print goods: made by girl

i've been thinking a lot about what kind of artwork i want to hang on the walls in the playroom and dining room. (the two rooms i am working on.) i think the addition of typography would be great in both of these rooms. i keep going back to this "love" print by jen ramos of the blog "made by girl". 

it's so simple and clean and affords an excellent opportunity for showcasing a big splash of color.

but most of all it's the best four letter word that exists, right? 

(shhhhh...don't tell, but depending on my mood i have been known to utter some other four letter favorites.)

....but this word is the best. and the prettiest.

you can purchase this print in jen's shop along with tons of other adorable goodies.

also, check out her blog. lots of goodness there.

now, which color do i choose???

~elisabeth

ps. did i mention that jen's "love" print was featured on the nate berkus show as a leading trend? yep it was. how cool is that? watch it here.

collecting goods: books

i have been having some fun recently collecting these books.

they are condensed reader's digest books.

i really love all the different colors.

and the patterned paper on the covers.

i only buy the ones with cute patterns and good colors.

i have been finding them for $.25-$2.00 each.

at garage sales, thrift stores and antique malls.

right now they live in our guest room.

i think my mom might have actually read one the last time she was here.

i love that.

i will probably never read one.

but i love looking at the colors.

it's fun to have something to search for that is inexpensive.

have a great thursday!
~elisabeth



fabric goods: hawthorne threads

i just ordered some goodies from hawthorne threads.

link

for the play room.

link

link

yippee!

i hope your day is filled with goodies!
~elisabeth                                

shelf goods: rain gutters?

ok, so apparently there is a trend going on where people are hanging rain gutters on their walls and calling them bookshelves.

(picture from here)

did you know about this trend?
i didn't.
where have i been?
how did i miss this?
it's genious!
completely genious!

the picture above is from a blog called "gus and lula".
she blogged about the gutter shelves today.
i recently found gus and lula.
it's one of those blogs that i couldn't leave until i had read pretty much every post.
go check it out.

if you are as intrigued by the gutter shelves as i am,
read this post from "Little Green Notebook".
good stuff and good pics.
she figured out that the gutter shelves cost approximately $3 per 10 linear feet!
wow.

hope you had a great mlk day!
~elisabeth

blog goods: mini make-over

c'est finis!
i made a new header on picasa.
i used this tutorial.
because i had NO clue how to do it on my own.

i used this picture:

it's called "french wave".
my brother jamie painted it.
it's watercolor.
i absolutely love it.
jamie is by far one of the most talented people i know.
one of these days i will share more of his art with you.
thanks, jamie, for letting me use it!

i also changed my blog template a bit.
boy, blogger has really improved things since i started the goods.
editing and designing is much easier now.

i hope you all like the new look
and that you're having a great weekend!
b good,
~elisabeth

returning goods: i'm back!!!!

whew! wasn't summer vacation great?
hahaha...i know, i know, summer has been over for like, ever!
i have a few friends that keep reminding me....
"elisabeth, summer's over,
update the blog, please!"
thank you friends.
you know who you are.
it shows me you like it here.
and that you care.
and that makes me happy.

i'm not really sure why it has taken me so long to get back here.
but i have a few ideas...

my favorite blogs are ones that feature diy projects and pictures of the blogger's home.
and are cute.
and that's really what i want my blog to be.
but my blog isn't one of those.
yet.

and the projects just weren't happening.

well, some of them happened, but i kept feeling like the room had to be just perfect
before i could post the "after" pictures.

i have a tiny little piece of me that's a perfectionist.
(thank goodness it's not a big piece of me because i don't know how perfectionists get anything done! but boy oh boy, when they do get things done, it is really really amazing. i know, because i am related to some perfectionists and they are the most talented people i know!)
i have a little bit of "if i can't do it perfectly, i won't do it at all" in me.
so blog posts
take me forever.
get the photos right,
change the font,
edit five million times,
make sure spelling and grammar is perfect,
or as perfect as it can be in the middle of the night.

but i am changing my attitude.
because i have missed the goods.
so, i will figure out how to make a cute header on picasa.
i will do more projects and take lots of pictures
and share them with you.
but the pictures may or may not get edited
and they may or may not be in focus.
i will write.
and not edit and re-edit
and not go crazy trying to form perfect sentences.
or change the font to anything other than the default on blogger.
i am going to try and post more often
but with fewer words.
but there may be more misspelled words.
if i misspell a word, you will still come here, right?
because i am a really bad speller.
i recently found my CAT test scores from elementary school.
yeeeeeah, not such a high score in the "spelling" category.
but that is why we have spell check, right?

so, my apologies for my absence.
mom, especially to you.
for i am certain
that you have checked this blog
every day
for the past
6 months.
you love me.
and my horrible spelling.

i am so very excited about the projects i am working on right now.
too excited.
i laid in bed the other night from 11:30-2:00AM.
i could not turn my creative brain off.
laid there and designed and redesigned the playroom.

which is the room i'm working on right now.

(i know, i know, you are thinking, "uh, elisabeth, what the heck happened to the dining room? and all that crappy stuff you bought for really cheap at the thrift store that you promised would be fabulous? and didn't you post on facebook that you did a bunch of stuff to your kitchen?")

it's coming, it's coming. i have one more thing to do in the dining room
and then i will share.
lots to come....

back to me laying in bed at 2 am NOT asleep:
i kept thinking to myself,
i really should just get up and write all of these ideas down
so i remember them in the morning.
i think i fell asleep soon after that thought.

and i remembered in the morning!
and i will post pictures.
even if it's not perfect.
or done.
which it won't be.
because nothing is
perfect.
or done. ;)

this was long and no pictures.
thanks for sticking with me.
i've missed you,
it's good to be back.
~elisabeth

summer goods: a bit of a break

you may have noticed i have been a bit mia lately.

i guess you could say i'm taking a bit of a break.

just for the summer.

so that i can spend more time with

them

and them

and go here

and here

and do fun things like this

and this

and this

and this

and play with her

and her

and enjoy moments like this

and this.

but i will be back.

to talk about

this

and organizing things like these

and finding things like these.

i hope you are having a fun and memorable summer!

see you soon.

always,

~elisabeth