Picture It.

{via for me, for you}

Chuck Palahniuk.

Welcome Part 5: the Hall Bath.

My hall bath is probably what I would consider the most fun looking room in the house. Yes, that's right, I just called a bathroom "fun looking".

Originally this room was slated to be painted beige. But when I had some of this robin's egg blue (the actual name of the paint has long since left my memory) left from another room I decided to go for it. I already had the shower curtain and the prints for the walls, so it played into my colorful scheme perfectly.

One of the (many) nice things about all the color is that I don't have to really worry about bath towels ever not matching! It's also really fun to accessorize for this space, which is what I'm in the process of doing right now.

There are really only two changes I'd like to make in the near future: install a wall mounted shower rod and replace the faucet fixture for the sink.

Miraculously, all of the different colors don't make this space feel any smaller than it already it. I blame it on the white cabinetry.

brushed nickel double handle bathroom faucet •
satin nickel screw mount shower rod

Next: the Guest Room

The Daily Eat: Beachy Green Pesto Pizza.

{recipe and photo via Healthy. Happy. Life.}

I've tried pesto on lots of things, but never pizza. And pizza seems sort of a like a no brainer match. Now my stomach is straight up growling at the sight of this Beachy Green Pesto Pizza!

Photographer Crush: Aaron Feaver.

Aaron Feaver is an obviously gifted photographer. The way he makes his work look so effortless and in the moment is proof enough of that.

I'm head over heels for his Oceanside series where he perfectly captures the hazy, hot days of summer.

Mad Props: June.

June was a stellar month for blogging and one of Design Crush's biggest Mad Props ever! Thanks for all the creativity and inspiration, everyone.

wallpaper by the yard • stache bash • cupcake case garland

our wedding • cute 'brellas • $28 backyard fire pit

i just need to get this out of my brain • the crane chandelier •
old-fashioned soda bar

from the candy shoppe • delicious favor packages • Father's Day gift guide

DIY pearl necklace • Jill + Matt • little animals

DIY catalogue of love • arts + crafts with cookie cutters • The Art Weekend

Betsy McCall paper dolls • Great Gatsby goodbye party • secret invite

Picture It.

{The Light by Etoile Justus via ffffound}

Reckon Onesies.

I'm nowhere close to having a baby, but sometimes a girl just sees something that can make her ovaries ache the slightest bit. Like these hip and cool onesies from Reckon.

Win It: Heather Kintner Winner.

Congrats Jen! Sounds like your sister's bachelorette party is going to be amazing. I'd also like to Heather for doing this giveaway! I'm a big fan of her work and if you haven't already, stop by her etsy shop and take a look around.

Welcome Part 4: the Dining Area.

My dining area is tiny. There's only room for a four seat table and my bar cabinet. But it's the perfect size for me right now.

The first thing I did, before I even had any furniture for the space, was replace the existing light fixture with this structural one that a lot of you will recognize from IKEA. It doesn't emit a lot of light, but with the patio doors being right there I don't really depend on it for that purpose anyway. It's definitely something that has better looks than function, but it remains of my favorite things in the house.

Because of the limited space I really wanted two things out of a table. I wanted it to have nice lines and I wanted it to not stand out against it's surroundings too terribly much. Luckily I was able to find a set that met both of those requirements and not break the bank. Once again, thank you IKEA!

Somehow over the years I've acquired quite a collection of barware. I love chrome and glass and wanted to be able to showcase it instead of hiding everything behind cabinet doors. Thankfully, this china cabinet that I restored has a glass door, allowing me to do just that.


Next: the Hall Bath

The Daily Eat: Creamy Pesto Pasta.

{recipe and photo via Our Best Bites}

Welcome to Pesto Week! A perfect example that shows how combining simple ingredients can create the most extraordinary results.

Creamy Pesto Pasta looks mouthwateringly delicious. And fattening. But thanks to a recipe for Guiltless Alfredo Sauce, it's not nearly as bad for you as one might think! The amount of pasta used is also very deceptive.

Win It: Natty Michelle.

Natty Michelle has the sweetest hand-painted stationery that's perfect for any occasion. She's always adding new designs, full of whimsy and flair, and her passion for art is apparent. They're the perfect day brighteners to have show up in your mailbox! Natalie's graciously offered up eight cards to the winner of Win It: Natty Michelle. Winner's choice! Now if that's not a sweet start to a Monday, well, then I don't know what is.

To Enter:
• Tell me whether or not you've ever had a pen pal
• Leave a valid email address (Those who fail to will be disqualified.)
• Do it all before Monday, July 6 at noon CST

Best of luck! A winner will be chosen randomly shortly after the contest ends.

Monday Goodness: Kapow.

{via ffffound}

Happy Weekend.

{via ffffound}

The word scorching is an understatement when used to describe the weather we've had this week. From my estimation, there wasn't one day below 100º. In July and August that's normal, but in June it's ridiculous! Right now it's all about the cool indoors. Sad since my fence finally went up last Friday and now my patio furniture has to sit by itself until things cool down. I'm thinking I'll be back there in, oh, maybe October.

This Weekend:
• K's birthday Happy Hour
• dinner with the fam
• laundry
• groceries
• touch-up paint on all cabinets and baseboards around the house

NOTE: You only have until Monday at noon CST to enter Win It: Heather Kintner. Take advantage of the low numbers and make her bachelorette invitations and thank you notes yours!

Happy Weekend!

Picture It.

{via ffffound}

Welcome Part 3: the Kitchen.

I have to be honest when I say that the kitchen was the biggest reason I bought my house. I love the white, I love the all the storage and I love the set-up. After living in apartment galley kitchens all of my adult life this is a dream come true!

As much as I adore stainless appliances, I went with a white fridge. The stove and dishwasher were already in place and I wanted to maintain consistency. I like to keep it as cleaned off as possible - no magnet collections or anything like that.

Right now my counter is a dark, dappled gray laminate. It's in great shape and will do for now, but eventually I'd like to install stainless counters. Perhaps even a built-in drain board next to the sink.

This is only a small fraction of the cookbooks I own. The rest are squirreled away in a cabinet next to the oven. The binders on the left are full of the recipes I share on The Daily Eat and the books are some of the ones I like best.

There's isn't any backsplash in place, only wall. I've been seeing a lot of subway tile lately that I'd love to employ in this space. White please!

I started collecting my Fiestaware in college. Now I have eight settings and some random serving pieces. I love looking at them all stacked up in my cabinets. Most of my other "supporting" dishware is equally colorful or glass. Right now I'm on the market for a set of white dishware for entertaining.

The only window in the entire kitchen is above the sink and is shaded with custom 2 inch wooden slat blinds. My hope is to take them down and in their place put up a few glass shelves when I can grow herbs and succulents.

There's also a flush mount light fixture (unseen in photo) overhead that I'd like to replace with a modern pendant lighting.

Ceramic subway tile, Chrome and black convertible pendant,
Brushed Nickel Shelf, Stainless steel countertops, Staxx II dinnerware

Next: the Dining Area

The Daily Eat: Blueberry Napoleon + Blueberry Roundup.

{recipe and photo via Herbivoracious}

I'm really tempted to make this Blueberry Napoleon with Crème Fraîche and Raspberry Powder for the 4th of July (as there's sure to be a cookout going somewhere...right?) And raspberry powder? Woah.

1. Baked Blueberry, Lemon and Almond Pudding
2. Blueberry Almond Bread Pudding
3. Blueberry Banana Cream Pie
4. Blueberry Coffee Cake
5. Blueberry Crumb Bars
6. Blueberry Lemon Curd Ring
7. Blueberry Lemon Pudding Cakes
8. Blueberry Pancakes
9. Lemon and Blueberry Trifle
10. Summertime Blueberry-Oat Bars
11. Browned Butter Blueberry Maple Muffins
12. Mini Blueberry Turnovers

3 to See.

Because she always has amazing posts
and she's also behind Smitten

Because she captures all that's good in life
and we seem a lot alike

Because the name says it all