Where the heart is.

So far, making changes to our house has been as much fun as I had hoped it would be. I've learned so much- for example, the difference between 2 shades of paint on the same swatch can make a drastic difference once you apply the color to a whole room. We have been big fans of buying testers first to paint part of the wall and comparing different shades or hues, since the amount and type of lighting that you have in the room you're painting also makes a huge difference in the end color result.

Sherwin Williams Paint Swatch Book

We have been using mainly Sherwin Williams paint- even though its a bit more expensive, the quality is great and we chose these colors knowing that we want them to hold up for a good amount of time before we have to touch up or change. SW also provided me with a free paint swatch book, which I'm pretty pumped about. (Think they noticed the amount of time we have stood in front of the wall of paint swatches, trying to make the right decision?)

Today I wanted to feature one of the rooms I'm proudest of so far in terms of paint color: the kitchen.

The kitchen started off as completely white, walls and cabinets. We have big plans for this room but of course need some time to save up. Eventually I'd like to refinish the cabinets, add a new backsplash and countertops and even take down a 1/2 wall to make a breakfast bar, opening the room up to the living / dining area. The photos below are the before (from the listing and how the room looked when we first walked through the house) and after (painted and decorated). They are taken from the angle facing away from the sink & cabinets: 

Kitchen Before (Left) and After (Right)

We loved the blue for the kitchen because it felt warm and cozy- a french country blue. The color is Sherwin Williams' 'Open Seas'. The floating shelves provided some depth to the room, and were beyond easy to put up. They are from Target, and come with a template of where you need to drill (still a 2-person job, but took about 20 minutes). I surprised my husband, who went to work outside after we had finished putting up the shelves, with finalizing the decorating and setting up our wine fridge. The Giada cookbook is even open to his favorite meal, linguini with white clam sauce. I'm really happy with how this space came out and can't wait to make some even bolder design decisions in the future for this room. 

Back at it!

Ok, it's been way too long since my last post but so much has happened. WE GOT THE HOUSE! And, I could not be happier. We went on a family trip to Europe in April (another post for another time), and we closed on the house a few days after we got back. It was a complete whirlwind. We closed on April 25th and moved in only a few short days later.

Of course, as mentioned previously, the closing process was not at all what I expected and actually was quite overwhelming. We had been hoping to close within the month of March but thankfully had built in a buffer with the landlord of our apartment. Also, during the final walkthrough I had a bit of a panic attack over the amount of work that needed to be done to make it livable. With our friends and family, we managed to get a few things done before the big move, such as painting the first floor & master bedroom as well as installing a new sink & toilet in the master bath. But, now that we have been in our home for a few months (which I can't believe- it has flown by!), I can say with confidence that every single minute of stress- and glasses of wine drank- were worth it. I feel like a different person. After renting apartments for over 5 years, it is so nice to have a place to call ours. 

We have been taking on many projects, lots that I'd like to share here in a series of blog posts and before & after pictures to show how much work we have really done. It's been an exciting time where I have been able to make so many design choices. And, don't get it twisted- we have SO MUCH MORE to do. But, I'm looking forward to all of it. :)

Our New Home.

House Hunting...

Sorry I haven't updated lately- I was traveling for work (had a blast in Austin, such a great city!) and we have been super consumed with our home-buying process. I didn't realize how stressful this was going to be! HGTV makes it look too easy- they get the house in the time it takes for them to drink a glass of wine, whereas I have consumed MANY glasses throughout this process!!! 
We have put in an bid on a home that we love & after much negotiating, finally got an accepted offer. I thought that things would go downhill from there- but not so fast! We then, after inspection, found some things that needed to be fixed at a high price tag, so went back for further negotiations and 2 weeks later, we have ANOTHER accepted offer... Now we are impatiently waiting for our contract to be submitted to the lawyers, signed & countersigned and at that point, I'll get excited. 
So- stay tuned! Really hoping that my next update will be as a homeowner & the projects can begin!! I have all my design magazines stacked up & ready to start collecting inspiration... 

Inspiration is waiting! 

In the meantime- say a prayer, cross your fingers & send some good vibes my way- every little bit helps! Happy Almost Superbowl Sunday! 

So nice to be at home during the day...

This picture was taken of my living room this weekend- I like how cozy it looks with the fire burning! I had a nice easy Saturday, which inspired me to do some "new year" cleaning & organization. It's always nicer relaxing in a clean house!

Resolutions...

Happy New Year!!

I'm pretty pumped for all that 2014 has to offer- We are hoping to buy a house this year & travel to Europe. We already have a few weddings of close family & friends to look forward to, and I'm sure there will be many more exciting things. Its always nice to reset, reevaluate and set some goals for yourself. 

Here are some of the resolutions I have made for myself for 2014: 
- Give Back: Find some charitable causes that I can donate time & money to this year
- Bike 100 Miles before June 31st : Either on my new bike or a stationary bike (ie Soul Cycle if I could find a way to track mileage...)
- Run a full 5K without stopping
- Finish my Interior Design course: This could be tough since I still have 5 out of 6 units to go, but I plan on scheduling time in advance for me to get these done! 
- Take a Photoshop class and continue to develop my Photography skills 
- Keep updating this blog! 

Here's a pretty good HuffingtonPost article on 'Resolutions for Women on the Run' that I found inspiring: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-pelosi/five-new-years-resolution_b_4525975.html
I really like "4. Get out of your own way: We diminish ourselves far more than our foes do, letting fear of failure or success hamper us. We listen to that little voice inside telling us that our skin or clothing is too loose or too tight; the relatives who cheer our professional advice then ask "when are you getting married?" or the ghosts of boyfriends or girlfriends past reminding us of old failure, and we stunt our own growth with self-sabotage disguised as advice. Let that go." This aligns well with Sheryl Sandberg's "Lean In", which I am in the middle of- it's very informative & motivating so far!

The Best Way to Spread Xmas Cheer is to Sing Loud for All to Hear!

I wanted to share a really thoughtful gift that was passed on to me from my mother in law. For the past few years, she has mailed us an Advent Calendar filled with clues. Leading up to Christmas for 25 days, each day we get a clue which correlates to a wrapped gift of the same number. For example, “to keep you warm when days are cold” could refer to a pair of winter gloves or “to serve treats for your guests” could refer to a holiday serving dish.

The advent calendar is such a thoughtful gift & fosters excitement in the sometimes stressful days leading up to the big holiday.

Last year, I did an advent calendar for my sister, which was really nice especially because I wasn’t going to see her until late Christmas day. The hardest part, I thought, wasn’t finding the little gifts but it was a lot of work organizing the clues. She would text me each morning the gift that she got along with her guess of what tomorrow’s gift would be based on the clue, so it was a nice way to stay in touch & totally worth the effort. J Highly recommended for families that are apart for the holiday season (especially college aged kids who will really appreciate every little thing)- what beats 25 gifts that you get to open BEFORE Christmas!? 

(Accidental) Project Two: Open Bar

 So, I have yet to attempt the home office project that I mentioned in an earlier blog post. But, I recently was perusing one of my favorite flash deal sites, Joss and Main and came across this gorgeous Farmhouse Leaning Bookcase and I knew I had to have it. Unfortunately, even though I felt the price was worth it, the shipping turned out to be $150! So, (even though I love you J&M) I was searching this shelf a few weeks later- know I have to have something when I can’t get it out of my head for weeks- and came across it at the same price but with free shipping at Wayfair.com!

Wine Rack Before and After

Originally, I was just going to set this bookcase up in the only open corner of my dining room, but when I set it up, I got an idea. I began transferring everything from our current wine rack onto the bookcase and ended up loving how it looked as a replacement. The lines are cleaner, it forced me to de-clutter and ended up looking so much more polished- see for yourself in the before & after above.

I define my personal style as French-Country-Modern, and really feel that this piece hits on all 3 of those adjectives. Ultimately, I also love it because I know that it will fit wherever I need it to once we buy a house- whether it remains the wine rack or actually becomes a bookcase in a living room or guest room. It’s a solid piece of wood so it will last for years. Overall, a successful accidental second project!

Also, an update: we are knee deep in our house hunt. We have seen 15+ properties at this point and even a couple we really liked. Not sure if we’re ready to make an offer at any place just yet, but really hoping to find something great in the next month or two!