Reflecting on My Style

With moving to our new place in the next week I have been thinking a lot about design and my style. So it was a great fit when One Kings Lane emailed me with their Reflect Your Style project, centering on their beautiful mirror collection right now. I love getting their emails because they always have a mix of everything home but lots of different styles. My personal fave is when they have a shop open of things from France cause I always want to be back there. 

I love keeping a relaxed vibe to our home but mixing in unique pieces & textures that are easy to clean. I might also be obsessed with prints, especially IKAT. Just don't ask how many striped shirts I own cause that robe fits in nicely with my clan of striped & patterned clothing. With more space in our bedroom without Zach's crib in it I might actually have room for a vanity area, I can dream at least. 

Products used: Mirror (similar style), Desk, Stool, 3 Dispensers, & Robe

Apartment Made Home

One of the first things I did in the new year was write out a list of all the home decor projects I want to accomplish this year. I am in love with our apartment, it has beautiful high ceilings and the whole wall in our kitchen dining area is covered in windows that give great light to our living room too. 

Thankfully/Surprisingly I got started right away on the list by putting up that lovely chalkboard in our kitchen/dining area. I'm trying to keep the momentum going by re-organizing everything and starting a new to be sold at Just Between Friends / go to the Goodwill pile. 

Expedit & craft area midway through re-organizing 

The 2012 Decor List

Living Room

• Spray paint my Ikea Ung Drill frame - I love this frame and I'm still debating if I want it yellow or turquoise..

• Get our family picture from Christmas printed to put in the frame

• Buy & hang a 12x12 shadow box frame to rotate my scrapbook layouts in throughout the year

• Make embroidery hoop art

• Get some 8x8 Instagram prints to frame/hang

• Paint frame of bulletin board

• Attach fabric to bulletin board

• Make or buy some sort of key holder

• Put out more picture frames

• Make some more throw pillows for our couch

Craft/Play Area

• Add book storage for Hayden (spinning metal rack... wall shelf... too many options..)

• Re-paint for Hayden my kid-sized table and chairs my Dad made me

• Put patterned and chalkboard contact paper on spinning rack

• Reorganize craft area and books (in progress)

• Hang Ikea Merete curtains

Bedroom

• Hang kitchen bars plus hooks and baskets from Ikea for jewelry and makeup storage

• Purge old and unused makeup

• Make an earring frame

• Hang brown linen curtains

• Make some sort of garland for our four-poster bed

• Finish hanging art for walls

• Purge unworn clothing

Kitchen

• Hang chalkboard

• Hang my magnetic knife rack

• Hang Paris rack

• Organize my cleaning supply closet

• Organize cupboards more effectively

Hallway

• Organize storage and books

Bathroom

• Hang/frame "wash hands and brush teeth" print

• Sew loops to towels for better hanging

• Order a mason jar soap pump

Garage

• Clean out & organize

hello i love you : Kitchens

My friend Heather has been doing these posts for awhile now and just started them as a linky par-tay! 

I am beyond excited to be able to join in :)

This weeks theme is : Kitchens 

west elm

chalkboard/metal/wood

kids sewing basket apron

i dream of white or grey cabinets and farm-house sinks 

coffee always

Why don't you go link up too!

As Martha would say, "It's a good thing!"

January 2012

Cute desktop background from

wild olive

I literally almost typed 2011... 

I'm so excited!! why? Well because January is my second favorite month! 

Duh.. 

Remember, I love a fresh start

Its my motivation to clean/organize/plan

Goals for 2012:

-Menu plan

: Its been hard for me to get this down. Since our schedule is far from normal and needs to be kept loose since things tend to suddenly come up. I really only need to plan 4-5 dinners a week but I need to plan breakfast and lunch because I tend to forget/neglect to feed myself. 

-Project Life

: I'm still figuring out what this will look like for us.. Most likely it will be a weekly collection of photos and journaling and not necessarily a picture a day cause lets face it some days are just boring. I've started my title page and am working on organizing my supplies today. I'm hoping to post my pages weekly so you can see our week in review as well. 

-Organization/Decor

: We got a lot done on our apartment before and the first few weeks after Hayden was born while Patrick was home but now its time to fine-tune everything. I wrote out a list of all the little projects I have in my head to do this year and have already completed a couple! 

-Business

: I am working on adding new product and trying to streamline the way I make and list product. I would also love to try doing a craft fair this year too!

-Blog

: First off its been super dull around here... I need to get back to posting about Hayden.. and I also want to really find my strengths and focus my writing and projects toward those. 

What are your favorite topics or posts I've written over the past year?

October

- Loving this months computer wallpaper calendar from Free People

- I'm throwing a girls get together this month involving Crafts & Cocktails and have decided I want to host one every season. So excited for the fun time that will be had. 

- Halloween: not that we really celebrate it but its Hayden's first fun holiday and she will be dressed up as a zebra! 

- Hello rain! I'm so happy that we are finally having fall weather, its my fave.

- I've been crafting again but this time to start a business!? I felt the need to craft and have always wanted to be an entrepreneur. Shop name: Little Bitty by Emj and I will be selling hair accessories for women and girls. Only problem is deciding if I want to start on Etsy and then switch to Big Cartel or just start on Big Cartel or just be on both. Either way I need to create graphics or find someone that can do them for free/cheap cause I'm on a budget.. and I'm not sure what I want to do for that.. Any ideas for me? 

To-do List Update

Cutest little chalkboard ever :)

Do Laundry

 - I've been using my WonderWash  to save on laundry costs and its been working out pretty well

Get rid of boxes from moving -

In progress, still many more to figure out what to do with

Finish organizing bedroom and craft/play area -

craft/play area is about as good as it is gonna get for now (only papers to organize and file left) and bedroom is organized, just needs to be beautified

Write emergency number list to post on fridge

Get oil changes on both our cars... plus my car needs to be smogged :(

Finish thank you cards

Attach Billy bookcase to wall

Work on address change items (Dmv, social security, etc..)

Prepare freezer meals for post-partum

 - done, Thanks Mom!

Find out if I left some Pyrex pieces at old apartment... 

Install car seat

and get checked for safety -

okay so I know you are supposed to get it checked but...

Set-up notebook to track feedings, changes, activity, etc...

Finish packing hospital bag -

almost done 

Set-up index card cleaning system

 - Now I must do a post on it and surprise, surprise I'm actually mostly keeping up with the tasks :)

Make birth inspiration book

Sew mermaiden doll for baby girl

Sew hospital gown for moi

Work on base pages for Gma brag books and our own photo and memento books for baby

Get pedicure

 - Went with the lovely Steiger ladies:

Cindy

 &

Ellen

Work on decor projects for the baby nook (hang shelves, 

make tissue paper poms

, make faux mats/ frames for artwork, 

paint her letter

)

To buy: more baby hangers-

some bought they were out of the other ones I want, 

seat protector to go underneath car seat

,

curtain rods for bedroom and living room, stamps for mailing baby announcements and thank you cards, heavy duty eye concealer, lamp shade for baby night lamp, furniture fuzzy protector pads for our ottomans, shelf for in freezer, 

more clothes pins

 and possibly a rocking chair and rug...