Getting moved and settled

Moving and moving with a young child in tow, are two completely different things. The process of getting everything packed moved and then unpacked again, organized and put together in ways that feel, logical, beautiful and homey all takes twice as long as it should! 

Though Guiny is only 13 months, she is very much (though not completely) out of the "baby" stage. She toddles all of over and gets into as much as possible. She's always trying to climb and I've just had to order my first set of child safety locks. I thought perhaps I wouldn't have to buy any, Guin is usually really good at listening when I tell her no, even when she doesn't like it. But at this stage the cabinets are just too available and too interesting.

The bathroom is pretty much done as is the living space. The kitchen is also very close to finished and the bedroom, well I guess that's half done. The spare bedroom is quite a mess though, at the moment it's kind of storage and things I don't know what to do with.

But hopefully it'll be done enough soon that I can do a proper post with pictures and everything. Till then here's a somewhat dark picture of the living room.

Excited for a New Start

So the plan this year was always to stay with my parents until after the China trip and then to find a place of our own. I must confess I was not looking forward to rental searching in Delaware, however last week a cousin of mine sent me a message and we went over to have a look. It's a little two bedroom trailer for $500 a month, and though I've never been a big fan of trailers I'm feeling very happy with the prospects of this one, it is very small. But it's a good starter I think, I can't wait to get it all fixed the way I want and show you all the before and after pictures of our new little home!

Corsets and Costumes

I'm on a bit of a costume kick and this year I'm feeling a little 18th century obsessed! I've gone to a couple rennesance fairs and of course made my own costumes and I must say I was very happy with them. My first costuming adventure began after falling in love with the Lord of the Rings, I began drafting my own patterns and hand sewing my elven dresses which all things considered I think came out very well. But when I made my first corset/stays for the renn fair, that was a game changer. I love the weight and the layers and the shapes created by the clothing of yesteryear, if I could wear them all the time I probably would.

Well anyways, a few years ago ... Okay about 5, I bought an actual stays pattern packet rather then drafting my own. I found that half done corset in a bag last month and decided to finish it, it was only then that I realized it was an 18th century design ( not rennesance). But I liked it, and I was determined to finish so I started researching 18th century clothing and oh is it lovely! I am so excited to finish the stays and beggin the rest of the costume!

I've almost decided to go ahead and wear it to the renn fair anyways, I mean really half the costumes there aren't historically accurate and lots of people don't even wear costumes! I think only a handful of people will notice and probably most of them wouldn't even bother saying anything.

So here is some inspiration from my Pinterest board on costumes! And yes, I do plan to make my husband wear a kilt. I'll be sure to post costume updates along the way and I'll tell you why I love corsets so much.

A Trellis for my Squash

So the spaghetti squash seeds I planted out (from the inside of an actual squash) have turned out to be viable seeds after all, with the first little baby squash appearing on the vine last week. That meant it was time to do something, a couple somethings actually! First I planted out some petunias to deter the squash bugs. Companion planting has been around for quite a while and it's a well proven fact that plants have friends, as you can probably see we also plant marigolds around the tomatoes. HereHere is a list of veggies that grow good together and here are some flowers that deter pests.Well after all that, it was on to making a trellis. Now of course you could go the traditional rout and just let them grow on the ground, but they can climb and do very well that way with a bit of help, also it looks more fun and leaves more room for other things. So I started planning and yesterday I finally got it done! I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, I even got to use the tool set my dad bought me for my birthday!

Here is that first little squash I told you about, that little thing has caused a hole lot of excitement!

Not to mention all the mustard greens that have gone to seed

And the peas that have been left on the vine to dry out

And this, this is our Cherokee purple tomatoe! We got one last year and they are amazing.

And a surprise gourd, I thought the seeds were too old and wouldn't grow, so I threw them out and a month later tada!

My New Specs

So as with most babies and small children Guin loves to pull my glasses off and play with them. Well last week she pulled the arm out of the hinge, my dad was able to glue it back together but they are now even loser then they already were. So now when I look down or bend over they quite simply fall off. They have been good glasses and I have had them for almost 5 years, I can still use them, but all in all I figured it was time for an upgrade. My sister in law suggested Eyebuydirect, and I soon after decided on a pair that I and my husband both liked. The company is really amazing and I will definitely  be buying from them again, they also regularly have great deals if you need new glasses I definitely recommend them!

A Gardeners Rant

I'm sure you've seen as many of these cute garden markers as I have, anything from old silver spoons to popsicle sticks. I love them because they're cute, and who doesn't love cute things. But they also kind of irritate me, I feel like the only reason you would need them is if you had so many plants you couldn't remember where you put what. On the other hand if you have that many plants and that much space you should be an experienced enough gardener to tell your plants apart. Thus the only good reason left for a gardener to use them is if you plan on sending a stranger (husband, child, or friend) into your garden to get something for you. Would you use Garden markers?

ThredUP thoughts

I'm sure you've seen the advertisements, they seem to be everywhere! ThredUP is the new big thing on the block. They claim to have everything you love about thrift shopping and online shopping all in one place, not only can you buy but you can also sell and their prices are supposedly AMAZING!

So my thoughts? I have to check it, right. So I head on over to their sight to see what I can see. Now for any of you who know me, you know I love a good deal! I am all about sharing cloths, hand-me-downs, thrift shopping and consignment. Over the past 5 years I've grown to appreciate this aspect of American culture even more (second hand is not a thing in China). But when I got to thredUP I must admit I was shocked ... almost sickened by the prices on there items $20, $50, $100 or more. Just a few months back I was complaining that the thrift store prices had all gone up to $2 or $3 per shirt. 

As I was fuming and thinking about the outrageousness of it all, a thought occurred to me. I would never buy from thredUP but perhaps I could sell to them. If they are charging $10-$30 or more on every item, they must be buying for a good amount. As I investigated I found that the things they are willing to sell for over $20 they will only pay you about $2 for. Well, that just about did it for me and then I noticed something that was just to much! Wrinkles! A sweater, a J. Crew cardigan for $20.99 covered in wrinkles! If they don't take the time to even make their photos presentable .... All I can say is their advertising seems to be the only thing they have done a good job with.

I don't think I will ever buy from ThredUP, and I don't think I'd sell to them either. Have you tried it? What are your thoughts?

Leggy Furnishings

One of my favorite things in the home furnishing world, are leggy pieces like the above hutches and sofas. I think what I like is how it gives a lighter more airy effect, not as heavy and weighed down. It also lets in more light and makes cleaning under things easier.

Home design inspiration week 2

If you didn't see my first design inspiration please check it out. This week notice the turquoise and yellow, not normally a big fan of wallpaper but I love the wallpaper in both the dinning area and the bedroom (find amazing wallpapers here and here).  The yellow piano in the living room is another favorite of mine, I would one day love to have a piano and a living room to put it in! The kitchen isn't very large but I love the backsplash and how the cuberds are left open and the interior painted yellow. 

Just this week someone I know needed to get rid of a perfectly good piano, unfortunately I don't have a place for it yet or I would have snatched it up in a jiffy. 

Fun fact: A jiffy is 1/100th of a second.

Photos 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

Home Design Insperation

I like many people love using Pinterest, I use it to find information as well as inspiration! I love home design and interior decorating. Unfortunately I don't currently have a home of my own to really play with, so I'm going to start a weekly home design inspiration post.

Today's home inspiration, is slightly modern. It's bright and clean but also very alive. If you've ever read my blog you know how much I love plants!

The bedroom has dark walls but still feels bright and clean. I love the turquoise and copper in the kitchen.  The spaces are open and have a variety of plant life to add texture and freshen up the air.

Also what woman wouldn't want a cut flower style garden at hand, ready to provide her home with lovely bouquets in every room!

Top photo- bedroom, office, Kitchen.

Bottom photo- balcony, bathroom, living room, Cut flowers