Take Those Chinese Fortunes SERIOUSLY!!

Check out the message from the Chinese fortune cookie I got about 4 months ago. Ironically, I actually think I got it at Bangkok Kitchen in Maumee (although, do Thai places give Chinese fortune cookies? That doesn't seem right... shouldn't they give Thai fortune cookies?)

Nevertheless, we had literally just started house-hunting when I received it and now today we are closing on our wonderful "treehouse" in the lovely village of Whitehouse. We won't be moving in for a month or two because we are giving ourselves also the most wonderful custom kitchen ever (more on our wonderful cabinet company in another post). Photos to come... but I'll just wait until I have the keys in hand. Forgive me if I'm slightly skeptical of a fortune that comes inside a cookie!!! HOORAH!!! Life list item #102 shall be completed in a few hours!

PURCHASE REVIEW!!!

Ahhh... the blessed purchase reviews. That's a throwback to my fabulous days working at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston when our offices were offsite in the Copley mall and myself and 5 other lovely ladies worked in one room together (with a handful of other lovely ladies just outside the door) and would oftentimes come back from our lunchbreaks with new goods to show off. Someone would come back with bags and we'd all yell "PURCHASE REVIEW!!". Loved it.

So here are two recent purchases... both that I am very proud of and cannot wait to showcase in my new home (which by the way, I close on tomorrow! Eek! Yay! Scary!).

The first item I found at an estate sale... not just any estate sale but the one of a sweet Edith Franklin... a famous and established Toledo pottery artist. I bought a handful of lovely pottery from the sale and some nice pastels so I can create my own "masterpieces" (notice I humbly put that word in quotations!). But my favorite purchase was this large oil painting. A complete abstract I have discovered that the artist John Black actually had a one-man show at the Toledo Museum of Art back in 1963... when this painting was made. Hmmm... I wonder if this piece was perhaps made for that show and once hang in the wall of a fancy art museum. Ironically as well, after some research I found that Ms. Franklin (who I had the pleasure of having a nice yet short conversation with that day) is actually a graduate from Boston's School of the Museum of Fine Arts! What a fun coincidence! Anyhow, I got a complete steal on the piece... I paid less than I probably would for a framed Pier 1, Pottery Barn or even IKEA piece. But I love it as if I paid 10x as much.




The other item I just purchased today at a WONDERFUL antique shop in Ann Arbor called Treasure Mart. I went there to visit a craigslist sale that featured a tan Barcelona chair... that was actually not in great condition and a weird greenish shade of tan so I passed. But luckily I hit up this gem of a store while I was in town.

First of all, let me add that Ann Arbor is a GORGEOUS town. I have never been there and the downtown area is all charming and tree-lined with amazing old homes. I'd love to go for a run there or sit in a local cafe and drink my cappuccino on a Sunday morning. But this store was RIDICULOUS! I loved it. Amazing everything -- furniture, lamps, art, books. And tons of it. Three different levels plus it was pouring in the garage, porch and driveway. Immediately I noticed things were all reasonably priced and in reasonably good shape but when I stumbled on a Duncan Phyfe mahogany dining room table for a mere $125, I lept on it before I even walked through the rest of the store. With that price, I couldn't risk losing it by 5 minutes! Upon claiming it and going to walk through the rest of the store to see if I wanted to buy anything else, I immediately noticed that it had an additional two leaves in a wonderfully custom-made crate underneath the table... which was a complete shock because already this table measured about 96" long! I later learned that it had 5 total leaves and expands from 48" to 108"! Talk about a dinner party! It will look even better when I pair it with some contemporary chairs and a shiny chrome light fixture of sorts. It was in impeccable shape as well... check out the images... but even more exciting for my $125 purchase, check out the similar listings for the exact same table (with less leaves) that have it listed at $1000!

Additionally, let me just add that the service at Treasure Mart was just amazing as well... two men shrink-wrapped and carefully loaded the "treasured" table into my pick-up truck with furniture pads (that they lent me under the condition that I return them in 2 or 3 weeks when I get a chance). They literally spent about 15 extra minutes just making sure I was all set and they were the nicest, friendliest guys to boot. I will DEFINITELY be coming back to this wonderful gem. Apparently the turnover there is pretty amazing which isn't a surprise given its great location and the amount of people there on a random Wednesday afternoon!

Listing 1 http://www.goantiques.com/detail,mahgany-drop-leaf,2269878.html

Listing 2 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380234518982&rvr_id=147418976914&crlp=1_263602_263622&UA=M*F%3F&GUID=4111aec512b0a06c1b770637ffded6dd&itemid=380234518982&ff4=263602_263622

Designer Squared

Hopefully my graphic design skillz will translate to interior decorating skillz as well. I've had fun at least impersonating an interiorista and even if it doesn't look professional -- it certainly is getting me excited for the new pad. It may seem like I'm a bit anal-retentive here, but actually the MORE I seem to plan out kitchen renovations and furniture plans, the more flexibility I feel when I'm actually out buying the pieces that will go into the room because I'm so familiar with my final vision (hence also why these sketches are still in erasable pencil format in my sketch pad).

Check out my big plans for the living/dining areas of the new house. Sure, there's a lot of new fancypants furniture in there (including that silly Arhaus Reese chair that I'm just praying will be ours after we hit the Powerball), but its a long-term goal and with the drawings here as a guide, I know I won't just comfortable and end up stuck in a rut too easily. I think I may just frame the drawings and hang them so I can admire them from my bean-bags chairs until I get there.

HGTV Internationale

Yes... prepare yourself readers because if you haven't already figured out, you will be getting a LOT of home decorating posts in the upcoming months. Its better than me just going on and on about my wedding colors or other shenanigans associated with 08-06-2011. But the priority right now is pimping the house that I'll be closing on this Thursday out and making it as cozy and livable as the pictures in my bursting head. Now that that disclaimer is over...

I'm obviously given the situation, OBSESSED with HGTV. Except it seems that 90% of its programming is House Hunters. I find that show interesting but now that I've hunted and captured my wild game, I'd like some more details and how to make it look all DWR on an IKEA budget.

Even more so, for every one traditional House Hunters (which by the way, do often make me feel even MORE confident about our purchase and deal), they show like 4 House Hunter Internationals!!! Having just bought a house, I feel pride and excitement -- I really don't need to watch these folks that already own 6,000 sq ft homes shop for their Italian villa or Barbados beach house. Sheesh. Its a good thing we have such wonderful trees and landscaping at our new place... I can pretend that I'm vacationing in the mountains of Tennessee or Vermont or something until I find MY perfect French countryside cottage... in like 40 years.

Dear Arhaus,

I'm obsessed with your Reese chair (hey readers: its so much prettier than this photo in person... with a beautiful weathered look that is just delicious). Its like the most caramel-ly lovable version of the classic Barcelona chair that is just not my thing in its traditional black or white leather. I kind of need to have it. Even my fiancé is pretty infatuated with it.

However, even at your sale price of $1299, it is still more expensive than the ENTIRE sectional sofa I've picked out at West Elm. Yet, it doesn't seem like the look will go very well with the plastic folding chairs that I'll have to buy on marked-down-twice-fire-sale if I indeed spent that kind of money on ONE FREAKING CHAIR! For that price, I would like a nightly foot massage thrown in for a year.

Let me know if you could possibly arrange that and we'll talk. Otherwise, I'll just continue to stalk and dream of that damn stupid chair that I love so much.

Thanks.

Oh and PS: if I do break down and somehow decide to buy all of my other furniture at Big Lots so I can afford this chair, I really don't appreciate spending that kind of bank and waiting 10+ weeks to sit my butt on it. Just saying.

Life List #102: buy a house/condo/2-square-foot-of-land!

Ok -- this life list item is soooo close to being completed. Inspection went swimmingly except for that crazy radon test. But luckily the sellers were kind enough to get that taken care of (or it will be as of this Monday) so thankfully we don't have to deal with that or add that to our ever-increasing budget. Closing on the 29th or 30th. We cannot wait... we've even gone over once in the meantime to spray the bee's hive that we need to nix pre-move. Funny that we're doing all this maintenance already when it isn't quite legally ours!

The kitchen renovation continues... I met with the third kitchen cabinet folk today for cabinet pricing. Stopped at Lowe's to get a quote on this Black Walnut island countertop I'm slightly obsessed with. And we've officially bought all of our appliances except the stupid wine refrigerator. Such a pain trying to find an undercounter/built-in version with hopefully dual zones that is actually cheaper than our full refrigerator. WHO KNEW?! But I think we've saved so much money on the other items that a few extra hundred will be well worth it.

Anyhow, with the pre-planning I've done and sketches and research, we will most likely be ordering these cabinets the day after closing and hopefully installing a mere month later. Knock on wood... literally.

So, if any of you friends or blog-readers out there ever need a kitchen re-do, please consult me... I ask more questions than should even be legal, so I can tell you the upcharge for those roll-out pantry trays, or the paneling on the other side of the refrigerator, or those super nice soft-close doors and drawers. And I can also give you the tips on granite savings, where to shop for appliances in Toledo/on-line, differences between frameless and framed cabinets (not to mention overlay and inset) and the costs as well. I've even discovered that not only can you make a cool grand off of selling pre-existing cabinets on Craigslist... you can also sell them to a contractor who prefers to remove them carefully and correctly themselves (saving US a ton of extra work!). I'm a damn kitchen nerd. And thankfully for my lovely fiancé's sake, I'm adoring every second of it.

Check out my pre-planning sketches!!! Talk about ridiculously specific!!!

New Pet in 2010?

Ok... so the BF/roommate isn't a cat person at all. And he is really opposed to even joking around with the idea of getting a dog (he likes them but 1. he thinks they're too much work (agreed) and 2. he seems to have a preference to little dogs: chihuahuas and yorkshire terriers... and I'm very much more into labradors or at the very least a good medium-sized pup).

So maybe... the the only type of pet I'm heading towards is a goldfish (hopefully this one won't commit fishy suicide like the last one I had as a child that leaped out of the bowl to his carpet death). I think with a tricked out house like this, that fish would never wanna jump...

Via notcot.org

Oooo... Gummy Bears

I have always adored gummy bears and despite my crappy soft teeth that are prone to cavities and more, I always will. Therefore, as gorgeous as this looks, it's a wise decision to never have a chandelier like this hanging in any house of mine!

(from hello bauldoff and found via swissmiss)

I've Missed You Too...

Hello, blog. Have you missed me? Special shout-out to Mademoiselle Danielle over in Paris who has been begging me to re-visit you. For all you blog-fans, you better thank her!

Well, its been an eventful 6 months. Crap, has it been that long? And the 6 months before that I was kind of a slacker blogger with little substance. But its a new year and lots of new changes are beginning so its a good time to reinvigorate my favorite family, friends & follower updater (sorry Facebook status updater. I do love you too.). So... I will re-hash a quick 6 month summary of my personal life so I can resume without guilt.

- THE MAN & THE MOVE: Okay, so this isn't in particular an item on my life list so I'll try not to gush or start rambling too much about my love-life. But in June of 2008, I got a lovely LinkedIn message from a past love from about 10 years ago. We had lost touch and hadn't emailed in about 6ish years. I had often thought of him over the years and vice versa. Oddly enough, I thought of him a lot when I was in the pain of mourning my cousin last March. I guess deep in my mind, he was more than just an old flame and my subconscious knew he could comfort my sadness. LinkedIn messages led to a few emails and photo exchanges which led to a week of daily 2 hour phone calls... and pretty much daily calls since and visits to Ohio/NYC/and in-between every other week over the past 6 months. We knew pretty quickly that this was a big re-connection. And although I've always been convinced I didn't need a man to be happy (and still do), I've never been happier in my life than in the last 6 months. Soon, I made the decision I swore I never would... I moved back to Ohio. And you know what? I could not be happier that I did.

Its funny... I spent the last ten years playing big city hotshot. Getting glammed up. Shopping at Saks for designer ensembles. Rocking stilettos so high that they should really have a health-advisory-warning on them. Climbing the ladder at work and in the design world. And just trying to be as glamorous and far away from the little farm girl I grew up as. Deep inside, I knew I shouldn't hide that friendly & sentimental Midwesterner who missed her family and the quiet of the country and small towns. But it took a man from the past to remind me that although its fun to play dress up, I'm just as special being the same person I was way-back when. He loves me no matter what I wear, where I live, or how successful I am. And finally... I do too. What an amazing man that can show me that.

- THE JOB(S): dbox has been great to me. Like every company recently, we've had a few bumps in the road but because of their quality, much less so it seems than pretty much any other agency out there. And, even better, unlike my previous gig that left my insecure and unconfident, they've made me feel capable and talented to rock any project. I don't want to sound conceited by any means but, damn it, I've been designing a long time and my eerie good memory along with my attention to details has made it inevitable that I would become one of the best at what I do. In most cases throughout my whole career, I end up the sole art director/designer on most projects because I earn the trust from both my boss and client to be able to do it all. So its time to retire the insecure and scared designer and embrace my new life and my new business finally. Its scary as hell but somehow without any effort or push or requests for referrals, I've got new business requests flying at me -- and amazing dream clients at that! I've worked hard to get here and I'm finally more than ready and entirely inspired.

- THE RIDE: I did it. #4 on the list. Ride a century bike ride (100miles) in honor of my Uncle Ray. My Uncle Ray passed away a few years ago from cancer but not without leading a life that inspired. He struggled with spina bifida his whole life and despite having been told as a child he would never walk... his determination and persistence made it inevitable that he eventually did. Beyond that, he additionally went on to ride TWO century bike rides. For a man that I walked with a severe limp his whole life, I sat at his funeral and listened to these stories and thought about how I should try a century ride too... I didn't even OWN a bike then either. And he could join me as my angel and ride in his third century ride. So on a very rainy day on August 31, 2009, my sister Tessa and I taped photos of my Uncle Ray onto our trusty bikes and took off to ride 100 miles out to Montauk from Babylon, Long Island. We were tested for sure... Tessa had three flat tires and though we started out tentative, by our third flat we were practically an Indy 500 pit crew. We had our tears, irritations with one another, sang songs along the way, and I think I prayed about 40 exhausted Hail Mary's during the last 10 miles uphill. I've never been so muddy, cold and wet. And our 8 hour prediction turned into an 11 hour reality with the weather and tire problems. Ironically, the rainy storm was remnants from Hurricane Daniel. So apparently the angel of our lost cousin Danny decided to also join us and play a trick on us that day... that's just like him too. But we enjoyed it nonetheless... and finished proudly and without injury.

What else...
I'm training for my THIRD full marathon. Who would have thought? Do I get extra credit for finishing #1 on my life list three times?!? When I wrote this list in April 2007 I hadn't even done my first half-marathon and I had only been running for about 4-5 months. Who would have thought the little unathletic, clumsy girl would become a runner?!? I'm still unsure of it... we'll see how many marathons it takes before I finally feel like a real "athlete" rather than some sneaky regular person posing as one. All I know is that this marathon will be on my 32nd birthday. What a great way to assert how young I actually I am!

Lastly, life is just good all around. Friends and family are healthy and happy. My life is on the cusp of finally finding a better balance and peace with the patience and help of some amazing people in my life. And if you would have told me one year ago, that my life would be what it is now and I'd be so happy... 1. I wouldn't believe it. 2. I would be pretty proud of myself.

Although I have to do better on my blog updates, I know. Life can't be perfect now, can it? I'm making a list now of other things to update you on from the past 6 months too -- weddings, design projects, vacations. So stay tuned. I swear I will write again before another six months go by!!!

Latest Obsession: Globetrotting

So a few months ago on my way to Jeff + Sarah's wedding in Maine, Blogorelli and I stopped at a whole lotta vintage shops enroute (with her fabulously patient fiancé Mark in tow . . . or at least napping in the car). Anyhoo, in the basement of one of these spectacular shops, I discovered something that immediately brought me into a series of Fort Loramie elementary school flashbacks. It was this entirely awesome vintage globe. Bright colors popping off of the black of the water. Gorgeous. $50 seemed like a great deal for a wealth of reference and knowledge and future travel planning, not to mention the aforementioned nostalgia. It was in perfect condition and even in its original box with a informational leaflet. *sigh* But I didn't bite the bullet because I knew I was moving soon to NYC and didn't know how much space I would have for even the loveliest of globes and I was also fearful something would break in the move.

Since then, I have been continually thinking about it. When I assembled my new bookshelves the other night, I instantly thought that those three feet between the top and the ceiling would look SO much more stylish with that globe sitting there. And then yesterday, I stumbled upon an adorable West Village vintage shop with THE EXACT SAME GLOBE IN THE WINDOW! I almost squealed with glee but I think it was almost immediately choked with shock when I saw the pricetag: $350.

Boo. I remain obsessed with my escaped globe. I must have it. I am lost without it. ha.

Job Update / Life Update / Apartment Update / Cat Update

Wowowowowo. Have I been busy or have I been busy? Both!

Job update: I had 4 really great interviews in NYC. One with And Partners who didn't seem like they were hiring just yet. One with dbox a super cool firm that does some seriously gorgeous luxury print and identity collateral (with . . . um . . . no budgets? Have you ever heard of such a thing?). One with Parham Santana. And one with Pentagram . . . although they weren't currently hiring nor do the hire senior level designers or art directors because of the interesting way that they're structured. But I met with the ever nice and down-to-earth despite his larger than life reputation Michael Bierut. He was great — and even better gave me some of the best compliments of my design career on everything from my composure and personality in addition to my book. He gave me a great tour as well of their super cool place and a coveted limited-edition of the Pentagram Bible.

In the end, I was offered two positions . . . an amazing feat for one week especially in this economy. I was even able to consult Mr. Bierut on his opinions of the two firm and while both were great, I ended up going with dbox. Not only was the work incredible and very inspiring, but I had the pleasure of being interviewed by three people so I got a real feel for the personalities I would work for and alongside which, as you all know, is VERY important to me. The space was AMAZING too. A gorgeous airy, sunny industrial loft in the West Village. I felt chic-er just walking into that place! I start at 10am on October 30 (10am? Love that!).

Then life brought me to some very fun occasions. . . camping in a rustic cabin with no running water and no electricity with my pals Braden, Laura, and Emily. It was a phenomenal trip with all the leaves changing and the air brisk but comfortable. We star gazed, hiked, caught a few moose, and, yes, even went skinny dipping (somehow when I pictured ever skinny dipping, it was with a gorgeous man . . . but it was quite hilarious and fun with all the gals too!). We even spent Saturday morning (clothed) canvasing around the very-Republican and very-small town New Hampshire for Barack Obama. The people were very friendly and it was an amazing experience. I'm glad to have done my very small part.

Also attended the nuptials of Jeff and Jill, some of my favorite coworkers of mine from the MFA. It was out in Lincoln, MA on a gorgeous fall day in a beautiful old house. So picturesque and the bride and groom were both gorgeous. It was a great chance to catch up with all my old MFA coworkers who I love and miss so much. What a great time!

What else? Hmmm. . . its been weeks since I've updated ya'll so I know there's more. Its been a phenomenal month!

Then, apartment hunting in NYC. I saw about 12 to 15 places and in the end applied for the very first one I saw. In the East Village on the cusp of the Lower East Side. I quick 15 minute train ride to work. A fifth floor walkup but well-worth it. It was by far the prettiest, largest (shocking bc it is indeed small), cleanest and best deal of all that I saw. And no realtor fee. Amazing. Exposed brick. Brand new renovated kitchen (granite counters and stainless steel appliances with dark cherry cabinets) a brand new bathroom (with a marble bathtub). A closet (okay I'm downsizing from 4 but most of the places I saw had ZERO closets!). Very sunny with two great windows in the front and two other facing back. And a great alcove for my bed — which is great so you don't see it when you first walk in. I've signed the lease. I have my keys. I cannot wait to decorate. In other news, I've sold A LOT of my furniture all today — $840 already (anyone need a kitchen table, a TV, or a desk chair?)! Probably moving late this week (but I'll be back in Boston for my going away dinner from the gals and to get my braces off!).

Cat is doing great . . . she's the cat who cried wolf. I decided against the $600 diagnostics tests and I'm just waiting to see if she starts seeming miserable. She's been very affectionate and sweet (she has an uncanny sense of when I'm worried about her!). So Midnight (or grandma as I'm going to start calling her) is going strong. Better find a vet in NYC though just in case!

I guess that's it. Lots of really great freelance and tons more packing and miscellaneous housewares to sell. And tomorrow I shall invest in Space Bags . . . those bags that you vacuum out the extra air. Great for extra pillows and blankets and winter coats. I need to save some space in my new apt — I'll keep you posted on how well (or not) they work!

Marathon also coming up! I felt strong on my entire 20 mile run. 13 miles tomorrow am. I'm tapering. . . ah, luxury. Still have some funds to raise before I run though. Please donate: http://www.melissawehrman.com/melissawehrman Alls' ya'll that donated, expect thank you cards and results in the mail shortly after!

I'll be better I promise. Post some photos from camping and canvasing and weddings and apartment this week!!!

Bedding ReDo: Before and After

The employees of Target officially love me because they all got a raise this weekend. I dropped a pretty penny at Target... new jeans, a Swiss Army carryon luggage, and random Target miscellany... ANNNNDDD! new bedding and lamps for my bedroom. Needed it for a while and when I found out that Dwell came out with a line of bedding at Target, it didn't take long to zipcar my ass over there to check it out.

Before:
















After (notice the coverlet bought for the purpose of my cat... she didn't waste a second claiming it either):