Catch Up: Weekend in Black and White

Morning Pages. Every morning. 

Also, every morning. 

My hairy friend, Shawn. 

Easter Dinner at the Hollens

Writer's Block Pt One

Writer's Block Pt Two 

LINK LOVE: Home is Wherever I'm With You

Link Love for this week. 

1. I've been dreaming of sprucing up our back patio. We have a massive backyard that is surrounded my trees and I love it. It just needs a little TLC. This inspires me. 

2. These natural cleaning products. Or these ones. I've also been reading up about making my own in this book. 

3. This arrived in the mail a couple days ago. I can't wait to try some recipes. Check out her website as well. 

4. I'm also brainstorming how to re-do our bedroom. Case and point: New bedding. 

This one. 

Or this one. 

This one is on sale. 

My problem is, I really can't decide if I want to go bold or go calm. This will need to be decided. 

5.  I LOVE this magazine. I can't wait for it to arrive in my mailbox. 

5. This song. I adore that line: Home is Wherever I'm With You 

Life in Photo

I have been attacked by a horrible head/chest/cold thing. It is not welcome. I function at a much slower pace than normal. My to-do list can be found crying in a corner somewhere because I have neglected it greatly. 

Here are some photos from the past few days. My life in photographs. 

Breakfast is the best meal. Period. 

Where I spent most of my weekend. 

I also had the opportunity to take some photos for my best friend and her fiance. We were rained out shortly after we started and will have to continue at another time. But, needless to say, these two are just cute. 

Favorite. 

The Great Kitchen Re-do, Pt. 2

READ PART ONE HERE 


Here it is, the moment you have all been waiting for: our new kitchen! :) I'm so pleased with how all of it came out in the end. It was quite the process, but I got to do the project with many people that I love. We really only spent probably about $500 bucks on the entire thing. For a budget so low, all I can tell you is it was a long two months of paint, paint, and more paint. We used "Jamaican Bay" by Behr on our walls and Ultra Extra White on our cabinets. 

Our new kitchen table. Thanks mom and dad! I've also had that clock since I was a kid. I'm currently hunting for a nice red one. 

Clearly, we need some more wine. :) I also found this bread box at an antique store. I saw it about a year before I bought it. I returned a year later and decided that since it was still there that I needed to buy it. It's beat up and wonderful. 

Probably my favorite detail: our chalkboard wall! I LOVE chalkboard paint. 

My father built our cabinet doors. 

I'm obsessed with my hanging vegetable basket. 

My Great Grandmother made this doily. 

This vase was a thrift store find. 

My favorite part of our kitchen: the place where we make the coffee. 

Shameless Plug: Lifeboat Etiquette

So, I'm fairly smitten with the contents of this blog post. Normally I don't really feel like promoting the heck out of everything my man and I are involved in, but this needs to be said.

My husband is an amazing songwriter. It is one of the things that drew me to him in the first place. His lyrics will forever trump any song I write, no matter how hard I try to paint metaphors with words like he does. He is quite the catch and waking up next to him every morning is an undeserved blessing.

These are his songs. These demos are only a glimpse of what is to come this summer. We will be setting up camp at Backbone Studio and recording his first full length, legit album. I'm immensely excited and can't wait to be in that sort of creative venue with my man. We haven't really traveled down the road of doing much music together. That will change and I can't wait.

So, with all of that being said, take a listen. Download some tunes. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

LISTEN HERE 

Quote

Plaid: An Outfit Post

Good Evening! I want to make outfit posts a normal part of this little blog. You will learn that I have far too many boots for my own good, can't spend a lot of money on much of anything (ever), and would much rather wear something that I bought at Arc for $3 last weekend. 

Case and Point: Plaid

Outfit Details: 

Dress: Thifted last weekend. I love plaid! 

Sweater: Borrowed it from my wonderful mother and she ended up just giving it to me. I seriously wear it ALL THE TIME. 

Belt: Forever 21

Leggings: Target

Boots: Steve Madden 

Nerd Glasses 

Necklace: from a co-worker that was giving away a bunch of jewelry. I just put it on a longer chain. 

* Special thanks to my good lookin' husband for taking these photos for me. We just bought a new camera and I'm truly in photography heaven~!

The Great Kitchen Re-Do, Part One

The beginning of this journey started long before the purchase of our first house last summer. This journey is found in the echoes of my childhood with a decor-savvy mother constantly decorating some room in our house while my dad was busy building and remodeling something in their hundred year old home. My parents have long understood the importance of making a house a home. Decorating is something that I believe is in my blood. Even back to high school when I worked at a Hallmark store and creating window displays was strangely enjoyable and rewarding to me. 

That being said, my husband has many projects to endure in our lifetime together. Lots of paint. Lots of DIY obsessions. Lots of projects. I am where I belong when I'm wearing an apron covered in paint and spend my weekends in my garage working on something new while listen to NPR. 

For once we live in a house where I can paint whatever wall I want or have a garden in the backyard if my heart so desires.  Our first massive project was that of re-doing our kitchen, with the lowest budget possible; which meant paint and new cabinet doors! When we bought this house it was as if the owners re-did everything, ran out of money, and stopped at the kitchen cupboards. Something needed to be done. 

These are all BEFORE shots of the kitchen. I will be posting AFTER shots later this week! :) 

 My father custom built these cabinet doors. Much white paint followed. Coats and coats and coats of it. 

Check back for Part Two of "The Great Kitchen Re-do." 

A retro flare. White, clean, crisp cabinets. Aqua walls. 

This project was worth every minute we put into it.