New Table Linens for Spring

My super fun & talented sewing husband has been at work once again.  We chose this Lilly Pulitzer inspired fabric and he sewed some place mats and a table runner.  This fabric, which cost about $22 for three yards, is much less expensive than purchasing specialty table runners for our extra-long dining room table.  I love the story behind our homemade table "clothes," as my husband calls them. :) I also love that he made these himself.

Latest project - State Love

I am definitely a beginner, but I'm looking forward to lots of other DIY projects this year!

"Where we love is home - home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts." ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

The Great Christmas Tree Battle Begins . . . 


So, we live in Chicago, in a fair-sized apartment.  The problem is that we have little to no storage space.  I'm talking, under beds, two closets and an extra set of drawers.  That's it.  We even store a few things in the trunk of our car when company comes.  Although I think that we manage the space well, it's pretty tough to acquire anything else without getting rid of something.  We try to purge extra clothes on a regular basis.  


The one thing that we do not have to store right now is a Christmas tree.  That is because we don't have one.  We have some ornaments and some tinsel and stockings but no tree.  We have used one from my grandmother for the past few years.  I plan on making good use of that tree again this year since, alas, I believe that I have lost the Christmas tree battle.  My husband is right . . . yes, I mean that.  We don't have the space.  It is another thing to store.  I have not thought about where exactly it would go at the end of the season.  


But. I. really. love. Christmas. 


I have dreamed of having my very own family Christmas tree for years.  I always loved and still adore my parents' 9 foot tree at home.  It is always so lovely and full of great memories.  However, all through undergrad and law school, I couldn't wait to have my own place so that I could have my own full-size tree to decorate.  The problem:  I have been out of law school going on three years now and still have not had my very own tree.  While I understand that these are first-world problems and in the grand scheme of things -- especially with a wonderful trip coming up in the future -- it is not a big deal, I still really would like a tree. 


Seeing my Christmas tree every evening when I come home from work and every morning while I eat breakfast is not a reminder of the Santa Claus parts of Christmas or gifts, or snowmen, etc.  It is a reminder of the season and of the real reason for all of the celebration and anticipation.  (The armadillo ornament that I purchased last fall in San Antonio is on the back of the tree so that it doesn't ruin the sanctity of the tree -- and it's pretty ugly. :) )  It is a visual reminder of family, friends and my faith.  I can do without the presents -- really, I mean it.  I truly have all that I need and want, for that matter.  


I just like the visual reminder.  Here's to hoping that I can still use my favorite substitute for a big tree: my Grandma's long needle artificial pine.  THAT'S  a special tree. 


OKAY . . . so after I drafted this post.  We decorated my Grandma's Christmas tree.  I can be SUCH a brat sometimes!!! 


Note to self: remember this in about a month when I'm searching for New Year's Resolutions. 

I love antiques

My mother raised me to love antiques.  While we used to kid her about her love of junk treasures, somewhere along the way, I developed the same affinity for other people's discarded stuff.  On the way home from BFFs wedding in early October, my husband and I were in no hurry to get back to Chicago.  We decided to do a little antiquing in Central Illinois.  

Many of these photographs, as you can imagine, require no editorial:

 This man was waiting to greet us at the door.  No, that mutant-minivan is not our car, either. 

This little beauty is a multi-faceted piece.  It is a nautical themed lamp, complete with posts and rope.  Somewhere, a Red Lobster general manager is cursing the loss of these pieces de resistance.  

 Again, there is no such thing has having too many nautical lamps.  

 Amidst the tiny pot-bellied stove, the nun-ish pot bellied stove, a cheery cat and a solemn Native American, there is a feeling of calm exuded by a wild-haired monk.  Living in harmony for sure. 

 My personal favorite.  Jack Daniels.  If I only had a place to put him.  I suppose I don't really need a grandfather clock.  Maybe I just need Jack. 

 Alien cows.  

Probably from their space ship out front. 

 Husband -- in awe of giant party-hat-wearing soft serve. 

I love our adventures :) 

Not just curtains, lamps or pillows

There is nothing special about our China blue paisley duvet cover, our jute rug under the dining room table, the color of our bedroom walls or even the silver chafing dish that sits proudly on our mantle -- except for one common theme: my husband and I chose all of those things together.  Sure, anyone else who wants our duvet with matching shams and pillows can go to Restoration Hardware and pick it up, just like someone else could find the same rug at Pottery Barn -- the chafing dish, however, is an antique.  It, along with everything else in our apartment represents decisions that my husband and I have made together throughout the year and half that we've been married.  Odd as it may sound, I enjoy the fact that we debated for nearly six months on both of the area rugs in our apartment.  We knew what we wanted but we just hadn't found them yet.  Now, we have exactly what we want (and the old stinky rug is thankfully long gone :) )  The table linens and pillows he sewed sit proudly on the couch for which we waited over 2 1/2 months after our wedding. . . yes, that's a long time to be watching Real Housewives of New York in lawn chairs.

The things themselves aren't important but the stories behind them are pretty spectacular. . .

One King's Lane ?? Did you steal our pillows?

$150 Retail

$69 Our Price

Jiti 12x20 Bloom Pillow, Confetti

$175 Retail

$79 Our Price

Jiti 20x20 Play Pillow, Sky

$175 Retail

$79 Our Price

Jiti 20x20 Bloom Pillow, Sky

$150 Retail

$69 Our Price

Jiti 12x20 Play Pillow, Sky

$90 Retail

$49 Our Price

India Shower Curtain, Aqua

$150 Retail

$69 Our Price

Jiti 12x20 Bloom Pillow, Sky

So, it's incredibly interesting that pillows made out of the same fabric as those made by my husband and of inferior quality, of course ;), are selling for $150.  I think that maybe being a physician is not such a cool gig when you can make pillows all day and sell them for such a great mark up! What a strange coincidence!! 

So my husband might be more creative than I am!

I've been working a lot lately.  My husband happens to have about a month off of work.  In that time, he has sewn a custom table runner, napkins, coasters, and placemats for our favorite piece of furniture.  He selected the fabric -- I may or may not have approved shortly following my return from a hazy bachelorette party :) -- but all in all, I think that it looks great.  Our table, even without the leaf, happens to be a little longer than the average 72" dining room table.  We kept purchasing great Ralph Lauren and Crate and Barrel accessories, but none of them fit quite as well as the ones he was able to put together.  

Our next project is a burlap runner, backed in Christmasy/fall flannel.  We're looking forward to entertaining a lot this fall.  

Next up . . . his makeover of our scratched and scarred bedroom walls. 

What I love right now . . .

These blogs: 

• This UNIQUE wedding site
• http://www.designsponge.com/
• http://whatkatewore.com/

This music(k) (shameless :) ) 

• Oh Land 
• The Talking Heads (old, I know)
• The Band Perry (revisiting my country roots) 

Home Improvement Projects

Our vacation in September has turned into a veritable summer-camp's worth of arts and crafts & do-it-yourself projects.  First on the agenda, project sexy bedroom.  It is not what it sounds like.  Our apartment is fabulous.  It is spacious, airy, and comfortable.  However, the carpet in our bedroom, the scuffed-up walls, and the mismatched furniture leave much to be desired.  My bedroom desires a paint job, new carpet, a new headboard, lamps, wall art, and some overall TLC.  The carpet has been bearing the temporary brunt of this desire to improve -- we impulse purchased a Dyson.  We're in love.  

We also plan to reclaim some barn wood for photo frames, a headboard for the bed, etc.  

In addition to painting, staining, sanding, and nailing (too weird) I am looking forward to sneaking up to my alma mater to wander around campus in the fall and perhaps to visit a few of my favorite shops.  I'm also looking forward to getting out my golf clubs, visiting my old boss, and maybe catching a fish or too.  Most of all, can't wait to see my family!  

Before/After - silver edition

 During our stay in KY, we decided to visit the beautiful little town where I attended college.  This area is known for its great antiques -- and its spectacular prices.  Not only did we find a vintage year book from my husband's alma mater but we also found this great 127 year old silver piece.  Real silver.  Not silver plated.
It was $12.50.  I am still in shock.

We spent the afternoon -- when I say we, I mean my husband -- cleaning it up with silver polish/Tarn-X.  Tarn-X smells heinous.  Actually, what you smell is the chemical reaction between it and the tarnish itself.  All of that aside,  GROSS.  It was well worth it when you look at the end-result.

We started with this 

And finished with this! (actually not completely done)
I'll post a finished photo later. 

Now, we are kind of in love with snagging cheap old silver to polish up and use to decorate our home.  For my husband, I think he's more thrilled with the cleaning up part of it.  I've got to admit, I'm a sucker for before & after. Happy Monday!

Spring cleaning

In honor of spring, I decided to clean out my closet.  I struggle with keeping a balance of older classics, items that will eventually come back into style, and trendier pieces.  More recently, I've definitely had trouble dressing for the times in between work and formal events.  I wear suits to work almost every day.  Day to day, it's easier just to throw on skinny jeans and a sweater -- in the winter, at least.  During the spring and summer months, I wear lots of sundresses, shifts, and cropped pants or skirts.  I haven't quite gotten the knack of dressing for the winter months.  It's easier just to pile  on clothes until the cold can't reach me!!

Here is my closet before:

After -- much better:

After!!

Separate bathrooms (and closets for that matter) make our marriage run very smoothly.  However, I still feel like it's my job to make sure that his bathroom is fabulous.  It doesn't hurt that my husband loves practical gifts.  He was thrilled with the results! 

AFTER

New towels, shower curtain, rug, apothecary tray, and new stoneware accessories for his vanity made a huge difference! I love cleaning with my hot pink rubber gloves but I may or may not have nearly asphyxiated myself with bleach.  It certainly smells clean in there! We're hoping to paint the whole bathroom a shade of white/blue/gray this spring when it warms up enough to keep the windows open for awhile.  

Yay for redecorating! 

Happy (early) Valentine's Day Pt. II! 

Since V-day is on a Monday and my husband and I won't really get to spend much time together, I decided to surprise him.  For weeks he has had his eye on a bathroom collection at West Elm.  His old bathroom accessories have been with him since medical school.  PLUS his bathroom is also the laundry room so it could use a good dusting.  Here is his bathroom before a deep clean and some new accessories: 

Check out the results tomorrow! 

Decorating fun!

Since we moved into our apartment in July, we've had a blast decorating and settling into our new home.  (We're hoping to live here for the entire time we're in the city.  We recently found a rug for our living room.  Let me preface this by saying we have been searching for months for a rug to cover the floor in our living room.  My parents thought that the room seemed a little bare. They were right.  We just happen to be incredibly picky about rugs for some reason.  Here is a before picture, taken about a week after we moved in:



Here is our living room now:



Our Crate and Barrel rug (on sale!) warms the room up and makes it so much cozier.  My husband's next project will be repainting the canvases that hang over the couch.  He likes to paint them to match the room decor.  Our next colors will be sage and purple.  It saves us a ton of money on decorating to DIY as much as we can.

Making the transition

It's always tough to make the transition from the holiday season to January/February.  I always like to overplan January and February to make them pass by more quickly. Right now, I have a trip planned for work - NYC/Boston, - a visit from my college roommate, a visit to my dear friends from Indianapolis, and a week of vacation in March.

My husband is great about helping with the transition, too.  We took down our Christmas decorations and redecorated our table in spring colors almost immediately after the holidays.  He loves getting out our new wedding stuff and rotating the decorations in and out -- we received a ton of great decorating items.  It doesn't hurt that we're both in love with our new kitchen table and chairs, either.  We're planning lots of dinner parties for this winter.

We just got a new rug for our living room, as well.  Can't wait for it to arrive! It will definitely brighten up our living room! 

Other ideas for surviving the winter months:

• theme parties (we had a cookie party, post-Thanksgiving-Thanksgiving dinner, etc.) 
• game watches for college basketball 
• weekend trips 
• movie nights
• redecorating 
• indoor projects (scrapbooking, sewing, etc.) 
• working out regularly 

Here's to hoping for an early spring!