Best Year Yet

2013 was a huge year for Mike and I. It started off with me visiting my sister in the UK for New Years. It was my first time off the continent and I was so happy to spend some much-needed bonding time with my sister.

The next few months were busy but not very exciting as tax season hit and I got my first taste of what it was like to work 50+ hour weeks for two months straight. It wasn't my favorite thing in the world but I definitely felt myself settling into my role at EY and found a group I clicked with. I'm not overjoyed at the prospect of doing this year after year for the rest of my life and when the right opportunity presents itself I hope I have the wisdom and courage to take it - but for now it affords me the life I want and I'm beyond grateful for that.

May was a huge month between Mexico and getting engaged. I think I had a permanent smile on my face the entire month. Our trip to Mexico with our friends Drew & Danielle was just what I needed to relax and we had an amazing time. Just a few weeks later Mike surprised me by popping the question in Napa on a perfect late-spring day with our parents there to celebrate with us. I still joke with Mike that I have no idea what he said when he was down on one knee because I was in total shock and that he will have to write it down for me before he forgets too.

Summer is corporate busy season at the office which meant more 50+ weeks for me but we did sneak in some wedding planning and decided to buy a house (and launch the blog!). This house feels more and more like home everyday and love that we have a place to call 'ours'.

Labor day was spent at the Russian River up north with a large group of friends. Highlights included floating on the river all day, singing karaoke at a gay bar, champagne tasting at Korbel, and a certain fiance of mine cannon-balling into a hotel pool mostly clothed and running home sans those clothes and a game we like to call dancing-around-the-bottle. I think chants of 'River Mike' will haunt him for many years to come.

The year wrapped up with my 25th birthday, lots of wedding planning, a trip to Tahoe, holidays with the family, and of course our new fur baby Goose.

2014, you have some big competition for the title of Best Year Ever. It will be a close tie with the wedding, honeymoon, and digging into some of the big house projects we've been putting off but one thing is for sure, I'm excited for what this new year will bring!

Meet the Newest Member of the Family

This Christmas my favorite present has to be this little guy. A 5-month old Pomeranian-Chihuahua mix named Goose. Mike and I have been stalking all the dog shelters in town for the right pup and are so happy to call this one ours.

One of the many reasons Mike and I decided to buy our own place is so we could get a dog. Mike grew up with always having a (large) dog but Goose is my first and I couldn't be happier with the little guy. As we started seriously talking about getting a dog we both agreed that we wanted to adopt. People have the right to make their own choice concerning their pets but I just couldn't justify spending a lot of money on a dog when their are so many in shelters waiting to find a home. If you are open to having a chihuahua or pitbull mix, definitely think about adopting first. I was shocked to see how strongly these two breeds were represented in all the shelters.

Last night was our first night with Goose and he was an angel. The previous owner of Goose actually had rescued him from a shelter when he was 2-months old and did a wonderful job training him and obviously had loved him very much before she had to give him up because of her living situation. I was nervous about house training a pup but luckily she did that for us. He can be a little skittish but is also very curious & loving and doesn't bark -- not even at squirrels which is awesome because there is an invasion of them around here.

He's a tiny little guy but already proving to be a great companion. I'm working from home this week and he has been my shadow all day - following me from room to room and curling up by my feet. Mike has a dog-friendly workplace so Goose will probably accompany him to work a few days a week as soon as we get to know him/ his habits & tendencies a little better. 

We didn't set out to get a Chihuahua but I'm falling more in love with this pup by the hour. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and were able to spend some time relaxing with their loved ones. 

Many Moons

While I was putting together the office nook this weekend, I was delighted to find a 'bonus' print in my oversized calendar that can be kept on the wall long after 2014 is over.

Inspired by this print, I went on a search for other moons and while I didn't love everything I found, there were a few that caught my eye.

This one is a vintage print from a house tour on Apartment Therapy. Let's be real though, I am a total sucker for dark grey walls, walnut wood, and industrial pendants so even if that was a print of SAILOR Moon, I still probably would have like it.

Again with the industrial lighting and moon prints. I think I sense a theme. I love this entire collection from Restoration Hardware but like most things in that store, I'm going to have to wait until I make partner to buy that collection.

Lastly, what's better than a gold moon? A gold moon calendar made by an independent artist... that's what.

What do you guys think? A new trend for 2014 or do you prefer moons stay off the walls and in the sky where it belongs?

Out of the Closet

I'm about a week late on this project but this time I'm blaming it on the weather and Mike being frugal with the heater (a quality I both love and loathe at the same time). Apparently it has to be above 50 F to paint so I waited until this weekend when it warmed up a bit. 

I'm so happy with the way the office nook turned out. I see a lot more CPA studying in my future now that I have a cozy place to focus.

The large mirror doors were relatively easy to remove (and if anyone can use them, let me know). After that it was just a matter of patching and painting the area where I pried off the wooden supports. Unfortunately, none of the six paint cans that were left by the previous owners matched the beige walls so I had to go on a hunt for the right color. Luckily the paint in the bathroom is the same as the rest of the house so I was able to get a code for the Kelly Moore color off that can even though the bathroom paint was a semi-gloss and I needed flat.

As usual, I did all the detailed work and Mike came in at the end with the roller. I guess if you measured in terms of surface area, Mike did the most painting but since he didn't use a tiny paint brush to make sure there was an even line where the chalkboard paint met the ceiling, I'm keeping the award.

Other than that, everything here is stuff we already had which makes this project a total of $25 for two quarts of paint. The only other thing this area needs is a rug to hide where the bottom rail of the closet used to be which will be a temporary fix until we rip out the carpet upstairs and replace it with hard wood in a couple of years.

Let's Talk About the Boob Light

When did this light become so popular? It's pretty much synonymous with all builder-grade homes... in fact, our house has not one, but two of them.

Flush mount (I've seen it both as one word and two) lighting is tricky. Unless you have tall ceilings in every room, you most likely have flush mount lighting somewhere in your home.  If I had all the money in the world I would probably have 'can' lights on a dimmer installed in every room but installing recessed lighting on a bottom story with another floor above it is too tricky for this couple to DIY (not to mention Mike's terrified of all things electricity-related).

There are a few areas in our house that I think we are going to save up to hire an electrician and properly install recessed lighting, but I actually would like a nice-looking flush mount fixture for the light inside of the front door. I'd call it our 'entryway', but I don't know that the five feet between the front door and stairway qualifies?

I talked about what we want to do with the stairs and think whatever light we choose to go here should coordinate with the overall feeling of the room. I've rounded up a few flush or semi-flush mount fixtures below... which do you like best?

one//two//three//four//five//six

Office Space

Not this one...

But what used to be this one:

As you can see, I got oh so excited and forgot to take a proper 'before' picture and have already started to rip out the shelf and hanging bar. But who needs a spare closet when you have plenty of storage space and there are office nooks to be made!

one//two//three//four

Check back early next week for the big reveal. For now I will leave you with this beautiful & blurry progress shot... 

Anyone else got big plans for this weekend? 

Fixing the Leaky Sprinkler System

Mike and I are learning a lot of new things with this house with this past weekend being our first adventure in irrigation. Neither of us are experts and agree for the big stuff we will call in the professionals, but for this minor fix we decided to DIY.

I noticed a few weeks ago that the ground around the irrigation valve was wet so I put a bucket under it to determine how badly it was leaking. Nothing annoys Mike more than wasting water or energy so this project shot to the top of the list once we determined that the leak was significant.

The long side of our house is most exposed to the elements so it didn't surprise me that this valve was the first to go. Here is what we started with:

Not knowing what we really needed, we headed down to the HD to figure it out and were pretty much amazed at the entire isle devoted to irrigation systems.

We weren't sure exactly what we needed so we picked up some spare parts and extra PVC since they were all pretty cheap. The most important thing is to know what size PVC your irrigation system uses since everything you buy will depend on that. The most common seems to be 1" or 3/4" and ours was the latter.

After we got everything home, Mike turned off the water, cut away the old system, and began to 'dry fit' the new one. It's important to figure out how everything fits together before applying the glue because once that's on, it's permanent.

1) Christy's Red Hot Blue Glue (no primer needed for this stuff)
2) Anti-Siphon Valve
3) Female Adapters (we had already connected them to the valve - don't forget the teflon tape!)
4) Extra 3/4" PVC
5) Slip Elbows
6) Couplers
7) Ratcheting PVC Cutters

After gluing it all together and turning the water back on, we are happy to announce that it is still an eyesore leak free. We still have to get a new timer and wire that up but it's coming along. We are planning on building raised beds in the spring for our little vegetable garden and it will be so nice to be able to hook everything up to a drip system.

IKEA Art Makeunder

Speaking of my dysfunctional relationship with art, I have a bad habit of trying to buy art for a specific space instead of just buying what I like and then finding a way to incorporate it.

Exhibit A (below) is a large print from Ikea that I bought a few years ago while trying to fill blank wall space in the house I lived in at the time. The size and price was right and even though I wasn't crazy about the actual print, it didn't look terrible with the colors and furniture of my first place.

Fast forward a few years and its permanent spot has been leaning against a wall, tucked away in some corner. I though about selling it on CL but framed canvases are worth more than the $10 I would get for it so I decided to test my artistic side and cover it with something I liked. I don't usually advocate painting over art, but mass-printed pieces are the exception for me.

Knowing my artistic limits but also wanting to add some color to this wall in our dining nook, I settled on a mint green ombre effect. The old painting had texture to it which I thought would give it just enough visual interest without being overwhelming like the original print.

I started by taping off the black frame with painter's tape and using a spray primer to cover the old print since I didn't want any of the original colors popping through.

Next, I headed to my favorite store to pick up a few test pots of the perfect minty green. I got a sample of all three colors on the same test strip but looking back, I could have probably gotten away with just getting the lightest and darkest color and then mixing them as I went.

Originally my plan was to paint the lightest color first, let that dry, and move on to the darker colors -- but to get the look I wanted, I figured out it worked better if the two colors were still wet and I used a clean brush to blend them together.

I started this project a while back but finally got around to finishing and hanging it yesterday which then followed with this conversation:

Me: do you like my art?
Mike: oh... it's done?
Me: my artistic abilities are kinda limited... should I add something else?
Mike: how about a bike?

Forget birds. Around this house, 'add a bike to it' is the new mantra. Needless to say, that idea got vetoed. I like the simplicity of it for now and who knows, it might just get a bike added to it in the near future.

Customizable Party Invites

With Thanksgiving just a day away, it is officially the holiday season which = parties galore. I love this time of year when everyone puts down their normal routine for awhile and makes a special effort to spend time with their loved ones.

I made an invitation for our Friendsgiving feast last weekend and had so much fun doing it I decided to create a few more. I recently stumbled on a site called PicMonkey which is not only (mostly) free, but very user-friendly. I sprang for their 'premium' service which gives me access to some of their more advanced graphics and fonts because for the price of $5/mo - or $3/mo if you buy a whole year at a time - I figured it would be worth it.

I've had a lingering cold all week so on the doctor's Mike's orders, I took it easy yesterday and whipped up these fun invitations by drawing from inspiration around the web. I love receiving an invite via snail mail, but sometimes we aren't on top of it or don't want to spend the money in printing and postage and for that I've found an emailed invite does the trick.

Below are the four invites I created ready for your customization by following these steps:

1) Right-click on the invite you want below and select 'Save Image As' on your computer.

2) Go to picmonkey.com and select 'Edit a Photo' from the banner at the top of the screen and choose the saved invite from your computer.

3) To add text, select the text icon from left-hand menu, pick the font you want, and then press 'add text'.

4) From here you can change the size, color, and position of your text to fit the invitation. Under the invitation below I've listed the font type and html code for the color I used in my examples if you want to copy those. Using the html code is the easiest way to get a specific color and can easily be changed here (this box will pop up when you select 'add text')

5) Once you have all your information in & positioned correctly, save it to your computer and you're done!

Cheers

Font: Quicksand
Color: 544a43


Candy Cane

Font: Sue Ellen Francisco / Tall Dark and Handsome
Color: 000000 (black) / ffffff (white)


2014

Font: Geo Sans Light / Learning Curve

Color: 000000

Art Deco

Font: Quicksand
Color: d38e00

Cheers everyone! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Much Needed Vacation

That's right! Nine full days of holiday cheer and not a tax form in sight. 

Today is day three but I started my vacation with a living room and kitchen full of my favorite people for a little Friendsgiving celebration. Mike and I divvied up the leftovers knowing that more turkey is just a few days away but were definitely hoarding the apple pie and enjoying it slowly over our perfect lazy Sunday yesterday.

Today has been a whirlwind of to-do's but it feels good that it's only Monday and I have the laundry done, oil in my car changed, and the house clean. 

Mike and I are sneaking away to Davis for a feast with his family on Thursday but I hope to squeeze in as many house updates and crafty projects as I can before I have to back to work. On the list is:

+ a closet/spare bedroom before and after

+ holiday party invites for readers to download and customize

+ an IKEA art makeover

+ some kitchen drawer pizzazz

+ a wedding moodboard

+ and some DIY gifts 

Stay tuned... I'm off to watch the Niners whoop the Redskins. 

Elegance

"Do you know what elegance is? 

It is not only what you're wearing,

 it is how you wear it, 

who you are inside. 

It is the way you decorate your house, 

what you surround yourself with, 

what books you read and what your interests are."

-Carolina Herrera

Sometimes elegance is associated with snobbery but I think the way Carolina describes it is such a worthy goal and a resolution I plan to stick with this coming year. At 25, I realize I'm still very young but something happened this year where all-of-a-sudden, I feel like a grown up. 

But don't worry friends, I'm not planning on abandoning my goofiness any time soon -- I just want to be more mindful of my thoughts and how I present myself both at work and in my personal life. 

I know it's only November, but what personal attributes are you hoping to focus on this upcoming year?

Three Things

one//two//three

Ah caramel leather... so soft, creamy, and classy. 

For a while there, Mike had a ton of back-to-back weekend trips where he didn't want to lug his suitcase around but also couldn't fit everything in his backpack while also carrying his computer. The solution? A weekend bag. 

These. drawer. pulls. Need I say more? 

Lastly, I'm kind of sad that Mike works at a job where flip flops are considered appropriate because I'm a little obsessed with these shoes. Good thing weddings are the perfect excuse to buy something expensive that you will only wear once + I love how they look with a grey suit.

Material Profile: Concrete

one//two//three//four//five//six//seven

One of my favorite things about decor is the way it evokes certain feelings based on the materials used, amount of light, and color. I love a happy space but there is something about a solid and isolated interior that I find beautiful.

Concrete is one of those materials that I keep coming back to again and again. Although I traditionally equate concrete with floors, I see it popping up all over the place from kitchen counters to bathrooms to fireplaces.

I can't really imagine Mike and I tearing out our wood floors downstairs, but I did find this tutorial over on Little Green Notebook that has me thinking about how I could incorporate a faux concrete finish into our home and I'm thinking the perfect place would be the mantel a la this guy:

I'm not exactly sure how I would do it, but am thinking that as a 'phase 1' makeover, I could build a box out of wood to go over our existing mantel and then apply to faux finish to it. I would consider making a solid mantel out of concrete but I'm not sure what is behind the drywall and a solid concrete block would definitely need to be anchored on studs.

What do you guys think about concrete in the home? Just a phase that will look outdated in a few years or is it here to stay?

Kitchen Before & After

Mike and I actually finished the kitchen a few weeks ago but I hadn't gotten around to taking a few 'after' photos until this weekend. I love the way the dark paint adds contrast to the cabinets and brings the whole kitchen out of the 80's. The new hardware (both internal rollers/guides & external hinges and pulls) is the icing on the cake for us. Not only do the elongated pulls look more in-proportion to the cabinets, but now our drawers don't fly out whenever we need a fork!

Isn't it amazing what paint can do?

Modern Retro Living Room

Inspired by my post on black and white stripes the other day, I decided to create a mock living room using polyvore with some of my current favorite pieces. I'm calling this vibe 'modern retro' and think it would look amazing with a few natural accessories to complete the look. I don't know if Mike would go for it... What do you think?

Olin Rug // Murphy Couch // Accordion Side Table // Sputnik Lamp

Keeping with my determination to expose myself to more art, I also found this portrait by Stephanie Vovas that would look amazing in this living room. The retro vibe and the lady's green eyeliner would tie it all together perfectly. 

I'm an {Art} Committment-Phobe

If your house is anything like mine, you have tons of frames and nothing to fill them with. Art is that one aspect of decor that stumps me yet I don't feel like a room is complete without it. I'm drawn most towards art with simplistic shapes and words but feel like those options are very 'safe'.

I want to be adventurous in design decisions but the price tag of most pieces leave me paralyzed. Questions like, "What if I don't like it three years" or "What if it doesn't mesh well with what I already have" make pulling the trigger near impossible.

As I was staring at the bare frames on my picture rails I just installed in the master bedroom, I started to brainstorm how I could expand my collection and develop an eye for what I like. The best option I could come up with is I need to start exposing myself to more art. I have an idea of what speaks to me, now I just need to expand on it.

These three are currently in my collection and make me smile or inspire me in one way or another everyday. Do you have any tips on how to curate a collection you are proud of or secret sources of affordable art? Please share.

WRDBNR // Andrew Miller // Three of the Possessed

Tufted Headboard for Under $200

While the cat's away, the mice will play redecorate. This past weekend was amazingly productive with three days of nothing planned. I honestly can't remember the last time that happened but it was just what I needed to re-discover my creative side. I mainly focused my efforts on our master bedroom and bathroom with a few other projects thrown in there and am quite happy with the results.

The biggest item on my 'to-do' list was recovering our headboard. I bought this large canvas while living in the apartment but was never happy with my first upholstery job. The 'before' fabric was our previous duvet cover and while I loved the pattern, the stretchy fabric and design didn't lend itself well to this use. You can see in the picture below how the pattern wasn't straight and it looked saggy.

If you have a queen, you will want to get a 36" x 72" pre-stretched canvas. These can get really expensive but I found one at my local art store on sale for about $110. I've seen tutorials where people just used a large wooden frame but the actual canvas was a must if you are going to tuft it since you will need a backing for the buttons to hold on to. The other option is to get a piece of plywood cut to this length but I wanted something light that I wouldn't have to anchor into the wall (especially something to consider if you are renting).

I originally went with one layer of batting but decided to add an extra layer to make it softer and let the buttons stand out more. For a queen size you will need about two and a half yards for each layer which will run you around $3 a yard. For the fabric, look for something sturdy that can stand up to being stretched and stapled. Being cost conscious, I went for the sale section and found this lovely blue linen for $4.99 a yard and bought three yards so I'd have extra to make the buttons.

From there you want to staple each layer at a time to the back of the frame with staples about 3" apart making sure you are pulling the fabric tight all the way around. Once the frame was covered, I leaned it against the wall and broke out my large level to mark where I wanted my buttons to go. I decided on a grid pattern so I marked a dot every foot after I had measured 6" in from the edge.

For the button detail, I liked the look of the same fabric so I bought a kit at the fabric store to make my own. This was probably the most tedious part of the whole process but worth it in the end for the look I was going for. The directions on the back are pretty self explanatory but I definitely recommend getting the set with the little tools to make forming the fabric around the shell easier.

Once the buttons were made, I went to town with some needle and thread making sure I pulled the buttons as tight as I could before tying them off on the back side (this is where having the thick canvas as the base really came in handy). I used a basic cotton thread and looped it four times to make it really strong.

Originally I was contemplating using a patterned or brighter fabric but I love the how the blue is subtle next to our white duvet, dark wood, and grey accents.

Black & White Stripes

Black and white is my 'neutral' of choice and when combined with a timeless pattern, it's always a win-win in my book. That runner would be a great swap for a more traditional linen or burlap one and already has me thinking about how to incorporate more eclectic pieces as part of the wedding decor.

Good Taste

I usually don't have time to read through the actual articles in fashion magazines but there was an exception when I was getting my hair done a few weeks back. Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of the article but it was in the October issue of Elle. The author of the post was writing about letting go of controlling what her young daughter wears and how her girl surprised her with an excellent sense of style that the author attributed to her parenting... the article was a little condescending but also very real.

What really stood out to me was the following quote: 

"With taste comes exclusion; 

once you know what is good,

what is bad starts to feel like an assault."

The quote stems from a mother worrying about putting to much emphasis of style in fear that she would alter her daughter's view of the world, but I think the quote extends beyond fashion. Although "assault" is a bit dramatic, I have definitely experienced this in my own life as I've taken a greater interest in design and interiors.

Photo / Michelle James

Classic + Contemporary

You know that one house you always come back to for style ideas? It's no surprise that for me, it's Jenna Lyons' NYC townhouse. These pictures are a few years old (and she has since sold it) but it still captures that perfect mix of classic and contemporary. What else would you expect from the creative director of J. Crew? That black claw-foot tub with gold hardware... I die.

I actually had a dream the other night that our fireplace was redone and had a pair of those horns hanging on it but they were copper. Is it weird that I dream about the fireplace and not that amazing shoe collection? 

Our townhouse may never look like that on the outside but it will be one classy piece of property by the time I'm done with it (although it may take five years and serious raise).

Does anyone have a favorite house tour that they draw inspiration from?

The Prettiest Corner of the Yard

Having an entire house to redecorate can be overwhelming and paralyzing but I've found that just focusing on one small area at a time works really well and this corner of our back patio was just begging for some love.

I ended up taking Friday afternoon off and found myself outside wanting to get my hands dirty so I headed to the garden store. November isn't the best time to start a container garden but living in an area where it never snows and rarely gets below freezing does have its advantages.

This is also an excellent example of re-using what we already had. The bar with hooks and metal container was from the apartment's kitchen, both planters we already had, and the small bbq set was a gift from Mike's parents (the bbq is just out of the shot to the right). The wood and metal lanterns are a favorite end-of-season-sale find from none other than Safeway! At $7 each (down from $34), Mike and I couldn't help but buying out the remaining stock. I love how they glow with battery-powered candles inside.

As for what I planted, the white planter is sweet basil, the dark grey is organic spearmint, and sadly I can't recall the name of the tall purple plant or it's little white flowered companion but I know they grow well in direct sunlight. Here's to hoping they don't die while I'm away at training in Chicago this week... Neither Mike nor I have a green thumb but we're trying here :)