Map It!

We have officially called Denver for our home for 1 trip around the sun, & are beyond excited to begin the next chapter of our lives - home ownership (!!!) - in the mile high city! I am a firm believer that home is wherever you gather together with your loved ones, & over the years there have certainly been many "homes" that have a pieces of my heart. From my hometown in Arkansas, Summer camp in the Texas hill country, my post-college days in Nashville Tennessee, the Oregon boy who stole my heart, and our latest destination here in Colorado.

One of my girlfriends has the coolest latitude/longitude tattoos celebrating the meaningful locations in her life & while I am needle/tattoo adverse, I too love looking at mementos of the many places I have called home, but my method is via art on my walls (not my body... for now).

I recently showed off my latest art print featuring the city of Denver (on Instagram here) & love it so much that I have to gush about the source of my city love - Modern Map Art. They not only have ready to go city prints that you can choose with different size/color options, but also pillows, phone cases & accessories for your home, or you can create a custom map to fit your specific location.

I've rounded up my top 10 favorite ways to show off your map love below. Which one would you pick for your home? What city means the most to you & why?

1. Beaufort, SC; city poster // 2. United States, country poster // 3. Avalon Map, throw pillow // 4. Atlanta, GA; city poster // 5. Paris, phone case // 6. Amsterdam, throw pillow // 7. San Francisco, skyline print // 8. Annapolis, MD; city poster // 9. Savannah, GA; city poster // 10. Breckenridge, ski trail map poster

Follow Modern Map Art on Instagram.

Fab-u-lous!

I am excited to share my home office with you today! I worked with Fab.com to upgrade my office, making it a place that I love working everyday!

All Photos | Catherine Truman Photography

This is the spot in our apartment that my husband calls my command center - aka, where the behind the scenes of this blog happens! I love the farm table that I inherited from my parents, but the whole area was looking a little bland.

I have window shopped on Fab.com before & their curated selection of unique pieces is great inspiration for your home or personal style.

As you might have seen on Snapchat, I am obsessed with my new cactus vase & pineapple tumbler that I found on Fab.com. Both of these pieces are so unexpected yet fun, & drinking iced coffee out of a pineapple while staring at my favorite flowers chilling in a cactus definitely ups my overall productivity!

Check out the rest of my office make-over & be sure to scroll all the way down for a $1,000 Fab.com giveaway!

Looking to upgrade your every day? Fab.com is giving you a chance to win a $1,000 shopping spree! To qualify for entry, fill out the entry form over on Fab.com. You can qualify for extra entries by following/liking Fab.com on Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Pinterest. The contest has now been extended to March 15th, 2016. Winners will be chosen at random and announced on March 16, 2016. Fab will reach out directly to the winner via email to send $1,000 site credit.

the dream vs. the reality

{ all photos via my Pinterest "home love" board }

I dream of living a minimalistic lifestyle. Of having a only highly curated collection of beloved items in my home. Of a sparse closet filled with neutral luxe basics. Only what I need. Everything with extreme utility. Less quantity. More quality.

In fact I have been actively seeking this out my entire stay in Nashville. When I moved here in 2009, I settled into a 1600 sq. foot apartment. That baby was a palace! Since, I have progressively downsized, so that I now share 700 sq. feet with my husband, 2 pugs, & all the clothes I have accumulated throughout the years. 

During our last move from a 975 sq. foot home to our current place, I started to slough off anything that I didn't love. See you later cheap particle board bedroom set. Bye buckets of questionable clothing from college theme party nights. Get outta here mis-matched dishes. Thankfully we were able to upgrade much of our kitchen goods & some furniture with the help of generous wedding presents, so those were not very difficult good-byes.

The hard ones were the pieces well worn with memories. The antique iron bed frame that I had had since being a little girl - it was full size, & I knew I would not have a bed that size again for at least a very long time (future little girl's room 10+ years from now?). The Fiesta dishes I had used since college - no longer a complete set because I am clumsy, but I had so many memories with those plates. A family typewriter that I loved to look at, but never used (That piece had a happy Nashville ending, & now lives at this coffee shop).

The clothing purge is a whole different story as well. I am still working on ridding my closet of "one-hit wonders", inexpensive trendy items, & duplicates that aren't doing anything for me. I have already donated several bags to Goodwill, had clothing swaps with friends, & sold some on Poshmark, but still have a pile on my floor of items that I know I should part with… the struggle! Mostly I have my closet down to a reasonable number of items, & am now working on a one-in-one-out policy for upgrading the quality of my most worn items (the closet staples, duh).

But here is where the dream of living a minimalistic lifestyle meets the reality of my life. What about all the dog stuff? What about all those pictures? What about off season clothes? Where do holiday decorations go? Those boxes & boxes of beauty products? 

I had convinced myself that I was just a terrible American consumerist who couldn't part with my stuff, thus undeserving of that streamlined Scandinavian lifestyle I so lusted after. But then this Instagram let me in on a little secret - it isn't about having less stuff, it is about having more (off-location) storage. Is this the truth behind all those pictures on my Pinterest board? How did I not realize this before? I feel like I just discovered photoshopping in magazines… so naive! 

For now, I will continue to evaluate the utility of everything in my life (my goal is to usually rehome/sell/throw away something everyday!) & dream of this utilitarian apartment in my mind.

Do you dream of living a minimalistic lifestyle? How do you cut out the extra stuff from your life? More storage? An extreme level of self control? Tell me your secrets!

my gallery wall + a giveaway

As a serial renter, I have a hard time putting down roots & really feeling like I am home in the apartments/townhouses/houses that I lease. I mean, with two dogs I can pretty much go ahead & kiss that security deposit GOOD-BYE, but for some reason I still have a hard time putting holes in my walls - laziness might begin to describe the problem.

My trick, use existing nail holes (thank you previous tenants), paired with washi tape to create renter friendly gallery walls! Allie, the lovely lady behind the adorable Etsy shop Craft & Candor contacted me about her darling prints & I just couldn't resist!  With major wedding planning going on, my head is swirling with beautiful wedding/love inspired quotes & Allie whipped up me up some custom prints that I couldn't wait to add to my always evolving bedroom "gallery wall".

"That which is loved is always beautiful" - shop it here.

"Love the one you hold, and I will be your gold, to have & to hold" - shop it here.

As pretty as this art is, these dingy yellow walls just KILL me… sorry for the assault on your eyeballs… the renter life.

And because it is Friday & because Allie + moi love you, we are letting two lovely ladies increase their gallery wall by 1 with a little giveaway.

Open to everyone! Enjoy :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

my bedside table story

Part of my journey to live for the "Here&Now" includes learning to "bloom where I am planted".

As I child, that old fashioned saying used to frustrate me to no end. 

Bloom where you are planted!? Why not pick up your roots & run wild, be free!? What good is it just putting up with ok when you could go out & find awesome! (I had a bit of a rebellious streak growing up... it explains a lot!)

So now that I find myself living in a teeny tiny townhouse surrounded by pug hair & a job that I'm not 100% crazy about... I totally get it.

Life isn't about wanting the "good life" that is out there somewhere, it is about making what you have right in front of you your best life.

Thrive where you are. Bloom in the moment.

So while my humble abode isn't going to be gracing the amazingness of Glitter Guide, or the Every Girl any day soon, I want to work on cherishing it, even in its imperfectness. 

Hopefully once or twice a month I will share with you a snapshot of my home, a behind the scenes look at mi casa. I picked up the laundry & blew off the pug hair, but these are not stylized shots, just my house as it was on a rainy Sunday evening... heck, I even left my retainer out for you! Now that's hospitality. 

Welcome to my bedroom:

c/dock iPhone charger & my current reading list 

Going to bed with soft & yummy smelling hands is the best! (Anthro pure & good lotion)

Practicing the cultivation of gratitude with my nightly journal. I light a candle, reflect on my day, jot down a note... & then get on Instagram. haha, keeping it real!

I never before owned "room spray" but this W Hotel's room fragrance is legit! I spritz a little on my pillow before I brush my teeth & get to sink my head into deliciousness every night!

bedside tables, last year's Threshold collection from Target

The other side of the bed, Ty's reading material is a little different than my selections!

We collect corks from meaningful occasions, write a note on them & keep them close by to remember our good fortunes & great times!

A favorite pillow from PB Teen (old)

I swear, she is a Sour Patch kid. One moment she's sweet, the next she's horrid! #grumpypug

Silk peonies that we will be using in our wedding.

my stud muffin, Doug the Pug

I inherited this wall map from school & we use it to document all the places we have travelled together. It is nice waking up & dreaming about vacations!

The Kentucky Derby in Louisville, picking out our pugs in Bowling Green, meeting in Nashville, school retreats at Paris Landing State Park, white water rafting outside Chattanooga, music festival shenanigans in Manchester Tennessee.

my little model. she loves to twerk, don't be fooled!

my jellies watch over me as I sleep!

So there she blows! I never knew I could take so many pictures of such a small room! And I even managed to forget to capture one of my favorite prints (gotta love a good Vonnegut quote!)

How do you bloom where you are planted?

feathering my nest

In October, I shared that I moved in with the boyfriend over the summer, but have been silent about that subject since. Well, here is a little more on the matter.

As we are both graduate students, stuck in the time continuum that is this period between college & real life, we are living in "transition". Meaning that we won't live here for forever, & our "cozy" 975 sq. foot apartment isn't our dream place by any stretch of the word. Buuuut, I can't resist my urges to nest for much longer... 

When we first moved in, I styled up mini vignettes that made me happy (I talked about these "sweet spots" over on my friend Tiff's blog { here }), & those placated me for a while...

However, I am still on a mission to add pieces we I LOVE that fit in with what we have now (AKA hand-me-down, college era left-overs) & will mesh with the furniture we add over the coming years (I swear this is the last time I will move this bedraggled college furniture to a new place!)

Turns out my home design process is a lot like my wardrobe building plan...

So what is our my style? The boyfriend isn't that particular (just NO pink), & I am still on the journey to figure that out, but I am attracted to clean, minimalistic design. I blame my first sheepskin pelt from Ikea for my LOVE of all things white, fluffy & Scandanavian.

We have a pretty good base of sleek white surfaces - block storage, side tables, coffee table, book shelf, mod plastic chairs - so for now I am looking to incorporate some items with a little more personality.... because nothing else says this is MY house like a cow hide rug, amiright?

{ 1 chic tulip table // 2 decanters to gussy up my bar cart // 3 fancy pouf for my feets // 4 white fluffy pillows make my heart happy // 5 I can't sleep without a fan, & my current dust-bunny could use an upgrade // 6 two words: cow. hide. (I plan to pick one of these bad boys up at my local flea market come Spring) // 7 plants I can't kill: prints of succulents // 8 purty shag rug // 9 why sit when you ran rock? // 10 Nashville subway art, we got no subway, but we have art }

What do you call your home design aesthetic?

Classic Prep? Girlie Boho? Scandanavian Sleek? College-Chic?

Next home purchase on your radar? Any other cow hide rug lovers out there? (holla!)

P.S. Looking to see more of this gal's burgeoning home design love, check out my Pinterest boards for home, living room, bedroom & more

*Update: This post is now featured on DailyBuzz Style. Check out the other "cozy home" posts { here }

decorating with intention

I have been living in my new, smaller townhouse for 2 weeks now, and am just starting to feel "moved in". I am really enjoying not living with 4 other roommates, and am looking at the downsizing as an opportunity to exfoliate unnecessary "things" and create some innovative organizing solutions.

Being that I have been in school/continuing education for the past 7 years straight, I am lucky to be the recipient of my families "hand-me-down" furniture, dishes, and furnishing... but am dreaming of the day when I can purchase my own, "grown up" items (maybe with the help of a grown up paycheck too!) 

I am living for the Here&Now... but working toward making my "home" look more like the dream space in my head. To me, this means making do with what I have in my dated, small rental, and saving up for pieces that reflect my burgeoning style sense (still figuring that out!)... 

a process that is slow but sure, instead of just going out and purchasing cheap stand in items that I will no longer want in a few years anyways. 

{ Top Row: Finding new places for my shoes in less space // My Bar Car in progress // bookcase vignette }
{ Middle Row: Bringing in some streamlined accessories // A few of my favorites // creative organization of purses }
{ Bottom Row: My ampersand icon (to commenerate my blog) // Frank guards the bar cart // Doug is getting settled in }

Aiding in my purchasing/decorating with "intention" goal is the advice from the always inspiring Jess over at Makeunder My Life (MML). Her post on having "intentions" for her things, was pretty much everything I wanted to say and more (pie charts!)

When I graduated college and moved to Nashville to begin my PhD studies in 2009, my "things" were mostly "not nice stuff", meaning hand-me-down, Goodwill finds (see left piechart below).

Over the past three years of living in Nashville I have been making a concerted effort to "exfoliate" the items that I don't need/want/use. This has shrunk the amount of things, mostly from the "not so nice" category, thus bringing me to the middle piechart (less "stuff", but more of it is "nice").

Now that am living without roommates in my own space, I want to focus on increasing the "nice stuff" slice of my pie, while continuing to reduce the "not nice" things (working towards the right pie chart and beyond!)

piecharts via MML

My new "intentions" might mean that I live without bedside tables for a couple of months until I can save up and find my dream pieces, but sacrifices will just have to be made!

What are some of your long-term goals these days?
Decorating a space?
Saving up for a professional blog design?
Or maybe looking to purchase a statement designer purse for the new season?
Do share!
xx

Jessica

P.S. Don't forget - Today is the last chance to enter my Blogiversary Giveaway

The winner of a $25 gift card to Diament Designs' Etsy Shop will be announced Friday (May 4th) at 9am (entries will be counted through May 3rd at midnight)

bar cart dreaming

So there is a little "situation" with my current rental... bad news - I am going to have to move soon. But good news - I am going to get to decorate a new place (once I find the perfect place to live within my graduate student budget). I am trying to focus on the "good news" and think about how I want to decorate my next place. I have pretty much been toting around my family's furniture hand-me-downs since college, so I am looking forward to "exfoliating" the cheap collage stuff and replace it with things I love... I figure that slowly, and surely I can purchase investment pieces that are of my "adult" style and will be with me for a while... 

One of the things I am obsessed about recently is bar carts... I even have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to the topic... I enjoy a glass of wine after work, and love weekend cocktails with my girlfriends. I am currently in possession of a cart that can easily be repurposed to suit my dreams... I just need a new place in which to let it shine!

I am currently drooling over this bar cart montage that The Pink and Blue blog posted:

{via}

Are you a renter? Have you made the place your own? Or settled for dreaming of the days when you can decorate a house with out abandon?

For now, I think a bar cart will make my next rental feel more chic and "grown up", maybe I have been watching too much Mad Men!

xx

Jessica

P.S. Don't forget to enter my first giveaway {here} and have a great weekend!