Every year I make a few resolutions, and sometime I do better at them than others. To be perfectly honest, I'm not even sure I made them last year, though I'm sure if poured over the pages of my journal I would find them.
So today, I figured I should put them out into the internet for everyone to see...in hopes I'll feel a little extra motivation to actually accomplish some of them.
1) Make our house a little more homey. Right now it still looks a lot like the house we bought. Really only the bedroom has seen a major deviation from what it looked like at closing...even our photos haven't been hung up. So this year, my goal is to start making the place we live reflect the people who live there a little better. And hopefully I'll blog about it along the way.
2) Make some art. Some people might be surprised, but I actually did take an art class in college (two if you count the art history course I took...). And since I've taken a painting course and I really enjoy it...when I manage to find the time. This year I'd like to make the time...and at the very least put together the piece for the master bedroom that I've been planning...
3) Exercise. I'd like to say more...but that would be misleading. I should probably start doing it again...period.
4) Start cooking again (and possibly bring my lunch). This is another one that I could share on the blog, and I generally enjoy trying new recipes...I just seem to have fallen off the bandwagon these last few months...and I don't know how many more nights pasta is going to cut it.
So there you have it. My goals for the new year. Hopefully everyone here can keep me honest.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Bedroom Ideas
Ok - so it's been a LONG time since I actually updated this thing, but life's been a little crazy...so I'm trying to give myself a break. Though I know all 3 of you have been sitting at the edge of your seat waiting for a post.
I thought I'd use this time to give an update on my ideas for the bedroom. (also - the photos below totally illustrate how different the gray walls look in different lighting).
1) I'm looking for inexpensive seating in our bedroom to curl up and read a book. This Tullsta chair from Ikea looks like it will fit the bill, although I'd want to stain the legs a darker color.
2) I bought some fabric from Crafty Planet in Minneapolis that I'm dying to make a pillow out of. I LOVE that it combines yellow with a few shades of gray (though they are more real gray as opposed to blue-grey...but still).
3) The ottoman was at Target (no longer available). Originally it was a little pricey for my taste, but I was able to watch for it to go on clearance. AND - it has storage inside...but I have NO IDEA what to put in there. I'm thinking maybe extra blankets?
4) One of the major bedroom projects is going to be painting the dresser. I have a few colors picked out (all yellow) and the husband has pretty much given me the green light. Now it's just finding the time to tackle the project. I'm hoping one of these weekends in January/February since hopefully life will have slowed down a bit.
5) This is one of my favorite things in the room - and the inspiration for going with a gray theme. It's a canvas picture from our wedding that I LOVE.
6) Just a view of our bed (all Target bedding) and the bookshelf (which I'm hoping to replace soon) so you have an idea of how the rest of the room is looking. I have an art project that I'm planning for over the bed, but again, we'll see when I actually start.
A few things not addressed in the board are curtains - I'm still hunting for the perfect color, bedside lamps (suggestions welcome) and some of the photos we're adding to the walls (black and white wedding photos in white frames and a shadow box of wedding items). I'm still trying to determine where the perfect location for these will be.
Now with the holiday hubbub coming to an end, I'm really looking forward to using our free weekends to get our house looking a little more homey.
I thought I'd use this time to give an update on my ideas for the bedroom. (also - the photos below totally illustrate how different the gray walls look in different lighting).
1) I'm looking for inexpensive seating in our bedroom to curl up and read a book. This Tullsta chair from Ikea looks like it will fit the bill, although I'd want to stain the legs a darker color.
2) I bought some fabric from Crafty Planet in Minneapolis that I'm dying to make a pillow out of. I LOVE that it combines yellow with a few shades of gray (though they are more real gray as opposed to blue-grey...but still).
3) The ottoman was at Target (no longer available). Originally it was a little pricey for my taste, but I was able to watch for it to go on clearance. AND - it has storage inside...but I have NO IDEA what to put in there. I'm thinking maybe extra blankets?
4) One of the major bedroom projects is going to be painting the dresser. I have a few colors picked out (all yellow) and the husband has pretty much given me the green light. Now it's just finding the time to tackle the project. I'm hoping one of these weekends in January/February since hopefully life will have slowed down a bit.
5) This is one of my favorite things in the room - and the inspiration for going with a gray theme. It's a canvas picture from our wedding that I LOVE.
6) Just a view of our bed (all Target bedding) and the bookshelf (which I'm hoping to replace soon) so you have an idea of how the rest of the room is looking. I have an art project that I'm planning for over the bed, but again, we'll see when I actually start.
A few things not addressed in the board are curtains - I'm still hunting for the perfect color, bedside lamps (suggestions welcome) and some of the photos we're adding to the walls (black and white wedding photos in white frames and a shadow box of wedding items). I'm still trying to determine where the perfect location for these will be.
Now with the holiday hubbub coming to an end, I'm really looking forward to using our free weekends to get our house looking a little more homey.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Master Bedroom
We've finally gotten the master bedroom (mostly) back in order after starting to paint it SEVERAL months ago. 
A huge thank you to Melissa for making this whole room possible (since I may have stolen the comforter and the really cool yellow things on top of the bookshelf from her...)
Also - wouldn't this dresser look so much better in yellow? Agreed.
Still in the works are a framed photo collage, curtains (if I could find the right color/fabric combination), lamps for the bedside tables, probably some sort of sitting area, shelving on the walls, and an art project I hope to start on this winter. But it is nice to have a room that is starting to sort of look finished.
A huge thank you to Melissa for making this whole room possible (since I may have stolen the comforter and the really cool yellow things on top of the bookshelf from her...)
Also - wouldn't this dresser look so much better in yellow? Agreed.Still in the works are a framed photo collage, curtains (if I could find the right color/fabric combination), lamps for the bedside tables, probably some sort of sitting area, shelving on the walls, and an art project I hope to start on this winter. But it is nice to have a room that is starting to sort of look finished.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Dining Room Ideas
So - I've been trying to come up with plans to improve our house's first impression (mainly the dining room). Since it is one of the first rooms people see, it really should be one of the first rooms we focus on. Also, I'd like to get into the habit of entertaining, and that's more challenging when you only have two chairs. So I've come up with a sort of Dining Room Mood Board to get myself started.
A little more about the items I've included:
1) This is our current kitchen table, and pretty much the only thing that would need to stay (and right now, pretty much the only thing in our dining room).
2) Some generic color ideas. The beige is already kind of the color of the dining room - and since the area is kind of large it would be a bit of a pain to repaint. The blue and yellow I've pulled from what I've already got going on in the kitchen.
3) I don't know exactly where I would put this, but I found it on Anthropologie's website and fell in love.
4) The chairs are from Ikea, and though the legs aren't the perfect color, the chairs are significantly less expensive than similar styles ANYWHERE else.
5) As noted previously, we need a rug for our dining room. Partially to warm up the space, and partially to prevent the table from scratching the floors. I'm liking something like this from Crate and Barrel that will sort of blend in with the floor.
6) There is an awkward amount of space on each side of our sliding glass door that I thought would be the perfect spot for some extra storage (I may have an obsession with cookbooks...). I'm looking for something like this from Ikea for each side of the doorway.
7) The chandelier from Z Gallerie may not even fit with the rest of the items...but I really love it. So I tossed it on there in part just to see.
8) I own two of these knobs (again from Anthropologie) and have been looking for just the right spot to put them. I'm thinking that adding them to the white cabinet would add a little character to an otherwise plain storage solution.
9) I bought these two tea towels from To Dry For last year, and framed them when we were in our old apartment. I'm not entirely sure where they will go once the shelving is in place, but I'm hoping to find somewhere to display them.
One area where Brandon and I disagree is on rugs. I tend to be a little more plain - simple colors and minimal pattern. Brandon on the other hand has this whole theory on rugs that I'm not going to get into, but he likes them to look more ornate. So, out of compromise, I've included a different option below...with a more ornate rug. (Note: Brandon didn't pick the rug below...I did. And when asked about it he said "I guess that is closer to what I like between the two". So not a ringing endorsement, but he also didn't hate it.)
The only difference between the two options is the rug, which I found at Pottery Barn.
I'm still not exactly sure which route we'll be going, but at least this is a start.
A little more about the items I've included:1) This is our current kitchen table, and pretty much the only thing that would need to stay (and right now, pretty much the only thing in our dining room).
2) Some generic color ideas. The beige is already kind of the color of the dining room - and since the area is kind of large it would be a bit of a pain to repaint. The blue and yellow I've pulled from what I've already got going on in the kitchen.
3) I don't know exactly where I would put this, but I found it on Anthropologie's website and fell in love.
4) The chairs are from Ikea, and though the legs aren't the perfect color, the chairs are significantly less expensive than similar styles ANYWHERE else.
5) As noted previously, we need a rug for our dining room. Partially to warm up the space, and partially to prevent the table from scratching the floors. I'm liking something like this from Crate and Barrel that will sort of blend in with the floor.
6) There is an awkward amount of space on each side of our sliding glass door that I thought would be the perfect spot for some extra storage (I may have an obsession with cookbooks...). I'm looking for something like this from Ikea for each side of the doorway.
7) The chandelier from Z Gallerie may not even fit with the rest of the items...but I really love it. So I tossed it on there in part just to see.
8) I own two of these knobs (again from Anthropologie) and have been looking for just the right spot to put them. I'm thinking that adding them to the white cabinet would add a little character to an otherwise plain storage solution.
9) I bought these two tea towels from To Dry For last year, and framed them when we were in our old apartment. I'm not entirely sure where they will go once the shelving is in place, but I'm hoping to find somewhere to display them.
One area where Brandon and I disagree is on rugs. I tend to be a little more plain - simple colors and minimal pattern. Brandon on the other hand has this whole theory on rugs that I'm not going to get into, but he likes them to look more ornate. So, out of compromise, I've included a different option below...with a more ornate rug. (Note: Brandon didn't pick the rug below...I did. And when asked about it he said "I guess that is closer to what I like between the two". So not a ringing endorsement, but he also didn't hate it.)
The only difference between the two options is the rug, which I found at Pottery Barn.I'm still not exactly sure which route we'll be going, but at least this is a start.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Sad Dining Room
One of the first rooms you see when you walk into our house is the dining room. That wouldn't be a problem if our dining room didn't look like this:
Part of the problem is we haven't fully unpacked yet...but even taking that into consideration it still doesn't give the first impression I'd love our home to give. You know...the impression that adults live here.
One thing I love though is the table. It was my grandmothers, and then my aunt and uncle had it for a while...and now it's mine. I love the legs - and the fact that it can be extended to the point where we could have large dinner parties. Unfortunately, the fact that we only have two chairs means either everyone would have to stand...or my husband and I could just sit at opposite ends of a really long table. Some days that doesn't sound like the worst idea...
In addition to not having enough seating (this is a whole house problem...not just a dining room problem) the two plastic covered chairs we do have leave a little something to be desired.
As does the bare floor that makes the room look feel a little cold.
But luckily, chairs and a rug are relatively easy fixes, it's only a matter of finding ones that we can both agree on...which is a little harder than it sounds (both finding and agreeing), but not impossible.
Another idea I've been tossing around is putting some sort of tall bookshelves on each side of the sliding glass door, and moving the wine storage into the living room (since I'm pretty sure that much warmth and sunlight isn't good for the wine anyway). This would solve the issue of my cookbooks living in the family room, as well as fill a kind of awkward space. It does create a problem of needing to find a new place to hang the framed tea towels (the yellow one above and a blue one that is still sitting on the floor in the living room)...since our dining room and kitchen have a serious lack of wall space, but I'm fairly certain the extra storage would be worth it.
Part of the problem is we haven't fully unpacked yet...but even taking that into consideration it still doesn't give the first impression I'd love our home to give. You know...the impression that adults live here.One thing I love though is the table. It was my grandmothers, and then my aunt and uncle had it for a while...and now it's mine. I love the legs - and the fact that it can be extended to the point where we could have large dinner parties. Unfortunately, the fact that we only have two chairs means either everyone would have to stand...or my husband and I could just sit at opposite ends of a really long table. Some days that doesn't sound like the worst idea...
In addition to not having enough seating (this is a whole house problem...not just a dining room problem) the two plastic covered chairs we do have leave a little something to be desired.
As does the bare floor that makes the room look feel a little cold.But luckily, chairs and a rug are relatively easy fixes, it's only a matter of finding ones that we can both agree on...which is a little harder than it sounds (both finding and agreeing), but not impossible.
Another idea I've been tossing around is putting some sort of tall bookshelves on each side of the sliding glass door, and moving the wine storage into the living room (since I'm pretty sure that much warmth and sunlight isn't good for the wine anyway). This would solve the issue of my cookbooks living in the family room, as well as fill a kind of awkward space. It does create a problem of needing to find a new place to hang the framed tea towels (the yellow one above and a blue one that is still sitting on the floor in the living room)...since our dining room and kitchen have a serious lack of wall space, but I'm fairly certain the extra storage would be worth it.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
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