Yum Sweet Home update today!
I’ve been so excited to make the house pretty and warm and cozy since we moved in in November, but as I may have mentioned a few million times, these last few months have been, oh, how can I say it? Chaotic and unorganized. Yeesh. –> Which is totally why I’m trying to reset my life with a new job focus (here’s more on the full time blog gig) and you guys? It’s been 200% better. And I’m not melodramatic about life at all.
So during that crazy time when I was doing both teaching and blogging, I had a million and one little updates and projects and details that I wanted to work on with our house because apparently I like to tackle unnecessary projects right in the middle of the times when I need to be doing something else. I would go through my whole day and get all the regular stuff done, and then right around bedtime I would start to get the house-decorating-bug. Like: get excited about a new shelf, measure the walls for where the new shelf might be able to fit, research ways to hang shelves on plaster walls without taking out half of the wall with it, get mad when attempted hammering of nails into plaster turns into plaster chunks for days, plan another trip to Home Goods to return that shelf that actually did not look awesome in the living room, lay shelf on floor behind chair and ignore for 3 weeks. And then it was midnight and I was sweaty and stressed out and avoiding going to bed to get up in the morning to do it all over again. House-making is a lot of work.
Now that my schedule has changed, suddenly there is more open time to make small house updates, specifically those updates involving buying a handful of things from Etsy to fill in the empty spots on walls and shelves and floors. We’re still not totally there, but honestly, do you ever get totally there with a house? Little by little by little, this old, charming, fixer upper house (affectionately known as Yum Sweet Home) is coming together.
A quick word about Etsy: it’s my favorite place to shop on all the internet. I love that crafty people make these cool things and then you get to buy them directly from the crafty people. The things I find on Etsy are always so unique and so beautiful and I feel proud having this art made by such creative craftsmen (and women) in my little house.
Today I’m just showing you a few of the detail and decor things that I’ve found on Etsy that I like best for our little old house. If you have recommendations for Etsy shops that you like (of any kind! beauty, fashion, home decor, etc) please share in the comments! Etsy-surfing is one of my favorite ways to semi-wastefully but actually sometimes productively spend time.
Wood Clipboards From Brittany H Designs
I had this great idea to fill our empty dining room hall with pictures of food on clipboards, but then I ran into the massive problem of not being able to find clipboards anywhere. I can’t even remember how I found her, but with some combination of search terms like “rustic” “wood” “super cool” “clipboards” “cute house”, I eventually I stumbled on Brittany’s Etsy shop and I knew right away this was exactly what I had pictured in my mind. I ended up taking some pictures at the farmer’s market during one of our recent trips and printed them with a cute white border, so now we have this awesome set of colorful food photos displayed on clipboards in our dining room. If you want clipboards, this is your place.
Reclaimed Wood Mirror and Chalkboard From Hurd and Honey
I now own three large pieces from this adorable Etsy duo – they make all kinds of wonderful reclaimed wood pieces and other fun rustic modern home decor, like soap pumps from mason jars and other hipster things like that. This is my go-to for new reclaimed wood decor – the wood that they use is so gorgeous, and it’s finished just the way I like – still totally grainy, knotty, and rustic looking but polished enough not to give you immediate slivers. If you’re into this kind of old barnwood reclaimy thing, I highly recommend this shop.
Painted Mason Jars From Drop Cloth Design Co.
I use these little jars for anything and everything – vases for flowers, holders for pens and scissors and other desk-related organization, and even bookends when filled with some rocks or something heavy in the bottom. They have a rustic chic look that is subtle but still eye-catching, and people ask me about them all the time. Although they’d be easy to make yourself, I prefer to keep my DIY projects limited to things like hummus and crackers.
Pallet Wood Crate From Annie’s Images
These crates are hands down the best decor purchase we’ve made for our house so far. They are functional (like little end tables and/or storage boxes at the end of each couch in the living room) and they look completely and utterly stunning. The wood is fantastic – it’s pallet wood made into these incredible crates with wheels and rope handles and it is just varied enough in color and texture to really grab your eye. I even ordered one for my BFF when she moved into her new house a few months ago. We love these!
Side note: the shop owner does not have this listed in their shop (it’s a custom project) so if you wanted to order this from them, I would suggest contacting them directly and asking about the wood crates with rope handles. You can reference this post.
Text Print From Petek Design
This is a unique and design-y shop with lots of interesting prints and posters and even phone cases. The poster that I got is obviously text only – I am inspired every time I read these words from Nelson Mandela, and I love how simply they are laid out in this print. But this whole shop is full of super creative and artistic pieces that go far beyond text. The girl behind the goods is located in Israel, so you can feel extra cool getting some international mail when you order from her shop.
Distressed Frame Sets From Birdie Go Go
I know I’ve shown this to you before, but this is my collection of photos of the kids from CSC that we have on display in our living room. I got these frames from the Birdie Go Go shop and they work together perfectly. They’re the perfect balance of style without being overly expensive – the frames themselves aren’t super sturdy but the most important thing to me was finding a whole big set of similarly styled frames that were still unique from each other in the details, and this set fit the bill.
I’m currently waiting on my next Etsy order which is something super exciting: NEW WOOD BOARDS for my food photography backgrounds! I am seriously so excited I can’t even stand it. I’ve never been a DIYer so I am so so happy to have a found a shop that specialized in helping people like myself get really unique, rustic, individually created pieces for my food photos. Wohoo! I’ll be sharing some pics of those boards (I mean, obviously in food but also in an additional post) if they end up being as awesome as I think they’re going to be.
I hope you’ll share your Etsy favorites with me so that I can borrow a piece of your style and so that I don’t (or DO?) get sucked into the black hole of Etsy search for hours. Because let’s be real: there could be worse things.
Thanks for coming over today! It’s like we had virtual coffee and snacks – always snacks – together right in my living room and I likey that. If you want to check out more about our little Yum Sweet Home, I have a few other posts that can be found here or you can look through the hashtag #yumsweethome on Instagram.
*bookmarks them all*
I love Etsy so hard. And I need to finish our home decor (need a few wall pieces), so this is great reference. Thanks, Lindsay!
Oh and please share your shop for food photography boards! I have been begging my husband to build me some but he’s got a million other projects going on that it never gets done. Humph.
Love love the way you have decorated your sweet home Lindsay and these etsy finds!!! Amazing! Hoping over to Etsy now!!
I looove distressed wood anything, and the ways you’ve decorated is just gorgeous! I’ve been looking for wood backgrounds forever! Seriously, ever since you mentioned yours is the back of a chess table I’ve been hunting in antique stores but never found anything…would you mind sharing the name of the shop or what you searched for for the wooden boards? I tried making some…the result was not so cute lol!
I loooove anything reclaimed wood, so I’m loving this post! I definitely have been looking everywhere for wood backgrounds for food photos so I can’t wait for that post! Ever since you shared that your wooden background is from a chess table I’ve been hunting in antique stores and have never found anything cute! I even tried the whole diy route and it did not turn out cute lol….anyway, can’t wait for that post!
Yes! I’ll be sure to share the boards when they come. Here’s the shop I ordered from: https://www.etsy.com/shop/EricksonWoodWorks
Oh, thank you for these tips! I have been hunting on Etsy for good photography boards, but have not had much luck. I’ve tried DIY boards also, but mine never turn out quite right. I love all of your finds here! You’ve got great style. 🙂
Ok, that’s weird, I just saw Kiersten Frase post about these today! I think they’ll be pretty busy. 🙂
Weird! Yeah, the only other blogger I know who has used them is Beard and Bonnet (great blog + photos) but looks like Kiersten found them, too! 🙂 And since posting this, I have actually received them and they are, as expected, great.
I love Etsy and all of your finds are gorgeous. Especially the pallet wood crates- LOVE.
I just got married in April and almost all of the decor at my wedding was from Etsy. We’re also moving into a new place this weekend and my mind is stuck in home decor mode at the moment so this post couldn’t have come at a better time! Thanks for the inspiration. 🙂
If I would have been an Etsy lover when we got married… we would have spent all our life savings on Etsy stuff and gotten married with nothing left to show for it except some awesome wedding pictures. 🙂 hahaha.
Your new home is looking beautiful! It’s so much fun to make every space your own! There is an Etsy shop you should check out..Robin Rose Waves..a wonderful way to bring a little bit of the ocean into everyone’s homes! Thank you for all of your sharing!
I’ll add it to my list to check out! Thanks Theresa!
Such a wonderfully rustic look and feel – beautiful items Lindsay!
Those reclaimed wood crates and mirrors are gorgeous! Cannot wait to see the boards you ordered!
P.S. Y’alls home is so rustic and warm – lovely decorating!
Thanks Shashi! Slowly but surely it’s feeling more like home 🙂
I love all the touches you added to your home. These are all beautiful pieces.
Bjork,
The contact information issue is back.
Jammy 😉
Thanks for the heads up Jammy. I’ve been working on this today. If you clear your browser’s cache and reload the page does it still come up?
Haha. Just realized this is Jakky. I’m just going to call you Jammy from now on.
Wait, Bjork, do you know this is actually Jakky? Hahaha! 🙂
I like my new nickname.
The problem is fixed again. (Way to go, Bjork! BTW… What is a cache?)
Etsy is my biggest obsession! My boyfriend has a t-shirt shop on there and it’s probably the source of 95% of all presents I give/receive.
How fun! What’s the shop Kelly??
LOVE this post!
I love the wood crate. I have an antique one that we use as our coffee table and we also store stuff in it so it’s double duty. Loving your rustic chic style, yay for having more time to decorate your adorable home!
More time! YAY! 🙂
I’ve been so busy with other things online that etsy has gotten short shrift lately. Your post makes me want to start hunting for treasures again!
Ahh!! I love everything, it is so my style. I love, love all the woods and those clipboards are amazing!! I am totally thinking about that for the barn! So fun!
Also, I have been scouring Etsy for photography boards for months with not the greatest luck. Can I ask where you got yours from? Thanks!
Yes! Erickson Wood Works – https://www.etsy.com/shop/EricksonWoodWorks – but I haven’t seen them in person yet so I’ll let you know how they look once I get them next week!
I love Etsy. It’s a bit pricey but if you know what you’re looking for, you’re most likely to find it. It’s like a little custom craftsy shop made just for you.
I shop for bags, fat quarters, jewelry and pillows here. They also have nice terrariums: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MIDNIGHTinSEATTLE?ref=l2-shop-info-name
And lovely gift/recipe/jewelry boxes:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/GiftsAndTalents
And this lady has lovely art pottery:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/catherinereece
Thank you Farah! Can’t wait to check these out!
Loving that blackboard — what a great way to keep track of your upcoming posts and recipes! I currently have a very tiny whiteboard on my fridge, which also holds the grocery list and the status of the dishwasher…a blackboard like that would be a very pretty upgrade.
The wood is truly sooo beautiful. It’s a worthwhile practical, artful investment!
The house is looking good! If you haven’t already, you might try using screws in the plaster. The hammering of nails can knock off the plaster keys on the backside of the lath, causing the plaster to fall off the walls. The keys on the backside are what keep the plaster on the front attached.
Great idea Heather. I hate using the screws because they require us to make massive holes in the wall, and then what if we need to move something? ugh, stresses me out. But you’re right – the nails sometimes just don’t cut it… and the walls crumble anyways… Grr! Plaster.
I love, love , love the clip boards. They would be a great way to display the pics my husband Tim takes for our blog and for his own enjoyment. Thanks for such a great idea!
Hello, my name is Rob and I’m an Etsy addict. (I got your email update as I was surfing Etsy. Coincidence? Hmmm…) There’s not a thing in my life that hasn’t been Etsy-fied. I think I need an intervention.
I’ve DIYed a bunch of photography boards and then was introduced to printed photo backgrounds. I just got my first order and they’re wonderful! Completely realistic and so much easier to store (what? no room for a brick wall in your closet?). The two Etsy shops I bought from are Ink and Elm and Swanky Prints. I still like making my own backgrounds but these are definitely worth checking out.
Your house looks warm and inviting and I love seeing what you’ve done!
Too funny! Thanks for the awesome recs Robin! I’ve heard of Swanky Prints but I’m going to check out Ink and Elm!
Totally in love with your home! WOW = ) Looks like all of the chaos paid off!
Such great finds! I was just thinking of how I’ll need to find wooden boards for my photos, since we’ll be moving soon, so I’ll definitely check out Etsy! 🙂
Dooo it. I heart Etsy!
Thank you so much for featuring my print at this lovely post! Your house is amazing I love every choice and honored to be included!!! (Btw, I am a not a guy 🙂 ) cheers, efrat
Oh Efrat! Haha! I’m so sorry. I guess your name reminded me of someone I know with a similar name… who is a guy. 🙂 Thank you again for the lovely print! You go girl!
Um, those clipboards are AMAZING. Love, love, love them. I take pictures at the farmer’s market, too. Isn’t it soooooo pretty there?! The crates, too, are awesome. I just recently opened an Etsy shop, so it’s not loaded, but I sell photos of flowers that I’ve taken in my yard. I have six- kagillion pictures on my blog and hard drive, though, that I hope to some day add. Okay, that many might be a wee bit excessive, but’cha know what I mean. :0) My shop name is Rindy Mae. Looking forward to seeing your new wood!
I knoooow! They’re adorable. I am going to check out your site ASAP! Running there now!
I literally love it all – your home is so beautiful!!
Thanks Angelyn! We’re getting there 🙂
These worn out woods really create a warm feel to the house