house. I think I like something, I buy it, and then I get sick of it. The master bedroom is in the upper half story of our urban home and the only time we are up there is at night. It's not a place that I want to spend lots of my free time but I want to change that! Here's what I've been looking at for bedding. That seems to be my biggest issue, and the thing I change my mind about the absolute most. I could have sent our daughter to college with the money I've spent on bedding. Don't tell my husband!

I've found all of the bedding at West Elm. I think I'm in love with all of it. So here goes:

I would like these grey and white striped sheets. I am in love with stripes. They feel cozy to me. However, the little wrinkle in this bedding would drive me nuts. Couldn't they just have made it all smooth? They had to make it all messy looking? Sheesh!

I need this quilt. I love the masculine stripe with the feminine ruffles. This is shaping up to be my dream bed.

Next I will need 4 of these pillows. I will get them for my husband since he loves removing mass amounts of pillows from the bed before he can get it. I might as well make him happy! Toothy grin...

Then I will take the dark grey throw you see in the pile below. 

Now for my pop of color, I will have some nice person buy this rug from Anthropologie for me. The size I want is only (just under) a thousand dollars. Go buy your lottery ticket and I promise this is all I will ask for when you win. I'm being very positive, too, because I think you're gonna win this time! I can just feel it!

So that is what I am thinking for our room. Soon I will post pictures and see what you think of it up there. It needs a mini-overhaul. I say "mini" because I am going to do it on a budget. I guess I'll be looking for a different rug. 

-Stacy

Pinterest Post. Filed under: Made me laugh out loud.

For all those traveling to Mount Rushmore for the 4th. Please let me know if you see this on the other side..... :) You can find more weird and wonderful ads here. When I have time I am going to be spending some time on that site. Too funny! Happy holiday weekend!

Alyssa

Strawberry Pickin'

  It is that time of year. Finally. I never thought we would get a crop of anything up here in Minnesota this year with the rainy, cold spring and summer we have had to date. Alas, summer is finally here, albeit at the end of June. :)

  Yesterday, after the girls (Avery & Arianna) successful morning at sewing camp (at Sewtropolis of course), my friend Ilona and I took them strawberry picking. We went out to Afton Apple where they are growing more than just apples. They have strawberries ready for picking now, raspberries coming up and of course apples in the fall. What a fun few hours spent in the sun! Not to mention the wonderful smells in the car on the way home.Now I just can't wait to make some jam. Ilona is sharing her recipe with me... and I will be sure to share the process of making it with you later!

 We couldn't miss it! 

 

Tractor dude.. taking us out to the fields... 

A picking we will go... 

 

The fruits of our labor.. :) 

The perfect berry. Yum.

 Yum!

Now, off to make some jam! 

 Alyssa

Today's Etsy!

Yes, you're very observant because I changed the name from "Etsy find of the day" to "Today's Etsy." Don't be surprised if I change it again because I'm like that. Alyssa and I have a good schedule set for posting so you'll start knowing what to expect everyday of the week. We're nice like that because we like you! We're pretty new to the blog world so we're still trying to figure things out. Thank you for stopping in to look at our posts! 

Moving on to my Etsy find, I'm very excited to share this with you! Yellow seems to be the new "in" color and I have added it to my house where I can. Because of my colors right now I can't use too much of it, but I LOVE the color yellow. WAIT, my bathroom is yellow! What the heck am I thinking? It's a warm color that doesn't cast funky shadows on my skin when I'm getting ready. For my bathroom I chose Butter from Restoration Hardware. I digress! On with it! Here is today's find...

This listing is for TWO 20" pillow covers. The inserts are not included so go pick them up at Ikea for seven bucks each. I swear these are sent from heaven. Even if you sew, they are worth the price! The fabric is great quality and the color and print is to-die-for! Please buy these since I can't...I will happily live vicariously through you. They won't work anyplace in my house...believe me, I've tried. 

Happy Wednesday! Just a couple more days till the holiday weekend!

Stacy

I think I like you.

If you haven't heard Donora, you should! I love this song and video. We should all learn to hula hoop...the world would be a better place! Let's make it a summer goal...can you imagine the core muscles you'd have?!

This is the most simple video, but somehow it's hard not to like it. See for yourself!

-Stacy

Pinterest Post - Why should the door have all the fun?

Ever since seeing the Walrus doorknob in Copenhagen, I have become a little obsessed with doorknobs. There are so many fun doors out there and yest somehow sometimes the doorknob gets forgotten. Which is really too bad as that is the first tactile experience you have upon entering a space. 

So, today my Pinterest picks are an 'Ode to the Doorknob.'

 

  A little Alice in Wonderland whimsy.

Color me happy. 

(Was at Anthropology. Of course!)

 Crystal in any color makes me happy. 

 A little vintage hand...holding a tomato?

 Hello, My name is....

 The informative doorknob.  Anthro always has the best things.. 

Old School.

Enjoy your day! Happy doorknob hunting. 

Alyssa

The kitchen I want...with a few changes.

I will start by saying that I will probably never have a kitchen that looks like this. I have no plans of moving from my tiny home in the city and a kitchen like this would not fit here. I like looking at pictures of kitchens that I love and then perfecting it for me. Who knows what might happen someday! I might win the lottery or something. I suppose for that to happen I'd have to buy a ticket. I've bought one in my whole life and it wasn't a winner so I gave up. You'll get used to how I am! I'm an instant gratification sort of girl. It's unfortunate, I know.

Here's the kitchen I love. It's not overly huge and seems completely attainable for the average person. I like white, but I would add more black. I'll show you that in a minute.

I would quickly get rid of the pot rack hanging over the island and hang two of these lights instead. I'm not a fan of that pot rack at all. It clutters the kitchen and I prefer a cleaner look. I can't link you to this because I found it a long time ago and I'm not sure where. You can buy something similar at Ikea on a budget!

Next I would put black subway tile in for the backsplash. I love the contrast of black and white in a kitchen and it looks really clean and polished. That's just my opinion. People have a love/hate relationship with black.

Last I would stain the floor really dark like this. Again, I love the contrast of white and black. Obviously this isn't black, but it's ALMOST black and I love the look. The stain they chose for the kitchen floors is way too traditional for me. I'm not fond of  the honey colored stain. That being said, it's the color that my floors are throughout my house. Insert frowning face here. If I didn't have to find a place for four animals during the refinishing process, I would have my floors redone. I'll just wait until I win the lottery for that.

I like to go here and look at kitchens. You will find everything from modern to country. 

Stacy

Etsy find of the day!

Today's Etsy find is great for short or long hair. I could not pull this look off. Alyssa could, and so could a lot of my friends. For some reason wide headbands don't work great on me and I feel like people are looking at me like I have completely lost it! It could just be my perception, but if you can wear these I am jealous...just so you know!

This headband is $24 and I think it would look great with jeans and a t-shirt or a dress if you're heading to a wedding. I love the rosette! It helps that this model is absolutely darling and has beautiful thick hair too! I am currently trying to grow out my bangs so any cute hair accessories are catching my eye these days. Could you wear this? Would you wear this?

Hope you had a fast-moving Monday!

Stacy

My modern (dream) life.

If you've looked at my home under the Stacy's House tab on our homepage, you have probably gotten a good sense of my decorating style. I generally do a mix of Traditional pieces with French Country and some whimsy thrown in too. Over the years my style has evolved from stuff I didn't necessarily love to only having things in my home that I absolutely love. I have gotten rid of a lot in the past few years in order to simplify my life. I always try to pass my stuff along to friends who I know like it, save a little for my daughter when she has her own place, and donate it to the local thrift store. I finally like my style and have settled into a look that makes me feel comfortable and glad to be at home. I've tried to make it inviting to other people too and I consider it the biggest compliment when people tell me that my home feels "cozy." Who doesn't want to be cozy? I have a friend who went through some stressful times in her life and would come to my house to take a nap on my couch. I'm completely serious! I would be in the kitchen cooking and going about my business and she'd be laying on my couch napping. It made me feel good that she felt comfortable enough at my house to do that.

I have matured over the past five years or so in terms of my style. Considering I'm entering my 40's soon, it's about time! It's been hard for me to get rid of STUFF because I always associated STUFF with cozy and charming. I've let that myth go for good. I'm trying to embrace organization, simple living and a more sparse environment. I will never master this and that is a fact. During this "evolution" I have started to appreciate modern decor more than ever. In my younger days I considered it too cold and sterile. Now I consider it organized and conducive to easy living. I would consider trading my cozy home decor if I could have each and every one of the chairs I am about to show you in a more modern home.

I would need to have the Eames Molded Plywood chair in red. More than one would be appreciated. I find them really comfortable and at around $500, they should be!

The Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman are classics. In a modern sort of way. I remember going to a friend's house when I was a kid and they had one. I thought it was the ugliest thing I had ever seen but I loved lounging in it. At, roughly, $4000.00 I will never have one of these unless I find one on a curb for free someplace. Highly doubtful!

I may need to settle for the Kartell Louis Ghost Chair. I can find one for about $400 and it would fit in well with my current style. Though I love these chairs mixed in with more modern home styles.

Then, of course, there is the womb chair and ottoman. I love it in orange. My modern life would be all white with orange pops of color. Orange is one of those colors I gravitate too. I don't want to wear it, but I wouldn't mind living with it. These run about $700 so there is a possibility that I could see one in my future. I have no idea where I would put it, but I would never get out of it once I found a place for it to live.

I will have to continue to live in a modern world in my dreams. My house was built in 1941 and I have tried to be loyal to keeping it's charm and character in place. Maybe our NEXT house will be modern. If there is a NEXT house...but for now I'm quite happy here.

Stacy