django owns the room

... or maybe just the new settee

apartment in transition: before and after

The best part about moving is reconfiguring belongings, necessities, priorities, and of course tapping into those creative thoughts that are always swimming in my head. The house is so close to being finished I can taste it. A couple cans of paint, a whole lot of elbow grease, and gobs of patience have gotten us to this point. I think this apartment is my favorite yet because it feels the most like "us." The work at home has kept my brain calm and focused for Così.

Living room before:




After:






Kitchen before:







After:






Bathroom before:



After:

projects for the new space

Even though I strongly dislike the act of moving, it always motivates purging the unnecessary and further defining what our personal style is. Stephen and I will celebrate our 6th (where did the time go?!) wedding anniversary this month. As I look around our apartment, I think back on the things we used to own, things we have now, and the things we still wish we had. I can proudly say that today the wish-list is quite small, but I see an opportunity for creativity ahead in the new space. Since I'll be spending my Summer at Tanglewood, Stephen will have to do all the actual moving without me (oh darn...). Here are my top 5 projects for the new digs:

1. Paint the walls a neutral color - they are currently some sort of terra-cotta orange. I'm leaning towards a light grey.

2. Wallpaper the wall behind the dining room table. Whether I use actual paper, fabric, or even stencils, I want a graphic statement. I'm really digging this today:






3. Make fun pillowcases. I think these are the most perfect "Sharon&Stephen" pillowcases possible:






4. Recover our wingbacks. They currently look like this:





I think I'll take Nate Berkus' advice and go with a white cotton duck. I also want to stain the legs in a darker color.

5. Since the only closet in our new space is about the size of our current coat closet, we're going to have to build a wardrobe. I'm still inspired by Nicole's wardrobe over at Making It Lovely.

diy lampshade covers

Do you ever feel like your home is 'finished'... just how you like it... ready for life... and then after a time it just feels dull? With a really busy schedule, I am hardly home during the week and many weekends, so it wasn't until Winter break that I noticed I needed a color pick-me-up in my space.

My big holiday gift this year was a singer sewing machine. I have been itching to make covers for my sofa accent pillows with fabric I bought months ago at IKEA. It was during my holiday craft-craze I found this blue fabric in my stash, also from IKEA, that I was going to cover a chair with. Unfortunately, the chair was rotting from the inside out and I didn't have another project for the fabric until I stumbled upon this video from Howcast.

I took a look at the lamps in my bedroom and knew they were perfect candidates. I originally bought these lamps because they were on clearance and I like the shape, but I never quite loved the color of the shades. I love them now!


Bedroom before:




and after:



We did a bit more to revamp the bedroom, but I'll post more about that later!

diy pillow covers

Introducing my very first sewing project EV-UH. They aren't perfect, but they make me pretty darn happy and bring a beautiful pop-o-color to our living room. I'm still pretty new at this whole sewing thing, but I am determined to get better so I can be fearless when I want to make anything. I think Django hanging out next to the birdcages is perfect.

diva picks: benefit

This past summer I dove into the 'Benefit' line a little deeper. As a result, I am now a huge fan of their eye brightening products and lip/cheek stains. Since I am at school from 8am-10pm many days of the week, I appreciate beauty products that can last all day. I highly recommend a trip to Sephora or Macy's for a tutorial on which Benefit products can give you an extra boost of confidence.

 pics courtesy of Benefit

baby schkeeper gifts

My greatest joy in knitting is giving. I so love the look on people's faces when they open a gift and realize it has been made just for them. My most recent projects were gifts to our dear friends, The Schkeepers, for their beautiful baby boy - due October 1st. 

The best compliment I think I received was from Brian: "Uhh... can you make me a sweater like that?" Considering I tried out my first sweater in baby-size and it turned out so well, I just might have to. Stephen will be jealous.  

my favorite pic from the shower - Amanda's face was priceless

nesting newbies

I'm quite intrigued by Nesting Newbies online magazine, making a splash in the design world with only 3 issues published.  Between the recipes, cool design ideas, and impressive product line-up, each flip of the page is simply candy.

diva picks: iPhone cases

I first saw these beautiful cases over at Life Scoop, but headed to grovemade.com to check out the company. Located in Portland, GroveMade makes everything themselves and takes sustainability seriously. You can purchase one of their creations, or submit your own art to customize your iPhone.

venezuela: XVI festival latinoamericano de música

Adventure: an undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks. 

Venezuela was an adventure. I didn't know what to expect from the trip. I had read horrific things about the country, its safety issues, and government but chose to enter into the whole thing without expectations. Not everything one reads can be true for everyone and every experience, but I can see why it has gained some of the reputation it holds today. It was important for me to go and I certainly don't have any regrets. 

I had the great fortune of traveling with four extremely entertaining people. Not only did we have the pleasure of working and being creative together, but all kept light hearts & open minds and were awesome travelers. Carmen Téllez brought us into an amazing project and vision. I'm so thankful to her for sharing her native Venezuela with us as I know it has changed tremendously and can't be easy to see.

We were invited by the U.S. Embassy as a part of cultural exchange program and were able to visit and meet with Deputy Chief of Mission John Caulfield and his wonderful staff at the embassy. They attended the concert and it was wonderful to feel the support of our own country in a foreign place. 

Between boys getting extremely ill, rooms without air conditioning, bathrooms flooding, romantic proposals, middle-of-the-night-break-ins, schedules changing, players missing, Chavez supporters demonstrating, and spaces rearranging, never was a dull moment to be found. It was as if the universe was saying, "hello, in need of another surprise? Bam... yes, have a few..." I found these experiences to be more than comical and left me with a sense that I'm getting better & better at adapting and keeping an open mind & heart.

Our last day in Caracas, Carmen took us out to a traditional Venezuelan restaurant. We ate and drank until nearly bursting. It was nice to get out of the hotel and see a part of the city other than the performing arts centers. 

All in all, we made beautiful music, met extraordinary people, ate and drank delicious things, and came home with a wider world view and understanding. I look forward to the my next adventure outside of the U.S. 

pictures courtesy of the U.S. Embassy (and me!)