design time: vintage bar cart

design time: vintage bar cart

I'm sitting on my deck this morning making good use of my latest project. Earlier this week I snagged a vintage bar cart from my local goodwill for $8.99. The shiny brass and faux wood grain may of deterred some, but I knew it was nothing my trusty Valspar spray paint couldn't handle. I absolutely love Valspar paint. I've used it all over my house on walls and furniture, and I've spray painted nearly every outdoor table I have with their Mediterranean blue. If you keep your color palette simple, it will look like all your vintage finds are custom made just for you!

Check out the before:

in the making: deck chairs

in the making: deck chairs

These deck chairs from Gallant & Jones are adorable. They're made in Canada and are a little pricy for my budget. I'll be looking for a vintage frame online to refurbish and cover myself. If all else fails, maybe I'll put my (soon to be discovered) woodworking skills to use.

hats off

hats off

Refinery29 tipped me off about this fabulous zig zag fedora from American Eagle Outfitters. (I'm picturing it on my head in Maui this summer.) My local AE didn't have it in stock, so I ordered it online. Of course, I was convinced to add a few other purchases (pink plaid camp shirt & navy seersucker shorts) to the cart as well. My order finally arrived yesterday, but unfortunately straw hats don't ship well in plastic bags (brilliant job, AE) and it's completely smushed. I made a call in hopes that they would just send me a new one, but it looks like I'll have to return it to the store so they can order a replacement. So much for customer service. This thing had better look cute! If not, I'm heading to target for their new line from Eugenia Kim. This one's my runner-up:

we are happy to serve you

we are happy to serve you

image: nytimes.com

The first thing I came across this morning, before I'd even take the first sip of my latte, was an obituary posted on facebook by the NY Times. Leslie Buck, designer of the iconic Anthora coffee cup had passed away. What I enjoyed about the post was that Buck himself was not a trained designer, but was a salesman at the time and had moved up the ranks of his paper cup company to executive by the time he retired. His grecian cup became a pop culture icon that could have easily been lost in the shuffle since it's introduction in the '60s. Thank you NYC, for giving Mr. Buck the credit he deserves.