Beat the Monday Blues | June 29

I hope you all had a great weekend! It's always hard to head back to work Monday when you're looking forward to a holiday, but I'll have another post later this week about all things 4th of July-related. 

HOUSE GAWKING

Another great renovation by Change & Co. was featured on desire to inspire of a townhouse in Brooklyn. The architectural details in this place make me a little weak in the knees.

FOR KICKS AND GIGGLES 

This Buzzfeed quiz is genius: Who Said It: Kanye West or Jean-Ralphio Saperstein? I did not score 100%. I didn't even score 80%. It was the best thing of my life.

TRIED AND TRUE RECIPE

We are always looking for a new side dish, and this one was fantastic! Sometimes, green beans can be a little boring, you know? Just... blah. The lemon and dill were an especially great combination, very bright and fresh.

FOR YOUR NEXT CRAFTERNOON

How cute it this American flag runner from Everyday Dishes? Even better - it's really easy to make! Here's the tutorial.

AND A GIFT FOR YOU...
LADY LUX has an amazing 4th of July playlist that is the perfect thing to get your party hopping. 


*** Make sure to check back later this week for some 4th of July photos tips! ***

A Quick Trip to San Francisco

Before I move on to showing off the "Stage 1" of our new apartment, I wanted to share a couple of pictures from our recent trip. We headed out west for my brother's wedding in Salt Lake. Amazingly, I did not take a single picture of the festivities! There was just sooooo much prep work and then - BAM -  a two-hour reception was over like that! And it was like 40 degrees and raining right after the ceremony, so I didn't get any outside the temple either. :/ I'll have to share some when the official photographer has finished with them.

But! After the wedding, we were able to drive out and spend a few days with Layne's brother and our sister-in-law in San Francisco. We had an amazing time gorging ourselves on sourdough from Boudin, pastries from Tartine, and even got to meet Tyler Florence at his restaurant Wayfare Tavern. (He was SO nice!) Amanda had planned out a perfect itinerary for us that we followed to a tee as we explored the city.

There are more pictures on my Instagram, but here are a few of my favorite snaps.

The Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market.

 Painted Ladies.

View from Coit Tower. 

Amanda and me freezing our butts off at the top of Twin Peaks.

And here is a special gift for you... Layne's favorite picture of the entire trip.

Me, in all my glory, stuffing my face at Nick's Crispy Tacos. 

Beat the Monday Blues | June 8

Hey all. Just checking in to say that I hope you're having a great day, despite the fact that it is a Monday and - therefore- sucks inherently just a little bit. Here are my finds from the weekend to brighten your day.

FOR YOUR NEXT CRAFTERNOON

Crushing hard on this DIY instagram frame from ling yeung b. I don't have a ton of wall space in the new apartment with those windows (no complaining!), but the wall along the stairs in the entryway is conspicuosly blank...

TRIED AND TRUE RECIPE 
We made these lemon ricotta pancakes for Mother's Day a few weeks ago and I can't stop thinking about them. I'm not even a ricotta fan, but these pancakes were phenomenal. nom nom nom

HOUSE GAWKING 

This renovated brownstone. I swear - it speaks to my soul. And what it says is "Come live in me, you know you want to." And I do. Very much. Make sure to check out the little girl's nursery!

BREAKING NEWS

 If you haven't already - stop everything and go check out the Studio McGee Home Collection. If you follow Studio McGee (and you really, really should) then you've probably seen peeks of these fabrics in some of the recent reveals.

AND A GIFT FOR YOU

Dream Green DIY has these amazing FREE modern botanical printables- she did them herself believe it or not! So grateful that she's generous enough to share!

Apartment B

So... since we last checked in, we've moved! Just across the street and up a few blocks, but it was enough. Enough to change my commute, which church we go to, the streets we take routinely. In other words, it was just enough to shake things up a little. A total breath of fresh air.

Now we live in a house. In a neighborhood. With a yard. After three+ years of apartment living, the little suburban girl in my heart is doing cartwheels of joy. The house is divided into two apartments, and we have the second floor apartment. You go up a flight of stairs in the backyard and then enter... my happy place.

It's a suuuuuper old house so it has a lot of character and I am in love with every little corner of it. These are the quick shots I took as we pulled up with a moving van of our stuff, but hopefully it gives you a good sense of the space.

You walk in and there's a little landing, a small flight of stairs, and then you're in the main apartment and the kitchen is off to the left.

Walk-in pantry - holla! Our last kitchen was literally only large enough for one person to turn in a circle, so even though the cabinets and appliances are really basic, we can't believe the S P A C E. Plus - original hardwood floors. Swoooon... Around the corner is the living room, with the best natural light and JUST LOOK AT THOSE WINDOWS! I am in love. 

Off the living room is a hallway that leads to the bathroom and second bedroom. Down another hallway off the living room is the master. My 6'3" ceiling may hate the sloped ceiling, but I just think it's sooooo cozy.

I love every single inch of this space and the crazy character in every room. Can't wait to make this place our own room by room. Stay tuned to see what I've done so far!