nifty gifts to give 3.0…
Posted: December 10, 2012 Filed under: antiques & trinkets., nifty gifts to give. 2 Comments »can you believe Christmas is 15 days away?!
it seems to come faster & faster with each passing year. i usually have tons of last minute shopping to do but Gil & i bought almost everything on our list this year at Nordstrom on our annual house party day… our discount goes up for one day only so that we can shop our hearts out! our family is lucky to be surrounded by piles of silver boxes on christmas morning. 
i have just a few things left to pick up then it’s time to start wrapping (i bought the cutest wrapping paper at target, it looks like real black & white herringbone! love!) but i thought i’d share some of my current favorite gift-giving items with you all… enjoy & remember one for them & one for you!
1. diptique candles:
i love diptique everything, their paris made scents are to die for. this cute set includes baies: they’re best selling scent, roses: my favorite & a fig scent that’s just lovely.
2. whiskey rocks:
perfect for whiskey, scotch or bourbon lovers. these soapstone rocks keep the drink perfectly cool with out watering it down the way ice will…
3. poach pods:
poaching an egg julia child style is no easy task but these are a wonder! we use them ALL THE TIME & they’re amazing. perfectly poached eggs everytime & a fab stocking stuffer for your favorite cook.
4. tiffany key ring:
like tiffany says: “good keys need a proper home.” what better home than a sterling silver initialed key ring. for a guy or gal it’s just gorg & perfectly classic.
5. faux fur throw:
you can’t go wrong with faux fur in the winter. who wouldn’t want to snuggle up with one of these & watch elf? i love this restoration hardware beauty & with so many colors to choose from they’ll match anyones style.
6. bamboo keyboard & mouse
how cute is this?! both pc & mac compatible…
7. kate spade gumdrop earrings:
these subtle yet gumdrop sized studs will make any girl light up. i wear my black ones just about everyday, but each of these candy coated colors is a must have.
8. bodum glass coffee cups:
we all have coffee lovers in our lives (probably ourselves included) so it’s a good thing these come in a set of 2. the double-walled hand blown glass is incredibly lightweight yet heatproof… so you can easily hold & sip away.
9. a mini-rex rabbit:
i can’t say enough that bunnies make the BEST pets. they’re oh so cute, silent, they bathe themselves & require no vet visits or shots as long as they’re healthy. they run $10-$20 & are sometimes free. & our bun henry is litter trained & roams free around wtih house without a cage. make sure you find a quality breeder & check out the house rabbit society for some great info on raising rabbits.
10. chalkboard wall planter:
this vertical herb garden brings your kitchen to life while saving space so you can live small… 10 spaces are surrounded by an adorable chalkboard frame that allows you to keep your new herbs freshly labeled.
happy shopping & gifting! be curious!
before & after: barely there entryway…
Posted: August 31, 2012 Filed under: antiques & trinkets., before & after., interiors., living small., personal. Leave a comment »i just love entryways. of course they seem to be the place to toss keys, mail, shoes & what-not but they’re the real “welcome” to your humble abode. it’s also a visitors very first impression of the place you call home & they deserve to be well dressed & functional. i found these photos via pinterest & they were just the inspiration i was looking for… clean, bright, white, & mirrored with just the right amount of un-polished charm.
here’s our before. & proof of just how small we’re living! it’s a TINY, barely-there {if you blink you might miss it} spot right behind the front door, but i refuse to let any space in our home go without a purpose. every corner deserves to be used to its highest potential right?! that’s what living small is all about…
& the after!
ahhh shoe storage!
we’re SO thrilled with how it turned out. i’d been looking for a more traditional console table for months when we saw this shoe storage cabinet in the new ikea catalog… it was much more our style than most ikea furniture, the measurements were PERFECT for our teeny space & who can pass up a place to store 14+ pairs of shoes?! i actually love scattering my things here each day when i get home & it’s such a great storage solution, it almost never looks messy. i toss my headphones, lipstick & everything else into the cute striped drawer, smell the fresh flowers, & glance a smile at my grandma. oh & i’m planning to carry the black & white stripes to other parts of our downstairs so you’ll see more of those.
if you’re working on your own entryway don’t worry. these sometimes awkward spaces can be a little hard to design. i suggest really thinking through what you’d like to get out of the space. do you need a place to sit, baskets to hide things, or lots of hanging space? do you need to store umbrellas, children’s backpacks, or pet leashes? do what works for you & your family. it can be as simple as coat rack or as detailed as entire foyer… it’s your home & yours only. enjoy it, & be curious.
*shoe cabiet: ikea.
*french mirror: the depot at gibson mill.
*pink depression glass & brass turtle: vintage from my grandma.
*black & white stripe hooks: anthropologie.
*picture frame: target {i love this polaroid of my late gran gran & my dad in his teens.}
*flowers: from the ONLY place i like to buy flowers: the kings drive farmers market, charlotte nc.
antiquing find: printing press drawer…
Posted: August 12, 2012 Filed under: antiques & trinkets., interiors., living small., personal., travel. Leave a comment »oh st. augustine… it’s been just the relaxing vacation i’ve needed. running on the beach, laying by the pool, reading books & blogs, resting, resting, resting & just a little shopping. yesterday the grandparents took me up to jacksonville to do a little antiquing… i was looking for clocks to add to our collection {& i knew those would be small enough to travel home on the plane} but i didn’t see ONE. baby ben’s must be extinct here or something, geez. BUT i did find this beauty. an antique printing press drawer. i’ve kind of always wanted one. i’m not sure yet if i’m going to hang it in our upstairs hallway or if i’ll use it on our coffee table.
what do you think?
it sure is a beauty right? i’m loving the original drawer pull…
;
new favorite iphone app: yard sale mapper…
Posted: July 7, 2012 Filed under: antiques & trinkets., favorites., travel. Leave a comment »last weekend i celebrated at a house-warming party for a very best friend of mine… lots of fellow antique extraordinaire friends of mine were there as well. we were chatting & dreaming about flea markets & traveling across the country together in budget trucks all the while stumbling upon piles of “junk” that we could make into something amazing.
after that the subject changed to yard sales… i’m currently looking for three pieces of furniture in particular for our house & mentioned them to a friend so that she could keep an eye out. call it luck or the Lord’s favor but this girl find some amazing things at yard sales & she shared her favorite yard sale app with me. pardon me? yard sale app?!?! why hadn’t i thought of this? after my brain readjusted i got really excited. a free iPhone app that find all the yard sales in your area on any given day using GPS & maps you there?! GLORY!
meet: yard sale mapper.
i’m guessing it uses things like the newspaper & craigslist to find the sales but who really cares when all the work is done for you?!
scroll to the day of the week…
pick a red dot…
& drive!
it will list them for you as well as give you the details of each sale… i loved this feature! it helped us find antiques & housewares while passing up things like tools & kids clothing…
gil & i got up early this morning & headed out to see what we could find… & well, this app is genius. every yard sale we mapped was exactly where is was supposed to be & we stopped at plenty of others along the way. i didn’t find my furniture YET but Gil got lucky with a vintage briefcase {$5} & a TDR biograghy {.50} can’t wait until next Saturday morning!
get up, go out & be curious!
inspiration before vacation…
Posted: June 16, 2012 Filed under: antiques & trinkets., favorites., health & wellness., interiors., personal., style & fashion., travel., uncategorized. Leave a comment »omg. it seems like we’ve been waiting forever & it also feels like time is just flying by… i can’t believe all i have to do tomorrow is head to charleston with the hubs on our summer vacation. we’ll be spending a whole week {don’t mess with our ex-cop house sitter! } celebrating gil’s 31st birthday {it’s monday but we’ll celebrate all week} & focusing all of our time on doing whatever our little hearts desire. we’ll shop, hit the beach, explore & eat amazing food but i’m most excited to be away from the hustle & bustle… to relax, rest, refocus, be quiet, & mostly be still, which is really hard for me to do! but i’ve got a new book, my bible & journal & lots of magazines for the beach. plus a handsome husband to spend every waking moment with. done & done.
i wanted to leave you all with a few things that i’ve found inspirational lately & a list of my favorite places to explore on the web… ya know, to keep you curious while i’m gone.
first up this ahhhmazing DIOR video shot at Versailles. it’s over the top in a dior kind of way, but just when you think it can’t get any better the fountains go off… & then just when you can’t breathe, the sun starts to set… & Paris glows in a way you just can’t explain unless you see it with you own eyes. maybe it’s because i’ve always been obsessed with Versailles & being there last year was a dream come true {reminder to myself: paris post.} but the grandeur of this place is unexplainable & so very inspiring…
2nd: an encouraging note… not sure sure who’s going through what but you can be inspired & blessed by this truth.
3rd: i mean come on… i dare you not to cry.
4th: i’ve been really inspired by collections lately. i think it’s been my way to justify some of our clutter… that maybe if i can turn it into a “collection” than i can keep it right now i’m building our collection of clocks {mostly baby bens} books of course, maps, & i’m hoping to add globes & huge antique jars. this globe collection is perfection.
5th: we’ve all got to have a little inspiration to get fit & stay healthy… how else am i supposed to keep getting to the gym at 4:30 am & adding miles to my que?!
& last but not least a few of my favorite web candies from my bookmarks bar… moredesignplease. fashionologie. net-a-porter. apartment therapy. natural news. etsy. the sartorialist. & sadie olive. enjoy & be curious!
ok pupcakes… see you in a week!
*photos via: pinterest. & more design please.
living small: built in bookcase…
Posted: June 14, 2012 Filed under: antiques & trinkets., before & after., favorites., interiors., living small., personal. Leave a comment »it’s no secret that gil & i have a lot of books… hundreds actually to say the least. they’re everywhere: shelves, boxes, closets, cabinets, not to mention the jam packed 6 foot tall bookcase in gil’s office at work. i’m not sure where they all came from but they had to have somewhere to go, even if it was just the collection of our favorites. well, i guess i do know where they all came from… i’m a collector of everything… husband here is now a theology student (the amazon packages arrive weekly) & we’re both constantly scowering eBay for our favorite first editions.
we’d already decorated our wedding with them but here in the land of living small, we needed a solution. my list of projects for this château is long but i knew if it involved books, i had a better chance of getting the husband on board quickly {smile} & we had the perfect bookshelf sized nook to the right of our fireplace. i’d used it as an office space with an antique desk & shelves a while back, but lately it was empty, un-used space… & un-used space does NOT work when you’re living small.
i wish i had counted the books we used in our wedding… it was such a great reflection of us!
here’s henry doing his usual chewing thing in the space pre-bookcase…
after a lot of research & a few estimates my dad recommended a long-time friend of his. i sent some measurements his way & voila! he had it built-in no time & we set up a saturday for him to come over & install it. i was SO excited & stood close by the entire time {i’m sure making it more difficult for him to focus} i’d overestimated how “quick & easy” installing something like this was. it was cereal. cutting & ripping out baseboards, measuring & making holes in the casing for outlets we wanted to be able to use & lots & lots nailing. not to mention the finishing touches of filling holes, caulking & painting. carpentry is a fabulous art! here are some photos of it all coming together…
prep work.
going in! {excuse the paint, it’s finished now!}
complete!
it turned out more gorgeous than i expected & had ever hoped! the detail is perfection and we LOVE the solid adjustable shelves. i did decide to keep them evenly spaced to create some harmony since there’s so much going on in such a small space. our entire first floor is one large open room {foyer, living room, dining room & kitchen.} i was completely inspired online by books organized via color & used this photo to lead my imagination as i filled the shelves up…
now, here’s our finished product!
top shelves detail.
bottom shelves detail {we love having our Bose player hiding down here… oh & i’m aware that the wars aren’t in order. my husband asked for those to be rearranged… i love him.}
ta da.
do any of you have built-in bookcases?! i’d love to know how you arrange your books & whatnot! be curious friends!
spring sale!
Posted: April 13, 2012 Filed under: antiques & trinkets., business., exteriors., interiors., living small., personal., style & fashion. Leave a comment »my mom & i are throwing a little spring sale at our antique booth THIS weekend! we’re offering 20% off just about everything… furniture, mirrors, glass, vintage clothes, linens, silver, garden accessories, books,antique lamps, artwork, & more!
we hope you’ll come visit The Depot this Saturday & Sunday. bring your friends & family! have a delicious lunch at the quaint little diner & hunt your hearts out! the place is huge & i guarantee you won’t be able to leave empty-handed… our booth has the gold roof & keep your eye out: all sale items will have a colored dot sticker on them!
here are a few sneak peeks… have a fabulous weekend & be curious!
*sale is this Saturday & Sunday only*
how to: burlap chandelier cord cover..
Posted: April 3, 2012 Filed under: antiques & trinkets., how to., personal., interiors., living small. Leave a comment »who really wants to see the has-to-be-there-to-work cord & chain attached to a beautiful chandelier?! not me. i’ve been shopping around for a chandelier cord cover & i was thinking velvet or burlap… but since i recently decided & started making all of our new living room curtains out of burlap i decided it would be a nice matching touch, plus add a little “dirt” to our very glamorous/femme dining room chandelier. i only found cheap looking silk-ish ones at lowes/home depot… i saw this one at potterybarn & was amused but not inclined to buy. it was too long, & why pay $19+ shipping for something i can make?!
so here’s your how-to! it was seriously SO easy, took me around 10 minutes and cost about $12. {with supplies left over for future projects.}
step one: i cut a 6 inch wide strip of burlap off of some yardage i’m using for the curtains… i didn’t measure the length but made sure it was about the length & 1/2 of my chandelier chain/cord.
step two: i bought “sticky back velcro” at michaels. first i cut both sides (of velcro) in half so i’d have thinner strips to work with. cut strips the total length of your burlap fabric. {i also made sure to buy the “beige” color so you wouldn’t see black or white through the burlap.}
step three: laying fabric flat, attach both pieces of velcro to burlap. {both pieces of velcro should be facing up.}
step four: wrap burlap around cord (with velcro facing outwards) & start velcroing! you’ll want to wrap the edges around & inwards so you don’t see the seam when you’re finished… keep scrunching it as you work your way down. {spread scrunches out for best results!}
step five: step back, take a gander & enjoy! ta da!
hope you like it, try it & love it! let me know what you think… & be curious!
maison number eleven…
Posted: February 28, 2012 Filed under: antiques & trinkets., business., exteriors., favorites., interiors., living small., personal., vintage prints Leave a comment »i’ve been excited about this announcement for weeks now!! of course you all know about my love of everything antique, vintage, thrifted & reclaimed… & i don’t like the term “hoarder” but i’ve been buying & repurposing things for years now always hoping that one day i’d have a place to sell & share them… & well, the time has finally come…
my mom & i are teaming up to open an antique booth at one of our favorite local spots: The Depot At Gibson Mill in Concord, NC! we’re calling it “maison number eleven.” mixing my love of french style & my moms enchantment with gardens we’re offering an eclectic mix of furniture, artwork, antique dishes, gifts, vintage clothes, home furnishings & to-die-for custom garden work benches that my parents design and build from scratch…
just in time for spring, we’re throwing a grand opening soiree Saturday March 10th, 2012 from 10am to 7pm. The Depot has 85,000 square feet of trinkets & what-nots for you to explore… not to mention a fabulously delicious diner open all day so that you can take a break & nosh in between shopping. {try the blackened tilapia tacos, you’ll thank me later.) & our booth is actually directly across from the diner in the design center… look for our grey flannel walls & gold shingled roof, you won’t miss it! we’ll be mingling all day, passing out fresh cupcakes to visitors & of course shopping!
we still have a lot of work to do to get ready so spread the word & we can’t wait to see you on March 10th… be curious!
our gorgeous floor!
my incredible parents hard at work... they're so sweet to put up with my over the top designs!
follow us on twitter @maisoneleven for updates, giveaways & announcements about the newest products!
living small: jewelry storage…
Posted: January 30, 2012 Filed under: antiques & trinkets., how to., interiors., living small., personal., style & fashion., uncategorized. 2 Comments »i was brainstorming a way to organize the plethera of earrings, loose buttons, broaches, rings & whatnots that were spilling over in my jewelry drawer. what is low-profile, easily accessible & has small sections? & then it hit me… ice cube trays. a quick trip to wal-mart & 4 dollars later & i was set.
i just happen to have a shallow, velvet lined jewelry drawer in my dresser so they worked perfectly. i don’t think my jewelry has ever been so happy to be so neatly organized.
hopefully you’re inspired to find a way to make this work for you too! & don’t forget about sewing trinkets, office supplies & children’s whatnots too! i’d love to hear how you make it happen… be curious!
*feedback always welcome!
