l-i-v-i-n

after living in our house for three years, we finally put a fence.

now that it's warm and there's still some light around until almost nine o'clock, i just want to eat outside every night. 

it's high time we make use of our outdoor living area. here's the vibe i'm going for back there.

umbrella | chairs | lights | hanging plants |
succulent | succulent | plant stand | citronella candle |
lounge chair | outdoor wine glasses | table

hoop dreams

i've seen embroidery hoops used as wedding decor and i remember my mom using one when she was making...something. i don't speak sewing really. 

i couldn't decide if they were a bit too twee for my taste, but i saw a few recently that caught my eye. these would make a fun textural addition to a gallery wall or they could add interest in a guest room.

the ones shown here are from sarah k. benning, needle pin embroidery, and thimble and thistle.

triangles | sunshine | hello | seinfeld | home

gotta love a good seinfeld ref.

the nursery

jake's room came together bit by bit and it's finally at a place where i can say it's close to being finished.

we got most of the stuff i wrote about in this post, and a few other things along the way (mobile,blackout curtains,white noise machine).

my plan for this room was to make it bright and cheery, using pieces that we'd keep around the house after he's grown up. and even though we never chose a theme for his room, there's a lot of animals throughout the space. so...theme?

take a look.

the crib pictured here is a mini. the way the windows are placed, we just couldn't  fit a full-sized one without it covering up a good portion of the windows. the rocking chair is from pottery barn kids and the sheets are from here.

my mom also saved a few things from my old nursery so it was cool to be able to incorporate those things (i.e., old and now slightly creepy looking stuffed pooh bear, diaper holder, and a few handmade blankets) into this space.

hackers

before we moved into our current home, i used to share a studio in dupont with my husband.

it was tiny, but i loved living downtown and got used to making the most out of tiny spaces. when we first moved into our house, it felt enormous by comparison. but three years in to homeownership and it's definitely starting to feel a little crammed.

if you're in a similar situation where every square foot matters, here's three ikea hacks that'll save space. also? no assembly required.

we don't have enough space in our bedroom for nightstands. for a while, we were charging our phones on the window ledges, but it wasn't super practical and they weren't easily accessible. mounting two ribba picture ledges ($9.99) to the wall has been a great solution for us. they take up zero floor space, they blend in nicely with our baseboards, and they hold things we'd normally have on a nightstand. as you can see, it holds an iphone almost perfectly and you still have room for other devices (like a tablet) and glasses (me) or a retainer case (husband). 

our pantry is another area where we keep needing extra space. we have a few shelves in there already, but since we cook a lot at home, when it's fully stocked, it can be hard to see everything that's in there. 

we mounted another ribba in there, and not only is it functional, i can also see and access everything that's inside.

when you live in tight quarters, vertical storage is your friend. this stainless steel wall shelf ($25) is supposed to be for your bathroom, but it fits right in with the other metal wall shelves we have holding our plates in the kitchen. it now holds the coffee grinder and some canisters we got from target and ikea.

_ _ _

the house is always a work in progress and these changes have been fun new additions.

getting ready

i have a little more than five weeks left before the baby's supposed to be here.

we don't have everything together for the nursery, but we have (what i think are?) the essentials. i've been trying to stick with a "less is more" mentality when it comes to baby stuff, especially in the beginning. we have a crib (1), a rocking chair (3) and a piece of furniture we're going to use as a changing table (5) because i didn't see the point of buying an actual changing table that we won't use once he's bigger. i've bought some art for the room, but this is an area where i didn't go too crazy because what infant cares about wall decor? none infants, that's who.

we'll finish the room bit by bit.

i'm not a total blackhearted freak--there are a few just-for-fun items in here (that stuffed bear, the wooden rhino)--but for now, the practical me is winning the nursery battle.

here's what we have at the moment.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4a 4b 4c | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 

this doesn't include things like diapers, clothes, wipes, etc., but this is the route i've been going with the decorations. no theme really, just some stuff that i like.

the one thing that's giving me trouble is finding a rug to cover the hardwood. there's a much larger selection online, but rugs are something i like to feel before purchasing. overstock has a great selection, but i can't get all handsy there. and target's in-store selection sorta sucks. 

all complaints aside though, i can't wait to meet this little guy. pregnancy has progressed at a snail's pace and i just want to see him already.

home sweet home

claudia pearson | ugmonk | ampersand design studio | three potato four vintage sign
ork posters | urban outfitters print no longer being sold
hatch show print
the calm gallery
tad carpenter | james weaver
ikea | ikea frame

just a few shots of the art on our first floor living/dining room/kitchen area.

i'd say that this is the area that's the most complete, and we're pretty happy with it for the moment. it's always a work in progress.

_ _ _

the polaroid collage is the one thing that's not on the first floor. that's in the basement. we put it together last weekend. at the wedding, we used polaroids for our guestbook and had all these great candid images with personal messages we wanted to display. and now we can look at them whenever we're down there, which is pretty often. i like how it turned out.

success

sometimes i like to relax on the weekend but i always feel awesome when i get a ton of shit done. that was this past weekend for me. 

we have this closet in the basement bedroom that's pretty much our closet of doom. you know, the one you keep throwing stuff into, vowing to go through it one day but you never really do? 

i finally tackled it. and my husband installed a closet organizer in the soon-to-be-nursery. we also hung a few wall shelves and gave the house a super thorough cleaning. 

i feel tired now, but it was so worth it. i can't even tell you all the stuff we managed to throw out or donate.

recipe for this incredible pie

i feel proud of myself because going through that stupid closet was the last thing i felt like doing, but i forced myself to just do it dammit. once i got started, i was on a roll, but for an admitted procrastinator like me, getting started is always the hardest part.

_ _ _

we're going to florida at the end of the week for a long labor day weekend. 

on a side note, if you're looking for a summery dessert, you can't go wrong with that pie. it's the perfect combination of tart and creamy goodness. mmm. mmm. mmm.

hope your monday's off to a great start.

month five

my new favorite shirt (apparently not sold online) 

heading out on friday afternoon

brunch here. i can't believe i've become one of those people who willingly dips fries in mayonnaise. oh well. i put it on corn, too. p.s. i still like chez billy more.

catching some rays

being lazy on monday

i got rid of so much clothes this weekend, and it feels awesome. we spent a good chunk of saturday afternoon going through every drawer, basket and closet hanger and getting rid of stuff. we took an insane amount of stuff to the thrift store up the street.

i love clearing stuff out like that.

_ _ _

hope your weekend was nice and relaxing.

meow

two years ago, when we moved from our tiny dupont studio and into our current rowhouse, one of the things i was most excited about was being able to have a garden. i've always wanted to wear a cute sunhat, get my hands dirty and have some homegrown tomatoes and peppers.

last year, it didn't happen. with our wedding in june and with us traveling (what seemed like) almost every weekend in the summer, gardening just wasn't the priority. 

this year, things are different and i'm ready to try it out.

there's just one problem: our neighborhood is overrun with stray cats. 

_ _ _

we used to park our car in the off-street parking space (my god that felt like a luxury after living downtown for so many years) and in the morning, the car would have no less than ten cats chilling on it. just sitting there.

now, even though i'm a dog person, i don't really mind these feline friends that much. they don't really cause any trouble and tend to keep to themselves for the most part.

but the thing is, they shit in our yard ALL THE TIME. everywhere. like you can't walk two feet without stepping in some. they've even been known to leave a present for us right on the front porch. so gross.

_ _ _

we've brought this up to pretty much everyone we know. mostly, because it's kind of a funny "problem" to have and secondly, to get their take on how to have them stop crapping all over our yard.

we've heard everything: buy sprays at home depot (don't work), sprinkle red pepper flakes in your grass (nope), shoot them with a bb gun (um, never?). but nothing has worked.

i was talking with a coworker the other day who also happens to be an experienced gardener. i told her my concern, about growing catshit tomatoes instead of delicious ones, and she immediately introduced me to the scare crow.

see below.

this is a motion-activated device that shoots out a quick spray of water when something is walking through your lawn. i was intrigued. we'll only keep it in the backyard so as not to piss off and/or soak the mail carrier, but i think this has real promise.

i had always wanted a nontoxic and humane way of dealing with these cats and this seemed like the perfect thing. 

it arrived in the mail yesterday. and the reviews on amazon are some of the most glowing i've ever read.

if this works out, and we can actually have a garden this summer, i'm going to be pumped.

i'll let you know how it goes.

alvin corn

i love mnemonic devices. i think that's how i got through school. i made up some many little tricks for myself to memorize facts and it always really worked for me.

this post isn't exactly about  mnemonic devices, but in a way it is.

i'd like to introduce you all to my friend alvin corn. 

he's been hanging around my house, making it sparkling clean for a few months now so i thought i'd share the wealth. i first discovered this little clean freak via crunchy betty. which i think i stumbled upon via google.

anyways, long story short, alvin corn is short for the ingredients pictured below. when combined with warm water, they make an awesome replacement for windex.

seriously, it's great. the first time i used it, i went a little nuts and cleaned all of the exterior windows on our rowhouse, just to watch them shine. i will say it doesn't smell the best, but the odor fades pretty quickly. and i mean, does windex smell nice? 

i love how cheap this is to make and i love how non-toxic it is.

try it once and i swear you'll never go back to the blue stuff again.  

neat and tidy

 i hate clutter. it makes me nuts.

this includes cluttered storage. i want it packed away neatly in a non-see-through box, said the obsessive organized lady.

but i've never really had a great way to store wrapping paper. the few rolls i had around the house were corralled in a corner of a seldom-used closet. but the ends always got a little marred up and the paper tends to wrinkle a bit, making it look a little sad. 

over the break, i decided to find a clean-looking way to store wrapping paper. it took me page after page of google image search results before i found one that appealed to my need for neat. but i eventually found it through tina jay's photography blog . 

her solution met all my aesthetic requirements, plus it was majorly cheap and installation was simple. i had to do some sleuthing to find out exactly which ikea products she used, but armed with an iphone screenshot and an extra set of eyes (thanks, boy), i found what i needed.  

check it out. 

hooks ($2.99) | rail ($2.99) | basket ($2.99)

 i used a different basket than the original post, but the idea's the same. 

it was incredibly difficult to wedge myself into the teeny tiny basement closet to get a good shot, but i think you can get the idea.

i also added a clip to the bottom of the rolls to keep it secure. and you can see on the red snowflake roll, i actually have two clips at the top. that one was a little heavier than the rest.

the lower rack holds gift bags, gift tags, tissue paper, ribbon and tape.

i only bust out the wrapping paper a few times a year, so it's nice to have it out of the way  and wrinkle-free until i really need it. and i love how you can see everything all at once. 

this took us about 10 minutes to set up. leveling the bars probably took the longest time, but i'm really digging this.

so long, closet floor. 

hold up

now that we're more settled into our house, i've been thinking more about the little stuff. 

trinkets.

the stuff that isn't a necessity per se (bed, couch) but the things that add flavor and personality to your home.

as i was thinking about all these things, bookends came to mind. and as i started searching for a few that i was into, i soon realized that they were ALL animals. yep. oh well. you like what you like, i guess.

to buy: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 (sold out)

these classy critters are all ready to add some visual interest to your space. 

that little golden piggy has been all over the internet for the past few months, but he's kinda got it all: the right price, the perfect balance of cute without being overly sweet, and a warm golden hue.

oh yeah.

potw: post up

we have so much wall space to fill at the house.

i've been looking at wall art for a few weeks now, narrowing down my options, deciding what i want to purchase.

here are two letterpress posters and one silkscreen (the last one) that i enjoy.

by ben ramirez design

love the minimalism here. gorgeous. 

by my ultimate letterpress crush, studio on fire | buy here

can you see the 'mmm' and 'ahh' at the bottom? more detail shots here.

by anthony burrill

so simple and clean.

_ _ _

hmm. time to make some decisions and fill the house with art. and really, nothing makes a space feel more like home to me than stuff on the walls. lots of pretty stuff.

_ _ _

looking for more letterpress goods? check out my press of the week series here. a new potw is posted (almost) every monday.

weekend stuff

a corner of the bedroom

produce for the week

out for a walk

summertime fave

back to work

ah, monday. it sure came up fast, didn't it?

hope everyone's week is off to a good start. let's make these last july days really count.

an update

polyvore set here

now that our house is not completely taken over by wedding stuff anymore and we're finally back to normal life, i'm realizing that we're in serious need of rugs. 

here are some i like.

i'm always drawn to bold graphic patterns like this.

do you have a go-to place for rugs?

quick + easy

you know ceiling fan medallions, right?

these guys right here?

yeah, you've seen them.

i bought one at home depot a few weeks ago (seen here) and decided it could make a pretty cool wall decoration.

this is the one i bought, although mine was on sale for 19.99. 

hey-oh!

anyways, since these medallions are designed to hang from the ceiling, i needed to do a quick little add-on to make it wall friendly. 

check it out:

just add one of these little sawtooth hangers to the back using two nails to secure it in place.

make sure it's level or it won't hang right.

here's a wider shot:

since mine (and most i've seen) came in white, i decided to spray paint it with a little neon yellow.


but you could do any color! or even leave it sparkling white if you like. 



here's how it looks with a coat of paint:

we had this weird little wall space above our full-length mirror in the bedroom that needed some love.


i think this guy fits it perfectly. and also adds some nice texture.


i also like this look because it reminds me of the arcitectural details on so many of the dc rowhouses (ours included!)

see? that white medallion at the top? | pic from closing day

hope you guys enjoy this easy little DIY project!

weekend stuff

at eastern market with the boy and the fam

behind the scenes at eastern market to meet with wedding peeps

sunny capitol hill

yellow paint on a sunny sunday

for a new project | more to come

only three salted caramels left

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so this weekend was pretty good.

hung out with my future sister-in-law for her bday, got some projects done around the house and, with the help of the boy and my sister, polished off a full pound of salted caramels from the caramel jar.

i laughed a little when the big ol' mason jar arrived in the mail with the warning 'best when eaten within seven days'

'there's no way we'll finish that,' i thought.

heh.

well, who knew they would be the best thing i've ever eaten. in my life.

buy some here.

hope your week's off to a fun start.