amazing before and after: card catalog

On Pinterest (ps if you want an invite I still have a couple) yesterday, I found the best before and after. Ever.  Just look at what Adrianne and Jeremy over at Dream Book Design blog did!  They found this old card catalog at a library that was closing and completely revamped it.  It now lives in their dining room as a buffet.  Here's what it looked like when they got it:

They took apart the different sections, keeping track of where each drawer went), and lined them up horizontally instead of vertically.  

They bought a base for the card catalog at home depot.  And painted everything, including all 72 (SEVENTY-TWO!!!) drawers white.  I get a headache just thinking about it.  BUT, I'm sure the headache was worth it when the final product came out like this:

Isn't it so beautiful?  It totally fulfills all of my organizational neuroses. I mean, there is literally a drawer for everything.  Or, at least, one for seventy-two different things.  What a unique piece of furniture! 

the blanket post

My long ago promised blanket post has finally arrived. I love a good blanket to snuggle up under on a cold day.  I am one of those weird people who prefers to keep the heat low and layer on the clothes and blankets.  I don't know why.  I guess I have a very romanticized view of winter.

Picture 1, 2, 3

My favorite of all blankets is the Hudson's Bay style blanket, as seen above. They fit my winter dreams of cozy cabins with fireplaces, Christmas trees, and snowy days spent on the ski slopes.  Sigh.

I also love chenille blankets and pillows.  They somehow remind me of grandmothers and little kids all rolled into one.  I think they would be fun in crazy colors. I know throwing the pillow in here is kind of cheating in a blanket post, but I honestly couldn't find a good picture of a chenille blanket.

Swans Island makes gorgeous wool blankets and scarves.  Granted they're a bit out of my price range, but I think they're gorgeous and I love looking at them whenever I see them in local shops.   Their sheep are raised and sheered in Maine and the blankets are custom spun in Vermont. Aren't they beautiful?

Brahms Mount, another Maine company, also makes beautiful blankets.  They make some of wool, others linen, and still more in cotton.  They're gorgeous and available in many colors and patterns, including my favorites: houndstooth and herringbone.

Now, of course, Design*Sponge had to go and beat me to this post...although their post was more about throws than blanket blankets.  It's definitely worth checking out, nonetheless.  I decided I'd copy them and add a collage of some of my favorite throws...without the $100 price limit:

Properly Patterned Throw
$148 - anthropologie.com
Anthropologie »

Bobble-Knit Throw | Pottery Barn
$99 - potterybarn.com

Cable-Knit Throw | Pottery Barn
$79 - potterybarn.com

IKEA PS STOFF
$20 - ikea.com

Dash & Albert Rug Company » Spinnaker Woven Cotton Throw
$58 - dashandalbert.com

Pine Cone Hill » Chunky Knit Mist Throw
$128 - pineconehill.com

Carnival Throw in Aqua (Geometric Pattern, Throws) | Room Furnishing...
$140 - companyc.com

Brown Mohair Throw Blanket - Layla Grayce
$160 - laylagrayce.com




I added these from Polyvore, so it conveniently posted where they're from and the price! How cool is that? Anyway, I'm off to make one last batch of cinnamon rolls before the season's over.  We have some guests this weekend who mentioned that they chose our b & b because of the picture of cinnamon rolls on our website.  I don't want to disappoint! 

yellow treehouse restaurant

Um.  This just might be the coolest thing ever.  For real.

Is this not the thing dreams are made of?  I mean talk about grown-ups living out their childhood fantasies. This place is unbelievably awesome and gorgeous and amazing and well, just crazy great.

This place is the Yellow Treehouse restaurant built ten meters above ground around a gorgeous redwood tree in New Zealand.  Yes, New Zealand.  What a bummer.  I guess that's reason more than ever to save some dolla dolla bills and go on a grand trip to the other side of the world.  Also, it's booked for the next year.  Which isn't so much of a bummer, given that I won't be able to afford a trip to New Zealand for quite some time.  But also, on it's website it says something about potentially being shut down pending some kind of "official consent." Super bummer.  Maybe by the time I can afford a trip (like a billion years from now), it will be "officially consented." 

I mean, this place is too great to be shut down. What fun-hating, beauty-hating, most-ridiculously-amazing-idea-ever-hating person wouldn't consent to having this restaurant?  I mean, aren't you just dying to eat there yourself?  I bet the food's really good too.

I really meant to write about blankets for my next post.  But, unfortunately, Design*Sponge beat me to it today (sigh), and, well, can't you see why this would take precedence over blankets?  This place is magical and I am determined to make it there....some day.

flour pot bakery

I love it when people think outside of the box, but do it simply.  The marketing for the Flour Pot Bakery is just that.  It's ingenious.

found here

bee nests

Wow.  Look at this amazingness that I found over at Hither and Tither:

Isn't that beautiful?  Can you guess what it is?  Well, I guess my title gives it away...but it's a nest made out of flower petals by a bee!  The bees, found in Turkey and Iran, build these nests that measure over half and inch long to house just one egg.  They are not like the typical buzzing honey bees we know in America, but are rather quite solitary creatures.

If you want to know more, check out the article on NPR.org about this incredibly gorgeous phenomenon.

my newest find

Look what I found at a local antique shop!

I am not actually convinced it's an antique, but it was only $4.50 and I still really like it.  I want to put herbs in it I think.  In fact, I might even dig some up from my garden before the first frost hits and hope that they will grow just as well in this little pot.  Won't it be pretty with some vibrant green growing out of it? It is going to look beautiful in my all-white dream kitchen.  Now all I need is that kitchen...

hello pinterest, goodbye social life

I got it! I got my invitation! I actually got 3 invitations within a matter of hours!  First, Jessie was accepted and she invited me with one of her five precious invites.  Then Pinterest itself invited me.  Then one of the founders of Pinterest, Ben, invited me.  A pretty exciting 3 hours, if you ask me.

Pinterest. is. awesome.  In fact, I'm so busy pinning things that I can't write more right now.  Really. I will later, I promise.

p.s. I have a few invites to give out....who wants one???

The Brook Farm General Store

The Brook Farm General Store is filled with beautiful, organic looking products.  I want them.  They totally fit in with my current crush on Scandinavian and farmhouse style design.

I know the blocks could be deemed childish...and they are.  But I am enamored with the idea of having books in a bookshelf and then using alphabet blocks to spell something out.  Like mystery or a favorite line from a book. Wouldn't that be cute? 

Mmm. This blanket looks so comfortable.  I love blankets that have a heavy drape to them.  They really fell like they're working to warm you up.  Love them.  This reminds me that I need to do a blanket post.

 

These dish towels and napkins might be my favorite things on the site.  I love linen and I love plaid. LOVE plaid. Like can't get enough of it and wish I owned everything plaid. For real.

This shower curtain is pretty cool too.  Not too frilly, not too boring.  And very nautical. Mmm. I'll take two.  Seriously though, you need two for the claw-foot tubs at the Good House.

Not much to say here.  Other than that it's simple and pretty.  And I could use it to heat up butter. Haha, of course my first thought of what I could use this for is butter.  I mean really, other than cheese, what else is there?

If this lamp were in a Disney Pixar movie it would come to life.  It would be a very friendly lamp, and perhaps a bit modest, don't you think?

I'm sure I've told you this a million times before, but I am a sucker for blue glass. And these tumblers made from recycled wine bottles are no exception.  I once read a blog post about how to make your own tumblers from wine bottles.  It looked pretty difficult, but perhaps I should try someday.  The only thing that would make these tumblers better?  These straws:

Aren't they great!? I happen to already own one.  They're perfect for the habitual straw user, like myself. Re-usable and super cool.  Plastic straws seem to be one of those things that you always think you have, but can never find when you need it...like a pastry brush or in Dan's case matching socks.  Despite a regular straw's disappearing act, I somehow have yet to misplace my stainless steel straw.  If only I had a set of 6 like this.  Then I could share with my friends.  You see, the problem with having only one cool straw is that you feel kind of guilty when you break it out, because it's not really fair to your guests. But at the same time, you don't really want to share and end up having to use one of those plastic straws that works perfectly fine but suddenly seems so lame.   Ah the dilemmas of life.

p.s. I also found this website through Leah Dent's Pinterest site!

yup. obsessed with pinterest.

So Pinterest has the potential to be amazing.  But you know what I don't like about it?  The only thing I don't like about it? But it's a pretty big thing?  That you have to be invited.  I applied (insert snobby, Harvard voice here) and am on the waiting list.  I'm not applying to college. I just want to use their website.  Instead, I only get what could be referred to as a "sneak peak."

Now, the website is so cool that I am still dying to be able to use it.  And since I want so badly to not have to dislike any aspect of Pinterest, I'm sincerely hoping that they have some real reason for the wait. Like they can't handle that many users because they're new or something.  We'll see.  For now, I'm still going to shamelessly rave about things I've found.  Please excuse the picture overload here.  I can't control my excitement.

Ok, disclaimer, this is just the beginning of what I've found from ONE user. Her name is Leah Dent and I love what she's pinned! These images are from various sources, like etsy and apartment therapy, but she has compiled them all into her Home and Hearth folder. Ready for some more?  Me too.

How cool is this chair?  I have seen "dipped" chairs before, but this is definitely a new take on it that I love! So creative! Also, I was eyeing some needlepoint botanicals at the antique shop I mentioned in my last post.  And how cool are those book shelves? And that book wheel?  It makes me want to push whoever made it and say "get out!" 

Those are repurposed "orphan" drawers.  Isn't that such a neat idea? And I am currently obsessed with pendant lights, breakfast nooks, and chesterfield sofas.  What am I not obsessed with these days? Well, I'll tell you one thing, it's not birds.  Those rank #1 on my obsession list.  Closely followed by anything hobnail or milk glass...

That brass bird is so phenom.  And hobnail milk glass with an owl?  Come on. Did she compile these images for me? I need to apologize for my lack of a filter here.  I just can't pick and choose which images to leave out.  There are so many that I love.  I feel like there are sooo many beautiful things out there and I want them all to be mine.  Somehow, posting about them on my blog makes me feel like they belong to me just a little bit.  At least I have documentation of them somewhere. And that, thank goodness, is much healthier for my bank account.  Here are the final few images from Leah's Hearth and Home that I just couldn't not share:

Look at those tea cups! I wish I had that many amazing tea cups.  And what a cool way to display them. I am loving more and more Scandinavian style interiors with quirky little details, like rows of mismatched teacups.  Every thing's a little more fun when it's mismatched.