same old road

Lately I've been super uncreative with outfit photo locations.  This almost always happens this time of year, though, due to not really wanting to be outdoors for very long searching for pretty photo locations.  The sun still sets pretty early in the day, and usually by the time 3 o'clock rolls around I realize I'm about to lose my light and dash outside to grab some photos before it's too late.  I want to say I'll be more creative soon, but next week we're siding the house so the likelihood of me even putting on a photo-worthy outfit is slim, much less having the time to take photos.  Thankfully the weather has been amazing this last week and I'm praying it holds out while we're working outside on the house!  Yesterday we spent a few hours removing the old siding, which was surprisingly quick work, and quite therapeutic.  I wish there was always siding to rip off when I'm feeling stressed/PMSing.  I digress.
I should probably do some sort of 365 or 52 photography project but I've never been able to come up with one that strikes my fancy.  I take photos almost every day for my outfit posts, so I'm already taking photos frequently, which I think is one of the main points of a 365 project.  Perhaps I'll do something like a 52 week project doing one shoot a week which is more creative/introspective/conceptual.  Of course, I'd better decide soon, since I'm already two weeks behind.  Always so behind with this whole new year thing.  Which reminds me, I still haven't posted my 26 before 27 goals!  Soon!

dress/dear creatures courtesy of modcloth :: coat/courtesy of tulle :: boots/courtesy of blowfish top/courtesy of tailor & stylist :: gloves/courtesy of at&t :: necklace/courtesy of  poppy & fern
Yesterday I spray painted my desk legs gold, so my studio feels a bit fancier now.  Of course the piles of things still needing organization don't really make it feel fancy, but if I ignore that part.  My studio is going to be a bunk room for brothers/cousins soon, though, so I'm not too worried about getting it ship shape quite yet.  After hulking dudes vacate my space I will resume working on it.  I also put up a little pallet/hook wall in the bathroom.  I've never done anything with pallets, but holy cow.  They are heavy, and the wood is hard.  I was nailing it and I was like... am I doing this right?  I've nailed a lot of things before, so I figured it wasn't my nailing technique.  How come no one told me pallets suck?  But damn does that pallet wood look so perfectly rustic.  Even knowing how much they suck I want to do more pallet projects.  Maybe I'll just seek out some non-pallet, rustic looking wood I can reclaim.  I still need to hit up our local Habitat for Humanity Re-Store.  I used to LOVE the one in Spokane.  I would get tons of stuff there for art projects in college.  They have $1 doors, people.  Come on.

here + there

Just a few bits and pieces from recent times.  I've been trying to take more pictures of everyday life, rather than just for-the-blog type photos.  It's especially fun since it's kind of documenting this house and all the little changes and upgrades that we're doing.  But also, it's nice to focus on the little things.  To notice little moments and capture them with a photo.  Maybe it's just the way the light is hitting the wall, or how yummy breakfast looks, or the silly face Dan is making, but it's all special.  
  
About month ago we received a package from Craft Coffee, which came right in time as we had just ran out of beans.  I'm usually not a big fan of subscription boxes, as I find in most cases the concept would just cause more clutter and the acquisition of unneeded items.  But since we drink at least one cup of coffee a day at home (way cheaper than going out for coffee, though we do lots of that too), Craft Coffee actually does make sense!  Each month you get a pretty little package full of delicious beans that have been chosen by a rigorous taste test, so you get to taste the best beans from all over the place, without even having to leave your house!  I mean, we've got some damn good coffee roasters in this fine city, but it's still a fun way to get great coffee, especially if you don't have access to a high quality roaster in your area!
  
I think my favorite time of day is sipping on the first cup of coffee and cooking breakfast.  The day is still new, and fresh coffee tastes magical, and my tummy is always so ready for some delicious food.  Dan makes coffee and I cook up some potatoes, sausage and two eggs.  Sometimes toast and jam.  Lately it's been sunny, which is so refreshing after what feels like months of solid grey cloudy days.  The sun streaming through the kitchen window is just the best.  I can't wait until summer when we can open the back door and let the fresh, warm air breeze in.  I want our back door to be one of those farmhouse split doors where you can cool summer pies.

golden girl

I've had my eye on this dress for a while, but didn't really think I had an occasion to wear it.  But then I realized that I didn't care because it was so fabulous and I'd come up with some excuse to put it on.  I decided to get a little glammed up for our housewarming party and this dress was the perfect number.  And I realized that my hair is long enough for a fun little updo!  Huzzah!  I hope I find another event (or create one) so I can wear this dress.  I suppose a fancy date could be a good excuse, though we typically go on more laid-back dates.  A couple years ago Dan's birthday had an old hollywood theme, and this dress would've been perfect for that!  I'm sure I'll come up with something, because this dress is too good to be stuck in the back of a closet.

dress/courtesy of modcloth :: shoes/vintage :: coat/ruche :: photos by Dan
Our housewarming party was so fun.  I made stuffed mushrooms, cupcakes, bruschetta and crostinis, baked brie, and punch.  Just talking about the food makes me wish I could materialize it all right now, so good!  I've made that baked brie three times in the past month because it's seriously one of the best things in the world.  And it's so incredibly easy to make.  It's my new go-to party dish.
It was so cool to have our new home packed with great people, and the conversation buzzing from wall to wall.  Our kitchen is big enough now that it's where people gather and talk.  Our last kitchen was so small that it was hard to have more than two people in there.  I've always loved how the kitchen is the room in a house where people just want to stand around and hang out, so it was nice to see that our new kitchen is great for that!
I can't wait to have barbecues this summer.  Even though our backyard is pretty small, it's still going to be so great for having little summer dinner parties and barbecues.  I want to string lights and bunting above our backyard to make it feel special and fun, and plant veggies and herbs so I can cook with my own homegrown produce!  Summer is a long time coming, though, so for now I'll just continue daydreaming.
  

a peek into our new home

So far we don't have any room in the house completed, but things are looking better than the boxes everywhere after moving in.  We had our housewarming party on Friday night so I cleaned up the house (read: shove piles of stuff into cabinets), and it looked pretty sharp, so I took some photos.  I still have tons of painting and decorating to do.  I only have one piece of art hung so far, and I'm in serious need of some drapes in the living room to really pull things together.  But we've got more pressing, non-decor house stuff to do in this coming month, so finishing up my decor ambitions will probably go on pause for a little bit.  I'm super happy with how things are coming along, though, and it's so fun to see things come together!  We put up the bunting from our wedding in the living room for the party and it just looks so festive I don't want to take it down!  We get so much more light in this house than our last place, and I'm totally in love with it.

quilt

/urban outfittters ::

iPhone dock

+

lamp

/modcloth :: sidetable/target :: basket + rug/ikea

rug + pillows/ikea ::

teepee print

/

beauchamping

:: camera print/

christine berrie

chair/thrifted :: couch/ikea (craigslist) ::

mt. mckinley print

/

ranger doug

remix archives // par avion

I've had this Dear Creatures dress for about a year.  It was my first dress from Dear Creatures and is still one of my favorite pieces in my wardrobe, definitely one of those special dresses. It works great as a summer dress (for days that aren't too hot, as the fabric is quite heavy), but it also works great in the fall and autumn with a sweater over it, or a top layered underneath.  I absolutely adore all the details in this dress: the pleating, the peter pan collar with contrasting trim, the buttons, and the cut is just so lovely.  I like that it's both structured and whimsical at the same time.  I have a few more pieces from DC now, but I think this is still my favorite piece of theirs!