tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14999511116020529502024-03-12T19:29:22.621-07:00Potato Cake VintageAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09923887309229483169noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1499951111602052950.post-91324513335192804112012-10-20T17:22:00.001-07:002012-10-20T17:22:16.113-07:00Blue steel.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-59ymkw8UbaI/UIM8b_NQbWI/AAAAAAAAApQ/COeuelUP6R4/s1600/birdovers16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="558" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-59ymkw8UbaI/UIM8b_NQbWI/AAAAAAAAApQ/COeuelUP6R4/s640/birdovers16.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ehac4F43d14/UIM8Ud_wUKI/AAAAAAAAApA/4SYRZ4vtSPg/s1600/lion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ehac4F43d14/UIM8Ud_wUKI/AAAAAAAAApA/4SYRZ4vtSPg/s640/lion.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I don't really have my kids model the shop clothes all that often. Not because I don't want to, but because I don't have the patience to do it! I was able to wrangle Iris into a few dresses the other day and had to do it all in the five minutes she was willing to stand still(ish). I know there are many shops that have willing models (like <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/salvagehouse?section_id=5609401" target="_blank">Salvage House</a>, one of my all-time favorites) and I am so envious. Maybe bribery is the answer? I think next time I'll give it a shot.<br />
<br />Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09923887309229483169noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1499951111602052950.post-42836564925341679542012-10-05T17:22:00.003-07:002012-10-05T17:22:42.145-07:00Light bulb lamp.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I found this awesome light bulb lamp last weekend at a local thrift store. It's about 14" long and totally, ridiculously amazing. We're going to put it up in our basement, I think, after we get it all repainted.<br />
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And speaking of amazing, my parents just returned from a European vacation and brought me an armful of incredible vintage dresses they found at a flea market in Paris. There are four dresses and each one is just adorable, plus they are in mint, mint condition. Only one really fits Iris, so I'll hang onto that one for a bit but the others will be in the shop soon. Oh, they are just beautiful!<br />
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The one she's wearing in that picture will go into the shop. It technically fits her but I know within a few months she'll burst out of it like the Hulk. Drat! (For me, not you!)Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09923887309229483169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1499951111602052950.post-63115523875876896342012-09-30T17:49:00.001-07:002012-09-30T18:27:39.444-07:00Golden Birthday Party!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-chfHmg07cak/UGi96l3q2CI/AAAAAAAAAkk/tOZ1dvxu9Hk/s1600/bloggold1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-chfHmg07cak/UGi96l3q2CI/AAAAAAAAAkk/tOZ1dvxu9Hk/s640/bloggold1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Arlo will be two on Oct. 2 so we threw a fun little golden birthday party for him over the weekend. I had a good time making and gathering things to decorate the house. I made a <a href="http://pinterest.com/annerm/golden-birthday/" target="_blank">Pinterest board</a> for all the golden birthday ideas I could find and that made everything easier.<br />
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How cute is Arlo's bowtie?? Oh man, it killed me. Surprisingly, he kept it on all night. I bought it from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/IsabooDesigns?ref=seller_info" target="_blank">this</a> Etsy seller. Iris decided to wear her old American Apparel gold lame leggings to keep with the gold theme. They are 2T but still fit her at age 4!<br />
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Inspired by one of the many tutorials available online, I took two old Ikea <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/86933500/" target="_blank">vases</a> that I ruined years ago with candle wax and covered them in gold glitter and now I am in LOVE with them. <i>Almost</i> so in love with them that I can ignore all the glitter they sprinkle everywhere. :)<br />
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I made a big gold two (using <a href="http://ruffledblog.com/new-years-eve-party/" target="_blank">this</a> tutorial) to hang in our living room. I'll pop it onto a bookshelf in the kids' room soon and probably repurpose it for New Year's, too.<br />
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Two is not really a "game" age, but I wanted to have at least one activity for the kids. Arlo and Iris are super, super into finding Goldbug in Richard Scarry books right now, so I thought they would get a kick out of looking for him in our yard.<br />
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I scanned a picture from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Richard-Scarrys-Cars-Trucks-Things/dp/0307157857" target="_blank">Cars and Trucks and Things That Go</a>, enlarged it a bit (not very well—thankfully kids don't care) and printed it out on cardstock. I taped chocolate gold coins to the backs of the cards to make it extra fun. None of the two-year-olds played the game after they each had found one card, but the older kids were into it.<br />
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I made two kinds of cupcakes: <a href="http://www.food52.com/recipes/7537_pumpkin_cupcakes_with_chai_cream_cheese_frosting" target="_blank">pumpkin with chai cream cheese frosting</a> and <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2010/08/everyday-chocolate-cake/" target="_blank">chocolate</a> with <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chocolate-cupcakes-and-peanut-butter-icing-recipe/index.html" target="_blank">peanut butter frosting</a>. That pumpkin cupcake recipe is AMAZING. I frosted a dozen of them and we ate the rest unfrosted last week and they were incredible as muffins, too. The chocolate cake recipe might be my new standard chocolate cupcake recipe from now on, and that peanut butter frosting recipe is super good but rich. Which is not a bad thing. I used gold foil wrappers, gold sugar sprinkled on top and stuck two gold candles into Arlo's (first) cupcake.<br />
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I baked both batches of cupcakes a week before the party and froze them. Come Saturday morning I was so glad I did that! The cream cheese frosting does really well in the fridge so I made that the night before. I made the peanut butter frosting recipe the morning of the party and frosted both batches of cupcakes in my pajamas. :)<br />
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The birthday boy had THREE pumpkin cupcakes over the course of the afternoon.<br />
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I tried to stick to a semi-golden theme with the food: pineapple, deviled eggs, mini quiches, cheese and crackers, trail mix, Teddy Grahams, goldfish crackers and cocktail meatballs. For a main course, I made this <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/05/marthas-macaroni-and-cheese/" target="_blank">huge batch of mac and cheese</a>, plus sub sandwiches for the adults and pb&j sandwiches for the kids (cut into cute shapes). </div>
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For the grown-ups, Aaron made an amazing punch with rum, lemon juice, St. Germain and other tasty stuff. We also had wine, beer, lemonade, apple juice and sparkling water out in a tub of ice on the patio. Oh, and yellow and white striped straws, too, of course.</div>
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I hung some gold foil door curtains behind the food table to keep it festive. To my surprise, Arlo didn't try to pull them down once. That tablecloth is an old Ikea duvet cover! </div>
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Inspired by <a href="http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/neon-kids-party-eunice-sabrina-moyle-of-hellolucky-168713" target="_blank">this</a> party, I bought a roll of heavy-weight butcher paper from Blick Art Materials
and we hung sheets of it on the wall in our breezeway. I set out baskets
of stickers and markers and let the kids go to town. I'm pretty sure
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I still can't believe not one kid took a marker to my rug or furniture. Nice job, kiddos!<br />
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One more picture of my vase...so sparkly! It made my cheap Costco flowers look great.<br />
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And of course we had a lot of gold balloons all over. Arlo popped one in the car on the way home from the store (nice!) and another halfway through the party, but the rest survived.<br />
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Not pictured: four pumpkins that I painted gold and stuck on the patio with some mums, little chocolate candy bars that I wrapped up to look like yellow buses thanks to <a href="http://likeaprettypetunia.blogspot.com/2012/05/bus-driver-appreciation.html" target="_blank">this</a> tutorial but totally forgot to set out (!!) and a few goofy crowns I made out of gold pipecleaners.<br />
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And of course I totally made a gold-themed playlist for our musical delight: "Gold Dust Woman" by Fleetwood Mac, "Golden" by My Morning Jacket, ""Gold Teeth" by Little Wings, "Heart of Gold" by Neil Young, "Fools Gold" by the Stone Roses, "The Golden Age" by Beck, etc.<br />
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Whew! It was a fun party that lasted well into the evening with s'mores around the firepit. I can't believe my little dude is (almost) two! He is awesome and I love him so much. Happy birthday, kiddo!<br />
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<br />Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09923887309229483169noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1499951111602052950.post-2238762479690030792012-09-27T12:37:00.001-07:002012-09-27T12:39:45.053-07:00Party time, excellent.<div style="font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 10px 0; padding: 0;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/colfax/8016599471/" title="Bacon-wrapped cocktail weenies."><img alt="Bacon-wrapped cocktail weenies. by AnneRosso" height="426" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8459/8016599471_7538d98def.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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Arlo, my first son and last baby, will be two next week. We're having a party for him this weekend and I'm in that happy planning stage where anything is possible! <br />
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I love this stage. I have so many ideas and there's still time to make it all happen!<br />
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Of course, I know the stage after this one is "OMG, the party starts in three hours and I'm not dressed and the food isn't done and the house isn't cleaned and OMG OMG OMG!"<br />
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I'm not looking forward to that stage.<br />
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But! Living in the moment, I'm very excited for the party. It's his golden birthday! This is the first party I've ever thrown with a theme. <br />
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Um, holy cow, themes are AWESOME! They make all your decisions so easy! In this case, when I see something cool that could be fun for the party, my first question is, "Is it gold?" <br />
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The second question is, "Can I make it gold?" <br />
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Followed by all the boring questions of money and necessity, heh.<br />
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I'm going to try to wrestle Arlo into a cute little yellow bowtie for the party—we'll see how that goes!Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09923887309229483169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1499951111602052950.post-90767934959449925062012-08-13T04:13:00.003-07:002012-08-13T04:13:57.560-07:00End of the season.<br />
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I just took a longish blog break to soak in summer, but I'm back! School
stuff kicks in next week, so this is the last gasp of our true summer.
We've been busy with swim lessons, fireworks, corn on the cob and these sponge colorful <a href="http://onecharmingparty.com/2011/03/23/water-party-sponge-ball-tutorial/" target="_blank">sponge balls</a> (so easy!) (and so easy for my almost 2-year-old to dismantle).<br />
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Aaron and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary a few
days ago and did it up right with a hotel stay downtown and some of the
best food and drinks I've had in a looong time. <br />
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I've been trying to hit a bunch of garage and estate sales each week and have picked up some fun trinkets for the house.<br />
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I've also updated the shop with a TON of new pieces!<br />
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<br />Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09923887309229483169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1499951111602052950.post-16014808844683400952012-08-02T05:38:00.001-07:002012-08-02T05:38:42.232-07:00Romper room.<div style="font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 10px 0; padding: 0;">
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I love thrifting, I love vintage clothes and I love Potato Cake Vintage. <br /><br />However.<br /><br />Sometimes I find something so cute and so perfectly sized for my own kiddos that I explode with excitement. Like that romper above. How adorable is that?! <br /><br />I've had that romper for MONTHS and have been unable to let Arlo wear it for more than five minutes because I was afraid he would irreparably stain it.<br /><br />So it just sat in a drawer, not ready for my kid but not ready for the shop. Vintage clothing limbo! Painful. <br /><br />Yesterday I decided to just exhale and let Arlo wear it all afternoon. He kept it clean, I got some sweet pictures of him wearing it and I can finally let it go. :) <br /><br />Now to make peace with the rest of my limbo drawer...Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09923887309229483169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1499951111602052950.post-78941461398173469692012-07-18T15:57:00.001-07:002012-07-18T15:57:31.786-07:00A trip to the fair.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Because I live in Minnesota, when you say you are going to "the fair" you are likely only talking about one thing: the Minnesota State Fair. But there are tons of other little fairs all over the state all summer long that tide us over until the big show at the end of August.<br />
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Last summer we hit a nearby county fair, which was modest but fun, and last weekend we tried out a city fair just north of us. It was tiny and the sun was brutally hot but the kids didn't mind a bit. Arlo rode his first ride (epic fail—they had to stop the ride so we could rescue him!) and Iris had the awesome carousel almost all to herself. We chatted up some carnies, drank a blue slushie, stopped Arlo from eating cigarette butts off the ground, took tons of pictures and all left exhausted. Success!Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09923887309229483169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1499951111602052950.post-40850273617949139172012-07-09T20:00:00.000-07:002012-07-09T20:00:20.231-07:00Summertime fun.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello, friends! It's kind of hard to wrap my brain around this regular ol' Monday. We had a five-day family staycation last week and despite the heat, it was really pretty awesome! Lots of kiddie pools, splash pads, picnic, parks, mint juleps, sprinklers, sidewalk chalk, frisbee, ice cream, creek wading, bocce, patio lunches, ice cream and grilling. Aaron and I even squeezed in an adults-only night with friends! It truly was a great week. </div>
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I never made one of those popular summertime fun activity checklists, but honestly, after this week I feel like we've already done just about everything I could possibly think of doing in the summer.</div>
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Plus, it started off with our annual 4th of July beer tasting party!</div>
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It was 101 degrees that day, but we still had a great time. We have a lot more fun stuff planned for the rest of the summer, too. I can't wait!</div>
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Oh, and keep an eye on the shop this week. I squeezed in one perfect thrifting trip over the weekend and am slowly adding things to Potato Cake Vintage.</div>
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<br />Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09923887309229483169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1499951111602052950.post-32989251240364020042012-06-26T20:33:00.000-07:002012-06-26T20:33:27.797-07:004th of July beer tasting.<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fl9OUInJMiM/T-p4egIDJdI/AAAAAAAAAfE/elBFrDNUTaw/s1600/3690128127_e2d194b030_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fl9OUInJMiM/T-p4egIDJdI/AAAAAAAAAfE/elBFrDNUTaw/s640/3690128127_e2d194b030_b.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--qXM2kXK2Uk/T-p4WChK0zI/AAAAAAAAAe0/QA_AE9WHkfg/s1600/2639903525_15c8e6992d_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--qXM2kXK2Uk/T-p4WChK0zI/AAAAAAAAAe0/QA_AE9WHkfg/s640/2639903525_15c8e6992d_b.jpg" width="640" /></a> <br />
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For the last four years, we've hosted a beer tasting on the 4th of July. The first two years we taste-tested different cheap canned beers, but now we're moving into more specific themes. This year we're tasting Minnesota beers!</div>
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I've built up quite a few red, white and blue party decorations over the years. We use a few 36" red balloons, flag cupcake toppers and patriotic knick-knicks I pick up at the thrift store. Last year I made a cute paper globe garland a la <a href="http://shimandsons.typepad.com/.a/6a00d834529fce69e20133f22c4254970b-pi" target="_blank">this one</a> from Sally Shim, but it only lasted a day before the intense humidity made all the balls droop. [Insert drooping-ball-joke-of-your-choice here.] It survived the party, though, which was all that mattered! I'm going to try to squish them back into shape, but I'm not optimistic. </div>
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I also made a bunch of these <a href="http://sayyestohoboken.com/2011/06/diy-fourth-of-july-paper-sparklers.html" target="_blank">paper straw sparklers from Say Yes to Hoboken</a>, which started out as centerpieces in vases until the kids discovered them. This weekend I'll probably make a few of these <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/275496/fourth-of-july-crafts-and-memorial-day-c/@center/276964/60-days-summer#/266309" target="_blank">3-D star decorations</a> from Martha, but that might be the most of my craftiness this year.</div>
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For food, Aaron makes a ton of pulled pork, which we serve with buns, coleslaw and chips. Guests bring appetizers and sides to share. If the weather cooperates this year, I want to make a big s'mores spread for people to eat around the campfire, but I am also well aware that I cannot resist any occasion to make cupcakes so I'll probably do that, too.</div>
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Aaron also makes a boozy punch of some sort for folks who don't want to drink beer all night (whaaat?) (just kidding, that's me), and of course we have water and such available for nondrinkers/kids.</div>
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Speaking of kids—you might think that kids have no place at a beer tasting, but you would be wrong! We hosted our first tasting just a few months after Iris was born—she floated around the party in a red wagon most of the night, when she wasn't being passed from arm to arm. As she and her friends have grown up, sprinklers played a big role in the kiddo entertainment. And sparklers, of course!</div>
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And I always, always make sure the kiddos are decked out in their finest red, white and blue vintage outfits. Sailor suits are very popular!</div>
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<br /></div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09923887309229483169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1499951111602052950.post-70370737677066839612012-06-19T17:20:00.000-07:002012-06-19T17:20:44.600-07:00Minne the lake creature & a shop sale!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Minne the lake creature surfaced in Wirth Lake last week! I first spotted her when we were driving home from dinner on Friday night, hence the dark and grainy phone shot. Apparently she was in Lake Harriet a few years back when we lived just a few blocks away, but I had no idea at the time. She's in Wirth Park <a href="http://mplsparksfoundation.org/2012/06/06/news-_-surfaces-in-wirth-lake/" target="_blank">all summer</a> and she even has a <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/lakecreature" target="_blank">Twitter</a> account! Welcome to the north side, Minne.<br />
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I have a giant armful of stuff I'll be adding to the shop this week—I just need to find time to shoot all of it! And here's something fun: from now through the end of June, everything in Potato Cake Vintage is 10% off with the code MINNE. I'll announce it in the shop in a few days, but wanted to give blog readers a headstart!Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09923887309229483169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1499951111602052950.post-31753425706050874372012-06-18T03:57:00.001-07:002012-06-18T03:58:25.550-07:00Wayback machine.<div style="font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 10px 0; padding: 0;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/colfax/3791594587/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Iris."><img alt="Iris. by AnneRosso" height="425" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2455/3791594587_95689180bc.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<span style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/colfax/3791594587/"></a></span></div>
My daughter about three years ago in some vintage knit bell bottoms, which I totally adored!Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09923887309229483169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1499951111602052950.post-78851914811094543932012-06-13T11:13:00.001-07:002012-06-19T17:19:30.237-07:00Thrifted.I hunt for treasures pretty regularly, but sometimes it's hard to move
beyond the racks of kid's clothes! This is especially true if I have the kids with
me because I know my shopping time is limited and I want to focus on
updating the store. But every once in a while, I get to look at adult clothes
and household items. Here are a few things I've found recently:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7uXjvGKunmM/T9jRFPnCL9I/AAAAAAAAAdI/EI1qDIC0mWM/s1600/rog5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7uXjvGKunmM/T9jRFPnCL9I/AAAAAAAAAdI/EI1qDIC0mWM/s640/rog5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Vintage
fabric. Once upon a time, I made quilts and clothes for my kids. I haven't made time to work on any sewing projects since Arlo was born (save a fast baby quilt for my best friend) and yet I still can't pass up good fabric like this. Someday I'll get back to my sewing machine...hopefully soon.<br />
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I
found the fabric at the Goodwill in Rogers, Minn., after the Blue Dot
warehouse sale last weekend. The sale was a bust, but I actually had a
really pleasant time sitting outside in the sunshine beforehand, reading
my library book, drinking coffee and chatting with the woman sitting
next to me, whose husband works with my neighbor, we realized. Love
those small world moments.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M6aAnIRxwk0/T9jRVMyjscI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/9iCCmn91jsk/s1600/rog2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M6aAnIRxwk0/T9jRVMyjscI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/9iCCmn91jsk/s640/rog2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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A Thonet-inspired bentwood stool. This was $4 at Value Village, scored over my lunch break. I am pretty sure the kids will stand on this and punch through the top any day now, but it's nice to have a side table in the living room, at least for a little bit. Funnily enough, just yesterday I noticed <a href="http://www.serenaandlily.com/Furnishings/Furniture-Poufs-Stools-Elsa-Stool" target="_blank">this</a> in the new Serena & Lily catalog:<br />
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Awfully similar, huh?<br />
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Um,
yeah, macrame. We live in a '50s ranch house and I'm not quite sure we can pull off something like this, but we'll see. It's actually really pretty and I love the hoop it's on.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xOciRSuIZZ0/T9jQ5JQ1q6I/AAAAAAAAAc0/F_FvuX5bK6g/s1600/rog4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xOciRSuIZZ0/T9jQ5JQ1q6I/AAAAAAAAAc0/F_FvuX5bK6g/s640/rog4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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A Thonet-inspired chair. Free
because I rescued it from the street! I cleaned it up with Murphy's oil
soap and some wood wax, and now it's in the kids' room.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cKZzHRVSk8s/T9jQ_yNPTfI/AAAAAAAAAc8/CEa-o-XJGUU/s1600/rog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cKZzHRVSk8s/T9jQ_yNPTfI/AAAAAAAAAc8/CEa-o-XJGUU/s640/rog1.jpg" width="476" /></a></div>
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A dress for me! I think this was $8 at Value Village. I hardly ever find vintage dresses for myself because I am super picky (they must be short-sleeved, high-waisted, knee-length and made of cotton). Even as I was carrying this to the dressing room, I was 99% sure it wouldn't fit. But it fits perfectly! I was shocked. A lucky find for sure.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M7BzHLSjxYU/T9jXqNWxjWI/AAAAAAAAAds/j2U9RW3NykY/s1600/poodle1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="594" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M7BzHLSjxYU/T9jXqNWxjWI/AAAAAAAAAds/j2U9RW3NykY/s640/poodle1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And then there's this awesome neon jumpsuit! I added it to the shop this morning. :)Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09923887309229483169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1499951111602052950.post-74863930905322517402012-06-11T04:00:00.000-07:002012-06-11T04:00:07.802-07:00Back into the groove.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am really loving summer so far. Everything is a little lazier and slower, the veggies are amazing, the kids can burn off all their energy outside, the light is so much more cooperative with my limited photography skills—it's all perfect.<br />
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My husband and daughter camped in the backyard Saturday night. The weather was ideal—not too hot, breezy, no rain. We ate s'mores by the campfire and then they crawled into their tent (which my husband stuffed with a HUGE air mattress). The baby and I slept inside, which is exactly my speed. Camping only runs on one side of our family. :) <br />
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We tried to watch the Mad Men finale last night, but a storm interrupted our cable! Frustrating. So we set the TV to record a later showing and instead watched a few episodes of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1723816/" target="_blank">Girls</a>. (We have HBO temporarily so we're frantically recording everything we can find!) <br />
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I put a few new things in the shop over the weekend, including this ridiculously cute strawberry Baby B'Gosh romper. Ah, I can't stand how cute it is! Look for a few more things to trickle in later in the week.Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09923887309229483169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1499951111602052950.post-3058638063136195362012-06-08T13:44:00.000-07:002012-06-08T13:44:08.718-07:00Heading into the weekend.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Sl2ZBXIdjkk/T9JiYU8dAeI/AAAAAAAAAb0/GSkYIcRnXSY/s1600/sailor6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Sl2ZBXIdjkk/T9JiYU8dAeI/AAAAAAAAAb0/GSkYIcRnXSY/s640/sailor6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Happy Friday! Do you have anything fun planned for the weekend? We got our first CSA share of the season and we're having friends over for dinner tonight to enjoy it. I just made a batch of rosemary vinaigrette and some hamburger buns in preparation. All we have left to do is wash the salad greens and roast some potatoes! (And cross our fingers it doesn't rain—I want to hang out on the patio!)<br />
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Tomorrow I'm going to try to hit the annual <a href="http://www.facebook.com/bludot" target="_blank">Blu Dot warehouse sale</a>. If you live in Minneapolis and you've been to the Room & Board outlet, it's kind of like that times 10. You have to wake up early to stand in a very long line, and then it's every man for himself when the doors open. I bought a desk two years ago (which I'm using right now, actually) and a few bar stools last year. You never know what you'll find!<br />
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Keep your eyes peeled for some new dresses to hit the shop this weekend, plus I'm going to have another little sale pretty soon!<br />
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<br />Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09923887309229483169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1499951111602052950.post-5564540457720777132012-06-06T04:59:00.001-07:002012-06-06T05:01:11.919-07:00Four-year-old POV.<div style="font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 10px 0; padding: 0;">
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/colfax/7158472743/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Iris's pictures."><img alt="Iris's pictures. by AnneRosso" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7077/7158472743_fa932978d4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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These are a few shots from the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004ORWU1W/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_3?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000EULZPU&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1W7S3C3R0Y7ERD988V4Y">camera</a> we gave Iris for her birthday a few weeks ago. It's a fun time of year for her to have it, as daycare and her extracurriculars<span class="st"><i></i></span> wrap up for the season. The quality of the pictures isn't anything to write home about, but I never worry that she's going to break it and she's pretty much mastered all the controls already. Plus, I really love watching her take pictures! It's completely adorable.Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09923887309229483169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1499951111602052950.post-82385432925305320762012-06-01T10:56:00.004-07:002012-06-01T10:57:35.628-07:00The weekend.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Happy weekend! Do you guys have anything fun planned? I know my last post was about the end of our birthday celebrating, but we're sneaking in one last little family party for Iris over with my parents and brothers tonight. Just dinner, cupcakes and presents and then we'll zip back home.<br />
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The rest of our weekend is wide open and I plan to fill it with picnics and walks and parks and yardwork. Aaaaaand maybe a little thrifting, if I can!<br />
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That's Arlo above with some of the chickens his daycare provider raises. She is just introducing some chicks to the flock and my daughter is IN LOVE with them!Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09923887309229483169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1499951111602052950.post-6553377559131341732012-05-28T18:20:00.000-07:002012-05-28T18:20:25.614-07:00The end of the birthday celebrating.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Iris is officially four now, hurray! We had a super fun weekend celebrating her birthday. When she woke up on Saturday, she got to walk through her birthday streamers. After her special birthday breakfast (she requested hard-boiled eggs and a smoothie, ha), she opened her presents. </div>
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The box of plastic dinosaurs and animals (a few of which are pictured above) were a big hit and she liked the little felt strawberries I made her, but she is cah-razy about her new <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Kid-Tough-See-Yourself-Camera/dp/B004ORWU1W/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1338253132&sr=8-8" target="_blank">digital camera</a>. She's taken hundreds of pictures already. It's so fun to see what she wants to photograph! (Literally everything.)</div>
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After a soggy Saturday, we got two beautiful days here in Minnesota to wrap up the holiday weekend. We packed in a lot of summery stuff: backyard kiddie pool time, adult Pimm's Cup time, lunch at the Sea Salt, dinner out on the patio, grilled everything and lots of outdoor idling. </div>
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Look for more stuff to hit the shop this week!</div>Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09923887309229483169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1499951111602052950.post-44929752867358673412012-05-25T04:23:00.001-07:002012-05-25T04:24:34.165-07:00Turning four & a shop sale!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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May is my birthday month, so of course it's always been my favorite month. But then four years ago, my first baby was born in May, too, and suddenly the month got even more fun! Iris is loving all this birthday attention. We already had her party last week and she just had another one at daycare yesterday, but that won't stop us from celebrating her official birthday all weekend long. <br />
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I'm going to start using <a href="http://ruthschultz.blogspot.com/2011/03/ten-years-old.html" target="_blank">this</a> fun birthday tradition of having Iris jump through some streamers into her new year. We're also hoping to squeeze in a picnic and, assuming the forecast is right about all the rain, we'll probably hit up the Children's Museum. I've thrifted her a few new plastic animals for her immense collection, plus she's going to get a kid-proof <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004ORWU1W/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00" target="_blank">digital camera</a>! I hope she likes it—I'm excited to see what she photographs.<br />
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This kiddo is truly a delight. I'm so proud of who she is and honored to be a part of her life. Lately when she gets mad at me, she says stuff like, "Mama, if you don't listen to me I'm never going to snuggle with you again! Never—not for two, four, THREE days!" Oh, my sweet, you know just how to get to me.<br />
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In honor of my little big girl's big day, I'm having a sale in the shop! From now through the end of May, save 10% off any order of two or more items with the code TWOCUTE.Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09923887309229483169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1499951111602052950.post-49140486392800425002012-05-22T05:27:00.002-07:002012-05-22T05:27:50.777-07:00Instagram weekend.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A few Instagram photos from our weekend. Two shots of my kids being cute up top and two shots of the fun stuff I found at an estate sale on Friday on the bottom. The patio chairs aren't really anything to write home about, but there were <i>sorely</i> needed and the price was right. It feels so good to have a place to sit and watch the kiddos play outside!Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09923887309229483169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1499951111602052950.post-42065796714612922112012-05-21T06:31:00.000-07:002012-05-21T06:31:03.781-07:00Almost four.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B5q0CC8ZpHE/T7oXxEj7KxI/AAAAAAAAAZY/Li_4kPB_ELY/s1600/party75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ksxd8jOFtow/T7oYFMlzOKI/AAAAAAAAAZg/0B3i5ecKBpw/s1600/party48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ksxd8jOFtow/T7oYFMlzOKI/AAAAAAAAAZg/0B3i5ecKBpw/s640/party48.jpg" width="640" /></a><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B5q0CC8ZpHE/T7oXxEj7KxI/AAAAAAAAAZY/Li_4kPB_ELY/s640/party75.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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We had a fun 4th birthday party for Iris on Saturday—it was pretty much perfect. Six kids total, beautiful weather, lots of food, one tenacious pinata, some confetti eggs and two dads who spent quite a while chasing the kids around the yard with a hose.<br />
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For her birthday cake, I used a recipe from <a href="http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/double-chocolate-layer-cake" target="_blank">Food & Wine</a>. The cake part was crazy delicious—moist, light and super chocolatey. The frosting, however, tasted like a giant cup of coffee. (I suppose the use of instant coffee had something to do with that...) So at the last minute, I tucked that batch of frosting into a Tupperware container for later grown-up use and quickly made a new batch of <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/08/espresso-chiffon-cake-with-fudge-frosting/" target="_blank">chocolate frosting</a>, which was amazing and fast and totally saved the day. <br />
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Her actual birthday is this Saturday, but because holiday weekends aren't the easiest time to catch people in town we'll be spending it mostly with our little family. We have no plans beyond eating outside, getting some balloons and probably making one more cake. :)<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lvcMrbj-S-Q/T7oqDHjC5tI/AAAAAAAAAaE/sypVfjqQy34/s1600/pinkdress1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="570" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lvcMrbj-S-Q/T7oqDHjC5tI/AAAAAAAAAaE/sypVfjqQy34/s640/pinkdress1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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In shop news, I have a fresh batch of baby clothes to add this week. I started putting some items up last night, but there are several more pieces still to come! This dress in particular is just gorgeous. The details are so sweet and whole dress itself is spotless and ready to wear.<br />
<br />Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09923887309229483169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1499951111602052950.post-29984670100904975092012-05-18T16:40:00.004-07:002012-05-18T16:40:53.744-07:00Friday!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's Friday! At last. Do you have anything fun planned this weekend? I hit an estate sale this morning and found some much-needed patio furniture and a great thick Mexican blanket.<br />
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Iris is turning four at the end of the month. We threw her a big birthday party last year and, to be honest, it was a
little overwhelming for me. It rained that day so everyone was stuck
inside and having all those (awesome and truly lovely) kids running and
cartwheeling all over the place made me feel a little nutso.<br />
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So this
year we've just invited one other family over for a casual brunch. We'll
probably have another small party with her grandparents and uncles
later, too. Simple simple simple, that's what we're aiming for. Iris doesn't mind a bit as long as there is cake!Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09923887309229483169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1499951111602052950.post-68919083109678615042012-05-16T20:17:00.000-07:002012-05-16T20:17:04.690-07:00The little things.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nv9AXmxDywM/T7RqPsYjytI/AAAAAAAAAZE/7vJfx9zNpPI/s1600/toilet1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="471" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nv9AXmxDywM/T7RqPsYjytI/AAAAAAAAAZE/7vJfx9zNpPI/s640/toilet1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Our bathroom reno has been a good kick in the pants to take care of a few of the nagging details around our house. Our house was built in 1958 but was remodeled in the 1990s for both the good and bad. Some of the bad stuff includes cheap shiny brass doorhandles and cabinet hardware all over the house, beige light switches and outlets, and cheap golden oak trim.<br />
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Other bad stuff includes our poorly built "master" bath, soffits everywhere, orange peel ceilings, CARPET in the downstairs BATHROOM (naaaaaaasty), the ugliest kitchen floor tile ever and a shoddy conversion of a bedroom into a den.<br />
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But mostly it's little cosmetic stuff. OK, for example, this is what our kids' bedroom looked like before we moved in:<br />
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Yikes, right? But also pretty manageable. Once we painted the walls and replaced the window treatments, things looked a lot better. This is a shot of the same corner from a different angle a month after we moved in:<br />
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We've since painted the trim, but we haven't pared down that stuffed animal collection. :)<br />
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Anyway, back to the present. While we had the electrician out for the bathroom last month (naturally
all the wiring in the old bathroom was suspect, shoddy and dangerous, requiring an
extra day of substantial rewiring), he hung our new Schoolhouse Electric
light in the hallway. I love it! It looks like this:<br />
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It replaced this fixture from the previous homeowners, which made me crazy.<br />
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And last summer, my father-in-law sweetly changed out all of the interior doorknobs on the main floor for us, going from shiny cheap brass levers to simple satin chrome Orbit doorknobs. A small but incredibly satisfying change.<br />
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The door hinges are still brass, though, so I've been picking up a few packs of hinges every time I'm at Home Depot so we can gradually update all the doors. This week, my husband replaced the hinges in the main floor bathroom. I'm pretty sure nobody but us will ever notice the change, but it makes me so happy!<br />
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We also had the plumber switch out the old, corroded faucet in that bathroom with this cheap but fun one from Home Depot.<br />
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Hurray for the little things! They make me happy.Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09923887309229483169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1499951111602052950.post-25443497905816599952012-05-14T19:28:00.002-07:002012-05-16T20:18:47.840-07:00Weekend recap.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Happy Monday! How was your Mother's Day? We had a super fun weekend filled with good friends, delicious food, late-night campfires, "The Muppets," a super sweet button pillow made for me by my daughter, a visit with my parents and one close-call kid injury with a happy ending (and my daughter now knows that running with sticks is dangerous!).</div>
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Look for a few new things to hit the shop this week, including a few pieces for older girls!Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09923887309229483169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1499951111602052950.post-70966768368087963002012-05-11T04:41:00.002-07:002012-05-14T19:29:44.302-07:00Etsy loveHappy Friday! We're having some out-of-town friends visit this weekend so I need to do some serious housecleaning this afternoon. Before I hunker down, here are some pretty things I'm loving on Etsy these days.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-niR0OmZB7-k/T6z3bzM2BxI/AAAAAAAAAWY/moHfxq1oc-Y/s1600/il_570xN.307755289.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-niR0OmZB7-k/T6z3bzM2BxI/AAAAAAAAAWY/moHfxq1oc-Y/s640/il_570xN.307755289.jpg" width="462" /></a></div>
Tribal child's shirt from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/thelittlellama?section_id=10875207" target="_blank">The Little Llama</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pyX_azAanDs/T6z4MdDG9RI/AAAAAAAAAWg/G-WWfu1vSnk/s1600/il_570xN.205912431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pyX_azAanDs/T6z4MdDG9RI/AAAAAAAAAWg/G-WWfu1vSnk/s640/il_570xN.205912431.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Vintage wallpaper from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/93932552/vintage-wallpaper-geometric-stripes-per" target="_blank">Thriftypyg</a>.<br />
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Vintage colorblock skirt from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/96033142/spring-skirt-colorblock-rainbow-size-m-l" target="_blank">Bad Grammar</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-49XaO_MN7hk/T6z5FJP-loI/AAAAAAAAAWw/qt9EPEmyIsI/s1600/il_570xN.193998378.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-49XaO_MN7hk/T6z5FJP-loI/AAAAAAAAAWw/qt9EPEmyIsI/s640/il_570xN.193998378.jpg" width="538" /></a></div>
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Orla-esque wall stencil from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/62154300/wall-stencil-acacia-wallpaper-stencil" target="_blank">Cutting Edge Stencils</a>. We are planning to stencil a wall in our basement soon and this is a contender!<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kydgg6x44f4/T6z56d99otI/AAAAAAAAAW4/ll-3nWNtE6Q/s1600/il_570xN.291792887.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="544" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kydgg6x44f4/T6z56d99otI/AAAAAAAAAW4/ll-3nWNtE6Q/s640/il_570xN.291792887.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Wooden bear wall hanging from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/87516041/red-orange-bear" target="_blank">Herman Marie</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lYynZOPMRTE/T6z6d1S6JVI/AAAAAAAAAXA/txOLF8qpiro/s1600/il_570xN.276447742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lYynZOPMRTE/T6z6d1S6JVI/AAAAAAAAAXA/txOLF8qpiro/s640/il_570xN.276447742.jpg" width="638" /></a></div>
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Winter poster from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/83341611/winter-part-of-the-seasons-series" target="_blank">Osborn Woods</a>. This was a recent birthday present from a friend and I love it!!Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09923887309229483169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1499951111602052950.post-84988722955644836002012-05-07T19:46:00.000-07:002012-05-07T19:46:51.160-07:00Scenes from the weekend.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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(1) Balloons for my birthday party that were swiftly severed from their strings by the kids.<br />
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(2) My friend reunited the balloons with their strings, and the kids went crazy with joy.<br />
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(3) Our cat likes to climb trees to stalk birds.<br />
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(4) Our daycare provider is raising three little mallard ducklings! (In addition to her backyard chickens.) When I picked the kids up today, we got to watch the ducklings swim in a tub and run around the backyard. <br />
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(5) New items in the shop tonight!Annehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09923887309229483169noreply@blogger.com0