Category Archives: etc.

Thrifting Thursday: Ikat Tray

August 2, 2012

To see my a DIY YouTube video for painting this tray, click here.

I’m pretty excited to share this post. This was a really great thrift find. Granted it was ugly, but I only paid $1.42 for this wooden tray at my local Salvation Army. Now that’s a deal! But, what I’m really excited about is the transformation. Using paint I already had, I hand painted on this Ikat design in grays and green. Now it’s a tray I would happily pay much, much more for.

See, it was ugly. The yellow was awful and chipped and scratched. And it had some faux cork looking vinyl stuff stuck to it. I scraped all that off and then gave the whole thing a coat of white paint.

Then I drew out my design and painted on my custom ikat pattern. It was a lot of fun to do. I tried to take good DIY pictures along the way, and I hope to have instructions and my technique posted on how to create your own Ikat on the blog tomorrow (maybe I’ll even do a short DIY YouTube Video). Wouldn’t this be fantastic on the front of a dresser or along on a wide frame?

I plan to have a piece of glass cut for the top on the tray. Then I don’t have to worry about water rings or scratches. But, I was just too excited to share this, so the glass will come later.

The color combinations are endless. I chose my usuals, two tones of gray and little green.
Is this something you would like to attempt?

Just for interest, here’s what the items on the tray are:
A brass camel shaped lock that I bought in the souq in Sanaa, Yemen.
A couple hand painted green bowls that I bought in the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey.
And the little green vase has a few sprigs of vintage mercury glass Christmas ornaments that I bought at the Pasadena Flea Market.

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Decorating My Vintage Trailer

August 1, 2012

I’ve been wanting to find a way to hang pictures and art in Riley. But, because the interior walls are in such excellent condition, I didn’t want to make any holes in them. And, whatever you hang in the trailer needs to be light and nearly unbreakable. I decided a string or wire to hang things on would work best.

I had wanted to add a few more birds to go with the birds that are already cut out of the shelves. Then, miraculously I came across this Birds on and Wire at target (I sure do love target). I was going to cut out birds with a jig saw and rig up some wire/string contraption. Target saved me.

One problem was that they only came in black. So, I quickly fixed that with a little white spray paint. The hanging mechanism for this set required 2 screws. That was not going to happen. These wall have stayed in near perfect condition since 1948, I don’t want to be the one to put holes in them.
So, I used 3M’s command strip clear hooks and with a little wire I attached the photo wire to the hooks.

It’s going to fun to have a place to hang postcards, prints, photos and little memories from our trips. And I can add colors and patterns to the space, just like I would any interior.

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Modern Animal Prints

July 29, 2012

I’ve been working on some new prints for my Etsy shop. This is easier said then done with a 9 month old on the go. Olivia is moving everywhere. She doesn’t crawl, she scoots on her rear, and she’s pretty efficient. So, it’s hard for me to find time to sit still for a few minutes.

But, I did manage to work on these illustrations this weekend. These modern animal prints would add a great addition of color and whimsy to any room. I’ll have more animals and in other great color combinations really soon.

I hope you stop by my etsy shop.

These are 8×10 prints. But, I’m really happy to print them any size or custom color combination. If you’re interested in anything special just send me a message.

I would love your feed back. Please leave me a comment and let me know what you like and dislike. I value my stylish reader’s opinions.

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Rosemary Strawberry Shortcake

July 27, 2012

This is what summer is supposed to taste like. Really a wasn’t sure if there was a better summer dessert then classic strawberry shortcake. The rosemary in this shortcake is so earthy and bright and gives a great twist to this classic. I’ve served this a couple times now. I haven’t told my guests what secret ingredient was in it, and they have been pleasantly surprised by this flavor combo. Rosemary can often be thought of as a savory herb only, but it is terrific with strawberries.

Rosemary Strawberry Shortcake
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. fresh rosemary (finely chopped)

1/4 cup cold butter
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 strawberry jam
1/4 cup milk

Mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry blender (till it resembles course meal). In smaller bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk and jam. Pour the sour cream mixture into the flour/butter mixture and gently toss with a fork until the dough just comes together. Pat the dough into a round about 8 inches across on a well floured surface. Then using a floured knife cut it into 6 or 8 wedges. Or cut out circles with a biscuit cutter. Place on parchment lined baking sheets. Dust with sugar on the tops. Bake at 400 F for about 15 mins or until they are golden brown and firm.

Cool, then slice in half. Fill with sugared strawberries and whipped cream and top with more whipped cream, strawberries and a sprig of fresh rosemary.

I will be making this again very soon.

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Thrifting Thursday: California Souvenir Plates

July 26, 2012

These California Souvenir Plates were kind of a fun find. I mainly bought them because they had my favorite state on them, and I paid only $2 for all 3. I thought these would go perfectly with a dozen cookies for a new neighbor gift. Or I could pile them high with Christmas treats for teachers later this year.

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Southwest Road Trip: Carlsbad Caverns National Park

July 23, 2012

The view of the cavern opening from just inside the cave.

This is somewhere I have wanted to take my kids and husband for a while. When I was 13, my parents took us to the Carlsbad Caverns. I have such fond memories of our visit there. I remember it taking most of the day to walk down into and through the caverns.

Heading Down!

It really was as fascinating and beautiful as I remember. The long day’s drive from Albuquerque was totally worth it. We arrived in the evening, so we drove to the cavern to watch the bats come outof the cave at night. The Ranger Talk that proceeded the exiting of 1000’s of bats, was very entertaining and informative. I highly recommend going at dusk for this experience.

Whales Mouth

The Chandelier

The next morning we started early and hiked down into the cavern – we just opted for the self-guided tour. You go 75 stories underground, tour through numerous large rooms with fantastic formations and then take a 1 minute elevator ride back up.

My kids thought is was one of the most fantastic places they had ever been. Dylan said it was his favorite place in the world. It was a great place to spend a 100F summer day, it’s a cool 56F inside the caverns. And no strollers, so Olivia rode happily along on Lon’s back. The ask that you speak quietly inside the caverns because the sound travels well. Olivia didn’t obey this rule, she chattered and squealed at her echo.

This was a very unique place to photograph. I was wishing for my tripod the whole time. But, I still enjoyed the challenge of trying to capture the shapes and forms of the space.

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Vintage Trailer Inspiration

July 21, 2012

Ever since I got Riley, I’ve been wanting to give him a makeover. We gave him a thorough cleaning, but I want to put our personal mark on him. I didn’t have a clear direction of how I wanted him to look. Just random ideas here and there. I just knew I wanted to keep as much of his 1948 vintage charm as possible. I recently came across Ruby Taylor’s Illustration (no. 11), and finally got the inspiration I needed. I wish I could purchase it, it’s so fantastic. I took to color palette straight from the print. The upholstery is already a forest green. At first it wasn’t my favorite, but now it’s growing on me. It’s in excellent condition and it’s a great outdoorsy color. Now all I need to do is gather up a few of the accessories I’ve found in the image below. My husband is born and raised Alaskan and I am Canadian, so I think this vintage, rustic, woodsy, and outdoorsy look suits us just fine.

1. Vintage Melamine Dishes in jadite color – already mine
2. Deer Pillow – Etsy
3. Deer Antlers – already mine
4. Hudson Bay Blanket
5. Lumber Jack Plaid Pillow (similar)
6. Bird Wall Art (similar)
7. Vintage Red Lantern (similar)
8. National Park Post Cards
9. Mint Green Pocket Knife via
10. Coral Plaid Fabric via
11. The Inspiration – Ruby Taylor’s illustration, via
12. Vintage Green Plaid Picnic Basket – haven’t found one yet, but I’ll be on the hunt.

I’ll be sure to share my progress on fixing up Riley as I go. What do you think about my color combo and inspiration board? Does is have a good vintage vibe and a woodsy Alaskan/Canadian feel? How would you spruce up a retro camper?

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Monthly Memory Verse: June

July 20, 2012

Ooops, this is just getting embarrassing how late I’m posting the Monthly Memory Verses. Sorry friends, I’ve been behind a couple months now. Summer is just so busy.

This is a bit of a long verse for little ones, but it’s a keeper. A good reminder when you are in the middle of a really yucky time in your life. God does have a plan, He is good. We don’t always understand him, but then he wouldn’t be God. I’m glad I serve a God that is much bigger then my understanding. If I could figure him out, then he would just be another human. The older I get, the more at peace I am with not fully understanding God and his ways. That’s true faith, and I’m not there yet everyday. Sure glad my God is patient as well. 🙂 Here’s June’s Memory Verse.

If you want to know more about my Monthly Memory Verse, read here.

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Got Terrarium?

July 19, 2012

If you don’t, then I need to inform you that you are so NOT hip. I recently joined all the fashionable home decorators and added a small terrarium to my interior. I love succulents and I’ve been sporting them on my front porch, but this mini nature world needed to come inside.

This weekend Lon’s family was in town from Idaho. We met up in LA and I had a fun day together. We started the day with a quick stop at H.D. Buttercup. I’ve been watching Design Star on HGTV and every episode they are shopping at this great furniture store. So, I thought I needed to check it out in person – fantastic! Home interiors heaven! I couldn’t afford anything, but was happy to wonder around and just soak up all the inspiration. Then for lunch we hit Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles – super yum. Then the guys headed over to the Natural History Museum and Science Center, while the girls went straight to The Grove.

I found my little glass bubble terrarium at a flower seller that has a booth right outside Zara (down by the Farmer’s Market). My mother in law, sister in law and I all got one. He had a lot of great sizes and some that were even tear drop shaped. I opted for the round one because it has a flat bottom, so I could either hang it or sit it on a flat surface. Mine was $17, but he had others that started at $12 and went up to $20. I thought these were really reasonable. Just a note, he mentioned that in October he would be moving into a permanent space in the Farmer’s Market. Currently, he is outside Zara Thursday, Friday, and Saturdays.

Mine is sitting in my bathroom window. I wanted to be able to enjoy it in the morning when I’m doing my hair and makeup.

So, are you current? Do you have your own terrarium already? Or would you like to join the popular kids, and make or buy a terrarium with cute itty bitty succulents?

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Home Tour: Master Bedroom

July 18, 2012

I think I say this about every room in my house, but the master bedroom might be my favorite room in the house. Yes, I am one of those people that makes my bed everyday. It just makes me happy to have that tiny bit of order in my life. Plus, as soon as you make a bed, the whole room looks clean.

This room is an addition to our original house. We made the original master bedroom into the master bath and then added on this room to the back of our house. It is the same size and layout of the original room. We did this the same time we renovated our kitchen.

We made one corner of the room our little library and it also serves as my little office (my laptop and printer are on the smaller of the two bookcases). The bookcases house mostly my husband’s travel and nature books, a few special artifacts from our travels, and also some of husband’s vintage globe collection. And my little green leather chair is a perfect spot to feed a baby or read a book. Right now I’m blogging from the green chair.

We have nice big windows that look onto our tiny, but green backyard. At the end of the bed is a black bench that I refinished years ago. It’s a great place to sit extra pillows on.

This room has definitely been collected over the years and most things were bought on a budget, made myself, or fixed up in some way. It’s not a finished work. I still have lots of ideas for the space, I just need a little time and money. For example, I am always looking for night stands when I thrift or garage sale. I want something I can fix up and give a custom look to. I tried to go through the room and figure out the sources for the pieces.

Paint – Benjamin Moore (Nightingale AF-670)

Green Leather Chair – Cost Plus World Market (no longer available)

Metal Bed Frame – IKEA (no longer available)

Orange Moroccan Tile Duvet – Pottery Barn (3 yrs ago on sale for $18)

Stack of 3 baskets – bought in the Old City in Sanaa, Yemen (where I lived for 2 years)

Owls – Some of my collection. Mercury glass owl (Homegoods), Small brass owl (gift from India from my brother)

White Lacquer Lamps – Urban Outfitters

Grey Polka Dot Wool Throw – Souvenir from my trip to Ireland

Bookshelves – Target.com

Love Scripture Print – I made it! – smaller versions available on my etsy shop.

Framed Map of Papua New Guinea over bed – bought in Maui at the Whaler’s Village Mall.

Small black antique dresser with mirror – from Lon’s Grandparent’s farm, I refinished it. It is currently our change table.

Globes – bought at thrift stores, antique malls, garage sales, and flea markets over the years.

Framed Antique Silver – gift from good friend in Yemen, I framed it.

If you have more questions about this room or just like what you see, please leave me a comment. You can see more of our home here.