I have been a very bad blogger for the past couple of weeks. A VERY bad blogger. It's not that I haven't wanted to blog...but finding the time when I'm not working and/or exhausted has been difficult. Or non existent even. I officially have made the jump from unemployed to the employed. It took a long nine months (filled with many DIY projects) but I'm proud to say I have a job!
My blog however, is quite unhappy with me. And I can't say I blame it... Over the past 9 months, I've gotten frustrated countless times when bloggers stop posting out of nowhere. Do they realize there are those of us who check their blog avidly? We may not always comment, but nothing brightens our morning more than a blog post from (insert name here)! What I'm trying to say is I understand how awful it is to find a new blog you like (or old) and they're not updating to your liking. With that being said, I simply don't have the time anymore to post five times a week. My job, though I love it, is demanding. But as inspiration hits me or I complete a new project, I will definitely be posting. I promise to try as much as possible!
I just wanted to give you guys a little update just in case I've left a few of you hanging. I'll get on a new post right away! :)
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Small House, Big Dreams
As a kid I always wanted a ginormous two story house, sprawling acreage in the back, and a golf cart so I could drive to my parents house on the VERY far end of my property. I was always enamored by the big houses my friends lived in with their intercom systems and movie theaters inside. At ten years old I began to equate my future success and happiness to the amount of square footage of my future home. Now that I'm older I realize how shallow and clueless this notion was.
Growing up, my family and I lived in a modest 2,000 square foot house with a sizeable backyard. Because we lived in tight quarters compared to most of my friends, we were almost forced to hang out in the living room together. It sounds terrible, I know... :)) But the older I get, the more I realize how much I value all of that time spent together, whether I appreciated it at the time or not.
When I entered the blog world I began to discover all of these amazing interior designers living in modest houses, not unlike the one I had grown up in. Their houses were so warm and lived in and inviting. Intimate spaces that said something about the people that resided there. It reminded me that what makes a house a home is not all of the expensive furnishings and sprawling square footage.
Now that I'm older I dream of a similar childhood to my own for my kids. Lots of time spent together in the living room and kitchen, playing board games and watching tv. I want an intimate home. The perfect home for my own future family. Of course, I've been virtually searching for this dream home ever since...
And...surprise...I found it!
I saw this picture on Pinterest and I was immediately smitten. I love the separation between the kitchen and the living room, but still the feeling of an open concept. And the windows! Oh they're breath taking. I mean seriously everything about this kitchen is stunning. But of course when I clicked on the link to see more pictures it was attached to the wrong link. Don't you hate when that happens on Pinterest? Drives me bananas. Luckily, after some intense googling, I found this blog's post on the house. She was lucky enough to visit it in person...
It's called the Park Avenue house and is by Witt Construction. I don't know if life will ever take me to the East Coast, but if it does, I'm calling on Witt Construction to build me a house. No, not a house, a home. They make such great use of space. There's so many nooks and crannies that are fully used. Built ins everywhere... And the perfect way to get away with a smaller home if you have tons of storage space.
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| Murphy & Co. Design |
As a kid I always wanted a ginormous two story house, sprawling acreage in the back, and a golf cart so I could drive to my parents house on the VERY far end of my property. I was always enamored by the big houses my friends lived in with their intercom systems and movie theaters inside. At ten years old I began to equate my future success and happiness to the amount of square footage of my future home. Now that I'm older I realize how shallow and clueless this notion was.
Growing up, my family and I lived in a modest 2,000 square foot house with a sizeable backyard. Because we lived in tight quarters compared to most of my friends, we were almost forced to hang out in the living room together. It sounds terrible, I know... :)) But the older I get, the more I realize how much I value all of that time spent together, whether I appreciated it at the time or not.
When I entered the blog world I began to discover all of these amazing interior designers living in modest houses, not unlike the one I had grown up in. Their houses were so warm and lived in and inviting. Intimate spaces that said something about the people that resided there. It reminded me that what makes a house a home is not all of the expensive furnishings and sprawling square footage.
Now that I'm older I dream of a similar childhood to my own for my kids. Lots of time spent together in the living room and kitchen, playing board games and watching tv. I want an intimate home. The perfect home for my own future family. Of course, I've been virtually searching for this dream home ever since...
And...surprise...I found it!
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| via It's Always Something Blog |
I saw this picture on Pinterest and I was immediately smitten. I love the separation between the kitchen and the living room, but still the feeling of an open concept. And the windows! Oh they're breath taking. I mean seriously everything about this kitchen is stunning. But of course when I clicked on the link to see more pictures it was attached to the wrong link. Don't you hate when that happens on Pinterest? Drives me bananas. Luckily, after some intense googling, I found this blog's post on the house. She was lucky enough to visit it in person...
 |
| via It's Always Something Blog |
It's called the Park Avenue house and is by Witt Construction. I don't know if life will ever take me to the East Coast, but if it does, I'm calling on Witt Construction to build me a house. No, not a house, a home. They make such great use of space. There's so many nooks and crannies that are fully used. Built ins everywhere... And the perfect way to get away with a smaller home if you have tons of storage space.
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| via It's Always Something Blog |
I'm pretty sure I'd never leave that window seat...
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| via It's Always Something Blog |
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| via It's Always Something Blog |
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| via Houzz |
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| via It's Always Something Blog |
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| via It's Always Something Blog |
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| via Houzz |
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| via It's Always Something Blog |
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| via It's Always Something Blog |
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| via It's Always Something |
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| via Houzz |
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| via Houzz |
That's it. My dream house in a nutshell. Can it magically appear in the South now? It's got me dreaming of the future :))
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
May Books
I've always been a notebook girl. I have a billion journals and notebooks filled with ideas and thoughts dating back to elementary school. Now that I think about it...I should probably burn some of my pubescent emotions before my future kids find my stash of journals. Nobody wants to read about their parents past romantic loves...No one. Shudder.
Any who, now that we're past realizing that I have a future date with a fire and a stack of embarrassing journals, I wanted to talk about my recent new found love of May Books. Even though I stopped writing detailed journal entries long ago, I still like having some sort of journal or book with me at all times in case inspiration hits, whether it's for design ideas for my house or simply a quick thought.
I use to browse through Barnes and Noble's journal section but their journals are always so heavy. I don't know about you guys, but my purse can't handle much more weight...
Enter May Books. They're completely customizable day planners, journals, address books, and more!
Any who, now that we're past realizing that I have a future date with a fire and a stack of embarrassing journals, I wanted to talk about my recent new found love of May Books. Even though I stopped writing detailed journal entries long ago, I still like having some sort of journal or book with me at all times in case inspiration hits, whether it's for design ideas for my house or simply a quick thought.
I use to browse through Barnes and Noble's journal section but their journals are always so heavy. I don't know about you guys, but my purse can't handle much more weight...
Enter May Books. They're completely customizable day planners, journals, address books, and more!
My future sister-in-law bought me the one on the left for planning my wedding. It's been so immensely helpful to stash it in my bag and grab whenever I talk to a vendor or have a moment of inspiration. All of my budget breakdowns and ideas are in one organized place for me to look at.
My sister-in-law has been sending the wedding planner notebook to her newly engaged friends and for $20 it's such a sweet and inexpensive gift to give to your friends. And ever so useful. It's definitely the best present I received when I got engaged! Best my engagement ring, of course. :)
I know this has sounded like a long "you should buy this" spiel but I really do think it's a great product. I most definitely will be purchasing their day planner every year. You know how I love organization! And they actually just came out with a budget breakdown planner and an address book. I can't stop my May Book madness! I want them all!!!
(I have absolutely NO affiliation with May Books what so ever, I just love their products!)
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Kitchen Island or Kitchen Furniture?
Remember the kitchen island I posted about from my It's Complicated post? I really love the French style islands. There's something about the iron and airy feeling that makes me feel like my cooking is little bit better... Which believe me, it needs all the help it can get...even if it is in my own head. :)
While I wish my cooking was enough reason for me to nab the island from Crate and Barrel, the price tag sadly deters me. However, there IS a silver lining! While virtually strolling through target I ran across this kitchen island! At half the price it's still stunning and gives your kitchen an airy feel. And if I want the steel to be black, spray paint would do the trick in a jiffy.
Part of me wants to put in my order right now, but I'm still undecided if the size would work in our kitchen. In addition, I love the idea of a craiglist dresser turned kitchen island. I've seen this idea all over Pinterest and design blogs.
While I wish my cooking was enough reason for me to nab the island from Crate and Barrel, the price tag sadly deters me. However, there IS a silver lining! While virtually strolling through target I ran across this kitchen island! At half the price it's still stunning and gives your kitchen an airy feel. And if I want the steel to be black, spray paint would do the trick in a jiffy.
Part of me wants to put in my order right now, but I'm still undecided if the size would work in our kitchen. In addition, I love the idea of a craiglist dresser turned kitchen island. I've seen this idea all over Pinterest and design blogs.
Here's a snap shot from the Nate Berkus Show of a dresser they turned into a kitchen island. I love the color of the dresser with the pops of orange. Orange is increasingly becoming one of my favorite colors.
Here's another one from the LittleGreenNotebook that I absolutely love. Including that rug. I want that rug!
The only problem with my plan of DIYing my own dresser/island is that I live in the craiglist void part of the country. There's absolutely NOTHING good on craiglist around here. Just people trying to promote their business, which is incredibly annoying, or people who think their stuff is worth 100x more than it actually is. I know craiglist is a waiting game but I'm convinced this city has people who:
a. know how to hold on to the good stuff or
b. no good stuff actually exists in this city
I think I'm going to go with the second option. I might have to widen my search to Houston and get my parents to pillage the lands of Craiglist for me. :)
Monday, March 4, 2013
Beautiful and Functional : Office Style
I'm potentially starting a new job in the next couple of weeks and I'm already dreaming of what the future might hold. I'm excited to learn the ropes for a new position and get to working. New jobs are exciting! And like the silly person I am, before I even get the job, I immediately starting dreaming about my office. Who knows, I might not even have an office, but hey, it doesn't hurt to dream. :)
To stop my dreaming from getting completely out of hand, I decided to tone down my office decoration ideas to just a little bit of organizational inspiration. I have a secret, or not so secret, passion for organization. And having never had a professional job before, I'm excited to finally put my organizational skills to work. And hey, if you're suppose to have beautiful things surrounding you at home, why not at work too? So inspired by that, here's another beauty & function post. Office style. :)
To stop my dreaming from getting completely out of hand, I decided to tone down my office decoration ideas to just a little bit of organizational inspiration. I have a secret, or not so secret, passion for organization. And having never had a professional job before, I'm excited to finally put my organizational skills to work. And hey, if you're suppose to have beautiful things surrounding you at home, why not at work too? So inspired by that, here's another beauty & function post. Office style. :)
Saturday, March 2, 2013
The Mindy Project - Make it Your Own : Part 2
So this is...my third post on the Mindy Project? What can I say, I'm a little obsessed. I found so many items I wanted to show you guys that I decided to put it into a couple of posts. There may or may not be a fourth too... lol. Maybe a little bit of overkill, but I know that I'm enjoying it, so hell, why stop now? :)
// 1. This light is one that Young House Love designed for their collaboration with Shades of Light. It's an inexpensive line but one that doesn't lack in style. If you look back at some of the pictures I posted of her apartment you can see a very similar one in the hallway between her bedroom and the main living area. I like how airy this light fixture is and how it doesn't feel too heavy for the space. I'm tempted to buy this light fixture for myself but I just don't know where I'd put it...
// 2. When you don't have a lot of space but still want a library area, this Louis Armchair is perfect. It doesn't take up a ton of real-estate but is still the perfect place to sit for a few minutes and read when all you busy people get a chance.
// 3. Grab two or more of these bookshelves and put them in the corner of your great room to add a little library nook. They're not terribly expensive because they're from IKEA and if you add molding to them like Little Green Notebook did, you can add a built in quality.
// 4. Apparently Jonathan Adler is the go to place for pillows when it comes to decorating Mindy's apartment. They're used all over her place and their retro 70s feel dresses up her neutral sofa.
// 5. A white couch will never make it into my house with my dirty dogs but I love how young and hip this couch feels with the Jonathan Adler graphic pillows on it. White can be the perfect young neutral if you know how to dress it up.
// 6. Mindy's apartment is filled with little vignettes and this vintage Chinese console does double duty as storage and a bar cart. I really like this as an unexpected element. The rest of her apartment is filled with bright colors and youthful prints. This console gives the room a bit more character and helps get away from being matchy-matchy.
If I could, all of these pieces would be in my house right this second. I don't care if I'm copying Mindy's apartment to a T. What young woman wouldn't love her apartment to look like this? Unfortunately I don't have unlimited funds to change my décor on a whim...Darn... Well I guess if I can't have it all I might have to start hunting for my very own vintage Chinese console...
If you want to check out the pictures of The Mindy Project set check out this post.
If you want to check out more design ideas based on Mindy's apartment check out this post.
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