blank walls

I have a confession to make - for the last five, almost six years of living in our home ... I've hardly put any artwork on the walls. And honestly for me, it's a travesty! Okay, maybe not that tragic, but you know what I'm saying. Can I even call myself remotely creative when I have nothing on my walls? Okay, save for a photo print of trees that someone gave us for a wedding gift and a photo rope filled with baby announcements and wedding save-the-dates in the kitchen. A friend from college once said "blank walls are the sign of a blank mind," a statement that I don't necessarily agree with, but it sure does make for some boring decor!

So lately I've been pinning artwork on one of my Pinterest boards to try to nail down a style or look that I like, and I realize why my walls have been so blank all these years! I have a fear of commitment - "print commitment" if you will. A hilarious concept, really. I'm afraid that what I put up there is going to be there forever and an inaccurate representation of who we are. And I think I just need to bite the bullet and get hammering! These photo hanging strips will help me with my commitment-phobia so I can change things out more easily if that Magritte/Super Mario print doesn't tickle my fancy anymore (which in fact, it doesn't!).

Here are a few art prints I've been eyeing:

This first one is from the American Cancer Society and is by Andrew Bannecker. It's called "Wish."

It is a great tribute to the fight against cancer, which I'm all for.

I love the rustic wood type print and colors in this next print by normatstudio and I'd love to create something like this with another saying.

This print has a great sentiment and I love the hand drawn words.

My summer project will be to get some art and photography up on the walls, and hopefully in the coming posts you'll see the final layout. Whether or not these works of art will make it, well, that's another story!

more wonder than I imagined ...

Well, I've been missing from the blog for a long while, but for good reason! On October 14, 2010 I gave birth to a little girl ... Norah! She is the most amazing little person and I am in awe that she is ours. Motherhood is truly something, and I am reminded of a post I read from an Australian blogger mom that said this about it, "Six billion people on the planet have been born like this, but it still seems like magic to me." And that is so true!

Even in the middle of the night, when she is crying out - I am in awe of how she came into our lives and how it feels to hold her after waiting for 9 months in anticipation of her arrival. I love how at 7 weeks old now, she fits perfectly into my arms. I kiss her little cheeks and smell that soft, sweet baby scent and feel her warmth against me ... she is beautiful. A little more wonder in my life, perhaps? Or maybe a little more wonderful.

image courtesy of mjt photography

babies, dating and dinner parties

Can you believe it? Only 4 more weeks to go before our baby girl arrives! 4 and a little bit ... it's very exciting and unnerving at the same time. Very soon our lives will be changed forever.

I've been reading a book called On Becoming Babywise that a few friends recommended, and it has been interesting to hear that though life will be different, life should still maintain a balance. The author emphasizes bringing the baby into the family unit instead of making the child the center of our universe. This includes remembering that though I will be a mother, I am also still a sister, daughter, friend and wife. He also points out that we should continue to date our spouses and show them gestures of love (like my friend lists here), including spending 15 minutes a day on the couch going over the day's events. Sounds like a given, right? I'm sure I'll have to be very intentional about this once she enters the world!

One other point the author made that surprised me was to purposefully invite friends over for food and fellowship! In essence, have a dinner party with baby! Is it possible? I sure hope so! I will be ever so grateful to have friends over if we can manage it. A few friends have had us over in the first 6 months of their children's lives, and I've been so impressed! Both couples have made dinner for us - one new dad was even able to make homemade cinnamon rolls from scratch! We can only hope and pray that our team work and love helps us to care for this child and for one another. Here we go ...

place setting above: crate and barrel place mat, plates, and dansk flatware, appetite home napkins

walk all over me + crisp white

We've been very busy spending the last 2 weeks getting our condo ready to list on the market and now it's up! I'm a bit sad, but also happy that we did it! To put some finishing touches on the house, I made some quick runs to Marshalls and TJ Maxx Home Goods for some accessories and other fun home decor items. I bought this cherry blossom coir doormat from Cost Plus World Market - even though I don't like coir! It sheds too easily. Does anyone have suggestions for cute alternatives? This one will do for now with it's cute simple blooms, but I am dreading the little pieces that are going to come off of it and litter my front porch!


And then I bought this adorable striped bath mat from Marshalls for $10 - with all the colors of our bathroom in it! Chocolate brown, seafoam green, bright white, and light turquoise with a pop of bright green. Super cute. I was on a mission for rugs, I think.

And to top it all off I bit the bullet and bought a great king sheet set for $30 in white -- which I was always hesitant to purchase for fear that it would get dirty, but they look crisp and clean. For the future, I will now always invest in some classic white sheets! I think my hesitancy stemmed from the advice my mother gave about not buying clothes, sheets or towels in white ...

We're waiting to see if anyone will bid on our place in this market, but I really do love our cozy home and will be sad to part with it. We'll see what happens!

everything must have its place

If there's one thing I've learned about organizing a house over the past few years, it's that every single thing must have its place. Now, I'm not perfect at it, but these are a few tips that I've learned and wanted to remember. I was very proud to have cleaned the house for 12 hours the other day --- I don't think I'll do that again, but my bathroom is so much better for it. I should have taken pictures!

1. Consolidate. Don't be afraid to throw things away. We always think we'll look over those dated notes or that we'll wear those old clothes, but in reality we won't. If you haven't used it or thought of it in months, donate it or throw it away. A great way to remember those notes and keep down on paper hoarding is to take a photo of a card or note with a digital camera and then throw it away. Remember to use the macro mode so you can still read it from the digital photo! This has been saving me!


2. Take note of what you really need. One day, I walked around my house with a notepad and made a list of all the things that were out of order or things that needed a place or receptacle. I had stray hair ties and cups on my nightstand, the dog's leash was never in the same place, the napkins had no home, and our collection of plastic grocery bags was overflowing. There were some simple solutions to these problems, a tray with a few bowls on my nightstand as a catch-all, installing a few hooks for the leash and other hangables, purchasing an inexpensive napkin holder, and minimizing the plastic bag intake for our household (take it back to the store for recycling!).

3. Be creative with what you already have. Rearranging furniture, repurposing old items and utilizing what you currently own is a great way to mix up your decor and organize your home. I received a great print as a gift, and the mat for the frame wasn't being used, so I re-purposed it for another print. Wonderful!

4. When you get something new, give away something else. This is the surefire way to make sure you're not just accumulating things and keeping them -- I've learned this is the easiest way to acquire clutter. I'm still in the process of giving away so many things that I don't need. I've got craft supplies galore and old college text books that are begging to be thrown away or given to those who need it.

5. Keep to the useful and beautiful clause. William Morris was a textile designer and is best known for his quote "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful" and it is very true! All other things are just taking up space! What a great guideline to purging and organizing.

merry christmas and to all a good night

Merry Christmas, everyone!

"But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'" Luke 2:10-12

the holiday train

We missed it this year, but the Holiday Train came rolling into town at 8:05pm, at least we can relive it with this video. How lovely! Christmas sure is fast approaching, I'm going to find more ways to enjoy it before it's over!

remodel: home and life

I have been up to my ears in remodeling - picking paint samples, numerous trips to the hardware stores for this and that, learning how to properly spackle, how to do demolition without ripping holes in walls, and how to seal granite (three times already!).

We're upgrading our kitchen and bathrooms and it's our first foray into home improvement. So far, so good. It's coming together slowly, and there are lots of little things to accomplish. I realize how much it is causing me to rethink how much I truly need materially, and what luxuries I'm able to enjoy. You don't think about how nice it is to have hot running water until you don't have it. And that makes me more grateful.

It's remodeling my perspective too, you could say.

All in all, I'm glad for this experience and hopeful that the next people to enjoy our place will like the details we've picked out. I mean, it took me a week to make sure I picked the right kitchen color! Can't wait for it to be done, then I'll post a real before and after shot.

letterpress art

Letterpress is an art in itself, but I love when it is done as an actual art print. These lovely prints are available in limited editions at Sycamore Street Press. I love the whimsy and color combinations in both of these. Baby blue and red? Cute. And the blue and green gradient on the second print is beautiful and saturated.





via sycamore street press

wonder boards: inspiring interiors

I've wanted to redo our master bedroom for a while, but since we aren't sure how long we'll be staying in our place I've decided to wait. Until then, here are a few ideas floating around in my head for the color palette and look of our room.

I've been collecting these photos for a while because I'm really drawn to the gray, caramel, and cream colors. The overall lightness of these rooms is so soothing. And that's definitely something I'd like to have for our room in the future. Currently our bedroom has a dark navy accent wall, which is great for sleeping, but doesn't make me want to relax there. We also have a black bed frame with a chocolate brown pleather headboard, which adds to the dark mood. Hope I'll get to do this makeover project soon and get my chillaxin' on!