A Use for Postcards

I've been collecting postcards for over a decade now and I have an entire shoebox of postcards from all over the world.  Sometimes I use them in my scrapbooking but generally they just sit in the box on the shelf.  Looking through them brings back lots of good memories from various trips I've taken or the people who have given them to me.

A couple weeks ago, I was looking through my box of postcards and thought, some of these would look really cool on my wall and started exploring options to use them in decorating.  My boyfriend, who used to be a framer at Hobby Lobby, was helpful in what would be really expensive and what wouldn't be.

Then I found a collage frame from Hobby Lobby, normally priced at $24.99 which I purchased for half price.  It took me a while to find the right collection of postcards that looked enough alike but still cohsive.

From left to right, top to bottom: New York City; Crested Butte, CO; Long's Peak, CO; Mt Hood, OR; Den Haag (Holland); Grand Canyon; Navy Pier, Chicago; Paris.

Got it hung up the other day in the dining room and I like the touch of color it adds to the space!

love and coffee,
Lulu

Start of a New Adventure

Most of you readers know that I don't stick to just one or two crafts but fancy several.  Quilting has yet to be one of them, but it has always fascinated me.  My great aunt Nancy is an amazing quilter who made me a gorgeous quilt for my high school graduation.  She has been super supportive via Facebook.  Hi Aunt Nancy! 

Last week, I took a plunge and bought a quilting book from the local quilt shop Stitcher's Garden.

I've really enjoyed flipping through the book and looking at all the projects and reading the how-to sections.  I think I will start taking a beginning quilter's class at the shop.

Then yesterday, I decided to take the plunge and purchase some fabric!  JoAnn's was having a Labor Day sale.

Today I washed it and pressed it.  I will try my hand at cutting with scraps leftover from other sewing projects.  I will keep you readers posted!

love and coffee,

Lulu

Laundry Quandry

This is my laundry room.  It is small but functional.  I love my tankless hot water heater and my snazzy energy-efficient washer and dryer.  However, I want my little laundry room to look pretty...

Painting is out of the question for a while and I think it would be way too troublesome to paint anyway.  I really do want to hang up my ironing board somehow, and I've been looking around at things to hang it it up with.  I think I found something I want at Target.

Maybe some colored bins on the shelf above the washer and dryer would be nice... Not to mention keeping it clean would probably do wonders!

Hmm, so many ideas.... What are yours?

love and coffe,
Lulu

The Beauty of Onions

Onions are so versatile.  You can use them in tons of cooking dishes.  They can be savory or sweet.  The other night I decided to caramelize some onions to top some beef I made for dinner.  I started with a frying pan with melted butter heated over medium-heat.  I thinly sliced a white onion.

Mmmm... Some kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper... Stir them around to get them nice and covered in the melted butter.  Oooh my kitchen smelled so good!  I tossed in a spoonful of brown sugar, a trick I learned from America's Test Kitchen.

After a while, the onions start to get nice and brown but a little translucent. Soft with the most subtle crunch... A few minutes later I added a couple tablespoons of red wine.

Yummy! And they were so good too. I ate several spoonfuls of these onions just plain.

Aren't onions amazing?

New Acquisitions Thanks to Mom

My mom is a bargain-hunting queen.  She was the one who found my china cabinet and buffet table at a garage sale for dirt cheap.  After unpacking my grandmother's good china, I realized I didn't have a teapot.  Or a gravy boat for that matter... My mom texted me Saturday that she found me a teapot at a garage sale.  It doesn't match my china set, which is blue and gold, but it's pretty!

The other nifty thing she found for me were two groovy picture frames on clearance at Target.  Winning price? Only $1.98 each!

I love the color green.  I have a black bookshelf a friend gave me that sits in my living room.  I plan to put these on the top shelf once I find pictures to put in them.

 

Too bad these pictures don't really do them justice!  Hopefully once I get that shelf more settled, I will take more pictures.

What great finds have you taken home lately?

Trying Something New

I have always enjoyed reading blogs that have cool graphics.  One of my friends made my banner for me, which I love, but now I'm itching to be able to do it myself.  So I downloaded a trial of Corel's Paint Shop Pro.  After messing around with it a little bit, I made this...

Yeah, I know it isn't fancy at all.  I need some help to learn how to use this program before I commit to buying it.  Is there another program out there that would suit my needs better?  I want to be able to edit digital photographs for the blog, my etsy shop, and eventually to use in my scrapbooking.

Also, what about Flikr?  I know a lot of bloggers use it to store photos.  Is it worth getting the pro membership?

What I'm Into Right Now

I have ADD.  Seriously, I do.  I go through phases where I am really into something and then it will just kind of fade away from my life.  There are certain things I will always love, but the intensity of my devotion will ebb and flow.

That being said, here is what I am really into right now!

The Young House Love blog and making my own house a home
I found it while Googling how to repaint furniture and fell in love.  It is written by this couple who are slowly fixing up their old house.  All their projects are so inspiring and makes me want to really get into decorating mode around my own house.  I've been going through boxes of stuff in the garage, reorganizing and purging my stuff.  My boyfriend and I have started talking about him moving in with me sometime next year and I want there to be room for his massive comic book collection.

Watching Mad Men on Netflix
Both my roommate and my boyfriend have watched the first season already, so I need to catch up!  I've watched the first five episodes so far and am enjoying a new series.  I have mixed feelings, but I think I will stick with it for a while.  It is an interesting look at the social climate of the early 1960's.

Sewing
Specifically sewing curtains for my roommate's bedroom and our kitchen window.  I'm also currently working on a baby blanket for a coworker which is super simple, just two pieces of flannel with a satin binding.  I think I want to get back into sewing clothes again.  The Boyfriend is kind of hinting that he would like a robe to wear around my house, and I do have a pattern... It's just a matter of finding the right fabric for the job and then finding the time to sew something so big.

Of course there are a million other things I'm into right now, but those are probably the top three.  What are you into right now?

Love and coffee,
Lulu