We’ve been busy chipping away room by room at our house to bring things up to date, I still feel like none our rooms are totally “finished” (let’s be real: will I ever?), but gosh are things starting to look better (aka a little more 2016 and a little less 1974). Figured it was about time to finally share some updates here, starting with our kitchen. We outsourced two major projects in the kitchen over the winter: removing the coal stove that took up a major part of the room’s footprint, and installing new hardwood floors — bye bye to the linoleum straight off the set of That 70’s Show! Those two projects have already made it into a totally new space. 
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A few weeks back a member of our Boston Bloggers group approached me about photographing our apartment for Houzz. I’m sure anyone who rents would agree with me, that apartment living isn’t always perfect — you have to work with what you have (in my case, crazy zig-zag carpeting and a kitchen with no cabinets!). Knowing those imperfections can be the things that I dwell on, I was a little apprehensive at first — but Faith from Design Fixation photographed our space and I’m so touched seeing the images that she captured of it. We’re in the very beginning stages of house-hunting (exciting! terrifying!) and I’m so happy to know that this imperfect little apartment where we got engaged, married, and built a pretty cool adult life is preserved. I pulled a few of my favorite details from the shoot below, if you’d like to see more of the images and interview (plus lots of product resources) head on over to Houzz. 
All photos taken by Faith from Design Fixation
A few weeks ago I was having brunch in the South End with a friend, and we made it a point to stop into the a new shop that I had been hearing about called Farm & Fable. It’s kind of like dying and going to vintage kitchen heaven. The store specializes in vintage cookbooks and serveware, and has an awesome collection of new heirloom kitchenwares — and it is some kind of miracle that I didn’t buy every single item in the shop on our visit. Oh also, they are starting a Cookbook Book Club where all of the attendees make a recipe from one cookbook and bring it for a potluck to chat about the recipes, how cute is that? I’m sad I can’t make the first meeting, but am definitely signing up in the future — that’s a book club I can get behind. If you’re in the neighborhood you must check it out!
Today’s handmade holiday idea is all about creating a simple hostess gift. I purchased a few different sizes of wooden spoons, and taped off stripes at various intervals with painter’s tape, and then painted in the lines with black paint. After the paint thoroughly dried, I peeled back the tape to reveal the pretty stripes. Make sure you add a matte coat of clear finish over the top so that they’re safe to hand-wash. And of course, presentation is everything — I wrapped the set up in a shiny silk ribbon to make them gift-giving-ready!
Looking for more DIY present ideas? Check them out here.
I’m in a kitchen-styling mode this month on the blog, which is likely due to the fact that my own kitchen is bursting at the seams. I’ve been cleaning out our cabinets in preparation for the first few wedding gifts that have been trickling in the mail the past few weeks. It’s so exciting to open up brand new accessories for cooking and entertaining… but I have no where to put them! Then this week I saw Alaina Kaczmarski’s gorgeous apartment on The EveryGirl and was inspired by her open wire shelving in the kitchen — everything was perfectly styled to look gorgeous, but still highly functional. What do you think of adding open shelving to the kitchen?
I can’t get over the perfection of the styling in Amanda Dawbarn’s home (of 100 Layer Cake fame) on Glitter Guide this week. The gold glassware, teapots, and pink mixer give such a girly, almost dressing-room-like feeling to the kitchen. There are just little touches of glamour everywhere; I am always drawn to spaces that have that overtly feminine look, but I’m usually not brave enough to push the envelope this far in my own space! Read the full interview and see the rest of her space here.
Ready for the last installment of Handmade Holidays? There is no sweeter gift than homemade treats!
Remember when I said this was the easiest DIY holiday present? I lied — it gets easier! Grab a package of Tollhouse chocolate chips from the grocery store and using the recipe on the back measure out all of the dry ingredients, layering them one by one in a mason jar. Next, write the recipe out on a pretty piece of paper and stick it on top of the jar, and finally, adorn the front with a personalized message and some ribbon (I printed my message out on Martha Stewart Avery Labels). How easy was that? 
Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Handmade Holidays Gift ideas here, here, here, and here!
Baking can be a daunting task when you have a tiny apartment kitchen, but I powered through the minimal counter space dilemma this weekend and made some mini pecan pie tarts. The recipe was simple and it was a nice relaxing way to spend my Sunday afternoon. Now if only doing the dishes was as rewarding as popping those sweet little bites in my mouth!
This print pretty much sums up my personal mantra, I think it deserves a place in my kitchen. And they styling in this little scene? Spot on. I love the idea of using an old dresser as a bar — think of all the storage for linens and other party goods! Plus corralling the barware in an oversized basket keeps things neat and tidy, don’t you think?
Image via Design Scouting; print via Etsy
I have just started tackling some research for building out our registry. My fiancé and I already live together — in fact we’ve lived in 3 different apartments over the past few years and have accumulated lots of kitchen items — but most of those things are hand-me-downs, and college-era relics. I’m talking all about my plans for building a registry of kitchen ‘upgrades’ over on Wayfair’s My Way Home blog today — head over and join the conversation!
