Fourth of July (2013)

This Independence Day was quite special. We threw a little backyard bbq - potluck style - with a few close friends and my parents. We ended the night on top of our roof to enjoy practically every firework show from Vancouver Wa to Oregon City Or. The view was gorgeous and it felt pretty magical. 

Had to throw on some glitter eyeshadow.

Happy Independence Day! Hope everyone had fun.

All You Need Is Love: Fabric DIY Banner

I saw this fabulous DIY on Pinterest a couple weeks ago and thought I had to try it! Cory and I are throwing an Anniversary Party for my in-laws at the end of summer and I've started to look for some decor ideas. When this came around I knew it would be perfect. 

What You'll Need: 

1. Ruler

2. Small Dowel

3. Black Cotton & White Cotton Fabric

4. Stencil

5. A few Fabric pens

6. Scissors

STEPS

1. Fold your white fabric in half and measure the size you want the banner to be. 

2. Begin by measuring and lightly marking where your arrows will begin and end. 

* GO SLOW *

3. Stencil in the words then the L O V E

4. Finish your arrows

5. Let the drawings dry completely. 

6. Measure and cut the black fabric to the size you want (doesn't need to be doubled up like the white fabric)

6. Cut out the middle triangle to make the design above

7. Pin the black and white fabric together before you begin sewing

8. Drape the banner on the dowel to make sure your pinning is straight

9. Sew the black to the white 

All done! All that's left is finding the perfect place to hang it.

Go HERE to find the original instructions.

Happy DIY!

Tips for Spring Cleaning

Photo via Tumblr 

Clean. Organized. Fresh.

Everything we want to see (and smell) after a long bout of Spring Cleaning. Some dread this time of year. No one wants to see the grossness that built up behind the fridge. And others of us embrace this time. 

I tend to be a lover and a hater. Part of the Spring Cleaning involves re-organizing. Which, at times, involves out with the old and in with the new. Whichever category you fall into here are a few of my tips to make Spring Cleaning a little smoother (and more fun). 

1. Gather your supplies

In order to do this right we need our arsenal of equipment/products. Gather everything you might need (from ceiling to floor) before you begin. That helps to save time from running to bathroom (or kitchen,wherever you keep your supplies) to room because you need one more thing. 

2. Proper attire

I make sure I wear something that is comfortable. Squatting, bending, moving .. all things that will be involved in the cleaning process. I also make sure I am wearing items that can go straight into the laundry. 

3. Be Organized

Depending on how big your home is, you may tweek this tip. Since my apartment is small I like to do a task at a time. I.E. dust everything first in every room. Then move to cleaning countertops/tables...etc. If  your home is too big and you need to start with one room at a time, go for it. This brings me to number 4.

4. Be realistic

I have a small place with no kids yet. This means I should (and plan) on cleaning the whole apartment in one day. If your a mom..with three little ones...balancing cleaning with ballet practice...a few rooms a time is a realistic time frame. 

5. Play music

Grab your iPod if you are doing this around nap time, or blare your speakers (I prefer my Ellie Goulding station on Pandora). Having music makes you not go so crazy. It adds a little fun to the process. 

Embrace this time of year and the work that surrounds it. Look forward to the end result and how accomplished you will feel! 

Neighborhoods

Cory and I are in the process of house-hunting (we have an offer down at one place and are just praying and praying the bank accepts). With house-hunting comes neighborhood hunting. We want to love the house we live in, but we need to really like the neighborhood. Sidewalks vs. no sidewalks, how close is a park, how are the schools, busy roads or dead-ends...so many things go into house hunting. 

As I've probably mentioned before, we live in a house-turned apartment. Its so beautiful and has so many old antique little touches to it. The neighborhood we live in is so beautiful too. Very walkable and safe. Kind of near some busy roads, but so many quiet streets right near by. Throughout our looking's its hard not to be a little picky. 

I went on two walks today and these are some sights that I loved:

St. Helens over Portland: 

I really love this neighborhood, especially when its sunny and spring!! So blessed with our first place and the neighborhood its in. 

DIY Mason Jar Candles

From our wedding we had a ton of extra mason jars. I've been using them as vases and glasses, but thought I should make some candles out of them. I found this diy tutorial and thought it was too simple to not give it a try. 

After about an hour. I had these: 

*To make it a little simpler I just used a non-stick saucepan to melt the wax. Didn't need to make a double broiler. And the scissors were the only way to keep to wick up straight. 

I was so excited that it didn't take so long. And they turned out so pretty! You can't see it but I added some Rosemary leaves to the candles. I bought plain wax so I was hoping the Rosemary would add some scent to it - and it does. Yay! (I may be too excited about these) We use a lot (a lot) of candles in our home. I'm excited to be able to make our own. 

Happy DIY!

Apartment Living: Decorating Small Spaces - Part I

Last week I posted about how my sister decorated her tiny space in Seattle. It hasn't taken us long to decorate our 800 sq. foot apartment. We know what we like and just run with what we have. What has been challenging is melding together my random decorations and Cory's random-mixed-matched furniture. I look forward to renovating and decorating a whole house, but for now, I'm in love with our little space. 

Here's a little peak into our bedroom: 

Our Vows framed w/ a sign from our wedding reception:

I like this quote: 

I like our bedroom. It's cozy and reflects us. 

Head over here to check out some small spaces! Or this site has some good decoration ideas for apartments. 

What do you love about your home?

Apartment Living: Seattle style

My sister lives in an apartment close to downtown Seattle. Her home has wood floors that were painted black. Weird. Why would anyone paint wood floors black?! However, it works for this place. Tall ceilings, perfect white walls, black floors, and the way she decorates makes this place just perfect. Let's take a look:

The entryway:

Dining Room:

The Bar Cart:

Living Room:

That's all the pictures I grabbed but the rest of the home had a lot to offer as well. Decorating isn't one of my strongest suits so I love to see how other people create their homes. I think she did a great job for such a small place. It feel like you are staying or visiting a comfy, beautiful hotel. 

Any of you live in an apartment? How'd you decorate the small space? 

Apartment Living

11 foot ceilings, hardwood floors throughout, floor to ceiling windows, antique touches...not descriptions you would typically hear when reading about an apartment. Our apartment has all of those. And it is quite a cozy, beautiful apartment. 

Antique door knobs, our rustic hardwood floors, and those beautiful windows.

However pretty the overall place is, there are tons of little problems that come with a old house-turned apartment. 

First off those beautiful windows. They are single paned and produce a ton of condensation. Condensation plus a cold house = lots of gross mold. On all the window sills. We tried having a fan blowing on it all the time, but that only helped a little and it made the room extra cold. We tried a rag left on the window sill, but that didn't work. So yesterday we installed these:

So far it's only been a day but it seems to be helping. Condensation is on the inside and not producing mold out where we can breath it in. We're planning on leaving them on until summer. Fingers crossed they hold up by then. 

Other issues include: leaking faucets, heat that does not work (it turns on but its right below all the windows so it never actually heats the place), lopsided stove, the list could go on. Honestly, these aren't huge problems, but problems I am hoping to not have later on when we have a home of our own. I think living in an apartment is making me truly appreciate having a home. It could be a lot worse too. 

What problems have you run into in your apartment living?