Happy 1-year bloggiversary to me!

November 24^th marks the 1 year anniversary of this little blog of mine.  I don’t feel as though this is a huge, monumental occasion or anything, but I do see people write about their “bloggiversaries” so I thought I would join the club.  If nothing else, it is an opportunity to reflect on the past and set goals for the future.

Do you think I should suggest Derek get me a 1 year bloggiversary gift?  Or maybe I should just get something for myself.  I love any reason to give and receive gifts (especially when I’m giving them to myself!)

So a lot has happened in my life since November 24, 2011.  Here are some events that stand out in my mind:

• we said au revoir to our little bachelor(ette) after 2 and a half years of sharing 475 square feet, and moved into our condo

• I survived “the summer of weddings”
• I was spoiled at the most lovely bridal shower
• my bff married the man of her dreams!

• my other bff got engaged to the man of HER dreams!

• Derek and I traveled to NYC
• I started a new job
• I participated in my first try-a-triathlon (and it will not be my first and only!)

• some amazing women brought new people into the world (summer 2012 could also be dubbed "the summer of births"!)
• my dad is successfully recovering from hip surgery
• Derek survived his 10 day bachelor party in Myrtle Beach

It's been a really positive year.  And even though I stressed over having such a jam-packed (and expensive) calendar at times, it was filled with awesome events and celebrations.  So I am taking this time to reflect on how lucky I am to have so much good in my life.

As for my blog, I am happy where I am and what I’ve been able to accomplish.  Through writing I’ve learned that it’s something I really enjoy!  I always loved keeping a journal while growing up and this feels very similar.  I never put too much pressure on myself to spin out a certain amount of blogs per month (although 1 per week was an unofficial goal), and I don’t think I ever forced a post if I wasn’t in the mood.  I tried to be as honest as possible in my writing which was one tip I read multiple times when researching about starting up a blog.

So I do hope that you, my readers, find my writing to be honest, enjoyable, sometimes informative and never too heavy.  I hope to make you laugh, too!

I love my little blog and the fact that it’s so simple keeps me from feeling pressured.  But I would like to see improvements and upgrades in some areas.

•  I haven’t put much effort into learning html or the tricks of blogger.com.  I don’t want to be a programming genius, but simply knowing how to make a nice banner with my own photos would be nice!
• So I like arts and crafts, I knew this.  And I think I’ve mastered the glue gun (I hardly burn my fingers anymore).  But I think it’s time for me to tackle some bigger projects.  Maybe get to know my power drill a little better so that I’m not so intimidated when I see that it’s needed for a certain project.  With our wedding date approaching; putting some love into our condo is going to become a larger priority and I would like to tackle some more involved DIY projects.  And of course share them with you!
• I need to keep it real.  I know I just said that I’m honest and myself in my writing, however my posts are mostly positive.  Not to say that my life isn’t mostly positive, because it is!  But I am going to try to be less shy about sharing mistakes, learning experiences or topics that make me feel queasy (budgets and money for example).

And before I forget, I would like to thank anyone and everyone who has ever read (or even just skimmed) through my blog.  I think it’s so cool that people I don’t even know, not to mention friends and family, take the time to read what I write.  If I could make you all yarn wreathes and my mom’s butter tarts and send them to you in a beautifully wrapped parcel, I totally would!

So there we have it.  My first bloggiversary post!  I wonder how many more there will be.  Maybe one day I will be famous like Sherry and John Petersik of YoungHouse Love!  But probably not.  And I’m totally ok with little lovelee honeybee remaining as my online journal.  It's my nice little place where I can keep track of and share special events, pictures, learning experiences, and accomplishments.  

But I do secretly want to be just like Sherry Petersik.  She has mad power drill skillz.  I'm just sayin'. 

On white walls

Interior design (like weddings nowadays) is so personal, which is one of the reasons I love it so much.  There are many spaces that I see in magazines, for example, that I love but wouldn't use in my own home.  The most important thing to keep in mind is that although we may like to follow trends or make our guests feel at home, we should really decorate our spaces for ourselves - the people who spend the most time there!  

A few weeks ago, I was at an event hosted by the amazing Hive Girls, which was centered around home décor.  One of the presenters, an interior designer, suggested that everyone take a look at what they were wearing which would provide a sense of what our unique design style is.  

I thought that was interesting, especially since my girlfriend was wearing a soft knit sweater with jewel toned accessories.  She just happens to live in a cozy wood home, complete with a wood burning stove and is drawn to warm tones.  I was in a straight cut black and white dress which I feel was a good indicator of our condo’s modern, classic decor.

Which leads me to the topic of this post: our white walls.

It’s so funny.  One of the first things people ask when they come to visit our new place is “so are you going to paint!?”  Maybe you think the answer would be an obvious “yes!” but Derek and I both actually enjoy our white walls.  For some reason though, I felt self-conscious telling people this.  Maybe they will think we are lazy and that’s why we aren't painting.  Or that we have bad taste or are boring and bland.  

I casually stuck a paint chip I had on hand by one of our light switches - the universal sign that you are at least thinking about painting - just so I wouldn't be judged.  SO silly, right!?

After over three months of living in our new condo I've decided to take down that paint chip and own the white walls.  To us, they don’t feel cold or sterile or unfinished.  They feel warm and clean and keep our space feeling open and bright.  

With our all white kitchen cabinets and appliances, having white walls helps create a continuous view which creates the illusion of space (although maybe one day we will be looking for contrast).  I think the dark floors and counter tops help ground the space, while the pops of colour I’ve added with accessories like pillows, vases, kitchenware and art keep things happy and playful.

We are happy to say that we are owning our white walls and love them!  

Here are some inspiration photos that I referred to, and further down are some updated photos of our own place!

I think the gallery wall behind the gray couch looks awesome here.  This is the look I would love to have above our couch in the den.

This entrance looks so fresh and sophisticated.  The white/gray walls feel anything but unfinished in my opinion.

I love this white kitchen and how casual yet clean it feels.  The art, bright fruit and fun little chalk board really pop against the white walls.

This room feels fun and colourful.  I think they achieved this by layering textures and adding pops of colour through their accessories.  The room feels casual and inviting with the leaning art and cushions on the cozy looking rug.  I'm really loving the long shelf above the french doors.  What a perfect place to display vases.  I think grouping them by colour and style keeps it from feeling cluttered.

And now for our own white walls!

I had my girlfriends over the other weekend and along with taking care of some wedding crafts we also put up some art!  Talk about a productive sleepover!

When our dining table finally arrives I am going to look around for a large scale mirror for that wall. 

Here's our entrance.  I was getting tired of our fall display and so this is how it looks now.  I'll keep you posted on any improvements!

I love how everything I add to the kitchen really pops against the white base.

Here's what you see when you walk through our front door.  It's our den, a little Canadiana inspired with my Bay blanket and matching pillows.  I think a gallery wall would look great above the couch!

To keep it real, it realy is a tiny little space that usually looks like this:

You see, that closet holds our washer and dryer, so our den has inevitably become our laundry room.  But it also acts as a good guest room.  And call us crazy, but one day we plan to stick an infant in there.  

The den got some loving too with this cute little bee mail holder.  It was a very thoughtful wedding shower gift.

So cute, right?!

Our last little piece of white wall that got some love was right in the entrance.  We had the perfect piece to cover up the ugly fuse box.  Perfect, no!?

So there you have it.  A little over-due somewhat-of-a-house-tour and my thoughts on our white walls.

How do you feel about white walls?  Stark and unfinished or clean and crisp?