Fabric Search for My Vintage Chairs

Back in July, when I was in Ohio for my baby shower, I saw this chair in my parents basement. There are two of them and they are truly vintage chairs. 

The original fabric was a bright gold. There are pictures of me and my siblings on these when we were little. (I will have to dig them up to show you).  My mom reupholstered them herself a long time ago and then a few years ago they were moved to the basement.   I sat down and realized, these are really comfy chairs, and I like square shape. 

Not exactly mid-century modern, but if I get them recovered leaving off the skirt and add tapered legs...hmmmm...I started thinking maybe they could look closer to this: 

 

Ok, maybe these are closer to the shape (no, not the fabric)

I contacted a few upholsters here in Atlanta and got a pretty good quote of $500 for both chairs.  So the hunt was on!   The best fabric store in Atlanta (in my opinion) for a variety of gorgeous designer fabrics is Forsyth Fabrics, I knew that I needed to find a real deal on the fabric (I need 14 yards!) since I am splurging on paying someone to recover them.

You want deals on fabric?  That mean Fabric World.  It is a bit of a trek (out to Stone Mountain) I have no idea where this guy gets his selections, but it's kind of like TJMaxx.  Never the same thing twice!  I have been there about 5 times and the selection is ever changing.  I still have not found the "right" fabric for the chairs yet, but I am determined to buy it here.   All of his fabric rolls are $3.99/yard!  That means I will spend less than $60 on fabric.
This is a *horrible* picture, but I want to show you the size of this place.

Besides the fabric on rolls, they have about 5-6 tables of remnants.  Anything on the tables is only $1.99/yard!  What a steal!  I can not lie.  I LOVE sorting through the piles to find a gem.....and that I did!  I spent only $52 for all of the following pieces off the remnant table....sizes range from one yard to 4.5 yards.   

My friend Aileen went with me and we started getting excited with all the cool fabrics.  Could this be the start of a little Etsy shop?? Have you seen how much pillows cost these days?  hmmm

I would like to use these yellow fabrics in a nursery ....someday:(

If we have a girl, I could do something really cool with all of these pink designs.  If not, I could just put them in a tub and never use them! ha!

I love this blue and white combo. 

I am crazy for chevron prints, one of these may cover my dining chairs.

This Robert Allen trellis fabric is highly popular in the blog world.  I think the cotton-linen blend would make awesome curtains, don"t you??

I swear I just saw this cockatoo design on a blog the other day.  Once I had it in my cart, a guy rushed  over to ask me ..."WHERE DID YOU FIND THAT?" He seemed like a designer, that made me feel good.  It is cool isn't it?  What will I do with it?  Who knows!

This piece of sturdy fabric was already cut to a perfect 4x6 rectangle.  I would like to make it into a rug! 

As it turns out, my fabric search for the vintage chairs continues.  I will wait a week and head back to Fabric World to see if I can find THE ONE! 
I wonder how much I will have to spend on fabric that I don't NEED until I find the fabric I do need??

Making Room for Baby

Happy Monday everyone!  This weekend was pretty great! How was yours? We strolled around Grant Park with some friends for the Summer Shade Festival Saturday morning and then Sunday had a beautiful brunch with our new supper club couples! 

After the realization set in that [barring a miracle] we will be in this apartment for baby's arrival, we got started purging and organizing all of our stuff.  We already had much of it packed and ready to go to the "new house," and we didn't feel like unpacking it. We had been living in this clutter for two weeks.

You can see there is just some random stuff left on our shelves and then stacks of tubs that have now gone to storage.  Our apartment already feels better/bigger.  The walk in closet and our huge armoire were cleaned out and now have lots of room for baby stuff. 

I washed a bunch of the baby clothes, they are so darn cute!

In other news, since we are just 3 1/2 weeks away from my due date, (I still can't believe this!) Ernesto and I figured we better start reading up on childbirth.  Ha!  Actually, I have read quite a bit online, but I always jump around to different topics.  I wanted a book that really explains all the different stages of the birthing process.  The Borders by our place is going out of business, so the selection is not the best, but I did find a book that I like: Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn: The Complete Guide.

What I like is that the book goes into great detail on the actual childbirth (cesarean too) and is not biased to using an epidural or going natural.   I haven't written a birth plan.  (come on, are you surprised?)  I  am approaching this pregnancy considering a natural childbirth but open to using drugs if needed.  My friend Aileen got me a book called Ina Mays Guide to Childbirth.  It is very highly recommended and has a ton of birth stories (mostly natural).  I am anxious to read this, and see if it gives me the confidence it gave Aileen.  (She gave birth in her home with a midwife...uh, I will never be that brave!)

Ernesto got a book called Fathers & Babies.  It has pictures.  He is all set.

We did the usual grazing round at Whole Foods and sat down with our new books to get educated.

{Ernesto wanted me to mention that we are "shiny" because we were just outside walking in 97 degree heat. He is worried about looking dirty. Don't judge!}

We also started painting the armoire.
As you can see we are going with the turquoise.  I was pretty sure I was going to paint it yellow, but then Ernesto surprised me one day by painting half of it when I was working....with the turquoise.  It's better he just made an executive decision.  I like it...and it's almost finished.  Ill post a pic soon.

We did look at quite a few houses this past week too.  There is no shortage of homes for sale, we just need to find THE ONE!  Wish us luck!

WEEK 36

Craigslist Armoire Score!

Remember this cool wood armoire I picked up on Craigslist for $60 back in February?  I had to shove it in my walk-in closet to make room for it, buit I just knew it would be a great piece once painted.  I would like it to be the star piece in the nursery [that we don't have yet].

I love all the details.  It reminds me of something you would see in Spain or Morocco. 

Well, even with the depressing realization that we will probably not have a house in time for baby's arrival, (yikes just 4 weeks away!) Ernesto and I got started anyway and put one coat of primer on this bad boy. Already it's looking better.

Now I just need to make a decision on the color. I know that a High gloss white with metallic gold hardware would look gorge, but I really want to do something more bold. I have a quart of semi-gloss paint by Behr called Gem Turquoise.  I like it....and I have it....so I should use it....right?

I found this picture of an armoire painted a similar color and it does look great.

   BUT....I also found this:

 

...and then this one too:

Of course Ernesto wants me to use the turquoise because he fears I will take too long deciding and it may not get finished in a timely manner...I mean, it has happened before.

I am going to choose a color and have this project finished this week!

Just out of curiosity, what is your vote?

Girls Girls Girls!

Happy Monday amigos!  Did you have a good weekend? I must admit, mine started out very rough.  I cried myself to sleep on Friday night after the whole not-closing-on-our-house-deal.  I thought I was done crying when I woke up Saturday morning, but when my parents called to see how I was doing, I broke down again.

They assured me that it won't matter where we are living, they are still coming to visit and help out with the baby.   

The bottom line is:  people don't care where I live, they really only care about seeing the baby. 

That is how it's going to be anyway, right? Who will care about Ernesto and I anymore? It's all about the baby!  I felt better after talking to them.  And now my biggest gripe about being in our apartment with a little one is that we will not have laundry.  Cloth diapering would be pretty tough without a washer... or will it?
I remembered that Brrrian told me his friends use a diaper service.  The company picks up the bag of diapers, washes, folds and brings them back ready to use again.  Hmm, this sounds like a great idea even when we do get a washer!   I will check out the prices.  It may not be much cheaper than using disposable diapers...but at least I can still feel good about not "disposing" of them.

Luckily Saturday we had a fun at a friends birthday party, and I didn't think about it much.  Then on Sunday, my girlfriends and I had a date.  It was originally for my baby (coming in just 4 weeks), but as we sat around talking at brunch, we realized we each had something worth celebrating:
Smita: newly engaged!
Lucy: new job!
Aileen: new house!

Aileen has a 16 month old cutie pie named Enzo and just bought a house very close to where we are looking.  (If you remember we stayed with Aileen and Jay at their GORGEOUS house in Tepotzelan Mexico a couple years ago.)  We are so lucky that they ended up moving to Atlanta.  Unless you are new about here, you know Smita and Lucy.  It is so nice to have a few great girlfriends close by.

WEEK 35

[House] CASE CLOSED

Today was the first day of my 8 month pregnancy that I cried tears of sorrow.   A lot of tears.

Ernesto and I made a decision to walk away from our house deal....one hour before we were due to sign the papers at the closing.  Yep, case closed!

I haven't written that much about what went during the 5 weeks while we were under contract, probably because I didn't want people to try and talk us out of buying this house.  It was HELL! If you have ever dealt with a bank on a foreclosed property then you feel my pain.  It was so frustrating because they don't have the drive to sell like a owner occupant seller.  The attitude is more "take it or leave it."

One week after we were under contract, the house was broken into a few different times and all of the [nice stainless steel] appliances were stolen, except for the dishwasher which apparently they were not able to disconnect. (idiots!) Negotiating with the bank to recover this was not easy.  Talk about stingy!  They did end up agreeing to pay us $2000 more (not that this would cover all new appliances)  but refused to fix the broken window?!  They just boarded it up instead, which is an open invitation for thieves, which they graciously accepted.

We had serious doubts, but overlooked these feelings because we really just wanted to move in and get settled before baby arrives.  We ignored the long list of cons (only 2 bed, small yard, right behind restaurants/bars, semi-shady street) with this home because of the 2 biggest pros: price, neighborhood and condition of the house:  next to new. (It only needed painting and decorating, which I had fully done in my head over the past month.) 

Always focusing on "the good" is something that Ernesto and I do very very well.   Living your life as a "glass half full" kind of person is so much easier.  Also, not thinking about all the what-ifs really eliminates stress and anxiety.  In this case though, it could've resulted in danger..to us and our baby....and that realization hit us just one hour before the closing......

We walked in to check on the house on our way to close and found this: Another break-in!  WTF!!!

They threw a rock through the back door window and climbed through.  (I hope they cut themselves bad!)  Since they weren't able to disconnect the dishwasher, the idiots tore off the powder room sink and it broke on them...ha! They also took a big shit in the master bathroom.  Nice!

We looked at each other and both of us said "We can't do this."  The effers broke in 4 times.  They would not hesitate to brake in once our stuff is there and that is not something we want to worry about.  If there had been neighbors around it would have been a different story.  It is just too easy for them to come in...we knew it.....we had to bail!

When my parents came to Atlanta last week [for the original closing date] with a TRAILER of our stuff from Ohio.  All my baby shower gifts, two vintage chairs that I am having reupholstered, and my Kitchen Aid Mixer [which was a wedding present over 10 years ago] that has never been opened.  I was so ready to start nesting and to become a domestic goddess!   Now all of this stuff is piled up in our apartment and needs to be organized?? into 600 square feet??  Yeah, right!

Needless to say, I am a bit depressed about the whole thing.  Its not so much the apartment...I know that a tiny baby doesn't need much room.  The three of us will be fine.  (Ill probably just get a moses basket instead of a crib.)  The most disappointing part is that I won't have a big enough place for visitors.


I just had this perfect picture in my head.  Coming home with my new baby to my newly decorated house.  My family would be waiting there for us.  UGH! Oh well, it's not going to happen and I have to move on.

We already have a list of houses to look at tomorrow, who knows maybe we will find something.

Anyway, thanks for listening.  I will try not to dwell.  Actually, I won't be upset for too long, because I am not allowed to.  My husband doesn't allow it.

** I would like to dedicated this post to my sister-in-law Barbie just so she knows that yes, bad things happen to me... Im not ALWAYS happy...and I do include them on my blog:)  Love ye Barb!!

More Baby Gear

I feel like the luckiest pregnant girl ever!  Besides feeling like a million bucks for the last 8 months, I had not one, but two baby showers and everyone was so generous!  Besides all of the baby gear I received at my Ohio baby shower, I have a ton of gift cards from my San Diego baby shower, and have enough to buy everything I need for baby.
While my mom was here last week [for our house closing that didn't happen] we went to Babies R Us to do some shopping.

As it turns out, I was not really ready to commit to the "big stuff."  Maybe part of this is that we are not in a house yet, but really I think the problem is that I am a chronic bargain hunter.  I search craigslist  [like it is my job] for furniture and baby stuff and now I am finding it hard to buy some things brand new when I know I can get it lightly used for less than half price.   

Do any of you moms out there feel this way?

I realize that because I have gift cards, Im not really spending money out of my own pocket,  [and that is why I was given them] but I would still like to spend wisely.  Purposefully.  Baby supplies are used for such a short time, it seems silly to buy everything brand new.

Despite all this, I picked up the Arm's Reach Co-sleeper with one of my gift cards.  (I may still buy one used and return this, but I felt I had to buy SOMETHING since we drove all the way to the store.  The only other things I bought were Dr. Brown's bottles, sheets and some storage baskets.)  It has great reviews and is cute to boot!  I will also buy a good little mattress to go inside as the one it comes with is pretty thin.

We are planning to keep baby by our bedside at the beginning because we will have an influx of guests and would like to let them have a room with adjoining bath for their stay.  Plus, I like the idea of being able to check on the baby/feed without getting out of bed at night. 

I can't shake the feeling that I overpaid for this bassinet, but on the other hand I have gotten so many bargains elsewhere that it balances out!  For example, I bought this Turquoise Bumbo Seat for $3 at a local thrift shop.  This sells for $40 elsewhere!  Many mothers have raved over this, while others claim it is a waste of money and you only end up using it for a few weeks.   I don't think I could regret spending $3, even if I only use it for one week!

More Bargains
Have you guys ever heard of Scoutmob?  It is a discount program similar to Groupon in that you recieve daily "deals" through email or your smart phone.  Unlike Groupon though, you don't have to put any money up front, you can simply go to the restaurant/store and use the 50% off deal by showing the coupon on your phone to the cashier.  (We use it a lot when we go out to eat!)

About a month ago B. Braithwaite had an offer for 50% off one item in their store.  B. Braithwaite is a beautiful, high end baby boutique in West Midtown.   I had been in there before, and I love what they carry, but it is out of my price range.  With the coupon though I was able to get a deal.  I bought the ERGO baby Carrier for half off!  This carrier comes highly recommended from a couple mommy friends and I think it will be a great alternative to the stroller when Ernesto and I are out and about.  

I also registered for the 100% cotton Moby Wrap carrier and my sweet cousin sent it to me a couple weeks ago. (Thanks Laura!)  I remember seeing many moms walking around art shows wearing their babies in it.  I thought it was so unique and stylish, like a cute wrap shirt.  There are several ways to tie it and I have read that it takes some practice, but I am excited about trying it out.  I envision myself wearing the little one around the house so I can have my hands free.

The other day Ernesto and I drove 25 miles north of Atlanta to check out this warehouse in Duluth. They sell a myriad of goods wholesale, on ebay and on craigslist, which is where I found out about it.  I saw an add for the BOB Revolution Stroller for just $279!  (Yes, still expensive, but a bargain compared to the $450 they want on Amazon)   As it turns out, the guy was out of them and is expecting another shipment in a couple weeks.  He took my name/phone number and promised he will set one aside for me! Yeah!!! 


The warehouse is HUGE and not organized in the least.  I love searching for a gem [which is why I love Tjmaxx, thrift stores and yard sales.]  When I find a good deal, it's a rush! My digging paid off and I found this Mamaroo Swing which sells on Amazon for $198.   I paid $40!

Supposedly the Cadillac of baby swings, this thing has great reviews.  It can move in three directions: back and forth, side to side and up and down.  Additionally, the MamaRoo can emulate five kinds of motion, [including car ride and a kangaroo] and has different sounds, one being ocean waves and white noise.  Alternatively you can plug your ipod in for your choice of music.  The colors are not my top choice, but for $40 bucks I couldn't pass it up.

I also got this awesome  Skip Hop Diaper Bag  [that retails for $70] for only $2!! The strap tore off one side and needs sewn back on, but otherwise it is perfect!  I love that it looks like a purse. 

I haven't bought the crib yet, but I am leaning toward the Jenny Lind because I love the vintage look and the storage possibilities underneath.  I like both the white and the ebony...hmmmm.

There is a huge sale starting today on baby/kids stuff in Atlanta called Kidsignments.
The bi-annual sale is held in 2 separate buildings and the local news has been reporting live all morning.  (Apparently a very big deal) It is only held twice a year and people were waiting for hours in line to get in when it opened at 10 am.  Although it is probably 30-40 north of me, Im sure it would be worth my drive.  Ill have to make a list of what I still need and make the trek.  Ill let you know what I score!

WEEK 34