Maternity Style | Week 10 + 11

Still not showing much, and by now I'm jealous of my ability to wear a belt around my waist!  At this point in my pregnancy the only thing that had really grown was my boobs!  And whoa, that was (and still is) quite a change!  As someone who has always had very small breasts, suddenly having them is pretty odd!  How do you people walk around with these things on your chests?  Just kidding (sort of).  It's a bit fun to see what it's like to actually have something sizable up there, and I'm glad they aren't bigger because I know things will change again once my milk comes in!  So bizarre how your body just all of a sudden flips a switch and starts making a bunch of changes! 

I've kept this dress in my closet because it's super stretchy and the fabric is soft and comfy.  I haven't worn it recently, but I think it'd still be cute, belted above the bump this time! I might break it out in the next few weeks for another styling attempt.

Cardigan + Dress : c/o Modcloth | Belt + Hat : Thrifted | Necklace : c/o Tribe Jewelry
Boots : c/o Kensie Girl

During week 11 we were in Iceland and I didn't really take any outfit photos.  We were living out of the back of a Nissan Pathfinder, which meant that I mostly wore the same outfit every day.  Getting dressed in the back of a car isn't really cute-outfit conducive, and I was more interested in being comfortable and exploring anyway.  I wore black jeans, boots, a plaid flannel top, scarf, and jacket pretty much the whole trip.

Jeans : c/o For Elyse | Coat : c/o Modcloth (2+ years old) | Scarf : H&M | Boots : Keens via REI | 
Hat : c/o The North Face | photos by Dan

Kitchen Reno Inspiration

If you follow over on Pinterest, you've probably noticed an uptick in decor-related pins.  Moving into a new space always coincides with a search for new inspiration.  I loved our house, but I also had rearranged and decorated it so many different ways already, it will be refreshing (and a fun new challenge) to re-do a whole new space.

The biggest room I'm looking forward to freshening up is our new kitchen.  It has new wood laminate flooring, but the rest of the kitchen is sorely in need of an update.  Old, dated oak cabinets, off-white formica counters, and an ivory fridge that was probably born in the 80's.  It's nice and perfectly functional, but with a few updates I feel like the kitchen could be amazing.  We've got an open layout, so the living area and kitchen are all essentially one big space, so updating the kitchen will make a huge impact on the feel of the space.  

Overall I feel like it's got a nice layout and plenty of space.  My vision is white cabinets (I'd love to remove some of the uppers and replace with open shelving, but logistically I don't think that's do-able), maybe a new countertop (I love a wood butcher block counter, but also maybe something like a light white/grey marble look?), white walls with white subway tile backsplash, cover the fridge in some cool removeable wallpaper, and possibly give the island a colorful base (I'm loving the yellow island in my inspiration below!).  There's also some dead space next to the fridge which I'd love to utilize as either pantry open shelving, or maybe a place for organizing/admin stuff: a little desk, a calendar, cubbies for mail, etc. 

I've also learned that plants can completely transform the feel of a space, so I'd love to add lots of greenery, though definitely something low-light friendly and hardy to make it through the dark Alaskan winters!

Check out some of my favorite inspiration images below, or if you need more inspiration, head over to my Pinterest!

photo sources (in order): The Brauns | Hannah Blackmore | Nine + Sixteen | The Brauns | Mariloubiz | Planete Deco | Lingered Upon | Sycamore Street Press | Design*Sponge | Jas Design Build | Design*Sponge

Maternity Style | Week 8 + 9

Part of me feels a little silly sharing these super early on "maternity" outfits because I most certainly was not showing, but I was pregnant, so I suppose it counts? Either way, it was nice enjoying the last few weeks of having a waist and being able to wear high-waisted things.  All of my clothes that are tight and un-stretchy around the waist are now in storage waiting to be retrieved some time next year.

Dress : Forever 21 | Sheer top : c/o Modcloth | Necklace : Free People
Ring : c/o Moorea Seal | Shoes : c/o Seychelles

During week 9 I was up in Sitka, AK for my cousin's wedding, so I had my mom grab a couple shots of my wedding attire.  I always feel a bit like a wizard in this dress with its crazy bell sleeves.

Dress : Free People | Necklaces : c/o Tribe Jewelry | Shoes : c/o Seychelles

Our Home Tour

As we roll into our new town and start the process of moving into our new apartment, I wanted to take a look back at our little Tacoma home.  We spent 3.5 years in this house transforming it into something super special and completely loved.  Driving away was tough, but since we decided to rent it for now, there is the possibility that some day we'll come back to this lovely little house.  I've done room tours before, but I've never done a single post with a tour of the whole house, and what better time to do that than now!

Goodbye little house!

The Best RV + Van Instagrammers In My Feed

I've lived in the Brave for long stretches of time, 3 months on my first cross-country trip, a couple months while I worked at a summer camp in 2011, and then 6 weeks earlier this year.  During this last trip I decided to follow some fellow traveling souls on instagram, and let me tell you, there is no shortage of amazing people with amazing feeds who are doing the full time rv/van/trailer life thing.  I thought I'd share some of my favorite ones!  Get ready to start clicking "follow" because these traveling souls are inspiring and follow-worthy!

@thewandering_eye

This photographer and her man are traveling around the US in the most stunning Winnebago ever.  If my Brave was bigger and more modern, she'd definitely be channeling these decor vibes.  It's super inspiring to see someone showing that you can totally make an RV look just as gorgeous as those jaw-dropping pinterest apartments.  These two actually just ended up settling down in a house, but if you go back through their feed you'll see all their travels.  Still, her feed is beautiful, definitely worth a follow.

@birchandpineairstream

Kate + Ellen renovated an Airstream to be a fresh, modern and airy home on wheels.  And then they sold it and they're doing it again.  So if you're looking to get inspired by a full renovation, this feed is following along with the entire process.  Get inspired!

@freshoffthegrid

First off, I'm most impressed that these two are doing the mobile living thing in a car.  And not like an SUV or anything, a tiny little car.  Impressive.  They write a camp cooking and lifestyle blog, and so their instagram feed is full of adventure and tasty things.  And who doesn't like that?  Go follow along and your appetite for food and wanderlust will be satisfied.

@poseidonsbeard

The cutest family traveling and adventuring in a van.  While Dan + I don't yet have kids, I've always been super inspired by families doing family-hood in different and unique ways.  Seeing these guys living life on the road makes me really excited for the day when Dan + I are parents, showing our kids around the world.

@tinyhousetinyfootprint

To be honest, one of the things I love most about this account is that their trailer has a similar layout to my Brave.  It's fun seeing a familiar looking space to be inspired by, even if it's not a Brave.  They have a blog as well, and, as their name suggests, they're all about inspiring people to live small with a small impact, sharing stories from other people who are living small.  

@therollinghome

These two cute humans built out their VW, and share their life and travels through their instagram, blog and in a gorgeous book with the same title.  They're traveling around Europe, which is definitely a change from the mobile dwellers I usually follow traveling the US.  They have incredible taste and each photo they share is beautiful and inspiring.

@idletheorybus

This hippie pair in their bright orange bus are adorable.  They're creatives, an illustrator and a photographer, and they just launched a kickstarter for their book "Orange is Optimism."  In addition to beautiful photos of their adventures, they always post lovely prose in the description of their images to encourage and empower their followers.

@outsidefound

These two built out the most incredible bus home I've ever seen.  I most definitely read back through their entire blog archives to see the whole build out process. I'd be lying if, after scrolling through their blog, Ididn't' want to trade out my Brave for a bus like that!  If you want to build out a bus of your own, they give tons of info on how they did it for anyone who want their resources.

@ladyadventures

We actually ran across Lady Adventure IRL while we were in Joshua Tree!  Her little Toyota RV is so cute and she goes all over in it on outdoorsy adventures.  If you want some lady power in your mobile living feed, Lady Adventures is a great account to follow!

@s_artuso

This gal converted a bus into a fresh, simple space.  Her floor paint job alone is worth the follow.  And if you like dogs, she's got the cutest pups in her feed.  She's not really a traveler, her bus usually stays put, so it's not a feed for getting inspired to travel, but if you love her space and want to see more of it, go follow her feed!