Home Sweet Michigan

I'm officially a Michigan girl again! You might have read the update on my big sister's blog awhile back, but I wanted to make it official on here too. After 5+ years in Chicago, I had started to contemplate moving back to Michigan. Once my family started talking about building on Lake Michigan, I knew I wanted to be back here! I loved my time in Chicago and am thankful for all the good times and friends there, but it felt like the right time to move to Michigan.
I listed my condo on the market and it sold in 21 days!! That pushed my move date up quite a bit! My Realtor gave me a number of good tips for getting my house sale ready. I definitely think the updates I made and staging played a big part in how fast I sold, so I will have to do a blog post on it soon!

Moving day

  I've been happy settling into Michigan so far, it's funny how quickly it felt like home again even though it was a complete 180 degree change. I went from hearing city sounds and ambulances every night to the sound of ducks quacking on the lake! Right now my sister and I are living on a little lake while we build the new house on Lake Michigan, we say we're in training for living on the "big lake"! It's so peaceful, I've slept like a baby every night since I've been home. And I'm definitely enjoying the view...

Luckily, the snow has finally melted and it's starting to feel like Spring around here now!

It's in the sheets

I've been searching for patterned sheets to spice up my bedroom and I finally found some! I'm usually a fresh, clean white linens kind of girl, but I think these are perfect to throw in the rotation for more color. It seems like an easy way to change up the look of your room. Instead of making a big commitment with curtains or a duvet cover, you can start small and make a change in the sheets.

I got an awesome deal on the sheets through ideeli.com (sign up here). Love that site! I couldn't believe the full price tags on the sheets, the single flat sheet was $80!! I think I got the whole set for around $45. Never pay full price for sheets! Between the designer discount sites like Ideeli and Rue La La and places like TJ Maxx and Marshall's, you can always find a good deal.

Rue La La has a sale on a linen brand called Cuddledown, that started today. Sometimes their things tend to be expensive, but its worth checking out. Sign up for Rue La La here.

Here's how the sheets look in my room. I'm definitely liking the change.

A few other options I'm digging: In love with the lattice pattern from Nate. And $39.95?! Great price.

You can't go wrong with Marimekko...

One more to lust after from Serena and Lily

 

What about you guys, what's your take on sheets? Plain or patterned? Any favorite spots to score deals?

The back deck tour

One of the things that sold me on my place the most was the large back deck. Space is at a premium in Chicago so I loved having such a large deck and even a backyard (unheard of!) I'm not quite a high-rise living kind of girl, so having a deck and easy access to outside makes me feel like I'm living in less of a concrete jungle.

I haven't gone wild with buying outdoor furniture, even though I really wanted to! But I've got a few chairs, an ottoman and lots of plants. Throw in a cold beer or glass of wine and that sounds pretty good to me!

Now that plants have been in full bloom for quite some time and summer is in full force (I will not say nearing the end, because that is just too much to deal with), I thought I'd show some pictures of my deck!

I purchased the chairs and table from Target last summer. My sister sewed me the pillows and I found the chair cushions at Marshall's! And above is my Christmas Cactus from inside. I always like to bring a few of my houseplants out for the summer to "vacation." The Christmas cactus loves it out here, within a week or two of being out it starts growing new leaves! And you remember Andy, right? Protector of the house and deck. He's got a nice little perch going on the table.

The begonia corner! I have a very shady deck and I've learned the hard way nice, flowering plants that like sun just aren't going to do well here. Enter begonias. My Mom got a Dragon wing begonia for me this year and it is my absolute favorite. It has done so well and brings a little tropical feel to the deck, and all without much sun.

I came up with what I thought was a creative plant stand. It's always nice to add some height to plant arrangements so everything isn't sitting on the ground. Enter the mini-Oberon keg. They come in collectible designs every summer (it's a summer only brew) and I wasn't sure of a use for it -- until I discovered a small 5in or so pot fits perfect on top!

One more begonia. Another favorite, Tuberous Begonia's. Mine hasn't done as well as I hoped this year, but generally they have very full blooms that look rose like. They thrive in the shade, but are very fragile and crack or break easily.

An indoor Christmas decoration from Target has a perfect little spot on the deck!

OK, time to kick back! Thanks for stopping by.

I'm linking up to a few parties today! Outdoor Wednesdays @ A Southern Dreamer, Spotlight Yourself @ It's So Very Cheri, Bloomin' Tuesday at Jean's blog and Creative Share Wednesdays @ The Trendy Treehouse. Check out all the other great posts on these blogs!

Steal of the week: Vintage Prints

After a little blog hiatus, I'm back with a lovely "steal" for this week! This is almost like two steals in one, first the vintage posters and second, the designer discount site that I bought them on, ideeli.

One of my friends introduced me to ideeli awhile back. It's one of those sites that offers different designer clothing and home goods sales every day. Click on this link if you feel the urge to join and grab these prints! This is a referral link from my account... ideeli.com/invite/alittleditty. I've made a few purchases from the site that worked out really well. Scored some super good deals on Kenneth Cole winter jackets and more recently, as in a few hours ago, these vintage prints! I am so excited about them, I had to share. 

The featured company is called artehouse, they are listed under the "home" tab on the site. According to ideeli they've established one of the largest and most impressive collections of vintage prints in the world. In this sale, the prints have all been mounted on birch wood. Easy to hang, but perfect for just propping up too. I really like the look the wood mount gives to these. Now for the "steal" portion, these are marked more than half off, the small size starts at just $18!!

I loved all of them, but of course couldn't resist the Italian theme prints. You know my Italy thing runs deep. 

For la mia cucina...

I have a ton of built-in shelving in my place, I think these are a perfect size (7.5'' x 12) to display in some of my shelves. I'll have to post pictures when I have these little pretties in my possession! 

A few others I admired...

I think this rustic wood number would be perfect in that Lake Michigan cottage sister and I are always dreaming of...

Let the renovation begin!

This is what the lobby in my building looks like today. And let me tell you, this, in its unfinished state, actually looks better than what was there before!

I'm heading up a project to renovate our entryway, stairwell and do landscaping in the front. Kinda like one big curb appeal package. Lately I've been pretty absorbed in all the details that go into a project like this. I'm working with one other lady in the building and it took us a few months just to get two estimates together and compare everything by line item and get things in order to present to the building. We finally presented our proposal and got enough votes to move forward! And now, work should be done on the inside in another week. I'm excited to share the before and after pictures with you! Nervous to see all our choices go up, but I think (hope!) it will all look good.

Customer service & planting

Alright, let me give you the background on this story, bear with me. Last year, after looking through their catalogs for quite some time I finally placed my first order with Ballard Designs.

I was pleased with everything I got, including this cute boot tray, which is quite functional during the Chicago Winters and frankly Fall and Spring too! It's a perfect place for my worn-almost-daily Hunter wellies to reside as well as snowy Uggs.

Anyway, by the end of the season last year, my "rust resistant" tray was in fact, quite rusty. So much so that I didn't even want to set it out again this year, it looked awful. I finally took the time to call Ballard about it. They took my information down and said a product specialist would call me back. I just got the call from a specialist this morning and with hardly any questions asked she said they would be shipping me a new one!  Now, that's customer service. I am so happy and I have a newfound love for Ballard Designs!

One of the many things I have my eye on in the catalog are these outdoor planters. I have done comparison shopping and these seem to be priced very reasonably. I think they work well with the look of our building too, very classic.

These would be a replacement for the two identical planters we used to have in front of my greystone building. One cracked and all last season we were a little off symmetry. I don't think they had been planted in for quite some time either (no green thumbs in the building I guess) so last year I planted in our one pot and it looked great, but to have two matching ones again would be awesome! OK, now that I look at this picture I am kind of embarrassed by how dinky the flowers look! This was in June, but you should have seen that pot by August, it was flourishing! Honestly, the geraniums were huge and that sweet potato vine was trailing the ground.

                                                                Little bro and me, June 2009

I'll have to take some pictures again this summer when we once again have two and they are in full bloom. Sigh, summer. Let's take a moment and reflect on how awesome it will be when it's that time of year again. :) All this talk of planting is getting me so pumped up to map out what I can do this year on my back deck and out front, the backyard, everywhere!