2 of my favorite things...

Ryan Gosling and interior design. 

All rolled into one awesome post on Apartment Therapy.

What a way to start the day. sigh...

House hunting...

As you know, we have been living with my parents while we save and get things in order to buy our first home. To say I have been waiting for this moment is an understatement. Ever since I discovered HGTV years ago I have been fantasizing about this moment. I dreamed about walking through all different types of homes, tossing out words like "curb appeal" and discussing how we could "make it our own." I was sure I would be the tough negotiator, because I was essentially a real estate genius by proxy, logging thousands of hours watching House Hunters, My First Place and Property Virgins.

Speaking of Property Virgins, can we talk about Sandra Rinamato for a moment? Is she not the coolest? No nonsense, totally knows her stuff and always get the deal. I am not ashamed to admit that I actually looked on HGTV.com to see if they were filming Property Virgins in Cincinnati anytime soon – I would have died to be on that show.

Back to the house hunt. So the moment was upon us. Our first day of house hunting. 3 houses. 2 duds. 1 contender. Gorgeous "curb appeal," open floor plan and opportunities for upgrades.

But we didn't want to settle for the first thing we liked so we planned for another outing for Friday after Thanksgiving. Our realtor called on Wednesday, "Eat your Wheaties, we have 14 houses to see."

14 houses? I couldn't even imagine how it that was possible. But we carbed up on Thanksgiving and were ready to go bright and early on Friday. Our first outing helped us solidify our list of wants: open floor plane, newer house with room for upgrades but no major construction, open kitchen and yard space.

First house was a winner, good space, backed right up to one of the leading high schools in the area, lots of trees.

The rest of the day was a whirlwind of homes that ran the gamut. From spacious ranches that were meticulously decorated to foreclosures with great space but so much damage we couldn't see past it. I was on fire too. "That's an easy fix" "I can see it" "Good school district" " Excellent resale value" were just rolling off my tongue. I was like an HGTV poster child.

It was so interesting to see all the different floor plans, to learn what to look for in a home, to learn what you should never compromise on and to learn about yourself and what you really need to feel at home.

But the most encouraging thing was how many great homes there were out there in our price range. Beautiful, spacious and places we could definitely see ourselves living.

It was such a fun day and one I will never forget. This is just the beginning of a fun-filled journey and we hope to have some exciting news to share with you sooner rather than later.

What was your favorite part of house hunting? Were there any doozies that you saw? What was the coolest home you toured?

Happy Thanksgiving!

May your Turkey Day be filled with great food and abundant blessings...

and may your jeans fit on Friday. Gobble! Gobble!

get your own original art...

if you've been reading my blog for while, you'll remember this post featuring the fabulous painting of the Chicago skyline that my cousin did especially for us.

It is beautiful and substantial. The perfect focal point in any living room. 

Now you too can have an amazing painting like this because my beautiful and talented cousin, Molly Reckman, has opened her very own etsy shop.

Molly and me at the wonderful bridal shower she threw for me.

The paintings are gorgeous and large. They would make a perfect Christmas gift or just a treat for yourself that you can treasure for years to come.

How about this beautiful 24" x 36" Monarch?

Dandelion Wind, 12" x 30"

Or my personal favorite, 24" x 30" Bright Idea. 

Do yourself a favor and check out her Etsy shop and get yourself a Molly Reckman original today. 

Today is a good day...

I always think it's interesting how some people are inherently positive people and some are less so. I think naturally I lean a little more towards the latter. Why? I'm not sure. I've had a truly blessed life, positivity should come easily. It does for my dad. Whenever you ask him how his day was, his answer is always, "Great!" He is excited about everything and always ready to have fun. Even when in the last couple of years there have been some circumstances when he could have taken the negative road, he still stayed positive. I can't even count how many times I've heard him say, "I have a great life."

I want to be that positive and have that positivity rub off on those around me. I am going to make a conscious effort to choose the positive over the negative and remind myself to make the most out of life. So I found some inspirational prints on Etsy that I can put around our home to remind us of all the good in our life.

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Are your a naturally positive person? Or do you lean a little more the other way? What do you do to inspire yourself?

New vs. gently used...

So the hubby and I have begun our house hunt. My husband is really in love with the idea of new construction so we don't have to worry about lots of fix-it projects right off the bat. While I on the other hand, would like an existing house that isn't totally "finished" that we can make our own over time.

Yesterday after church, we checked out two new construction developments in my hometown. (I just have to say that I NEVER thought I would be house hunting in Milford, Ohio, but that is for another, much longer, post.)

Back to the house hunt. All of the models have been purchased, so if we moved into that neighborhood we would have to build, and I have to admit, the idea of that is definitely appealing. We could pick out all of the finishes and make it exactly how we want it from the beginning.

But on the flip side, I have always dreamed about buying my first home and making it my own, room-by-room, slowly figuring out our personality and how it can be portrayed in our home. I mean, I created a home DIY blog before I even had a home, so to say it's something I'm passionate about is an understatement. How satisfying would it be to see your work before and after?

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In this area, "gently used" homes around here generally have more yard space than any new construction. I grew up with a beautiful yard and lots of privacy while still living in a neighborhood as you saw here, and I would really love to have something similar at my own home or have the space to create a yard like this:

Credit: my dad and mom

Another "want" for the hubby and I are neighbors who are close to our age that we can hang out with. The new construction neighborhood had lots of young neighbors outside tailgating for the Bengals game yesterday – so it was definitely a "pro" on our list. :)

So now that we've checked out the new construction in the area, the next step is to see what existing homes are on the market. I'll keep you posted on what we find and how it measures up to the new construction.

I'm curious to know your feelings on new vs. gently used homes? Where do you live? What would you recommend for first time home buyers?

Happy Veterans Day...

Thank you to all the men and women who have served or are currently serving our country to ensure our freedom. Without you we would have nothing, especially a silly blog where I an write about home design and clothes. Not all countries can say they have that freedom. For that and for everything else we have because of your sacrifice, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. And to the families of our servicemen and women, thank you as well. Your families are in my heart.

Happy Veterans Day!

I'm a fan...

over the last few months these vintage beauties have been popping up as design accents and I must say...

I am a fan. 

har. har. I know, I'm hilarious.

But seriously, how cool are they? They've got a film noir feel to them. Like they should be on the desk of private eye.

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How perfect would one of these look on a coffee table or bedside table? I'm going to have to start scouring the flea markets and craigslist ads around town for some of these hidden gems.

Current crushes...

When I worked downtown in Chicago I could just walk out of my building and within minutes be at virtually any store I could imagine. Most of the time I wouldn't buy a thing but I knew they were there. So now that I have to drive to the mall and don't have a car, I think I am having shopping withdrawal and wanting everything I see online! Here are some of the looks I am currently crushing on...

BOLD LIPS

BLAZERS

jcrew.com

They put the finishing touch on any outfit. Roll up the sleeves and pair it with a fun tank and it's a great look for day or night.

LOTS O' GOLD

My fab hubby bought me a gold watch I've been lusting after for my wedding gift and now I'm obsessed with pairing it with tons of gold bracelets. Its a chic but effortless look.  and P.S. I want that sweater!

POPS (of purple)

piperlime.com

Emily Cho foldover clutch

From pants to shoes to handbags, purple adds the right amount of fun to any outfit.

FAUX-GETABOUDIT

Piperlime.com

I love the texture a faux fur brings to the outfit. How cute is the 3/4 length sleeve?

What are you crushing on right now?

Puttin' on a show...

if my loving husband is reading this, honey, stop right here. don't read any further.

you see, my husband has quite an aversion to what he calls "show pillows."

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you know, those mounds of pillows us girls like to put on our beds, our sofas, our floors, our chairs... you get the idea. the pillows that you can't nap on because they are for looks not for use. the couch in our apartment had about seven throw pillows. they created a mood and gave personality to the room.

throw pillows are simply the easiest way to change the style of a room without spending a fortune.

even though we don't have a house yet,  I've been designing the look of our family room in my head (and on Pinterest). our couch is gray and I have really been loving the combo of navy blue, yellow, gray and crisp white.

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it's classic, fresh and pretty gender neutral. plus my hubby likes the navy, hunter green and maroon tones, so this is a nice way to incorporate both of our styles into the room. so, of course, you know I've been scouring the Internet for some fluffy beauties to adorn our gray couch. here are some of the ones I've really gravitated towards.

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You could spell out your last name or family members' initials.

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My favorite of the bunch.

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And of course, right above the couch, in an ideal world, would be the Matthew Heller piece that I have been wanting since i saw it in Molly Simm's house in InStyle years ago. 

Oh yes it will be mine. 

hopefully our house hunt will go smoothly and I'll have a family room I love in no time, full of  show pillows, piled high like stylish clouds beckoning me to come and relax -- just not nap on them. :) 

so how many of you have family members or significant others who have a "show pillow" aversion like my husband? do you keep piling them on anyway, like me?