Funny

Once upon a time, I held down a rather corporate, 9-5 kinda job. I was really good at it but I wasn't happy. I would fantasize about getting pregnant so I could realize my dream of being a stay at home mom. I was determined to keep popping them out to secure my place at home forever.

And then it happened. The work vacay I had been dreaming of! I was pregnant! I worked until two weeks before my due date / Christmas. (Yes, I was due on Christmas. Lamest due date ever.) Boom, kid born, let's get to vacation time. And I loved it. It was everything I had hoped it would be.

I have always been a thrift store / estate sale / garage sale / vintage shopper. Adelaide would accompany me on my many trips to the local thrift stores. I would often find amazing things and would limit myself for fear of becoming a hoarder. One day there was a desk for sale. It was beautiful. Finished on both sides with little shelves for display on the back side. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. It wouldn't work for my office, but I didn't care. It was coming home with me. I cleaned it up and sold it on Craigslist the next day. I made a little bit of pocket money on my find and the girl who bought it from me was ecstatic about her new desk. Haus Proud was born. My sister turned me on to Etsy and I knew it was a fit. I started listing stuff and sold a tea set in the first half hour as a shop.

Things have come a long way from that first desk. I even popped out another kid! I was thinking about how hectic my life is and wishing I had more time to devote to Haus Proud (and my poor, neglected blog), and it dawned on me. I now have a job that I love. I love it so much that I try to fit in time to work in my already overstuffed days. I photograph during nap time and try to list new items after the kids go to sleep. As always, I drag the kids on shopping excursions. It's been tough to balance it all, but so worth it. Go figure.

Haus Proud and Anthropologie on the Same Wavelength

If you follow my shop, you may have noticed these fabulous chairs that I listed. Seems that Anthropologie was smitten by the same fabric. Check out their new chair! You know the saying, "Great Minds..."

Etsy LA Meet Up

Etsy hosted a poolside meet up at the Figueroa Hotel in downtown last night. I had been looking forward to it all week. I was kind of nervous about walking into a place where I didn't know anyone, but the Etsy admin immediately welcomed me and set my mind at ease. What was I worried about? From all the Etsy encounters I have had in the past did I really think the people at the meet up wouldn't be just as awesome??? They totally were. I fell instantly in love with all the Etsy staff. Christina was so easy to chat with and super interesting (if you ever come visit again I would love to take you estate sale-ing!), Morgan gave me my most interesting bit of rugby trivia, Randy was the adorable guy in glasses that became even more adorable when he admitted to playing Dance Dance Revolution in the arcades and I have a full on girl crush on Vanessa (you have the prettiest eyes!). And the Etsy sellers were every bit as nice. I put together a quick sampling from their shops. I love that everyone is so different. Hoping to make it to the Renegade Craft Fair today to see some of their stuff in person.

Vintage Enameled Unicorn Metal Decorative Plate

Beveled Bottom Circular Bowl

Lumberjack Saw Earrings

Embroidered His and Hers Glasses- 2 Towel Set

Cyclone- Coney Island

Squid Linens - chartreuse yellow - set of two

LAS SANDIAS - ORIGINAL PAINTING (8 x 10 inches)

Reversible Fabric Coasters set of 4

Feeling Blue?

Well, I would have said no if you asked me before I went to the flea market. But after coming home and gathering the daily purchases into one place, the verdict seems pretty undeniable. I am feeling blue right now! And I mean really feeling it. It seems to be my color du jour. Here is some proof and a quick preview of some items that will be hitting the shop pretty soon!

Guess Who's Back?

That's right. Haus Proud is officially back after maternity leave. Took a little longer than anticipated to get back into the groove of things, but grooving again I am. Making my way through an entire showroom worth of stuff. Washing, drying, photographing, measuring and listing each item sure takes some time. And doing it while holding a newborn takes even longer! But rest assured, it's coming.

Haus Proud's Newest Addition

Haus Proud is thrilled to announce it's newest addition to the family, Eloise, born 4/28 at 10:30 pm. 7 lbs, 2 oz of loveliness. Big sister Adelaide is pretty happy about the whole thing.

Coming Soon to the Shop

Yes, yes it was a good day indeed! Cathrinholm loveliness, Fred Press and some fab mid century wood. All coming soon to the shop...

Blenko Glass

Ever since the PBS series on Blenko glass I have been hooked. It was shortly after that I bought my husband a Blenko crackle vase for Christmas. It wasn't the prettiest one out there, but it fit my 20 something, shoestring budget. And it had a shiny Blenko sticker still attached so I knew I wasn't being taken.

I've since picked up a few pieces here and there, mostly at estate sales. But, the pictures I came across the other day make me want to take up seriously collecting. These are some of the most beautiful displays I have ever seen. Best of all, the newsletter even provides tips to create beautiful displays.



Whether you choose to display in groupings, soldiers or stand-alones is one area to consider. The other? Color! Single or Multi? And how many? Here are a few of my favorites.






Check out the wonderful newsletter and website, Glasshouse.

Haus Proud Goes into Depression

Okay, gloomy title, I know. But this has been a really rough week for me. I had to put my kitty of fourteen years down on Monday. I have struggled every day since then with that decision. Even though the vets said his condition wouldn't get better, you can't help but think maybe he would have had some more good days if I brought him back home. The only thing that has brought me solace is having buried him in the garden. Every time I look out the window I say hi to him.

Truthfully, I think I can label it depression since I have been completely unable to focus on work. I have mountains of stuff to sort, photograph and list in the shop and can't seem to bring myself to do any of it. I just mope. Until now. I finally found the motivation I needed last night when I decided to donate 10% of all proceeds from the next two weeks to Fix Nation. They are an organization that does free spay/neuter and vaccinations for feral cats. Considering the colony that lives in my neighborhood, I have taken many a kitten to them and will be taking the big kitties (aka the breeders) in to see them after this next litter is born. I see mama kitty waddling across my property every day. We are both feeling very pregnant right now.

So, in memory of my handsome, wonderful Ferris, I will be donating 10% of all proceeds from my Etsy site to Fix Nation. Starts Feb. 14th and goes through Feb 28th!

Dandelions Make Me Think of Ursula

I went down to the fabric district yesterday and found a roll of the most beautiful linen with little dandelions embroidered on it. It made me think of my sister, Ursula. I was trying to find a picture of it on line to show her, but couldn't. However, I did find all this other wonderful stuff. This one is for you Ursie!

Perennial Moment by Papermoth

Dandelion Puff Paperweight




Dandelion Clocks Wallpaper by Sanderson



Dandelions in Daylight by CraftMadness


Dandelion One designed by Angie Lewin


Little Dandelion Wish Necklace by LuluBugJewelry

Etsy Front Page 1/27/10 HausProud

Etsy Front Page 1/27/10 HausProud
Originally uploaded by Etsy Front Pagers

OK, I know it is so one week ago, but my Etsy Treasury made it to the front page. Tiny dream come true! Also happy to say that most of the sellers items sold!

Oh Where, Oh Where has Haus Proud Gone?

Has the mountain of shop stuff on her front porch collapsed, trapping her underneath? Not yet.
Has she gone into preterm labor? Oh, doesn't she wish she skip the next 11 weeks!
Has she taken full time to cleaning up animal messes around the house? Well, sort of.
Has she been up to fabulous shopping trips where she finds even more amazing shop items? A little bit.
Has the enclosed porch transformation completely consumed her every waking moment? Ding, ding, ding, ding. Winner!

Yes, the enclosed porch turned Haus Proud showroom project has begun. And taken over my life. This might be one of the harder project I have ever taken on in my house because of the budget. To call it shoestring would be an understatement. I have taken to raiding my daughters piggy bank to scrape together enough money for paint and posting crazy barters on Craigslist. I mean, I still look pretty good for 7 months pregnant ;)

So why is it so hard? I am having to scrape the barrel for every penny pinching idea I can come up with to try and get this room done. And I am pretty darn pregnant, so much of the physical labor and chemical use is out. The plan today? Go pick up some low VOC paint and con the three year old into helping. I have one corner of the room cleared out and the plan is to start there and then move the rest of the stuff to that side of the room when it dries. UNLESS a painter from Craigslist replies to my barter offer!

There is a serious chance for disaster here. If it all works out as planned I will be awesomely proud of my design prowess. If not, well then I blame the budget.

Haus Proud on Mad Men!

That's right folks! The lovely and talented Amy Wells, set designer for Mad Men came into the antique mall a few months back and bought up some of Haus Proud's lovelies for the set! What did she buy? Vintage pillows like they were going out of style and this amazing set...



It is a set of two nightstands and a matching vanity. Oh so Hollywood Regency fabulous! I hear Betty will be remodeling the Draper household this coming season. I will be sure to keep my eye out for this set and all the other little goodies from Haus Proud and pass along any screen shots I find!

And Amy, if you are reading this, we weren't able to locate the Yo Yo Man videos but we will keep looking. :)

The Pantry Moth Explosion

One day I came into my kitchen to find little moths everywhere. On the ceilings, the cupboards, flying around overhead. A quick trip to google quickly labeled them as pantry moths and they were nesting in my food. EEEEEEEEW.

We have a hutch in our kitchen that I used to keep our snacks on and it looks like that was where they started. I quickly decided not to have our food out in the open anymore. A serious cleaning of the kitchen from top to bottom was therapeutic as well productive. I also chucked any open food and pored over the sealed bags as well. Yes, the can get inside a sealed bag! Again, eeeeeeeew.

Turns out the hutch that I used to keep my Baked Cheese Crunchies on makes for a pretty nice display shelf. I ditched the food and replaced it with some of my favorite kitchen items (and a few I snagged from the shop! See if you can spot them...). I am still on the hunt for a vintage hutch that is the right size to fit there, but for now the one from Costs Plus has served us pretty well. I can't tell you how much of a difference it made in the kitchen. I never realized how junkie the shelves looked packed with food until it was gone and replaced with sparkling glass and mid century baking dishes. My food will stay hidden behind the pantry door from here on out.

Overstock.com Seating Gems

I'm cheap. There, I said it. Two weeks ago I stood in the thrift store holding a pair of Liz Lange maternity pants in my size and almost left them there because of the $4.99 price tag. And I have nothing in my house to cover my bottom half! My mom finally told me to knock it off. ( Though truthfully, I have a serious dislike for maternity clothes. $180 for a pair of jeans that I can only wear for a couple months and don't even look that good on me anyway? No thanks.) I have trouble paying full price for anything though. Even on our "splurge" items for our bathroom remodel, I waited till they went on sale AND I had a coupon. Which might be why I love Overstock.com. First of all, they show you the retail price and how much you are saving right there on the site. And shipping is only $2.95 no matter what you buy. Seriously, we ordered a rug for a client and it shipped for $2.95! Here are a few of my current favorite seating options from their site.

Cream Oval Back Settee


Flynn Mocha Velvet Sofa


Cary Gray Velvet Sofa


Ronnie Wire Base White Chairs


Dark Brown Andalucia Bench


Cream Eclipse Club Chair

A word of caution, read the reviews carefully before purchasing! The reviewers are very forthcoming and you can spot any potential deal breakers before you place an order.

Haus Proud Showroom

With purchase of the aforementioned shed, the enclosed porch will be freed up to be the future headquarters of Haus Proud! It has it's own entrance and everything. So, it will be my photography studio / showroom. I am so excited to have inherited my very own space even though it comes with lavender walls and green cement floors. I am having to remodel on the super cheap, which might be limited to a dude with a spray gun and some white paint. If I could do it all with a limitless budget it might go something like this...

Cork Floors

Two of These Pendant Lamps

Some Fabulous Wallpaper (but just on one wall!)

Some Gorgeous Sheers to Let in Just the Right Amount of Light

Weekend Browsing On Etsy

I have an awful, pregnancy-related varicose vein on the back of my leg. TMI? I was just trying to segue into why I spent so much time on the sofa shopping yesterday! The downtime is doctor (well midwife) recommended. Now, she didn't specifically say I should spend my hours browsing Etsy, but I inferred it from her advice to "keep my leg up" when it was hurting. Here are a few of my favorites from my hunting.

Swiss Lamp in White by JillRosenwald

Oh Swiss Lamp! This is an absolutely stunning piece and handmade to boot! My entry NEEDS this lamp.

Nest, Medium Aqua by HeatherPalmer

I have lusted over this bowl for months. It would be the perfect centerpiece on my coffee table (move over giant deer antler!). I love how light and airy it is. It would be a great gift for those "hard to buy for" people on your list.

Vintage Modern Wooden Napkin Holders by TheModShop

These mid century modern "squished" napkin rings are killer. Totally makes me want to iron some cloth napkins and throw a dinner party!

Vintage Art Glass Perfume Bottles by LadyRoseTreasures

Much like my coffee table needs the nest bowl, my bathroom shelves need these art glass bottles. The perfect shot of color! These art glass beauties would be the perfect vessels for less-than-attractively-packaged bubble baths. Heck, they could sit there empty for all I care. I just want them to sit there!

Hand Painted HIPPOPOTAMUS Serving Dish by OldFashionAllies

This hand painted dish is amazing. And a steal! I might have to buy it before I even post this. The detail is phenomenal. I imagine it on permanent display in my kitchen.