11.30.2008

New Modern Ceiling Fan!



Here it is! I'm so happy with it for a number of reasons. 1) The price was right at $49.00! 2) The size was right - small for our low ceilings. 3) It has more blades and therefore moves more air than the last one. Other benefits - the blonde wood blades go with the floors, and the silver hardware matches the hardware - door knobs in the house with the exception of the front door which is on it's way out sometime soon . The white fan is similar to what we had and believe me it was bad. I'm so glad it's gone. Originally we were looking at more expensive fans that were more than $200 dollars but they were often too big and looked too much like airplane propellors. I really didn't think that we would be able to make the change for less than $100 bucks so I was really surprised when we went to our local hardware store Jerry's Home Improvement Center and we found this wee modern fan. Yeah for wee fans, local hardware stores, and wee price tags!

Sunday Fun at Bring Recycling



In past blogs I've mentioned one of our favorite diversions just on the outskirts of town - Bring Recycling.  A new initiative at Bring includes recycling natural cork from wine and champagne bottles. I hope programs like this will help to bring down the costs of cork floors - because they are lovely to look at but are still a touch outside our price range.  Anyway I've included some pics of the Bring building which was built from many recycled products and with "green" concepts in mind. We were there today to donate several items: 1) The old front door light fixture, 2) the desk that I was unable to sell on Craiglist,(see here too) 3) the ceiling fan that we changed out last weekend. It felt especially great to get rid of the desk that had embarrassingly sat next to the front door for far too long. It worked well to hold our Halloween pumpkins but beyond that it was just collecting dirt! We also went to Bring to peruse for a new/re-used front door. I have been loathing ours for a while and I think we just will keep dropping by in search of new doors. Even though we were looking for doors I get stuck looking at the light fixtures. Here are a few pictures of cool light fixtures that you could re-use in your retro-pad if you lived in Eugene/Springfield/Cottage Grove/Creswell area.  I snagged a little globe light for a buck to switch out with the one I was not so pleased with - more on that later. Anyway I hope you have a great recycling center in your neighborhood that like Bring is super fun to sort through and that you can repurpose items every once in awhile. Happy hunting!

11.26.2008

Cheap Thrift Store Find: Retro Pencil Sharpener



I'm not really sure what to write about this. So I'll start at the beginning . . . I went to the Thrift store, I was looking for something entirely different when I saw this faux bois pencil sharpener. It did not have batteries in it and was therefore a risk. What if when I got it home and energized it and it didn't work? For 2 bucks I thought I could afford the risk - and worth it, it was indeed. I also love the concentric flower pattern on top and the "PRESS FIRMLY" font. Really it's unfair to all those people in the world who spend way too much money on items that only leave them feeling empty inside afterwards. I love this pencil sharpener and it brightens up my work day. Since it is thanksgiving - cheers to the little (cheap) things in life that give us joy. Cheers to modern simplicity! Oh yeah, and family, and friends, and all that too. But that's for some other blog to mull over. Here it's about the semi-frivolous but integral to our spirit - so-not-so frivolous theme of modern living. Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving!

11.22.2008

Modern Ceiling Fans!


It seems like my title is an oxymoron. Modern Ceiling fans. So many are really cheezy looking for lack of a a better word. I've been perusing the lighting slideshows and there are no ceiling fans - just ceiling lights. This is may fave slideshow because it's starts with Niche Modern. The good news is that Mr. Monkey woke up this morning and said let's do it - let's get a new ceiling fan! Imagine my joy and surprise! I've been begging for a new ceiling light since we moved here now over a year ago only to be rebuffed time and time again by Mr. Monkey. It's not time, he would say. Well for some reason today is! I'll keep you posted. 

11.17.2008

Fun Thrift Store Finds



This entry could also be called "Cheap New World". It was lovely being in La Jolla and checking out houses that only uber money can buy. But now I'm back in Eugene and living La Vida Local. So I thought I'd highlight some simple and cheap finds from local thrift stores as of late. The chair you might recall was part of my first Craigslist endeavor. The chair cost about $75 and was a part of a package deal with another chair plus a 3 person couch. The proportions work well in our small living room. There are technically only 3 new items in the picture. The first is the Cliff May book and besides the chair it is the most expensive item in the scene. The second is the pot that the succulent is in, is also new but was super cheap at less than $7 dollars at Down to Earth here in Eugene, a slightly trendy mostly practical home and garden store. I also love that the plant pot is biodegradable made out of left over bamboo pulp. At the store they said it should last about 5 years in doors - just about the right time for when I will be growing tired of it. It's weakening fiber will be timely. The glass vase and side table were both purchased at Goodwill on separate outings. The vase I think was more expensive than the table at $7 bucks which was a lot for me to spend on a vase but I knew I need something big and green for the side table - which was purchased for $5 bucks at the same store a few years before.
The table has seen some serious use. On one of my trips away Mr. Monkey decided to use a clear stain on a table he was working on and decided to place the brushes and can lid on this little side table leaving a not-so-nice visual reminder. It also sat outside for a whole summer and when the outdoors didn't destroy it and the marking from crafty Mr. Monkey came off I brought it back inside. The wee side table had proven itself worthy of playing a more prominent role in our day to day lives.
Finally I did want to note the magazine holder. I see these little golden hot rods all over the place - this one in particular I bought for a whopping $4.99 (and got a penny in change - no sales tax). If it's five bucks you can bet I'll get it just to see if it will work - and it did. Not long after I saw another slightly more elaborate golden magazine holder for nearly $20 bucks so I felt that I really got a deal. But to be truthful these little finds are all over the place waiting to be discovered (this theory first discussed here). Finally, the third new item - the plants too were about $5.00 each.The green pillow, which has been repurposed many times over was also less than $10 bucks on sale at a big box store. I bought it back when I was not so wise. So this is my mini-lesson on how good style does not have to be expensive. I guess it took my time to venture out to the Thrift stores and sometimes I come home with nothing - but it's the adventure that's the most fun and the joy of finding something you love for an affordable price. So even though times are tight for many people - funky functional items can be found for a deal! Cheers!

11.11.2008

Livin' La Vida La Jolla


Oh happy day! Don't get me wrong - Fall in Eugene is gorgeous. The leaves are beautiful and multicolored. The air is brisk and if it's dry it's perfect for going for a run. This weather is invigorating. But over the weekend we were in La Jolla California visiting family and friends. Our dear friend, Brew, is doing a post-doc at UCSD and we were more than happy to visit her. Friday night just she and I went out to dinner at WhisknLadle There I was so pleased to find this thoroughly modern dining room for private parties. The lights remind me of those you can find here  at Niche Modern - where I drool over the light fixtures every now and now. It made my eyes twinkle to see the "Solitaire" in person. I have yet to see it in Eugene but I'll keep on the looking. As for the restaurant the food was great - the wine selection was overpriced. But Brew and I had a lovely time livin' la vida in La Jolla just for la weekend.

11.01.2008

New House Numbers

Remember way back when I started this whole blog thing? Well if you don't head back over here. Me and Mr. Monkey were in a debate about house numbers. I didn't really feel like blowing $20 or more per number - it just wasn't worth it. Plus the futura font just doesn't match the house outdoor aesthetic. So after visiting 2 hardware stores and not finding what I was looking for I decided that these more craftsman style numbers would work well with the front of the monkey house. And another great characteristic is that they were cheap and easy to install. Gotta love it! Our old house numbers can be seen here (numbers are next to garage). Drum roll please  . . . I would like to introduce our new house numbers.  I also covered the horrible fake beveled glass look on our front door with a window screener. During the day I can't see the beveled-ness at all - at night it can be seen through the film. Not a great solution but a good temporary one. I just hated looking at the beveled floral arrangement every day. Yuck! 
Upcoming posts will include a before and after of the bathroom - it was a simple redo - mainly a new shower curtain - but it's amazing what a big difference that little change can make. Have a modern autumn day!