Favorite things: house edition

I am a firm believer in the statement:

I certainly value people, experiences, and feelings over physical objects.  All that being said, we do have quite a few nifty things around our house that I love, and most are associated with a happy memory or person in my life.  I decided to share some of those things with you today...

Shadow Box

My sister Megs made this for me 5 or 6 years ago... I have had it sitting on top of my TV stand (in all three places I have lived in that time) and still love it very much.  The contents include: a poem about sisters, french coins, pictures of the Eiffel Tower, and an envelope addressed to me at my old house.  So sweet!  :)

Black vintage table

There is a somewhat funny story on how I acquired this...  I had just moved into my first house in Michigan, and was still working on getting it furnished.  One day, an older man came knocking on my door.  He had been looking for my landlord (who used to reside there) and I told him I was renting and had just moved it.  As it turns out, one of his relatives who lived right down the street had just passed away, and they were working on cleaning our their house.  He asked me if I wanted to take a look at any of the furniture there to see if I needed anything. Before you think I am crazy for going to a strangers house, let me tell you that the neighborhood I was living in was a close-knit group of friendly Finnish people, and the likelihood of danger was extremely low...  I ended up going to the house to check things out, and fell in love with this table immediately.  I offered to pay him for it, but he refused, and even delivered it to my house in his truck.  I never saw him again, but when I mentioned this to my landlord he did say that the nice man was a good friend of his.  I love how this table is so aged and well-loved, the back is kinda wobbly, the legs are scratched up, the knobs are original, and it is such a perfect fit it in our entryway.  The bottom shelf is our winter hat/scarf/glove storage area.  Sitting on top are two gourds that I crocheted to hold keys/work badges/etc...

Teapot

Erik bought me this teapot this past Christmas for making loose-leaf tea.  I just love the green color and the two little cups that came with it.  My mom recently sent me the BEST tea I have ever had (Shang Tea) and this is the perfect tool for making it!

Reading nook

This chair is in the corner of what is now our office, and what will be the future nursery.  We had this chair at my parents house when I was a kid, and somehow through all these years I have managed to hang on to it...  Perhaps since it is very comfy and reminds me of my childhood home, as well it is still in excellent condition.  I bought the foot stool at the local thrift store for around $5 and recovered it myself.  The lamp was given to me by a friend.  Most of the plants on the windowsill also have been gifts.  On the wall behind the chair there are nine or so frames with family photos in them.  I love this cozy corner for reading, blogging, or crafting  :)

Yarn!

Most of you already know how much I love to crochet...  I am on a bit of a crochet hiatus at present as my crafting time has been taken over by sewing, but I am still working on a few projects on the side.  This is... some of my yarn.  Maybe half.  Or less.  I have a lot...

Pothos Plant

This plant doesn't "technically" belong to me, as we are just plant sitting for Erik's brother for a few years while he is working on a ship near Alaska.  I am hoping he lets us plant sit forever.  This plant loves it here, and I love this plant!  The candle sconce to the left is a yard sale find, as are the bookcases that the plant lives on.

Birds!

It is no secret that I love birds...  These are just a few (of the many) who live with us.  The first bird on the left was purchased last September on our honeymoon when we visited Savannah, GA for a night.  He got cold this winter so I made him a hat.  The middle bird lives on our coat hanger (another awesome yard sale find).  The bird on the right sits on the end of a curtain rod in our living room.  His brothers and sisters live on the ends of the other curtain rods.  I wish I had a cool story about these but they honestly came from Lowes...  Still cute though  ;)

Pin & Needle Holder

Handmade (and personally designed) by my talented Mother.  Do I even have to explain why I love this so much?  The picture says it all...

Bookcase + Colorful Glass Collection

Bookcase was a $2 (yes TWO DOLLAR) yard sale find in MI.  It is sitting in the little alcove in our upstairs hallway.  On it lives: colorful glass collection (mostly from my Grandma - she has quite an extensive glass bottle collection), my wedding bouquet (handmade by me, obviously I opted for silk), a framed picture of Erik and I (frame was wedding gift from relatives, picture is an old-timey photo we had done on our honeymoon), and on the bottom shelf are some of Erik's books... Yes you see mostly Bill Bryson and Harry Potter books...  ;)

Bike Clock

A present from Erik's brother, Scott.  We have it hanging in our kitchen, and I think this is a favorite thing of both Erik and I.  Funky, eclectic, and cool.  Just like us  ;)  haha

Vintage Chair

To date, my all-time favorite yard sale find.  I picked this up last year at a sale in Chapel Hill.  Solid wood, handmade, and just plain awesome.  There is an aged hand-stamped tag on the bottom indicating it was made locally in Siler City, NC.  I wouldn't usually pay $20 for anything at a yard sale, but this was definitely worth it.  And it even came with the cute little hand sewed chair pad.  Score!

Bathroom Floor

Okay, so this might not be very high on most people's "favorite things" list.  However, my amazing husband cut and installed every single piece of tile himself when we renovated our house nearly two years ago.  I love the pattern he came up with and he did a fantastic job. Even though we renovated the entire house at the time, for some reason seeing this floor brings back the most memories of the whole experience.  I can almost see him kneeling on the floor smearing around that messy grout like it was yesterday...
So yes, I am ending this post with a picture of our bathroom floor.  And I love it.  ;)