Update

Hello all.  You probably noticed that updates to this place dwindled and then stopped rather suddenly a while back.  Sorry for leaving you hanging, but my father suffered a rather severe stroke and my workplace has been dealing with, essentially, one continuous series of disasters for the last couple years.  It has been a trying time, but I hope that we will pull through. 

Thank you for the kind comments and support.  I hope that you all can forgive my lack of responsiveness to comments and posts.  I wish that I had more time to direct toward my hobbies and this blog, but I've got quite a full plate.

Though I don't have nearly as much free time as I once did, I'm still making progress on the home.  I'll try to get an updated house tour posted once I paint in the Spring, but here's a quick shot of what I've done in the office.

Fiber Art

Fiber art: some hate it, some can't get enough

If you fall in with the latter crowd, but can't find any fiber goodness in your area, you might want to check out your local Target.

Yep, Target, the prolific purveyor of cheap "dsigner-inspired" home goods, has taken another formerly-niche decor item and brought it to the masses.  I saw this display while out shopping for moving pads and thought that it was just too good not to share.

Vacation Part 2

I'm back with more thrift photos from my UK Christmas vacation.  There's quite a few blurry shots in this set, as I accidentally left my camera in HDR more while indoors, but I thought that I'd include them in anyway.  Look at all that lovely Scandinavian teak!

Vacation Time

It's the beginning of January, and you know what that means, right?

I'm back from my annual UK visit.  This is always a somewhat bittersweet time, as I'm glad to be home where I can see my friends, get back into my routine, and sleep in my own bed, but leaving my girlfriend behind gets me kind of down.  It's especially hard now that all of the buildup and excitement of the holidays is over and I'm back to dealing with the craziness at work and my dad's poor health, but that's enough about that.

I always make sure to hit up a few thrifts and antique spots while I'm over, just to give myself a good tease.  I can't really get much back in my suitcase, but it's always enjoyable to just have a look around and see something different.

Here's a few of the treasures that I found at the Herts and Essex Antique Center.

Going Mobile

Ugh, these shots are awful, but I'm posting from work without the DSLR, tripod, or decent lighting.

I figured that I'd begin sharing a few of the pieces that had made their way to the office.  That's right.  The furniture hoarding has now reached the point where the entire basement is filled and it has  spilled over into the plant.

Recovery

As you've likely heard, our fair city of St. Louis experienced a couple rough nights this week.  My heart goes out to everyone caught in the middle, including our friends over at Rocket Century who were right in the thick of it on South Grand.  Thankfully, they escaped unscathed, but many others were not so fortunate.

I hope that our community can make a speedy recovery and that those responsible for the unnecessary violence and destruction are swiftly brought to justice.

Getting back on topic, I thought that I'd follow up on my last post and link you all to the new MCM-inspired collection released by Ikea.  While many MCM enthusiasts may not hold them in particularly high regard, I actually really like a few of the pieces.  Check it all out here.  Apologies for the lack of English translation.

Chicago Trip

While most of my Chicago vacation was taken up with Halloween parties and Mexican food, I did make a few shopping trips.  You didn't think I'd come all that way and miss favorite Swedish homegoods store, did you?

It seems like every time that I pay Ikea a visit, they've got a few more MCM-inspired pieces on display.  Some might scoff at such things, but I'm actually a big fan.  These pieces look great and would suit anyone who is in the market for new rather than used.  Can't wait for the new location to open in St. Louis.

Aren't these armchairs cool? The one on the left is a reproduction of an actual model that they introduced back in the 1960's.

This surprisingly solid credenza is stained to look like teak and has all the wiring cutouts,  drawers, and shelves that you'd need for a modern media center.  My 1960's credenza required some jerry-rigging and cutting in order to fit everything inside, so that might be a big plus for some.