you've got to kiss a lot of frogs

A quick note first to say THANK YOU all for your kind words about the blue and white event we will no longer mention. Each and every one of you put a smile on this mom's face. As Dolly Parton said, "Laughter thru tears is my favorite emotion."

I often do posts on here and on Instagram of the wonderful things I find when I'm out and about in the grand world of antique stores. However, I think sometimes all of those grand finds may mislead you to think I am always finding great things. OR, that I only go to stores that have wall to wall awesome.

Not the case my friends.

As my grandmother used to say about estate sales - you've got to kiss a lot of frogs. For every great thing I find, there are 10 horrible things I see. Really that's optimistic, it is probably closer to 30 horrible things, but you get the idea. So, I thought I'd share some of them not only for a good laugh, but to show that in a store full of crazy crap, there can often be a great gem. Don't write off a place by what you see in the window. And with that, I think I'm fresh out of clichés. Let's shop.

Oh the irony. A sign about everything being for sale, with a big fat NFS tag on it. The dreaded NFS (Not For Sale )is something that usually makes me angry to no end, but in this case I was quite alright with it.

Slap my ass, that is certainly a piece of work.

There are always spooky old dolls. Always.

Perfectly normal item to see. But not really.

Just don't.

If you were going as Run DMC for Halloween, these would actually be useful.

Clowns, are pretty ubiquitous, as is bad art. So this one scores on both counts.

Taxidermy is also pretty common, unfortunately. But notice this is just inches away from great silver and gold champaign buckets and just opposite the isle from the booth where I got my bamboo bench.

Body parts. In a bag.

This.

And my favorite piece of all. This has been in one of my favorite shops for at least two years. I'm all for ironic art, and I enjoy good humor,  but this is not for me. Or apparently anyone else. Two years.

So remember, it only takes one good item to make a "crappy store" turn into that "cute little place you found that great (fill in the blank here)". There is never a shop I'll refuse to check out. The thrill of the unknown is just too great. I have a pretty regular list of places that I stop in weekly, bi-weekly or monthly depending on their success rate. And if you go often enough, you can breeze thru a place in under 15 minutes making it a great thing to do in between appointments, when you are a little early on your way to pick up or anytime you have a free patch of time.

Where are your places to shop? Do you get overwhelmed by the places with wall to wall 'stuff'? Need help finding something? Email me, and I'll find it for you.

Cheers to the hunt!

furbish studio's vintage sale

I can hardly wait. In just a few hours (11:00 AM EST) my favorite store that I've never been to, Furbish Studio will be having a huge ONLINE sale full of vintage and one of a kind things. The next best thing for those of us not lucky enough to live close by.

Be sure to check it out! I'm counting the minutes!

stock pile those lightbulbs people

Today is a holiday so the girls are home and I am playing hooky but I did want to throw something out there. I think I missed the memo. I knew that the end was near for normal lightbulbs (I even talked about it here), but I thought I had more time to build up my stock pile. Now I learned that this is the year 40 and 60 watt lightbulbs are being phased out. Why mean government are you trying to deprive us of good lighting?!

So in anticipation of the day when my stockpile will run dry, I need to know - what kind of lightbulbs do you use? Have you found a CFL or whatever they are called, that you like? And one that doesn't make you look like a corpse?

Help a girl out!

holiday pushers

We are officially in the thick of it people. Thanksgiving is behind us (in the US), Chanukah is wrapping up and Christmas is coming. Cue the hysteria. I made an effort to not get online over the Thanksgiving holiday, not even my phone, and it was kind of like a digital master cleanse. It felt damn good I have to say and when we got home last night from a weekend of traveling and I was ready to gear up for Christmas. I didn't feel behind or stressed, I just felt...holiday-ish.

Then I sat down to my laptop and the stress settled in. Holy crap. I've gotten a wicked number of emails and articles and announcements telling me I can get 15% off here, 50% off there, use these coupon codes on these days, and jump three times in place while drinking water and tapping your head. And that doesn't even crack the book on all of the gift guides. Oy! I am on overload already and it is only December 2nd.

Jane Means

How do you manage all your holiday cheer? Do you keep up with all of the 'advice' or just go with what you know? What % lures you in to a sale? (I got an email for 7% off and let me tell you, that is NOT a sale. That's just foolish)

the dog ate my homework and pop-up shopping

I've missed you!

I'm not going to bore you with any excuses as to why I've been MIA just know that I miss y'all terribly when I'm not on my normal schedule. I feel like a big part of my day is missing. And now, I want to sing this song to tell you how sorry I am... just kidding. We would no longer be friends if I sung to you.

Things will return to normal as quickly as possible, so just hang with me. And because I can't leave you empty handed (that would make this the most boring post on record) I want to make sure you know about this little treat Santa has dropped in our laps.

My very favorite Australian, Anna Spiro, opened up her Christmas Pop-Up Shop this morning and things are gong fast. Head over there if you are like me and would love nothing more than to spend an afternoon shopping at Black & Spiro but you don't have the extra couple grand for a ticket down to the southern hemisphere.

Have a great day and happy shopping!

i'm in HGTV magazine, let's celebrate with pillows!

A few months ago I was sitting on the beach, sipping a cocktail (no lie) and watching my girls giggle in the sand. Life couldn't get any better. And then my phone beeped and I saw an email from HGTV magazine. What the what?

I am over the moon to be featured in their "WOW! What Color is That?" article. And not only do I get to show off the raspberry dresser I painted for my living room, but I'm thrilled the picture is also showing off some of my favorite work from my dear friend Jennifer at The Pink Pagoda.

It is so good to get one of my little secrets off my chest and share the good news with you all! I didn't think it was coming out until Tuesday, so y'all should have seen me when I spied it at Target on Saturday night (yes, I was at Target on Saturday night). As Ice Cube would say, it was a good day.

So be sure to check it out! Wahoo!!

And to celebrate, I have a special treat. My friend Brittany of Classically B is expanding her amazing pillow collection onto Etsy, and she is offering 15% off her already great prices to all little black door readers. Make sure you are a follower of little black door and you can use the code HAPPY15 at checkout. The offer expires on October 28th so make sure to order up before then! Early Christmas shopping people.

Magazines and pillows. Now that's a good Monday!

fess up friday - etsy stalker

Etsy. Just the word makes my heart pitter patter. Whenever I have something that I need to do but would rather put off (laundry, dishes, etc.) I go on Etsy for awhile instead. It's a much better use of time in my opinion.

"Big deal Elizabeth, everybody loves Etsy." I hear you, but here is my fess up - I have 17 pages of  saved Items I Love. It is a sickness people. I try to go in and periodically clean the list up, but whenever I do that it usually ends up growing. There is just too much awesome in one place. I can't stop myself.

Here are some of my favorites, in no particular order...

AriannaBelle - she's a sponsor of LBD for a good reason - she makes hella good pillows. Her style is always spot on and her work impeccable. She has her own store here, but you can also find her on Etsy.

Gypsya - They cover all the bases - pillows, throws, rugs and even jewelry. Very boho chic and very reasonably priced.

Meet Me in Philadelphia - I love Ashley's blog and now I can buy her stuff. Her collection is as eclectic as her house and she's got a mix of made and found things. I've got my eyes on those lucite napkin rings, so hands off people.

Mister Pillow - Vintage rugs to die for and pillows made out of vintage rugs to die for. Enough said.

Janet Hill Studio - I am a big fan of Janet Hill's work and it is my mission to have a gallery wall of her work. Her colors just sing to me and I love her traditional subject matter with a twist.

The Pink Pagoda - As a long time fan of Jennifer's blog and her store, I've gotten to enjoy a few of her prints and I've got several more on my Christmas list. (I pick really good sponsors, don't I?!) Her Merchant Man and Wife have a prominent spot in my living room and I always get compliments on them.

Soigne - A joint venture by Erin and Charmaine gives us all a chance to buy those things we wish we could find at estate sales and antique shops. Their collection is envious and they are always adding to the pot. Be sure to follow them on Instagram (Erin / Charmaine) to get a first look at pieces as they come in.

Kerry Steele - Kerry creates custom pieces that are museum worthy. Her work makes me feel like a big, grownup girl. It makes me want to have a big white wall where I can spotlight her work. And if you read her blog like I do, then you know she's a pretty cool chick on top of her talent. Not fair.


What Etsy shops are your favorite? What do you look for most on Etsy? (I'm a pillows fool myself) And how do you pronounce it? (At-see or Et-say)

estate sales strike again

Saturday was a peaceful day. The hubs and I had both had long, stressful weeks and we had zero plans for the weekend. A rare treat. The girls slept in and the sun was shining. Life was good. If I was in a Disney movie, I would have been singing in a field with a blue bird on my shoulder.

We went out to breakfast and were heading to the park for some quality playground time when we drove by my favorite Saturday sight - an estate sale sign. My sweet and loving hubs, who knows me so well, immediately said "drop us off at the park and you can run by and check out the sale." (he gets an extra Christmas present this year) I threw helped everyone out of the car and drove over to check it out.

It was crowded but I wasn't finding anything that spoke to me. Until, on my way out, I saw him. I smiled and he said "pick me."

His trunk was "injured" as the lady told me, but all of his parts were right there next to him just waiting to be put back together. And at $2.50 I couldn't go wrong. If this dude was in tip top shape he would be a few hundred. Until...crap. I was so busy enjoying my lazy Saturday that I had been too lazy to remember my wallet.

I ran out to the car and checked for loose change. I found a dollar in quarters and took a chance. I explained that I wanted the broken elephant and was it negotiable. "All I have is a dollar," I said in my best 'take pity on my' voice.

"I'll give it to you for $1if you promise not to use Elmer's Glue to put it back together. That just won't hold like you'll want it to," said the old lady in charge.

Umm, OK. That's a deal.

I love his detail.

And I think I will name him Elmer. In honor of the coo coo lady who let me have him for $1.

Do you have any good estate sale stories? Do you have something you couldn't pass up, even if it wasn't in the best shape? Have you ever tried to glue something this heavy back together using Elmer's? I didn't think so.

And remember, there is still time to sign up for your chance to win a $200 gift card to Target! (oh yeah). Giveaway ends Friday!

i HATE my maytag dishwasher

I am so behind. I've got piles of work to do, emails to answer and projects to finish amongst other things. So if you are waiting on an email from me I'm sorry I haven't responded yet.

But for the moment I just have to vent and let you know that I HATE MY DISHWASHER.

We have a Maytag QuietSeries and it has sucked from the first month we got it.

It doesn't clean dishes but actually leaves so much goo on them that they are often worse when we take them out. There is never a load that I don't have to re-wash at least a quarter of the items again. Now I know I am not a mechanical engineer but I was under the impression that a dishwasher was supposed to...wash!

The prongs inside the racks started to rust and fall off within six months of purchasing it brand new from the Maytag store.

We've called and emailed and I can tell you that Maytag customer service doesn't know how to clean up a mess any better than their dishwashers do. They gave us gems like 'read the manual' or 'call a repair man'. I felt supported.

Then, about two years into our hate/hate relationship we got a letter from Maytag saying that the dishwasher was being recalled for a faulty drying system (that isn't all that is faulty about it Maytag). They offered to send a repair man free of charge to fix this issue (and only that issue) OR issue us a $100 credit toward a new dishwasher. However, that new dishwasher had to be at least $300 more than we paid for our existing dishwasher.

I am not buying a single thing from Maytag again so that credit was of course thrown out. I've spoken to others who have had similar issues with Maytag. I guess misery loves company.

Do you have any dishwasher recommendations? Had any problems with an appliance in your house? Ever wanted to strangle an inanimate object?

yep, that pier 1

This is a big week for me. I've got my first photo shoot and I'm pretty excited. It's too early to divulge any details (as soon as I can promise) but I will say that my sourcing adventures have led me to a place I hardly ever go.

Pier 1.

Crazy, I know. I posted this picture on Instagram (you should totally follow me btw, we'll have great fun together) and everyone was as surprised as I was to find such goodness at old Pier 1.

Look what other lovelies I found.

Next time you're out running errands, stop in. You might be surprised.

Happy Monday!

weekend recap

Oy! I hope you all had as much fun this past weekend as I did. It was the perfect mix of shopping, projects, family and good food. Fun was had by all.

Here are some peaks into the last 72 hours.

We took pictures of each other taking pictures of each other.

I got out some ribbon and my glue gun.

Did a bit of shopping/research. Sadly this hot little number didn't come home with me but I'll keep my eye on it. Wouldn't she be saucy in a bathroom holding all types of pretty hand towels and jars of pretty soaps? I miss her already.

But this little tray did come home with me. I'll have to take another shot of the top - think dragons and billowy smoke. Look for that on Instagram.

Finished up one project.

And started another.

All was wrapped up with an attempt at a family selfie. Mouths full of cookies have some sort of power to make the girls look at the camera. Go figure.

Stay tuned for more info on those projects, and make sure to come back on Wednesday for another client before and after!

change up your welcome

Happy second week of March to you! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Mine was pretty top notch. A date, much ORC progress, time with friends and some shopping. Not too shabby for old Elizabeth.

My 'shopping' is really just some quite mommy time on Sunday afternoon's when I walk around my favorite antique shop. I have never once NOT found thousands of dollars worth of goodies and this Sunday was no different. I was instagraming up a storm. I'll share all the goodies another day, but today I wanted to share my favorites.

This bench is my new obsession. It was in PERFECT condition, a great price and had a lovely tortoise shell type original finish. I dreamt about it last night. No lie.

I also found this little gem. A beautiful yellow and more bambo.

As I've chatted about before, I had lovely plans of getting a secretary to act as the new star of my entry. But the more I look the more I fear I won't find something that will fit properly in my tiny little spot. (see it in its current state here)

So the bench got me thinking. Thinking about how nice it would be to have a place for the girls to sit and put on their shoes (and put them away when they get home of course - yeah right). And in the spirit of day dreaming, I did some inspiration boards for an entry with a bench.

Now I'm off to go visit my bench and possibly hang around to make sure no one else touches it.

Ever dreamt about furniture? Have you ever found a piece that made you rethink an entire room? Can you really call a space a room when it has only two walls?

serve it up on a tray

It is no secret that trays are a must in home design. Not only do they help to organize and keep clutter under control, but they look damn good doing it.

I'm in a tray mood these days and think I need to find myself a new one.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 

Seen any great trays lately? Can you think of anything better than a lovely tray with a delicious cocktail on top? That's my idea of a good weekend.

color me spring

March is here and soon it will (finally) be spring. Thank god. There is no season that does more for my mental well being than spring. And since I try my best not to dance in the streets anymore, I celebrate this much needed change in little ways. Like on my hands.

My hands are in terrible shape right now. Thanks to another weekend spent working on the One Room Challenge the insides are an umpa lumpa orange from removing stain and my fingers are covered in paint...again. Not to mention their general dryness.

But as soon as my projects are complete, the first place I'm going is to get myself a mani/pedi. There is no better reward. Now to decide which spring colors to choose.

all colors by Essie

How do you celebrate the (almost) arrival of spring? Did this winter last as long for you? Have you seen my flip flops? I can't find them anywhere.

past & present - book joy

Merry Monday to all! I hope your weekend was full of giggles and cocktails. I enjoyed both, as well as a very high pitched game of floor wrestling. Eve likes to scream as she wrestles. It's part of her charm.

You will be happy to know that I've picked out my St. Patrick's Day present. Now I know that St. Patrick's Day isn't normally known as a gift giving holiday, but I figure the money I would spend on holiday libations will more than cover the cost of the book.

It's called Past & Present: 24 Favorite Moments in Decorative Arts History and 24 Modern DIY Projects Inspired by Them (how's that for a title). Amy Azzarito of Design Sponge wrote it and I need it.

Basically she picks 24 artists and designers (like Eddie Ross and Todd Oldhman)to create a DIY project inspired by her all time favorite moments in decorative history. Genius. And a DIYer's idea of a good time. Total side note: does anyone else remember watching Todd Oldham and Cindy Crawford on MTV's House of Style way long ago? I just dated myself for sure. And outed myself as someone who watches entirely too much tv. Moving on.

Past & Present

The book comes out March 5th in stores, or you can preorder here. I can't wait! Even the cover has me all giddy.

Read any good books lately?

jambox is awesome

I have a new friend. We spend hours together each day and she brings me nothing but pure joy. And what's best, I can carry her anywhere.

"She" is my Jambox. Our neighbors let us borrow theirs one afternoon for a test run and it was about an hour later that we decided we needed to put on our shoes and get one for ourselves. We've had it for about 3 months now and couldn't be happier.

This little honey has bluetooth capabilities which means that she somehow talks to my iPhone and they make sweet music together. I carry her with me to the basement and listen to Pandora while I fold laundry. Then I have her next to me while I listen to podcasts and cook dinner.

The sound it makes is just as good as any big huge stereo and girlfriend can get LOUD when you are ready to jam it out. Which, I try to do most afternoons around 3:30. The English have afternoon tea, I have an afternoon jam. The girls and I turn up the GoGo's and as Yo Gabba Gabba would say, we "get the sillies out".

But I digress.

They even sell a little chain so you can wear it around your neck Flavor Flav style, if that's your bag. You can custom design yours in any color you like and it is so small and unobtrusive it blends right into the room without screaming "look at my sweet hifi system"!

The point is, if you enjoy music half as much as I do, at a volume half as loud as I do, you for sure need yourself a Jambox.

Have you been surprised by a piece of technology lately? Do you ever worry that you've got the music too loud and you'll permanently deafen your children? Nope, not me either.

they are kind of a big deal

There is nothing I hate worse than bragging on myself. Beyond ironic statement as there is this whole blog thing going on, I know. But that is a post for another time.

I however, have no problem bragging on those that I know.

So as I get ready to do some heavy duty Christmas wrapping this weekend, I thought I would share two wonderful and very different gift wrapping options by people I just happen to know.

First up we have my college friend Keely. Girlfriend is a mega talented graphic designer and her house is always amazing (which you know I love). She gives Martha Stewart a run for her money and the cherry on top - she's funny. Really funny. Enter her Snarky Gift Tags.

These are right up my alley as there is nothing I love more than a smart ass comment to go with my holiday cheer. Check out her Etsy store and buy these suckers up before they are all gone.

Secondly, I'm lucky enough to know Carrie Kiefer. She is my cousin's wife (so my cousin-in-law?) and half of the Ampersand Design Studio. Carrie's talent is just beyond - you should have seen her wedding. And to top it off, she's just about the sweetest girl around. She and her partner are making major waves with their prints, their fabric and their all around killer talent.

Their printable gift tags were featured in the best gift guide ever, To & From, that I mentioned last week.

Two great ways to add some major style to your packages this year.

So was I right or what? I know some pretty talented people! Have you wrapped anything yet? Have you bought anything yet?

And btw, thanks for all of the great advent advice, you all are the best!!