Outcome of my repurposed furniture

UPDATE: Click here to read a more recent (newer pics) post of this Lack table.

So it didn't take a day to build the frame for my repurposed IKEA Lack side table as promised by the metal shop (referring to previous blog post). But I'm not complaining because it was well worth the wait. In 2 days my IKEA side table was transformed from THIS:

TO THIS:

What do you think? Are we a furniture designer in the making? Just kidding. But honestly it's not bad right?! Certainly a vast improvement from what it was before.

Dont forget to check out this more recent post on the above table.

Noah's Photo of the Week No. 2

Every week I get emails on Noah's developmental milestones. This week it was regarding "Loveys" and other attachment objects. Noah isn't really attached to a specific toy or object yet but I thought it was cute to see him drag Shneider around our apartment. Shneider is our stuffed German miniature Shnauzer that M gave to me while we were dating (or was it the opposite).

Anyway, around Noah I pretend Shneider is a real puppy and I pet and kiss him, and then I encourage Noah to do the same. It's funny to see Noah try and kiss the stuffed toy, he can't pucker his lips just yet so he leaves his mouth gaping and brushes his lips against Shneider. Noah "kisses" me the same way, sometimes it's hard to tell if he's going to kiss me or bite my nose =)

 

Repurposed Furniture

I have a thing for side tables with metal frames. I like the industrial-chic look and the juxtaposition of the warm wood and the metal. Also the streamlined design helps make any small space appear larger which is just what I need for our multi-purpose living room!

Crate and Barrel Atacama Side Table

Crate and Barrel Frame Side Table

West Elm Framed Side Table

Unfortunately, I can't seem to find this style of side table in any of the furniture stores here. So I decided to reuse our old IKEA Lack side table to create a similar look.

We unscrewed the legs of the table, and handed the top surface to a metal shop for them to build the metal frame. I drew a quick sketch of how I wanted the metal portion to look, I hope they're able to create it exactly as I envisioned. I thought the job would take at least a week so you can imagine my excitment when they told us it would be ready by tomorrow! If this little project is a success I'm going to have them build a similar frame for a dining table.

Here are cute pictures of my two men taking the table apart. Noah looks so serious in the first pic and I got a good chuckle out of the second photo where he's bossing his Poppa around.

Check back in a few days to see how our family project turns out!

UPDATE: If you want to see the final result click here.

Changes in our Home

You know the days of sophisticated adult living is over when your bathroom looks like this:

And your fridge looks like this:

A few hours after I took the above photo I found Noah doing this. Apparently he likes the letters better on the floor =)

Noah's Photo of the Week No. 1

Since birth I've been taking week-by-week photos of Noah and sending them to my family so they can too enjoy Noah and witness his developments despite the thousands of miles that set us apart. I thought I would make it a practice to share my favorite photo(s) of each week that passes.

This week's top photo was taken by my by two men basking in silliness during their bonding session. They took a series of pictures of themselves and they were all so hysterical I couldn't narrow it to just one pic, so here are six of them.

Updates for the Week

Since I haven't posted in the last few days I thought I would share with you what I've been up to lately.


First and foremost, I tackled my first sewing project in decades (yes, I'm that old!). I've been wanting a sewing machine for years so 2 weeks ago hubs and I finally picked one up. Here's a pic of Noah assisting us with our sewing machine purchase.

My first sewing project was to add a removable fleece lining to a JJ Cole Bundle Me Lite which I got on sale. The fleece lining will allow Noah to continue using the bunting bag through the winter. The project took a couple of days but the results are pretty impressive, especially considering the last item I sewed was probably a Barbie outfit when I was 10 years old. I'll have to take a picture of it soon but for now here is the JJ Cole bunting bag which matches our infant car seat and our stroller's red seat cover.

In other news, I just had to share this fantastic find. We recently bought curtains for our living room and these tie back hooks would be perfect for them! I got them for a mere 5YTL (approx $3.50) each at a flea market. The metal tone and texture will compliment our new curtains. If you want to see how they look installed check out the last picture in this link.

 Don't you just love the glass balls?

 

And then this evening the family stepped out for dinner at a nearby resto called Midpoint. Here is a photo of moi and Noah entertaining one another, if you can make us out in the dark.

  

During dinner Noah did something new for the first time. He was pointing at objects that he wanted to bring to our attention. Noah loves all kinds of lighting so he was pointing out the lovely chandelier above us. Apparently while I was finishing up my sewing project yesterday, hubs was teaching Noah how to point at a toy he wanted, and hubs would give it to him. So this is where this act came from. My boy learns fast!

After I put Noah to sleep, I re-organized our shoe closet and had a little bit of fun photographing Noah's teenie tiny Puma sneakers next to mine. It's been pretty chilly lately so we bought Noah a pair of Pumas for him to wear out in the cold. Socks are no longer enough to keep his feet warm and we couldn't wait for his shoes to arrive in the shipment.

 And then I thought it would be fun to add Papa Bear's sneakers into the mix. I think M's Pumas are in the shipment but these Hugo Boss shoes get the point accross.

Here is a priceless picture of M's shoes next to Noah's. Looks like it belongs to a giant, doesn't it? Wouldn't it be brilliant to document Noah's growth by photographing his shoes next to his dad's as the years go by? And then maybe for Noah's birthday each year we can include it in his birthday album.

That's about it for now. Stay tuned for tomorrow - I'll be posting Noah's pic of the week.

Noah in his first Zara gear

Just wanted to share with you photos of Noah in the Zara peaked hat and sweater we purchased last week. They make him look a young man, in the cutest way possible.

Here's my little man in his new sweater, helping me get manly tasks done before stepping out.

Here he is wearing both.

Layering the sweater and posing hard.

So precious sleeping with the hat on.

Here's a foreshadow of what he'll look like in a few years - doesn't he look like a pre-schooler in this outfit and pose?

Yummy Yoghurt & Carrot dip

I recently made this appetizer and thought I would share it with you. This is probably one of the simplest Turkish appetizers I know of. It only take 4 ingriedients, yet it's tasty and for me very addictive.

Yoghurt & Carrot Appetizer

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 medium sized carrots, peeled and grated
2 small garlic cloves, very finely minced
1 cup plain yogurt

Heat olive oil in medium-low heat, add carrots and sautee until carrots turn soft and begin to change color.

Remove from heat and let carrots cool completely. Once cool, slowly stir in yoghurt, then garlic. Serve as dip or side dish. Side note, I haven't tried this yet but a fun way to serve it would be in a bread bowl.

It's Christmas every morning!

Here's something that can't be beat. Every morning when I open the door there's a lovely little package waiting for me. Our local grocery store stops by and leaves hanging on our door knob a freshly baked baguette and the day's newspaper. How fantastic is that?

All it takes is one phone call, you tell the grocery store what you want delivered every morning and voila! It's at your door first thing in the morning. If there's anything else extra you need you can also let them know and they'll drop it off anytime of the day! We needed tomatoes and cucumber and they dropped it off with our bread and newspaper. Me a happy momma!

Noah's Latest Development

Noah started pulling himself up a few months ago but lately he's been doing it more and more. Every opportunity he has, he stands. When I load the dishwasher he immediately crawls towards it, rests his hands on the dishwasher's door and up he goes. When I'm cooking he loves to crawl up behind me and use my jeans to stand up. The other day I was wearing pyjamas with a loose elastic waist, that did not bode too well when he tried pulling up LOL. Yesterday we were out looking for a sewing machine. Noah started getting cranky in his stroller so his daddy put him down on the ground and the first thing Noah did was pull himself up.

Here is a photo of him doing just that. He looks like a little man. I love how he has this serious look on his face, as if he's able to read the text on the box.

Here is one of Noah helping momma with the dishes.

And one of Noah helping daddy unpack.

Zara is our new baby clothes destination

My visit to Zara Home the other day prompted me to peruse through Zara's online baby collection. My do they have THE most adorable girls outfits! The boy's collection isn't too bad either but its the girls that makes me want to have a baby girl pronto! Here are some of the looks:

That plaid skirt is too cute for words. All I would add are leggings and this outfit is ready for the catwalk. Anyone want to lend me their daughter so I can dress her up?

This outfit reminds me of Sienna Miller, very boho chic. How precious are the fringed booties!

Love the peacoat and the ribbon detail on both the shorts and shoes.

This is what the website had for Boys looks.

How handsome is this outfit? And that sweater is so snuggly.

This would be Noah's geeky look. Only accessory missing are glasses. He's off to do some research at the library in this outfit. Or maybe correct exam some papers at school tee hee.

This is Noah off to run errands on a weekend. Comfy and stylin!

I couldn't resist but check out these clothes in person at my local Zara store. I was tempted to purchase the sweater in one of the photographs above with the jeans, but knowing that our shipment is still making its way accross the Atlantic Ocean I figured before going crazy buying I should wait until Noah's Fall clothes arrive. Of course after drooling over the baby clothes I couldn't leave empty handed so I bought Noah a winter hat which he so needs, and a classic V-neck sweater in gray. Easy to mix and match with other tops we already own, and it picks up the stripes in the hat. Can't wait for our shipment to arrive so I know what else I need from Zara.

Window shopping adventures

Yesterday Noah and I spent some time at a nearby mall while hubby was out car shopping. My goal was to get an idea of what's available for home furnishings to decorate our home with. Took some pictures of items that gave me some ideas/inspiration. Thought I would share what I've found so far.

PS photos were taken with my phone's camera so quality may not be the best. Also, I'm never sure if I'm allowed to take pictures in stores (most likely not) so these were taken in a rush, I apologize for poor styling/composition. Here they are:


Stepped into Zara Home. Until I came to Turkey I had no idea Zara had a Home store, did you? I love the texture on this bleach white bathroom set.



We are in desperate need of curtains at home. At the present time we have borrowed curtains installed. I've been debating on whether to purchase neutral colored curtains or add a pop of color. Saw the tan striped curtain in the middle (top photo), and the light mocha on the very left (bottom photo) which both work with a neutral color scheme, however prices are not cooperating - I think they were selling at $100 each! I thought the concept behind Zara was trendy yet affordable?!


Also need to replace our light fixtures for all our rooms. The trend in Turkey seems to be crystal chandeliers which is too formal for my taste, and prob wouldn't mesh well with my not so high-end furnishings. I'm looking for a simple, oversized pendant lamp shade. Saw these lanterns in Pasabahce (our version of Crate and Barel) and thought it would be fun to convert the tall, round lantern into a pendant light fixture. It's not a lampshade but it's oversized which is what I'm looking for. Wouldnt that bring character to a room?


This picture makes me wish I had taken a proper camera with me because it doesn't do the colors on the mugs any justice. Color and pattern would make a great jumping off point to decorate a room.


This display was at the entrance of the mall. Good thing Noah was napping when we passed this because he would have been terrified for life at the sight of these maneqins or whatever on earth they are. My guess is this is a display on the history of fashion, but for heavens sake, are those monster-like mannequins necessary? Check out the arm on the left dummy and the Egyptian cat face on the "lady".


Here's a pic of my local GAP store. The display is a bland black and white, a far cry from the colorful window display I'm used to at Copley Mall. Hey at least we have GAP right!


Last but not lease, a pic of mama + baby taking a coffee break. The barristo made my day - when asked how old I was I asked him to guess and he said 24! Hey at least he didn't say 15 which is what the guy at my (former) local CVS said.