Tag: our house

Is it possible to be head over heels for a room? Because our living room has me all sorts of excited right now. Come February we will have been in this house for two years, so it feels good to finally have a room (a major one, at that) that feels finished. I’ve been slowly adding bits and bobs in here to make it feel more complete, but it was the painting of the accent wall (‘Nautical Sea’ by Behr) that brought it all together and gave me one last push to organize everything how I wanted/Andrew agreed with.

My mom and I found these trunks at a yard sale maybe 7-8 years ago and now they store all my high school and college memorabilia (AKA crap my dad didn’t want cluttering up their house anymore – SORRY I HAVE HUNDREDS OF TROPHIES AND ACCOLADES DAD). Gutted stuffed animal courtesy of Robin.

A simple DIY project using our wedding cards to make garland, hung by the fireplace.

Andrew’s wedding boutonniere that’s held up surprisingly well with no effort on our part. I surprised him with a locket of his late mother to include that day so we keep it next to another photo of her on our mantle.

You’ve seen the large canvas on here before back when I found it at Good Will ($7 – score!). The smaller painting to the left is of the Blarney Castle in Ireland and was done by my grandmother as our wedding gift! She is incredibly talented and its so fun having a piece of her art in my home. The whiskey print is a new addition by my friend Bailey Wilson – click here to check out her Etsy shop and get a print of your own!

Aloe hanging on by a thread, vintage salt & pepper shakers that were a gift from a friend (we used them as our wedding cake topper!), and initial book found in an antique store.

I reeeeeally love how it has all come together. There are a few of your basic Target/TJ Maxx contributions like the couch pillows. But so much of it came from vintage finds or gifts from friends which makes the two year work-in-progress timeline completely worth it! It feels warm and lived in — the ultimate goal for a home in my mind. I like a nice balance between a room that is aesthetically pleasing and one in which you feel comfortable. Pretty spaces elevate the everyday, but I also want to be able to pile it full of friends, beer, and pizza without too much anxiety over my belongings. Nicely done, living room. You da best. *hearts-for-eyes emoji*

For the most part, I’m a fast learner and can pick up on new things fairly easily. However, I’ve long known about myself that if something doesn’t come naturally or quickly to me I will lose interest immediately and move on (sorry about that, boys of middle school). That being said, I’m not sure if my ineptitude at plant care stems (ha!) from having a legitimate brown thumb or just losing interest in something I wasn’t instantly successful with. Either way, I don’t want to fight this battle (whoops, just answered my question).

I struggled with them for a few months in what I hope was a charming, “bless your heart”, Lennie Smalls kind of way. But I couldn’t deal with the carnage anymore. One by one the dead and dying found their way to our back yard so they could finish off their last days away from my shame.

Except that’s not what happened.

Do you see that? That would be GREEN. These bitches had the AUDACITY to thrive. Right in front of me like they don’t even care about MY feelings. I’m the bitter ex on Facebook peering out the back door, scoffing at their new, healthy relationship with the sunshine, fresh air, & rain. Whatever. I’m fine.

This aloe is still hanging on. Give it time though. Soon enough it’ll become a duct-taped parakeet à la Dumb & Dumber. Pretty bird, pretty bird.

The past few weeks have been spent having drinks with friends at the pool, having drinks with friends around the fire, having drinks with friends at the pub (there’s a theme here), seeing my family (with one of those visits unfortunately taking place at the hospital), dog-sitting for my parents, photographing, exchanging living room furniture (OK, Andrew did most of that), and shopping for art/plants/antiques to fill our home. It’s been a good time, for sure.

I’m really loving the new additions to our space. With our first year of owning a home we had quite a few obstacles and life-stuff to deal with; we were elated with simply having enough between us (and a few generous family members) to come up with the basics. Into our second year I’ve begun to have the time and energy and desire to move old things around and put new things in. It’s hardly a necessity, but decorating and arranging the places I spend time in has proven to be both a relaxation and creative outlet. Not to go with the grain or anything, but Andrew has Atlanta sports coasters and is therefore pretty happy to let me do whatever else I want. I’m a fan of mixing different aesthetics (classic + mid-century + contemporary + vintage + southwestern) and its been fun to see it all come together with the random finds I’ve picked up while out & about.

Target ottoman turned plush toy treasure chest to keep track of all her friends/victims.

New succulents in a Mexican dish thrifted several years ago in my college town.

New-to-us couches from a family friend; pillows artfully arranged by dogs.

I’m kind of obsessed with the new canvas hanging in our living room. We had taken a wrong turn on our way to lunch and ended up passing by a GoodWill we had not yet been to. After pleading with Andrew’s growling stomach to let me go and peek for JUST A SECOND I SWEAR, I found this baby at the bottom of a stack of frames. I’m not sure what exactly draws me in, but I’m in love. The color palette, the all too familiar scene of half naked man in the kitchen, THAT GORGEOUS LIGHTBULB?! Its perfect and we’re perfect together. I even love the little cracks and chips in the paint. Welcome home, lovely.

On the hunt for napkin rings for this set of handkerchiefs. I’m thinking something like this?

Please notice Robin fussing in that last photo. Poor girl has three settings: blanket burrito, ripping limbs from toys, and howler monkey.

Next item on my list is to replace those chunky college craigslist side tables. Not entirely sure what I’d like to switch them out with, but definitely something smaller. Perhaps bring in some metal accents to the room?

Happy May! I love these days. These days when its a delicious balance of breezy and cool so we turn off our artificial air and open all the windows. We only get a handful of these before the humidity of Georgian summer chokes as soon as you step out the door. So let’s savor it while it lasts. Pop open this playlist and I’m feelin’ goooooood.

We have two new housemates in our living quarters now. They’re pretty laid-back and are big fans of open-window livin’ so I think we’re going to get along just fine. We’re on week two of their existence and I haven’t killed anything yet! Celebration!

Ok, when I say I haven’t killed anything I’m not counting the fact that we had to return our Senecio Radicans in exchange for this Hedera Ivy …because it was dead. SHUT UP ITS NOT MY FAULT. That poor girl was DOA, I swear. I even took to Twitter asking for plant guidance and it was confirmed by the unbiased Internet. There’s no blood on my hands for this one. For once. Its true, I haven’t been the World’s Best plant owner in the past. But perfection is overrated, yeah? And it takes some serious skill to kill a SUCCULENT so just slide that trophy my way whenever you get a chance.

Now, though, I’m turning over a new leaf (so humor! such funny!). These two are here to stay. Robin has only dug the soil out of the Yucca once and I’m counting that as a win. Welcome home, babes. I promise to do my best.

(Note: If you ever feel inclined to lay on the floor to photograph your plants, don’t. Because you’ll look to your left and get a face full of dirty baseboards and without your glasses you can’t tell if its dog hair or a spider web. The answer to this is VERY important because one makes me feel lazy while the other makes me want to peel off my skin. So, don’t.)