July 5, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

An Antique & Artsy Date Night

A week ago, my husband and I ventured out on a date. We are always hungry early, and so like the old folks that we are, we decided to leave our house at 5:00. Being the procrastinator that I am, I had not changed clothes for the date. It was 4:45 and I was still in my pajamas…

From my closet, I yelled over my shoulder to my husband, “I have nothing to wear!”

To which I heard a grumbled, “Seriously?”

And then my muffled response, as I choked and gagged on my gluttonous amount of clothes, “I’m just kidding!”

And his muttered-under-his-breath-but-consciously-loud-enough-for-me-to-hear-from-the-bedroom-to-the-closet reply, “No you’re not.”

And he was kinda right. I never know what to wear on a date. I love free-flowing bohemian maxis. My husband likes short fitted dresses.

Never the two shall meet.

I ended up picking this Modcloth dress (similar here) from last year that I had purchased when I went and saw Cindy Lauper (post here and here). It was a good choice, because my husband really liked it.

It was his choice as to where we would eat that night and he picked a trendy little hipster restaurant in the old part of our town. That part of town is now filled with antique stores and gourmet restaurants. My husband loves the hamburgers there. I love the decor.

Look at this chandelier made from honey bear jars. Wicked cool right?

I can’t believe I just said, “wicked cool.” Next thing you know, I’ll be saying “uber”. If that happens, just hang me up with those bears, okay?

Let’s pretend that never happened.

I took pictures of the art on the walls, whilst unbeknownst to me also attracting the attention of the chefs.

I pored over the menu, even though I always get the same thing.

The hamburger.

I had to include the funny picture, because I hate pictures of me eating. Don’t you?

It was a beautiful evening and we planned on just heading home and watching a movie.

Oh! But before I move on, I have to talk about dessert! We had amazing homemade cheesecake. Or restaurant-made cheesecake. All I know is that it was good and made on the premises. I do not like going to restaurants that serve desserts they have ordered from other companies.

We decided to walk down to my favorite antique store. Thankfully, my husband likes antiques as much as I do. Although on this night, he was antsy.

Look at the cool letters with my husband’s and my initials. I want them. Desperately. I think it is kismet that they happen to be our initials. I also love the colors. But they are very expensive. So, I am holding out.

Maybe one day…

Other antiques we liked: an old door. Oh! The colors on this door (but I all ready have this one). Another want. An old toy horse. A really cool tractor part that had the prettiest patina.

Then we made our way outside where unbeknownst to us, there was an art festival going on that had started mere minutes before. The artists were setting up booths and some were doing sidewalk chalk art. The picture above is the beginning of an art piece by my children’s art teacher, Lisa Owen Lynch, setting up her awesome Star War’s Princess Leia drawing. We randomly ran into her and it was neat to see her at work.

Look at her shoes! She is the coolest!

And we left her just as the hair was coming together. She is so talented. My kids are very lucky to get to learn from her.

I ended up purchasing a small bird painting for $30 from one of the artists there. It looks like a strange bird at first, but it is actually two birds. Because of that, I thought it was weird and neat enough for a place in our home. Plus, the colors are great. The artist was super sweet, too.

I love that what started out as a simple dinner turned into a fun antique browse and art walk. There is something romantic about spontaneity. And I treasure when an evening turns out better than planned.

Where have you gone on a date recently? Do you always decide the restaurant or do you trade off with your partner?

June 29, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

Moroccan Shag Pillows

The week before we went on vacation, I had stumbled upon a delightful surprise. These Nate Berkus Moroccan Shag Pillows. They are from Target. They are sold out online, however, the website was saying they were sold out when I looked them up right after I purchased them, too. This leads me to believe that some stores might still have them.

I had been wanting these pillows for months. But the day I decided to get them in the middle of May, they were gone. Two weeks later, I found them again. Someone had returned them. I was not going to let them be sold out from under me again.

I love the black and white pattern in the room that is full of color. It is a nice contrast. And the shag effect on them makes them feel soft. I had to replace the pillows that used to be on the chairs. They had become too worn. And the Rabbit Pillows I purchased a few months ago, have been a little dog-handled. I need to fix the pompoms or cut them off completely.

I will say the insert in this pillow is not the best. The pillow is stiff because of that, but for $25, that is to be expected. The pillow does not have a zipper so it is not possible (without some work) to change its insert.

Do you have a thing for pillows? I cannot get enough.

June 19, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

It’s The Little Things: A Giraffe Hook

I first wrote about The Raja Hook way back in March. And then I waited. I knew I could be patient enough for a sale price. But then Emily Henderson created a beautiful office space a few weeks ago and posted it on her blog. And guess who was the star? That’s right. The sweet giraffe hook.

I knew after that, he would probably be selling quickly.

So, I scooped him up and got a 20% off adjustment on him (during the home promotion at Anthropologie last week).

We finally got him hung up in our hallway yesterday. I love this little vignette near him.

The tray and vase are Polish pottery and were gifts from my sweet grandmother (I am from Polish descent on my grandfather’s side). I would be devastated if anything ever happened to them. The elephant was a gift from my friend. The little toad with the stick in his mouth was a toy my father brought back from Bali when my son was two. The chest was from Target’s global line many years ago. It was a great buy at $30, but I would love to replace it with a true antique one day.

My husband did have to punch two holes in the back of the hook because he used screws instead of nails to have it flush to the wall. I like screws because the hook is going to be a bit heavy with his neck draped in necklaces and I am not sure traditional nails would support that weight.

Of course, he had to have a gnome friend to keep him company. I wonder what he is whispering in his ear?

Or maybe I don’t want to know.

It’s the little things: a sweet practical hook. It is functional and fun. It is fun-ctional.

I think this hook would look cool in a great many settings. The hook also comes in an elephant shape. I might have to get that one on sale, because I love the green stripe on it.

Adorable in a nursery. Whimsical in an office. Practical as a bra hanger in the laundry room. The possibilities for this little guy are endless. Let’s stop at bras, though.

Do you have a fun-ctional piece in your home? What is it? My giraffe might need a mate.

P.S. Did you see that we hung up my daughter’s burlap art? I wrote about the dilemma of where to hang those pieces here. I thought this could be a small update, too. It is a happy accident that the burlap color and texture in the paintings play off the giraffe hook in a nice harmony. The light switch plate also has a neat texture of nubby linen and completes my need of threes in the space.

*These pictures were edited using the app Afterlife’s Finn filter to add a bit more light into the hallway.

Art resources:
The rabbit painting is by Gloria Muriel.
Lakshmi is by Gloria Muriel.
The small bird is by Christina Loraine.
The small Boxer is by Nichole Leavy.
The vineyard drawing is by my daughter at age 9.
Burlap drawings are by my daughter at age 14.

I shared this on Cozy Little House.

And Savvy Southern Style.

And My Romantic Home.

May 21, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

Would You Rather? And A Silly Little Spontaneous Giveaway: NOW CLOSED!

First: I apologize for not posting on Monday and Tuesday. I plan to be on schedule, posting daily from here on out unless another emergency pops up.

I blame the gnomes. I think they are letting in some nonsense.

I am sorry. I imagine dangling them by their wee little toes over Ollie might be a fair punishment.

Now, I could use some fun. How ’bout you?:

If there ever was a game to describe America, it wouldn’t be football. It wouldn’t be Scrabble. It wouldn’t be Blackjack.

No.

It would be “would you rather?”.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ENTERED. YOU TRULY MADE MY DAY!

The winner is Sally Steele Corbett! Congratulations! Please contact me so I can mail you your prize! : )

My family and I play this game far too often. And even though I have many other posts that could go up today, I thought it would be more fun to play a game. I could really, really use a laugh and a smile. Winner gets their very own Predict-A-Pen and a $10 gift card to Target. ‘Cause I love me some silly fun.

You only need to answer three out of the eight questions to enter for a chance to win!

Ready?

Get set.

Go!:

Would you rather sleep in the rain with no covers while Pee Wee Herman sang to you all night long or take a drink from a rain puddle on a New York City street after the rain has fallen?

Would you rather have the super power of flying or invisibility?

Would you rather live one hundred years of a boring life or forty years of a fun one?

Would you rather chew a piece of used gum you found on the ground from Ryan Gosling’s mouth or drink a glass of two week old milk in Ryan Gosling’s bed?

Would you rather be in the real life scenario of the movie “Jaws” (on the water) or be in the movie “Jurassic Park” (on the island)?

Would you rather live in a world with magic, dragons and fairies or own Apple?

Would you rather win one million dollars or have one completely perfect day once a year for the rest of your life (and, no, you cannot win one million dollars on your perfect day)?

Would you rather be a prince/princess or a merman/mermaid?

I’ll update with my own answers after the giveaway ends in my comments here. I’ll respond as Gnome Lover. I can’t wait to see your replies! Please feel free to elaborate why you chose your answer. That’s what makes it fun. I will be picking one winner at random. This contest is open for today only (5/21/2014) from 12:00 a.m. PST to 11:59 p.m. PST for you sweet folks who happened to click over to visit on this very random Wednesday. I will announce the winner tomorrow around noon PST on this post.

Good luck! Have fun!

*Negative comments will be deleted at the discretion of the owner of this blog and the entry will be forfeit.