Great Accessories

I'm starting to accumulate some accessories for our apartment. I've started visiting some of the long-lost stores that I didn't have in NYC. For starters I've been to HomeGoods and Big Lots. I know. Big Lots is not the most chic store in the world. But I stopped in this morning to check it out and was surprised to see that they're trying to step it up a notch with their home accessories.

I bought all of these goodies between the two stores and only spent about $100 total for all nine things. You can't beat that. I'd have to say that my favorite item is the pair of bookends from HomeGoods. $12.99 each!

Oh My Goodness, I Can Hardly Move

Kane and I and the two Logans started P90X this week. For those of you who don't know what it is, it's the craziest fitness program ever. I have barely been able to walk for four days now! It's a different workout every day of the week. Today was 90 minutes of yoga, which you would think would be a nice break. But it's not because it's the hardest yoga ever! We'll see how I'm feeling this time next week, but it's looking rough right now. I'll keep you posted :)

Furniture Deals at Urban Outfitters

I've never bought furniture from Urban Outfitters online. But, after seeing some of their online prices today, I'm considering a few pieces.

Two of these bookcases are perfect for the back wall of my living room. And for only $228 a pieces, it wouldn't be too bad!

This little accordion table comes in red, black and turquoise and at 14" diameter it's a perfect drink stand. And guess what? It's $60.

I don't have a home for the last two pieces, but they are really great all the same. The mid-century inspired coffee table is perfect for any small scale seating area, and it's only $178. The ikat slipper chair is a bit trendy, but still cool, and only $328.

All images from Urban Outfitters.

If I Ever Go To Africa...

I need to stay at this place. Wow. I mean Holy Crap it is unbelievable. These images are from Brooklyn Limestone, and Mrs. Limestone's recent trip to Kenya. Be sure to check out her whole post and the rest of her pictures here.

All images from Brooklyn Limestone.

Studio Bon Textiles

Have you seen Studio Bon Textiles? They're a great collection that's represented at Schumacher. I pulled a few fabrics to possibly use in a client's nursery before I left New York. They didn't end up working but I held on to the samples because I really loved the graphic patterns. You can check out all of the patterns and color ways here.

Images from Studio Bon.

Doug Wilson Polaroids

I came across these polaroids by Doug Wilson online. This is a tiny sampling of the 128 he's taken all over the country over the course of the past several years. The vintage typography and the washed out colors are pretty great. I'd love to see them on the fronts of cards, too.

Images found here.

Exciting Times

Good luck to my husband Kane, who's starting his new job in Nashville tomorrow morning! We're really excited about it.

One Style, Three Price Points

Bed from Crate and Barrel.

Bed from Havertys.

Bed from JC Penney.

I've decided on a simple upholstered bed for our new apartment. We've slept on a full size bed for almost three years now and we are ready to upgrade to a queen! These three beds are all good options... but I'm still looking to see if there are any hidden gems anywhere else.

I Love The Lucite

Lucite furniture, lighting and accessories always add beautiful sparkle to a room. It can complement a traditional home's style just as nicely as a contemporary home. These are a few of my current favorites.

Vintage 1970s lucite lamps in the style of Karl Springer.

Vintage 1970s lucite table by Charles Hollis Jones.

Vintage lucite desk lamp by Peter Hamburger.

I can't do a post about lucite and not include bar carts. I've never seen a lucite bar cart that I didn't want. Here are three that I think are special. If you ever come across one of these babies at a yard sale be sure to let me know :)

Vintage 1970s lucite bar cart.

Vintage 1970s lucite bar cart by Charles Hollis Jones.

Vintage 1970s lucite bar cart by Karl Springer.

Wedding Shower

I attended a great wedding shower today for my cousin-in-law Ellen (that may not be the correct term). Everything was lovely and our friend Brandi Collins gave a great cooking demonstration like she does at the Viking showroom. Isn't that a great idea for a shower?

I learned that you should never put onions or tomatoes in the refrigerator. Also, you can peel ginger with a spoon. And, I now know the difference between flat and curly leaf parsley. So there you go.

The menu was Asian salad, sweet salad with strawberry vinaigrette, blue cheese and candied pecans, amazing chicken salad and molten chocolate cakes with fresh cream. Mmmm.

Girl Logan, bride-to-be Ellen and me.

Girl Logan, chef Brandi Collins and me.

Our First Family Dinner!

We cooked our first family dinner in our new place tonight. The menu was chicken parmesan, and the guest were Brad, Rhonda, Pops and Dovey. The Logans stopped by for a while, too!

The Current State of Things

Currently, our apartment is a mish-mash of all our existing stuff from New York and hand-me-downs from family. The list of things that we need to find is really long, but I'm working on it slowly but surely!

Here's our bedroom as it is right now. Lots to do. I'll post some after pictures when I have them!

I'll post pics of the rest of the apartment soon!

My New Farmers Market

Images found via Bridge and Tunnel Club.

I am in love with my new city's farmers market. The Nashville Farmers Market is one of the best I've ever been to! It's huge, there are tons of local vendors, and they have it every day of the week. You cannot beat that. Plus they have a big pavilion next door with lots of local restaurants where you can eat. I'm in love. The NYC market was pretty great, but I like this one even better.

On my visit I learned how to pick a great watermelon. I also successfully bought and cooked fresh green beans for the first time. (I know, it's sad that I hadn't done that before:)

The Piano Teacher

Image found via Oprah.

I've found myself with way more free time than I'm used to over the last couple of weeks, which has been amazing! I"ve had a lot of time to read, which makes me really happy. The Piano Teacher is a good read. It's a story that fluctuates between 1942 WWII and 1952 Post War Hong Kong. The characters are really interesting and dynamic. It's worth the time, for sure.

I'm so happy to be back everybody!!

So Much To Talk About

I know I've been gone for a really long time...again. But, as of today, we officially have internet set up at our apartment for real. From now on I have no excuse not to post at regular intervals.

In the next few days I'll be posting current photos of our semi-empty new apartment, as well as my yard sale furniture finds and all of the good stuff that we've been doing over the past couple of weeks.

Thanks for hanging in there with me!

World's Longest Yard Sale

Last weekend I attended the 2010 127 Corridor Yard Sale, also known as the World's Longest Yard Sale. This year it ran for over 600 miles, from Alabama to Michigan. It happens to run through Signal Mountain, TN where I used to live. I was on the lookout for extra inexpensive furniture for our new Nashville apartment since we got rid of a lot of our stuff before the move.

I had some luck, but all of my finds needed some doctoring. I'll post before and after photos of my projects soon!

Here are a few shots from the sale.

(For those of you who don't know, this pitcher and glass set are meant to resemble shotgun shells. Extra classy:)

I'm Back!!

Well everyone, I'm sorry for the REALLY long absence from the blog. Believe me, I didn't plan on being gone for so long! We're sort of settled into our new apartment and we love it! We're long on square footage and short on furniture for now but we're working on filling up all of the space!

Unfortunately Comcast in Nashville thinks it's acceptable to take two weeks to come install our internet, so we are still bumming it from other people!!

So, bear with me a little bit longer and I'll be back to regular posting.