So, when I had my lovely week in Oklahoma, my Mom decided she wanted to change things up a bit in her house. As I posted here, my Mom has some really awesome stuff. But her living/dining area just wasn't working for her anymore. So, we changed it! With the help of my brother (aka the muscles behind the move), of course. I am really, really kicking myself for not getting better 'before' pics.... but when you are in the zone you just don't always stop to grab the camera.

So, here is the 'after'.

We basically flipped the room. We moved the dining table to the opposite side and made the seating area the first thing you see when you walk in. It definitely allows the fireplace to be more of a focal point than it was previously. And the seating is so opened up now so the dining area is really a part of the conversation area.

Moving everything around totally opened up the room and made the flow better. We also painted the walls... it went from a too-yellow to a just-right-gray.

Sorry for the flash in the mirror. One day, Mom is planning on semi-covering the mirror with a cool geometric stencil. I think it will be an awesome addition.

As you can see, the dogs are very happy with it, and so is my Mom! So glad I could help :)

Now, back to work on making our new house more of an 'after'.... it's definitely still in the 'before' stages!!

xoxo, Emily

Anniv. gift for the Hubs

I can't believe the Hubs and I will be married two years on Monday. You know what they say... time flies when you're having fun! As the day approaches, it is so wonderful to look back on our wedding day and remember just how special it was.

Anyway, to celebrate the day, we are going to tear ourselves away from working on the new house for a little bit to have a picnic in our new park. I just can't wait :)

Because so much has been going on, I haven't gotten him a gift yet. (insert bad wife comment here) BUT, I have actually known what I want to get him for a while, and I showed it to him last night. (I am terrible at keeping secrets so it's a good thing I even waited this long).

I am very into sticking to the 'traditional' gifts. Last year was paper and I made him a Shutterfly photobook of our wedding pics. This year is cotton. I could have gone alot of different ways with it, but I decided to go with this:

Here.

It is a custom subway scroll from Etsy seller LilyGene (who I think I heard about from YHL, but now I can't remember). Anyway, I am thinking canvas totally passes as cotton, right??

I have always been really sentimental about places and over these past two years, we have been blessed enough to share many special places in the world. I thought this would be a great way to remind us of them.

Kind of afraid subway scrolls are going to turn into the next "Keep Calm and..." posters... but oh well. I have been thinking about this gift for a few months and I still love it. I also have the perfect place picked out in the Chouse for it to go.

Now I just need to order it!

Hope everyone has a fabulous and safe Memorial Day weekend!

xoxo, Emily

Unpacking...

Can't justify blogging when there's so much to do....

xoxo, Emily

Best Friend's Baby Shower #2

Well, my best friend's baby shower was this weekend and it was just wonderful! Everything turned out just perfectly- decor, food, etc! More than anything, it was great seeing the Mommy-to-be and catch up with good friends.

Of course, I have to share some pics of the party!

Everything we did for decor was really easy and budget-friendly, but it looked just adorable. In case you didn't see, I posted a little bit of our inspiration for the shower here.

We had the party at the house that one of the hostesses grew up in. Such a charming house. It was perfect. Poofs to welcome party guests. (Yes, I am reflected in the door. Whatevs, I never said I was a professional photog). Looking at this pic, I wish I would have done more poofs here, but I was just really poofed out by the time it was all said and done.

Banner. Obvi.

The food table. The food was goooooooood.

Little A's on toothpicks were just the right touch.

Candy bar!

Note on the gift table.

We set up a cute area on the porch. Too bad  no one went out there because it was so hot. You win some, you lose some. All of these tablecloths are my moms. She just has a great collection from various vintage stores. The colors were perfect!

All in all, it was a total success....now we just need Baby Avery to be here!

This morning, I am getting on the road to head to St. Louis!! Can't wait to get to the Chouse, explore a new city and decorate!!!

xoxo, Emily

Dwell with Dignity

I really love when people put their passions to work to help others. As alot of you know, I worked at a non-profit organization in Houston and I really loved my time there. Recently, I came across an awesome non profit that merges design with philanthropy. A GREAT combination, if you ask me.

Dwell with Dignity is a non-profit group of Dallas based Interior Designers and volunteers dedicated to creating soothing, inspiring homes for families struggling with homelessness and poverty. Their mission is to help families escape homelessness through design. Check out this before:

And then after:

I would love to see this organization spread to other cities! For more information, check out their website.

xoxo, Emily

My Momma's house

Moving has its perks. I am slowly making my way up to St. Louis from Houston, and during the process I get to spend some time in Oklahoma at my Momma's house. I looooove getting to spend time not only with my family but also in my hometown.

My Mom has created a really great style in her home. It's kind of mid-century modern mixed with antiques and rustic touches. She has a great eye and I love seeing her many finds. Thought I would share some of them with you all.

The best part about the house is the amazing backyard, and the view you get of the backyard from the main room.

She just painted this wall. It used to be white. A great choice, I think!

I actually painted these for her a few years back.

My mom really likes nature things. Sticks, rocks, etc. These wood pieces hang in the family room.

A pretty space in the living room.

xoxo, Emily

Heading out...

Via Pinterest.

Today all our earthly possessions are being packed up and put on a truck heading to St. Louis. It has been a very exciting and busy last couple of weeks preparing for the move, but I am welcoming this new chapter of our life no matter how much it pains me to do so.

I thought this quote was definitely fitting for our transition. Can't wait to see what the future holds!

We'll see ya next time Houston!

xoxo, Emily

Kim Kardashian's house

I am a reality television fan. I prefer the craziness of certain people's 'realities'. For those of you out there who understand my condition, it won’t come as a surprise that I watch the Kardashians (and all the spin-offs) quite frequently.

Kim bought a bomb new house last year and whoever did the decorating did a really good job. It definitely has a neutral palette… if it were my house I would definitely need more color and pattern. But, it’s not my house!!

Some pics:

 



Images from here and here.



Khloe and Lamar’s house is really cool too; I just can’t find any pics of it! It definitely has more drama through color and pattern than Kim’s so I find it to be more interesting. Does anyone know where I can find some photos of the interior?

xoxo, Emily

PS- It's moving day!!! So crazy that the time to leave Houston is already here... watching the movers pack up our stuff is so surreal!

Job Hunt

Soooo since I will be on the job hunt (again!) soon, I was thinking I definitely need this suit.

Here.

It's only a Valentino, so the Hubs should have no problem with me getting it :)

xoxo, Emily

Great print campaigns

One thing I will never tire of is magazines. But unlike most people, I really love the advertisements! There is just something about a great print advertisement that really makes me happy. While I do understand that advertisements exist solely to get people to buy stuff, I think they are an art form in their own way.

Anyway, here are some of my favorite print campaigns from recent (and not so recent) memory.

Here.

Scarlett Johansson for Moet &Chandon.


here.

Looooved Sarah Jessica Parker for Gap. The print ads were great, as was the "I enjoy being a girl" commercial. I can still sing the whole thing. No judgement.

I have always loved Gap ads. They have done some really good ones!

Here.

Claire Danes and Patrick Wilson. Also a great commercial.

Here.

Gap's West Side Story campaign was SUCH a fun one!

Ralph Lauren Romance ads are always really great. Beautiful girl, beautiful guy, beautiful scenery. What can I say? I'm a sucker for romance!

Here.

But the company who consistently has my favorite ads is Tiffanys! Again, I'm a sucker for romance. I really loved their latest winter campaign.

Here.

Here.

Here.

Here.

The spring ads are lovely as well...

Here.

Here.

Here.

xoxo, Emily