The musk ox

That's really all. I got a musk ox and I love him.

He's hand painted, carved of solid wood, and probably older than I am. Some of the gold paint still reflects light. I picked him up at Goodwill for $2 and now he's keeping the giraffe company on my coffee table.

Lacy steampunk wedding jewelry

Two of my dearest friends just married each other, and I got to stand up for them. They were extremely thoughtful and let the bridesmaids choose their own dresses and jewelry, ensuring that we would have something we liked, fit us well, and that we would wear again.

I couldn't find any jewelry I liked, so I decided to make my own. I was hoping for a lace-meets-steampunk look, since their decor was heavy on lace and the reception was in a converted factory. I found little pendants that look like a combination of lacy flowers and industrial cogs.

I wanted the necklace to mimic the sweetheart neck of my dress. And I wanted the earrings to hang down a bit, since I would probably have my hair up.

I don't actually have any jewelry making supplies, so I had to use a bottle opener, kitchen scissors, and a lot of patience. I don't recommend it.

I'm really happy with how they came out. I especially like how the earrings can look like Native American dreamcatchers, if you don't realize they're filigree leaves and not feathers. The only trick was making sure the necklace hung evenly, which I fixed by sticking it to my chest with double-sided tape. It looked just right in all the pictures and I never had to fuss with it.

Oriental lamp

Every once in a while I see something in a thrift store that I just can't pass up. I hate knowing that something will probably be gone the next time I come back if I don't get it now, and I'll probably never find the same thing again for the same price.

This lamp is one of those finds. It's an antique blue and white oriental design that works so well with the blue and white comforter and painted ceramic birds in my bedroom.

At $15 it was a bit of a splurge, but I think it was worth it. It didn't come with a shade, so that was another thrifting trip and $5.

I love the soft light it throws. And I really like the combination of traditional lines with a modern shade.

What have you brought home that you couldn't bear to pass up?

Don Quixote (or how I brought home a ridiculously heavy statue)

The best part of thrift stores is finding bizarre, one-of-a-kind treasures that seem totally worthless to the general population. I have a terrible habit of bringing these things home.

I read Don Quixote de la Mancha when I was in middle school, and again when I took Spanish courses. I didn't understand much of it the first time around, but I loved the quirkiness of Don Quixote. So of course, when I saw this ridiculous statue in Goodwill, I was sure it was him.

Don't you love the shadow on the wall? I mean really, how many people have carved statues of knights in armor riding on horseback in their living rooms?

Besides, he coordinates well with the African figurine by the couch...

...and the Remington painting of a man on horseback. 

Poor Chris was with me in Goodwill while I debated whether I could take it home (it was $5, after all). He helpfully suggested that I could get rid of the ugly orange camel that had been living on top of the bookshelf. He dislikes Don Quixote less than he dislikes the camel, so it's a win-win for both of us. :)

Sorry, camel!

Antique, eclectic seating

When I was laid up with mono for several months, I spent a lot of time thinking about how I wanted to live when I finally got healthy. I made lots of lists, and one of them was what I hoped to someday do in a place of my own. One of those ideas was to have a bench as part of my dining room seating.

Amazingly in just over a year I got an apartment with a dining room, found a table I loved that didn't come with chairs, and had the budget to buy seating. My brother just moved into an off-campus apartment, so he needed the table and chairs I had been using (which had been in our parents' first place, and belonged to our grandparents before that). I hit craigslist with a vengeance, looking for sturdy seating that would somehow fit the style of my old house and semi-modern teak table.

I found this amazing school bench from the 1900s. It's in great condition, considering its age, and the wood is absolutely beautiful. The seat folds up for easy transport, which is increasingly important to me as I think about how I'll ever get all this stuff out if I move. I paid $65, which seems like kind of a lot, but it's a beautiful, unique piece that I'm confident I can resell if I need to move and can't take it with me.

The bench is just a few inches shorter than the table, so people can slide off it without having to move the whole bench away from the table. It fits up to four people but doesn't feel lonely with one or two, which gives me a lot of flexibility in hosting. It also avoids the awkwardness of working around the table legs, which limit the number of chairs I can fit on each side.

I had also hoped to find mismatched but similarly shaped old wood chairs that I could paint teal. In a fit of idealism I set my budget at $7 a chair. After months of searching craigslist and all the local thrift stores I realized that no one going to give away solid wood chairs for $7, and I upped my budget to $20 each. 

Finally I saw a craigslist ad for three semi-matching antique oak chairs at $25 a pop. By the time I called the owner he had lower the price to $20. I really like the backs of the chairs and their curved legs. They're all different, but share the same general lines. The slight curves mimic the curves of the bench, which I love. The wood is in such great condition that I've decided not to paint them. I think another bright color would be a little too much in that room anyway.

When I picked up the chairs, the owner told me I had read the ad wrong and it was $20 total. I still can't believe he gave up three gorgeous antique chairs for less than $7 each (matching my original budget!). They do need a little work on the seats, but the wood is in great condition and there are so many little details that I couldn't find on modern chairs. Just look at the clawfoot legs!

I'm so, so happy with the way my dining room looks and functions now. It feels like the right blend of modern, traditional, and quirky, with plenty of character.

Have you tried blending styles in a room? How did it turn out?

Bangladeshi rickshaw painting

My friend Albert collects the most interesting things from his life around the world. Among his treasures are several Bangladeshi rickshaw paintings. Traditional rickshaws have gorgeous, ornately painted panels on the back. According to Albert, fewer rickshaws are using hand painted art now, making the existing painted panels even more precious. His wife, however, finally won the battle to get one of their panels out of the house. It's in my home now.

Isn't that seriously cool and quirky? I love the colors. Really the only place in my apartment that can handle such bright colors is the dining room. The hanging lanterns pick up the same reds, pinks, yellows, and greens.

The painting is too small to stand on its own in that room, so I trolled craigslist for a frame. I wanted one that would have similar dimensions to the frames on the adjoining wall, and that would blend with the other painting's frame under the windows. After cutting through two layers of wood glue, cardboard, and broken glass, I had a functional frame.

I lined the center of the frame up with the center of the frames on the adjoining wall, for visual continuity. I wasn't sure what to do with the extra space below the painting. Right now I'm hanging the quirky gourds I decorated and didn't have a place for (incidentally a gift from Albert's garden).

I like the symmetry of three faces and three gourds. I wanted the body of one gourd in the frame, one coming out of it, and one hanging below it. It's pretty weird looking, but I like it.

This room is becoming more and more fun to be in. :)

Housewarming punched metal lantern

My mom gets my style really, really well. Often when she comes to stay she brings something she's found that fits perfectly in my home. This weekend she brought a seriously cute punched metal lantern.

See that design near the top of the side panel? I thought it looked familiar...

It matches the wall stencil...

...and even the bottom pattern on my other punched lantern. 

Thanks, Jane!

Hiding old glass lamp shades

My dining room light is pretty ugly. The original glass shade isn't bad if you don't look at it too closely, but it's not made for modern light bulbs. When I moved in the dining room was sporting a massive energy efficient bulb that stuck out 4 inches past the bottom of the shade. To cut down on the glare, I hung a basket over the bulb with fishing line. This was meant to be a temporary solution, but as you can see, I kept it that way for a year.

The biggest problem is that the glass shade is 6" in diameter, and I couldn't take it off. I needed something that would have a wide enough opening to fit around the existing shade. All of the paper lanterns I looked at had a wire across the top, cutting the open space in two. I started looking at bamboo shades and burlap canisters, but they were too expensive for my budget. Most had their own wiring and hanging systems already. Finally I settled on a regular lamp shade that I found at Goodwill.

The straight sides of the shade are crucial--they allow me to flip it upside down without getting an awkward shape. This means the crossbars are at the bottom, leaving the top open to fit around the existing glass shade.

I used picture hanging wire to attach the shade. It took a bit of work to figure out how high the bulb should be, so I was glad for the flexibility of the wire. 

And for $7 I have a modern, cleaner look and no glare.

Painted handles

Confession: I am addicted to hand painted details. I used to spend far too long in the painted drawer knob aisle at World Market, trying to pick a favorite. Once I bought a knob, not knowing if I would ever use it, just because I loved it. Now it's part of my bedside table, where it matches perfectly.

I was sitting at the kitchen island the other day, staring at the sleek silver knobs on the little table next to my stove, when I realized that silver knobs don't fit that room at all. It may look a little kitchy and over-the-top, but I had to switch them out for painted ceramic knobs.

The original knobs fastened differently, so I had to do a little tweaking and even drill through a layer of solid wood. That was pretty exciting without an electric drill. I don't recommend carving through wood by hand, for the record.

I choose red and teal for the red pots and pans and the teal in the curtain on the back door.

It doesn't matter at all in the big scheme of things, but these little details make me happy.

Critters

I love living alone. I really really do. But sometimes, it a little bit sucks that there's no one to share the dirty work with.

For instance, I don't really like being the one to clear away the spider webs across the doorways every morning (usually with my face). I don't like being the only attempting to catch mice, and feeling like I'm outnumbered by little furry things. I really don't like when I have to seal up the skunk's nest under my porch late at night.

And I hate taking out the trash. One day I went to throw away a bag, and the cart was tipped over. As soon as I tipped it up I saw the tail.

I was pretty sure I was about to get in a fight with an angry, hungry squirrel.

Nope. Just some poor sucker who pinched himself to death trying to get at my trash. 

Once I got past the grossness (and found a stick to flip him off the edge), I couldn't stop laughing. I may have to deal with all the annoying gross moments, but I also get to be a part of all the hilariously gross moments. 

Who deals with the gross stuff at your house?

Confession: I didn't plant a garden this year.

For some reason, I thought I could accomplish all my hopes for my life in one year. I got a great job right out of college, I found my own place, I made it welcoming and beautiful, I planted bulbs that bloomed beautifully, I transferred my church membership and integrated more fully into my church as an adult, I ate minimal amounts of meat, I supported local businesses, I built new and exciting friendships, and I started getting more comfortable with my new, post-college identity.

But one of my expectations for grown up living was that I would grow my own vegetables. And I thought I would rock at it on the first try.

Look at that confidence. Having taken a class on urban agriculture, coming from a long line of farmers and gardeners, and feeling somewhat settled in my neighborhood, I felt that a huge garden would be easy.

So I ordered seeds (heirloom, since they're the coolest colors, best tasting, and are less boring than the stuff you find in grocery stores) and mapped out my garden.

How to get a table off craigslist and into your home.

I have a new dining room table! I'm so excited about it. I had been watching craigslist for many months, waiting for something great to come along. Every time I considered a table I was worried about a few things:

• the wood might clash with the many other wood colors in the house
• it might not fit through the door
• it could be too big for my next living space
• it could be too big for one person! I didn't want to eat alone at a table for 12.
• I didn't have a way to transport big furniture
• I didn't want to spend more than $160

I already had the kitchen table my parents had used in their first house, so I wasn't desperate. But I definitely didn't feel comfortable having big groups over for meals or game nights. Remember how small that table was in that big room?

So sad and empty. Adding paint and a rug helped, but the table was still just too small for any real entertaining.

Finally I found a great piece on craigslist. It's a teak top with a really beautiful grain and metal legs. The owners had cut it to fit their new space, leaving a large square and a smaller addition.