a peek at my humble abode

I really believe that style translates to the home.  Mixing patterns, coordinating colors and accessorizing all need to happen to create a beautiful space.  As I've told my husband a million times, a home is not just a building with rooms.  It's the place where we raise our children; it's where memories are created; it's where we feel comfortable just being us; and it reflects our personalities.  I hope you enjoy this little peek at some of my favorite little nooks around our place.

This is our side table in our family room.  And there's a coffee book for everyone!  Vogue covers is for me, Dr. Seuss' art is for Talinn and Planet Earth is for my nature nut husband.  I think these say a lot about us and our diverse interests!

This is a fun little accent in our kitchen.  I pulled out some colorful, striped straws for summer cocktails and drinks. 

One of our go-to's for artwork is photos.  We aren't professional photographers but we love to showcase our work.  We have a huge hallway that has black and white photos from all of our travels.  We took this wasted space and made our own story out of it.  

Our living room is definitely our prettiest space by far.  I love all the little details in it.  

The pieces in the background are tin ceiling tiles from old Chicago buildings.  And the tea cup was a gift from my grandmother.  She took a few from her collection and gifted them to all the women in my family.  I love how pretty and perfect this one is.  She definitely knows my style!

The artwork in this photo is a rendition of North Avenue in Chicago.  And the old film camera belonged to my husband's grandmother.  I love that it has a place of honor in our home, especially since photography is so important to us.

And of course I need a pretty little place for my jewelry.  This is my last stop each morning.

My favorite room is Talinn's.  I think it's so whimsical and fun...just what a nursery should be!  The quilt was handmade by my grandma and mother.  And the T was painted by me.

This was my favorite idea for T's room.  It's still in progress but it's a gallery wall with photos of our family as children.  In this shot, there are photos of my father, my mother and my grandfather.  I think it's such a cool way to share history.

We've definitely made this little space our own.  It's not all mass produced items...a lot of what makes it special is what we found and created ourselves.

I hope you like it!  

What are some of your favorite little nooks or details in your home?

Loving: This and That

Okay apparently I am loving a lot lately!  I just kept adding more and more stuff to this collage.  And I love it all!  There's a little for T and a little for me.

- Little boy jacket, sweater, shorts and shoes: All of these darling treasures are from Zara.  I have been eyeing their kid's clothing for a long time.  And now that they are online I can finally get them!  Be sure to check out these little girls' picks: dress, romper, top and shoes.  Ah, so cute!

- These little cardboard foxes are amazing!  They are perfect entertainment for little kids and the cutest decoration for a little bit of whimsy in your child's room.  I can't wait to break these out for Talinn!

- How cute are these star crayons?  I think they might be perfect for T's little hands and may not break as easily.  I kind of want to give them a shot!

- We just go this rug from Land of Nod for T's room.  It's amazing!  The graphic print is perfect for the colorful, whimsical feel of his bedroom.  

- This magazine holder is a perfect touch for any room.  The detail is perfection.  

- I just got these chevron shades from Target.  I paired them with bright red lamps in our living room.  They are so fun and bold and on sale!

- We've been on the hunt for a knife block.  I love the look of this one.  West Elm always has such great accents.

- These candlesticks are perfect!  They have just the right touch of rusticity.  

- I think it's fun to have a little bit of fun in your decor and this ferris wheel does just that.

- This scarf from J. Crew is on my wish list.  I love the accent of bright orange with the leopard print.

- Again Zara.  Man oh man I just love what they have.  The print on this shirt is pure perfection.

- I just happened on these Etsy bracelets and I adore them!  The colors are so fun and perfect for summer.  

- I recently got one of these bracelets from The Way We Are.  She has such amazing pieces!  I've been wearing mine every day.

- I've been on the search for a bubble necklace.  This one is perfect!  And not too bad on the wallet.

Gallery Walls: Easy as One, Two, Three

I've always loved the way that gallery walls look, but I've never actually had the gumption to do one.  They always seemed like too much work.  But our master bedroom was in dire need of some sprucing up, so I decided to do a bit of a makeover.  We've lived in our condo for about two years now and every room is in pretty good shape but our bedroom.  I think it's because no one sees it, so I just didn't put any effort into it.  But it was past time.  We had this huge empty wall opposite our bed and we have a year of family photos so enter: gallery wall.  I used the image below as inspiration.  

Image via Cup of Jo

I loved this gallery wall because it really spoke about Joanna's family.  The pairing of the frames is unexpected perfection.  It tells a story and I love that.  

I spent awhile collecting all the frames so I got the look I wanted and I sort of played around with the layout but really I just went for it.  I've seen people who have really detailed ways of creating a gallery wall where they get a huge piece of paper, trace all the frames on to the paper, then hang the paper and put the nails in the appropriate places.  I didn't think that would get the look I was going for so I just kind of winged it.

I think I'd eventually like to add a few more frames to make the look a bit more cohesive, but overall I'm very happy with it.  I think it tells a story and adds a little something to our bedroom.  As far as the frames go, I went for a mix.  I wanted to add a pop of color here and there and the red and blue frames do that. Then I just mixed in varying sizes of neutral frames.  

I still need to paint the natural frame navy blue, but you know how projects like that get pushed to the back burner!  Here's the finished product where my dresser isn't cleared of all it's clutter.

I really think this project is pretty easy.  If you are like me and see gallery walls and think: I can't do that.  You are wrong, I did it and so can you!

Sampling of my frames came from:

White washed frame- Pottery Barn

Center large black frame with matting- Pottery Barn

Red frames- Blick

Light blue antique frame and dark blue frame- Four Sided (a nearby boutique frame store)

Square dark wood frame- Pottery Barn

Natural frame- JoAnns

Hello Pretty: Swan Table!

I love this side table.  I think it would look perfect in my living room.  It's unique and the price is right!

{Swan Side Table, Serena & Lily}

Hello Pretty: Chevron Poufs!

My family room is a bit one note.  It's all turquoise and neutrals, so I'm feeling the need to spice things up.  As you know, I've already got my eye on this perfect yellow-orange Greek Key fabric for a tablecloth. 

And now I'm thinking, two of these chevron poufs would complement everything nicely.  They would go right in front of our black entertainment center and have a dual purpose: 1) to bring in another pattern and 2) to serve as an obstacle course so a certain little boy has a harder time getting into trouble!

{black and white chevron pouf, West Elm}