Shopping- Design deals!

A week or so ago, I found this deal at Costco! These stria tiles look so much with some "to the trade only" tiles, that I had to share. Bathroom, kitchen, sunroom- pick a room, choose a style, get a cool way to lay the tiles and save!

Ten square feet for twenty bucks- total deal. They only come in two colors and they are fairly large. Love large tiles, myself. However, you can have your tile person cut them down, if you need to. They would be so cool as a 4 inch by 12 inch in a subway pattern or a dramatic herringbone! They are textured, so they are perfect for the floor. However, they would be fine as wall tiles as well. Get to shopping!

Life Hack- lazy chocolate chip cookies

Sometimes you want homemade chocolate chip cookies...
 and you have all the ingredients...
 and some milk to enjoy them with.

However, you have lost the will to scoop them out on to a cookie sheet for 10 pans worth of cookie making work!
Bar cookies are out of the question! They are never really crispy like a cookie, anyway.

Then inspiration hits. 

The "you've got your chocolate in my peanut butter" moment of what if I made a really thin "bar" cookie, has arrived in your head. It's crispy, like a cookie. It's lazy like a bar cookie. It is the perfect marriage of crisp cookie meets lazy baker!

So ladies and gents, here is your new cookie method. Simply spread you cookie dough thinly on the cookie sheet or jelly roll pan! I tried and offset spatula, but my dough was too think. So, I pulled out the wax paper and smushed it down as flat as I could or a greased cookie sheet.

I used the recipe on the Coach's Oats bag for Oatmeal Coconut cookies and added 2 cups of chocolate chips. Here's the link to the original recipe.

You can cut it like a bar, a square, or if it must be round, whip out that biscuit cutter! One pan. One round in the oven. One afternoon you just got back in your life.

Early weekend scores- a few housewares and furniture

I love starting my weekend shopping early. Today, I hit many a spot, shopping for everything from vintage rugs and small cabinets for a TV to deals for my antique shop and online vintage store.

are then not cute! They are new old stock lidded onion soup bowls.

I'd love to see some swiss cheese dripping down the edge!

I found a set of 5 of these! Can't want to clean them up and list them on Etsy!

This would be pretty fantastic for A/V components and a flat screen!

Danish Modern, you are my friend! This is a table that I am pretty sure came from a bank. It is standing desk height with slots on each side for the deposit slips! If there was such a thing as a stand-up conference table, this would be pretty cool! It could also work for a table to show blueprints.

Featured on Oh, The Things I Think: Etsy Love Cocktail Hour

I was thrilled to have one of my collections of bar ware featured on Sarah Bluett's blog, Oh, the Things I Think, last week! I love all the do-das that go into making a great bar cart, and whether you are making a coffee bar, tea bar, lemonade bar or a bar Mad Men would be proud to serve from, Sarah has found some fantastic items to fill it out!

Here's a reprint of her post! Please click here to find the original post and all the active links.

Monday, 14 April 2014

Etsy Love: Cocktail Hour

I love, love creating cocktails and there is nothing that makes a cocktail better than a sweet vintage style to serve it in!

This weeks Etsy list is my latest look through Etsy for beautiful vintage serving ware to make your cocktail party just a little extra special.

For my favorite cocktails and some new ideas I haven't tried yet, you can check out myCocktail Hour Pinterest board, here! Or, check out Robs favorite cocktail that I put together one day - we tried it out on family at New Years and they LOVED it!

Judys Junktion

The Simply Chic Shop

Aces Find Vintage

Lisa B Retro Style 2

Swirling Orange 11

Sariloaf

Soulful Vintage

Peony and Thistle

Sherwood Vintage

M for Modern

Mid Mod

Sunny Day Vintage

Maintenant

Porch and Parlor

Starlit Nest Gifts

The Lions Den Studio

Electrical Marigold

The Gem and The Jar

Tea Cup Cake NL

This blog has been reprinted with Sarah's permission.

Like wading in water... Spring mornings

This morning, I was reminded of my maternal grandmother's phrase, "like wading in water." 

 It was used to describe an early morning walk through dew covered grass. And, it was the reason I could not go out and play on many early mornings in the late spring and early summer.

These mornings have a "movie in the South" feel to them with golden light streaming through new leaves and a dew so heavy, it's like wading though water.

Earth Day Celebration- City of Hoover Hazardous Waste Day

Sorted hazardous waste

A bin of paint cans

  

I am proud of my city for many reasons, mostly for their attention to the environment! I love that you can take your cooking oil to the fire stations so that it can be recycled into bio-diesel for the city's vehicles. I love that they provide generous recycle cans that reduce my garbage day needs to once a week, though two are offered. And most of all, I love that they provide a Hazardous Waste Day for the residence! It usually falls on the Saturday after Earth Day. 

It is so well organized and takes about 10 minutes! I keep a "hazardous waste day" box in the garage for old battery, florescent light bulbs, and other things to small to really keep up with.  Then on Saturday, I pack the trunk and head over.

So, City of Hoover, AL, I salute you for your commitment to the environment with logical steps that saves the city money, provides disposal from paints to old medicines, and protects the water ways!

All lined up and ready to deposit!

The Details:

Household Hazardous Waste Day
Saturday - April 26, 2014
8 AM - NOON
Hoover Metropolitan Stadium
100 Ben Chapman Dr
Hoover, AL   34244
The City of Hoover will hold our annual Household Hazardous Waste Day event on Saturday, April 26th. This is always such a great way for the residents of Hoover to safely dispose of household chemicals, pesticides, paints, batteries, automobile fluids, electronics, medications, guns, ammo and other hazardous items.

Additional Information:
ONLY HOOVER RESIDENTS ARE ALLOWED TO PARTCIPATE
Verification of residency required (Valid driver license, current photo id with address)
No businesses allowed

Household Hazardous Waste Day

ACCEPTED ITEMS AT THIS EVENT:

Automotive Fluids (motor oil, antifreeze, brake fluid, gas and/or mixed gas)

Batteries (automotive & alkaline)
Caulk/glue
Household Cleaners

Fluorescent Tubes/Light Bulbs

Oil & Latex Paint, Aerosol Paint, Paint Thinners/Paint Strippers/Paint Removers 

Pesticides, Herbicides, Fertilizer

Wood Preservative

Wall Paper Remover

Grease and Rust Solvents

Standard Vehicle Tires (No commercial or heavy equipment tires will be accepted) Preservatives

Lighter Fluid

Kerosene

Moth Balls

Insect Repellent 

Waste Cooking Oil

See list of items that will be accepted by Hoover Police which will include Prescription/Non-Prescription Medications, Ammunition and Guns.

Checking for proof of Hoover residency.

All images are from the City of Hoover website. Find more information about Hazardous Waste Day here and see the rest of their images for the event.

Trees- It's dogwood season

The dogwood tree is the stuff of legends. It is supposedly the tree used as the cross to crucify Jesus, though they are not native to the Middle East. In the Native American culture, it is a symbol of good luck for the Quileute and Makah ( Yes, the "Twilight" tribes), as well as a historic food source for many tribes. For some, it indicates when to plant corn, for others, it indicates the start of spring and the Easter season.

I am a passive gardener, in reality. So, if a plant volunteers in a spot that seems good, I leave it. If it survives my neglectful gardening, all the better. This volunteer dogwood has been growing in a garden bed for a few years. It is the "under story" tree to a volunteer oak tree. This is the first year the dogwood has really bloomed and it out did itself! The blooms are about 3 inches across and plentiful. So, maybe it is good luck, maybe it is time to plant corn, but this showy shorty is a winner with me! 

Inspiration- Neutral dining room

Today's design board is a nod to the neutral color palette lovers. Neutrals are a great way to play with pattern and built a hierarchy with scale and theme. Hierarchy, you say? Yes! Just like a diagrammed sentence, Manslow's hierarchy of need, or a Venn diagram, there is a visual hierarchy in place in all rooms. Building this hierarchy with patterns, colors, size, scale, texture, or a mix is what makes a room great. When you eliminate some of these options, like color, or pattern, it is easier to see the built environment's hierarchy.

For this space, I added one color that is different from the rest- a green buffet. It is the top of the hierarchy, because you see it first. It is the lead singer in the band. The next is the arabesque wall paper, it is the most graphic (greatest contrast in tones close together) pattern and it is the tallest and biggest item in the room. The hutch is the tallest furniture in the room and breaks up the wallpaper, which would be overwhelming with out the visual breaks of the hutch and the art. The art provides a place for your eye to rest from all the pattern. It ranks third. Lastly, are the table and chairs, they are why you are in the room. You are naturally going to gravitate to them and you will physically interact with them, so there is less reason, design-wise, to make them the star.

Laurl Designs boards can be found here.

Another hierarchy to think about is the senses. You see the space first, let your first sense get the top billing for all the reasons listed above. Then, you hear the space. Is it loud or quiet? Carpets on the floor, drapes and other textures change the noise level in a room. Fine dining has carpets, texture wallpaper, tablecloths and sometimes draped interior spaces. They are very quiet. In fast food places, there are no soft fabrics... I'm not counting the dust mats at the doors. You want your space to sound like fine dining, not McDonald's or like McDonald's, you will be leaving the space quickly. Last sense in a space is touch. The things that you would touch in a space, the chairs, table, possibly the buffet, should have textures that are interesting to feel. In this space the chairs are cane and linen, the table is zinc topped, and the buffet is painting wood. These are all interesting textures to feel and contrast with each other.

Then there are the smallest of details, the brass tray that moves the light around the room, the pretty buffet lamps that add a warm glow and the antler chandelier which add an unexpected element in the space.

If you are interested in any of the items on the board, you can find there here!

Inspirations- The Pink and Green family room, a modern classic design

Today's inspiration board is a pink and green family room. The large chesterfield sofa in olive green velvet prevents the space from being saccharine sweet. I have also used my rule of threes, to incorporate three shades of green and of pink so that the any one shade does look off.  The space is grounded with the neutral wallpaper, drapes, coffee table and lamp shades. Lastly, adding touches of gold and brass provides the spark. The real design comes in with mixing the prints by using a variety in scale, as well as referencing multiple cultural elements with the Greek key on the drapes, foo dog lamps, and adding a trunk for a coffee table gently references travel and worldliness.

If you see anything you want, you can click HERE to go to the inspiration board and purchase! If you love the mirror top side tables, I have a pair in stock and ready to go, just contact me.

Green design- in common practice

I have been thinking a lot about green design today and how most people already practice the tenets of green living, even if we do not live it to the letter. And, probably do not see themselves as "environmentally-friendly" people. We call it other things like saving money, saving time, being crafty, shopping or helping local artists. Like many things, it all depends on the way you frame it.

More info about this image here.

If you choose to rearrange your furniture instead of throwing everything out and buying all new furniture, you are working in the tenets of green design. Same goes for painting furniture instead of tossing it!

My antique space at Hanna Antiques in Birmingham

If you are shopping for accessories in an antique mall, or to some extend TJ Maxx or Homegoods. You are buying recycled and saving items from the trash, that are not trash.





If you are choosing a paint that doesn't smell, then you are choosing low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints and helping the environment, as well as the respiratory health of your family.

Beautiful pottery from my friend, Tena Payne, found here.

If you buy ceramics or pottery from a local artist, or art gallery that represents locals, then you are buying regionally which is very green especially since many potters are able to get they clay locally.



Greener than you thought?  It is not just about sorting your trash for the recyclers or buying smelly sofas from the thrift store. Respecting the environment is not an all or nothing proposition, thankfully. It is steps toward a healthier world around you on a continuum.

This is the first post in a series of posts on green design and living. Next up is all about water! Please follow my blog for more info, or search green design in my search box on the right to see most ideas and ways to easily practice greener living.

Business Lady tips- tax season small business solutions

It dawned on my with two recent conversations about my business that  after running in for a few years, I might have some tips and "wish I had known" items that are worth sharing.

Since we are in tax season and I finished my taxes yesterday, I thought I would begin there.

TAX TIP ONE: online bookkeeping.

 If you sell online or have a job with billable hours and/or need to produce estimates, I would recommend GoDaddy.com's online bookkeeping. It can pull all your sales transaction info from Ebay, Etsy, Amazon, as well as bank accounts, paypal, credit cards, etc. Then, it gives you a tally of your sales to purchases for each month and a running total of your profit or loss. I am not an accountant, nor do I even enjoy math. So, I like a program that does the work for me... including putting together the info for my schedule C. Below is a screen shot that give your the overview of the info they can provide for your account.

The fact that I have to occasionally go in and categorize expenses is minimal compared to doing all the data entry. I'm too busy creating, meeting, buying, packaging and selling to also do data entry. I also love that it will create my invoices and email them! There are probably other bookkeeping sites and programs that do this as well, but I like only paying $100 annually and not having to store the info on my computer.

However, I am not totally against doing some math and a spread sheet, because I do like statistic. So, when I first starting my antique business, I decided to create a spread sheet with the item and price I paid, as well as when I purchased it. It seem like it could provide some good statistics as well as allow me to see patterns in my sales, purchases, and trends. Which brings me to....

 TAX TIP TWO: Record when and where you go to purchase your stuff! 

I realized that though I have a good record of my trips to the post office, I had not recorded all the locations of all the sales I attended. So, I could not enter mileage for all the trip into my tax program, because my info was incomplete! Here is a look at my purchasing spreadsheet. You can see I enter, after I get home from the sales, who, when, where, what and how much. I was at first also tracking how much I spent each weekend, but I ditched doing that, because I didn't find it that helpful. But I did not lose the data, in case I changed my mind later.

I have now added the street names for each purchase on the master spreadsheet. I also have some little equations to give me running totals and random math that I think is a good idea at the time, but later not sure what the math is for. Yep. Not a mathematician, but I try.

Lastly,

TAX TIP THREE: Organized your sales taxes for each month.

One of my New Year's resolution's was to not have the "Oh no, I haven't done my sales tax this month!" panic that can wake me up in the night on the 15th of the month. This year I have streamlined the process with a big envelope for each month and in each big envelope is the paper work for sales tax, as well as the addressed and stamped envelopes. No more looking for papers, stamps, passwords, tiny books, etc. And, I do my taxes on the day I sent out bills dedicating one day to paperwork and though I might want to forget taxes, I will not forget to be paid. So, connecting the two allows me to remember to do all of it and only have 1/30th of the month in paperwork!

What are your tax tips or small business tips?

DIY Bar Cart! From Mid-Century Modern table to Mad Men-tastic bar cart

I love the look of those two tier mid-century side tables, however they are too low to function with modern furniture. So, I choose to remake one into a bar cart because I love the idea of the two levels, one for storage of bar items and one for glasses and mixing. And since you know how much I was in love with the Russian Figure ladies skater's costume as evident of my post on inspiring images in that color palette, I choose to use dark grey and bronze.


The key to the table is getting the right height and scale. The mixing surface was moved up to 26 inch high and the storage is about 34 inches high. This cart is styled for mixing alcoholic drinks, but would be super cute as a coffee bar, tea cart, or even as a small desk! I plan to use it for coffee.


This is a simple project of cutting off the legs, adding a little lumber, and a nice paint job. The nice paint job includes using a pattern. I have included the pattern at the bottom. You can enlarge it to the size you need! The instructions can be printed with the title of the project at the top.










SUPPLIES:
For this project you will need the following supplies to complete a table similar this one.

BASICS:
A table to alter- if using a table like this pick your cutting zone carefully and with consideration to the size of your lumber! I chose a spot that was not tapered to make adding the legs back easier.
lumber- I used 2"x 2" which is nominal measurement of 1.5" x 1.5". This scale worked for my project.
8 dowel screws
wood putty
paint
liquid sanding/ deglosser- I clean the table with this type product for better paint adhesion
Hack saw
drill and drill bits
locking pliers- plain pliers might work, but locking pliers make the work easier
pencil
ruler
straight-edge

EXTRAS:
tracing paper
gold paint
circular saw
painters tape

Leaf pattern for the top of the table.