Another Ann Sloan Makeover: Before & After

                                         I love myself a good furniture makeover!

 Finding time to paint when you have a little baby is difficult, but made me enjoy painting this piece even more! We were in need of some more storage in our home and this small dresser sits perfectly in our living room. I used a mixture of Ann Sloan's French Linen and Miss Mustard Seed's Grain Sack. I distressed the top and sides of the dresser. I switched out the wood knobs for brass knobs. I love the way it came out. Hope you enjoy!

Partying over at The Scoop

Savvy Southern Style

This is How We Roll

Miss Mustard Seed

Thoughts from Alice

Bedroom Tour: Part 1

Hi There! I finally saw some sun in our bedroom and thought it was the perfect time for some updated photos. The bedroom is pretty small so I have to share the tour in three different parts since each corner of the room has different functions. Enjoy and thanks for stopping by!

 

Partying over at The Scoop, Savvy Southern Style & SNAP!

Small Space Living Solution: A Traveling Table



Small space living requires dual purpose furniture....for sure! Our living room has been taken over by oversized baby furniture and chairs that we had to rearrange the room. I am used to having free range of rearranging furniture to my liking...usually on a monthly basis :)....but now I must make our home suitable for our sweet baby girls and her belongings too.

I sat down one morning and went to put down my cup of coffee and realized that there was no table to rest my mug on. We had removed the old white chippy painted table to make room for an oversized gray tufted rocker. (which I just love) The side tables to the green couch are used for our pretty little things are really not functional at all. I now had to put my thinking cap on and think of how we can find a table that could be easily moved in between the chair and couch and was not overwhelmingly large. Tada! Homegoods had the perfect table with wheels for our drinks to rest! It was the perfect size and wherever my husband and I decide to sit and enjoy a glass of wine....the table rolls with us :)

Our living room prior to our daughter.

A tufted gray chair has replaced the blue one.

Perfect table for placing my morning coffee :)

Best purchase I have made so far in this home!
Happy Day!
Alison

Partying over at Organized 31 & Miss Mustard Seed

Anthropologie Inspired/DIY Valentine's Day Decorating

It makes me happy to decorate for holidays now after having our baby girl. Every holiday since October has been extra special with her in our lives, but Valentine's Day has a deeper meaning of love this year.

We all love a good craft project every now and then, but when you can add some holiday excitement to something you already own, it makes it look and feel even better than store bought! Right?!

I found this heart garland at Michael's craft store and thought it would look sweet placed somewhere in our home. After playing around with it for a few minutes, I found it a home wrapped around the wreath I recently hung in the living room.

Here are some hearts I have used to decorate with 2 Valentine's Days ago. I had the idea to use the leftover letters used from the Project Nursery post. Click HERE for Project Nursery post.

The letters are very Anthropologie like! I love them! They are stickers so I just placed them on the hearts and they stayed perfect.

The flowers and vase were another DIY project. I fancied up the red mason jar with the "C" for our last name and the roses were a sweet gift from the husband :)

Loving this twig bouquet! It added the perfect red color I was looking for without screaming "IT'S VALENTINE'S DAY!"
(Also a gift from my husband :)

Hoping you all your homes are filled with love this Valentine's Day.
xo
Alison

Partying over at My Pinterventures, The Dedicated House, Homestoriesatoz
The Scoop, SNAP

Starting Fresh in NY

A friend once told me..."There is no better feeling than being a New Yorker."

I didn't get it. What was so special about living in New York?

I lived in New Jersey for the past twenty years and did not understand how a "New Yorker" could have such adoration for their home state that rested only twenty minutes from where I resided. I slowly learned what my friend was talking about.

In 2013, I was faced with some "life changes" that forced me to begin looking for my first apartment. I was young, scared, and worried about how I was going to pay my rent and bills, but I was never so ready for the challenge. I wanted to leave my New Jersey past behind and begin my this new chapter of my life as a "New Yorker".

Apartment/House hunting can be a complete headache! I was strapped for time with a busy lifestyle and my apartment hunting was solely done online. How was I going to find a trustworthy real estate agent? Will the apartment look the same in person as it did online? Hundreds of questions started taking over my mind. I look back now and wish I had known about Compass. Compass is a well organized website that is full of New York City neighborhood knowledge (click HERE for Compass neighborhood guide). The website's clean lined silhouette allows for an easy visual and feel for what each neighborhood has to offer. Compass would have helped lessen my anxiety about all that I did NOT know about New York, plus their photos are fantastic!

Moving from a decently large home in New Jersey to a small apartment in New York brought about some spatial challenges. I had so many "things" that I wanted to bring with me, but no place to put it! I had to get creative. I was forced to think "outside of the box". I found storage solutions in the most random places, but it worked. I re-purposed items so my belongings would have more than one function. My home décor became more than just a pretty piece to fancy up my new place....and I loved it. I loved every square inch of my new home and it brought out my creative side!

I now know what being a "New Yorker" feels like. The adventure that lies around me is exhilarating. The history that remains in every building one walks past is astonishing and the feeling of "home" has never felt so right.

 I am so thrilled to be able to share this new chapter in New York with my new husband and precious baby girl.

Here are some solutions for decorating in small space living:

The kitchen table also functioned as a desk.

Baskets are a great way to store blankets and dog leashes :)

Apartment living rarely allows for a yard so get creative with displaying flowers and plants.

I use old luggage as seasonal clothing storage and as a great side table!

Vintage cups work great for office supplies!

Happy Day!
Alison

Our Wedding

I have been blessed in so many ways this past year. I could have never imagined that I would have the opportunity to meet such a gentle soul in a man and be able to call him my husband.

We decided to chose 7.27.14 as our wedding day. Small and intimate is what we were aiming for since this was both our second marriages and we wanted this day to be about the love we have for each other...and nothing else. My wheels began spinning about all the vintage décor I wanted to incorporate in the ceremony and the small reception after. The anxiety of how am I going to "treasure hunt" all these amazing architectural pieces I had envisioned and painting projects I would take on....and then I remembered....the few hours of our celebration...was to focus on us and our love and nothing else.

Of course, I still got creative, but with simplistic ideas. I decided I wanted to do the flowers, including my bouquet, Joe's corsage, and the two center pieces that stood on the tables of our brunch celebration.

We both have a love for music and I had the idea to incorporate a violinist during our ceremony and brunch for a dash of serenity and class. It was the perfect touch to an unforgettable day.

The venue, violinist, photographer, my dress/shoes/jewelry, hair stylist/make up artist, and the choice to have our parents and siblings only, were all decided and planned in one day. The day was simple, elegant, and about our love for one another.

Can you even stand the architecture of the gazebo???? Love.

 

The vintage pins were found years ago at a flea market and was the perfect touch for this special day.

 

A vintage clutch I used as décor for a party last year. It added great texture as an accessory to my dress.

DIY Flowers

I fell in love with this headband from Anthropologie and was gifted to me by a friend. If you know be by now, I am not into the traditional element of things. I love that I can use this as an every day piece as well.



Thank you for sharing in the memories of this special time in our lives.
xo
Alison


Partying over at Savvy Southern Living & Liz Marie Blog