Phone Photo Friday

04/20/2012

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Posted by mahlbrandt

In with the Old, Out with the New

04/18/2012

For the past five years—ever since we bought our mid-century modern ranch—Jason and I have been buying old things to replace our new things. We found a set of vintage end tables at a thrift store, came home and put our new-ish IKEA tables on craigslist.  We found an old dresser on the side of the road and gave our new-ish dresser away to some friends. And we kept going and going. Most recently we traded in our new-ish sofa and bed frame for 1950s sofa and bed frame replacements. It’s not just because we love the style of the vintage replacements; but also because of the quality. Things from that era were made to last. Why buy new, more expensive furniture that doesn’t stand up over time when we can spend less on vintage wares that just need refinished or cleaned up?

Well, I’m afraid we’ve taken our philosophy one step further…we’ve entered into the realm of classic cars.

It’s not a mid-century car. We’re not that brave yet. (Maybe someday we’ll have something as sweet as this 1963 Falcon!) We got ourselves a 1988 Mercedes-Benz 300SE. Quite a contrast to the all practical suburban workhorse we bought last spring, our Silver Bullet.

Fun fact: when this car was new, it cost 3x as much as the home Jason’s parents bought in the 80s. And much like furniture from the golden age, this car was built to last with style and quality would couldn’t find in a new-ish car…at least not for the same price.

I’m not going to lie…we were sort of wooed by the design. We love the boxy navy blue exterior and the tan leather interior—and it’s in amazing condition for the age. It has all kinds of fun buttons that we’re still figuring out, a huge sunroof, a thermostat climate control dial, ashtrays and cigarette lighters in the back doors.

In with the old…that means it was time to kick out our new (10 year old) Ford Focus. It’s a little bit sad to say goodbye to the ole’ Green Meanie. It’s taken us a lot of places in the 8 years that we owned it and it’s been a good little car, but it is time to move on. We’ll let someone else eek the last couple years out of it.

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Posted by mahlbrandt

Phone Photo Friday

04/13/2012

Somebody got a big haircut…

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Posted by mahlbrandt

Light Ideas

04/11/2012

This whole home building process is taking a loooooong time. We’re still waiting on bids from the general contractors (hopefully we’ll get numbers this week) and the banker just told us the approval process (checking references of the GC we chose, approving our construction loan, appraising the house based on plans, etc.) could take another month. Ugh! We just wanted to get started with the building already.

I’m trying to make good use of this waiting time by researching interior fixings for the house and making some decisions about things like paint colors, materials, appliances, etc. So I’ve been looking at lights lately. Here are some that I’m dreaming about…

Source: younghouselove.com via Martina on Pinterest

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Source: makingitlovely.com via Martina on Pinterest

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Source: makingitlovely.com via Martina on Pinterest

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Source: westelm.com via Martina on Pinterest

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Source: westelm.com via Martina on Pinterest

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Posted by mahlbrandt

Phone Photo Friday

04/06/2012

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Posted by mahlbrandt

New Home Update

04/04/2012

Yesterday Jason, Precious, Lucy and I took a morning walk around the block and stopped by our property to say check on it. Jason wanted to inspect our fruit trees—the cherries and pear we transplanted from our last yard—while I just wanted to admire our giant white dogwood tree.

We met with a team of contractors at Starbucks later in the day. They seem like really nice guys and we had a lot in common personally, too. They’re a family business and all three of them are married and have kids. One of the guys has six, two of which they’re adopting through foster care. We also know some people in common. One of the three original general contractors who were putting together bids has dropped out. We haven’t gotten numbers back yet from the other two yet and it’s been 2.5 weeks. We’re getting antsy. We want to get started!

1 Comment | Art, Art: gardening, Art: God's creation, Art: new home build | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt

Phone Photo Friday

03/30/2012

Jason has been home the past couple of weekends and it’s been really nice to spend so much time together, not only for going to estate sales and antique malls but just to hang out, usually the three of us. (Ali-gator was here, too.) Since we’re living at my parents’ these times when we get out of the house together are even more precious. I love this guy so much. It’s hard to believe—because we don’t feel that old—that we’re coming up on 13 years together.

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Posted by mahlbrandt

Pinterest and Kitchen Inspiration

03/29/2012

Good news: Pinterest has some practical real life applications! Last week I was pinning pictures of kitchens for inspiration for our new home. Our architect emailed us and said, “I noticed you’ve been looking at soapstone countertops. Do you want us to get some prices together for soapstone counters in the kitchen?” Jason said, “How did he know that?!” Because he follows my boards on Pinterest, of course!

It’s true. We’ve been thinking about putting black soapstone countertops with high gloss white cabinets and stainless appliances in our new kitchen. We like the solid dark color, the soft feel, the heat resistance and the matte finish of soapstone. And supposedly it’s quite a bit cheaper than granite. Here are some inspiration pictures I pinned on Pinterest. Some are pinned because of the cabinets, some the counter tops, some the configuration.

Source: homedesigninterior.com via Martina on Pinterest

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Source: fortheloveofahouse.blogspot.com via Martina on Pinterest

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Source: google.com via Martina on Pinterest

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Source: younghouselove.com via Martina on Pinterest

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Source: designsponge.com via Martina on Pinterest

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Source: theredbungalow.blogspot.com via Martina on Pinterest

3 Comments | Art, Art: interior design, Art: modern design, Art: new home build | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt

Heads Up

03/27/2012

Since there weren’t any good estate sales posted this weekend, Jason and I stopped by a few of our favorite vintage stores. We bought a headboard and a footboard. Sadly, no side beams so we’ll be on the look out for something that will work, or we’ll just build a frame. We’ve been searching for a queen size MCM bed frame for a while. They’re pretty hard to come by. A whole matching bedroom set? Even more rare unless you’re willing to pay a lot. And we’re not. We got this set for $45. Now we’ll be hunting for walnut nightstands to match and perhaps a chest of drawers, too. (This guy will move into one of the kid’s rooms in the new house.)

It’s definitely mid-century style and looks like walnut veneer, though there is no maker mark on it. It was a bit tricky to photograph because it was rainy on Saturday but here it is. I’ll get some better photos once we have it assembled into a bed, which honestly may not happen until we move into our yet-to-be-built house. The unmade bed and green carpet I’m attempting to blur out is our room at my parents’ house where we’re staying until then.

Also at Pre to Post Modern, where we found the bed, I spotted these roller skates and I had a moment. I used to have a pair just like this when I was little! I remember learning to skate in our unfinished basement, making laps around and around the staircase. Man, I wish these had been my size…

I took this photo for a friend who was looking for a retro yellow dining table. Turns out they already found one. If anyone in Nashville is looking for one, this was around $265 at Pre to Post Modern.

7 Comments | Art, Art: mcm thrift store find, Art: mid-century design | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt

Phone Photo Friday

03/23/2012

@mahlbrandt on Instagram if you want to follow

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