Old Sweet Song » sweet home sweet

If these wall could talk…

Amy — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 12:53:00 +0000

They would say “damn, we look good.” I finally hung some of my art this weekend. Yahoo!

Clockwise from top left: Manhattan Poster by Jim Datz, an Amy original, “Relax” print by YeeHaw Industries, Jawja Peaches folk art, Dave Matthews Band concert print by FarmBarn Art Co., Love Candy print by madebygirl and Keep Calm and Carry On.

*info on the wall color.

The Living Room Files

Amy — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 12:55:05 +0000

Our living room is coming along (I guess it should be considering we’ve lived here for over a year). And it’s definitely the room I’ve put the most effort into probably because it’s where I spend the most time. I love the room; hard wood floors, a wall of exposed brick, mint-y green walls and a big sliding glass door. It’s a little too cluttered for my liking but until I get a lobotomy and turn into an organized and clean person I will have to accept that. I’ve done a pretty solid job bringing together a pretty random assortment of items and making it quasi-work. I’m a big fan of lots of color and fun details. I love the room so far but want to keep working on it. In the vain of Nicole and my BF Marth, who always makes these, I did some inspiration boards. The first one is a little snippet of what we already have in the room to give you an idea of how it feels. The second one is the fun one, the wish list.

(pictured: our red couche, exposed brick, paint color, ikea sideboard, crate & barrel coffee table, blik light bulb wall decals, some of my assorted art work and a representation of my type writer collection.)

(what I want: a multi-color bunting that I plan to make myself similar to this one from SparklePower, Marquee Alphabet Light from Urban Outfitters, fun throw pillows in bright colors from catstudio and crate & barrel, I can’t imagine spending $200 on a throw blanket but I like the look of the Quirky Heirloom Throw from Anthro, Vincent Graphite Twin Sleeper from CB2, I loved this Sol Console Table from CB2 and although they don’t make it anymore I plan on recreating it DIY-style, and a black and white striped rug).

Kitchen Dreams

Amy — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 13:53:39 +0000

What if I was the kind of lady who wore a cute retro apron? Maybe I would bake amazing from-scratch chocolate chip cookies (which I still have never done, mine are always too cakey). And if I did that I would surely keep my eggs and butter in these charming, vintage-inspired holders. That would be nice.

Dear Anthropologie, OK we get it. You are unbelievably awesome and perfect in every way. Love, Amy

Keep calm and love…

Amy — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 13:46:32 +0000

Love really is all you need, you know. And I just ordered this Love Candy print in watermelon from made by girl (which is a cute shop to bookmark, by the way). I’m planning to hang it in my living room. I think I’m going to splurge and get it framed, along with my “keep calm…” print. Then I’ll hang them next to each other and they can be best pals. And because I guess I have too much time on my hands, here’s a rough rendering of what it might look like. I think I’m digging it.

Home Sweet Home

Amy — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 13:16:22 +0000

I dream of a house. I dream of a house with a yellow door. I hope to own and live in one someday. That is all.

Note: I lose track of where I get all of my images so if you think I got one of these from you or your blog please let me know. Thanks!

Party Tips

Amy — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 14:32:16 +0000

Due to my sister’s swine flu outbreak this holiday season, our NYC holiday gathering had to be canceled. We just hosted the rescheduled version this weekend. It was a huge success and a ton of fun. Here are a couple of tips for the future parties you’ll be hosting someday.

1) In lieu of anything fancy just drop some votives into a cluster of glass jars that you may have in your kitchen. It’s not over the the top but still looks lovely and festive. I had a bunch of jars left from my pickling adventures and it worked out well. I think baby food jars would be great also. To be fair, I borrowed this idea from Rachel but after trying it this weekend I fully endorse it.

2) I’m not a big fan of wine charms. They usually aren’t all that cute and the person has to remember what color they were which gets more difficult as the night progresses and the wine continues to flow. I stuck a cheap key ring (available at any office supply store) onto each wine glass and put out a cup of colored pens. People can write their name or their initials and usually everyone can at least remember that.

Organizational Therapy

Amy — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:12:05 +0000

As I mentioned, one of my new years resolutions is to declutter. And with decluttering comes organizing. I’ve read that you need to have a place for everything. I find this to be a very interesting proposition because I most certainly do not have a place for everything. Not even close. So moving forward I will try to find a designated place for all of my thing. And if the thing does not have a place then perhaps it should be thrown away or donated. I feel like this has got to help me declutter, right? Another thing that might help are these cute baskets in which to stow things. I have mentioned my love for the bike basket version but I lurve the idea of seeing this regularly around he homestead, it would surely make me smile.

Spotted these baskets being put to very cute use here.

Found one!

Amy — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 16:59:05 +0000

I’ve been craaaaaaaving a delicious holiday-esque scented candle to fill the apartment with a warm and cozy scent. Here’s the thing, I kind of HATE any food or food adjacent smelling candles. So no gingerbread, pumpkin or cranberry for me. I lurve to eat all of those items but the candles usually make me want to vomit/give me a raging headache. I also don’t love pine-y candles either. So that doesn’t leave with many options. Found a pretty awesome one last night though, Illume Aurora Tins in Fireside from my beloved Anthro. I’m embarrassed I spent $18 on a candle but it does smell delish! Do you have any fave holiday candles?

Some office decor for you?

Amy — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:23:49 +0000

Hey there, remember I mentioned I am working on getting my office more settled and cute? Well I did a little work this weekend. Check out my little inspiration clotheslines. The perfect place to collect bits of inspiration, little keepsakes, photos and anything else that makes me smile. All it took was 4 nails, some twine and clothespins. I grabbed whatever I had lying around, but the best part is you can keep changing it again and again. I kind of love it as an upgrade to the old bulletin board look. Thoughts?

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, etc.

Amy — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:01:28 +0000

Living in NYC, our kitchen storage is very limited. I try to keep stuff pretty organized and am always on the look out for helpful storage tips or plans. Have you seen those magnetic storage tins for spices? I love the idea and even bought a few to try out on my fridge. They felt too huge on my tiny fridge but I wanted to find another way to use them. Lucky for me, my boyfriend happens to be a genius and he came up with an awesome way to use the magnetic tins. We glued rulers to the underside of the cabinets so the spice tins hang upside down. I made labels using rubber stamps that I scanned, scaled down and printed onto sticker paper. It worked out pretty perfectly, and the spices are all within easy reach when I am cooking. Plus they look cute all in line, right? I’m kind of in love with it. What do you think?

p.s. Even though foam mounting tape is pictured here, do not use it. I tried that first and it wasn’t strong enough so I redid with Gorilla glue.

*Update: Our storage solution made it to The Kitchn. Check it out, we’re famous!