Staci

November in Review

I feel like the month of November totally flew by. Truly, I feel like I was just donning my Halloween costume and stocking ceramic cauldrons at work. Now it’s officially December and Christmas approacheth!

I started out the month with my second 2-second tip about how putting even a tiny bit of effort into decorating one’s stoop will set it apart from a zillion others in a large apartment complex.

Front Door Decor

Then I went into depth about space planning, offering a few tips and a brief introduction to using an online floor planner tool to help map out a room before starting to move around heavy furniture. I felt really good about this post and got some feedback from those who put some of my recommendations to good use!

My Space Plan

We totally transformed our dining area into a purposeful-looking space by hanging a light above the table using a large shade and a swag kit. No hard-wiring was involved at all! I can’t emphasize what a game-changer this light is. The dining area makes so much more sense now and it’s so pleasant to turn on the light for eating or other tasks, like addressing Christmas cards! (Confession: No, unfortunately we have still not fixed the extension cord issue.)

Pendant Light, After

Believe it or not, my old bedroom was featured on West Elm’s instagram and on their blog, Front & Main! This was a huge milestone for me as I’ve always dreamed of being featured by my favorite brand.

Leading up to Turkey Day, I asked my friend Amy for some tips on hosting a gluten-free Thanksgiving for those who might be new to accommodating someone with a wheat allergy. For Thanksgiving we stole away from San Diego for an enjoyable couple of days at my parents’ house. We were joined for Thanksgiving dinner by my cousin Ashley who made delicious chocolate-nutella mini stacked cakes.

I think my favorite post to write and create the graphics for in November was my dream office. Some inspiration boards are just, well, so inspiring! I like to close my eyes and imagine when a bright and cheery office like this will be a reality.

To wrap up the month I revealed that the console table behind the couch is actually a clever solution to my problem of where to hide two huge speakers and two large bar stools.

Faking a Sofa Table

And as the Christmas shopping season got into full swing, I got scheduled for more hours at work but managed to fit in a little research on vintage glass and help my mom set up a case for her pink depression glass at a local antique mall. Inspired by all the reading I did on vintage glass, I curated a little Etsy Treasury about some eye-catching pieces.

After all that review, I think my most important post this month was announcing Design Services. Make sure to check it out!

So, December is here! I am excited for shopping, holiday sweets, and of course Christmas dinner with my mom and dad. My in-laws are coming to visit, too, and work will really be picking up! I can already tell that this month is going to zoom by like November did. Among the business, however, I will be sure to keep updating with interesting content! I think I’ll more-or-less stay away from gift guides though, because my blog reader is becoming totally inundated with them at the moment. You’re welcome.

Anything specific you would like me to write about in December?
Anything exciting happen to you in November?
Let’s get the conversation going!

Etsy Shopping

Is there any better way to spend a rainy, gray morning than doing online shopping?
Nope, I didn’t think so.

The holidays are here. Time to stretch your brain muscle and come up with the perfect gift for those special people in your life. Etsy makes it really, really easy to find one-of-a-kind items, which are much more personal than yet another scarf, DVD, or other generic present. Something I recently discovered and am now loving are Etsy Treasuries. It’s like a mixtape and Pinterest had a baby. The curator can elaborate on a theme, make it visually gorgeous (like Pinterest), but there are a limited number of slots so it forces one to be selective with their choices (like a mixtape) and brings the best items to the surface!

Click either image below to be taken to the Etsy Treasury…
There is no incentive for me if you visit and buy something from either one of these treasuries. I created them purely for fun!

Here’s my first Treasury, entitled “Red-dy for a Vintage Christmas:”

And here is “Best of Vintage Glassware:”

The vintage glassware treasury is special to me since I’ve recently learned lots and lots about different kinds of old glass. As I’ve shared on Twitter and Instagram, my mom and I have been setting up shop at a local antique mall in Temecula. Her mother had come into possession of several boxes of vintage (1930s) depression glass many, many years ago and we have a number of pieces up for sale. Any profits will be sent to my grandparents in Oklahoma.

This experience has lent a whole new layer to the antiquing experience for me. I already had a fascination with old items, and now I have a greater understanding of the small business aspect as well as more respect for the history of each item in the antique mall.And it’s so much fun to be surrounded by so many pretty items! I hope someone stumbles across the depression glass collection and will treasure the pieces as much as my grandmother has treasured them!

Here are the pieces as we organized and researched prices for them all. If anything catches your eye shoot me an e-mail and I will see if it’s available ;)

Depression Glass

Do you have an Etsy Store? Feel free to leave the link in the comments!

Faking a Sofa Table

Sometimes you have awkwardly large items you need to store, and no place to do so. In our case, two large speakers and two bar stools. Where to put them? One option is to get rid of them, but I really, really love these bar-height stools and look forward to using them in a future home, once we’ve moved on from our current apartment. The speakers will be cool when hooked up to a turntable someday (unfortunately, the turntable we have does not have any output capabilities except the speakers in its unit) so we’re holding on to those for the future as well.

That said, when you’re dealing with just over 800 square feet, every space must be maximized to its full potential. There is no spare bedroom, basement, or garage to hoard items in–which is quite the learning curve for my since the last place we lived had all three of those ~~hoarding~~ storage solutions.

I really (really, really, really) like the console table that John built to go behind the Petersik’s sofa in the living room over on Young House Love. It has a ton of hidden storage and adds a lot of dimension to the room. I thought perhaps I could take a clue from that and come up with some kind of storage/hiding place solution in our apartment! All it took was a little brainstorming and one pre-finished shelf board at Home Depot.

I love the look that a sofa table adds to a room. It gives the space much more dimension than just having the couch shoved up against the wall and in the corner.

The finished product:

The untrained eye would never guess what is going on behind the couch! It is a fantastic place to keep some of my more attractive (and more frequently thumbed-through) design books, a few pretty tchotchkes, and a much-needed lamp. It also provides an alternative place to put snacks and drinks while watching TV, since the coffee table is simply too dog-accessible.

And a peek behind the curtain:

The cloth runner (from Target) is up there for two reasons: a) it looks pretty, and b) the shelf board is a little shorter than I like so this hides that awkward fact pretty well.

If I ever get around to it, another shelf board slid on to the lower bar stool rungs will be a great addition for a little bit more concealed storage.

And a bonus shot, with a little explanation:

I realize I never showed the world the back of the couch cushions! When we purchased the gray microsuede for our upholstery, it was a remnant and about a yard short of the needed amount to cover all the cushions. We went ahead and selected an inexpensive contrasting canvas printed with french postmark stamps (I think?) to make up the difference. So far we have been able to arrange the furniture so that it remains hidden.

Now you know our (not so dirty) little secret! Have you ever gotten creative with something like this? I bet they do a lot of creative “faking it” for furniture on TV and movie sets, don’t you?

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