how i will miss you orem

our old Victorian home 

she's missing an eyelash (shutter) but she's still pretty 

+ the community feel
+ oh the fireworks! how the fourth of july and summerfest have become my favorite summer days
+ how i can hear the clock in the center of town ring every hour in the daytime
+ the library. it's. the. best. (seriously)
+ terra mia (quattro formagi)
+ the scera theatre (i always feel that the theater opened only for me and no one else)
+ pioneer day (the folks get crazy in a good way)
+ the friendly people
+ of course my little Victorian home (you win the cute old house award)
+ the yard (we could never get that in California!)
+ being close to 2 malls (yup, that's important to me)
+ being real close to Target (also important and so dangerous at the same time)
+ walking distance to church
+ my friends
+ how close we were to the mountains (sure im not a mountain girl but this one's for ry)
+ actually make that- how we were close to everything. we are now spoiled.
+ the memories

moving!

colette & daddy getting some moving quotes

surprise! 
we are moving. i know i'm surprised too.
right now we are in the midst of packing and cleaning our whole house.
it's really overwhelming, but i know we can make it through!

so ta-ta for now and i'll be back once the dust settles.

$1 face-lift for ikea billy bookcase

i love the ikea billy bookcase. sure its modern-ish (my home is not very modern!) but it's affordable and works well in small spaces. a while ago, i started to get bored with the way the billy looked in my formal living room so i decided to change it up with:

some cute giftwrap in the dollar section from target

i only used one roll! 

stole this idea from pam. love her blog!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

then with the accessories layered in:

what's on each shelf?

family photo, vintage silver candle pot, tarnished julep cup

blue & white vintage vase from my mom, photo of sis & me, pink flower candle holder from alice lane

stacked woven baskets

blue glass jars and potterybarn calligraphy brush

old books and family photo

colette's toy bin

not too bad for $1 right?

im happy with the way it turned out- and so is my wallet

ps: click here for a funny read

shabby chic dining

sharon osbourne's dining room via shabby chic

a great blend of shabby and chic

love the tiffany blue peaking in the back with the drapes

lisa vanderpump's dining room from a touch of luxe

can you imagine it overflowing with light pink roses everywhere?

so pretty!

ruffled tablecloth via shabby chic couture 

ruffles are my favorite

so girly and so over-the-top 

looking forward to buying vintage china and using it daily

maybe i should wait till the kiddos get older?

ill think about it :)

dream house decor

one of my favorite blogs to get design inspiration is 6th Street Design School

last week kirsten featured pictures from the blog dear lillie

this is pretty much my dream decor

love it!!!

since i like so many different colors i get a little "stuck" when it comes to picking and sticking to a palette

then i end up choosing more neutral tones where i can add or subtract color whenever i want

what do you think?

all from the beautiful blog dear lillie 

autumn mantle decor

new decor for fall 

yippee!

i added some decorative fall berries to the greenery 

covered up the vase with autumn themed paper

and added a silk orange bow

in the clear apothecary jars

i switched it up with pine cones and some mini pumpkins

when thanksgiving is over ill just remove the pumpkins to make it more winter-y

bath and body works candles for fall and winter

in my opinon, Slatkin & CO. candles sold at bath and body works are the best! the 3-wick ones especially- they are so strong and the scents they come out with are fantastic. 

leaves

perhaps my most favorite candle of them all!

it just smells of fall and if it was seasonally appropriate i would burn this all year round. in fact, maybe i will!

months i like to burn it: september, october, november, early december

bbw description: Autumnal notes of golden nectar, juicy mandarin and red delicious apple are paired with toasted cinnamon stick, mulled cider spices and freshly harvested red berries.

acorn and fig

the salesman recommended it to me. he loved it because it is unique, more on the masculine side and just smells like going on a hike. i agree! it is a great fall fragrance that is a nice departure from the more generic (but still lovely) pumpkin, cinnamon, vanilla and apple-style mixes.

months i am planning on burning it: october, november, early december

bbw description: A medley of fresh apricot, juicy pear and fig blended with fresh cut Birchwood and creamy sandalwood.

marshmallow fireside

okay- doesn't it just sound wonderful? marshmallow fireside. yum. it smells pretty divine and now im wishing that i stocked up with more. typically i am not a fan of sweet fragrances, but this scent is not too sweet. the fireside part counters the sweetness just right.

months im planning on burning it: october, november, december

bbw description: Toasted marshmallows and sweet vanilla cream wrapped in the aroma of rich smoldering woods.

fresh balsam

this is our first Christmas in a house! which means our first Christmas tree! we have a fake one that we are super excited to put up but nothing beats the smell of a real Christmas tree. so as a pretty great substitute this fresh balsam candle will be burned throughout the holiday season. it smells fantastic! so-piney!

months im planning on burning it: december

bbw description: Crisp, clean balsam fir blends delightfully with fresh eucalyptus and sweet pine and layered with notes of bright apple, cedarwood and musk.

the winter candle selections have not come yet, but i can't wait! like i mentioned earlier, i typically don't like sweet sweet scents, but the mint chocolate and hot chocolate candles were tempting me greatly. ry was proud i did not give in- he is not a fan of sugar!

shopping tip: wait for the 2 for $20 candle sale. they happen every so often- sign up for their emails so you get the notification in your inbox! 

charming house: painting fireplace tile

goodbye 80's pink-purple tile

who chose this tile?

ugly!

used some frog-tape to outline it

first coat: glidden gripper grey

last coat of martha stewart cement grey in level 2 high gloss

did two coats of the cement grey

will i paint tile again?

probably not!

i felt that this was like a last ditch effort 

to lose the 80's tile

without putting in the work of re-tiling it all

maybe in a few years i will get to ripping it out

but for now i am happy

living room reveal pics to come

serene living room: lamps and extras

in the process of decorating the living room 

i decided to unify the lamps and extras that are currently very mismatched

we have one tall lamp (wedding gift)

a small finial ($3)

a vintage table lamp ($4)

used some foil and frog tape to protect the areas i did not want sprayed

ta-da!

silver united

i did two shades of silver

a brushed nickel and a very shiny silver

funny thing about spray paint is that once you spray paint one thing

you end up spray painting other things too

see the family sign?

that used to be white which before that was black

yea for spray paint

i whipped out a lot of my mismatched frames and decided to spray them as well

pics of the finished living room to come

exciting, no?

updates

via

this is what i am currently wanting to eat all the time

no- not pregnant- this is just normal me

house/garden updates:

- fixed some electrical problems

- i now know that electricians cost a lot (yikes)

- but now i have my dryer working again (yea)

- have put most of the plants in the garden 

- a few herbs and other plants still need to be placed in the ground

- there are so many scary bugs (makes me want ry to be around)

- the raspberry roots are doing well (thank goodness)

- found curly parsley randomly growing in the midst of some rocks

- purple pansies were growing in the oddest space of the patio

- planted walla walla onions. just because i love saying "walla walla"

fun pics to come- there has not been much time to sit and download all the photos i have taken. the garden has consumed me with all the work that needs to be done. 

***and great news***

my little brother will be serving in the Salt Lake City Mission. my family and i are beyond excited/happy/nervous. haha. more details in the coming weeks. so proud of my little brother!

kitchen makeover ideas please

a picture of the dining room

pretty bay windows

a picture of the kitchen

a whole makeover can cost upwards of $10,000

yikes!

a bit much for us right now

so i want to do the smaller things that have big impact 

like painting

a few pictures of the kitchens i adore

via

via

via

do you have any good ideas to share? 

please help im stumped

charming house: living room before

here is the before

the after won't come for a little while

there are a lot of things i would love to change about this room

the light fixture (not in photo)

the tile around the fireplace

the couch (not that i dont like mr. stripes)

the lamp shade

the bookcase

okay so pretty much everything 

what i have changed so far:

added a loveseat

subtracted the striped couch

added two single chairs

added a ottoman

subtracted the bookshelf

added a slimmer bookshelf

moved mr. computer

let the calla lily plant die (i know, tragic, but it had to happen)

put up some photos on the bare walls

via

i really like this photo above

but with more softer colors that go more feminine 

no pink though!

surprise surprise 

goals:

somewhat kid-friendly

feminine but not over the top

calming and relaxing (not too much jolts of color)

nice lighting that can be changed up (dimmer?)

silk drapes ($$$ i know, but we will see)

a nice impact on the mantle (maybe a big mirror?)

lots of seating

still waiting/thinking about:

one more bigger couch

more rearranging

dreaming up some window treatments

wishing for a sisal rug

a new ceiling color (something with a sheen. pearly glow to reflect more light)

hope you have a happy wednesday!!!

springtime family photos

in celebration of springtime and our first home we decided to take some family photos

 M of lemonpeel studios is my choice photographer

M is ah-may-zing

she will make you laugh and set you at ease

its hard not to have a good time with M

seriously

take a look at their website

it will make you smile

see another photo shoot with me here 

our charming victorian home

complete with cherry blossoms

...swoon...