Tuesday, May 1

You can take it with you.



When I head to the flea market, or am out shopping for fun new additions to the apartment, I carry my Trusty Little Designer's Helper Pouch. Okay, it's not really called that, but the name does kinda fit. When you have your handy, dandy pouch along with it helps take the guessing out of whether a flea market or yard sale purchase (which, do remember, you can't return) will work when you get it home. Or whether that fabric or accessory will compliment your living-room paint. If that pillow will really offset the sofa color the way you've been envisioning.



I personalized this interior designers’ kit to suit my own purposes. I found a cute zippered fabric case (clear plastic case, or even a cosmetic bag works just as well, if you like to be able to see your tools and find them quickly and easily). I'm just a sucker for fabric and pattern. Here are some really cute fabric pouches you'll be proud to carry, from this great etsy shop Three Green Apples.




Inside, I carry with me a small tape measure, notebook & pen, my room and furniture measurements or floor plan, fabric samples, swatches and paint colors for the various rooms I'm working on at the moment. For inspiration, I throw in scraps of ideas and my wish list for design projects or objects I might be hunting for. With all of these tools accompanying me, I'm feeling a bit more comfortable about those spur-of-the-moment purchases. It's kinda OCD, which I admit I am, but it does come in quite handy, indeed. Oh, and it's always good to carry your digital camera along too, if you need to take a quick snap should you need to give a purchase a bit more consideration.

13 comments:

Marisa said...

Your green paint chips are really wild. I've been dreaming of a crazy green laundry area. I say that because I really cannot call it a "room" since it's more of a tiny hallway closet thingy. Anyhow, go green!!

Natasha said...

Great idea, you are so organized. I actually had a similar thing, but in notebook form, that I used when we were remodeling the home. The notebook and I were joined at the hip and I never left the house without it. It's fun to go back through it now and see all of our ideas that became a reality.

Shona~ LALA dex press said...

NO-NO-NO You are not OCD at all, you are prepared! I wish I had a handy little pouch like this on my excursions because I have dragged stuff home from flea markets + yard sales. You can't exactly go back, knock on someone's door + say, "I bought this at your yard sale last week + it does not fit my needs, can I get my $$ back?"

Andrea... said...

What an awesome idea!! How can I NOT make one now?

Making it Lovely said...

Aha! I'm not the only one! I was very excited the day I found a chic little red tape measurer, perfectly sized to tote around in my purse (at all times).

Anonymous said...

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? This is the best idea I've heard in ages. It seems so obvious but I've somehow preferred to waste precious time debating whether or not something will work/fit/match. Dang.

Anonymous said...

love this idea. i'm looking for something similar--possibly more of a portable design board? hmmm...ideas, ideas. :)

I'm A said...

Did I just spend and entire work day reading your blog and clicking your links? Why yes. Yes I did. Your blog is fabulous.

Anonymous said...

I have an ever-expanding notebook filled with fabric swatches, blobs of house paint, measurements, etc. Oh and LISTS! Tons and tons of lists. Like lists of things to buy and things not to buy - "no more butter dishes" and so on. I couldn't find it for a few days recently and it was like I'd lost part of my brain.

sfgirlbybay said...

Thanks guys! Just another excuse for a cute tote, right?

tinytwig - what if you did your own design/inspiration bulletin board at home and shot a digital photo of it? You could print it out at 8.5 x 11, fold it up and carry it along with you! :)

Blogging Masterclass said...

victoria: i wish i could take you with me next week to brimfield, we could measure and sort through junk and find some real treasures together, i'm sure of it! i can't wait to go, praying for good weather so i can photograph it. there's a few mid century dealers i want to check out and in general, i need to find some scrappy stuff that i don't need!!

Unknown said...

I will now be prepared for my first alameda flea market this sunday! Thanks!

teresa said...

OCD? Maybe, but I go as often as I can and last month, I went without a list. I came home and realized that the perfect vintage plant stand was exactly what I needed in my 1/2 bath.

I do keep some swatches in my car but you and I both know a trip back to the car can take a while...

And so, you have inspired me to be more organized this time. I will look for you and say hello and thanks if I see you. Hopefully, I won't come off like a wierd stalker!