More fun accessory finds, curtain work, ikea

Besides working on the curtains with Colleen this weekend,

Colleen pinning a hem

I did a lot of measuring and cutting...not so much on the sewing, though I did progress to some pinning! 

I also was on the hunt for some more accessories.   (Curtains will be finished up next weekend and pictures will come...maybe a preview sometime this week.)

Anyway, I had AMAZING luck at the Home Goods in Acton.  They always have the BEST selection of really current home accessories.

I loved this file system - but we need 2 not 4.   The chicken wire would really go well with my previous TJ find candle holders and our storage bins under the island from Sur La Table...but it wasn't a perfect fit, so no buying!

 Here is what I DID find and take home:

• The green, petite glasses will look great on the open shelving we got from Ikea today!  (They will go between the windows on the sink wall.)

• The burlap-covered canisters will go a long way in warming up the space - I want to add so me more darker accents to warm up the space/ground all of the bright white.

• The mini pots de creme remind us of a very romantic dinner we had in Portland, Maine, and I would like to display them as well.

We've decided on dark hardware for the curtains (though it needs to be modified because it pushes the curtains too far out from the wall), and we think these accessories will help tie in that metal choice.  I don't generally like only one metal in a space - it feels too matchy-matchy to me.  In the guest room and kitchen now, we have incorporated some darker metal and some more modern brushed nickel and even some polished chrome.

Dark metal elements in the kitchen so far include: the candle holders, the wire baskets, and the counter stools.  We also found these PERFECT soap dispensers today at Target - green AND with the darker metal! (Good eye, Brent!)

We got two - one tall and one squat - one for dish soap and one for hand soap.
Love the old-fashioned lever pump as well.

The darker metal also relates the lighting fixtures in the mudroom, dining room, and foyer, and is a nod to the arts and crafts time period of our bungalow.

We are also trying to streamline our dish-ware and get rid of some beat up dishes that don't match or aren't used.  We still need to find some great large white mugs, but we refurbished our green Ikea dishes we already owned today so that we have a complete set of 8 for all pieces.

We found these matching large bowls that will be perfect for dinner salads.  (The picture below is closer to the color of the dishes in real-life, btw.)

These small white bowls are just the right size for cereal and ice cream.

This week is exciting - both sets of our parents will be in our kitchen by Friday night!  And since our parents are our biggest fans, it will surely give us the boost we need to get the last of the projects done! :)