Deck the Halls: A little peek of our home!

I woke up last Sunday and decided that I didn't like the way I had previously decorated for Christmas one bit. The good news is that it was early enough (around 7 a.m.) that I could take down everything in our teeny tiny home and start from scratch. The bad news is that I actually did it. Ha! I'm glad I decided to start over because I was seriously unhappy with the way our house looked. Gotta have a pretty house, right?

Here's a little look into our home this holiday season! As soon as I finish up a few nooks, I'll be sure to post them as well :) 

Have you posted a little look into your home this holiday season? If so, leave me a link in the comments! I would love to see!

I hope you had a great Monday! I'm pretty beat. I worked my butt off all day at work and did a massive Christmas shopping spree for a few hours between work and crocheting.

Don't forget--Donna's is closing up for 2011 on Wednesday! Order those early-January gifts now while you can!

What does your week look like? I'm mostly identifying with the line "...and settled in for a long winter's nap" from 'Twas the Night Before Christmas! ;)

xo, Liz

The deal of the year.

Greetings! I hope you're enjoying this Memorial Day weekend if you're in the states; if you aren't in the states, I still hope you're enjoying the weekend!

This morning I had a pretty solid to-do-list infront of me comprised of typical Saturday errands (bank, post office, grocery store, etc.). I promised myself a little yardsale shopping or thrifting once the errands were finished up. After all, it's Memorial Day, and I thought the yardsales would be in excess.

Once I finished my errands, I was feeling a little sheepish about stopping at random yardsales and sifting through stuff infront of the owners, so I decided to head to the thrift shop closest to my house.

I am so glad I did! The thrift shop was selling this mid-century modern credenza for a grand total of.... $40! I couldn't believe it. Just the other day I mentioned that I noticed a crendza at the Vintage store in town, but it was a bit out of my price range. Looks like it is no longer an issue! I was only able to snap a quick photo on my cell phone before we had to leave, but here's a little peak!

oh. em. gee.

I can't believe it's coming home to me tomorrow!

So, in order to have it in top shape before we move into the condo, we're going to have Cory's uncle (who builds furniture) look at it. I'm pretty sure the top is going to need to be sanded and refnished, but it will be SO perfect once it reaches our front door!

I did a little research online and here is a very fair comparison to what it looks like in top shape, post-cleaning, non-flourecent lighting.

And hey... it was only $40!

Liz

Planning for the Condo

Yesterday was a pretty busy day.

Cory and I had to meet our relator and the home inspector at 9am. Aside from a few small issues with the condo that the seller needs to repair, our condo should be good to go for purchase! Hooray!

After our inspection, which took longer than I had expected, Cory and I drove around our new neighborhood only to find out that it is WAY bigger than we originially thought. The neighborhood has loads of pathways, parks, pools, and trees, so everything is fairly spaced out. Little did we know that it literally goes on for miles. To be honest, once I saw how big the whole neighborhood was, I was thrilled that we picked the location. Every neighborhood is uber nice and chic. There are properties I never knew existed in Frederick, let alone the area. It's weird to say that, but Frederick is still growing into it's population in many ways. There are so many different kinds of people that are drawn to the town. It has a really awesome artist community, which draws loads of struggling, but extremely talented artists to town for studio and retail space. In the center of Frederick, there is Ft. Detrick, a major Army base and cancer research institute. It is also only 40 minutes outside of Baltimore and Washington, D.C. so it is stacked to the brim with commuters.

Once I saw the condo again (note: this is the first time I've seen it since we've made an offer and found out it was accepted), my mind started to race with ideas and a decorative "to do list." So I started going to my favorite vintage/second-hand shops downtown to gather more specifics and some advice from the shop owners.

Because our condo has a gigantic Great Room that connects the two bedrooms, kitchen, and dining area, paint color is going to be crucial. The Great Room also has vaulted ceilings, which is an interesting twist when trying to invision all our vintage pieces in a comfortable environment.

So I've decided that I need to stay in neutral that will keep the room looking fresh, but still feel relaxed enough that our vintage pieces will look right at home. I have a color in mind that I seem to only be able to describe as "canvas mixed with subtle olive green." I haven't been able to actually see it in person--but it is definitely in my mind. This is the closest I could find on the web:

In midst of my journey through the local shops, I found a gorgeous MCM credenza at Venus on the Halfshell, my favorite Frederick vintage shop.  It looks a lot like this:

We have the perfect place for a credenza like this, but I will have to pinch my pennies in order to get it, that is for sure!

Here's a few cell phone photos of the condo as it was left by the previous owner (ie: don't judge me because of the paint colors...they will be changed!)

Our front door... the security is amazing... we have to buzz in our guests!

Great room/kitchen/dining area

(to be repainted)

Kitchen

(to be updated w/hardwood flooring, new appliances, and probably new cabinets)

 Kitchen

Master Bedroom

(will be a nice slate color once all is said and done)

Master Bath

(will be much lighter once we paint...something creamy)

Guest Bath

(not sure about the plans for this room...low on the priority list)

Guest room/office/studio

(organizing this room is going to be tricky... lots of plans for it)

Our view

Gigantic Master closet

(probably adding more shelving and some eletrical outlets for the iron)

Woo!

Liz

Spring Cleaning: The Closet

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It's that time of year when having the windows open becomes a small, yet amazing comfort in our day to day lives. It's the time when things start to feel a little cluttered, boring, or redundant, and we have every desire to start from scratch and rearrange our furniture.

Cory and I have been struggling with our home ever since we moved in. It is a 16th century home that has beautiful hardwood floors, but not a lot of natural lighting and not very wide rooms. It is railroad style (you must pass through one room to get to another) and because of that we always have to have sizable walkways that are passable for anyone who visits. Combining two homes has been a challenge, then organizing our wedding gifts, and I think are finally on the verge of turning this rental into a home.

Last weekend we began a month-long cleaning spurt. Each weekend we're tackling a different room or area and putting it into shape. Our first big task: the closet.

Older homes do no thave many closets for the simple fact that people did not own many outfits to store. So, believe it or not, for 2 people in a pretty sizable home, we have only ONE closet. Just one! Thank goodness it's a walk-in or we would really be up a river!

Cleaning out my closet always gives me a headache just thinking about it. I finally narrowed down why: I never want to toss out clothes that I love but don't fit anymore. It's an attack on my self-esteem and sometimes a motivator to hit up the gym. Realistically though, I never get back down to that orignial size. Somtimes, it's the dryer to blame, but bottom line, I'm probably not going to change enough to actually put those clothes back into their originial use.

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5 Sanity Saving Tips for Closet Cleaning

1. Remove everything and wipe down your closet.

Be it the racks, hangers, floor, or carpet, your closet is probably the last place you imagine to hoard dirt and grime, but man it gets filthy! A good vaccuming, sweeping, or attack via Clorox wipe can really do wonders to perk up the smell and air quality!

2.Decide how you want to organize your clothing.

I organize mine by garment type. For example, my closet is in order by: dresses, skirts, tops, sweaters, cardigans, purses. This enables me to save time in the morning because I know what area of the closet to look first, depending on what I want to wear. I know some of my friends even go to the extent to organize their clothes in ROYGBIV order after they put their items in order by type.

3. As you re-hang items, be serious. Ask yourself these questions:

-When was the last time I wore this?

-Does it fit (honestly)?

-Does it match my current style?

I clean out my closet about once a season and toss out everything that doesn't match my current style. I keep a lot of staples (black dresses, formal attire, etc.), but if I have had a sundress for 3 or 4 years and it looks too "young" to me, I will just toss it into the donation box, because I know it will just take up space! The other nice realization is you'll never be stuck in the morning attempting to put on clothes that don't fit! Talk about wonders for your self-esteem! You're only surrounded by the clothes that you love and fit you--talk about a woman's dream closet! 

4. Have a place to store items for donations/yard sales/trash.

It will be easier to get rid of items if you automatically put them somewhere.

5. Are you really going to wear those shoes again?

For the longest time I had a pair of bright blue BCBC stilletos. I loved them. I wore them all the time when I first got them, regardless if I was wearing a dress/skirt, or blue jeans. Times have changed and so has my style. Even though I have fond memories of those shoes, I knew there was no way I was going to be sliding them on any time soon, and after looking through the garments I decided to keep, I didn't really have an outfit they would match anyway! So I tossed them into the donation box as well. The same with purses. If I've worn it out or doesn't match, toss it! I have kept a few designer bags in hopes to consign them next weekend... but I know I won't need them anymore. It's just not who I am anymore!

I hope this helps you tackle your spring cleaning list! It made the world of difference for me to look through my wardrobe and have a realisitc talk with myself.

On a final note, I thought I would share a few closets that are oh-so-pretty (and also realistic!) to me right now :)

xo,

Liz

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Autumn Home Makeover

Cory and I have lived in our home for almost a year and a half. It's not our dream home by any means, but we really love the location, so we have tried our best to adjust to living with just one closet and no air conditioning.

In order to adjust to living in a rental home (we live in a 2-story duplex built in the late 1700s, so it's quite quirky), I like to re-decorate as often as possible. We started a "deep clean" last week and are still putting the finishing touches on each of the rooms, but I wanted to go ahead and show you our living room space!

Remember last week I mentioned the huge thrift store in Silver Spring, MD? The purpose of our trip was so I could find goodies to freshen up our home just in time to welcome autumn. Here's a look!

1. Pretty autumn inspired pom-pom and pennant garland.

The pennant has our "new" last name on it!

We had to get rid of my old army-green couch a few weeks ago, so we moved one of Cory's down from the office. It's a simple, modern shape from IKEA. I threw on a thrifted afghan to break up the white walls blending into the white couch.

2. New Mantel Design.

Check out these ah-mazing thermos' I got my hands on at the thirft store last weekend! The colors are great for fall; I'll probably keep the plaid and wood-grain patterns up for Christmas, too! My adorable Duaflex II camera has been abandoned for too long, so I put it on display ontop of a few vintage books (Joan Didion, a collection of British lit, and a folk art collection).

3. New Cross-Stitch pictures!

When I found a set of 3 of these beauties, I refused to sit them back down. I have two hanging in the living room, side by side, and one in our teeny-tiny bathroom. I'll post a better picture later!

So there's your first little taste! I'll be back with more soon.

What are you doing to make your home cozier for fall?

P.S. The thrift store I've been drooling over in this post is called Unique Thrift Store! Definitely a must-visit!