what's been goin on?

hello, hello. i have been so busy and haven't downloaded my latest pictures...they should be fun! pictures of family visiting, which was SO much fun. also snapped a picture of the BEDROOM LAMPS! that's right, the lamp topic has finally run it's course - project completed! so next time i will post that photo. no more lost sleep for you, dear reader, wondering if i would ever find lamps for the bedroom. some older pictures - rafe in the playroom! playroom post should be next after lamps post. lamp post? play room is good, though still hoping to find more cheap storage.

this bedroom photo - just one i saved. hm, might have even posted it previously!

i'm currently feeling a little overwhelmed by the fact that stella might be "one of those people" who can't have wheat/gluten - this is a huge deal for me as i'm big on CARBS. the foods kids like best seem to be full of wheat (pbj, pizza, mac/cheese)... so currently, free mental space is consumed by this topic.

happy living to you,

kelly

hallway

my current fixation: the long narrow hallway with doors to my room, "powder room," and Rafe's room. it also has 4 doors opening to closets. these doors are a real pet peeve of mine - they are forever left open, and also open of their own volition even when intentionally closed by moi. i do like the paint colors i used in this hallway, but i have ideas, honey, i have ideas....

for one thing, this hallway is pitch black all day unless you turn on a light. i would like to install solatubes (i cringe to leave out the "r" but that's how they spell it); i want to replace these louver type doors with non-louver bypass doors which will never be opening into the traffic space; i want to remove the chair rail and add crown molding, and install thicker moulding around the doors. AND, i would like to wallpaper with a blue/white vertical stripe.

mmmmm, yaaaaaaaa... definitely a very long term goal.

the lamp obsession

I'm so lovely, too bad I'm 400 dollars. Yes, people, 400. Who makes up these prices?? Can I please have the real price, now?

this nifty one came up on a image search and i thought, hmmm! neat, but weird enough that surely it's kinda cheap...765 dollars. Yes, DOLLARS.

By the way, I found the picture of the carpet from the room which needs the lamps...

Finally for your viewing pleasure: a Robert Abbey triple gourd lamp. It comes in lotsa colors. Of course Matt says it looks like a snowman. Hey, I don't have anything against snowmen, do you? This one is lotsa prices, but basically around 200. Thats more like it, but I still say that the prices of lamps are, like the 3 dimensional pin the tail on the donkey we got for stella's birthday, strangely inflated.

lampz

Target actually has a TON of lamps online, though I didn't save any pictures from there for the blog. While I am tempted by Target's lower prices, I'm also aware that those lamps my keel over quickly. I also saw some nice retro lamps on ebay. A vintage pair of lamps would be great as it would be recycling...

After visiting the new thrift store nearby and viewing the mountains of donated crap (which I added to) I was reminded of the fact that --- we have a lot of crap. I mean the collective "we" because I hate to take all the blame (hah!), although I deserve quite a bit of it.

Of course it would be preferable to find something nifty that is used, rather than new. Or, if I'm going to get something new, I would like to get something really nice that is actually going to LAST.

So much of what you see at the thrift store is junky stuff that never should have been purchased in the first place - tchotchskys (sp?), dust collectors... I guess that's the problem with places like Walmart, where things are sometimes so cheap that they get purchased for their cheapness, rather than their quality. Then these objects de crap get tossed away and replaced.

Ug, my constant inner battle between my love and hatred of "stuff." I know that it is possible to make beautiful rooms out of healthy objects, things that are recycled or sustainably constructed or high enough quality to last a long time.... And of course it would be possible to live beautifully in the simplest and barest, minimalist surroundings. There are so many ways to make a space which relates to the humans who reside there, a space that is nourishing and comforting. I think of my grandma's house and how comfy it was - and she had the same giant wooden untensils on the wall for 50 years! Heh heh!

Rambling!

Bedside Table Lamp

I feel like I already made an entry about this but I guess not...Here is the nearly invisible lamp that I found for my bedroom. I like it, it's nifty, and I got it at a good price ("clearance," but with lamps, you know that's still a lotta dollars). Anyhow, I like crystal lamps, but they are definitely a trend, and I try to avoid trends. sortof.
So, I would love to feel like I'm just in love with this lamp, but I'm not. It's not too late for me to return it, so both of you who read my blog (hee hee) need to tell me soon what your opinions are! Pro side of lamp: it's unique, and I like the fact that it's angular, like the carpet (sorry, couldn't find photo of the rug, but I'm sure I had it in a past entry). The con side of lamp: the cord is so noticeable, it's trendy, it's super large, and it doesn't look like this:












This curvy "gourd" style lamp has long been a favorite of mine. I haven't gotten one yet because they are always so pricey. Plus, I honestly don't know what style lamp will look best in my bedroom. It could be that the crystal one is the best choice? I dunno. Any thoughts? And if your thought is, "who cares?", you can keep that to yourself...chuckle...




Food for thought: a lamp I tried in the past. This is when the bed was on the wallpapered side of the room. I still love the wallpaper. See? I don't get tired of everything. Matt hated this lamp, and I guess it's kinda similar to the curvy lamp I like. Hmmm, maybe it's the feminine/masculine issue? Could it be this simple? Matt just likes straight over curvy? Hmmm!



More food for thought - isin't this a lovely room? I'm not fond of the fringe on the lamps, but I like the shapes, similar to the crystal one I'm trying out. I also love the headboard and the colors. I've been really happy with my blue/gold colors in the bedroom, too.

two obsessions in one! faux bois + wallpaper!

i love this planter that matt so thoughtfully found for me for mother's day. now they have a few at suburban! yay! i think it's an excellent thing for them to carry.


faux bois wallpaper? i almost fainted.

but this grayish beige faux bois is just perfection, in my mind. what also makes this bathroom perfect for me is the mirror! i have coveted such a mirror for many years...i found a few similar online at one point -- YIKES! dollars! the one i really wanted was white twigs and even had tiny painted birds sculpted on it....sigh!

being number one

happy birthday, rafe!
My mom would croak of she saw my messy attempt at a cake! i chuckled a bunch thinking of that...


here is the handsome birthday fellow, himself!