Cute and practical

I'm still hard at work on the new house, but thought I'd pop on and show you the cutest set of measuring cups I picked up at Urban Outfitters this weekend:



There are three nesting dolls, which break apart into six measuring cups in the following sizes: 1/4, 1/2, 1/3, 2/3, 3/4 and 1 cup. I just love them! Buy a set of your own right here.

Before and after #2

Okay. After a LOT of work, it's time for another pic... this is the dining room as it was when it belonged to the seller:

Patching wallpaper seams (which then needed to be sanded):

Oh my gosh, this wallpaper is going to be the death of me. Anyway, here is the final product (the walls are not this yellowy-green in person. They are like a pale olive)!:

I still have to put a lot of artwork on the walls, and more furniture will be moved in to this room. The table is very old and I'm going to be recovering the chairs in a more pleasing fabric! The tag is still on the rug because I wasn't sure if I would keep it. I think I'm keeping it. The floors need yet ANOTHER mopping, but they're not too bad considering they looked like the photo below a few hours before taking the "after" photo:

Here's a very exhausted Julia in a very dusty room. She's been a great helper:

Speaking of Julia (oh, how I love this pic I snapped while she was working), she got BRACES yesterday. My poor girl.

Do wish her well, because she's pretty sore right now. Back to work I go!

I think this is so cool..

This is a public bookshelf in the middle of the sidewalk in Berlin. Isn't it great?! I wish we had things like this where I live. I'm wondering if it's just a book-swapping post where people can take one out and replace it with another. I originally found this photo here but the original source is here.

***Edit: Upon further investigation, I found this is, indeed, a book-swapping tree! The plastic coverings are hinged on top and you can lift them and swap a book for a book. I think it's great that the books don't get stolen or vandalized.

I kill plants.

I don't mean to, of course. It just happens. Always. I seem to do much better with succulents, though! I just got my latest baby toes plant in the mail, which is my absolute favorite succulent. Today I went to one of my favorite local shops and picked up this vintage pink planter to go with my new plant. Take a look:


I love the little "windows" on the top of each shoot. They're like little skylights! Isn't it pretty how the sun shines right through them?

I got my plant here. It was well wrapped and a really great specimen. She has a lot of variety, so make sure to go take a look.

Before and after.

Sorry for the silence! I am working soooo hard to get this new house in order! I thought I'd post my first before and after photos (click to zoom)! This is Julia's room. It originally looked like this (this was how the seller had it set up):

The wallpaper was busy, but actually I love daisies so it was the paper I hated least in the house. Julia, though, wouldn't stand for it! The carpet was ANCIENT and threadbare. When I peeled off the wallpaper, this was how the walls looked (sorry, it's the only pic I have and it's really bad!):

What you see above is actually another layer of wallpaper, but painted. Most of it ended up being chipped away and re-mudded. And here is the final product!:

The original wood floors under the carpet (which had never been finished in any way) were sanded and varnished. Her room is so cute now! She has a full-size bed, so she has plenty of room. The wall color was a compromise- she wanted a really dark and bright blue. I'll have better pics in the future, but this is the best I can do for now!

xoxo

Addict.

I am pretty much addicted to lip gloss/balm. I really hate the feeling of my lips when they are bare, and I just wanted to pass along my favorite lip gloss/balm hybrid on Etsy. It's pictured above and it's from a shop called Soap. This stuff goes on SUPER smooth and has just the right amount of sheer tint (I get the universal tint)- like a light blush for your lips. It goes on much lighter than it looks in the tube. The blackberry/lime flavor is great, too! It really is the perfect hybrid of gloss and balm. She sells a few different tints of the gloss/balm hybrid, so find your favorite color and try it out for yourself! :)

Lola's Room

Oh, how I love the photography at Lola's Room. I've been a fan for quite a while now! Take a look at these lovely images:




I love how all of her photos have such a dreamy look about them. See more here.

Not so little anymore...

My doll-sized afghan is growing! The thing is, I'm not sure how big I should make it. Right now I'm in the middle of the last pink row and don't know if I should do one more olive and brown section. I also think it would look cute with a scalloped crocheted edge. Now I just have to figure out how to do that. :)

I have a tiny visitor...

I do believe she plans to stay, as she has brought a tiny suitcase.


Isn't she LOVELY?! I finally got my custom doll from Evangelione. Right now she is perched on my windowsill in my kitchen. She watches me paint and peel and scrape and sand. Yes, that's why I've not been blogging so much- I've been hard at work making the new house into a home. It's coming along, ever so slowly. I hope to have pics soon!

Now I need to think of a name for this pretty girl. I'm thinking Olive, but it's not set in stone.