Smithsonian- Free Tickets!!!

Yup, you read that right! Go here to claim a ticket for yourself and a guest to any Smithsonian (or affiliated) museum on September 29 2012. We are headed to the Seattle Art Museum. Tons of museums to choose from- where are you going to go?

On a side note- sorry for the lack of posting. We are nuts with transitioning to civilian life and moving cross country!

Design Your Own Crib Bedding

Just found the coolest thing ever:

Yep, you can actually design your own custom baby bedding, right down to the last detail. The tool has 40 bazillion fabric choices. Once you've picked your first swatch, you have the option of asking it narrow down the remaining swatches to those that coordinate perfectly, just in case you're worried about white backgrounds matching ;)

It's pricey as heck, though. I probably wouldn't ever pay that much for something my kids are ultimately going to get some yucky substances on. My puppy dog ensemble (see below) would have set us back about 500 bucks. I'm sure the quality is amazing- our kids are just too rough on their bedding to justify it.

I do think it's a great way to try out different patterns and colors if you're planning on making your own crib bedding. Most of the patterns shown can be approximated at JoAnne's.

But, just for fun, here's what I came up with:

Source: babybedding.com via Anaika on Pinterest

Source: babybedding.com via Anaika on Pinterest

And one of their prefabs:

 

Source: babybedding.com via Anaika on Pinterest

Disclosure: none needed...pretty sure my assessment of their pricing will preclude my ever being asked to shill for them. But, wow do they have some pretty stuff!

Craftsman 1204 MLS Pictures

They're here!!! Our Northwest MLS# is 401198, but here's a preview. Once again, a huge thank you to our amazing realtor, Ms. Danya Wolf and our equally fantastic photographer, Larry. Without further ado:

Covered teak porch, view from rose garden

Mature fir, cherry, and pear trees encircle the property

Hand inset rock leads to floating rose garden

The open floor plan of the great room encompasses living, dining, and original fireplace

Original fireplace has been professionally retrofitted to accommodate wood stove

French doors lead to the spacious master suite

Master bedroom features dramatic crown molding and custom site-built his&hers closet

Custom antique double sink console

Slate Roman spa- the perfect spot for a luxurious bath or shower

Spacious gourmet kitchen

Fenced yard, river rock chimney, and enormous side porch

Entry from access alley

Montage with view of 2nd bedroom-currently, nursery

The Cover of Real Estate Weekly

Gah!!!! We made the cover of Real Estate Weekly!!!! Can you tell we're completely over the moon?! Yeah, ok, it's a free publication, BUT it reaches 4 counties and typically only features super high-end homes, so we're ultra thrilled that the editors thought our reno was front page worthy. THANK YOU!!!!!

Our realtor just sent over the proof page and we wanted to give you a sneak peek- btw- can our realtor write a description, or what?!

Fingers crossed for an mls number within the next couple of days!!!!

Fall Inspiration

Well, we are impatiently waiting for our house to hit the MLS and for our amazing photographer to finish up his final edits to the (2 day!) photo-shoot so that we can share them with you all. In the mean time, here's some fall inspiration...whether you're still in the thick of summer and dreaming of cooler temps, or if, like us, the trees are already changing color, this should give you some great eye candy/food for thought. Enjoy! Hopefully, we'll have the professional pics of the house- and our mls listing- up for you guys by Friday!


Functional decor, though I'd skip the soda and load that puppy up with Pumpkin Ale! Blue Moon and Pyramid Brewery both make a delicious one:

Source: marthastewart.com via Julie on Pinterest

This mini pumpkin and ribbon look would be super easy and super cheap to pull off- periodically, Michael's will load up a big crate of seasonal ribbon on deep clearance (look by the entrance).

Source: blogs.babble.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Unpopped corn- genius and so appropriate for a fall or even Thanksgiving look. I think the candles would look just as good without the leaves, too:

Source: via Sami on Pinterest

Whether you choose to suspend these or not, it doesn't get any simpler than mason jars, acorns, and white votives:

Source: thedesignfile.net via Ashley on Pinterest

These fall leaves look great in simple floating frames- it would be so great to take the kids on a walk and let them pick out their leaves, then help frame and display them:

Source: bhg.com via Ashley on Pinterest

I actually had one of these this morning: Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte is amazing, with or without the cool froth art. Oh, and the Salted Caramel Mocha is to die for, too!

Source: bing.com via Summer on Pinterest

Gorgeous shade, right? I think most of us have probably been told at one time or another that we "can't wear orange." Bull! Obviously, if you have bronzey/gold skin (like my lucky mom) it's easy, but everyone has a shade of orange (and red, too!) that they look freakin' awesome in. Even me. Who is ridiculously pale. If I can pull it off, so can you!

Source: classy-in-the-city.tumblr.com via Edna on Pinterest

If you aren't ready for that much orange, why not pick up a couple of clip-on flowers at the craft store and put them on your shoes? No commitment and so cute:

Source: etsy.com via Allyson on Pinterest

And for those of you who just can't handle orange: go green!

Source: images.search.yahoo.com via Theresa on Pinterest

Happy Wednesday, y'all!

Refinished Dressers

Remember the dresser refinishing ideas I shared a while ago? Well, I finally finished them. I only remembered to take a "before" of one-oops- but I'm really pleased with the results. All told, I put about 50 bucks into each one...not too bad. Here they are:

Our dresser:

  
Not too bad, considering that this is what we started out with:

The kiddos' dresser turned out pretty cute, too, I think:

And once again, sorry for the picture quality...the name of the game this week was to get it done fast. Happy monday, y'all!