We moved in about three weeks ago and now that we are in it has been hard to get the house tidy enough to take photos. I managed to get the kitchen and dining area in good enough shape to get some photos done, finally. The house is nearly all finished and things wrapped up pretty nicely. I will be asking for input in the future regarding some decorating decisions. We have been having a hard time getting our bathrooms completed with mirrors, medicine cabinets etc.
Now that we are in and everything is settled we have many professionals to thank for getting everything finished. Kenner Kingston and Stephanie Kooyman with Architectural Nexus who are awesome to work with and incredible Architects. Garth, Mark, Jesse and Chris with Benchmark Modern for sticking with it and getting things done quickly and within budget. Drew Hicken with Celtic Bank kicked butt and got everything wrapped up with the mortgage. Greg and Al with Premier Metal works did an incredible job and made the stairs and railings beautiful and within budget! If anyone out there is looking for talented people to help them design, build and finance a home (or anything else) should consider these fine people. We were extremely lucky to find a very honest, reliable, talented and dedicated team to build our dream home.
More to come!

-Jacob

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With the Holidays coming up, its time to start thinking about getting gifts for your loved ones, and how to wrap them up. Gift Tags make a great addition to any present. Of course I think the best ones are the ones you make yourself, but if you are looking for something easier, check out these great Letterpressed Gift Tags from Moda Muse. Designed by Lara Cameron these great 4 x 2 tags are a great finishing touch to any gift. Each pack includes 8 gift tags.
Available at Moda Muse for $11.

As winter is starting to settle in here in Utah (we had our first real snow yesterday) makes me want to get some warm clothes on and snuggle up on our new couch. For Arrington we bought this great one piece with a hoodie at Old Navy. We originally bought it for pajamas, but they are so great that we use them for everything. Old Navy of course has great prices, this one piece was $12.

Available from Old Navy for $12

We are getting ready to visit some friends in New York, and I think we will be spending a lot of time walking around outside, so we are looking for a affordable warm coat for our kid. Any tips?

So we finally went ahead and bought a sofa. It has been over two years since we got rid of our old couch in anticipation of purchasing a new one. We got the KRAMFORS from Ikea as part of their 20% back sofa sale. 20% back isn’t quite the same as 20% off, but we figured we would be spending more money at Ikea soon anyway, so it’s pretty close. For those of you who aren’t quick with the math, we got a $279 gift card for buying our little sectional, which makes it a great deal for only $1,119. The build quality is quite good, but as with all Ikea goods there was a little bit of DIY to get it assembled. The chaise and the love seat connect together with a clamp on the bottom to make them so they don’t slide apart when you sit on them. The seat is quite deep and it’s almost a little awkward to sit on without a cushion behind you. That said, if you are not trying to sit all proper, and snuggle up on it during a movie it is quite comfortable.

Available from Ikea for $1,119.

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When I think of Thomas Paul, I think pillows, but there is much more to the name than that. Thomas Paul also does rugs, lighting, bags and plates, just to name a few. These great Artifacts Dinner Plates are new to Elsewares, and are a great example of the bold eclectic designs of Thomas Paul put to melamine. In fact, they are almost too good to eat on, and would probably look equally as good on the wall. The classic design follows the emerging trend of “Lux Modern” and puts a print you would expect to see on some fine china on inexpensive durable melamine. Did I say inexpensive? Well maybe not too inexpensive. A set of four will still run you $36, which isn’t bad, but it isn’t cheap either.

Available from Elsewares – $36 for a set four.

Happy turkey day! I’m out of town and away from the computer for the rest of the week (thank goodness for the iPhone) so I will not be posting again until Monday. In the mean time if you are looking to kill some time while your turkey hangover wears off, check out our archives, our blogroll, and sponsors. I hope to be adding to the blogroll over the next few days, so stay tuned.

I saw this over at Baby Gadget this morning and thought that it was too cute not to post. This Coverall hat is from Oeuf, the maker of beautiful Cribs and bouncers. I didn’t even know that they made clothes, but it turns out that they have a pretty good sized line of baby and toddler clothes. My favorite of course are their knits which are made of 100% baby alpaca (which makes it super soft, warm and hypoallergenic) and are very well designed. This hat looks like it would actually stay on your little squirmer and keep them protected from the elements.

Available from Oeuf for $37

On sale at Cocoa Crayon for $27

I have to be honest, bow platform beds aren’t exactly my favorite style of platform, but the price on this one seemed to good not to share. From Simplyplatformbeds.com comes this metal bow platform bed for only $330 (for a full sized). Compared to most of the prices I see for this style of bed, that is a steal. The bed is made of chromed steel and looks like it would be quite sturdy. For an extra $300 you can get a thin mattress with a microsuede cover and a couple of pillows as shown in the picture.
Available from Simply Platform Beds for $330.

Utah isn’t exactly the hub of modern design, but we do have a couple of decent stores. One of my favorites has always been By Design. It’s my favorite partly because they have a great selection of reasonably affordable modern contemporary furniture, and second, and even more importantly they aren’t snobish like many of the other “modern furniture” stores. Since it is one of my favorites, and quite close to my house, I was a little disapointed to hear that they were moving. Looking on the bright side they are having a huge sale. I checked it out on Sat and found some great deals. If you’re local and haven’t checked it out yet, get on down there before they move.

I’m not exactly sure what the “Q” stands for, but I do know that this Q tote is a great looking and environmentally friendly little bag at a great price. This bag comes from thecraftpantry’s etsy shop and is part of her Mod Naturals Collection. The bag is made of 100% recycled organic cotton and is fair trade/fair market. The print is an original design by Cammie who has her BA in art education. She uses ultra high quality transfer paper to get the images onto the totes. What you use the tote for is up to you…
Available at thecraftpantry’s etsy shop for $8.