Etsy Find: Monkeyshines

I have said it before... Many times actually... But, I love Etsy! I love that people can get their goods and services out to millions of shoppers and that millions of shoppers have an alternative to big online emporiums.

Today's find is Monkeyshines, hailing from the college town of Columbia, Missouri. She has some really fun merchandise for sale; buttons, drawer pulls, magnets, etc., all made from damaged vintage books.

Alice in Wonderland- Set of 4 Drawer Pulls $32.00

Winged Fairy with Bird and Grasshopper Pocket Mirror - $6.50

Red Coral Drawer Pull - $8.00

Starfish Drawer Pull - $8.00

lovely Japanese lady wearing Kimono Mirror - $6.00

Hummingbird with Flower Drawer Pull Set of 2 - $16.00

She Only Looks Sweet and Inncocent

Doesn't every girl like to come home and be greeted by a dog who rolled in sh*t? I personally can't get enough of it...

Craigslist: Such a Deal!

Mister wants a "library room"; I am not sure if I have mentioned this yet, what with all the other stuff going on around here. Anyway... I decided a library room needs wing back chairs, so I have been watching Craigslist like it's going out of style. Today I saw this add:

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/fuo/1626607262.html

Here are our new chairs in their new forever home:

 

  

I offered them $220 and they took it. I should feel guilty, because it was like an 80 year old woman selling them. But I don't. She lives in a nice part of town. I am sure she has more money than me! 

They actually look a lot nicer in the photos. But I am going to go over them with an upholstery cleaner-machine and hopefully that will help a bit. I do plan on eventually getting them re-upholstered, once I finish the main floor and the rooms we actually spend time in. And someday this room with be a deep teal. Something like the kitchen cabinets on left:

(AtelierAbigailAhern)

Quick Hardware DIY

The media cabinet in our LR was a very generous gift from my grandparents. Okay, well, actually they were going to throw it in the garbage and I protested profusely, so it came home with us. Originally I wanted to restore it and get the radio and the record player working again, but apparently this is not going to be possible. Mister is an electrician and said someone had simply cut off all the wires when they had removed the television. So my plan is to eventually gut it and paint it white with silver details. To tide me over, I spray painted the hardware silver.

BEFORE

AFTER

 

BEFORE

AFTER

I am not sure it didn't look better before... Oh well. Mister says they look like cake decorations now. LOL

Monkey Love

 

"But Mo-om, do you HAVE to go to work"?

Pretty as a Picture

I have been perusing Etsy lately with a specific item in mind: prints for my gallery wall. I have been collecting art from art fairs for about 15 years now and some of that art has been prints; photos, paintings, photographs, paintings... and drawings. My mom and I had a deal that I could pick out one thing at every art fair we went to; with at least 10 in the Saint Louis area yearly, this has been quite a lucrative "deal". Lucky for me, she still does this! (She also still pays for my cell phone. I know, I am spoiled rotten!) I have the best mom in the whole world!

Anywho, only two of the prints out of my whole collection have been deemed acceptable for the LR wall. Some don't have the right feel, some are the wrong colors, and some are just plain strange. Like these guys, for instance:

 

My boyfriend at the time smoked and our house was decorated in a very New Orleans, Marie Laveau style. I thought it was funny and it matched the decor. Not so much now. I still think it's funny, but it definitely does not go in my pretty pink LR. It will go upstairs in the Library whenever I get to the second floor.

This one is a Xavier Nuez photo of a house... designed... decorated... well it's art of art, basically. There is a resident in Detroit who goes into terrible areas and "art's them up". You can read Nuez's version here.

There is a lovely Mooey Vuitton that made the cut, as well as a rendition of The Scream done in pastels called The Squeal that I have had since I was 12. I am also going to put up a few photographs I took in high school and college. But I still need to fill in the blanks. I want to do the whole wall, similar to this:

 

(Design*Sponge)

or this:

(Domino Mag) *sniffle*

But more, the whole wall, with the television in the middle surrounded by a frame. Which Mister is working on as I type this. I know, I am terrible right? He is working his little butt off to make me a ginormous frame, while I am sitting on my butt typing and socializing. I am spoiled by everyone I love... I am a lucky, lucky girl...

So far I have ordered this:

 

 (Energy Harvesters)

and this:

(Generous Offering)

I also ordered these:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vt_related_1&listing_id=41216752

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vt_related_1&listing_id=40468277

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vt_related_1&listing_id=40468322

which won't go in the LR, but I couldn't resist their voodoo charm. I think I may suffer from a slight case of design schizophrenia.

Today I found Sharon Montrose and I LURVE her animal photos! I think I may buy two or three prints from her. Mister loves donkeys, so I thought this one would be especially fitting:

and I think this porcupine may be one of the cutest things I have ever seen:

I think this is a pretty funny take on a trend:

(Earmark)

I like this guy, but I think $10 for shipping a piece of paper is a bit insane:

(TugBoatPrintShop)

How about you guys? Any advice on the gallery wall? Any personal experience with your own? What about any prints/photos/art you think I shouldn't miss? Should I mix it up with a few mirrors? I want to do a couple of round/oval frames, but I think it's a bit intimidating to find something that fits well in the frame.

Monkey Love

Enjoying the first lovely day to signal Spring...