Branching Out

I saw this idea awhile back, and since I don't have any of my bedroom furniture yet, I thought it would be a good way to add something to the room and display my jewelry. Basically it's as easy as going outside, finding a tree, and picking up a fallen branch. I found a couple but this one looked the best on my wall. To hang it up, I just nailed right through it.

In the blog I found it on, they just put small nails into the branch to hang things on. But I had already nailed it to the wall at that point and it wasn't so easy! So I went to Home Depot and bought these S-Hooks for only a dollar. They come in different sizes so you can put them on different parts of the branch.

Trees are so organic, natural, and complex. A single branch has such a beauty to it, it's almost like hanging a piece of art on your wall. If anyone else gives it a try, I'd love to see your pictures!

The Adventures of Aqua Woman

This morning I had a dilemma. I didn't have any idea what I was going to do all day. And then it struck me—I still had to paint my kitchen. Yes, that meant having to move my refrigerator, stove, and my enormous washer/dryer...but I decided it was worth the trouble. So I went to Walmart and bought a bucket of this satin-finish aqua paint, and spent about five hours at work. But I am so happy with the result! I wanted my kitchen to be colorful, and I think this is the perfect color.

For some reason, I'm a little aqua crazy. They have this exact right blend of blue green at Target, which is where I got most of my things like towels, comforter, shower curtain etc etc etc. I think it's my favorite color. No, it's definitely my favorite color, lol.

In other news, I made the pillowcase from the vintage fabric I talked about the other day. It's the orange pillow in the middle next to my penguin, Toby (Granny named him). I thought the fabric went really well with my sheets and everything, and I didn't have enough of it for a curtain, so pillowcase—yay!

In Estate of Happiness

Yesterday I went to my first estate sale in Atlanta, and it was a very rewarding one! I got a whole armful of things for less than $15!

The biggest find was this green fleece heating blanket. I definitely needed one of those because—as I'm sure you know—old houses are drafty...and baby, its still cold outside! On top of that, I'm sleeping on a air mattress (which, if you have never slept on one before, likes to suck in and retain every bit of cold no matter what temperature the house is). So, needless to say, I needed something warm.

I also found a small stuffed pillow. I have had this cool vintage fabric for awhile now and had recently decided I wanted to make a pillow case out of it cause it goes well with my bed sheets. I will post a picture when it's done!

Next are the two rubbermaid pitchers. I don't think I'll be able to have enough of these. (only 50 cents each...I couldn't pass them up anyway...)

I loved the style of this little compact radio, and it even has a working battery, so I'm listening to it even as I type! Next to that is a timer so that you can set your lamps to turn on/off at a certain hour. Really useful.

And finally, in front is a wooden yardstick and a colorful doormat.

Anyone else found anything interesting lately?

Finds

I have been having so much fun decorating and exploring lately!

The other day I painted my bathroom and it makes such a huge difference. I thought the color went well with my aqua stuff I already had everywhere. Oh and my kitchen is next. Hopefully some time next week. The only trouble is I can't reach the top, so I'm going to have to wait for a tall person to come visit and recruit them to help me :P

Also, today I went shopping around to all the thrift stores I could find. There are some great ones around here, but my absolute favorite was called the "Way Out" Thrift Store. It's basically a tiny house turned into a treasure chest. And everything from the books and knick-knacks down to the shelves they're sitting on are for sale! So I bought this amazing table for only $8! I also saw this accordion door and thought I could do something really cool with it just as a decorative piece, so here is what I came up with. The living room is still so bare, but at least it's a start.

I also got this amazing two piece vintage dress today, but haven't been able to get a good picture yet for lack of a good enough mirror. I will post pictures of it as soon as I get some good ones!

Anyway, that's all the news for now!