So inspired by this Norwegian tumblr and particularly, these laid-back photos of their friends that I found there. It almost makes me want to go out and buy a nice digital (gasp!) camera! It would be nice to be able to shoot at a moments notice, instead of having to find and load film and figure out all of your settings... huh?

We'll see.

So here's the thing: I've been playing around with an exterior color scheme generator, lately. I know I know, woa slow it down a touch Allison, this is a dream big kind project, a several thousands of dollars project, a you-cannot-do-this-for-like-forever project. But a girl's gotta dream, right? And right now, I'm dreaming pretty big! Since we bought the house, I've hated the new vinyl siding and aluminum soffits / gutters installed on the house, it's such a shame! Originally, there would have cedar shakes under there, with clapboard! and maybe even some corbels! Oh my.. Someday, mark my words, I will restore the exterior to its former glory. And when I do, it will have a color scheme something like this I think. Please, ignore the crappy masking job I did, I was just so impatient to see what it would like like on my house!

Shakes and clapboard in Flagstone grey, and all of the other trim in Pepper Shaker, a shade slightly darker, with black storm windows and detailing on the porch! (only shown on the top stock photo, could get that detailed with my photo. But MMmmmmmm, amiright guys?

For reference, here is what it looks like now:

Ew.

My beautiful friend Carla Alexandra Rodriguez has been killing it lately. Check out some of her new photographs!

She's also been making some great work with another friend of mine, Zoey Melf, under the moniker Photo Projecto. Seriously, guys, these tintypes are not only a complicated and historically important art form, but they also have a particularly weird, dreamy quality that could only come out of their fingertips. You can see more of her work, here and here.

Although this is belated, I think it really has taken me a few weeks of the new year to formulate what changes I need to make for myself this year. And so, some words + pictures for you (but mostly me, we all know the real reason we really blog our resolutions for...)

GOALS:

+ Take better care of my skin, particularly on my face. Cleanse EVERY DAY, moisturize EVERY DAY, and remove makeup at night ALWAYS (I don't do any of these things with any sort of regularity). You are growing older missy, and so is your skin! It is time to take care of yourself.

+ STOP CHEWING MY CHEEKS! Okay bad habit, the buck stops here. I will get this under control if it kills me. Because you guys, this is killing me! (not literally, obviously) But it is an ugly habit, one that guarantees that I get a bunch of canker-sores and go through a thousand tubes of chap-stick a year, all while garnering funny looks from people as they watch with fascination while I stress-chew my own face off.

+ Read more books. I have a seriously long queue this year and feel an urgent need to finish them all (which is not unlike the urge I commonly feel to cross things off my to-do list, but definitely more related to the knowledge I'll consume and enlightenment I'll feel as opposed to the former). I have been flying through the Game of Thrones series (actually, the books are called A Song of Fire and Ice) and it really has rekindled my love of reading. I'm hoping I can keep that momentum going when I finish the series!

+ More traveling in 2014! Big and small trips. We already have some exciting tentative plans for the Fall (which I will fill you in on at a later date, dont you guys worry), but I definitely want to be more spontaneous with small trips and vacation days this year. Carpe Diem, Allison! Those vacation days won't use themselves!

+ And, as always, TAKE MORE PICTURES! I always do great with this one through most of the year, and then taper WAY OFF in the Winter at the end of every year. I just lose that motivation with the change of seasons and frigid cold. Work on strategies for getting yourself motivated and inspired and MAKE ROOM for photography all the time.

PS: I have to say, looking back on my resolutions for 2013, I feel pretty good about how I did. I touched on every single goal except for that last little one :)

I have been pondering how to spruce up the first floor bathroom since before we even closed on the house, and I keep having some great ideas, but none have really resonated with me the way that I've wanted them to. I really wanted something relatively inexpensive in the budget department, but transformative. And everything I wanted to do in there was either too grandiose or not quite right... until recently. 

Inspiration finally hit when I saw a dark chevron pattern the other day (was it at a restaurant? I can't quite remember.) and I knew that is what I wanted! I've wanted to create a dark, moody bathroom (just take a look at my bathroom pinterest board!), and I always thought that it would eventually be the upstairs bathroom to be the dark one. But now my mind is completely changed! Dark bathroom downstairs, bright white bathroom upstairs, it's settled! So I played around a bit with the photoshops to fully visualize all of the elements together, and I think I'm pretty much there in terms of planning.

Let's consider the before, shall we?

This is pretty much the way it has looked since we moved in last year, khaki tan walls, mismatched chrome and bronze fixtures and a pedestal sink and matching toilet that are a bit too grecian in style for my taste but am however very thankful to have, versus the standard Home Depot cabinet sink that could have easily come with it instead! So they will do for now. We've since added this nice moroccan (?) hooked rug that we inherited, and I really like the warmth it gives the space, so I think we'll keep that. And the mirror, again, is not my favorite, but has a medicine cabinet behind it that would be a pain to replace, because of the unusual shape, so I think we'll keep that for now too. The medicine cabinet is the only storage space in the room! But please ignore the little wallpaper samples that have been taped up, as those were originally being considered along with a thousand other ideas, but are no longer in the running, haha! 

Okay, here is what I'm after:

1) the walls will be similar to these colors (which I found via a nice little tutorial from fromrentingtoremodeling.com), two warmer dark greys in a bold chevron pattern, like I spotted out in the world. Please ignore my haphazard photoshop job, I all I needed was to patch together the image so it fit into all the nooks and crannies, but it will look much better IRL, I promise. 

2) my parents recently offered to buy us a gift for our Birthdays, as they had not gotten around to that, and wanted it to be something for the house that we would not be able to get for ourselves right away. I knew immediately that I wanted a light fixture from Barn Light Electric, as I have been coveting them for ages. And it would be perfect to have it be for the first floor bathroom, so that my parents could see it every time they come over, and be reminded that they bought it for us! The light I chose was the Industrial Double Wire Guard pendant in black finish. Though we will be installing it horizontally on the wall, versus from the ceiling. 

3) I plan to spray finish the existing towel bar black to match, but am having a hard time deciding what to do with the remaining chrome fixtures. Do I leave them as is, or will that still be too mismatched and gaudy in comparison, or should I attempt a little extra elbow grease and take them out, spray them too, and reinstall them? Getting new fixtures is out of the question at the moment, but might be a possibility further down the line. There is also a standing chrome toilet paper holder, not pictured. Thoughts?

4) Then I'll swap out the old hand towels in lieu of some beautiful black and white Turkish hand towels that we picked up on our trip to Istanbul this summer! I'm excited to finally put them to good use, where everyone can get use out of them.

5) You can't see the ceiling in this picture, but I also want to install a beadboard ceiling with moulding around the edges, similar to the bathroom in this picture. It would be quick and easy to install, since the bathroom is so small. I think it would add just a bit more original charm to the space. I would love to also install it in the kitchen someday, though that will be a much larger undertaking!

What do you guys think? Any thoughts on the fixtures or have any additional advice that I should consider? 

I've been adding quite fervently to my "incredible artists that I've just now learned about" list recently, so I think I'll be breaking up the house and trip posts with some random art and photography posts for the next few months. This first one is Charles Freger, who makes incredible portraits of beasts at cultural festivals around Europe (more here). They are so beautiful and unlike anything I've seen lately! Almost haunting dont you think? They almost remind me of being in Turkey... I'd love one of these hanging in a room where I'd stare it often, like in the bathroom, is that crazy??

PS: Speaking of portrait series, this one is pretty darn great too, by MCAD Alumni Joseph O'Leary, check it out!

Alright people, the Spring is finally (almost) upon us, and it is almost warm enough to begin work on the outside of the house (so long as it doesnt snow again). And so, I have dubbed this summer in anticipation, 2013 THE YEAR OF THE EXTERIOR. We plan to install a brick patio for lounging (complete with string lights!), build some landscaping beds and plant a ton of plants (around the entire property, as we have almost none. You may remember the crazy invasive vines and fallen tree we had to excavate late summer last year). We also need to reseed the grass, spruce up/paint/organize the shed, and possibly install a new wood privacy fence, something like this (I havent gotten a quote yet, so that could be a next year project... but I am crossing my fingers that we can make it happen!)

In doing some prep-work and research for the projects, I have found THIS PLANT. A gorgeous antique climbing rose plant called Ramblin' Red, which I would like to use in the backyard, against the back fence, which would also climb over the right side of the shed. Wouldnt that look incredible!?! Supposedly it spreads quickly and is pretty hardy (which is required, due to my black thumb and complete lack of gardening experience). Well, first things first, of course.

We plan to procure tons of sand and vintage cobblestone street bricks soon, and will dig out the lawn to install the brick patio. Also, our local compost site has free mulch and sometimes black dirt! Then we can begin thinking about a fence, painting, and planting. I am hoping to find plants for free on Craigslist and Freecycle to get us going this year. Although, if you know any other good leads for free/cheap plants, it would be most appreciated! I am looking for hydrangeas, herbs, low ground-cover type plants, and possibly some small perrenials and shrubbery.

Here is my ideal patio/garden space (photo of Veronika's backyard via Tick Tock Vintage), with the lights, bricks, wood fence and fluffy hydrangea bushes. CANT WAIT.

And this is allll before I've even thought about patio furniture (Well, I've thought about it of course), but I dont know how I'm going to afford it. I'd like some teak furniture that ages to a nice silvery-wood color over time and requires virtually no maintenance. BUT, you know.. spendy. The set below is from Room and Board, and the table alone is $999. Ikea has some nice things too for cheaper. But it's still higher than I'd ideally spend this summer. Craigslist trolling will continue, forever and always.

More soon!

I came across the work of this photographer Dayanita Singh recently, and I'm feeling really inspired by her work. I love the way she fills the frame (square format frame!) and the way she achieves such a lush, dense black and white quality.

It gets me thinking about two things: one, how I will go about photographing in Istanbul this summer. I know that I'll need something compact and light-weight if we're to be traipsing up and down steep, cobblestone streets all day long, and through dense, urban areas where pick-pocketing and purse-snatching is somewhat common. Although I'm tempted to take along my Rollei square format that I used in Hawaii and loved so much. I will also need to use a fast film speed most of the time (if not all of the time) I am there so that I can photograph in low-light situations at night and in the mosques. And two, a project I'm about to embark on that I wont be able to talk about quite yet, just because it hasnt fully materialized in my brain. But, suffice it to say that it involves significant past memories and explores how we remember imagery (at least, how I remember imagery) from moments in our past. Stay tuned on that one...

YOU GUYS, I am getting so excited to attend my friends' upcoming SPACE PARTY! Any and all kinds of space related costumes will be in attendance, and all sorts of weird alien foods & beverages will be consumed. Last time around (yes, this is our second space-themed party, the last one was so epic we had to do it again! Flickr proof here!) my costume was pretty blah, and thrown together last-minute, but this time around I am determined to be prepared (there is a grand prize for the best costume... we are nerds.)

Emma and I went to the craft store last weekend to collect items for our costumes, and I ended up getting super inspired by all the weird plants and materials in the floral aisle. I even started construction and spray-painting some things the other night. I cant wait to see how it turns out! But to give you a little sneak peek, here are some of the inspirations I've gathered from the diverse corners of the internet. Think sort of a white ethereal moon-princess-type-creature. But with a little edge. ;)

This great outfit via The Fashion Void that is DC

The Childlike Princess from the Neverending Story

Moon Princess by McMugget on Deviantart

white leather harness by BCBG Max Azria via Elle (via an amazing DIY harness tutorial by DeSmitten)

Whitish alien plantssss

And of course, I cant decide what to do for a manicure yet but, GEMS? PEARLS? YES BOTH!

Okay peeps, I told myself I wouldnt begin tiling the kitchen backsplash right away after we got the house, since it's one of the larger projects on my list. These things take time (and monies!) But after further review (and after Anna from Door Sixteen just posted her big tiling job), I think I might need to move this project up a bit! I'm just itching for that yummy subway tile! And it really is so affordable (Home Depot's is only $1.84 per square foot). Just time consuming. I can't imagine I'm going to want to do this project this spring/summer/fall when all I want to do is hang out on our new patio in the backyard (larger project #1 on the list!) and drink margaritas all day long. SO, a winter project this must be! Either this or next.

Here are some great inspiration photos I've been gathering for our kitchen. It's the subway tile, yes, but also the general look and feel of these new turn-of-the-century style kitchens that I love. I want to also add more period-style fixtures and some wood touches here and there.

But here's the catch guys... I cant decide on a few aspects of the subway tile. How far up should it go? My instinct tells me up to the bottom of the small window in the butler's pantry area, and then continue that height all the way around the room. BUT, would that look weird if I tile the wall with the two windows only that high up? Should I tile the wall with the windows at all, or all the way up?? And lastly, should I tile the column in the center of the room at all, and how high up? The same height or all the way up?

It's little things like this that keep me up at night, guys. Exciting stuff, I know. So here's a poll! I need your advice for consideration, until I decide to undertake this project. Who knows, if everyone's pretty much unanimous, this might get done sooner rather than later! Haha, dont tell Alex... :)

EDIT: Wow, none of these images are available anymore. Sorry for the broken links, guys! I'll try to get these replaced soon.

Normally, I dont get into the Christmas spirit until after Thanksgiving (yes, I realize that it is now after Thanksgiving), but this year I found myself accidentally humming to the Christmas music playing on the speakers in Home Depots and Targets long before it was decent to do so. I found myself perusing google images for Christmas decoration inspiration and how-tos before I had even researched which apple pie recipe I was going to make for our Thanksgiving feast (ahem, the night before...)

I blame it, in part, on the fact that we have a house now and I am excited to decorate it for the first time! I am excited to try out these weird suction cups that claim to hold up a 20-lb wreath on a single window pane! And guys, I am so excited to try out getting my first ever real Christmas tree! It's the first time in my life I really feel that sense of pride in making my house look nice for the Holidays.

Also, I feel like I really need the extra Christmas cheer this year. Aside from the yearly seasonal depression I know to anticipate, and the annual work stress of putting on the nation's largest college Art Sale, we've both had a long year: celebrating our first year of marriage, mourning the deaths of two grandmas (one of each of ours), enduring the stress of house-hunting and putting in purchase offers, and elation in first-time homeownership. We've traveled to a state we've never been to before, Illinois, met some great new people, and helped make a wedding for our sister and brother-in-law.

Now I know we still have a month left of 2012, but I've been feeling thankful (tis the season) and pondering the future. And I thought this would be a good time to mention it.

Have a great rest of 2012, folks! And prepare yourself for Christmas decorations post PART DEUX, when we go pick out our Christmas tree! I am pumped.
xoxo

As many of you know, I was swamped last week with work (another successful MCAD Art Sale finally over! Take a look at this video for proof!), but am finally back to my regularly scheduled programming and I'm looking forward to a restful Thanksgiving Break this weekend! I am also looking forward to having some time for house projects after I have thoroughly stuffed myself tomorrow. Some plans may or may not include:

+ Paint the upstairs bathroom white
+ Begin painting polka dots!
+ Hand desk/counter in my studio
+ Buy frames for new art from the sale, frame
+ Hang new art from the sale
+ decide on and get a towel hook for upstairs bath, install
+ measure kitchen pendant light fixtures, find new clear globes to fit, install
+ tidy up bedroom, living room and dining room (what a mess!)
+ start gathering christmas decorations! (I'm thinking the grocery store may have real wreaths about now? Too soon?)
+ Go get a Christmas Tree!
+ do laundry!
+ put away laundry!

Here are some recent house inspiration pictures that loosely relate to my house plans! Have a Happy and safe Thanksgiving everyone!