Fancy Bench

We've had this bench since we bought our home about 3.5 years ago. I found it for $20 and it sat in our dining room holding plants and a record player. Well when Jake started building our table (that post is soon to come), I realized I wanted to free up some room in the dining room. So I relocated the plants and record player and now had a bench with no home. Well, our bedroom was the perfect spot. I had tried a chair in their, but the shape wasn't right. We needed something long and narrow....like a bench. Because of course, every bedroom needs THAT chair or bench for you to drop all your clothes on, am I right? ;) So I used some sample paint I had sitting around, and then just threw together a cushion with fabric leftover from my dining chairs (see that post here). It is by no means a perfect job, but it works for our space perfectly! Also, check out our new bedding! (Still can't believe Jake likes it as much as I do).

Linen Shelves

Jake finished these shelves ages ago, but my good friend, Liz (read her blog here) has strongly encouraged (pushed) me to blog more so I need to catch up! And I believe this is the oldest house project that I need to blog about. We bought oak steps, yes, literal steps that go on a stairway, for the shelves. I painted them white (my one contribution to the project). Jake used 1x1s to frame in where the shelves would be and for the shelves to rest on. Seems like an easy project, right? That's what I thought. Because I'm the optimist here. But Jake the realist (or pessimist as I prefer to call him) said that no project is as easy as I make it out to be. In this instance he was correct.....because our walls aren't straight/square! Super fun. For Jake that is. I just watched. Well he did a magnificent job and now I have a lovely place for all our linens!

Before

After

Herb Garden

A year or so ago I attempted to start a potted herb garden on my porch because it looked adorable. Then I found out that my porch is so blazing hot that any living thing that couldn't live in a desert is basically incinerated and has no chance of survival. I wanted an herb garden, but I wanted it close to my kitchen (which is why the back deck is so perfect). Well I finally had a lightbulb moment (not sure why it took me so long to figure this out), but I built it right off the edge of the deck. Remember that massive pile of bricks we uncovered in our backyard? Well, they came in handy. And now I have a sweet little herb garden in very close proximity to my kitchen.

Side note: I have to repaint the rocks because I wasn't smart enough to check if the paint was waterproof. I figured this out when I watered the plants this morning.

The pile of bricks—all found in our backyard

Eclectic Nursery on a Budget

The Hippie Homestead Baby is due any day now! I cannot tell you how many times people have told us, "Having a baby is SO expensive. You have no idea how much all the stuff costs." To be honest, no, we don't. But seeing as I'm *planning* (stress that word since yes, our plans can always change) on breastfeeding and cloth diapering, hopefully our financial costs will be lower than average. All the STUFF babies "need" (read: what you're expected to have on hand for them here in America) costs so much. I wanted to write this post about furnishing the nursery to be a help and encouragement to pregnant women and their partners to show that you CAN put together a beautiful nursery on a budget. (What To Expect says to set aside $3000 just for the nursery!) So without further ado, here are the main items (with their prices and where I got them) that went into putting together the Hippie Homestead Nursery.

Crib—$70, Miracle Mart

Crib mattress—$35, Ikea

Crib Mobile—Free from church nursery (they were getting new ones)

Dresser—$75, SOS thrift store

Changing mat—$12, Switcharoos consignment

Shelves above Dresser—$28, wood/paint from Home Depot, made by Jake

Hot Air Balloon Mobile—$5, made by me

Closet organization wall unit—$178, Ikea

Closet wall hook—free from a church friend

Curtains—$21, one cost $1 at Restore, found matching one at Target for $20

Curtain rod—$38—Home Depot

Vintage Diaper Pail—Free from my cousin

Swing—Free from a church friend

Vintage Toy chest—$15, Antique Mall of Marietta

Glider/ottoman—$45, Here We Grow Again consignment

Lamp—Free from a friend

Lampshade—$16, Ikea

Table—$5, yard sale

Toy bookshelves—Free, by the dumpster

Paint and wood to redo the Toy Bookshelves—$28

Activity Tower—$7, Miracle Mart

Baskets—$20, Hobby Lobby

Rock n Play (not pictured)—$15, Goodwill

Pack n Play (not pictured)—$15, Salvation Army

Total Cost—$628

*All the art is either made by me, given to us, or collected by us in years past.

(Original art by me, Emily Warner, Ethan Mongin, Jeremiah Langner, Stacey Bradley, Cory Godbey, Michelle Radford, Kirsten Hansen, Kevin Isgett, and Jon Andrews)

Ice on the Homestead

It's been a long time since I did a post (which I noticed when my good friend Elizabeth (http://www.ecollinswriter.com) wrote a post that mentioned me and included a link to this blog. So I guess I could say she made inspired me to write this. I will tell you, Instagram has been my nemesis to blogging. Why would I bother to keep up with a blog about our little homestead when I can just instantly post a good-looking photo or photo collage to social media? Even as I sit here snuggled in my warm bed, happily typing away, my husband looked over and said, "A blog post?? What is this magic?" So...... here's a post. Mostly just pictures. Because who doesn't want to see how gorgeous our property is when it's iced over? And this is much better than just uploading a facebook album. Now, time for a hot beverage....

Our Winter Wonderland

The road in front of our house. ICE.

Our driveway. Also ICE.

See, no footprints. ICE.

Light Fixtures

We have several light fixtures we want to replace in our house. The worst culprit was the giant dining room ceiling fan. Here it is in all its glory:

  

So I wanted to find something smaller and with a whimsical feel. When I saw this piece for $5 at Restore, I knew it was what I wanted. Our dining room has some little brass accents and fun plants and a botanical study/library vibe. Now, I am fully aware that not all of you will see the whimsy I saw in this piece, and I can understand that—it is totally a 90s piece. But for some reason, I like it. So I fixed it up and my husband installed it.

So then I started frequenting the lighting section in Restore. Which is how I happened across this gem. Since it was obviously an outdoor light before I got it, it wasn't in great condition, which is probably why this was also only $5. Yay for an awesome deal twice!! 

At first I thought I wanted it to replace a light that we have outside our hallway bathroom. Then as Jake started installing it, I saw that we wouldn't actually be able to see it, and this piece really does need to be seen. I love the different colored beveled glass panels, and I wanted to be able to enjoy this fixture in a more "seen" area. So my patient husband wasted 25 minutes of his time and energy to stop installing it outside the bathroom, reinstall the old fixture there, and then uninstall a different light and install this fun one in its place. Bless him.

Here is the before (boring, typical light):

 

 

And here is the beautiful fixture I replaced it with:

 

 And the lesson from today: Shop at Restore!

Picture Update

To celebrate over 10,000 hits on my blog (most hits goes to How to Paint a Curve on the Wall), I thought I would just do a little post with some pictures from tonight. Enjoy.