Peeks of My Place

Last night was my only “rest day” of Love/Perfect tech week, and I was full of energy, so I did laundry, played with my paints, and tidied up around the house before my parents come to Denver this weekend.

Take a look!

Not Quite Picasso

A while ago I got some acrylic paints, canvas paper, and an easel to partake in some creative endeavors. Only recently have I been putting them to good use: painting little quotes and phrases that are near and dear to my heart. It’s therapeutic and fun!

Over my couch I’ve hung three Shakespeare one-liners:

• We are such stuff as dreams are made on (The Tempest)
• To thine own self be true (Hamlet)
• I will wear my heart upon my sleeve (Othello)

I painted this one last night.

A Quaint Kitchen

My favorite thing about the kitchen is this granite-topped island I scored on Craigslist. It’s the perfect bread-slicing station (note: NOT a finger-slicing station). Look at that gorgeous bread Nick made this past Sunday! I can’t believe we haven’t inhaled it all yet.

While the kitchen is kind of closed off from the living/dining space, there is a half wall (on the right) and a west-facing window (over the island) that help make it feel open. But I took this picture because I like the little magnet/photo display I’ve got going on at the moment. Favorite is: “We ought to be opening a bottle of wine.” That was a gift for Nick, but somehow it ended up on my fridge!

Entry & Dining

Here’s a little blurry photo of my entryway. The door is hot pink, and it came that way! The bench is from Ikea and the marble print is from Home Goods. My favorite thing, though, is the silver envelope-shaped letter-holder from Target.

You’ve seen the dining space in many photos, but above is our typical set-up ready for breakfast + Cholula indulgence.

The table and chairs are from Ikea; the vase I got from Ross about 10 years ago; the clock is from Target; and the placemats were a gift from Nick (from World Market).

To the left of the dining room is this Ikea bookshelf that serves multiple functions. First and foremorel, it holds my keyboard for vocalizing and practicing for auditions and performances. Second, it holds my music, decor, and recipe books (err… okay, so the cookbooks are all Nick’s). It also holds games and extra glasses and things. I love it.

A Crafty Station

…or “crunchy” station. This is my super-granola haven. A midcentury Craigslist-score desk and a midcentury chair (World Market) are the perfect perch for all things creative. My Underwood No. 5 (e-Bay present from my best friends) and my painting easel (Michael’s) sit under a gold faux bison skull (Target) and just make me feel so darn myself.

I loved this Ikea bookshelf in my work office so much that I got one for my crafty station at home… and I almost feel like it needs another one on the other side! But that would give me more motivation to buy more books and my bank account doesn’t need that right now.

In the left corner is my guitar… and a vacuum that I was far too lazy to move. (For context, I took all these quick iPhone photos while my bread was toasting, so time was of the essence.)

All the Pillows

And, again, the living space, because I love it so much. This is where I sit and sip my coffee every morning, while reading for about an hour before work. It’s my zen space.

The couch is an Ikea-Craigslist find (for half the regular price!), and so is the coffee table. The rug I got on discount from Overstock.com, and the gold-trimmed picture frames are from Target. Speaking of Target, that’s where I got the mustard-colored blanket and two of the white pillows (from left: position 1 and 4). The mustard pillows are from Ross, and the two faux-fur lumbar pillows are from Anthropologie. All the pillows. There still aren’t enough.

I really need to take good photos of my apartment with my good camera in daylight for, like, real blog cred, but sometimes it’s just nice to see things as they come along. So here ya go.