Good Things List No.61: Reclaimed Floating Style Shelves, Portland Leather Purse, Books & More

A monthly list of good things to see, buy, read and watch.

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And just like that it’s May! And not a moment too soon – this cold spring is making me long for warm weather. It’s just around the corner, right?

Besides getting vegetables and shrubs planted, mulching, and puttering outside on nice days, we did get a few things done in the farmhouse.

No, not the upstairs bathroom, lol – that is slow going as we take the time to figure out all the foundational things when dealing with an old house. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you updated whenever it starts to look like things are actually being accomplished!

Two things had been on the “to-do” list since we moved in (2 years ago..a-hem) which I’m sharing below because it’s a very good thing to get them checked off the list.

I also have a new leather purse I’m loving plus the books I read and two things we watched last month we really enjoyed.

Good Things List

Coffee Bar Reclaimed Wood Shelves

It was always the plan to add shelves using some of the 100 year old wood we salvaged from our remodel of this farmhouse.

It’s actually kind of funny how the small things like this just get overlooked for the longest time.

I originally thought we could just attach them to the sides of the cabinets, which Brian rejected immediately (yeah, I hadn’t really thought that through).

Then I couldn’t decide about the brackets we’d need – I really wanted them to be hidden like floating shelves, but using the reclaimed wood we couldn’t actually make DIY floating shelves like I saw when researching.

Finally (finally – really why so long??) I found these “hidden” shelf brackets that you can install up or down depending if you want to see them or not.

I didn’t want the black color, though, so I used Rub N Buff on them in Antique Gold so they would match our cabinet hardware.

And I LOVE them! They really do finish off the area, don’t you think?

The brackets come in a set of 6, so I used two to add the shelf I had been planning to the bathroom, too (again painted gold to match).

I’m loving how both of these areas look now!

Perfect Leather Purse

I realized recently that the only purse I had left was from our 2014 trip to Greece and while the leather is in good condition and it’s still useable, the lining inside is gone and the straps are starting to wear.

Then I got a random flyer in the mail from a company I didn’t know existed: Portland Leather. (Note: there’s a promo link below if you’re interested!)

Since they were local, I searched online and discovered they had lots of really nice purse options for reasonable prices.

I have pretty specific things I like in a purse – I want a small crossbody so it can be hands-free and an outside pocket for my phone.

I found it in the “Eclipse” model and it was hard deciding on the color, but in the end went with black.

It’s small, but fits everything I need with room to spare: wallet, glasses, keys, mint tin, change purse, and baggie with nuts. My phone slips in the outside pocket easily.

I love how it sits in the right spot (the strap adjustable) without being so big that it hangs down my leg.

The quality is really great, it shipped quickly and the packaging was protective.

I’m already eyeing a brown bag I like this so much!

If you’re in the market for a quality leather purse (and local if you’re in the PNW area!), you can get 30% off first order of $100 or more with this link.

April Reads

The Consequences of Fear (Maisie Dobbs 16) and A Sunlit Weapon (Maisie Dobbs 16), Jacqueline Winspear. I finished the last two Maisie Dobbs mysteries in the series and I’m sad to see her – and her family and friends – go. The characters had really come alive in the last five or so books. I’m so glad I continued on after not liking where the author had taken the character earlier – it was nice to see her finally have a family and start making decisions to be with them more. I’ve read there will be another book in this series, but now I’ll have to wait like everyone else who’s finished all the books.

I’ve mentioned before that I’ve never really been into mysteries, but after trying a few of the Inspector Gamache/Three Pines Louise Penny books I realized that if the mystery/murder is in the background of the storyline and there are lots of great characters and side stories it is something I enjoy. Maisie Dobbs was mentioned to me by a couple of readers and I’m glad I listened – it’s my favorite because of the historical aspect of the novels. The books start in WWI and go through the ensuing years all the way through to WWII which was a great foundation to set them. I learned a lot about what it must’ve been like to live in London during those years – and especially the years of the Blitz. Ahhh, I’ll miss her (maybe I’ll have to reread from the beginning like comfort reading, lol).

The Lager Queen of Minnesota, J. Ryan Strandal. I’ve seen this book around a lot as a read people really enjoy, but I ignored it for awhile because I had read this author’s other book (Kitchens of the Great Midwest) and didn’t enjoy the sad, downer of a story. I’m glad I finally listened to it though – even though there are hard themes and some things I just didn’t understand, the whole storyline is positive and uplifting. It really showcases how people can change and how often it’s through the help of one person who sees something in them. This story spans decades and does revolve around the making of craft beer. All the talk of how the beer was made just sailed right over my head (one character just doesn’t get the allure of beer and that is who I related to, lol) and I still really enjoyed the story. Just hang on until the end – at a few points you wonder if it will turn out okay (and it does).

Find Your People, Jennie Allen. This was recommended by a number of book people I follow in Instagram so I got it from the library. Sadly, I didn’t find the action steps useful (or needed, frankly) for my situation and my introverted personality. She’s super extroverted (like, I don’t think I’d want to be her friend, lol) and the more the book went on, the more I realized I was wasting my time. So I abandoned the book at about the halfway mark. This is just me, though – many reviewers loved the book, so if it seems interesting to you do give it a try.

Crime on The Fens, Joy Ellis. This is the start of a series with DI Nikki Galena somewhere in England (I never could figure out where this was…) and was another book recommended to me as someone who enjoyed Maisie Dobbs and some of the Three Pines books. I gave it a shot and while the characters had interesting side stories, this was a bit grittier than I am comfortable with. The mysteries and murders were center stage and stressed me out a bit. But it’s well written and if you like many of the British PBS mysteries, this may be right up your alley.

Leviticus, Skip Heitzig. Brian and I are reading through the Bible this year and after going through Leviticus a few months ago I really wanted a commentary to help explain some of the cultural and societal things going on then that would make more sense of it for me. I found this on Hoopla, started listening and didn’t realize it was 15 hours (!) of a recording of a study the author/pastor did with his church. But once in I was in – I learned that Skip Heitzig is a very good speaker, knows his stuff, and presents it so we understand everything going on during that time. This is only on audio and I just skipped all the prayers, communions, and alter calls, so it was probably only 13-14 hours. I enjoyed how he presented the history, societal customs, and how it relates to Jesus in the new testament and to us, so much that I am going to listen to more of his presentations (I found them on Hoopla).

Watching

Air, Theaters (coming to Amazon soon). Brian and I saw this on a date night and really enjoyed it. Of course we loved the Portland setting and seeing the early days of an Oregon company we are very familiar with. But the story was good and the acting was great (hello Viola Davis…).

ALSO: Leanne Morgan’s Netflix standup comedy special. Oh my gosh she is SO funny – Brian and I both laughed a lot during this show. She’s clean and relatable and hysterical – go watch it!

That’s it for another addition of the Good Things List!

If you’d like to see more of what I’m enjoying, you can check out all the Good Things Lists here. I’d love to know what you think – if you’ve tried any of these or what you’d recommend. Leave a comment below with your thoughts!

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