kitchen mini makeover
So I did a little bit of updating in our kitchen. Even though it is just some paint and new shelves it makes all the difference. Though I’ve always loved our kitchen, it felt a little dreary and cramped. A fresh coat of white paint and built in shelves changed everything. Here are some before and after shots.
New paint covers up the ugly spots where our drawers were repaired. We had that problem where many of the cabinets didn’t close all the way, and I fixed those as well.
The new shelves make all the appliances easily accessible. Before, everything felt like it was on top of something else.
So maybe the top shelf is a little too high, but it’s still a vast improvement.
Here is the one during shot I have, just to show the difference between the previous paint and the white.
I feel like there is so much more space, even though it’s the same room. I still need to hang a little bit of decor, the Clowns poster will probably go back up.
Hooray! Happy, pretty kitchen.
hair styles
I’m having a hair dilemma. I think probably my whole life has been a hair dilemma. Last June, I gave up dying my hair. After years of treating it like crap with bleach and every color and sort of dye, I thought it was about time I gave it a break. Beyond that, I was tired of the upkeep and had no idea what color my hair even was anymore.
But as those things go, I’m bored and want to do something with my hair. I want something fun and new. I promised myself no haircut until I accomplish a certain goal (which I’ll maybe share later), and besides, I basically get the same haircut all the time, so that’s nothing special.
The thing is though, I’m actually really happy not dying my hair. I like the color and while it’s a little softer and wavier untreated, I’m looking forward to having all the dyed bits fully grown out. So instead of doing anything drastic, I thought I’d just reminisce through photos of my various hairstyles in the past years.
Orange is and will always be my favorite. I’ve considered just dying the ends of my hair orange as is it, but I’m not totally sure.
It’s fun and yet still feels natural to me (although clearly it is not).
Bright albino white was also fun, but my hair was the most destroyed by this endeavor.
Further back in time, there was a period of dark brown. I loved this color but it just would not stay in my hair and would always fade to a drab straw color.
Now jumping back a to my college days, a time of more piercings and no bangs. This was the last moment before I got to the haircut that I’ve had for all of my twenties.
Right before that, my hair was short in back and longer in the front. I do miss this haircut occasionally, though I’ve gotten used to having bangs.
Nearly all my teenage years I had short hair with those long wispy bits in front. It never looked right, but it was fun to change the color all the time, as it took no time at all to grow out. I tried every color: pink, orange, blue, black. One summer I changed my hair every week, such as teenagers do.
Well that was fun, and is making me feel a bit better about the fact that I trimmed my bangs just a little too short. The best part of hair is that it grows back, so mistakes are eventually undone on their own.
butcher block update
Since our apartment is from the 1930’s, there is only a small amount of counter space, a good portion of which is taken up by appliances (and often, dirty dishes). Our butcher block gives me much more room to work, to roll out pie crusts, chop vegetables and everything else (plus it holds all our dishes below). With a few years of use, and misuse, the counter wasn’t looking so hot. It was stained from a leaky coffee maker at our old apartment and burned from when I accidentally set a hot pan on it. These dark circle drove me crazy, always getting in the way of photos and otherwise just being ugly.
I finally bit the bullet and sanded the whole thing down, getting rid of the offending circles and stains. Such a relief. I topped it off with a few coats of butcher block oil and it’s looking just like new. I was thinking of adding one more coat of oil for extra protection, but I like the look of lighter, non-glossy wood so we’ll see.
Minus the time it took for the oil to dry (72 hours!) the whole thing took less than an hour to sand and coat with oil. I can’t believe I’ve waited this long to take care of something that drives me so crazy. So happy I finally did it!
This is the beginning of the making my kitchen exactly how I want it project, but I’ll save any further developments until it’s done. Exciting stuff!
April is here
I can’t help but jump on any opportunity for a new beginning, so with the first week of April, I’m starting new, with new goals and new aspirations. March was exciting with our trip to Austin, and our fabulous Mad Men party, but on a more personal level, it was an introspective time for me. Maybe because we had such highs, the other times, the normal times, I felt like I was treading water. So I’m greeting April with more of a plan.
April marks one year since we moved in to our current apartment. It’s hard to believe we’ve been here this long as I’m still in love with our place like it is brand new. We’ve decorated some of the rooms to our liking but there are a few larger projects I’ve been putting off. Mainly the kitchen. Since it is a rental, there isn’t a ton we can do, but the cabinets could use a fresh coat of paint and I’d love to install some shelves for all our appliances.
On the creative front, I want to remind myself to take more photos. To be honest, I don’t consider myself a photographer, it really is just a means of portraying other things, but I do think I need to start pushing myself. I want to be better. Sometimes I just need to take the time to set up a shot (which isn’t always as easy as it sounds when you’re in the middle of making a dish or about to eat it). Mostly though, I just need to get out there and shoot more things, to get past my nervousness of pulling out my camera. Also, I need to trust myself more when editing photos.
This photo is a million years old.
Another always persistent goals is to be more active. I love riding my bike, but I don’t do it nearly as much as I would like to. I know if I make the effort it would benefit me tremendously, physically and mentally.
My biggest goal, and this is more a life goal, is something in three parts. I just need to keep reminding myself of these things always.
1. Put myself out there – I am confident in the things that I do, but I’m not vocal about it. It’s easy to let things pass me by rather than just reaching for opportunities. I know partially this is because I’m really introverted by nature (you may not know this because of the blog but virtual life is a shield for real life). You have to ask for what you want or you’ll never get it. Part of this is that I want to collaborate with more creative people on projects. I do a lot of things on my own, (of course I work with this guy a lot obviously) but I want to branch out. I think working with others is the best way to learn to approach things differently and grow your own creativity.
2. Take risks – This is related to above, but it also means taking creative risks. I’m fairly comfortable with my creative endeavors, and it’s time to challenge myself. April is the time this will happen as I’m going to direct a short film. I’m excited and nervous and have tons to do. It also means trying new things on this blog, even simple things like a little more design in each post.
3. Follow through – I have tons and tons of ideas all the time. Some are big ideas and some are little projects. The sad truth though is that many of them remain only ideas. I’ve been working on at least writing them down so they aren’t forgotten but more importantly, I need to start and complete many of these projects.
I’m excited and hopeful for what is to come. Do you have any goals or plans for this new month or just for life?
airstream living
When we visited Austin for SXSW we decided to do something a little different in terms of lodging. By the time we looked for a place to stay, all the hotels were booked and we had to search for other options. I started perusing Airbnb, looking for anything in town, when I came across this airstream. Just looking at the photos, I was sold.
It was remodeled on the inside in a modest modern style. There was a small kitchen and a desk in the front, while the bed was tucked away cozily in the back. It was a really nice place to spend the rainy mornings of our trip.
While it isn’t someplace I’d want to live, it inspired both Shawn and I for a potential office space, or maybe a guest room. We absolutely spent a few hours researching vintage airstreams to put in the backyard of our future fantasy home.
Would you ever put an airstream in your driveway or backyard even?
