LIVING & LOVING

Breakfast Nook Before & After

May 20, 2013

Today I’m very excited to share some before and after photos of our little breakfast nook. There are still some other small additions I would love to add to this space. I will, of course, be sharing those updates when they happen!

But for now, here it is:

BEFORE:

AND AFTER:

I used the beautiful wallpaper from Hygge & West called Otomi, designed by Emily Isabella. The surrounding walls were also repainted in Decorator’s White by Benjamin Moore.

I am thinking of replacing our current round table with a larger farmhouse style table and adding a new hanging light fixture. The chalkboard that you see in the before photos is going to be put back up, but not before I make some little changes to it. It was a chalkboard that I made and it didn’t turn out too well the first time. So I’m going to try again – hopefully I’ve learned from my mistakes!

Rediscovering old treasures

May 16, 2013

We had a garage sale last weekend (our first since moving in last year) and there were a lot of boxes piled in our garage that hadn’t been opened in years. We found old papers and other special items that we’d kept for sentimental reasons and it all brought back a lot of good memories.

I found a couple of boxes of my Grandma’s things that I didn’t even know I had. I realize now how easy it is to lose or forget about things you’ve stored away in the midst of a hectic move.

I remember these bowls of hers well. Now that they’ve been rescued from the box in the garage, they’re going to find a happy home in our cupboards and will be used frequently.

Have you ever rediscovered something special that was stored away and forgotten about?

Our new couch

May 15, 2013

The biggest thing that’s been on my mind lately has been a new couch. I really wanted something different for our family room – something smaller than the futon that was sitting in front of the TV and something that definitely fit in more with the style I was going for.

After scouring Craigslist and checking out new sofas online I finally found this one:

A wonderful older couple was selling it on Craigslist and I immediately loved it. They had owned for 40 years and had it reupholstered in this lovely blue velvet (I had really been wanting blue velvet!).

The woodwork is also really lovely.

Once I got it home, I have to say I had a little bit of buyer’s remorse. It’s not quite the lounging couch that I had initially wanted. I just saw the blue velvet, the wood and tufted back and really really loved it. As silly as this sounds, I forgot all about the fact that we wanted a good cushy lounging couch.

I feel a little better about it now and I think with the addition of some large soft pillows, this couch will work well for us. I may end up moving it into the living room instead of keeping it in the family room in front of the TV.

Have you had buyer’s remorse about any of your purchases lately?

Getting a move on in the family room

May 14, 2013

I’ve never shared any photos of our family room because it’s been my least favorite room to spend time in. When we moved in, we put all of our extra pieces of furniture in this room, which means it just looked and felt really crammed.

All of the furniture in this room was given to us (and we are so thankful to have it), but as you can see it’s quite a mix-match of prints: southwest meets floral meets outdoors meets modern brick. There’s a lot going on.

There is a massive bunch of cords hanging from the TV, a lovely sight. The wall color here isn’t so bad (it’s only on these two walls) – it’s a sage green/gray. But I’m changing it anyway because change is good! I tried a couple different color samples on the walls as you can see:

It’s taken me a long time to know what to do with this space. But I think I finally starting to figure out what I want in here. I’ve started the painting and switching out the furniture, but I’m still brainstorming different ideas for the overall look.

I really love Joanna Goddard’s living room designed by Jenny Komenda. This room feels very similar to the layout of ours.

It has a very natural and almost rustic (but still very modern) feel to it. A mantel built around the fireplace would work great in our room as well as a small table or desk on either side. And I had already thought about and loved the idea of a sleek black coffee table before I even saw this photo!

Logs in the fireplace: very charming.

Weekend Getaway

May 10, 2013

When we travel, we don’t stay at luxury resorts like these. But sometimes planning a getaway to high-end hotel is totally worth it, especially when you plan on spending the majority of your time at the resort.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how nice it’d be to spend a short weekend on a babymoon before the baby comes. Before Bowen was born we spent a weekend in Spokane at the Davenport. It was such a nice getaway! It’d be really fun to make it a tradition before the birth of each baby.

Here are a few of the places I’ve had on my mind. For me, this getaway would be all about lounging around the hotel, reading and eating good food with Michael.

#1 Brasada Ranch outside of Bend, Oregon

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#2 Timberline Lodge on top of Mount Hood

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#3 The Fairmont Chateau at Lake Louise

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Happy Friday, everyone!

Taking more time

May 8, 2013

I’ve taken the past couple weeks to sit back and relax. And it’s been incredibly nice.

With the help of my mom, I did manage to hang my wallpaper (I will share photos soon!) and paint a little bit, but I’ve spent the majority of free time lately not worrying about anything house-related. I’m almost 26 weeks (getting closer and closer to the end!) and I’ve decided I want to spend the rest of this pregnancy reading more, playing with Bowen and actually resting and enjoying our home this spring/summer.

In a nutshell, here’s what we’ve been up to:

I finished the book Good Wives (definitely a good read for only one penny on Amazon Marketplace) yesterday and am now starting Paul Johnson’s The Birth of the Modern. I can’t believe how long I’ve gone without soaking up good books.

Michael and I have recently started up a new monthly budget and I’ve found myself oddly excited about it. I’ve given myself a weekly allowance and it’s funny how restricting your spending can actually feel more rewarding than spending.

Our yard is looking better than ever. The grass is beautifully greener than last year and we’ve done a lot of planting in the past few weeks. Going outside is so much more enjoyable than it was last year when our grass was prickly and yellow and weeds were everywhere. I can’t wait to share all the photos and updates with you.

We’ve finally decided on Baby #2′s name. I love it.

Here’s a little peak at the wallpaper. I’m absolutely crazy about it and can’t stop smiling whenever I look at it.

In other news, watch for a new look soon here on the blog! A redesign is in the works. Happy Wednesday!

Second trimester = energy?

April 23, 2013

I thought that the second trimester was suppose to be the time when your energy is at its best and you feel your greatest? Apparently that is not the case for me.

Lately I’ve been in a constant state of fatigue and have had no motivation to do anything at all (hence my MIA status on the blog). It can be very frustrating when you have a list of things you’d like to do but can’t find the mental or physical strength to get off the couch!

The past couple of weeks have been a good reminder for me though about just relaxing and enjoying this pregnancy, even if it’s draining at times. I love little baby kicks and my prenatal massages (one of the best parts of pregnancy!). And I’m excited to meet up with my doula soon too!

Maybe after my massage tonight I’ll feel rejuvenated enough to start on this little project that arrived in the mail weeks ago:

Stick around… I definitely plan on hanging this beautiful wallpaper before the baby comes!

Recent Photo Faves

April 11, 2013

Before & After: Subway Tiled Kitchen

April 10, 2013

Last week I shared a little sneak at my recently tiled kitchen. Today I’m sharing much more! While the difference between these before and after shots is not startling, you can definitely tell that the white subway tile backsplash really brightens up the entire kitchen.

Here’s what I started with on an early Saturday morning:

I’m loving the contrast with the dark wood and our stainless steel appliances. It’s such a classic and fresh look. Makes me happy every time I’m in the kitchen.

This was absolutely an amateur job. I’m not sure I would ever trust myself to tile anything else again. In some places the grout doesn’t look nearly as neat and clean as it should, but it was definitely fun to try it myself! And that’s how you get better at things, right? Practice, practice.

But I still think next time I’ll hire someone else to do the job.