Bedroom Furniture

A while back I received some early wedding gifts from close family members. First, my mom helped me pick out a king sized bed and gave it to us. It's amazing! Rhett and I are covering the mattress, but it was so nice to have the bed as a gift. The second gift came from T and Pop. They wanted to get me an antique piece of furniture and they ended up picking out this beautiful wardrobe from a local place. My stepdad went and picked it up for me, and Rhett helped him get it in the house. Lucky for us it comes apart so it was super easy to move!

 getting all the pieces laid out

 See the bed?! This was pre-mattress. I'll post a picture with the pretty bedding soon.

It wasn't very hard to put together since Guy got to watch them take it apart. It has some beautiful details on the top and side, some of which you can see in the pictures. I also love the color of the wood. I know my furniture doesn't really match, but I just really don't care. As long as I like each piece separately, I don't feel like it all has to go together. Does anyone have any guesses about what kind of wood this is made of? I don't know anything about antiques so I don't know what era it is or anything! I just know it's pretty :)

Dudley enjoyed a short amount of time with the wardrobe. He's not allowed in my room anymore because I want it to be relatively kitty-dander free. Rhett is allergic! It was hard to kick him out at first, but we've both adjusted. I know it'll be better for Rhett when he gets here, and I guess my person love trumps my feline love. So far, I'm loving both my bed and wardrobe. They are both really big, so I don't have room for much else, but I kind of like the minimal approach. I am slowly starting to put stuff in the wardrobe and it's freeing up a lot of space in my closet, which is nice.

I hope you all enjoy a wonderful weekend! I am going to TRY to get a lot of work done Saturday while also doing a fun dinner party with some friends. After this weekend the rest of my weekends will be full until the wedding. Ahhhh...so much to look forward to!

Organizing the Chaos

I was planning on posting a recap of my weekend in Nashville today, but since it rained ALL DAY LONG on Saturday, I took exactly zero pictures. Despite the rain I did have a great day. Alanna and I met Libby for breakfast and had pleasant conversation. We braved the torrential rain and traffic and went out to Opry Mills for a bit of shopping and to see the Katy Perry movie. I'm a Katy Perry fan, so I very much enjoyed the movie! I thought it was very well made, and it didn't have the silly, pointless vibe I was expecting. It was really cool to learn more about her. After all that we went to Local Honey, Thriftsmart, Grimey's, and Urban Outfitters. None of those places are really close to each other...so we drove a lot...and got rained on a lot. I managed to not spend a small fortune though, and for that I am grateful.

On to the point of this post: jewelry organization. 

I have quite a bit of jewelry, but I'm sure I don't have near as much as some of you. It got to the point that I needed some sort of organization without spending a ton on a jewelry armoire (maybe in the future though). I found these hook shelf things from IKEA and had my friend pick up a few for me and they are perfect! I use the top one for shorter necklaces, the middle for earrings (only one hook on each end with string between them), and the bottom one for long necklaces.

For the earrings that won't hang, I put them on the ledge. I haven't lost any down the vent in the floor yet, so that's a plus. I don't really wear bracelets so those are in a box in my closet, but I do have a few on display along with a bowl of rings and a headband on my dresser. My next step is going to be organizing the necklaces and earrings by color instead of just randomly hanging them.  What do you guys use to organize your jewelry?

Bedroom Wall Display

A week or so ago, I pretty much emptied my bedroom to make room for a new bed and a new wardrobe, both of which are HUGE. The only other piece of furniture in there is my dresser (also huge) so I actually have a nice, simple bedroom now.  I actually enjoy it being kind of minimal in there. Anyway, the point of this post is to show you the wall next to my bed, which I've been gradually adding things to. I have some larger prints that used to be on there, but I'm going to put those elsewhere, because I like the look of smaller pieces all grouped together.

I see these gallery walls in lots and lots of homes online, and I love the way they look. The great thing is that it can constantly evolve. If I get a new piece, I can either add it on the side or completely re-arrange everything. I have tons of the paint that I used on that wall, so re-painting is no biggie. Since a lot of these pieces came from Etsy, I want to share links so you can create your own gallery wall!

The top right Twin Pops image is by annatillettdesigns on Etsy, and she has tons of adorable things! The PB&J print is another one of my favorites from her. Right below that is an embroidery piece by ItsAStitch (Malarie), whom I've gotten to know through twitter and Etsy. She's incredibly talented, and has many many more gorgeous pieces in her shop. The piece right below the muscle embroidery + the one to the right of my engagement picture both came from this website: Feed Your Soul. They haven't updated in a while, but there are still lots of free downloads available from some wonderful artists (like Leah Duncan).

The two round embroidery pieces came from another friend of mine, Devin, who runs OooohStitchy. It's been really hard not to buy like 20 things from her shop, but I definitely couldn't pass up "I know, right?" and the crazy cat lady :) The piece on the clipboard is from the Etsy shop Jellybeans. I love the print, but honestly it took forever to ship from Canada, and the seller got snippy with me when I asked about it like a month after ordering it. Oh well, still her work is cute. That cat print at the bottom there was a gift from my wonderful friend, Gabrielle. It came from tinyconfessions, which is one of my absolute favorite Etsy shops. I can't even tell you how much I love that print, and I know that is totally something Dudley would think (it says "I am concerned about my own unstable behavior").

The photograph in the tan frame and the one with no frame both came from Etsy, but they were free gifts so I don't remember what shop they were from. The one between those two is a piece by a photographer in Charleston, SC. I picked that up as a souvenir when we went there. Of course that one on the far left is an engagement shot that I framed.

I hope to add more pieces to this collection, and maybe even start a gallery wall in my studio upstairs if I ever re-floor and re-paint it!  Do any of you have a wall like this in your home?

Signs of Summer

It really starts to feel like summer is near when my azalea bushes bloom. The bushes are in my jungle mess of a backyard, so they are sort of my secret treasure. When I'm working up in my studio, I absentmindedly glance out the window all the time and the pretty blooms make me happy. I wish they stayed in bloom longer, but in no time my crate myrtles will start to come out! I'm also hoping my year-old hydrangea bush will have several blooms this year too. I need to get some more colorful things planted, but I am not the best at getting around to yard work (if you can't tell by all the pine needles).

I don't know who made that ridiculous tree/bush bed in my backyard, but we do not share the same taste at all! Pine trees? I mean really?! THAT'S what you want looming over your house? I guess I get it, pine needles help keep weeds at bay, and it's nice to have some shade. I just think there are other more attractive trees that would have been fine there...and maybe just one, and maybe one that doesn't make your gutters look like they haven't been cleaned in 10 years. The azaleas, I like, and there's a Japanese Maple that you can't see that I adore, but I wish I could take everything else out. I also wish I could hire a landscaper, but that's an expense I can't justify.

outfit details:
top, necklace- Express
jeans- Target, best $12 I ever spent
ring- thrift store way back in the day
shoes- Gypsy Warrior

I found these shoes via another blog a while back (sorry, I can't remember what blog!) and I definitely impulse bought. I love them! I mean, I can't walk just crazy well in them, but I sit at a desk all day, so it's fine. I just think the colors and the pattern are fantastic, and it'll be a fun way to spice up some of my more plain outfits. And don't they look so pretty with the pink blossoms?! I had to take some pictures of the bushes alone just so I can remember how pretty they are from time to time. I wish I could make them last all year.

Tennessee Evening

One thing I love about Tennessee is our sky. I've never lived anywhere else, but I think Tennessee has some really gorgeous evening skies, and there's really nothing better than just sitting outside while the sun goes down. I think it's best in the summer, but we have pretty good sunsets all year round.

Despite the heat I occasionally venture outside around this time of day to read or mess around in the flowerbeds and potted plants. I don't have a lot going on in my yard, but I like to pretend I do. I feel like I'm making myself sound like a 90 year old woman (funny coincidence: my insurance company had my birthday wrong until recently and thought I actually was a 90 year old woman). 

How are the sunsets where all of you live? I may just love Tennessee's just because that's all I know :)

weekend yardwork

 plants to go around the mailbox and a hydrangea bush to go beside the house

This weekend was pretty much perfect. I got a lot of work done on Saturday and hung out with some family in town. I also watched a movie with my cousin and his girlfriend before they headed out on Sunday. My cousin has lived here for the last few years, and he's now moved back up north. It was nice to spend some time with him before he left. Sunday after church I headed to my aunt and uncle's house for a whole day of relaxing by the pool! It was amazing. I got some sun, and also rested in the shade for a while...ah resting. It's so underrated. 

 Grandmamma in her floppy hat and the rosemary that I planted in my Eric Botbyl handmade planter

Then on Monday, my Grandmamma came over to work in the yard with my roommate and me. I spent forever in Lowe's getting plants and A NEW MAILBOX! I am excessively excited about having a new jumbo mailbox. Unfortunately, we couldn't attach it yet because of the lack of a wireless drill. This afternoon, we will be able to attach it and remove the twine :) That white paper on the front is a note to my mailman. I figured he might like to know that we actually were going to fix it up, rather than leave it unfinished. It'll be so nice for my packages to actually FIT in the mailbox now! 

Aside from the dozens of bags at the end of the driveway and the as-yet-unweeded front beds, I'm feeling good about the yard. Hopefully sometime in the next couple of weeks, we'll be able to finish getting the front beds cleaned out and get the plants out by the mailbox.

I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend as well!

my new whipped strawberry dwelling

It's been a couple of months since we did this, but we all know how good I am about timely posting (see last post). I had been wanting to paint the living room for a while, and one day I just decided it was well past time!

Here are some before shots. I had already starting tearing the place apart before I remembered to take pictures...thus the deer head on the couch.

Lots and lots of spackling! Once we had all that done, we painted the short walls a really light grey color. It actually looked white at first, but it darkened a lot over the next week, so I am happy with it! For the long walls (window wall and couch wall) I wanted something that was going to POP like crazy. I am not a pink person, but for some reason I really wanted to go with a coral color. We landed on a Valspar color called "whipped strawberry."

It was extremely bright at first...like blindingly bright. It was like that for a couple of weeks, but it's really mellowed since. Of course when we were done we rested, and Kelsey decided to lean back against the wall...it was pretty hilarious especially since this was in the wee hours of the morning.

So here are some "after" shots before I really got to decorate. I've rearranged the shelves and mantle, and hung a few things on the wall. I don't have my charcoal couch yet, but I'm aiming to get it this summer! The room will look a billion times better with a new couch, but for now I'm satisfied with a fresh paint job :)

That's it for now! I will post some more "complete" pictures once I get my couch.

chalkboard

You know those quotes I've been posting every Sunday? (here) Well I thought I would post about the chalkboard that I write the quotes on! I found this framed print on the side of the road with a granny couch and took it home. Turns out a LOT of people have this exact picture. I really liked the gold frame, but I ended up painting it to match the living room.

I took some progress pictures, but I don't have a clue what happened to them. Sorry! I did the chalkboard part first because it was a spray, then I used the gray paint from the living room to do the frame. And...

Yay! After this first drawing we did on there it got dirty...and I haven't cleaned it yet. I'd like for it to be nice and black again, so I think I might clean it soon. Anybody got a good method for cleaning a chalkboard? I've seen a ton of different ways online, but I don't know which one to try.

hearts and eggs

My front door wreath

This is what I had up at the beginning of the year until Valentine's Day

And this is what is up now! I'll change it after Easter, but I'll be sad to take these adorable eggs down. I think I might make a new yarn wreath sometime soon since the yarn is getting shabby. 

Do you guys have front door wreaths? I feel like it adds a lot to the house.

New Prints at Home

Over the last few months, I've really been putting more effort into decorating and making this house more like a home. Remember this post? Well I finally purchased that print! After reorganizing my built in bookshelves, I had an empty frame that needed to be filled. I inquired about the size I needed and Siiso whipped it right up for me!

The picture doesn't do it justice (had to use my old camera because I keep leaving my new one at work). It's a GORGEOUS print. You can get one for yourself here.

I also wanted something else to hang in my dining room. I've got a long way to go in there. There's still a TON of blank wall space, but I'm so happy about the new print I got this week. I think is looks wonderful hanging in the big frame with my other print. What do you think?

The newer one is the small hanging in the center frame. It's called Sparkle by abbytrysagain, and you can get one here. The out-of-focus lights are so dreamy and the blue tint looks great!

I'm pleased with my recent print purchases, and I hope that ties me over for a while. I'm living on a budget here! Thanks to Siiso and Abbytrysagain for being exceptional Etsy sellers!

Succulent Love

I love my succulents! I picked them up on a whim at the farmer's market a couple of weeks ago, and they just make my dining room so much happier. One of the ceramics majors at school (Maggie) made the bowl. I bought it because it's oddly appealing, but I didn't really want to eat out of it. This was the perfect solution. I'm trying to learn more about succulents, so if you have any interesting facts, please share! I'd love to get some different kinds to put out, so I have a bit of variety.

My Dining Room

Lately my dining room has become my "space." I have too much junk to decorate my room, so instead I am trying to have fun with the dining area! A while back I posted about a shopping trip that led to me purchasing a buffet. Well take a look...

I just love that pretty design under the mirror, and there is SO MUCH SPACE for me to store things. It's got lots of surface damage that I could fix, but I kind of like that it has character.

One of the many lovely pieces that sit on the buffet. My roommate, Paige, made this cup at Arrowmont this summer and gave it to me. Isn't is gorgeous?!

When Gabrielle moved out, she left this chair. I love it, and it looks so cute in the corner...at least I think so.

When I worked at Express, I would bring home tons of our old marketing and photos. I know I probably wasn't supposed to, but we'll pretend it's ok. These frames and posters are from there, and the middle picture of the camera is from theblueballoon. The camera is a Miranda camera...which is my roommate/cousin's name, so it was perfect.

And I have lots of vases on the table! Those flowers are looking a little sad, but I have some fresh ones in there after this weekend's market! I kept those tiny purple ones because they dried with such a pretty color.

Now I've still got lots of wall space...any suggestions?