A Bit of a Home Tour

Welcome to my home! I'll be giving you a little mini tour of pieces and rooms and vignettes I have throughout my thrifty pad. I've been meaning to do this for a while now but have struggled with photography. I'm terrible with lighting and quality. The only way I can get photos to look decent is to fix them up majorly in photoshop...which is what I've done here! You wouldn't have believed how dark these photos started out.

So with that important disclaimer stated, please enjoy the "tour"! (Another warning...it's long-winded so make sure you have something to keep you hydrated!) :)

The photo above is of my Grandmother's old china cabinet that lives in the living room and is filled with books, Crystal and Ben memorabilia, and extra chenille blankets for those extra cold nights. There actually isn't any glass in the door thanks to Ben's dad who "helped" us move. He's so funny. He started moving the cabinet and I told him I wanted to tie it first...he said "no no no, I've got it, it will be fine". Two minutes later he flipped the cabinet around so the door flung open and hit the ground with all of the little broken glass pieces following. Well...thank goodness I'm a calm person, and now Magic is glad because she can easily jump from the back of the couch into the cabinet to cuddle on the cushy blankets!

This is still in the living room. That shelf was perfect for Ben's expansive DVD collection and was only 10 bucks! I'm thinking of making a little curtain for it though...those DVD cover designers weren't thinking of my living room when they designed those spines. The Beck drawing I did when I was in college and you can see part of my egg collection. They are all real eggs and have been dried out for years. The lonely wooden owl is the one decorative item of Ben's that's remained outside of his room. At least Ben's tall speaker keeps it company! (By the way...Ben got a little carried away with speakers and sound...he's hooked up surround sound in our living room and has hooked up speakers in our bedroom, kitchen and BATHROOM! I can listen to Good Morning America when I shower in the morning... Even though all of those speakers aren't ascetically pleasing, I kinda like it.)


My mom got me this old old old church for me two Christmases ago. It lights up and if you look inside there are little pews and an alter! I'm not particularly religious (although I respect all who are!), but I can't resist mini churches and crosses encrusted with shells, beads, etc.)

This isn't a magazine quality shot (what with Ben's wires spilling out from every crevice), but I had to show you our entertainment center. When first moved here Ben brought this ugly boxy brown thing and for the longest time it bugged the heck out of me. Finally we found this one on Craigslist for 100 bucks (not the best bargain...but not too bad either). I wish I had a before shot but it went from retro modern to shabby country with a couple coats of white paint, some shabby wooden appliques and mix and match antique glass knobs. The space for the TV was so huge...but this presented a happy challenge for Ben who found that 32" flatscreen TV on Craigslist for $40! Some rich college kids were upgrading and wanted to get rid of it. Yay!


This is a sunny photo of the corner of our coffee table. I made the coffe and end tables out of old windows I found on the side of the road...one from a house and one from a horse barn...and concrete molds. They're shadow box style so I can store/display things in them.

I love old mini animals and I have a horse/cow duo grazing among some trees I found in Germany on the molding over our archway.

I couldn't resist leaving a few remnents from Christmas around the house as winter decor. These large bottle brush trees fit the bill.

This is my mom's antique armoire. She didn't know I was taking it with me until I got to Boston! I had been using it all during my teenage years and didn't think she'd miss it...oops! That pretty flower girl dress I found at the flea market for $1. It almost fits me but I can't zip it up all the way... :(

Our bathroom is bright blue, brown and white. It's a small space so it can handle the color. This is a little shelf Ben's mom gave us. Glass jars and seashells is the theme here.

Above the piddle place is a collection of old photos of Ben and I and our family and friends. I didn't think about where I hanging them exactly...but now they can keep a keen eye on us whenever we're in the lou. lol

This is a pleasant little vignette in our kitchen. The collage I made a few years back and includes some memory invoking keepsakes.

I try try try to keep my plants alive. It's working...but barely. :(

I love this little grocery pad I found at the thrift store. It has a magnet on the back for sticking to the fridge and the sections of the brain say things like "milk, eggs, bread, etc.")

I have posted many photos of my dining room. This is where I seasonally decorate the most and it has the best lighting for photos (sometimes). These little lasses are cheering up my dining room table...which I do desperately want to replace. The wood color is my pet peeve...but at least it matches the floor.


So that's the tour! I'll be doing a studio tour sometime in the future. I mentioned how I was going to redo it way back in December and it's been done since early January. However, keeping it neat for pretty pictures and the challenges of actually taking those pretty pictures has been a constant procrastination inducer. lol. Stay tuned! :)