kitchen decisions

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How gorgeous is that kitchen? I have discovered that I am obsessed with globe pendant lights. I adore them. Just doing a quick Google image search for them has me dreaming new glorious dreams of our future kitchen, with our little island topped with the magical orbs.

Kitchen decisions are often the most difficult, and the most impactful, when imagining the final vision for a new house. The kitchen is where so many important things happen. Namely, the eating of food and the sharing of food. These things are sacred and the space in which they occur is crucial to establishing the central ambiance of the home. 

This past weekend we moved mountains. We went to visit our siblings in California, and their home happens to be full of white cabinetry and grey walls - and my husband finally received that eureka moment when he realized that my pleadings for a white kitchen might actually be brilliant. He just needed to see it in-person to be able to really imagine our kitchen that way. Thus, the mountains were moved. He's on board, and I couldn't be more ecstatic about it!

Our kitchen progress has been slow but sure. All of the tile has been ripped out, we're in the process of purchasing brand new countertops, and our new black granite sink (yay!) is waiting patiently in our garage to be installed along with the countertops. Our entire kitchen and living room is painted a beautiful light grey (with that fantastic blue pantry accent wall), but going that extra mile and picturing this dull kitchen brightened up by white cupboards and some cabinet hardware lights up my life.

I know that people are really strange about painting wooden things of any sort. Everyone cringes at the thought of painting over wood as if it's inherently priceless or holy. I am quite blasphemous in this regard. I wanna paint it all. These cupboards are not particularly beautiful to me. While they're in relatively good shape, they are mediocre color-wise and very plain...I think this space would be enhanced greatly by painting them. I don't think white can ever really go out of style, although I do understand that it's all a matter of personal taste and opinion. It might be a risk, but it's one that I'm more than willing to take. Our first home is bound to have some decisions we end up regretting or redoing later on, but I think that's part of the fun and the freedom. I'm ready to experiment, take on big projects, dream a little, and delight in this new space that's all our own.

More inspiration: 

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valentine's day eve

Happy Valentine's Day Eve/Friday the 13th! Whether you're celebrating relationships or scary movies today, I hope your weekend is full of love.

Here in Arizona it's already starting to warm up and feel like springtime, so I thought it was fitting to give my blog a little facelift! I always try to use my own photographs for my blog backgrounds, to keep it personal and avoid stealing anyone's photos. In the floral spirit, I went back through my photo archives to almost a year ago (how is that possible!?) to our last springtime in Lynchburg, VA. We took these photos as a way to cherish our little apartment there, when our magnificent tree was blossoming with its delicate pink blooms. They usually only lasted for a week or so, but then we got to enjoy a pink-splattered parking lot of petals. I'm a big fan of the way the blog turned out, thanks to some very happy captured memories. 

We have a pretty laid back Valentine's weekend planned, including going to see Kingsman: The Secret Service (#colinfirthforever) and going to a fun, late night Valentine's Day dinner tomorrow at a new restaurant. 

We will dress up, hold hands, and be merry! 

call of the styled

Modcloth: Travel the World by caitschan featuring ankle boots

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I quickly fell in love with Modcloth when I discovered my passion for online boutiques, after moving to Virginia and discovering that local shopping was very, very bleak.
Along with Ruche, they're one of my favorite places to go for unique and stylish clothing and accessories.

This past week, Modcloth reached out and asked if I wanted to participate in their Uniquely You campaign on Polyvore!
I of course accepted, because I love them, and was thrilled by the prospect of creating an outfit designed around a specific Modcloth item. I was also really interested in becoming a part of the Polyvore community.
They sent me an image of the call of the styled coat, and my only objective was to build an outfit using up to 7 other Modcloth items and post it on Polyvore and here on the blog!
Each week they'll pick a winner to feature on the Modcloth Polyvore page.

After playing around with different outfit ideas, I settled into a travel-inspired ensemble, with some of my favorite layering techniques. It's absolutely an outfit I would wear! I love those maroon booties, and the little cicada earrings.

When Dustin and I went to Paris and London this past March, we quickly realized that the only article of clothing that really mattered was a great coat.
We settled into a daily routine of our favorite coat with various layered clothing underneath. Occasionally we'd shed that outer layer when we were indoors, but we spent so much time sight-seeing, we needed to be warm against the wind, snow and rain. A great coat can be the inspiration for a myriad of ensembles, and is a great investment piece.

Find a coat you love and travel the world in it -- follow the call of the styled.