Room for Interpretation

 

Shirt: Target, Bow: DIY, Jeans: Gap, Shoes: Fergie, Watch: Timex for J.Crew, Bracelet: DIY, Ring: Antique, Lips: Poppy King for J.Crew

 Dusty, upon seeing me in this outfit:

"You look like a lumberjack."

Me:

"No Dust, it's Charlie's Angels."

#duh

My Space: The Rest

So here is part three of the My Space series. I've already given you a little tour of my living room and kitchen, so here is a look at the rest. These rooms are pretty simple but I always think it's fun to get a peek into different types of houses and decor, so I thought I'd give you the complete tour.

I still want to style the office up a little but I'm not sure what I want to do yet. I'm ok with it for now. As you've seen in the rest of the house, I like things pretty simple. The desk, swivel chair and rug are from Ikea - seriously what would we do without that place? The slanted cupboard under the stairs is one of the charming details that come with living in such an old house. 

 We rarely ever sit in that armchair but during the years I was in nursing school I basically lived in it while I studied. It used to be in my bedroom at my parent's house and I think it's nice in that corner. 

This shelf was in my old bedroom as well. I used to have books on it but now there are stacks of Vanity Fair, Vogue and The New Yorker, plus some antique vases and a couple baskets.

Blogging, paying bills and online shopping have me looking at this view (below) quite a bit, with the ever present coffee cup. That little Jay Strongwater pineapple clock on the left was one of the most ridiculous splurges I've ever made. I bought it at Neiman Marcus in Chicago on a total whim, because I thought it was so pretty. It was ridiculously expensive and I honestly don't know what I was thinking. I don't really even look at it. In fact I think the battery is dead. So silly! Those were the days before homeownership - lesson learned!

So now we'll go to the back of the house. This is the back entry way, where we normally come in. You can see the enclosed side porch through the window. I did straighten things up a little - usually the shoes are a big jumble all over, not all lined up like that. ;) 

Close up of our Marek sign, an awesome bridal shower gift from my best friend.

 Can't believe I'm showing you this, but just in case you're interested, here's the laundry room. Our washing machine just broke and Dusty still has his tools out. It's fixed, though!

 And here's the downstairs bathroom. I think the previous owners did a really nice job renovating in here, too.

 View coming in from the back door - bathroom and laundry to the right, kitchen to the left.

And lastly, we'll go upstairs. There's just the two bedrooms and a bathroom up here. The railing, doors, and bedroom floors are original. The hallway is a really plain space now but I want to have a big gallery wall up here one day, or maybe just a couple of wall sconces. And probably paint it a more interesting color. A small chandelier would be pretty too.

 Looking down the hallway towards our bedroom. I also want to put a patterned carpet runner up the stairs and down the hallway. Those steep, narrow 100 year old steps are a little treacherous at times! We're used to them now and can run right up and down them, but when anyone comes over they're extra careful on them. I've definitely had a nasty spill, and I dread carrying laundry baskets up and down. I think a carpet runner would help a lot.

 I love the bathroom up here. It has that vintage charm that I love with the built-in cupboards and shelves, the round shower curtain rod and the bowl sink.

I keep lipsticks in that antique blue glass candy dish (above). It was a gift from my godmother. She always gives me the most beautiful things! She also gave me a matching cake pedestal.

 Dusty pretty much only uses the downstairs bathroom, so I like having this bathroom a little more girly with all my perfumes, soaps, lotions etc. on display.

I think the shower is so cute and old fashioned. I actually don't shower up here - the downstairs one is just easier. (It's cute but water tends to get everywhere!) But this is the perfect bathroom for a good bubble bath. Now that I think about it, I'd like a chandelier in here too. :)

So that's the rest of the house. I decided to draw the line at doing the bedrooms. The laundry and bathrooms are personal enough, I think! I know it got a little random at times in this last post, but sometimes it's fun to see those kinds of details, isn't it?  I hope you enjoyed this little peek into our home! There are definitely some projects I want to do, big and small, but I love our little house. It has felt like home from the first day we moved in. 

(See our living room here and kitchen here)

Cold Weather Wishes

My latest loves from J.Crew: (I'm admittedly mildly obsessed.)

I'm such a sucker for pretty winter jackets. I already have a few that I love but every year so many new ones catch my eye. I love bright colors for winter coats - sure, we all need a good basic black one, but these pastels and jewel tones are so much more fun.

J.Crew's shoes just get better and better. I'm crazy about all four of these. They also make a leopard print version of the chain strap one that I adore.

I'm loving interesting, patterned and textured pants more and more. I'm so used to thinking in terms of basing an outfit around making standard jeans more interesting. But these can totally be the star of your outfit. Throw on something as simple as a chambray, add some heels and a few accessories and you're set. I'm especially in love with the kelly green cords with ribbon bow print. 

And of course a few extras to finish the look. Cozy wool scarves and fair isle socks, classic handbags and a few pretty shinys.

All of these items are currently available online at J.Crew.

Colonel Mustard

Remember that game Clue? I was trying to think of a name for this post to go with my mustard sweater when that board game of my youth popped into my head. That was kind of a glamorous game, wasn't it? Miss Scarlett was that crazy seductress in the red dress, and there was that pretty French maid and all those rich gentlemen with revolvers and candlesticks everywhere. Poor Professor Plum in the billiard room with the lead pipe... But I digress. 

I wish I had gotten a better photo of it, but I am wearing the prettiest antique ring with a red oval shaped stone in it, a gift from my godmother. I'll have to wear it again soon and get a better picture. My necklace has a peacock on it. I got it to wear to a peacock themed bachelorette party and then forgot all about it. Until today - hello peacock! And ok wasn't there a Mrs. Peacock in that game too?!

Jacket: H&M (similar look here), Sweater: H&M (cute option here), Jeans: Joe Fresh (craving these), Heels: Kenzie, Bag: Modalu, Necklace: Asos, Sunglasses: Urban Outfitters (similar here)

I continue to love boyfriend jeans. I like the contrast with the feminine heels. My mom and I were going to lunch and when she saw I was putting heels on she was like, are you going to be able to walk in those? But these are the most comfortable heels in the entire world. I've also had them forever and they're, um... lovingly broken in. I think I could walk all day in them. They're another find from La Rue Marche, a great boutique here in Hudson.

Signed,

Colonel Mustard with the Rope in the Ballroom.

More Mustard:

One for the Girls

Saturday was so much fun because I got to see almost all of my favorite ladies. I had lunch with my dear friend Kristina at the cutest French cafe in St. Paul (macarons included, yes!) Then over to my parent's house to hang out with my mom and take a walk in the park. Later on I met up with a few of my best girlfriends from school for dinner and a few bottles of red. 

Jacket: J.Crew (Similar), Sweatshirt: Target (cute option here), Skirt: Forever 21, Tights: Forever 21 (Similar), Boots: Emu Australia (Similar), Bag: Dooney & Bourke

A little girl time can really do wonders for the soul. Am I right? Sometimes there's just no substitute for your girls. It's all those little things that only girls understand, the nothing is out of bounds conversations and the ridiculous, can't even breathe laughs. Most likely with wine stained lips.  So to my mom, sister, niece, aunts, cousins and wonderful girlfriends, I love you! There's just no substitute for you :)

Window Shopping

This weekend's online window shopping had me drawn towards lots of cozy sweaters and sweatshirts. Here are some cute affordable options that I'm loving from Threadsence, Gap and Forever21.

My Space: Kitchen

I hope you enjoyed my first post in this My Space series, where I showed you my living room. Now here's a peek at the kitchen and dining room. Like I told you in that first post, the previous owners did an amazing job renovating our 100+ year old house, and I think that is most evident in the kitchen.

The first thing I noticed when we saw this house for the first time was the gorgeous wood floors. I don't know what kind of wood it is but I love the wide planks and all the different shades in the boards. 

I like to keep my counters pretty clear of a lot of clutter. That's definitely something I got from my mom. I'm not sure why - I just get stressed when there's too many things out. I have some antique salt and pepper cellars and an olive oil decanter on either side of the stove. My espresso maker (birthday gift from Dusty) sits on the stove. A knife block, a Scentsy warmer, coffee maker and a Gurgle Pot water pitcher are about the only other things I keep on the counters. A little sparse, I know, but thats how I like it.

Another detail I was immediately drawn to was the brick backsplash. I love the earthy colors and the interest it adds, and it's really easy to keep clean.

The wine rack above the fridge was something we bought from the previous owners. It fits so perfectly up there, and we love wine, so I was so glad they were willing to leave it.

We also bought our table and chairs from them. Again, it just seemed perfect in here, and we were going to have to buy one anyway. Can you tell we liked their style? All the paint colors in the house worked for us too - like I said before, we didn't paint one room!

View from the back entry way towards the front of the house. It's definitely a long and narrow house. But I like how that allows for windows on almost every wall.

And thats the kitchen. I love cooking and hanging out in here. The living room and kitchen are definitely my favorite rooms of our house, so you've seen the best parts. But next I'll show you the office and back entry area, and then the upstairs, just for fun. 

The living room post is here if you missed it.

Color Me Merlot

Today I'm mixing in a little of my favorite fall color. Call it what you like - burgundy, bordeaux, oxblood, or my personal preference, wine - it is clearly the color of the season. It's everywhere. Have you been mixing a little wine into your wardrobe this fall? Or perhaps indulging in a little seasonal Cabernet? Both? Check and check. 

Dress: Forever21 (cute option), Vest: BB Dakota (Similar), Tights: Target, Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell, Bag: Dooney & Bourke, Watch: Michael Kors

Also, I'm being brave and wearing open toed shoes with my tights. I was about to put on some booties when I saw that these were the perfect color. I haven't worn them for some time and I think they're so unique. So I threw caution to the wind and put them on. And you know what? I like it.

Get the look:

Lunch Date

I had the day off today so I got to go have lunch with Dusty. He is a drafter at a firm in Minneapolis. I had never seen his office so it was a great chance to get a little tour, meet some of his coworkers, and have a lunch date!

Blazer: H&M, Shirt: J.Crew, Jeans: Loft, Shoes: Gap, Bag: Modalu, Watch: Michael Kors

We went to Cupcake, a little cafe near his office. They apparently won the championship in the  Cupcake Wars TV show, and indeed, our amaretto cupcakes were delicious. It was hard to pick though, they had so many different ones.

It was fun to see where my hubby goes every day. Thanks for the tour and fun lunch Dust, love you!