Over Thanksgiving weekend, Kyle decided to build us a bookshelf.  Totally on a whim!  I like when he does things like that.  We used this DIY from The Brick House and absolutely loved the results.  Exactly the right level of industrial chic we were looking for.  Don’t ask why the wall is 2 different paint colors, though.  That’s the landlord’s fault.  I mean, 2 paint colors on one wall…really??

But back to the unit…we put a few things on the shelves for now but plan to add lots of flea market goods and old books as soon as possible.  Can’t wait until it’s all finished!

Now on to the “building” part.  I can’t really take credit for any of it, not gonna lie.  I took the photos and held a pipe every once in a while, but Kyle (the Tool Man Taylor…har har) did all the manual labor.  Full disclosure: this was NOT an easy project.  It took about 7 trips to Home Depot and lots of F bombs.  We put it together once, had to take it apart, and then put it together again.  But now that it’s up and attached to the wall, I couldn’t be happier with the results!

The full size of the bookshelf is 40″ wide by 92″ tall by 12″ deep.  In total, it cost us about $250 and 12 hours of labor (over the course of a week).

Here are the parts we use:
Pipe (1/2″ gas pipe)
4  - 18″
10 – 8″
2 – 10″
8 – 12″

Fittings
4 base flanges
10 tees
12 90º elbows

Wood Shelves
5 – 40″ x 12″ x 1″ pine (custom cut at Home Depot)

Wood Finishes
1 Minwax wood conditioner (to prep before the stain)
1 Minwax wood stain in “dark walnut”

Rustolem gloss spray paint (for the pipes)
1 – black

Screws
8 – #12 2.5″ wood screws (to screw into the wall)

Other tools
Prep All Spray (to clean the pipes before spray painting)
Extra fine sand paper, 220 (to sand the wood before staining)
7/8″ Hole Saw (to drill the holes into the wood)
Hand drill
Stud finder
Lots of brute strength (seriously, you need some muscle)

Important things to note:
+ Clean pipes thoroughly with soap and water and THEN with Prep All spray to get rid of the oil
+ Because studs are most commonly 16″ apart, make sure the holes you drill in the wood are either 16″ apart or 32″ apart (or 48″ apart, so on and so forth in multiples of 16 – ours are 32″ apart)
+ Again regarding studs, it’s super important to drill the unit’s top base flanges into studs for maximum support (which is why we made the wood holes 32″ apart)

If you would like a more complete set of directions, just email me and I would be happy to share!

This week has been a sparse blogging week for me.  If I have a really crazy Monday (and boy did I have a real cray cray Monday!), then I’m totally screwed for the rest of the week.  But that’s okay because you were probs tired of all that regular posting.  And that regular pinning/tweeting.  And all that Janelle time.  I feel ya, you needed a break!  But hey, I’m back now and here are a few things I found this week that I’d like to do/make/replicate/own:

• 100% making this chicken pot pie with root vegetables.
• Oh and also these cornflake, marshmallow, chocolate chip cookies.  …can you tell I’m hungry right now?
• The new Maje collection is so major, I can’t even take it.
• Obsessed with bright rugs right now like this one.
• I want to wrap holiday presents like this.  Now I just need to find the actual presents.

PS – guess what next week is??  My FAVORITE holiday!!

Thanks so much for the sweet comments on my hair tutorial!  I heart you.  Here are three things I’m particularly smitten with in this very moment:

// This wintery gray outfit on the cutest darn little Dutch girl I’ve ever seen!  Oh and can I have some of those autumn leaves? Aaaand the Isabel Marants?

// This mid-century modern living room found in the pages of Dwell.  I guess I’m not the only one who loves it – I see a comment from my lover boy, Kyle, on that link!  We like what we like.

// This roasted carrot and avocado salad with lemon and orange dressing.  That Jamie Oliver is one talented chef.  Plus, I will eat anything that has carrots in it.  And avocados.  And lemon.  And orange.  I guess it’s a match made in heaven.

[Photos: 1 / 2 / 3]

Ohh hiii freezing cold weather!  I can’t remember the last time it’s been this chilly in LA.  Luckily I was cooped up inside for most of the weekend, catching up on TV shows, knitting, drinking hot apple cider (from Trader Joe’s), and laughing at my own jokes (do you do that too?).

We did venture out of the house a few times – on Saturday night, we went out on the town (how unlike us!) and on Sunday, we went to see the musical, “Fiddler on the Roof,” starring 2 of my cousins!!  I was so proud and they were amazing in it.

Here are a few other bits and pieces from the weekend:

 [homemade chocolate croissants from Trader Joe's]

 [lots and lots of reading and knitting]

 [brought out the chunky knits]

 [deciding where to hang these bus scrolls]

 [rainy Sunday and a gorgeous rainbow...no this is not farmland, just the 405 freeway]

 [string lights at my apartment complex]

A chilly night spent cuddled up on the couch is my kind of heaven.  I swear there’s nothing better!  Lately, Kyle and I have been staying in a lot and I love it.

These are a few of my requirements for a cozy night in: watching a really good movie that just happens to be on TV, eating a yummy homemade dessert (preferably with marshmallows), wearing an oversized sweater and cozy socks, cuddling up under a large blanket, and sipping on a piping hot drink (bonus points if it’s hot chocolate related).  What are your requirements for a cozy night in?

s’more cookies // spotted sweater // wool blanket // camp socks // lavender hot chocolate

[photo taken by me outside of the Portland Union Station]

This week has been an unproductive one.  Do you ever have those?  Where the number of TV shows you watch outweigh the number of blogs you do or pins you pin, or meals you eat, etc.  Yeah, that happened.  I officially need to cut a few TV shows from the team.  I’m really excited for the weekend though, and next week, I’ll be back on my game.  Here are a few things that tickled my fancy this week:

• I would really love an entire wall of painted chalkboard in my kitchen.  Since those are lofty dreams when you live in an apartment, I think I will settle for these super neat chalkboard panels.
• I recently picked up the Super Natural Every Day cookbook by Heidi Swanson and I CAN’T WAIT to try out some of her recipes!
• I’m head over heels in love with Coco Draws etsy, so I’m ordering this vintage typewriter illustration for my gallery wall (yep, still working on that thing).  I feel like the print perfectly describes me.
• I’ve started making homemade chai tea lattes every night and they are delicious!  I just mix warmed soy milk or almond milk with boiled water steeped with a chai tea bag (super easy, yeah?) and it turns out like a dream!  I’m not exactly sure if that’s proper latte etiquette but it works for moi.

There are times when I love an over-the-top outfit or a rich, hearty meal (i.e. fried chicken and biscuits in Portland…twice).  Other times, I only think about the simplest of pleasures.  Avocado toast.  A basic, yet effortless LBD.  An oversized denim shirt.  Fluffy white sheets.

Especially on this rainy day in Los Angeles, all I need are simple things.

1 // 2 // 3 // 4

Hi!

I’m Ann-Marie and I am so excited to be guest-blogging here at The Style Eater. I’ve known Janelle since our freshman year of high school, when I totally bought the same pair of DVS skater shoes that she had (lord help us understand why those were ever considered stylish?!). Let’s just say, she has always been a fashion idol of mine!  :) So while she is rubbing elbows with Fred Armisen in Portlandia, I will tell you a little about my slight obsession with thrifting.

California will always hold the number one spot in my heart in virtually every other way, but I have to say it: Utah has the best thrifting. When I moved here last year to take on an awesome job in the crafts industry, I quickly discovered Deseret Industries. Okay, so it’s totally owned by the Mormons, but it is AWESOME! There are a bunch of stores within a thirty mile radius of where I live, and you better believe I hit up each and every one of them as often as possible. Here are a some of my favorite items to look for:

Bowls, bowls, and more bowls. I use them to hold just about everything, from craft supplies to food to keys.

Frames in all different shapes and sizes. It doesn’t matter what color they come in because you can spray paint the heck out of them to match your decor. For less than two dollars a pop, creating gallery walls in your space has never been more affordable!

Trays + other types of decorative holders. In this case, I bought a glass cabinet window for three bucks and turned it into a tray for my coffee table. Easy peasy.

Typewriters. Currently I am the owner of two typewriters that are both fully-functioning and as awesome as ever. I love using them for all my paper projects and labeling needs.

And the one area I have not had much luck in…clothes. It doesn’t help matters when most of the clothing section has lovely(?) pieces like the one above, but I have faith that the right items will come my way one day!

A few key things to remember when thrifting…

• There are very few things that a good scrubbing and a few coats of spray paint can’t fix. Look beyond the current state of the object and think about it’s potential.
•  Don’t be afraid to dig in and move things around. There are bargains to be had, so get in there!
• Sometimes it’s fun to go hunting when you have a few desired items in mind, but I always score my best finds when I simply keep my eyes open to whatever may be there that day.
• Always have a bottle of hand sanitizer on you at all times!

Happy thrifting!

Ann-Marie: Ann-Marie Loves Paper // ETSY STORE // Pinterest [editor note: she's the pinning QUEEN!!]

For the first 2 months we lived in our apartment, that tiny little corner held nothing but a few boxes.  For the next 3 months, we brought in that gargantuan wood table (it’s from World Market) and regretted its existence every single day.  I mean, who buys an 8-person table when a) there’s only 2 of you, b) the space fits maybe a 2- to 4-person table, and c) it’s meant for a large farmhouse in Kansas?

Well, we did.  But, you guys, World Market was having this crazy dining table sale and that sale was about to expire.  So of course we had to buy it!  But enough about that gigantic hunk of wood.

In the middle of August, we bought 4 Herman Miller Eames chairs, and since they’re made to order and take several weeks to deliver, we just got them this weekend.  I can’t tell you how long we’ve been wanting these chairs.  I also can’t tell you how many Eames chairs I’ve pinned on pinterest in the last several months (a whole lot).  Moral of the story: we wanted them real bad.

And yes, we probably could’ve found some on eBay or settled for some fakies, but, full disclosure, my dad’s an interior architect and was able to get us a sweet deal.  You know how much I love sweet deals.

I can’t wait for dinnertime now!

*if you’re wondering why the table is smushed up against the wall, it’s because the entire frame of the first photo is how big the space is. yeah, we’re not the best table-pickers.