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Friday, December 30, 2011

What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?



Tonight, we had a lovely dinner with my family at The National and then drinks at Trappeze. Fun fact: Trappeze used to be a coffee shop called Hot Corner, which is where M and I went on our first date!

Tomorrow, we are headed to Atlanta to spend New Year's Eve with M's family. What are you doing New Year's Eve? ;)



Tuesday, December 27, 2011

The Modern Bachelor

Yesterday afternoon, we went to see my brother's house. John is 21, and he lives in a house with two other college guys. I don't know about you, but when I think about my college dwelling places, good design is not something that even comes to mind. So when I stepped into my brother's house and saw the intentionality and careful thought that went into every detail, I was rather surprised. This further reinforces my belief in the power of good design, regardless of how much you spend. John's house didn't feel temporary. It didn't feel like a place where college students might live. It felt like a home. A manly bachelor pad? Sure. But also a home.

Here's one for the modern bachelor.


The front door.


The dining room. I love the National Geographic magazines and the mix-matched kitchen chairs.


Almost everything in the house was found at second-hand shops.


I think the vintage piano is my favorite thing in the house. Besides the light.


The mid-century credenza belonged to my Great Aunt May. I had my eye on it, but John got it first!


Vinyl collection in wooden produce crates.


The kitchen is such a cool, funky room. I love the blue.


The inside of the cupboard is painted a great melon color.



The living room. The wooden floors are painted a grey-blue.



I laughed when I saw that he had this print. John said, "Great life philosophy... Maybe not such a great wartime philosophy."


Love the milk glass.


The back yard. 



Hope you are all enjoying your holiday! We are cooking a pot of chili for dinner tonight, and I think we may watch a flick later.



Monday, December 26, 2011

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

{ha.}


I hope that your Christmas was merry and filled with joy! M and I are in Georgia, celebrating Christmas with our families. We arrived yesterday, just in time to have Christmas dinner with everyone in Atlanta, then we drove to Athens for the French Family Annual Secret Santa Swap. Today, we spent lots of time relaxing and snacking in my mom's kitchen, and then went to the movies {a day after Christmas tradition in my family}. We head to Atlanta to be with M's family New Year's Eve, and then back to Colorado in 2012. 

We wish you safe travels and a blessed holiday! xo.






Wednesday, December 21, 2011

All Is Bright

Monday night, when Morgan and I were out celebrating our anniversary, we took a stroll through Old Town Fort Collins. The trees were sparkling with twinkle lights, and there was this sort of mysterious hush in the air. It reminded me of one of the lines from the song "Silent Night" -- "All is calm, all is bright".



This year for Christmas, we are headed back to Georgia to celebrate with our families. We don't leave until Christmas morning, which is good because I still have a bit of shopping left to do...

Monday, December 19, 2011

Happy Anniversary


Today is our second anniversary! I really can't believe how quickly time passes. I know everyone says that, but it's true. Looking back through our wedding photos made me all teary-eyed. That was the most amazing day of my life.

To my husband: 
There are no words in any language that are adequate to express how much I love you. The past two years have been a gift. I look forward to the many more to come!



Friday, December 9, 2011

Who Wore It Better?

M and Baby Julia Bell at our staff Christmas party...


Yes, my husband is wearing footie pajamas. And yes, they are from the woman's section of Target.


Sunday, December 4, 2011

Hunting for a Christmas Tree

On Saturday, we went to Red Feather to find our Christmas tree. It was snowing, so the hunt felt particularly epic.




We found "The One".



We have been busy getting settled into our new house. I will post photos as soon as I have some!





Thursday, December 1, 2011

Over the Hills and Everywhere

My very talented brother was a part of an amazing collaboration called Over the Hills and Everywhere, an album of traditional Christmas songs with an entirely unique sound. Download for free here.





Friday, November 25, 2011

Happy Birthday, Mom!


You are the best friend a girl could have!
I love you with all my heart.


Thursday, November 24, 2011

Give Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving! We just finished a HUGE Thanksgiving feast with Morgan's family, and I am about to pass out. But first, here are some photos from our week together...


Over the river and through the woods...


... to Estes Park we go. Where elk roam the streets, apparently. 


Morgan, carving his very first turkey...


It was delicious!

Food, food, and more food...



... and the sun setting behind the mountains.



I am so thankful for our amazing family, our precious friends, and the healthy, blessed life we have been given. 


Happy Thanksgiving to all! 


Saturday, November 19, 2011

Have a Lovely Weekend


This weekend we will be packing up our apartment and getting ready to welcome our Thanksgiving guests. But first, we are going to enjoy a bag of Lamar's donuts.

Happy weekend! 


Friday, November 18, 2011

News

I'll give you a hint...


Yep. We're moving! We are leaving our cozy, little apartment behind and moving into a house!!!


Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Family Visit

My parents left yesterday morning, headed back to Georgia. It was a great visit, but I miss them already. While they were here, we ate at all our favorite Fort Collins restaurants, watched college football, had our annual Secret Santa Name Draw, played in the snow, and planned our next big family trip.

My family in all our 90's glory. Playing croquet in Maine.

My mom is planning to hike the Appalachian Trail this summer. She will leave in March and finish around Labor Day. She's amazing!
 

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Bedroom: Before and After

I am excited to say that we are finally finished with our bedroom make-over! Here are some photos from before...



Blah. So boring.


And after...


Our headboard! It turned out great, don't you think? And the grey on the walls really warms the space up.


We found this old print at the flea market. The dogs remind me so much of Sadie and Georgie. Plus, the colors are beautiful.



Sorry for the quality of the photos... they were taken with my phone. Overall, the space is much warmer and cozier. But best of all, I feel like it captures our combined style really well. There are some masculine details, like the tailored headboard and the wall art, but there are also plenty of feminine, girly touches - like the pops of color and metallic elements. Bling, if you will.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Twenty-Four









So far, twenty-four is giving twenty-three a run for its money... :)

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

DIY: Upholstered Headboard


Well, we finally did it. We finished our headboard. I am proud to say that it looks terrific. The project also turned out to be much easier than I expected. Keep reading if you are thinking about making your own...

Materials Needed:
1. Staple Gun (We used an Arrow JT-21... You can find it at Home Depot.)
2. Staples (Make sure you get the right size.)
3. Plywood in the desired shape / size of your headboard (You can have the wood cut to your exact dimensions by one of the fabulous guys at Home Depot.)
4. Fabric (You will need enough to cover the entirety of the plywood, plus extra to fold over the edges... in other words, your fabric should be slightly larger than your plywood.)
5. Scissors 
6. Upholstery tacks
7. Hammer 
8. Egg crate foam mattress (We used a full size mattress.)
9. A husband who is handy with tools and stuff. (Note: Husband optional.)


1. Lay the plywood down flat against the egg crate foam. (Make sure the wavy side of the mattress is facing up.)


2. Wrap the foam tightly around the plywood and staple in place. Fold at the corners. 


3. Spread the fabric out over the egg crate mattress. Smooth out any wrinkles. Staple fabric tightly in place. 


4. Position upholstery tacks around the edge of the headboard. Nail tacks evenly in place. (At the corners, make sure studs with holes overlap before hammering the nail in.) 


5. When you're finished, you can either mount the headboard onto the wall or create legs for the headboard to rest on. Since we are currently renting, Morgan screwed some legs into the plywood, so we wouldn't have to nail into the wall. 


Ta da! Pretty darn easy. The whole project took a couple of hours and cost approximately $100. I can't wait to share the finished product!

Monday, October 31, 2011

Have a Spooky Halloween


The "Headless Horseman" of Old Town, Fort Collins... spotted on my way to work this morning.


Morgan and I are headed out to a Halloween party. We were supposed to wear costumes, but we got busy. So, we will be going as That Lame Couple Who Didn't Wear Costumes. Later tonight, we may curl up on the couch and watch Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow

xo. 

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Snow!

Last night, it began to snow. And it didn't stop snowing.

Our backyard...


The pups were majorly excited.  They were running in circles like a couple of crazies.


Because of all the snow, M let me open my birthday present early... Fleece-lined snow boots from L.L. Bean. They kept my feet nice and cozy in the snow.


Stay warm out there!