Living Room Crush

I've got a big ol' crush on this living room I stumbled across on Pinterest a few weeks ago! It's so light and pretty, and is both colorful and neutral all at the same time. It's what I crave for my own living room.

Truth be told, my mind is more consumed with home decor these days than it is fashion. As you might remember, we bought a house back in October. Of course I was filled with the best of intentions and planned on redecorating and refurnishing everything - which as we all know, takes a lot of time and money! So I have slowly but surely been adding bits and pieces to make this house a home. I have also been going through a bit of a home decor style identity crisis, after realizing much of what I love borders on teenage girl and was in fact, not the look I was going for.

Have any of you ever experienced that? What you're immediately drawn to is not always what you really want? (Like how I'm also immediately drawn to party dresses, and they're not practical at all for most of life!)

Balancing white, light & airy without making it cold and stark has proven difficult for me. Hoping to someday show you my own space, but for now I'll keep lusting over rooms I find on pinterest - speaking of which, you can check out my home decor inspiration board here! 

Living Room Inspiration

Throws one & two / Couch / Candle / Pitcher / S&P Shakers / Kitchen Towel / Paint / Rug / Media Stand

Happy Monday, friends! I hope you all had a great weekend! We continued to work away unpacking and setting up our new home - which seems never ending but I know we'll get there eventually! 

I think anytime you move to a new place you get that itch to redecorate and start fresh, but I feel like it's 10x more intense when you buy a place, because you know you will be there for years & years. Above is my vision of what I'd love my living area to look like. We just painted our kitchen/dining area the paint color above (Smoke by Benjamin Moore) which opens into our living room (which we just painted white) and we are probbbbbably going to invest in the couch above as well, which I think will just transform the whole living space. I will be happy to ditch my 10 year old "first purchase out of college" couch - it has definitely seen better days and the sectional will just suit the space so much more! Plus will make a comfy cozy movie-watching spot to have friends over this winter! 

Speaking of winter we have a crunchy slushy layer of white on the ground already. And so it begins. 

Making a House a Home

Surprise! We bought a house! We've had this in the works the last couple months but for some reason didn't want to say anything here on the blog or on social media until it was 100% done! We closed on Friday, and I am so excited to settle into our little 1950's post-war house. It's little & cute, it's got lots of character, but has been totally renovated so feels nice & new at the same time. I think we will be very happy there and, as you can imagine, I have been perusing pinterest like crazy looking for decor inspiration.

We spent the whole weekend painting (note: painting a kitchen is hard! So many awkward angles!) and I'm thrilled with the results. Now comes the big job - actually moving! Ack. We have a lot of hard work ahead of us but I just wanted to pop in and share my excitement with you! You can find our cheesy "first home" photo here. ;) 

Hope you all had a great weekend! xo! 

Painted Pumpkins

Thanksgiving is on Monday here in Canada, and I spotted these adorable painted pumpkins on pinterest (originally from Chatelaine Mag) and thought they were too cute not to share! How cute would these be for the center of your Thanksgiving dinner table? Or even as decor for your fall wedding?

Speaking of weddings, that is exactly how I'll be spending my Thanksgiving weekend - at my good friend's wedding! I am super excited. 

I've yet to decide if I'll cook a turkey later in the weekend or not. I always start by saying "Oh, I don't know if I'll do it this year..." and then I end up cooking one anyway. It feels like so much effort for just the two of us (we aren't spending it with family this year) but at the same time, turkey dinner is just so damn delicious. So these gorgeous little pumpkins won't be gracing my dinner table this year, but I'll certainly keep them in mind for years I'm actually hosting! 

I am verrrry much looking forward to the long weekend! Happy Thursday! 

Home Decor Love

Sources: one / two / three / four / five / six / seven / eight

Lately I've been thinking a lot about home decor and growing more and more aware that my home does not reflect me or my style at all in its current state. Flipping through my home decor pinterest board, it's pretty darn clear what I like: bright white spaces, black & white prints, and splashes of hot pink/fuchsia. Which is pretty much in line with my style when it comes to clothing as well!

So whhhhhy is this barely reflected in my own home? Granted, I live in a rented townhouse, so I'm pretty sure my walls are stuck in their neutral cream color, but otherwise there's no excuse. So blog world, I just thought  maybe if I posted this, I'd finally take some steps towards creating a home that feels a lot more 'me' (and hoping that the fella likes all the 'me' reflected throughout the house! Ha!)

First on the list is new bedding, reupholstering my dining chairs, and finally framing a large print I've had since September that's still not hung. 

Are your personal style and your home decor style in line with each other? 

If you have any inspirational photos or items that fit my little inspiration board above (Like "Hey Kate, you should buy these pillows! They're so you!") feel free to leave some links in the comment section! I'm on a mission, and as always, would love your input! 

Decor Dreams

As most of you know, I'll be kicking off 2012 by moving back to the city I call home!(For those of you who don't, the quickest synopsis ever: moved to SJ in February because the fella got a new job. Never took to new city, with the exception of a few great girls and a cute farmer's market. Missed home terribly. Fast forward 10 months and Shawn got laid off. A semi-bummer, but blessing in disguise, as this means we can move back to the city we love. Icing on the cake? He just scored an amazing new job! Things are falling into place!) 

Sure, moving on New Years Day is less than ideal, but I'm hoping to somehow still manage to pack a truck on NYE day, drive to Fredericton, throw on a party dress and toast to the new year with my favorite girlies, and wake up the next morning ready to move into our new place! There's something about moving that instantly puts you in redecorating mode, and I can't help but dream about decorating our new home! 

I am envisioning something warm & feminine - black & white graphic prints, cozy faux fur throws, metallics, mirrors, candles & girlie accents. My mom (a seamstress, by trade) is making us vertically striped black & white curtains as our Christmas gift which I am SO excited about! I have dreamed of them for months! What are you loving in the home decor world?

(Sources: Adore Magazine, Made by Girl, Pier 1, Willa Skye Home, Bath & Body Works, Dragon88)