Thrift Store Finds

Yay, the weekend is ahead and guess what? I'm heading to the Philly airport to pick up my dad on Sunday who will be staying with us for 2 weeks. My daughter is so excited and keeps asking me when it's finally time to go get Opa! She said that 14 days aren't enough, she thinks it should at least be 100 days. My kids love heading to the airport. So if I'm not posting as much next week as I usually do, then you know why, ok? On the other hand I will have some more time since my dad is a wonderful cook (he loves it) and he plans a great meal for the family every night so his daughter doesn't have to cook. We are all looking forward to that ;)

I have been getting some really cute things at the thrift store lately and I know that if you have been following me on Instagram then this is probably old news for you but I feel like sharing anyway.
And yes there is a theme and I think I have to stop myself at some point.

So check it out:

This is a really heavy larger brass vase.

A brass wall light fixture that I wanted to use for my latest project but now I'm not sure.

A box, that is kind of odd, but I dig it!

A tall and thin brass candle stick.

A wooden antelope, apple, pear
and a large brass jingle bell which my daughter is taking to school for show and tell today.

Brass frame

And, hey, a Nate Berkus box for $2!

And the next thing is kind of a strange but I really love it. It's a brass musical butterfly object which plays swan lake. It would be so cute for our daughter's room and she loves the music. But can I say something else? How annoying are those price stickers?? They drive me insane! Killing me! Does it drive you nuts when you get stickers that leave all kinds of sticky residue behind. What do you use to remove this stuff? I use peanut butter, yup. I keep rubbing and rubbing but it takes foreveeerrrr. It was a very bad idea though to let a 6 year old help me trying to apply peanut butter to sticky sticker residue. What a disaster!

Come on people, really? At least use the underside of the piece.

I totally forgot to take a photo of my favorite item which is a flower pot with a lion head on it. I'm using it for one of my orchids. Here is just a bad cellphone picture of the head. I love this flower pot!!

So what do you think? Are you all forming a blogger intervention now? I will be spending my time trying to find room for all those things. And I know that a lot of people still think that all this stuff is ugly. I hear it from my neighbor all the time, LOL!

Well and oh wait, here is a sneak peak of what I have been working on and I hope I can reveal it next week. Hmmm, what is it?

I'm wishing all you fabulous bloggy friends and readers a great weekend.

Tschüß,

Having Fun with Spring Mood Boards

How was your weekend? I tried to minimize my computer and iPhone usage this weekend and it was quite enjoyable! Yesterday I spent my afternoon at my kids soccer games and it feels so good to sit outside again and not in a stuffy gym for wrestling. I hate sitting on those bleachers all day, they really kill my back.
I will try to catch up on some blog reading today again.

So today I'm doing something different. I've met some great ladies on the blogosphere two weeks ago. Or wait, I met Amy from "The Blissful Bee" a while ago on Hometalk and we found mutual interest with our kitties. She invited me to have some mood board fun with a group of other bloggers.

So lets see if you guys like this type of post since it's not my usual thing. Let me know!

We each designed a mood board that was inspired by this, 

isn't it pretty?

This inspiration was picked by Carissa from carissa miss

Do you want to see all the pretty stuff we came up with?

This is my board:

I love every single thing on it 

1. York Wallcoverings Oriental Spring Blossoms (Pattern #: GG4717)
2. Pier1 Radiant Mirror
3. Chive Inc: Gideon Planet Moon
4. Target Threshold Brass Lamp Base
5. ZGallerie Pierre Sofa

6. Rugs USA: Serendipity Rug

7. Chive Inc:  Pooley 2 8-Tube Classic Vase
8. West Elm Branch Side Table

Wouldn't this be a great living or family room?
I certainly would be happy with it.

Let's move on to the rest of the ladies!!

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 

Meet Carissa from carissa miss 
who is also having a giveaway on her blog today:

"I'm Carissa from carissamiss! I blog mostly about design and my DIY projects in my house, but I love sharing my menu planning ideas and easy recipes I make too.

My most popular DIY projects have been my DIY Restoration Hardware Trestle Table {recently featured on knockoffdecor.com} and my DIY Entry Way Board and Batten. I like to tackle whatever creative project I can!"

print/pillow/flower art/

green striped bow/round rug/fabric

print/swimsuit/vase

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 

Meet Samantha from Designer in Teal

"I'm Samantha and I blog over at Designer in Teal! I mostly blog about Interior design but lately I have been sharing more of my everyday life, wedding inspiration and anything in between.

My latest project is Design in Your Home (a link-up for other bloggers to share their homes and maybe even get featured)."

Resources

Casbah chair- Pier One

Gold Ceramic garden stool- World Market

Golden Yellow Pillows- Target

Multicolored Pillows- Etsy

Outdoor Dining Table- World Market

Hanging Lanterns- World Market

Green Stripe Outdoor Rug- Pier One

Plates: West Elm

Tray: World Market

Planter: Ikea

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 

Meet Amy from The Blissful Bee

Hey guys - I'm Amy from The Blissful Bee! I am a graphic designer and photographer by trade, but seriously love {all things design}. I'm kind of obsessed with interior design and dream of living in a 100 year old craftsman one day:) If I had to choose, I think my favorite project of all time would have to be my DIY Factory Cart Table that my hubby and I built together. I would love it if you would stop by to visit me sometime over at The Blissful Bee!

To see my items from this set, click through [here].

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Meet Melissa from Eleven Sixty

I'm Melissa and I blog at Eleven Sixty

I have a passion for interior decorating,
but I also write about life's happenings and everything that make it so lovely.

frame around inspiration photo // mirror // succulent pencil cup // desk // desk chair // wastebasket // lamp base // lamp shade accent table // bamboo blinds (no link) // chevron curtains // pillow lounge chair // ottoman // magazine rack // knob // animal figurines // rug

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 

Meet Beth from Design Your Dwelling

Hi, I'm Beth, the author blogger behind Design Your Dwelling, an interior design and lifestyle blog, looking to inspire people to lead a beautiful life! I love home decor, fashion, and a splash of inspiration on a regular basis as well as working with interior design clients to design a space they love to live in!

So that's that my friends. It was fun designing a mood board with some other fabulous ladies but I will go back to my regular posts on Wednesday with a barstool makeover that I just finished.
Don't forget to stop by.

Remember, you can still enter in my Jonathan Alder earbud giveaway (click HERE) until tomorrow evening and Carissa is also having a giveaway (click HERE to go to her blog).

Guten Tag!

(Youleeya)

A Little Jonathan Adler Giveaway and a FEATURE!

Yay it's Friday! And I have some awesome things to share with you today that I'm very excited about.

First of all Jen from City Farmhouse is featuring our home today. YAY! Her house and blog are so beautiful and I'm so honored to be featured by such an inspirational, stylish and sweet blogger. 

Thank you so much for having me on your blog today Jen.

So please head on over to her blog and check it out by clicking HERE.

(Psst, by the way my hubby looks a little googly eyed on our family photo because he had one too many Schnaps with the German guys ;) LOL ... can you tell? That's what happens there on vacation sometimes! The plural for Schnaps is Schnappses sounds wrong though somehow, doesn't it?)

Now, if you have been following me for a while then you all know how much I love Jonathan Adler, right? I mean I just posted about his great JCP line last week. (click HERE if you missed it). I have to say it once again: I'm cuckoo for Jonathan Adler and that's why I just received something fabulous in the mail from a great company called Lifeguard Press.

Can you believe that they sent me a Jonathan Adler luggage tag and ear buds (aka small headphones), since I travel to Europe every summer? How cool is that?
And on top of it they are honeycomb patterned like my new fabulous light fixture. The tag is so pretty and colorful and will make any boring suitcase stand out. I guess I won't have to stand next to the luggage belt anymore searching for my suitcase because with this tag it will stand out from all the luggage.

I love the ear buds too and now I can listen to some music on my iPhone in style because they even match my iPhone case which is of course white and turquoise ;)

And they come with different sized soft ear inserts!

You should check out all the other great stuff they have. You all said that the Jonathan Adler line at JCP was still on the pricey side and I agree, but if you like him as much as I do than you can, for sure, find some affordable accessories on their website. And if you don't care for J. Adler as much as I do than you might find something else, because they also carry Lilly Pulitzer, Susan Wallace Barnes and Dylan's Candy Bar.

I see some great Mother's Day or graduation gifts, 

don't you think so? 

Here are some of my other favorites,

well besides my new earbuds and luggage tag. I might never see the earbuds again though since my son took them right after school for his iPod and hasn't given them back to me. He says that he really loves the soft parts that go into his ear and they are the first buds to fit the hubby's cauliflower ears ;)

1. Jonathan Adler Giant Squirrel Eraser • 2. Jonathan Adler Whale Notepad 

3. Jonathan Adler Headphones • 4. Jonathan Adler Dog Bowl Mat

5. Dylan's Candy Bar Scented iPhone Case • 6. Dylan's Candy Bar iPad Cover

And guess what they are also giving one lucky reader a set of ear buds, if you don't like them for yourself then you can win them for that special grad or mother and you won't need to buy a present!!

Enter here

Entry-Form

The winner will be drawn randomly on Tuesday evening.

And by the way these were all my own opinions and y'all know that I'm not fibbing since it's not a secret how much I love Jonathan Adler and being 'Happy Chic'!

Good luck and I wish you all a great weekend.

(Youleeya)

Things my mother doesn't like

Hi friends, how was your weekend? I hope it was as sunny and productive as mine!
I got a lot of things done but nothing that I can share with you guys yet. I primed my furniture piece and worked on some other projects.

I saw Centsational Girl's post about her new "Best of DIY" website which is a library dedicated to home improvement and interior decorating ideas. If you have been featured on her "Best of the Blogosphere" before than you are on her new site as well. And I'm so happy to see my DIY ceiling fixture (all the way at the bottom) and my secretary desk makeover (updated secretary) on her new site too. Well to me it's special to get featured by the Queen of blogging :)

So I thought I'd share with you the things my mother hates in our house today. I mentioned a couple of projects ago that I would write about some things she can't stand. After all she is my toughest critic and she doesn't hold back.

Number one on her list in our house is...
...the way I hung our faux taxidermy heads on wood slices in our bedroom:

Do you know what she said? Can you guess? And before I share, I have to say that I agree with her BUT..., yes a big fat BUT!!! She doesn't like that the heads are hanging so close to the TV and I agree and here is the big fat BUT: I'm afraid of heights and the line above the molding is way above my comfort zone. You all know how much I like to paint our walls but the ceiling above the molding didn't get painted for 13 years. It was still the builders white and last year I finally convinced King Konya to paint it for me. I can't stand standing on a ladder to paint that high.
That said if I would hang the animal heads above that line like my mother says, and I would decide I didn't like it anymore after some time, then the wall would need to get touched up and painted again...I just simply couldn't handle it. Haha, I'm not kidding. I do have my limits and that is totally it. I don't want to bug the hubs about painting the cathedral ceiling anytime soon and I really can't handle it myself.

Number two on my mom's list are my gold chevron lamp shades:

In her own words: "If this would be my house they would not be on those lamps! There is just one too many patterns here and those got to go." In this case I don't agree with her because I happen to love those lamp shades even though chevron is overdone. I still want to live with them for now.

And number 3 is the gold polka dot ceiling.
But I should say WAS because in this case I convinced her. She likes the dots after seeing the finished project.

And last but not least she's not on the same page when it comes to my lighted Gnomeo. And in this case I just don't care again, because I love him. He is the Gnomeo to my Julia or should I say Youleeya!

Sorry this is an iPhone picture but he does have a permanent spot on this shelf.

There are just some things where I won't budge, do you have those decor items too, or is it just me? And you all know how I like the quirky items.

I totally wish my mom and dad could just stop in whenever they want to instead of reading about it on my blog but this is just the way it is. They live across to ocean in the country I was born in and I look forward to their yearly visit. My dad's visit is coming up this month and the best part is always picking him up from the airport. My parents come on different trips which solves two purposes: I get to have two visits instead of one combined stay and they don't have to leave their beloved baby/rescue puppy with someone else.

I think I might have to take a small blog vacation when he is visiting since it is a special time that I don't want to miss.

So this is it for today and I'm going to play hooky now and go NYC!!

Talk to you on Wednesday und guten Tag.

(Youleeya)

Cuckoo for Jonathan Adler!

Well, well, well...I'm still full from yesterday. We had a fun Easter lunch at my father-in-law's house and I can once again say for sure that my kiddos are spoiled. Really spoiled.

After stuffing myself entirely (yeah the dinner rolls do it to me every time...I can't stop myself), I did some window shopping on the web snuggly on the couch while it rained outside.
I read on Sarah's blog (from laquer & linen, click here to see her post) last week, that Jonathan Adler has a JCP line now. I had to check it out for myself because I just love him and have been so upset that I can't afford any of his designs. He also had a line available on the Home Shopping Network but there wasn't that much great stuff.
I don't know why but I always pictured Jonathan Adler doing a line for Target one day. I guess JCPenney it is instead.

Here are some of my favorites and there is so much more:

Charlotte Apple Bookends
$38

Tray with Handles
$60

Retro Floral Wool Rectangular Rugs
$500 - $800

Charlotte Duvet Cover Set & Accessories
$32 - $160

Crescent Heights Armchair
$450

Lacquer Medium Pedestal
$40

Charlotte Green Ceramic Table Lamp
$95

Lola Flower Square Pillow
$32

Glass Globe Ceiling Light Fixture 

$90

Katie Round Pouf
 $90

 Crescent Heights Tufted 85" Sofa
$1,850

Elizabeth Squirrel Magazine Holder
$25

Striped Ceramic Vase
$50

Bleecker TV Cabinet
$800

Don't you think the apple bookends would be perfect for me?

But $38 is still pretty expensive I think!

The items are still a little pricey but if you compare them to the pieces on his website than you know that they are a lot cheaper at JCP.

I do miss some of his signature fun items from his high end line that I'm still not able to afford.

I'm in love with his needlepoint pillows, his funny pottery and sculptures. And there is none of that in the JCPenney line. I'm kind of bummed about that.

This is what I'm talking about:

And again there is so much more on his website. I pretty much love it all!

anchor sculpture
$150

Canisters
$98 - $138

18 x18 multi bargello honeycomb pillow
$165.00

lion needlepoint pillow
$98.00

aquarius zodiac pillow
$98.00

What do you think? Are you a Jonathan Adler fan or is it just too colorful and off the wall for you?  

If you've been following me for a while then you know that I like a little quirky and funny decor here and there and he certainly delivers just that... I'm cuckoo for Jonathan Adler!

Talk to you on Wednesday fellow web friends.

Und guten Tag.

(Youleeya)