what i see when i look at you

dear mae,

i recently gave myself the gift of a new work space.  my poor computer hasn’t had a proper place to live since we moved here. it has spent the majority of the last two years sitting on the kitchen table. that’s class. it cost me nothing to get my little home office set up, just a bit of rearranging.  this desk was tucked in my bedroom collecting dust and junk for a year before i realized that it’s a desk. for a computer. duh, put it in the living room. it’s in really ugly shape so i draped some fabric over it. good as new. kind of.

thank goodness for goodwill! lamp:$1.50, seriously. map:$5.00, maybe, i got it a long time ago, so i don’t really remember. oh, and the desk and chair were dumpster finds. did i mention how classy i am?

is it crazy of me to match my markers to the map? maybe, but who cares? i do, that’s who, and i like it.

hey look! i can see my house from here!

the map is one of my favorite things. it’s the portland metro area and includes little ol’ wilsonville.  tom spotted it rolled up at goodwill and it was so huge we decided just to buy it without knowing what it was.  there are tiny little post-its all over it that were there when we unrolled it.  i’m not really sure what they mean, but i’m thinking that it used to be in one of the distribution centers in town (hollywood video and rite aid both used to ship out of wilsonville, and coke still does).

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nursery update!

dear mae,

while baby is due in a mere 12 days (!!!!) i can’t stop trying to make sure everything is absolutely perfect for him.  boiling bottles, sizing onesies in the closet, buying things like nipple cream (tmi?).  gosh, it’s a whole lot of things you never thought you would see yourself doing.  it sometimes freaks me out, i know tom gets weirded out with the talk of breast pumps and diaper cream, but soon enough these will be everyday normal things around here…. les sigh… parenthood.

but anyway, there is a much more adorable side of pending motherhood and it is all at the end of the hallway in the nursery:

tom and i have always collected vintage board games and for the last couple years we haven’t really been playing them, but the boards themselves make fantastic art.  they are just loosely pinned to the wall so we can take them down if we ever want to play risk or clue or go for broke.  plus my granny square afghan is getting really big! I’m intending on working on it and using it for “tummy time” in the living room until i either run out of yarn (ha) or get bored with it (more likely).

i love these old fisher price toys from goodwill  and i was so excited to get a sophie giraffe at my baby shower! i’m sure she’s gonna get lots of lovin’ and squeezin’!lots of books, with lots more to come i’m sure! my favorite toy is the set of blocks hiding away in the big red basket with the monkey, oh, and the otter pops box is full of matchbox cars that tom has been buying since we found out we were pregnant.

i think the nursery might be done… i keep saying that, and then making another big change.  the dresser is still quite ugly and is awaiting some kind of inspiration. i’m thinking perhaps wood-grain contact paper stripes… or something…

well, just maybe my next post will be an introduction to my little guy, who knows?

❤ betty

p.s. you can see more pictures at apartment therapy, but i wish i would have had the foresight to wait until the room was more complete before submitting it!

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this room will never look this nice again.

dear mae,

so far for me, the best part about being pregnant is collecting all of the tiny little sweet smelling baby items i’ll need when my little guy finally gets here.  i’ve been painting old furniture, sewing curtains, crafting like a mad woman…. and it’s awesome.  finally his little corner of the world is coming together ready for late night feedings, story book reading, diaper changes, and i’m certain it’s never going to look this nice again, so i’d better get some pictures up before he gets here and destroys his beautiful nursery!

art is from land of nod and ikea, crib is from target and the deer pillow was my very first baby craft

both lamps are goodwill finds, the red one got a fresh coat of paint, but the blue one already fit in just right!baby doesn’t have a whole lot of toys  of his own just yet, so tom’s robot collection is saving a shelf for now.this globe is another brilliant goodwill find, only $6!

oh, my baby stands no chance but to be a nerd…. i spy a dalek and a tardis, a gameboy, superman, number twenty four, maths…. and that’s only on one side of his room!

i’ve been spending a lot of time in this little room, and it’s becoming quite cozy, i hope my little guy likes it in there as much as i do!

<3,

betty

p.s. my personal favorite part is the marquee letter lights! i made them myself for less that $20 with this tutorial!

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who’da thought you’d ever want a land line again?

dear mae,

i got super giddy when i snagged this little ditty from my dearest local thrift.  it’s the super seventies doughnut phone!  there is even a sticker on the inside of the handle with the qvc ordering line, as well as the previous owner’s membership number.  it’s the little things that remind me of why i collect vintage things to begin with, every thing has a story, even if i don’t know it. i can imagine some bored housewife sitting in front of the set, rotary dialing over and over because she keeps getting the busy signal, until she finally gets to order that diamond tennis bracelet at bargain discount prices.

sitting at home playing bored housewife. it’s a lot like playing house, only there are real dishes to be done.

i bought this print from ikea with hanging it above this phone in mind.

makes me want to get a phone line.  it might be nice to have one any how, but so much nicer to have a fun phone to plug into it!

<3, betty

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they call me mellow yellow

dear mae,

next time you feel like you need a super great craft project, or two, and short on cash, i can tell you that your local thrift store’s linen isle might need a good sifting though.  the bed sheet i bought in my last post has been transformed into both a lightweight summer frock, as well as a curtain for my bed room! at the local good will in town they have a plethora of fun bed sheets ranging from graphic star wars prints to dainty florals and neat tickings.  the instant i saw this sweet floral/stripe/polka dot fabric i knew it would soon be a dress hanging in my closet! well, with no further ado…

i even used the trim from the top edge of the sheet for my skirt, sweet little polka dots!

i used a vintage dress that i already had for the pattern, i love the low scoop back.  i added my own little twist with the wrap around so there would be something just as pleasing for the front.

and then there were curtains! or kind of, they are only thumb-tacked to the wall until i get some proper rods.

well, how have you been spending your time when you aren’t busy working, or schooling or what have you? i also spent a good long time cleaning my bedroom. its funny how a little thing like tacking half a bed sheet to your wall can inspire you to get other things straitened out!

❤ betty

 

 

 

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betty’s apartment tour;part two: bathroom

dear mae,

i just built myself a new shower curtain, bought some fresh new towels and hung some girlie bits up on my bathroom wall and thought i’d share it!  i bought some 1960’s playboy magazines (i get it for the articles) and framed up the centerfold, as well as some sexy sailors.  i really wish i could paint the walls pink or teal, but alas, apartment living.

even tom agreed that we need a few more gents up on the wall, it’s a little boobie heavy.  (oh i don’t know if you can tell, but my cotton swabs match my towels, how neat is that?!)

<3,

betty

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betty’s apartment tour;part one: living room

hey mae!

it’s been a mere 6 months since we packed up everything and moved clear across the country, and i couldn’t be more satisfied with what i’ve done to this meager apartment in such a short period of time.  this is more like a progress report because nothing stays where it is for long in this place, and there are a few things this place needs in order to be a wee bit cozier.

i’m going to start the tour by saying that we spent a grand total of fifty dollars on all of our furniture in the living room, and not too much more than that on our accessories. talk about decoration on a small budget!

 this area is still lacking some proper coat hooks, now everything’s just hanging on screws.

i’ve been meaning to pick up some taper candles to stick in these bottles, but it keeps slipping my mind.

i worked out some curtains for my front window, but they are just tacked to the wall. keeping my eye out for a reasonably priced curtain rod.  oh, and check out my sweet view of the garages across the street. jealous yet?

this sofa used to be a $30 thrift store disaster, but with the help of my entire fabric scrap collection and one million finger pricks, it is a scandinavian dreamsicle. also,  i’ve had a sudden obsession with scouring the resale shops art isle. you can’t imagine the weird stuff that goes on in there.

florence really needs a better place to stand. she keeps falling over, or jumping out and scaring people.  oh, and yes that’s a bb-gun on the wall there.

i can’t tell if this place is going to turn out to be more wack-a-doodle than our last apartment, but i do miss my mustache mirror and my cardboard fireplace.  it does feel much more grown up in here, and a lot less cluttered, and i’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not.

❤ always,

betty

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