Home Edition

The more vintage I hunt for the shop, the more I buy for the home.  Is this the case for other sellers?  I haven't made huge purchases yet, due to the budget, but I keep finding smaller items that seem to make a big difference in the decor.   

1. Old dried flowers from my husband about 7 years ago.
2. Trio of vintage vases.
3. My vanity full of vintage jewelry, boxes, buttons, and hats.
4. 1930s reprints of P.J. Redoute prints.
5. Vintage photo frame next to a mix of vintage and modern books.

As time passes, I'd like to find a vintage coffee table, shelves, mirrors, credenza, wall hangings and the list goes on and on.  Decorating the home, however, is very low on my priority list and probably will be unless I miraculously have self-sufficient kids, a clean home, and an assistant/nanny/maid.

iPhone Photo Diary

I have no idea how my husband got them both to have the same expression.

Husband bought Jessie her own Dora doll, which she loved.

Took both kiddos to the newly renovated Lego store in Downtown Disney.

This pretty much sums up every meal with her. I have started using a bib again, though.

Another night, we took them to Southcoast Plaza (a really upscale mall) and they rode the carousel.

Son receiving a certificate for finishing Korean school

Just another night of playing dinosaurs and lining up all 70 something of them.

Thank goodness for my iphone.  Without it, I don't think I would capture any photos of my children.  These were all taken within a couple of days.  It's been busy over here at the Kim household with these two little ones and as you can tell, my home always seems a little bit messy.

Starting today, I've been on this cleaning spree.  Honestly, every week seems like a cleaning spree.  I mean it though- lots of organizing and donating items to be done.  If you like some of these photos, you can find me on Instagram. Look for RevolvingStyles.

Ok, back to work.

Lil Snippets & Giveaway Winner!

I usually post about my hectic schedule in the mornings, but I can't recall ever discussing what I do when the kids go down for their afternoon nap.  I make sure that they both go down around the same time, which really helps preserve my sanity.  During the quiet nap time is when I bust out the vintage and start shooting some pictures for listings. I usually have a 1.5 hour window before Jessie wakes up to prepare the clothes and shoot the product shots, which explains why I am only able to get about 3-5 items listed per day. 

So, here are the little snippets from today (or yesterday since I'm posting this at 12:30 a.m.)

1. A 1950s prom dress I steamed and took pictures of today

2. Choosing which vintage necklace to use in the product shots

3. Finally started getting some of the photo frames I thrifted up around the house

4. Jonah likes sitting in the corner of the couches and drink his milk after his nap

5. Jessie's weaning continues!  She's doing well.

6. More thrifted photo frames being put to use. Can you guess who's who?

Also, thank you to those who entered the giveaway!  This particular giveaway had the most entries yet, and I will be having another giveaway in 2 weeks, so if you didn't win this time, enter the next one!

The winner is....

Becca

I will be contacting you shortly and congrats!

Thank God for Friends

I can't believe that this Saturday marks my little baby girl's 1st birthday, or "dohl" as we call it in Korean.  For readers who don't know, the dohl is a huge deal in Korean tradition and has become an even bigger ordeal amongst second generation Korean-Americans (IMO). 

Jessie's dohl will still be on a smaller scale compared to other dohl's, but planning this thing feels like a monster.  Most of the bigger details such as food, location, and party favors have been planned, but there's still so much more to do this week.  I still need to plan the decorations, print photos, make a slideshow and so on and so forth.  Thank God I have wonderful friends that are lending me all the vases, banners, fake cakes, and hanboks (traditional Korean clothing worn at special events such as the dohl). Without them I would be sitting in pools of tears because I would be lost and stressed.  I want to share some sneak preview shots of her dohl, but I hope the following picture will NOT be occurring at the party (but I'm sure it will)...

I wanted to show my mother-in-law what Jessie looked like in a hanbok, but she was so tired and had a meltdown while I put the layers and layers of clothes on her and then my mother-in-law thought it would help to put her on this car, but jessie just ended up crying even more.  Poor thing.  Am I a bad mom that instead of consoling her right away, I took a picture with my iPhone?

Here are some less stressful sneak preview pictures of some things that will appear at Jessie's birthday...

Both hanboks are so pretty, so we're going to have to do a trial run on Jessie, again, and see which one she looks better in.  Thanks HK and EP for letting me borrow these!

a handmade banner made by HK

excited to wear this pink lace 1960s wiggle dress!

handmade by EP, also! 

I have the most talented friends!!

I will still be updating the shop daily, also so be on the lookout for some amazing dresses!  Hope everyone has a great Monday!

Goodbye Old Friend

I opened up my shop 2 1/2 years ago and this little dress form helped me along.  However, when I moved into my new home 1 1/2 years ago, the stinky little mover men decided to drop her and break her legs.  That's why she's lopsided.  So, for the past year, I've been doing ghetto photo shoots where I tuck my Lucky Magazine under one of her legs so that she doesn't appear as lopsided.

my husband drilled some screws in the little legs to keep the dress form standing.

It started taking up too much time to try to edit my photos and to prop a magazine under the legs and I knew I had to find another dress form.  I searched for the past 6 months on ebay, craigslist, antique malls and flea markets for a vintage dress form, but couldn't find one that I liked for the price.  I caved and just purchased a brand new one that was more sturdily built.  So, I'd like to introduce my new friend.

We're getting along quite well and she is a lot more low maintenance than the previous one.  I think and hope we'll be friends for a long time.  Now back to work. 

Remnants of the Flu

I battled the nastiest 24-hr bug I've ever faced.  I was freezing cold, then burning hot, and sweating like a pig the entire time. Every part of my body ached and keeping my eyes open was a heavy task. I knew my fever was high because my eyelids felt hot and and my son would kiss my cheek and say each time, "You're burning."  I even turned down food, and I never turn down food!

If my husband had not come home early from work to take care of the kids, and me, the kids would have starved and not slept.  I'm so thankful for my husband!  He fed them, cooked, washed the dishes, and put them both down while I was delirious.  I woke up this morning feeling much better and this is what I found!

My husband got blindsided by me being sick and had to think quickly and cook something for dinner.  He made this pasta, and if you're wondering what that long strip of meat is, it's bacon. hahaha.  I died when I saw this.  He literally used jarred tomato sauce and put whole slices of bacon.  That's it- no vegetables and the bacon wasn't even cut.  I think it's one of the cutest and most wonderful things he's done.  I will let him eat the rest.

I don't blame my husband for not being able to pick up the toys after all he did yesterday.  However, this is only half the mess that was left by the kids.  How can two little kids create such clutter?

This was the mess created by me.  I've been on this bad sleep schedule where I sleep at 9:30, then wake up at 3 a.m. and work.  I did that again and that's when I started feeling the flu and apparently knocked over my poor headform and threw my vintage inventory on the floor. I claim temporary insanity.

Anyhow, I'm glad to be feeling human and healthy again and more listings coming to the shop tonight!  Only 12 more sales until 1,000, which means only 12 more sales until my sale is over!

Big Bare Wall

It's been over a year since we've lived in our new home and the past year has been so busy and hectic that I still have yet to decorate the home.  There are still pictures waiting to be hung and little decorative touches to be added to give the place more personality.  In fact, I feel like my home looks like a bachelor pad.  I did have an excuse though for not decorating!  When we first moved in, I was just entering my 2nd trimester of pregnancy while caring for a toddler while trying to run a business.  I just couldn't muster up any extra energy or finances to think about decorating the home.

But, now that the baby is out of me and is already 9 months old, we've all seemed to fall into a schedule, which allows me now to think about how to decorate the home.  I would like to start with my big bare ugly dining room wall.  I really like some of these options I found on Country Living.  All of these are inexpensive, unique, and something that I feel would reflect our family's personality.  Which do you think I should use?

here, old vintage frames to frame floating art or other decorative items. they are quite inexpensive if found at a thrift store or flea market.

these are actual leaves found in a backyard or sidewalk and just framed.  pressed leaves are such a cute and affordable way to add charming decor to the house.  I would love to get my son involved in helping me find the leaves.

here, three flea market chairs were created into one bench.  i've always wanted a bench for my dining table!

i'm loving this alternative lamp.  here, christmas lights are just filled in a glass jug.  this would look great in my living area!  Also, gotta love the antique books.

and here is my big ugly space that I would like to work on. 

Thursday Tips- Home Edition

A couple of months ago, I came upon this blog post from Belle Maison, one of my favorite go to blogs for design inspiration. I loved this particular post because many of the ideas were practical, affordable, while adding some character to the home.  Here are some tips, with a little spin so that I can apply it to my kids and shop, also.

Tip 1: Hang jewelry, such as necklaces and bracelets, on a paper towel holder.  This tip is especially helpful if you sell vintage jewelry, like myself.  Can't wait to try this tip out and add a little to my room decor!  (Click here for more information.)

Tip 2: Use personalized, or labeled, storage buckets in an entryway bookcase.  I'm thinking of putting these in my kids' rooms and label it with where their toys should go.  More colorful than baskets and label friendly and definitely cost friendly!  (Click here for more information.)

Tip 3: Use an ice cube tray to store rings, earrings, brooches, and any other small jewelry.  My jewelry drawer is a mess and it becomes a chore to look for a certain item, so I love this idea!

(Click here for more information.)

Tip 4: Place any personal items such as keys, cell phones, etc. in a wicker cutlery tray and personalize it for each family member for their own needs!  (Click here for more information.)

Tip 5: Hang kitchen towels and gloves on hooks mounted on the inside of your kitchen cabinets.  (Click here for more information.)

Hope you liked today's tips!  Will you try any of them?

photo credits: Real Simple, Martha Stewart, Better Home and Gardens

Changes

For those who actually do follow my blog and my shop, you may notice my lack of posts and shop updates.  Due to the new addition to the family, my daily routine I once had with one child must change.

Before Jessie was born, my son had 3 hour naps during the afternoon- a wonderful time frame for me to work, blog, and start dinner.  However, he decided to cut his nap in half after Jessie entered the picture, so I've decided to cut my store hours to accommodate my children's needs. 

Instead of listing new items everyday and taking pictures every day, I've decided to work only 3 days a week, during the night.  That way, I can cook, clean, and spend time with both of my kids during the day, instead of neglecting them to tend to the shop. 

Thank goodness Jessie sleeps well while I photograph items for the shop.  Here are pictures of my not so pretty work space- my bedroom.

Not so fancy, but I have to make do with what I have.

The photo shoot clothes are on my bed and I have now added a playpen to the bedroom, so space is definitely getting tight!

But, the changes are all worth it.  I apologize for the quality of the photo.  It was taken with my crappy phone.

Now, that I'm getting more into a routine, expect more posts and shop updates.  I promise!

Mentally Nesting

So, as shared yesterday, I'm 32 1/2 weeks along in my pregnancy, and mentally, I am nesting. Everyday, I create and re-create a list of things to clean and get ready for Jessie. But, as the picture below will show, I'm not really doing much.

I have lots of white wall space.  I would like to hang some vintage needlepoint pictures I found, preferably not over the crib because I have this fear of things falling on a child while sleeping.  I also have some pretty little vintage girl's dresses from the 1950s and 1960s that seem irrepairable that I would like to hang on the walls, which is an idea I received from Bombshell Bettie .

The most I've done is thrift this cute little shabby chic dresser/nightstand that I still need to clean up a bit.  But, I am proud of myself for finding this at least.

Hopefully, this post will motivate me to act upon my nesting instincts instead of taking naps.  Any other suggestions you readers may have for the nursery (except painting the room.  That is not in our budget at the moment and as you can tell, we really don't have much time.)

My Mornings

Many people ask "What do you do all day at home?"  Well, I wanted to illustrate with pictures what occurs throughout the day, but after 9:30 a.m., I was already so tired that I gave up.  So, here are pictures from my morning and maybe I will show you another time what the rest of my day looks like.

6:30 a.m.- I actually set my alarm for 6 a.m. because I'm really productive in the mornings, but I usually wake up at 6:30, an hour earlier before the little one wakes up, and fish through my sea of vintage to see what I should list and photograph for the day.

(This is only 40% of my vintage)

7:30 a.m.-Jonah wakes up and we proceed to play in his room for at least a half an hour. Usually, it's playing with trains, puzzles, or reading books.  Then, he goes downstairs and watches Sesame Street for about 1/2 an hour.

8:45- I proceed to making breakfast for the both of us.  He normally has yogurt, scrambled eggs, and mandoo (korean dumplings).  I know mandoo is an unusual choice, but he insists on it every morning.  I rotate the eggs with toast, hash browns, fruit, or turkey sausage.

9:00 a.m.- I proceed to clean up any mess made while feeding him.  This day was particularly difficult because after half the yogurt splattered across my carpet, Jonah then spilled all his milk, wet his clothes, and then had a nosebleed. 

So after all that, I forgot about taking pictures.  Maybe I will come back another post and document what I do from 9:30 a.m.-2 a.m. 

This post may be boring to some, but I know the moms out there understand. :)  Anyhow, despite difficult mornings, I still love being a stay at home mom that runs an etsy shop.  Amen.