Early Risers, Bring May Flowers

Today I got up at the crack of dawn to head to my first ever garage sale excursion. A neighborhood here in Chicago was having a big sale that has been hyped up a bit so I thought it might be a nice time to scope out a bunch of sales all at once, but...it was a bust. Maybe I wasn't in the mood or maybe it's just seeing the junk in other people's garages that makes me realize I really don't need anymore junk of my own. Don't get me wrong, I won't give up on garage sales altogether but today I was particularly unimpressed so I might stick to vintage sales and thrift stores, etc. for the time being.

The good news is that being up so early on a gorgeous Sunday morning did inspire me to do something about our drab balcony. It has been neglected since the winter (and the winter before) and the rusty floor will likely not to be repainted & repaired until our Condo Association gets more funds. So I thought I needed to take matters into my own hands.

I went to Home Depot and bought some commercial grade, environmentally-friendly indoor/outdoor mats to cover the unsightly balcony floor.

Let's consider this a partial "before" pic. See 3 out of 5 mats down here, and notice the rust where we do not have a mat down yet...yes that should be black to match the railings!

Then I got an assortment of flowers, and a new plant stand with a huge terra cotta pot to sit on it. I filled each of my four green plastic planters with 2 white geraniums and 6 red salvia.

Then I put a stonecrop 'Sedum Autumn Joy' in a cute yellow planter on the bistro table.

I also filled the huge terra cotta pot with yellow, orange and red gerbera daisies.

And here's the end result...

I even had helpers, well more like onlookers, but I was glad to have them there for moral support :-)

Job well done, Lou-dog! (And yes, we like to taunt the Cubs fans here with our grill cover.)

Vintage Luggage Dog Bed Project

My parents have a set of mustard-yellow American Tourister luggage at home that I'm guessing is from the mid-1970's and was probably a wedding gift or purchased early in their marriage. Growing up I thought it was not-so-cute, and after a while it just sat in our storage room while we upgraded to various duffel and roller bags over the years. It looks just like this...

Fast forward 30 years or so, and I am so happy they've kept it around now that vintage luggage is back in vogue (as far as decor goes). Better yet, they said I am more than welcome to take it off their hands! As the saying goes, everything old is new again.

I still need to bring it back from Saint Louis next time I go visit, but that hasn't stopped me from planning exactly what I will do with it! My plan is to make a Vintage Luggage Dog Bed for my Louie-dog. He currently sits/sleeps on an ottoman near our floor to ceiling windows all day, but I think this will make a much cuter hangout.

Here are some of my inspirations pics from etsy seller 'vintagerenaissance' and her suitcase bed collection:

I also did a quick search on where I might be able to find my own mid-century modern legs to attach, and came across this great post on apartment therapy showing very affordable furniture legs from ace hardware.

12-inch legs $4.49 each

Then I would just need our drill and four of these angled leg plates for $2.79 each.

Since the legs are unfinished, I may paint them as well but I'll have to wait and see how it all comes together. Event though I may not be able to reveal this for a month or two since I don't have the suitcases in my possession yet, I still had to share my excitement about this potential new perch for my pup!

My First Subject: A Furry Little Gentleman

I busted my new camera out of the box today, and my dog Louie was my lucky first subject. I only shot a few; I didn't get carried away because I haven't even read the manual yet!

But here are the first few of the furry little fellow...

From his ottoman by the window, his own private perching place:

On the floor, by our bed. This is his nighttime resting place since his daddy doesn't allow him actually ON the bed:

And here he is with his perfect posture. Good Boy!:

These are by no means professional quality but they are already worlds above what comes out of my little point and shoot camera. Look out for MANY more photos to come... as soon as I know what I am doing ;-)