Fanciful Friday

Today is going to be about furniture, not just any furniture, homemade furniture.  I recently happened upon the most amazing site ever, Ana White homemaker. She features TONS of furniture design ideas AND the specs, tool list, and instructions on how to make it yourself! Could like get any better? I think that it could not!

I have mapped out a design idea for my currently empty living room and printed instructions for my dear hubby on the furniture I would like made.  He has said that he will build it, the question now remains, WHEN? I can be patient, and hopeful.  So fingers crossed and I will post pics if and when any of these furniture items are built!

Click on the description to go to the link.

Table and hutch

Pallet bookshelf

Side table (I want a round top tough).

Entry table

I also plan to have a pallet coffee table which I believe I have previously posted about and can't find plans to, but it looks fairly easy, I'm sure hubby can figure it out :)

Well thanks for looking! Feel free to browse her site and post here what your favorite piece is if you could build any of them! 

Fanciful Friday - The Vintage Pearl

A fellow blogger recently hosted a giveaway of a piece of gorgeous jewelry from The Vintage Pearl.  Upon seeing the giveaway I had to checkout The Vintage Pearl for myself and I am completely in love with everything they make.  Here are a few of my favorites that I would love to have in my small yet growing jewelry collection.

(All photos are from The Vintage Pearl's website).  Please click on the photo to be taken to the product page on The Vintage Pearl's site to learn more.

Pearl Nest Ring

Messy Nest Necklace

Vintage Silver Charms Necklace (I would want T and E of course for Timmy and I)

Aren't these pieces beautiful!? Definitely on my wish list!

Fanciful Friday

For my wedding I got some BEAUTIFUL ruffle bowls from Crate and Barrel that I am just in absolute love with.  I recently saw on C&B's website that they have now added a mini dip bowl and platter to the ensemble, which of course I have to have!

Ruffle Dip Bowl - for details click here. But I want like 8 - wouldn't these be adorable condiment bowls for a taco party? RECEIVED

Ruffle Platter - for details click here. It would be nice to have 2 of these on hand. RECEIVED 1

Now my mom recently was talking to me about my birthday and I suggested she check out my Fanciful Friday posts for ideas.  She made a good point in that I love to shop and often buy items for myself - so I will be updating my posts with a "PURCHASED" if I do indeed buy any of these items.  So if you are interested on my take on any items that indicate I have purchased them, feel free to ask - I always have an opinion (ha!).

Fanciful Friday - CB2 Items

Last night I had the luxury of surfing the CB2 website - a partner of Crate and Barrel featuring a slightly more "modern" look.  I saved a ton of items that I just loved and thought I would feature some of my favorites for today's edition of Fanciful Friday.

Isn't this ice bucket gorgeous!?  I have yet to purchase an ice bucket but have been wanting a stainless steel one as I just think they are so stunning and sleek looking.  This is definitely on my wish list!

I adore these wine glasses! Right now we have a set of crystal wine glasses (which I'm afraid to use on an every day basis) and some of the gorgeous Lolita glasses (hand painted and so quirky and fun - if you haven't seen 'em check them out!).  However, we only have 3 of the Lolita glasses so we really do need some every day wine glasses that we can use at casual get-togethers for my wino friends (haha totally kidding - sorta).  I saw these and just love them! What do you think of the unique square look?

Another stunning stainless steel piece - a wine bucket.  Swoon.  This would be the perfect addition to your dining room table on that special occasion.

Okay so I just thought these "tooth" picks were too funny and unique! Definitely a conversation starter.  I love on the box it states "for pickin' and dippin".  Smart - you can scoop your own dip instead of using a spoon. Very clever indeed.

Yep, another stainless steel look that I love - I just love the shape and style of these awesome snack bowls! Don't you!?

HAHAHAH! I need these.  Totally. I want to put exclusively use these Blah blah blah post-its for work. Please!?

Again another funny item for sale - I think this Bar Bingo would definitely liven up anyone's bar experience.  I could see my friends and I having a grand ole time with this. 

I certainly hope my husband is keeping up with my Fanciful Friday posts.  My birthday is coming up (well it's in June).  Hehe.

Fanciful Friday..... errrr Monday

Many of you know the blogosphere decided to be silent on Friday in support and prayer for Japan. 

Thus, my weekly Fanciful Friday is today a Fanciful Monday. 

Many of you know, and some do not, that my husband and I bought our first house in July.  I have mentioned in previous posts that much of our house is still, well, empty.  The rooms that aren't empty have barren walls.  So today's edition will focus on some home decor that I've had my eye on, some of which are on my lineup of weekly buys (my husband and I agreed to a small weekly budget towards home decor..... very small).  So without further ado, here we go.

These birds on pedestals are beautiful IMHO and would go great in not only my living room but also my bedroom.  You can find them here.

Okay so hear me out - I love these placemats, and if you look back to my master bedroom post (found here) you will notice that they go PERFECTLY with my bedding.  Art can be expensive, so I am thinking that I can buy these and use the 40% off custom framing coupons that Michael's has every week to have these custom framed and you won't even be able to tell they are placemats.  I'm thinking 3 in a row vertically over my bed will look great.  You can check them out here. ps: I just saw they were on sale so I purchased the 3 right now. WOOT! PURCHASED

Check out these awesome hive vases here. I love the look of these - WAY cool.  All of these colors would go splendidly with my home - again living room or bedroom.

I love these twine balls.  In fact I have an almost identical bowl on my coffee table (courtesy of my dear cousin Jill) that they would go perfectly in.  I also think the balls would look nice in a large hurricane (maybe if you bought 2 sets so you had 8 balls).  You can check them out here.  These are next on my list to buy as the price is just right.  PURCHASED

Well thanks for looking and I hope you all had a lovely weekend!!

Fanciful Friday - My Future Living Room

So yes, we moved in last July, however, our living room is still empty.  Completely empty.  Hey, owning a home is expensive okay! Baby steps.  So in anticipation of someday being able to furnish this lovely room (which is also the room that you walk into when you enter the house (haha), this post will be dedicated to the items which I fancy for said room.

I'm in a wreath kick, although I have yet to make my first wreath, I own some pre-made wreaths and I have printed about 50 different wreath ideas and am hoping to try making my own in the very near future. 

I recently saw on a fabulous blog that I follow a great thrift store find - a wreath stand.  Perhaps I'm naive, but I'd never heard of such a thing and I just love the idea. 

I found this gorgeous stand for just over $35.00.  I think it would be great in my house! PURCHASED (different color)

I'm wanting to do my formal living room a gray/blue/cream color scheme and I think this would look great on like a buffet table behind a couch that would be pretty much in the entry.  What do you think?

I love this accent chair from World Market as well (isn't it pretty!?):

I also adore the hammered steel look and want to incorporate some of that (I thought it go well with the gray) into the living room, such as this amazing bud vase:

Well that's all for today folks.  Thanks for reading!

Fanciful Friday - scrapbook designer paper edition

I am loving some of the new (and some not so new) scrapbook designer paper series out there right now and wanted to share with those of you who are fellow craft lovers my current faves that I would just love to get my hands on.

(fore more information on any of the series, click on the name below)

1) Stampin' Up's Sweet Stitches Designer Series Paper - I love craft related crafting paper (haha).  I think it would make for some great gifts for my crafty friends and some fabulous layouts of scrapbook parties, etc. 

2) K&Company's Americana Specialty Paper Pad - Maybe it's the time Tim spent in the military, or my love for Fourth of July, but I've always loved anything patriotic and this paper pad is spot on.  I love the patterns, the colors, everything about it!

3) 7 Gypsies' Lille - I think this would make the most fabulous travel album!

4) Die Cuts With a View Whimsy Paper Stack - I love the colors, the birds, just everything about this stack. I could think of a lot of ideas to use this stack with.

5) Anna Griffin's Carmen Kit - I love the vibrant colors and showy patterns.  I just wish I could decorate my whole house in her paper!

Do you have a favorite paper series right now? If so, share by leaving a comment (and a link!).  I'm always on the lookout for fun paper!

Fanciful Friday

Today's edition of Fanciful Friday shall be on my top five (5) accessories I just "need" to have.  By need I mean want really badly! :) 

1) Tasha 'Rocken' Headband
Last week I saw a friend of mine wearing this adorable headband.  It's called the Tasha 'Rocken' Headband and comes in a variety of colors. I found it here on Nordstrom's website.  I think black or taupe would blend best with my wardrobe. PURCHASED * by my lovely friend Angela as a fabulous gift for me (black only, still want taupe)

2) Coach Ponytail Scarf
My dear friend Caitlin and I both love Coach bags.  She personalized hers with one of Coach's colorful ponytail scarves.  I would love one for my purses now as I just love this idea.  I found this gorgeous turquoise one, but really there are many that I like from Coach's main website.  The below photo is just an example of what I'm talking about.

and here you can see a sample of how it can personalize your purse:

3) Black Diamond Earrings
I love black diamonds.  When Tim and I were looking at wedding rings I even looked at some bridal sets that included black diamonds, but decided to go with the more traditional look.  Macy's currently has these GORGEOUS earrings available for a hefty price.  A girl can dream though can't she?

4) Chaco Sandals
Chaco is my favorite brand sandals ever.  They are the most comfortable shoes I have ever owned.  Furthermore, I've had the same pair of standard black flip flops for a couple of years now and they are still in pretty good condition.  They're come out, since I bought my pair a few years ago, with a few new styles of their fabulous sandals.  I think the Chaco Aurora pictured below is my favorite.  I'm a size 8.5 if you're interested ;)

5) Coach Agenda
I am all about agendas.  I know a lot of people use their smart phones as their calendar these days, but I'm old school and like to actually have a physical calendar (weekly calendar specifically) in my purse at all times.  I love all of Coach's agendas.  Here is just one of their many options.  I think I would prefer the 4"x7" version.

Thanks for reading! What are your 5 must have accessories of the moment? Share by posting a comment!

Fanciful Friday

I am in love with the brand Nambe.  Nambe is a brand (sold at Macy's and I'm sure other retailers) that feature elegant home products such as barware, dinnerware, frames, etc.  You can check out their website here. 

I was first turned on to Nambe by pure chance.  My husband and I used to go garage saling with my father every Saturday.  We really initially did it just to spend time with him, but as time progressed we got really into finding great deals.  Most of my holiday decor for all of the various holidays is made up of items bought at garage/yard sales. 

Anyways, one day we went to a garage sale and they had 3 gorgeous sets of salt and pepper shakers, all in their boxes.  The boxes were a little beat up, but the product was gorgeous and looked new.  I had never heard of the brand, Nambe, but being recently engaged I thought these would be gorgeous on our future dining table.  So we bought one set.... for fifty cents.

After garage saling each weekend Tim and I would proudly lay all of our items out in my parents living room to show off our finds.  My mother picked up the salt and pepper shakers and said "Nambe!?".  I shrugged and asked if she had heard of it.  She nodded and said it was a very expensive and high end brand. 

I immediately googled the item and found it online (pictured below).  I also discovered that this salt and pepper shaker set that I had fallen in love with retailed for $80.00.  WHY had I not purchased all 3 sets!? These would have made lovely gifts.  Ahhh! Hindsight is 20/20 eh?

my salt and pepper shakers (Kissing Salt and Pepper) OWN

Shortly thereafter Tim and I set up our wedding registry at a few stores including Macy's.  I fell in love with just about every Nambe product, BUT it was expensive and not an item I NEEDED as much as I WANTED them.  So we only put one or two Nambe items on our registry. 

We did receive a set of gorgeous coasters as a Christmas gift this year, pictured below.

coasters OWN

I still have a wishlist of Nambe products, but I will share with you just a few of my favorites.

 wine coaster

 salad servers

 nativity scene (this is just part of it) (I did receive the Angel from my husband for my bday!)

condiment bowls

Aren't their products just gorgeous?! Well thank you for reading.  Do you own any Nambe products or have any on your wish list? Leave me a comment and share! 

Fanciful Friday

Urban Outfitters is one of my favorite websites to just browse and look at their hilarious items in the "Apartment" section. 

Most of this stuff is totally obscure and would make the most terrific white elephant gifts ever such as the carstache, fingerstache, inappropriate but hilarious notepads, pens to let people borrow (hint zoom in), etc. 

BUT I did find an absolute MUST HAVE. These fabulous stamps (pictured below).

Totally a must have right? I definitely fancy them. Yep. Feel free to "like" or "share" this and post it on your own facebook by clicking the nifty facebook icon below this post.  You know you like them too.

Oh the endless possibilities I could do with these stamps..................