Who needs IKEA?

(ok, I still do but...) Look what I finally found - summer furniture!
I went to Lowe's with my friend Melissa on Friday and she spotted these retro-inspired chairs. They also come in blue but I definitely prefer the green ones. I wish they had some sort of perforated designs on them just like the real ones - but I guess if I really wanted to, I could find a DIY solution and figure out how I can cut tiny holes into it...maybe?? For less than $40 each chair, I'm not complaining. Surprisingly comfortable too! We also bought 2 other chairs that look like wicker chairs but really aren't. Haven't had a chance to take a pic of those yet.

Off to California today for a little family reunion sans other halves... so it should be interesting! Lots of food pics coming up, all we do is eat when we're together.

Backyard Accessories

Homeowner rule #14: It will cost more than you think!

Why is ________ so freakin' expensive? Is something that comes out of our mouths way too many times. Patio furniture? Check. Redoing a driveway? Check. Buying plants for your garden? Check. I think you get the point.


I've been looking into arbors lately and can you believe you can spend up to $600+ on one? Crazy. The one I'm looking at doesn't fall anywhere near that. I just want to add some interest to the yard and at the same time I need something that can be used as a trellis (for the climbing Clematis).


We also need more lighting out in the back and although tea lights won't solve that issue, I've always loved the way hanging glass jars look. Photos are from Martha Stewart. I'll have to tackle this project soon. Anyone have any jam jars to contribute?

Front Yard

It's all coming together! The front yard was one of the first things on my radar when we decided to purchase this house. We knew there was lots of potential hiding, somewhere... deep down in there.


Not sure if you guys remember, but one of the first things we did when we moved in was tackle the overgrown state of the bushes/trees out in the front. We pretty much dug everything out except for the Dogwood tree and planted new shrubs. Luckily the newly planted shrubs survived the harsh winter we had and everything is starting to bloom.

After reviewing several estimates, we decided to go with Avellino Custom Masonry to do our walkway. I'm aware that the pathway design is unconventional - the idea behind this is a 20-second adventure! Instead of a straight path to your house, you're giving the person a mini-adventure as they walk towards your house - a turn here, a tree, a turn there, oh look another tree... :) I also chose to go with straight edges versus a curved pathway because I actually like the contrast between the softness and less manicured nature of cottage-style landscaping/plant choices that I hope to be making and the actual walkway. There is a method to most of my madness.


They were scheduled to start work on Saturday but came by Thursday afternoon to start... hmmm.... when does THAT ever happen??? They had me there!

These guys were machines... the walkway was pretty much done by Saturday afternoon. Most of the work was in one day - really amazed at how quickly they worked (not to mention it was freakin' HOT on Saturday).

Hillsy and I worked all day yesterday, planting trees and we also started our garden out back. I'm really enjoying working on the yards, but I guess we'll have to see how green my thumbs are!

Spring Open Market

It's going to be a gorgeous weekend - 80s!!!! What a perfect time to celebrate spring "al fresco!" at the Maplewood Village Spring Open Market! Outdoor dining, live music, street artists, organic farmstand and lots more fun!! This Saturday, April 25th from 12n until 7p. If you've been wanting to check out Maplewood, Saturday would be the perfect time to come!! (directions)

I'll take one please!

I want this BAD. I really really want one but I'm trying to be good this week. French Wine Glasses with Metal Caddy, $18

Dreaming of a Garden

I've been ripping out pages and pages of beautiful gardens, thought I'd share a couple of my favorites. One day, I hope my front and back yards can look half as good as these...


Any city folks interested in gardening in the burbs?

photos: Country Gardens

Spring in the Suburbs

Things are starting to look up. I have to confess it was a bit touch and go there for a while - bitter winter, cooped up inside, no sign of life outside... I was starting to think we made a huge mistake moving from the city to the burbs. We're still not 100% convinced, but we are starting to appreciate things like our backyard, being able to run outside and learning about new things like gardening and such. So we'll see how it goes.

This past week was exciting, we hosted an inaugural event - the lighting of our first ever BBQ grill. It was a success! Hillsy finally opted for a charcoal grill, after weighing the different options and I'm happy to report that we're both really really happy with our little Weber. We also purchased a chimney starter like this one and it only takes 15 mins to heat up, no lighter fluid required and you're ready to go. So I rang up my sister Cheryl and asked for her famous Filipino BBQ recipe, I think she would've been happy with the results.

Hillsy's sister Corienne left early Sunday morning - Hi Corienne!! I know I owe you recipes, will email you asap!

Guestroom Done (for now)

Here are some pics of the guestroom. Nothing like a couple of guests to speed up the process...


Everything you see here are just odds and ends that we already had from our old apartment. Random side table. Random bath mat from Target. My favorite blanket from Urban Outfitters. Favorite pillow cases with embroidery from more than 5 years ago that somehow have miraculously stayed intact. One of my latest garlands from wunderlust.


One of the Ikea lamps from downstairs, an old clock I had in the old apartment...


I really love how you can see the old markings on this old student desk. This cute tiny apple vase was a gift from Kelly of Relish at Home (a sweet gal I interviewed on Heart Handmade)


I'm so glad I finally found a spot for this desk.

Here are some different ways to make your guests feel more comfy and at home...

I like to have a basket of random toiletries of things that I tend to forget on my travels. Maps and info about NYC, Metrocards are always a nice touch. Water and snacks are nice, just in case you get the munchies and don't necessarily feel like rummaging through your hosts' pantry in the middle of the night.

Books, puzzles are good for down-time or right before bed. It's nice to leave little notes inside telling them that it's ok if they don't finish them - "yours to keep for the plane" type of thing. Lastly, I think a nice picture of someone they've left behind is a great way to make them feel right at home. What are some things you like to do for your house guests?

I hear crickets up in here

I'm still breathing! Just taking a break to do some sightseeing with Hillsy's sister and boyfriend. They're in for the week from the UK (first time in the States) so it's been really fun...

Here's a sneak peek at what the guest room looked like upon their arrival. There's nothing I love more than hosting, I genuinely love setting up rooms and making sure everyone is comfortable (more about that later!)


OK off to take them to a traditional American DINER brunch :)

Oh no you didn't...

After my April Fool's Day post, Hillsy decided that I had to have my very own and surprised me with this atrocious gift last night. Thanks babe, just what I've always wanted!!

Running on 5 hours of sleep

I'm getting too old for this. Slept pretty late last night putting together a last minute post for the Shop Live Pre-Sale. Of course Photoshop froze on me right when I was about to finish and OF COURSE I hadn't saved my work. I nearly had a breakdown but I think I was too tired to even curse at the monitor. So I went downstairs made Hillsy's lunch for today coz I knew that there was no way in hell I would wake up at 6am to make it the next day. Grabbed a can of Coke Zero and it was on. I finished at about 3am. Woke up at 7:30am tried to get more Zzzzs then finally got up an hour later. So I feel sort of numb, relaxed, like I'm on some meds or something.

I'm excited for tonight, excited for the weekend which starts early coz Hillsy has tomorrow off. Yay!! His sister and her boyfriend is coming for a visit, it'll be their first time in the US so I'm so psyched and excited for them to arrive!!! I also have to finish off their room, which I haven't had a chance to address since painting it on Sunday. It'll be crunch time tomorrow.

Oh and if you haven't been to HH today, I've posted lots of great pre-sale deals on Etsy. These are some of my favorites!!! I'm trying to resist but I don't think I can...

Exciting Etsy News

Those of you who know me, know how integral Etsy is to my daily existence. Which is why I'm completely over the moon (and frankly scared to death) about hosting the next Shop Live event - tomorrow!!!! Via webcam!!!!


I HATE webcams and when I happily agreed to do it, I literally shoved that part of the deal out of my mind to help keep me from regurgitating my dinner (at just the thought of). I don't enjoy speaking in front of crowds or groups for that matter. I mean, I've had my share of corporate presentations and although I'm able to get through them without showing any signs of anxiety, inside I'm dying and can't wait for it to be over. I'm the type that can't hold a piece of paper while speaking, my hands have a tendency to shake and there's no telling when and where.

Hopefully this time it will be different - because instead of talking about how we can increase viewership of Dog the Bounty Hunter in Guatamala with an innovative viral onine campaign powered by user generated content, I'll be talking about something I'm genuinely passionate about - artists who I admire and whose work I'm constantly salivating over. So head on over to Heart Handmade for more details and remember you have to be a registered user so I hope to see you guys tomorrow 7pm EST.

Herb Box

Here are my lovelies...


It'd be nice not to have to buy herbs anymore - they're so pricey at the supermarket and I rarely finish the package.

Weekend Update

I woke up today exhausted, hope that doesn't become the trend for the week. We got a lot of stuff done this weekend despite the fact that it felt like someone was sitting there spinning the earth in fast forward, was it me or did yesterday feel like it was half as long?

We finally painted the guest room and I'm sorry to disappoint all of you but it's no longer the Winnie the Pooh room. Sorry folks, I had to do it, I removed the decals - it's now my favorite hue of the year GREY. Call it lack of inspiration but I really do love this grey (same one I used in the living room) and if I could do it over again I think I would actually consider painting the whole house this color. Only half joking.


Unfortunately funds are low so I can't get any new pieces for this room just yet - so for now there's our old bed, a random table we had from the good ol' days (screaming for some white paint I think) and this annoying Containter Store shelf thing that I now can't stand. I had no closet space in my last apartment so I had a couple of these Elfa systems to store my clothes. The WANGS had these radiator covers that I'm not exactly fond of, so for now the radiators are naked and probably will stay that way. There's still a lot to do to this room this week - putting up curtains, wall accessories, beddings etc. I'm excited to see how it all ends up!

We also had a chance to do a little gardening yesterday, cut off some scraggly trees and I planted my herbs in a flower box - I'll have some pics tomorrow!

And yes, we made butter this weekend. I'll be posting about it later on today on Heart Homecooked. Happy gloomy Monday everyone!

Growth

Oh lifeflixers - I know I'm killin' you with these seedling shots but I'm just so amazed by them... these things are growing like wildfire. The string beans have shot up so quickly they're even taller today (I took this pic last night). They're so cute, you should've seen them this morning all swayed towards the light, you guys must think I'm nuts but I'm completely enthralled by this process - it's just not something that I've really stopped and noticed before. The growth process of plants, food, etc.


I'm so used to seeing a string bean in a plastic bag at the grocery store - witnessing its growth from a teeny teeny tiny seed into this completely amazes me... clearly, I don't have kids.

Woohoooo

Ladies and Gents we got some action!


The beans were first to sprout. So far so good, most of the seeds are showing good growth signs (even the watermelon!) I'm not sure why I'm so excited over the melons - maybe coz in my mind they're huge and to see them grow from a teeny tiny seed.... pretty exciting stuff.

On the bad news front... I'm spending the better half of my day cleaning the house, I'm talkin' cleaning. NOT swiffer, wipey wipes cleaning, I'm talkin' down on my knees cleaning. I HATE cleaning but once I get started - I'm good. It's just the thought ya know? It's as appealing to me as eating a bowl of mud.

wunderlust shop update

Five sets available at www.wunderlust.etsy.com.

Special Offer

Oh and don't forget to head over to Heart Handmade today - special limited offer..

It's official

a) I'm in love with Kris Allen. His rendition of Ain't no sunshine was smokin'.

b) ...I'm in love with Kris Allen. His rendition of Ain't no sunshine was smokin'.

c) ...I'm in love with Kris Allen. His rendition of Ain't no sunshine was smokin'.

If you missed it, you can watch a video here.