There will come a time

when you believe everything is finished.  That will be the beginning.  -Louis L'Amour

Wow.  What a week we had at Abode!  If this is any indication of what kind of year it will be, bring it on 2011!

We sold this retro diner table and a whole lot more, so if you have items (especially furniture) you've been waiting to consign, this week would be the ideal time.  Feel free to email us at abodeabode@gmail.com with photos of your items before bringing them in so we can make sure they are the right fit for our store and schedule the perfect time for you to stop by!

I'll leave you with some cupcake themed inspiration found out there in the blog world:

 

This delightful man cut out pictures of his guests and placed them on top of cupcakes at a dinner party.  Great idea, or GREATEST idea? I'm kind of obsessed. 

 

Head over to Relatively Reagan to steal  her recipe for pumpkin spice cupcakes AND her brilliant idea of sticking them in a jar.

Love it.  Love all of you. Be sure to stay tuned into our blog and emails next week as we have a fun little give away to announce!

Funky tip.

Fill a cool bowl with photographs and place it on your coffee table for guests to rummage through.  You can use vintage photos, family photos, or even Polaroids you snapped yourself.  It's just as fun to peruse through as any coffee table book and you'll get bonus points for originality. 

Book page wallpaper.

I saw this image of a very stylish room with walls covered in book pages and I swooned. 

  

Earlier this year I did my own little book page wall but I made it 3d.  I sewed the pages together using my sewing machine and then looped them around and around, pinning them randomly to the wall.  

But now my interest in book page covered walls has been re-sparked and I'm thinking...could I make a "headboard" out of book pages for over my bed?  Hmmm...

UPDATE: Just got the best idea from some of our ridiculously creative customers!  They suggested using pages from vintage children's books as wallpaper in a nursery.  We love it. 

Ethan Allen.

I kept seeing these funky fabrics online and I just knew I had seen them somewhere else.  I couldn't figure it out for weeks and then today out of nowhere I realized that they are the same prints that we have in our giant books of vintage Ethan Allen wallpaper at the store!

Mystery solved.  Just call me Nancy Drew.  Photos via i suwannee.

Yesterday

was a madhouse here at Abode!  We sold oodles of fabric, a gigantic book case made by a local carpenter out of reclaimed barn wood, a fabulous art deco dining room table, and much much more. 

AND we replenished our stock with some lovely little treasures from some of our favorite consignors so there's still plenty more where all that came from!

So come on in today and browse the new merchandise, we'll listen to some good tunes and chit chat about all the projects we have going on in our homes for the new year. 

All our lovin,

The Abode gals:  Merm, Kt, and Manda

Bird cage baby shower.

 While hunting for some creative baby shower ideas I found these ridiculously fun pictures on the social secretary and now I'm obsessed with the idea of using a bird cage as part of a table-scape. 

I own a pretty little bird cage that I've filled with candles but maybe I'll have to work it into the forest themed baby shower I'm throwing later this year.

If you love this idea you should stop by the store and check out our plethora of bird cages.  They're fun, funky, and can be totally functional!

Dear Country Living,

Thank you, thank you, thank you for showing us new ways to use vintage doilies. They are beautiful, interesting and unique and we have a rolling French laundry basket full of them just ready for creating!