Little Changes

Thanks so much for all of the positive comments and advice I received yesterday on our upcoming trip to Australia. I feel a glimmer of hope that it may not be the horror I envision and I have you to thank for that :)

I wanted to share a few little changes I've been working on in the main living area of the H-Haus today - new curtains and pillows! I've been wanted to change things up for a while now and was just waiting for the right pieces and prices:

I've been coveting this pillow from Fine Little Day for quite some time and finally found a place for it in my home! The new lighter curtains from West Elm have really freed me up to use color in new ways in the space. They also make the whole room feel brighter and airier and I'm really happy about the choice! I also love the texture the origami pillow adds to the space. I'd like to eventually replace the end table. It was an old hand-me-down nightstand that we sanded and repainted, but it still isn't really our style. I'd love a more open lighter mid-century style table, but we do need the storage (we keep Violet's diapers and wipes in there!)

You can't see the edge of the curtains very well in these photos, but it's a really pretty citrus yellow color and I love the subtlety of it. I'm also planning to create a painting to place below the television to help break up the orange and add another layer to the wall.

I think this picture gives a really good idea of where I'm headed with the space as far as color is concerned. Pinks, oranges, blacks, whites on a backdrop of buttery yellow. I'd also like to add in a few splashes of citrine here and there:

And if you look really closely you can see Moe hanging out in the background of this photo. It's one of his favorite perches (he can see all of the squirrels and birds in the bushes and trees that are right outside of the window!)

It's feeling a lot more bright and fresh to me and that's exactly what I'm looking for lately - it certainly makes the cold short winter days a lot more bearable.

So what do you think - is it an improvement?

xo,

Advice for a Crazy Person

She's got the face of an angel and the spirit of an imp, this child of mine. :) I can't believe that in a few short months she'll be two years old...mind blowing really. Each time I lift her out of her crib she feels a little bigger, a little heavier. I measured her when we went to get her passport photo this weekend - she's two-and-a-half feet tall - nearly half her mama's height.

We'll be leaving in July on an adventure. An adventure in which we'll be traveling halfway around the world to meet a new member of our family - an Aussie niece or nephew and cousin.

I think I'm probably crazy to take a two-year-old on a fourteen hour flight. It's very (very) possible I may regret the decision. But I know for a certainty that I would regret not going - not meeting this new baby; not helping my sister enter into new motherhood. It feels so important. She's my only sister, and she's worked very hard for this baby.

So the question is - how do you take a toddler with the stubbornness of a mule, the mischievousness of an imp, and the determination of a marathoner on a flight this long? I suppose you pray to God for mercy and hope that she sleeps like an angel.

And you hope that people will give you advice - good advice - amazing advice. So lay it on me people...I'm all ears.

xo,


a person who has surely lost her mind

Apologies + News

Hi all! Long time no see. My apologies for being MIA for the past week - I suddenly felt an overwhelming urge for a break. A break from all things technology - Twitter, Blogger, Instagram, Facebook, and yes - even Pinterest. I've barely checked my email and it felt, well, awesome. Does it ever all get to be too much for you? This crazy amount of information and connectedness that we're bombarded with each and every day?

On a fun note - my sister is pregnant!!! I'm going to be an aunt (again). This is her first and she is my only sister so it does feel a little different this time around though.

I'll be helping to plan her shower and with the design of her nursery so stay tuned for some fun baby nuggets here and there!

See you next week!

xo,

Friday Favorites 1.19.12

Have you seen Joanna Goddard's master bedroom makeover?! It was designed by none other than Jenny Komenda of Little Green Notebook and it takes my breath away. I would fall to sleep a happy woman every night in this space.

Nicole's new business cards are simply perfect.

Love all of Jessica's outfits but especially these neon numbers: one, two.

Sweet siblings.

The prettiest matchbooks (plus you can download the pattern and print it out for free!):

You "don't have to rely on a healthy body image or self-respect" with this amazing new beauty product.

Love this post on styling your children's clothing to make it last. Because they grow out of it so. darn. fast.

Carper diem Carpe a couple of Kairoses a day.


And lastly, for all of the mothers out there I have to add an excerpt from this beautiful, beautiful letter:

Dear mother of only one child, don’t blame yourself for thinking that your life is hard.  You’re suffering now because you’re turning into a new woman, a woman who is never allowed to be alone.  For what?  Only so that you can become strong enough to be a woman who will be left.


When I had only one child, she was so heavy.  Now I can see that children are as light as air.  They float past you, nudging against you like balloons as they ascend.

Dear mother, don’t worry about enjoying your life.  Your life is hard; your life will be hard.  That doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong—it means you’re doing it right.

xo,

Got Art?

A few months ago I featured one of my favorite artists, Lulie Wallace here on with two cats, and I'm happy to say that I now officially have one of her pieces hanging on my wall. If you suffer from the winter blues like me and need a way to brighten up your, art is the best way to do it!

There's so much color and life and wow! packed into that tiny little rectangle. It's truly amazing what some people can do with paint. I'm still playing around with the gallery wall in the back room - limited space and not enough for all of my favorites. I painted the one in the center but I still want to hang my landscape by Elijah Andrus as well...sigh. Too much art, too little wall space. I guess it's not the worst problem to have, right?!

Lulie is currently the featured artist over on Buy Some Damn Art and there's one painting left up for grabs! Or you can purchase directly from her website as well (which is what I did).

xo,

Breakfast in Bed

Not spending money on each other this year for Valentine's Day? Nothing says 'I love you' more than breakfast in bed - am I right? Here are a few ideas beyond your basic cup of joe:

one . two . three . four

xo,

Like the content here on with two cats? Help me keep it going by sponsoring for a month or two! Click here for more info.

xo,

For All of the Men Out There...

If your lady is like me and isn't into diamonds, maybe get her this sweetheart ring instead:

"To remind her of the love in her life." Sounds pretty perfect to me!

Go with the Flow

So if you haven't noticed, I've been trying to freshen up the H-Haus this year. Nothing major - our furniture will stay, the paint will stay; I'll just be replacing/adding a few key accessories here and there. One thing I always try to think about is if our home has 'flow'. That doesn't mean I want the rooms to be matchy-matchy, but that I do want it to make sense together. Can I take a pillow out of the living room and throw it on the sofa in the back room without it looking crazy?

I'm super visual, so one of my favorite things to do to see how things are coming together is to make a collage. I take photos of the H-Haus, products I'm considering purchasing, and inspiration photos and layer them together to see if it all 'works'. Sometimes I create the collage on a pinboard, sometimes with glue, and sometimes on the computer. This time I went with the computer (considering I have a one-and-a-half year old this tends to be the fastest, cleanest option!) and I'm pretty pleased with the results:

If you look closely you'll see pics of the back room, living/dining room, bathroom, and even Violet's big girl room here along with some products that I've mentioned recently on the blog. A few inspiration photos help to give me an idea of what else I still need. You can see one of the main colors I'm trying to incorporate is a 'grellow'. I love how it's just so fresh and it makes me happy!

Stay tuned, I'll be sure to keep you updated as things come together!

xo,

Anatomy of a Blog Post [001]

I get a ton of emails asking about how I create certain graphics for my blog, what programs I use to create layouts, etc. etc., so I thought maybe the information was post-worthy. First up is graphics. I create some of the graphics myself, but I also use a lot of freebies from other bloggers. Read on for more info (and a free download!):

We go together like...

Salt & Pepper . Meat & Potatoes . Eggs & Bacon . Bread & Butter . Milk & Cookies

I was taking another look at Knot & Bow and noticed these sweet engraved pencils! What a fun Valentine's gift for your other half, don't you think?

Etsy Love: Pillow Pairs

I've been on the hunt for a couple of cozy pillows for the back room, and the gorgeous patterns, colors, and textures of kilims have caught my eye. They look great paired together, or with a more graphic partner. Here are a few of my favorites from Etsy:

one . two . three . four . five . six . seven . eight

Which would you choose?

Instagramish 1.11.12

A few fun things

1. new polka dots from Old Navy!

2. we went on a factory tour the other day and Violet loooooved it. especially the hairnets.

3. sweet little artist

4. craigslist score for Violet's big girl room

5. my mom made a floor bed for Violet at her house the other day and it was a huge hit

6. violet's been really into cars lately. i've been really into her color wonder markers :)

you can see more snapshots of our little life over on instagram.
follow along with us and I'll follow along with you!

xo

Living Room Refresh

So I've been wanting to freshen up the living/dining area of the H-Haus lately. Nothing major - paint, furniture, etc. will stay the same but here's what I'm thinking for the accessories:

I gave up on the other two sets of curtains and am now a fan of these ribbon-edged drapes from West Elm. My favorite pillow combination at the moment is pairing a textured solid pillow with a colorful patterned pillow. This throw is sooo me, but it's backordered until April! And I am currently coveting this painting by Kate Lewis. It's been sold, but I'm hoping I can paint something similar. Now I just have to see what the Hubster thinks. Wish me luck!

with two cats for Houzz.com: Create a Cozy Home for Winter

I don't know about you but I swear I suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder. Since I can't move south, I figure I have to warm up my home within! Click here to check out a few of my picks for Houzz.com to create a cozy home this winter season.

Simply Lovely 1.10.12

one

two

three

four

five

six

just a few things I find simply lovely

Etsy Love: Knot & Bow

Aren't these heart stickers from Knot & Bow just adorable?! I can think of a million ways to use them.

Maybe for Valentine's Day?

xoxo,

At least one of which I know I will be able to keep...

Just a few things that have been rattling around in my brain that I'd like to accomplish in 2012. I'm sure of success on at least one point (turning 30), so no fear of complete failure at least!

One of the things that has been most difficult for me in 2011 is finding a balance between motherhood, a full-time career, blogging, and maintaining a household. Generally the ball I end up dropping is the housework. I mean, the laundry is insane. I swear that if you only saw my bedroom, some days you'd think that I belong on an episode of Hoarders.

Problem is that having a messy home stresses me out. I'd like to have less stress, so I need to figure out a way to get things under control. I'm thinking a regular cleaning schedule, and a strict routine are the way to go. I've never been much of a schedule or routine person, but something has to change. If you have any suggestions for me I'm all ears!

Here's to 2012: The year of de-hoarding!

If I Had My Druthers...

Our master bedroom would look something like this:

charcoal velvet pillows, woodland floral pillows, yellow velvet pillow, metal footed clock, quartz terrarium, pomme pot, mid-century nightstand, felted foliage garland, sconce, antlers hook

I'm not sure how the husband would feel about the flowers or colors, but it's my taste for sure! I feel the need for happy & clean in my house these days.

What a Tease...

After arriving home from work yesterday, I hung up my coat, grabbed the mail (I love having a mail slot - no extra time spent in the freezing weather outside!), and plopped myself down on the couch. I was excited to see my new West Elm catalog, quickly flipped through it, and got really excited about two of the new drapery designs - the Diamond Links and Spring Bloom Embroidered window panels:

I've been lackluster about our cranberry-colored drapes in the living/dining rooms since we purchased them, but nothing has excited me enough to consider replacing them until now. Better yet, when I showed them to the Hubster at dinner, he immediately had the same thought as me (and that doesn't happen often!) Our process usually goes something more like: I find something I love, he shoots it down, and I keep looking until we (eventually decades later) come to an agreement. There have been a few other times the stars have aligned in this way - the curtains in Violet's nursery and the chalkboard wall in our back room to name a couple, but trust me that it doesn't happen often.

So after dinner I hopped on my computer to check them out on West Elm's site - only to find that they are 'no longer available!?' I mean, correct me if I'm wrong but I believe they are fairly new??? How have they been snatched up so quickly? Needless to say I am sooo disappointed. :/ Any ideas on how I missed the boat on this one?

West Elm I insist that you stop teasing me with your catalog if you don't have the stock to back it up. If you weren't one of my absolute favorite places to shop you'd be on my black list for sure.

And after the great incredibly frustrating rug search of 2011, I'm hoping history isn't going to repeat itself in 2012 in the form of window treatments! New Years Resolution No. 1: I will not waste hours of my life searching for window treatments online. There.

My first resolution to break.

xo,

H-Haus Year in Review & Goals for 2012: The Bathroom

Our longest running project has been the bathroom. We started working on it waaaay back before Violet was even born.

This room started out with an animal print border as well - this time a bath tub theme!

We ripped out the peeling fiberglass surround, linoleum and laminate flooring, and plastic fixtures and replaced them with subway and hex tile and a new shiny chrome faucet, handle, and showerhead.

After the bones of the room were complete, we started to focus on the decor. I came up with an idea board for the space:

We painted the room a deep, rich gray:

And added a few finishing touches:

Still to do:

• A few pieces of trim still need to be installed
• More art
• Some sort of window treatment
• A rug?

It's so funny that our smallest project turned out to take the longest. It makes me nervous for when we tackle the kitchen...another goal of 2012? (And the master bedroom could use some serious help as well).

So there you have it! Our three big projects of 2011. We're no Young House Love (our year of projects is probably equal to about a week of theirs), but we're slowly plugging along to make our little home a cozy one.

Here's to more steady progress in 2012!