FRIDAY FIVE // ANIMALS

I feel like I'm living in a zoo lately.  My little tasmanian devil has definitely been keeping me busy - whether I'm cleaning up the destruction after Tornado Luke, helping him save the world from evil or battling him over taking a nap - and I am tired.  But, what's a zoo without a multitude of animals, right?  We already have an owl, an octopus and a fish but a proper zoo needs more. These Friday Five finds are all a bit on the wild side - just like Luke.

Source List

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5

I'm hoping things die down around here - or, at least, that Luke starts taking naps again because I'm really not ready for the glory days to be over.  Mama needs her breaks!

So, what animal decor makes you sing like a songbird?

Friday Five // Lovely

With Valentine's Day only 2 weeks away, this Friday Five has gone sentimental.  But, since I'm not really the lovey-dovey, pink hearts all up in my bidness type (aside from last year's 14 Days of Valentines) - I'm doing it my way.  Whether it's two parakeets sitting in a tree or a pair of quirky Mr and Mrs highball glasses - these are all things that represent love and, frankly, that I'd love to have.

Source List

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5

So how are you spending the 14th?  With loved ones or hitting the town single-style?  I, for one, will be greeting my husband home from work looking fab in my sweats and my pretty much permanent top knot hair style - Eat Your Heart Out.

Friday Five // Stripes

I love me some big chunky stripes.  Ever since I painted Luke's room with large horizontal stripes I've had an addiction with the crisp and bold design trend.  I even ended up painting a rug which lives under our bed.  Like "The Bruce Dickinson" and his cowbell, I just can't curb my desire for more stripes.  So the first of many Friday Five posts, which is where I showcase five budget-friendly items based on a weekly theme, is dedicated to one of my most favorite of things...at the moment....STRIPES!

Source List

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5

Each of these are sure to make a big impact - whether it is in your home or on your person - and a little dent in your wallet.

So are you guys still loving the striped trend with me?  Can you really call stripes a trend?

Another Obsession To Add To My Arsenal

Saturday, 7 am.  While every good wife would be in the kitchen fixin' her loving family a breakfast fit for royalty (or in our case, a bunch of lumberjacks), I'm sitting here glued to my laptop.  While catching up on some good ol' blog reading, I came across a post by Nate B. about his Vintage Gift Guide picks from V&M.  Curiosity led me on over to V&M which I hadn't heard of before.  With that one click, the clouds parted, the rains ceased and, unfortunately for my husband, I found my new online obsession. Vintage & Modern is the leading online source for unique vintage furniture, antiques, art, jewelry, fashion and design from around the world.  WHAT?!  Vintage shopping from the comfort of your couch?  I.AM.THERE.

How have I NOT heard about V&M before?!  Or have I?  I'm not completely convinced that this is actually my first visit - I think I stumbled upon it back in the day.   Why it didn't resonate back then, I'll never know.  But, now I'm hooked.

Not only does V&M have a drool-worthy collection of furniture & accessories - like this gorgeous antique gothic arch top window below.  It also has TV.  So, if I'm not annoying my husband enough by spending hours browsing the shops I can skip on over to the READ section (which also includes TV) and really check out.  And just when he's about to match me with some fantasy football "research" I'll just show him the Breweriana section and that's how I'll bring him over to the dark side.

So what about you guys?  Have any favorite online shopping destinations that fuel your home design obsession?

Shop 'Til You Drop

Well folks, I've finally done it.  Last Friday I opened up my Etsy shop!  I can't even begin to describe how nervous, excited - and just a wee bit terrified - I am.  But with 1 million other shops, I'm sure a few of you know what I'm talking about.

The shop is pretty sparse right now.  There's a few prints, a set of cork trivets and the Octopus Triptych.

I hope to have quite a few more items up in the near future, but for now I'm reveling in the fact that I FINALLY opened up shop.  I don't know how long I've thought about doing it, but just haven't taken the plunge.

So what about you guys?  Have shops of your own?  How do you get your items in front of the masses?