Wood-Fired Goodness!

I'm a huge fan of Splatgirl and Boy and the many home building adventures that take place on their Modern in MN blog. They've built and AMAZING home from the ground-up. With the house finished, they decided to build an outdoor wood fired oven. I've been following the oven-building process every step of the way, so I was happy to see that it's finally done. How exciting!

If I knew Splatgirl, I'd be at her house every day for the yummy calzones they cooked up on their new oven. They look scrumptious!

Check out Modern in MN for more great pics and stories about Splatgirl and Boy's AWESOME house.

Canister Dilema

I need your help! I'm trying to find new canisters for my kitchen. I don't have any pictures of the kitchen (I'll post some tomorrow) but I can tell you the shelves are adorned with retro kitchen appliances and dishes in oranges, reds, and mustard yellow. We have off-white walls with one chocolate brown accent wall.

I spent HOURS searching Etsy last night for the perfect vintage canisters to replace the too-modern glass and stainless canisters we already have. I managed to narrow it down to the two sets below. They're both very different in style but would both go well in our kitchen.

These avocado green canisters may not be anything special, but I love the color. I've been trying to bring more avocado into the kitchen to break up some of the reds and oranges. I like the faux wood tops and lettering on the fronts. For some reason, I just really like these!

But I also LOVE these! They color is awesome and the flecks of missing paint add a little vintage charm. The wood tops are awesome and fit in with the wood bowls I just bought last month. On the other hand, I feel like I've already used orange and red a lot in the kitchen, so adding orange canisters would be overload. But they're SO cute!

Thoughts, opinions? What do YOU think?

Wedding Stuff: The Attire

I know I've never blogged about clothing on Apt528, but as a lover of all things vintage and awesome, I felt the need to give a big shoutout to 40 South Street in Jamaica Plain for providing the awesome attire for me and the hubby at our retro wedding.

We'd gone into 40 one day while looking at a nearby antique store. We instantly fell in love. When it came time to buy vintage clothes for the wedding, we couldn't think of a better place than 40 South Street. The guy working there that day was completely awesome. He was like a character an 80's movie or something. By the time we left we wanted to invite him to our wedding. Now THAT's good customer service!

I loved my dress! It was a little big but the tailors did an awesome job of taking it in at the sides. To punch up the fun factor, we added red ribbon to the bottom and I opted for fun yellow shoes. At one point, I had a yellow belt too but it just didn't look right. I'm not big into flowers so I literally picked those up the morning of the wedding from Roche Brothers, a nearby grocery store. I threw them away when we got home. Apparently, you're supposed to keep them. I could care less! The ladies on my left and right are my little sisters who served as the bridesmaid and maid of honor.

Jerome (who thinks he's a model) wore an awesome Members Only jacket (not during the ceremony) a white 1970's Lacoste polo, and vintage green slacks. The dry cleaners lost his original polo the day before the wedding, but thankfully 40 had another one! We also had vintage suitcases which we got from Urban Renewals in Brighton. We were the coolest couple around when we arrived at the Liberty Hotel that night in our retro duds!

I know people thought we were crazy for not wearing traditional wedding gear, but it was the perfect choice for us. I wish we could do it again!

Us with the siblings, parents (left), and grandparents (right).

House Industries Typography

Apartment Therapy Boston recently did a post on typographic prints from House Industries. I loved them so much I had to share them with you. The large 26" x 20" prints (pictured) go for $35/print while the smaller 8.5" x 11"'s are only $18 each. Not bad.


Of course, being super frugal and not ever wanting to spend money on something I could do myself, I'm pretty sure anyone with access to a printer could make great typography prints. Simply pick a letter/number/character and put it in the font and color that you'd like. Print it out and you're done! All you have to pay for is ink for the printer and a few sheets of paper. You could even get large format prints done at Kinko's for around $10.

That said, what do YOU think? Is it worth the money or would you DIY?

Thrifty Thursday: TV Edition

I'm a HUGE TV junkie which is why I'm so excited for the new TV season to start. Tonight marks the return of fall TV shows like Fringe, The Office, and Bones. To make sure you have everything necessary to maximize your TV viewing experience, check out the Thrifty Thursday: TV Edition.

Wooden TV Salt & Pepper Shakers, $8 (51VC); Avocado Green Sunburst Trays, set of 2, $12 (Tumbleweed Cottage); Mod Yellow RCA TV, $175 (bnagle); Floral TV Trays, $16 (Mod Owl)

And the winner is...

Apt528 would like to give a big shout out to Keith for winning the Apartment 528 Store Giveaway. Keith chose the orange Cardinal Rectangle Pillow by Joom to go in his mid-century modern living room. I can't wait to see pictures!

Don't forget to check the Apt528 Store for awesome finds under $50!

Bookin' It

I'm back with a design that brings new meaning to Read and Roll. No, not the toilet paper holder/magazine rack I told you about earlier this year. This time it's a bookcase chair on the go.


Yes, a bookcase chair. The Bookinist, designed by Nils Holger Moormann, had shelves to accommodate your favorite books. No more searching the house to figure out where you left your book...you can easily reach behind the headrest or under the seat to find the book you're looking for. If you get tired of sitting in a certain spot, simply roll the chair wheel barrel style to a new location. Bonus: there's also a secret compartment for storing odds and ends!

I'm pretty sure I couldn't afford the designer version of the Bookinist chair, but looking at the design, I think it's a doable DIY, depending on your skill level and patience. I'd probably leave out the giant wheel in favor of four casters or plain old fixed legs. I'd also add a more comfortable cushion and ditch the tacky lamp. What do you think?

Wedding Stuff 1: The Announcements

Just when I thought my wedding duties were over, it turns out I need to send announcements. It never ends! Paper-Source was my first stop. Walking in to Paper-Source is like walking into a colorful, creative, grown-up wonderland. Everything is so beautiful. Sometimes when I go in there I want to have a party just so I can buy their gorgeous invitations. To help control my stationery addiction, I figured I'd satiate my appetite by sharing my finds with you.

These are the cards we pick for our announcements. They look SO CUTE!

Great for a backyard BBQ.

We chose these for our thank you cards. I couldn't leave the store without owning them!

I want to use these for my next party.

Cute, elegant, sophisticated.

These are awesome.

I really wanted these too. I had to run out of the store to keep from buying them!

Don't forget to check out some of the stationery in the Apt528 Store. For a chance to win FREE cards and other products, enter the Apt528 Giveaway.

Apt528 the Store Giveaway!!

CORRECTION (9/11/09): The Giveaway ends SUNDAY at 11:59pm. Sorry for the confusion!

It's another Apt528 giveaway! This time, you'll be able to win ANY PRODUCT from the Apartment 528 Store. With designers such as David Paul Seymour, Joom, and Diffraction Fiber to choose from, this is definitely one giveaway you can't miss!

Art Prints and Cards from David Paul Semour

Pillows, Pouches, and Cards from Joom

Action Pillows and Mousepads from Diffraction Fiber

How do you win? If you've done other Apt528 giveaways, you know the drill. First, head over to the Apt528 Store and find your favorite product. After you find your favorite item, choose one (or more) of the entry options below. Don't forget to include an email or screenname that you check regularly so I can contact you if you're the lucky winner.

1. Post a comment below telling me which Apt528 item is your favorite. Each comment counts as ONE entry


2. Post a tweet about this giveaway on Twitter (@Apartment528) linking back to this blog entry. Put the link to your twitter post in a comment below so I can find it. Each twitter link counts as TWO entries.


3. Link back to this giveaway on your blog. Put the link to your blog post in a comment below. Each blog link counts as TWO entries.

The contest will end at 11:59 on SUNDAY, September 13th. Monday, a winner will be chosen at random to receive their favorite product. Yea!

Start browsing :)

Apartment 528 the Store is Finally Up!!!

Sorry for all the technical difficulties lately. Tuesday the store wouldn't load, and yesterday the blog was down until the afternoon. Crazy!

Now that everything's up and running, there's no reason not to check out the new Apt528 Store for decor and accessories UNDER $50 from designers like Joom, David Paul Seymour, and Diffraction Fiber. With prices like that, how can you NOT shop!?!

Sunday, I'll run the first of many giveaways through the Apartment 528 Store. Keep your eyes peeled for chances to win!