I saw this resolution list on Pinterest and thought it was an amazing place to start… some simple, easy, attainable goals (drink more water, which I desperately need) and some aspirational but still easy resolutions (hug the ones I love, find the best in others).

It got me thinking about what I want 2014 to be…

This year, I want to simplify.

Refocus.

Be less stressed.

Enjoy the little moments.

Be happy.

Do something active. Every day…

…and not beat myself up when I miss a day.

Focus on making time for the people I love.  Quality time.  Reaching out.  Being proactive about making the people closest to me know how important they are to me.

I want to get a dog.  I will get a dog.

I want to focus on trying new things…

Try one new restaurant a month. Plan small weekend trips with friends and my honey.

Be Grateful. Every day.

It’s going to be a good year… I just know it.
xo

Happy New Years Eve my friends!!

I know I’ve been completely absent for the past few weeks, but I have to say… it felt GOOD to completely check out like that.  It’s been all about enjoying family, friends, and recovering from the worst cold/flu that is still lingering after almost three full weeks.

While this blog is a little pet project of mine, my favorite thing about it (aside from seeing it grow, and making all sorts of fun blog friends) is the self reflection.  The ability to document our life, and look back at the end of each year.  Without getting all ooey-gooey, I wanted to look back at some of the most popular posts from 2013…

My DIY Roman Shade is at the top of that list… not just for this year but for all time on my little blog.  I still get emails and comments from readers about how I sewed on the loops, or what brackets I used to mount.  I’m happy to say that this little roman shade is still going strong in our hallway, and it’s still one of the projects I’m most proud of.

A close runner up was the Dresser turned TV Stand.  And I mean… I can’t be surprised!! Who DOESN’T love a good Ikea hack??

We love everything about this dresser – it’s super functional, hiding a TON of stuff that hoarders like me can’t part with, it has cute little lion heads for the pulls, and the ultra-marine blue paint is so rich and pretty.

Oh yeah… and we can see our TV when we’re laying in bed now.  LOVE!

You guys also loved The X-bench Makeover… possibly the easiest and most satisfying DIY I worked on this year because it took me maybe an hour to complete.  There is something to be said for instant gratification my friends!

The benches are super functional and have added additional seating to our living room; they are super solid, and have been holding up well, and I am still absolutely loving the grey chevron fabric I went with.

I’d say that’s a win!

If the x-benches were the easiest and least labor intensive DIY of 2013, my next project was just the opposite.  The post I get privately emailed about most often is the Upholstered Headboard with Nailhead Trim which took me and my parents a full weekend, and quite a few curse words to complete.

Regardless of the time it took, it was well worth it to me – it’s perhaps my favorite project I’ve worked on to date.  I am so thrilled with how it turned out, and I think about it every day when we make the bed, or when we lean back against it to read or watch TV at night.

It’s mainly laziness that keeps me from writing up the full DIY, but that’s a goal I’ll be carrying with me into 2014…

I SWEAR… it’s coming!

And finally, my Cheap-o Wine Rack Makeover rounds out the list of most popular posts of 2013.

Things got real when I my best friend called me and said that my house showed up on Google as she was searching for a wine rack.

It got even more real when I was on Pinterest and saw my wine rack in our living room “pinned” from some random woman.

I was so excited I just had to screen shot it and send it to everyone I knew…

All in all it’s been a really great year, but I’m ready to say goodbye to 2013.

It started out rough with Kris’ accident, but got better as it went. It was hard watching my love be hurt and sick – lots of late nights, lots of hospital and ER visits, and lots of stress.  Thankfully he’s well again, and the long nights are just memories now.

It was a year of new beginnings… starting a new job, getting out of my comfort zone, and working harder than I knew I could. Again, lots of late nights, travel, and stress… a few tears and weak moments when I feared I’d made the wrong decision, but I’ve come out stronger and happier than I thought I could be.

This year didn’t have any big exciting moments – no huge vacations, or big life changes.  I was talking with girlfriends the other day about 2013, and I think we all agreed that it was a year of transition.  A year with heartache, and new – sometimes scary – beginnings.  My theory is that 2013 was the year to set up 2014… a year that is going to be filled with big changes, like learning to live with my best friend on the other side of the country, a year of making another house our home, and another year with the love of my life.

Sayonara 2013… I’m ready for 2014.

Cheers to a year of health and happiness.  Be safe tonight my loves
xoxo

Lots and lots of snow… isn’t that the most beautiful airplane picture??

It was cold… but so magical to wake up to everything covered in a blanket of white!  Such a treat for this California girl…

So much better, right??  More pictures coming, but I’m a sucker for the traditional tree – the bright colors, and sentimental ornaments…

Saturday night we returned to more parties, and got all dressed up for Kris’ office party.

Don’t you just love a good photo-booth??

You can’t tell from that photo, but this dress is actually a luscious, dark emerald green, the color and fabric in person are soooo good. It’s possibly one of my favorite dresses I’ve ever owned.

I’ll be back to regularly scheduled posts tomorrow, but just wanted to check in with you all!  Hope you had a great week!

xoxo

Well hello November, it’s nice to see you again…  

October was a great month – warm weather along with the first few real tastes of fall weather, and my little blog hit an all time high for site traffic.  When I started this blog, I had no idea people would actually read it, so to see how it’s grown is just crazy to me.  Thank you to all who read, and comment, and message me privately – it really means a lot 🙂

I was looking back at some of my old posts from last November, and it’s hard to believe that was just a year ago… it’s funny to read and remember some of the projects I’d worked on (and posted about) that totally flopped.  Some of them I totally forgot about, but this blog is like a living timeline of my life, so even though there are some I’d like to forget… it’s all there in writing.  

Remember this Gold Leaf Barware DIY??  Those glasses went to Goodwill shortly thereafter.  I’d almost forgotten that failed project.  Also… our hallway had STRIPES… NARROW stripes.  Another “what was I thinking” moment.  Such a terrible idea for such a small space.  But you know what? That’s all part of it.  Some of the DIY’s turn out to be AMAZING… like this Wine Rack Makeover… or our Ikea Dresser / TV Stand Makeover… but there are plenty that are realllllyyyy bad… and I’m sure there will be more in the future that don’t quite work out, but that’s part of the fun.  Trying new things, trying to stretch our budget, and trying to make our apartment feel like a home.

This week was a quiet one for me on the blog, but I have a little project I worked on the other night that I’m excited to share with you all.  

Need a hint?

Source

Source

Source

Source

Any guesses??

Well, you’ll find out for sure next week.  Have a lovely weekend!

xoxo

It’s been a crazy CRAZY week, so while I simply don’t have the time (or energy) to write something supremely clever, or creative, or even related to design, I’ll leave you with a photo I snapped of the most gorgeous tree in the world…

Seriously, those colors?!  It’s like I hallucinated it!

This weekend, I’m headed down to Orange County for a wedding – last wedding of the year for us – and so I’ll be back next week, refreshed (hopefully) and full of fun, creative content for you all.

Happy early weekend!
xo

Holy cow you guys – it’s FALL in Portland.  The air is crisp… nay… cold… and literally everywhere you turn, the trees are lit up in the most amazing colors.

I have never seen anything like it.

I think I’m in love.

It’s taken me 24 hours to pretty much forget all about the glorious hot summer weather of the weekend, and now I’m all about fall.  Cold noses, crisp air… and fall fashion…

Portland is a town of hipsters – casual clothes, and a “hipper than thou” vibe.  You will not see a pair of pointy heels for miles.  That said, you can take the girl out of San Francisco, but you can’t take her out of her heels, so I put together a little fashion inspiration, –  my version of Portland style – for this chilly fall day…

A little faux fur never hurt anyone, and a faux fur vest is definitely something I want to add to my wardrobe for fall.  Olive skinny jeans are both autumnal, and sort of “alternative” (no?) and a good pair of brown leather booties are casual enough for any hipster, but chic enough for me.

Gold accessories galore… yes please… and who doesn’t like a red lip??

Happy Wednesday!!

I quickly snapped this picture as I was walking down the hill from our house to the Marina over the weekend… how gorgeous are the yellow leaves against the blue-blue-blue sky.  I absolutely LOVE this time of year…

It was warm and perfect.  Here’s a quick peek into my weekend – through the eyes of my feet…

 Admiring my wrist bling against an all white outfit…

 How can you not be excited for little workout when your footwear is day-glo.  Loving my new Nikes!

 Feeling a little fancy, and trying on white dresses for the fabulous Dinner en Blanc on Friday night… SUCH an amazing event…

I recently debuted a new logo, and while I liked it, I didn’t love it…

I spent some time thinking about what it needed… here’s the list of what I wanted to change…
  – Less “stuff”
  – More Color
  – Custom Font

Here was where the logo stood:

Thoughts??

Notice anything different about my little blog???

I totally had another post planned for today, but last night, I had the urge to completely re-design my blog logo.  Our house is a complete mess right now, so I should have been cleaning things up, but I had an itch… and I just had to scratch it!!

In case you’ve already forgotten, here was the old logo:

Nothing WRONG with it… but it had been the same for almost two years, and while I still like the color palate, it had been bugging me for a while…

So to the drawing board I went…

I wanted to create something slimmer, so the content wasn’t pushed SO far down the page, and it just seemed so impersonal.  I love a good trellis pattern – you KNOW I do – but it was time for a change.

This was the first concept I came up with…

I love me some black and white stripes – remember my failed attempt at a black and white stiped entry way??  Hey, a girl’s gotta keep an open mind!

Anyways, I do like how the stripes add a little graphic punch, but I wanted to try it out without the framed border…

Cup Half Full Logo take III:

Narrowing the stripes to underscore the title and sub-text felt better to me – still fun and graphic, but a little more clean and balanced…

But some of my favorite blogs have very minimal headers… I tried to simplify:

Take V:

No stripes – just the script and my photos…

… But was this TOO plain??