Apartment Tour

I finally got around to updating the Apartment Tour tab--go check it out and let me know what you think of our place!!

DIY Burlap Poufs

So something I've wanted to work on for awhile has been creating some pouf ottomans for extra seating and to put our feet up!  Living in a small apartment, it's hard to add seating without crowding the space.  So a week or two ago my husband brought home these fantastic coffee bags from his work.  I totally fell in love with the stamps on them and thought they could add a cool, rustic element to our living room.

Estate Sale Steal Update!

A couple of weeks ago I posted about these great prints my husband and I picked up at an estate sale.  Well, I tried a couple of the mold fighting techniques I found online…let me just say, the microwave DOES NOT work.  I have no idea why that is even out there!  (I just tried it on one of the mats, so I didn’t damage my prints, but it did stink up my apartment for quite awhile!)  What I ended up doing was using a toothbrush that was BARELY wet with a little bit of vinegar to try to brush off as much as I could.  Luckily the prints were dry when I got them–so the mold was mostly dried out.  To be honest–my little toothbrush trick didn’t do a whole lot.  You can still see traces of mold on one of the prints, but I plan on just enjoying them until I can’t anymore.  Sorry, I didn’t take pictures of my toothbrush experiment–still getting used to this whole blogging thing!

Winter Reading Stack...

My husband and I went to our favorite local book store yesterday evening, while we were there he had a great idea!  We both like to read, I don’t get to read enough because I’m still in school and my husband goes through “reading bursts.”  His idea was to put together a stack of 5 books at the beginning of each fall that we will both work through together.  

I think this is such a great idea for the winter, especially in the Pacific Northwest where the days are incredibly short during the winter months (around 8 hours, sunrise to sunset)!  I also like the idea that we will read the same books, not necessarily at the same time, but it’s always fun to have someone to talk about your books with!  

So I wanted to set his plan into motion–this stack may change, but this is what we’re starting out with…

Adding a Little Luxury to a Tiny Bathroom

Ok, so I have a postage stamp sized bathroom–you can actually reach all four walls by standing in the middle!  That being said, decorating can be a challenge.  It’s hard to not make it feel so utilitarian.

Being obsessed with Pinterest, I ran across this picture and fell in love with the idea.

Cheap and Easy Coffee Table Update!

Hello All! This is a super easy way to add some character to a simple coffee table.  I recently rescued this from a neighbor of mine that threw it out!  I don’t have a before picture, but it was a simple wood coffee table, totally bare wood.  I spray painted it gray, but wanted to add a little something extra to make it look unique. I picked up a white paint pen at Walmart, turned on “The Way We Were,” and went to town!  

Estate Sale Steal!

So my husband and I stopped by the final minutes of an estate sale today and found these really great old prints!  I guess sometimes the late bird does catch the worm!  They were published by Vanity Fair (these are obviously prints of originals) in the late 1800s and are of prominent political figures of the time.  They’re called “Men of the Day.”  

Anyway, since it was the final minutes they were in a great bargaining mood!  So we got 3 prints and a silver tray all for $50!  One of the prints was originally $65!  We’re super stoked on them, but now need to clean them up and hang!  

Two of them have some mold damage, it’s mostly on one.  Not sure how to get rid of the mold though?  I’ve heard that you can put them in plastic bags and put them in the freezer and then brush off the mold.  Want some feed back before I ruin them in one foul swoop!  Has anyone dealt with mold on paper before?  Any successful ways to get the mold off before re-matting and framing?

Thanks!