Christine Chitnis: February 2009

For the Love of Cookies

I found this lovely photo on Frankie's website (how I wish that we got that magazine around these parts!). Anyway...I love the unexpectedness of this collection of cookie jars. Individually they seem a bit cheesy, but when placed in a grouping, they seem so wonderfully kitsch. Do you agree or am I totally off my rocker? Perhaps it is the fact that we are moving tomorrow and I have yet to actually pack anything. I have thought about it and executed it in my head, but it has yet to happen. How hard can it really be to move from a one-bedroom? That is my denial speaking.

Vintage Buttons

I took a break from moving related chores to pop into a local antique store. I scored a few vintage buttons, which I am hoping will speak to me as to what I should use them for. I love collecting buttons...I especially love organizing them by color and then storing them in cute little jelly jars. But I never can think of projects to use them for. The busy book was a great button project, but I need some more inspiration. Do you have any projects that require cute buttons? Send them my way!

Saying Goodbye

In the midst of all the moving excitement, it dawned on me that I am going to be saying goodbye to our amazing apartment. This place holds so many memories from the past seven months; many joyful memories, some heartbreaking memories, but all of them our memories nonetheless. I was in such a different place when we first moved in. I had just left behind Chicago and a job that had completely drained me. I wasn't sure where to go from there. Now, with a budding freelance career, I look back over the past seven months and realize how much I have grown and changed. I am very proud of where I am today and I feel like some of that is due to this amazing apartment. This was the apartment that was featured on Design*Sponge and Apartment Therapy, blogs I read daily (but never dreamed I could be a part of). The radiators in this apartment were featured in ReadyMade and Old Home Journal. My crafts that were lovingly produced in my tiny, carved-out studio space were featured on Craft Magazine's website and on One Pretty Thing and Decor8. In short, the energy of this apartment propelled me into a new career. Maybe it is the amazing light, or the vintage pipes and radiators, or the deep windowsills, or maybe...just maybe, it has a little bit to do with me!!

New Paint, New Print

I know things have been slow around here lately...no DIY projects, no crafts. But I have been busy packing and getting ready for the big move. T-minus 8 days! I will have projects coming out of my ears once we move. I bought a ton of great furniture on Ebay, but it all needs some love, so I will be showcasing those projects here in the very near future. Also, I am going to be re-painting the entire house, so I will have plenty of before and after shots. I can hardly wait to dive in! So, in the meantime, it might be a bit slow-going here, but thanks for sticking with me. It will be picking up soon!

In other news, a brand new home magazine will hit stores on February 27th. Mighty brave, huh? According to the press release, Fresh Home will offer DIY-projects and tips for young, budget-conscious homeowners. I am super excited, considering that I am about to be a budget-conscious homeowner myself! I think that this magazine has a great chance of succeeding in this economy because many people that might otherwise hire help for projects around the house will be rolling up their sleeves and giving it a try themselves. What do you think, could this magazine make it? Are you going to buy the first issue?

My Pet Chicken

So I just finished up a bad bout with the cold/flu/overall crappy feeling. Yes, that's how I spent my Valentine's Day, curled up with a wad of tissue paper and a few dozen cough drops. Luckily, I had a great book to help me pass the time; Made From Scratch: Discovering the Pleasures of a Handmade Life by Jenna Woginrich. In this fantastic book, Jenna dives headfirst into the ancient art of homesteading. From raising chickens to baking bread to sewing her own clothes, this lady tries it all! I was beyond inspired.

Now, I have been contemplating raising chickens for some time now. I am so fascinated by the idea of pets that can help put food on the table. Luckily our new house comes with a big backyard (see above picture). Not a farmyard, per say, but close enough. I am planning a huge organic veggie and herb garden, but now, I think I might be motivated to put some chicken coups back there too. So I ask you...has anyone out there tried raising chickens in their backyard? Was it tough? Did you think it was worth the effort?

Supposedly, urban chicken farming is the new 'it' thing according to this Newsweek article...but I don't know. I am still a bit scared!

To My Valentine

I would like to wish everyone a wonderful weekend and a love-filled Valentine's Day (if you celebrate that whole thing). I don't think we have anything planned on our end...maybe just dinner with friends and a great artsy movie at Avon. We are not big celebrators of Valentine's Day...I guess we try to spoil each other in little ways throughout the year instead of storing it all up for one big day!

The best Valentine's Days were when I was school-age and you would get cards from all your classmates (because the teachers made you give a card to everyone in the class). I always loved getting a card from the boy I had a crush on (even though he had no choice in the matter!) to see if he had written me a special message. Oh, the drama of those elementary school years!

(above: vintage card from Laughing Elephant)

Woe is Me

I just received my last copy of Domino in the mail today and I savored each page, barely believing that this would be the last issue ever. I thought this issue (like every other one) was amazing. I especially loved the eco-friendly house that the Domino team built in New Orleans. I know that there were some people who had negative opinions of Domino and were not surprised when it went under, but I have loved each and every issue. Some of the complaints were due to the cost of the decorating items that Domino featured. True enough...there were many pieces that caught my eye that would never work on our budget...but they gave me inspiration to search Craigslist and Ebay for similarly styled pieces and test my painting and upholstering skills.

But if you want to talk about expensive...check out what back issues of Domino are going for on Ebay. I am being pressured to sell off my collection, the argument being I could fund my entire house decorating project with the profits. Seriously, $80 for one issue. Who is paying that?? Ahhhh....resist temptation to sell off complete collection!

Kayte over at This Is Love Forever has a great post about the current state of magazines, and as a budding freelance writer, I completely agree with her stance. The amount of time that I invest in all of my articles, online or in print, often warrants a larger paycheck than I receive. She is right; kindness does not pay the bills. Did I lose you there? Click over to read her post!

And finally, in case you hadn't heard the news, Craft is closing their magazine as well. The only good news is that they will still be producing new and original material for their website!

This Old House

And this, my friends, is why you buy an old house! Our house was built in 1906 and still retains many of the original details, including this amazing stained glass window. I have no doubt that this will become my favorite window in the house!

14 day moving countdown!

Martha Stewart BABY

If you like Martha Stewart KIDS, you are sure to love her Baby magazine! Unfortunately, only seven issues were produced, but each one is such a treasure. The great thing about these magazines, is that some of the ideas can be adapted for grown-up crafting...like the blanket I am crocheting right now. I found the pattern in the Spring 2001 issue, played around with the color scheme and am on my way to a beautiful blanket! FYI: I scoped out Ebay and all of the issues are up for auction as we speak! Type in the keyword: Martha Stewart Baby. Trust me, they are worth every penny!

Above (top to bottom, left to right):

Special Issue 2000

Spring 2001, Fall 2001, Winter 2001

Spring 2002, Fall 2002

Spring 2003

Lists: Not Always a Good Thing

Are you a list maker. I SO am. I make a list for everything: daily to-do list, grocery list, goal list, upcoming work deadlines list. Okay, you get the point. So I have started making a list for our new home (above...**so sweet, huh?) and it reads a little something like this:

Furniture needs (keeping in mind our $2 budget!!):

Couch

Bookcase

Runner for stairs

Rugs (living, dining and bed rooms)

Floor lamp

Ottoman

Dining room credenza

Headboard for double bed (guest room)

Projects:

Guest room quilts

Curtains (bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, living and dining rooms)

Reupholster chairs (craigslist finds)

Paint credenza (picking through the trash find!)

Redo telephone bench (craigslist find)

Window seat cushions

Color wheel quilt

Pillows for couch

PAINT (every room in the house b/c I am not fond of their paint choices)

Yeah...so that should about do it. Nothing to get stressed about here. Nothing at all.

This One's All For ME!

I finished another Nutcracker doll from the Stitched in Time book. I gave the last one away, but this one is all mine. I decided to photograph her on the same background as I did for the busy book photo shoot. It is a pillow that I bought over Thanksgiving at the Bloomingdale's home store in Chicago. It has the best story behind it!

It was sitting on a shelf with other pillows that were priced around $150, but it was the last one of its kind and it didn't have a price tag. I thought it was so beautiful, so, I took it over to the counter and asked the sales clerk if she could look up the price, thinking it would be WAY out of my price range.

The clerk tried to look it up in the computer and couldn't find it, so she called the manager, who came over and informed me that this was an old pillow that someone must have returned and it was not supposed to be on display. He explained that since it was not sold in the store anymore, they would have to give it to me at the manufacturers price, which was $19.99. Can you imagine the dance of joy that I did right there at the counter??!! It was certainly my lucky day!

Crochet

Oh yes, ladies and gents, I followed through on my New Year's Resolution and learned to crochet. Okay, well I am learning to crochet...I am by no means an expert yet! For my first project, I am crocheting a blanket. I am in love with the yarn that I chose, the colors are so amazing and the texture is so cuddly and soft! If anyone around the Providence area wants to learn to crochet, I have the best teacher! Sandy teaches me out of her home and provides patient instruction and hilarious stories. The hours fly by while we sit in her kitchen and craft. It is the highlight of my week!

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend...I will be scouring Craigslist for furniture for our new home and selecting paint chips. The big move is a mere 20 days away...yikes! What will you be up to this weekend?!

Martha Stewart KIDS

I found out about Martha Stewart Kids Magazine through my friend Sarah, and it was love at first glance. These magazines are packed with more inspiration than you can imagine...crafts, party inspiration, room design, stories....AMAZING. Unfortunately, they are no longer in print. So I went on an ebay/craigslist search to find them, and I did...all 21 of them! What I couldn't find was a resource that listed all of the issues and their cover pictures (shame on you Martha....cataloging is a must), so we decided that one was needed! So here it is, the complete list, with covers, of all 21 Martha Stewart Kids issues. Okay...now get out there and start ebaying! You will thank me later!

From left to right, row by row:

Summer/Fall 2001. Holiday 2001. Spring 2002.

Summer 2002. Fall 2002. Holiday 2002.

Winter/Spring 2003. Summer 2003. Fall 2003.

Holiday 2003. Spring 2004. May/ June 2004 #13.

July/ Aug. 2004 #14. Sept./ Oct. 2004 #15. Winter 2004 (special v-day issue).

Winter 2004 #16. Spring 2005 #17. Summer 2005 #18.

Fall 2005 #19. Winter 2005 #20. Spring 2006#21.

Oh my...

Photos like this make some days difficult... like today. I am trying to plow through work, keep my head up, but it is difficult. Not to mention I am in the middle of finishing an article about my miscarriage experience. I will be sure to link when it is published! So that's exciting, I guess!

Total side note: Anyone out there great with Blogger; adjusting templates, creating fun Bloggery stuff? I am working on a side project and I am in desperate need of some help. Just leave a comment or shoot me an email if you want to lend me a hand. Yesterday I almost killed Blogger, it wasn't a pretty sight! By the way, I know that asking for a freebie is so not fair...that being said, we could work out a small compensation or perhaps some ad space here on Lavender and Limes (which is up to around 300 readers a day...hellooo all you lovelies!).

ReadyMade Article

I was over the moon when ReadyMade contacted me a few months ago and asked to feature my radiator in their Feb/March 2009 issue. I was even more excited when they asked me to submit my picture and bio for their contributers section. I will do my best not to forget all of you when I am super famous for my fabulous radiator work!!

Powder Room

Like my new bathroom design? I do! I can't get enough of the bright colors. I hope my new house will be bursting with as much color as these inspiration boards would have me believe! Sarah keeps outdoing herself, wouldn't you say?