sneak peak of our apartment

here's a little look at our apartment . it fits us perfectly 

& already feels like home . though we just moved in a little over two 

months ago , I'm excited for renovations joey & I already 

are planning on for the near future .

home goods

you know the saying , " out with the old , in with the new " ?

in respect to my new apartment , I found that the saying has been reversed .

in with the old , out with the new .

I threw out many things I had recently boughten & accumulated ,

& kept the simple classics I have held on to over time or 

inherited from my mom .

the simple things in my apartment really do make me the happiest ,

here are some examples of the little treasures in my new home 

that are actually the oldest :

[ fortune I've saved for at least two years that I hope

will continue to guide me in my future ]

[ heart boxes I've had for as long as I can remember ]

[ my mom's old throw fits perfectly in my reading room ]

[ joey's old house plant we replanted into a chic white pot ]

[ my mom's wicker tray I turned into a sort of catch-all ]

[ marc jacob's key fab from my first apartment & 

a lucky rabbit foot from my dad ]

brief hiatus

sorry for the brief hiatus , I've been moving into the new apartment !

after all the excitement of searching for the perfect place comes

the non-glamourous parts - moving !

but , it's also kind of refreshing - out with the old , in with the new .

I love going through the immense amounts of stuff we have & 

getting rid of everything we don't need .

I'm trying to keep the new apartment simple & highly organized .

wish us luck !

finally opened my last christmas gift ...

joey's christmas gift to me has been sealed tightly 

in it's container since even before christmas .

of course I opened it , but I quickly put the print back in it's case 

as I waited to find the perfect frame to hang it in .

today , we randomly ( finally ) came across a frame we loved .

I have a thing for reindeers - I have a vintage reindeer candle holder , 

a brass reindeer figurine from the melrose trading post in l.a. , & now this

chic print I can't wait to hang in the living room of our new apartment .

print is from etsy 

recent finds

no other purchases really make me as excited as the ones that come from 

marshalls , home goods , & tj maxx .

I love all the amazing things you can find at these stores ( there was even a prada

bag last time I went to marshalls ... what the what ? ) & my mom has somehow passed on 

her skill of finding the best deals . 

I needed some retail therapy the other day , so of course I headed over to marshalls .

here are the things I took home :

[ 7 for all mankind top I wore on valentines day ]

[ volcom long sleeve tee that I can't wait to wear on vacation with white jean shorts ]

[ ralph lauren candle with a fresh scent I'm saving for the new apartment ]

[ savon de marseille lavender hand soap - it's the little things ]

recylcing old flowers

I always feel guilty throwing out flowers .

I grew up with fresh flowers throughout my house , 

& I now find that nothing makes me more happy

than having flowers in my apartment similar to how my mom has consistently 

kept her house filled with them .

along with the great feeling of buying beautiful flowers ( or having them given to you ) 

comes the sad feeling when the petals start to wilt , begin to fall off , & you know their time is done .

in order to lengthen the life of my flowers , I decided to hang dry these peonies that were this close to going

into the trash . 

in 2 - 3 weeks , I'm hoping they come out like this :

image via

current household lusting ...

antlers / any ( faux ) animal wall art

sea life inspired accent pillow

a great catchall for keys , coins , etc .

any eclectic throw pillow for my couch

& the keep calm and carry on print 

all from etsy :

1. antler wall art

2. lobster pillow

3. leather catchall

4. ikat decorative pillow

5.  keep calm print

restored nightstand

this nightstand has been really bothering me for a while .

the wood color doesn't match anything in our room,

and of course it's on my side of the bed .

I decided it was time to do something about this predicament.

[ before 

( ps the book on my nightstand ,

  the hunger games, is a must read ) ]

I was a little intimated by the sanding process - but it was actually so easy .

the first of ( not kidding ) six coats ...

I used a generic satin white paint .

[ after ]

I got a chic new lamp & 

got rid of some clutter .

It feels so clean & refreshing to finally have 

given this nightstand a much needed makeover! 

life is beautiful

I got really into my spray - paint paintings the other day.

I had leftover vinyl stickers from my prior project ( found here ) , 

& with them made more fun paintings on canvas' I had from forever ago . 

I spray - painted the background of my canvas silver,

so the letters would be silver & the background white. 

I kind of like the imperfections in this painting - 

the letters aren't perfectly lined & the white paint blends into the silver letters.

two out of four of the canvas' ( joey made the cow skull )

I know the saying is cheesy , but everyday I have to remind myself that 

everything about life - the goods, bads, ups, downs, rainy days, 

& sunny days, are beautiful . 

home is wherever i'm with you

with the new year , I told myself I would really take time & redecorate my apartment 

[ fix things that constantly annoy me , improve on organization,

 & consistently decorate ]

I got the idea for this quote - painting from this blog , 

& this re-worked piece now hangs in our room : ) .

1. ) take an old painting / one you could live without 

2 . ) using vinyl letter stickers [ I purchased mine from michaels ] , 

cut out individual letters and eye where you'd like to place them on the painting

3 . ) stick the letters on the painting

4 . ) we spray - painted over our painting in white so the letters would 

be the color of the original art work. 

you could also spray paint the whole painting white, then spray over the letters in a 

different color & play around with it .

once the paint is dry , gently peel off the vinyl lettering .

finished product ! 

costs under $10 and is a fun , quick, & easy project. 

I love it .

french chateau

welcome to my dream home, a french house in the center of cévennes .

I love the european feel that exudes in every room : the exposed stone , delicate decor , pops of color via flowers & simple whites

images via

table settings to die for !

a good table setting can set the mood for any atmosphere. 

I wish that every time I sat at my dining room table, I felt as amazed as I do when I look at these pictures. 

... one day !

I love the chic yet urban feel to this balcony .

how cute would this be for a girl - themed baby shower ?

I love the vine from the overhang, & the natural feel to this setting ( note the grass turf  )

I am loving chinese lamps, especially outside . 

this flower arrangement is surreal

images via