a video: our easter 2015

In the past I have felt like if things weren't just so I couldn't post them, but I think I've missed out on documenting a lot of our life the last year because of it.
I love seeing beautiful things but I have come to realize more and more how the ordinary and the messy is beautiful in its own right.
I decided to take a few video clips of our Easter Sunday and then put them together in a video.
Pictures are fun, but video just has so much life to it.
In this video we've all got major bedhead, the house is a wreck, the girls are in their last-resort-because-we-need-to-do-laundry jammies and our yard is a mess, but hey, we had such a beautiful day with people we love and I'm so grateful I'll have this to remember it by.

before and after: living room

I really wanted our living room to be bright and comfortable but after buying our house we were working on a tight budget,

I knew from experience that there were lots of ways I could cut costs but I also felt strongly about not cutting corners on some big items, like couches, that would hopefully last us a loooong time.

I still don't feel like the space is complete (I'm not sure I ever will), but because lots of our pieces were inexpensive I don't think I'll feel too badly about switching some of them out down the road if I find things I like better.

And I'm not in love with our bitsy tv on top of the piano, but it works for now especially when I need a shower and want to anchor Minnie with a show for a minute.

I went with white paint (big surprise...I'm having a serious moment with white), but the minute we painted over the blue and tan I felt like the space opened up and brightened up infinitely.

I was afraid the room would feel way too, um....white, but by painting some furniture, the front door, and adding colorful pillows and art I felt like it offset it just how I wanted it to.

So, if you're just dying to know where I got everything, here is a quick run down of the room:

Piano and bench: we found for $275 on KSL classifieds from a cute old couple. I painted the bench. I'm still thinking about painting the piano but I'm not sold on a color yet.

Couches: We got these from Down East Outfitters. They weren't cheap but we got them on a holiday weekend so they were an additional 10% off

Rug: rugsusa.com where most rugs are often 50% off

Dining table: This was originally $900 from West Elm but we got it at Down East Outfitters on clearance for $100

Dining chairs: Got these free from Robert's mom's neighbor

Lamps: Standing one is from Ikea and table lamp is from TJ Maxx...how I love both of those stores!

Coffee table: Ikea (I want to get a new one soon)

Side table: I got this thrift shopping for $5 and then painted it using paint the previous owners had left

Curtains: TJ Maxx

Pillows: The green one is from TJ Maxx and the long black and white one is from Ross but all the others are pillow covers from H&M home online for a steal! The couches came with lots of pillows that I didn't like so pillow covers were the answer.

Throw: Pottery Barn

Picnic basket: $8 from DI

Frames: Most of these are from DI for $2 or less. I looked for frames with mats and then painted the frames and the mats white. All of the other frames are from Target or Ikea.

Artwork: I bought a few pieces at art markets, thrifted a few and painted the flowers, ampersand and flamingo myself. 

Hallway rug: Urban Outfitters

Vases: thrifted, a gift and the small one is from H&M Home

Crocheted flowers: A gift from a friend who owns this cute shop on Etsy

Placemats: $3.50 from TJ Maxx

kitchen update

So far the kitchen is about the only room in our house that I feel like is almost complete.
Most of our walls are bare because I am having serious commitment issues regarding art and accessories.
The kitchen still isn't totally finished but I have to say that it has quickly become one of my favorite spaces in our house since we painted.

I'm not sure what it is right now but I am slightly in love with white.
I just feel like it is so fresh and clean.
When I told my mom over the phone I was going to paint the majority of our walls in the house white I swear I heard her jaw hit the floor.
I was the girl who converted my white-wall-loving parents to color enthusiasts and they now have a house full of non-white walls.
My sophomore year of high school I pulled out a picture of a startling orange room from a Pottery Barn catalog and told my parents that this was the color I'd like to paint my new room.
My jaw probably hit the floor when the two of them agreed and my dad spent a day painting it with me.

And now, more than 10 years later, here I am with a house full of white walls.
Interesting how the tables turn, eh?
But gosh, isn't a white kitchen just the prettiest thing you've ever seen?
The beige motif going on before we painted the walls and the cabinets was more than I could handle.
Those light oak cabinets? Bleh!
And whoever invented cabinets without handles or knobs should be sued immediately.

I'm still not in love with the backsplash, the counters or the floor but ever since we painted everything white they all somehow seem a lot less beige and a lot more palatable.
They are all still on our "when we have more money we'll change this" list but I don't mind them for now.
I also am not a big fan of our old, white appliances, but they also fit on the list I mentioned above.
I'll be dreaming of stainless steal until then.

The one thing I was especially nervous about with our kitchen was the lack of counter space.
As you can see in the before picture there was a little eat-in counter under the window but it was so narrow and weird and was way too low to provide any additional counter space.
I scoured KSL classifieds for an island of some sort to come to our rescue and by some miracle we found this white one for $40.
Those things don't typically sell for less than $100 (and that's if you're lucky) but I was the first one to call the seller and even though he had dozens of callers after me offering even more than $40, that gem of a man held to his word and kept it for me for $40.
And the thing has worked perfectly for the space and I couldn't imagine our kitchen without it.
The huge window above it lets so much light in and makes the space feel so much bigger and brighter.
And the fact that there's a bit of a mountain and lake view doesn't hurt too much either.

So after so many more paragraphs than I ever intended to write about our kitchen...here she is in all her glory.
I am so happy with the finished product and can't wait to share more home updates once I finally bite the bullet and start hammering some nails in the walls to get all our pictures up.