Anthropologie Faves

Are you as familiar with Anthropologie as I am? If you're like me, you drool at every unique, detailed, well-crafted item in the store. Unfortunately I don't even live near an Anthro store, so I'm forced to shop via the world wide web or visit on special occasions. Some of the decor items are out of my price range, but I assure you that all items are definitely timeless, amazing additions to any home! So many quirky and fun items and accessories - home and jewelry both! I'm hoping to do many more posts like this - featuring my favorite items from some of my favorite home decor shops. So today I'm sharing with you some of my Anthropologie favorites as of late. Go ahead, click on the links and pin/shop your brains out! I love me some Anthro.

left: Gila Euro Sham  |   right: Verdant Canister

left: Effervesce Stemless Wine Glass  |   right: Evening Blossom Knob

left: Hobnail Pitcher  |   right: Dauphine Pendant Lamp

left: Gilded Bunny Print  |   right: Gallus Pitcher

left: Mirrored Vanity Tray  |   right: Painted Amaryllis Measuring Cups

left: Palisade Dinner Plate  |   right: Rhododendron Chandelier

What are your favorites? I think everyone needs something Anthropologie in their home. I know I love my owl knob! On another note, I'm hoping the weather warms up a little soon..and by "warms up" I mean gets above zero degrees! Ha!

My First "Blogiversary"

I know I actually started this blog as we were renovating the living room in 2010 - back then I posted once, and maybe a couple of times 6 months or so later. But January 26th, 2013, exactly a year ago today, is when I started regularly blogging for the first time. So I'm calling this my real Blogiversary! 

I'm happy to report that one year later, although not as frequent as when I first started, I'm still keeping up with this blog and posting the renovations and memories we make in this little house of ours. I've really come to enjoy blogging, especially being able to document everything we're doing with the house, and share all of the projects we take on.

It's already been fun looking back at all of these projects, so I can't wait to do many more and have even more years to look back on! Here are just a few highlights from the 235 posts I've shared in the past year (Click on the links to view each post):

• Our Living Room Renovation
• Our Bedroom Makeover
• Our Kitchen Remodel (Phase 1)
• How We Upped Our Curb Appeal
• Our Stairway Makeover
• Hallway Renovation Progress
• Hanging a Frame Wall
• Backyard Improvements
• DIY Earring Holder
• Making a Fabric Memo Board
• Skeleton Key Art
• Painting Abstract Art
• My Bookcase Makeover
• Repurposing a Cigar Box
• Summer Porch Inspiration
• DIY "Dipped" Votives
• Planting our Vegetable Garden
• Installing the Doggie Gate
• Nail Polish Storage
• Our First Yard Sale
• Wire Plant Stand Makeover
• Painted Wine Bottles and Jars
• Creative Pumpkin Decorating Ideas
• Fallifying the House
• Painted "Welcome" Pumpkin
• Landscaping the Side Yard
• Burlap Frame Mat
• Drilled Pumpkins
• The Aftermath of our Foundation Work
• Sentimental House Art
• DIY Necklace Holder

For more of our renovation projects, my crafty projects or general life happenings, check out the Popular Posts, Archives or Labels sections on my sidebar. Can't wait to see what this year has in store for us!

Age of Aquarius

It looks like I'm just in the weekly posting mode now. I really must be in a decor/reno/creativity slump! Either that or I'm exhausting all of my energy at work everyday. Not to mention braving the extreme cold to go grocery shopping. One of the things I hate doing in winter! Is everyone staying warm? This has been the coldest winter I think we've had in a long time. Another -30 degree wind chill day today. Spring can get here anytime now!

Anyway, moving on, I thought it would be fun to do a monthly post with astrological-themed decor. (Joss and Main, anyone?) If you're not aware, Joss and Main has a sale event every month based on the Zodiac sign of that month. They were my original inspiration, of course. But I've always had kind of an interest in astrology for as long as I could remember. I read a lot of magazines growing up, and always had to check my horoscope. I even cut them all out and collected my horoscopes for a while. So I thought that gathering up some of my own favorite decor-related items inspired by each sign of the zodiac would be a good time. So here's my first one: Aquarius inspired decor!

According to Astrology.com, those born under the Aquarius sign in the zodiac (January 20 - February 18) are humanitarians, and think a lot about how to make things work better. They are technology lovers, intellectuals and visionaries. They are "the trailblazers of the zodiac." The symbol for Aquarius is the Water Bearer, and its element is Air. Shiny silvers and aqua blues are colors that represent this sign well.

When it comes to decor, when I think of Aquarius, I think of calm, cool and airy. Silvers, blues and aquas. Modern and fresh with cooler colors. So without further ado, here are my Aquarius-Inspired Decor Picks (sources at the bottom):

 

From top to bottom: 1) Original art from Z Gallerie 2) Empire Mirror from Z Gallerie 3) Ombre pillow from Joss and Main 4) Waterscape art from West Elm 5) Wool Kilim rug from West Elm 6) Throw from H&M 7) Bubble glass vase from Target 8) Ghost chair from Amazon.

So those are some of my favorite Aquarius-inspired decor items out there. I love the airy, turquoisey vibe. Hope you enjoy my picks as much as I did shopping around for them :) And just for fun, here is a whole room I think goes well with this theme:

(From here)

Stay warm, everyone!

Texas, Anyone?

I'm really slacking on house and decor related posts around here, but there hasn't been a lot of work done on the house lately. I think we're scared to do anything until the foundation is completely fixed, which we'll be working on constantly this spring and summer. We want to make sure the house is completely level and then gut the kitchen. 

In the mean time, Trent and I have been talking about where we want to go on vacation this summer. The Dave Matthews tour dates came out this week, so that was the basis of our decision, as it has been the last few years. Is there something wrong with basing your vacations on where Dave is playing? Ha. True fans, I tell ya. Anyway, I was set on going to Colorado this year, and was hoping they would be playing at the Red Rocks. Well, no Red Rocks on this tour! :( We said we're going to wait to go to Colorado until they play there again. So we're waiting. 

Right now we're about 90% sure we're going to....TEXAS this year!

(Image from here)

Dave is playing 1 night near Houston - the first stop on the summer tour mid-May, and neither of us have been to Texas, so I convinced Trent that this was where our next vacation is going to be! He wanted to go to the 2-night Chicago show, but...CHICAGO? We go there every year at least once. It's time to go somewhere different for a change. So I think our vacation will be Texas this year. Austin, San Antonio, Corpus Christi...we're thinking about doing a loop down the southeastern part of the state. Time for another long road trip! Those are the best kind.

I'll hopefully be back with some decor or crafty related posts soon. I've been way too busy lately that all I want to do when I get home is relax! And think about vacation plans. :)

Wind Chills and Paint By Numbers

Midwest weather. You. are. my. nemesis. I would love to share more about Monday and Tuesday's temperatures, but I really don't want to relive those days. So let's try to get over this quickly, shall we? This was the weather outside when I woke up Monday morning:   

-16 degrees, and feels like -42. And it had snowed and was blowing with the wind. Needless to say, my work called and I had a snow day! So glad. I decided to stay home Tuesday too, because 1) the roads still looked partly covered outside our house, 2) I didn't want to brave the still below zero temperatures, and 3) We desperately needed groceries after being stuck inside all weekend.

There was an up-side to being stuck at home. I watched more movies, cleaned, and started on another Paint by Number. Here's the "before," and I will be sure to share the "after"...although I'm sure it will probably take me several months (hopefully not years this time!)

I also have another painting project in mind that I've been wanting to make, so I'm hoping to get on that project soon! I'm kind of excited about it. :)

Society6 Pillow Love

If you've never heard of Society6 before, I think you should pay it a visit. It's a site where you can find merchandise made from whatever artwork is your style by many talented artists - from prints, to coffee mugs, to pillows, to t-shirts, to iphone covers. Today I thought I'd share some of my favorite Society6 pillows, since they are all so adorable!

Like this one that Trent got me for Christmas this year. I've had it on my Pinterest Wish List for a while now. The artist is Emily Rickard, artwork is "Asking for Directions." It just so happens to match my iphone case I got just a month or so earlier, also from Society6:

So here's a little gathering of some of my favorite Society6 pillows, just for fun. Any of these are sure to inject a little personality and fun into your home.

Row 1 - From left to right:
1. "Ain't Nobody Got Time for That" pillow by Sara Eschak
2. "Pie for Breakfast" pillow by Emily Rickard
3. "Boston Terrior" pillow by Anne was Here

Row 2 - From left to right:
1. "Peonies Forever" pillow by Ez Pudewa
2. "Mr. Owl" pillow by Isaiah K. Stephens
3. "Gray Polka Dots" pillow by Her Art

Row 3 - From left to right:
1. "The Royal Treatment" pillow by Davies Babies
2. "Joy" pillow by Garima Dhawan
3. "Chevron Flora II" pillow by Bianca Green

Aren't these pillows so cute? You can see all of the pillows from Society6 here. Warning: there's a lot, and you may get addicted.

This Weekend

This weekend was cold. We're talking -20 with the Wind chill. And snowed several inches. We stayed home all weekend and watched movies...

Even though the list of things I need at the grocery store is like a million miles long. Why can't it be 75 degrees and sunny?

Oh, how I love being snowed in all weekend....

Living Room, January 2014

It's a new month, a new year, and guess what...I rearranged the living room again.

It's not much of a difference, I just did some pillow swapping, and the side chairs are now pushed back together again.

I couldn't help it...don't they just make the cutest couple?

We decided to bring the storage ottoman back into the living room, where it could actually serve a purpose again. It wasn't doing much in the bedroom with Trent's clothes stacked in piles on top of it.

 

That meant that this little guy who was living in that same corner.....

Would return back to his former home.

Don't think I won't bring back the colorful pillows when spring/summer rolls back around. 'Cause I totally will. But right now I'm sticking with mostly muted colors for winter.

I did, however, find a place for the Emily Rickard pillow that Trent got me for Christmas:

Now there's a nice little pop of color we can admire while we watch TV.

The couch hasn't changed much. Same spot. And it's still sporting those lovely ruffly pillows I got from TJ Maxx this winter. I love them! Notice my new owl vase, also a gift from Trent, that's sitting on the floor in the corner. See the little guy? Still have to decide what I want to do with him in regards to a more permanent location.

And the award for cutest couple goes to..... :)

I think I may keep this arrangement for a while. I like the two chairs next to each other by the couch, since we don't have a lot of seating in here, so at least it feels like we have a little more seating, until we can get some kind of bench or love seat or something more in here.

It is a small space, but it is cozy and intimate, and I think it's all we need.

It's been fun to see it evolve, especially since we started out here - (Gutting the room in 2010, to 2011):

And here's where it's at now in 2014...

I know I've said it before, but it is still my favorite room in the house.