Halloween Cards

 I just stocked up the shop with some new cards for Halloween!

Perfect for kiddos, friends, parents, siblings, co-workers, & well, just about everyone!

(I mean, really, who doesn't love getting a little snail mail??)

Take a second to check out the new designs over here!

Cheers,

-N

It's Open!

Finally! 

After a summer full of hard work & preparations, I have opened (the virtual doors) of my Etsy shop!

I am so excited to be able to share my creations with you all!

Here's a sample:

Take a look for yourselves, and let me know what you think ツ
(Seriously, I'd love to hear your feedback!)

Cheers,

-N

Newest Additions

Dave and I both agree that our favorite pieces of are home are all collected at our entryway. 

It may not look like much, but here you'll find my record player & beloved record collection, a print Dave bought from The Louvre, a vase I made a few years back, our collection of antique books and of course, our guinea pigs!

Although we really love the items on this shelf, we weren't thrilled with how it looked. So, we recently went antiquing and found some great additions to our favorite vignette.

I spotted this old vile holder in an attic-type antique book store. We had been searching for a small vase of sorts, and this little guy looked perfect for the job.

Plus, it's super unique and kind of quirky - just like us!

Dave also found these two treasures: 

After hours (literally) of looking through old books, Dave finally settled on these two. On the left is a copy of C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters (2nd Edition!) and on the right, a small collection of Hebrew Tales. (Basically stories of the Old Testament).

They look (and feel) right at home in our lovely collection of all things old and/or meaning.

We had a blast discovering our new city, finding treasures in old antique shops, and of course ending the evening with an IKEA stop for that little lamp you see. 

I encourage you to go out and find some treasures and explore your local shops. You may be amazed at what you can find!

-N

Home Sweet Home (3 of 3)

Sorry for the wait, but this past weekend was filled with about 20 hours of driving and two weddings in different states. Although it was a very tiring weekend, (that flew by!), Dave and I were very grateful to be a part of such love-filled, God-centered, beautiful weddings.

Now I am excited to share with you the final part of our apartment tour, our bedroom:

That amazing paper crane sculpture was created by our friend, Emily. She gave it to us for our first anniversary gift last year, and we love it so much that we needed to hang it somewhere we could see and appreciate it each day.

How do you make a PhD students' textbooks and scholarly papers look nice on a bookshelf you ask? 

Well, I'm still not totally sure, but I did give it my best effort.

On the other hand, my bookshelf was pretty easy, and I love how it turned out!

Just a peek at the hubby's side of the bed. He found a perfect spot for his guitars, and a painting by one of my oldest friends, James. He is a very talented artist, and I highly recommend you check out his work.

Finally, our desk (we're sharing one, for the first time ever... wish us luck) with the coolest chair -circa 1960- which was a gift from a my high school mentor.

Again, I urge you to decorate using pieces that have meaning and stories behind them! It makes even a small, white-wall, city apartment feel like home.

I hope you enjoyed a peek at our apartment. Check back often for new DIY projects and tips that I share as we continue to make our apartment our home.

-N

Home Sweet Home (2 of 3)

Today I share with you our kitchen and bathroom. These two rooms were recently renovated, which made a huge difference for us when we were deciding which apartment to choose.

The kitchen is a bit small, with limited counter and cabinet space, but we make it work... sorta

Just a close-up of the cutest calendar picture, ever.

We are very glad that they built in that microwave! Could you image how much less counter space we'd have if they didn't ??

And finally a basic [hand-me-down] bookshelf to make up for the lack of room (please ignore that narrow tower of appliances...)

Another one of my favorite parts of our kitchen is that "hot beverage bar" you see in the middle there. I think it's pretty adorable, and it's full of all things delicious! (and caffeinated!!)

Next, we have the bathroom. Again, it's a bit small, but it works (literally and figuratively).

Thankfully the bathroom set we arbitrarily registered for (2 years ago!) ties everything together very well.

These are some of my favorite decorative pieces in the whole apartment! We had these frames lying around our old apartment and before we left I got the idea of grabbing some geometric/aesthetically pleasing plants to use as art in the frames. Not only does it look cool, but we brought a few pieces of our old town with us.

Last, but certainly not least, our awesome rug. 

The colors, shapes, feel, (and size!) fit perfectly in our bathroom.

Well, I hope you've enjoyed part deux of the tour. 

Check back soon for the final post - featuring our bedroom!

Until then,

-N

Home Sweet Home (1 of 3)

Since we've been in our new place for almost a month now, I figured I would dedicate a few posts to an apartment tour, as promised. I decided to break it up into a few different posts so they won't be too photo heavy or (let's be honest) too word heavy either. 

It seems appropriate to start in the entryway & living room/dining room which is the first area of the apartment you walk into.

(Sorry in advance for the poor picture quality... all photos were shot with my iPhone because my DSLR is still broken...)

Our beautiful hideous periwinkle couch.

This lovely lady was painted with watercolors by a local artist. 

Those flowers are actually from my grandmas funeral. I dried them for a few months and then put them in my favorite wine bottle. They dried really beautifully... this picture doesn't do them much justice.

I like to decorate with items that have meaning or story behind them. It really helps make a place feel like home, and gives the opportunity for some great conversations with guests.

Well, there you have 1/3 of our apartment.
 Keep an eye out for the kitchen & bathroom post coming next.

Ta-ta for now,
-N

Rug on Rug Action - Yay? or No Way!

In preparation for our move, my mind has been running 10,000miles per minute about how I will decorate each room. Of course, then I always remember our space, budget, and the fact that Dave and I don't always see eye to eye when it comes to decorating - but let's forget about all of that for now, okay? 

My most recent thought was about how our walls are white, and our carpet is really pale, and I'm not quite sure if we can paint yet, so I am trying to come up with creative ways to warm up the space (before we're even there, I know, I'm a little crazy). Anyway, I was thinking about area rugs, which would be a no-brainer if we had hardwood floors, but alas, we do not. So, I spent some time thinking about how they would look on already existing carpet. Then, I Googled it. (duh.)

Based on what I found, I totally think it could work - here are some of my current inspirations:

What are your thoughts on "Rug on Rug Action"? Do you approve? 

Let me know and help shape our space!

Still packing and dreaming about decorating...

-N