✥ Feature: Dreamy Child's Bedroom ✥

I am super stoked to share a room from one of my favorite blogs! I may even have a blog crush on this one- I can't help it, I just LOVE everything Holly does. Her home is beautiful, she refinishes furniture and she has great style- in clothes and decor. If you don't know her blog already- this on one not to miss. I promise!

This feature is kicking off 4 weeks of children's rooms features. I know a ton of you gals have kiddos, so I thought I should include some kiddo inspiration in these features!!

This is the room Holly put together for her daughter, Wren.  These pics share the blank slate she started with. 

And here is the dramatic after!!
Doesn't it look so dreamy and soft?!?

Holly said that Wren's bedding created the color scheme for the room- meaning soft creamy whites and every shade of blue was welcome! 

Holly painted this old waterfall dresser/changing table herself. Of course we all love the enamel numbers she added to the front. 

I love the whimsy the colorful blue poofs add to the room! I think it reminds you it's a kid's space and to have some fun in there.

The antique cabinet is a real stand out piece and was store bought rather than repainted. I don't know if I would have seen it and had this vision in mind- but now I think it makes the space. Seems like a very expensive nursery- right?

What do you guys think? Too white for a kiddo's room? I have to side with Holly- in that children come with a ton of colorful accessories, toys, books and clothes- this is a perfect backdrop for all of that. Such a lovely space- not unlike the rest of her home- you should stop over and check out one of my all time favorite blogs! Make sure to tour her home renos page and don't miss Wren's new big girl room {I loooove her bed!}!

Vintage Index Card Recipe Box w/Printable Recipe Cards

Hey there, cute lady friends! I am reposting a little project I whipped up the other day for Cassie, when I guest posted at her place. If this is a repeat, then this is where you sign off, and I'll catch you on the flipside.
To the rest of ya, here's my latest dish, I found this vintage, metal index card box the other day while garage sal-ing. It cost me three beans and I had actually been on the lookout for this very item! So I snatched up my sweet score without even an attempt at bartering for this sweet treasure. I thanked my lucky stars it was so cheap. I've seen them on Etsy and Ebay, but for nothing less than $15.

I've wanted one to put my recipes in for ages and, now that I have one, I can walk towards the light with a sense of accomplishment. Like I came, I saw, I conquered- my work here is done, you know? 

Not too fast. What. About. The. Recipes? 

Instead of using old magazine tear-outs or scratch paper, {yeah, so maybe I had some of that going on before} I made my own recipe cards. For these, I used some vintage-y styled freeware graphics so the new cards would have a retro feel to go along with the retro filing drawer.

You can grab your own, if you want to. Just DRAG the recipe card onto your desktop and you can print your own. {Google Docs and I are currently not on speaking terms, as it keeps distorting my images- even the pdfs. So whatever!} Oh yeah, and printing them on cardstock is a good idea for stability and durability.

I know that was a super easy project, but you know what's not super easy? 
Copying all my old recipes onto my new cards! Dope! 


I don't do a ton of kitchen projects, {because my rental kitchen is where inspiration goes to die} but coincidentally, last week I made my own vanilla extract. Of course I made my own printable for that, too. If you missed that post, you are welcome to grab that one here! 

And that, folks, is all she wrote. 

.Looking for places to link up your projects? Check out my Party page.

I'm also linked up here.

My Living Room [Before & After!!]

I've been thinking about this post for awhile. I think a lot of people get stuck in a decorating rut- due to lack of support or finance. Sometimes, you start to think you'll decorate later- when you have more time. At least that's what happened to me.

Back in 2004-05 Zack and I built our house. It was our first home and I was pretty ridiculously happy with it. Here are some pics our realtor took when he listed it.

It was staged to sell in these pics, but devoid of personality. Mostly, I just removed anything that could come off a clutter, so plants and little furniture were removed. But if I were to be honest, I'd say it never had a lot of spunk to begin with.

But like I was telling you'll last week, we sold our house because we wanted to go back to graduate school. Since both Zack and I wanted to get our MBAs- {for separate reasons of course.} We had plans to attend the same school, so we needed to do reasonably well on the entrance exam to make sure we could do that.

A little more info about how we ended up renting...

We packed up everything and moved into a condo in UT, where we proceeded to shop for homes. The housing market was just beginning to fall apart, so we finally decided to ride it out and rented our little condo. All the while I was thinking, you know, soon we'd get our own place, and I could decorate again.

I thought I could put my head down and march- just get through it and then I could breathe again- and play around with ideas again. But then- I started to hate our furniture. Especially in the new space. 
And our decor- oh, I especially loathed our decor.

Circumstances be darned- I decided I would NOT live like *this anymore! 

{*By this, I mean the feeling that you're not at home when you are, in fact, in your home!...not like we were living in squalor or anything!}

These are some pics I took right after I decided to make the change. Because, of course, I had not been planning to take any photos of the space for the duration of our existence there!

 So one night I had had enough and I took some pics, so I would at least be able to someday show people a "before" pic. 

{Note: This was before I knew not to take pics at night with the lights on- oh, how much I've learned!! Note 2: These are not watermarked fr GOOD reason!! ;-)  }

I made up my mind to sell everything we had brought with us and decided to start fresh. 

Instead of buying from big box stores and purchasing matching sets, I would search out just the right piece. I made the decision to only buy things I loved. 

I sold our old crap things on Craig'sList and Ebay so we could get the most possible for them. I even spent some time to fix up/paint/ redo some of my old goods- so I would be able to modernize'em and get more moula!!

In fact- we made enough money to pay for almost all the projects, furniture and makeovers I have done ove the last year!! Crazy, right!? Even the custom sectional we got from Bassett was paid for from the proceeds- though Z did sell a couple of guns and added that to the furniture fund. {Now that's true love, right ladies?}

I judiciously decided where chunks of the budget would go- like the couch and printer's cabinet. While most everything else cost me less than 20 bucks each- 

Either used to rehab something we already had- like my end tables, ottoman, large art over the couch, clock

 OR to make something from scratch, myself. Like the map art flanking the window, the subway art, tree stump table---to name a few.

I know you gals are no stranger to buying second hand- but I'll share my criteria with you. The second hand item cannot be bought merely because it is a good deal!! ;-) This is tempting, but should be avoided! It must have the exact lines and scale that I'm looking for. No settling! 

If you wait long enough, the right item will come along! Like my tapestry chair- I paid 50 bucks for it, but Arhaus sells it for $2200!

When I look around my small space- I now feel like there is something to be proud of! It is a rental- but it is MY space, I feel ownership over it. It definitely feels like it's "me"- and who could ask for more than that!

I know you guys can do it, too. No matter what your budget is, no matter where you live. Just decide what you like- and bit-by-bit, make it happen!

Zack and I are on the vacation of our lives right now- it has been so fantastic...but I do look forward to getting home and digging into my kitchen project!

Looking for places to link up your projects? Check out my Party page.

I'm also linked up here.

✥ Feature: Sleeping Porch ✥

Good day, dear friends! The hubs and I are still on vacation- living it up as we travel all over the western US. We've seen Yellowstone and the rain forest in Washington. Right now we are traveling down the Oregon coast, and heading towards Lake Tahoe. We've seen grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, elk, moose, mountain goats- and seen rivers and mountains! It has been quite the trip!

I came across this fantastic kitchen from Maple and Magnolia when it was featured at Whisper Wood Cottage and I believe it won their "all things kitchen" contest last winter. I think was published in Cottages and Bungalows, as a result. I'm sure you can totally see why- they warm gray walls, the crisp white upholstery and china.

Mix that with a few industrial elements and some warm wood or weathered wood- and I think you have the kitchen thousands of us are striving towards and would LOVE to see in our own homes! Am I right?

I think the real kicker is the gym basket storage center. I actually remember going to summer camp when I was 5, at my Dad's old high school, and they had gym baskets like this! Who would have thought they would become to chic?

The very best part- that's not even today's feature. See,  Susan is an incredibly talented decorator and her entire home is completely fabulous! When I saw her sleeping porch, I just about died! I mean, this is your porch? Can I have it for my very own bedroom, pretty, pretty please!!!

I think one of Susan's greatest decorating talents is knowing how to mix the right shapes to create an overall vision. If you look at the curves on the antique bed and the curves on the light with the round table and clock- it is a vision of white antique loveliness!! I know there are a ton of almost all white room fans among my readers- this room is for you!!

Just perfect for your guest to write come about their stay! I know you all adore the chippy old table, serving as a desk. It is the exact look tons of us try to replicate with various paint techniques.

The only pops of color come in pale aqua- found in a few glass vases and in a very pale vintage typewriter. There is just a faint floral pattern on the sheets, enough to add interest and dimension, but still creating a light and airy feel. Oh yeah, and some perfectly droopy tulips to add some pink, perfecting the shabby chic-ness!

I know you guys don't need me to point out all these lovely details, these rooms speak for themselves. I can bet you guys are already rushing over to Maple & Magnolia right now- to subscribe, and I don't blame you! I did the same! Hope you're enjoying your week, everyone! I am having a fantastic summer- get out there and get you some sun!

✥ Ammo Box Storage {+ other finds + my real life} ✥

This is a post about making do. About being happy with what you have, when you have it and about trying to make the most of, well, everything. 

You may have noticed, I hardly ever post pics from our kitchen. For those of you new to my lil blog, I am currently renting a condo. I know- rent the 4 letter word of decorating. It limits our design options and choices. It stiffles our vision for our space.

It's basically like throwing a DIYer in the corner for a time out and telling them they can't play!

And although I have wondered on countless occasions if my landlords would even notice if the cabinets were mysteriously painted white {because, would they??!}...Instead I decided to be grateful for what I have.

To be brave, and share a few images from my space. To share how I've given myself a few vignettes that allow my eyes to rest on something beautiful, instead of something honey, oak!!

There are a few other reasons for this post. 

I wanted to share the reason why why rent in the first place. We moved to Utah with the intention of going back to school. Both Zack and I wanted to go get our MBAs. So this last year we applied to school and we are A GO to start a fantastic, highly ranked, full time program next month!

I guess selling our home and down-sizing was worth it- because the plan worked! I am so stoked to be starting school with my best friend beside me! {Because, let's be honest, I probably would be freaking out if I had to go it alone!!!}

And although I said I've decided to be grateful for what I had, you know, rather than the alternative of being an ungrateful brat blogger, I can say I have a project up my sleeve that could do a little something awesome to this little room. It would not change the color of the cabinets and actually does NOT involve paint- but I've purchased the necessary materials and I'm feeling optimistic. :-)

So let's just call these pics- the "before" shots. Cross your fingers for me that my crazy, ridiculous idea turns out awesome. Cause I hate to have to come back and share a project FAIL!

Maybe you've noticed my "new" storage boxes above the cupboards? I used to have some Ikea crap boxes up there. It's where I store extra ziplock bags and foil and spices, since we have no pantry. They are military ammo crates and they come with authentic dirt, I mean patina! ;-) The wood is all gray and they are crazy sturdy. One of them is stenciled explosives, while the other says mortars.  Did I ever mention that Z was in the Marine's for 6 years?  So this is a little nod to his past and I love them. 

I grabbed this cute owl butter dish from West Elm the other day. {clearance}

Remember the vanilla I made 2 weeks ago?

And below- a new soap dish, also from West Elm.

Although this kitchen will never look like Karianne's or Kelly's. I guess, for now, it is mine.
And anyway, instead of looking at Pinterest all day, I'll be looking at text-books instead. I think I'll decide to be grateful for that! Wish me luck on the upcoming school adventure and with the zany project I am starting next!!

Looking for places to link up your projects? Check out my Party page.

I'm also linked up here.

✥ Guest Post: Setting for Four ✥

Good morning, lovelies! Today I am excited to be guest posting over at Heather's blog {Setting for Four} and I'm sharing how I put my gallery wall together. Stop on by and find out how I got my pal, "thermie" and how I made every piece of art on my wall!

While you're over there, make sure to check out Heather's adorable butterfly place cards! Cute, right?

Hope to see you there!

-xoxo-