Christmasgram #4.

Countdown to my sister's flight to MKE: less than 24 hours. 

Countdown to Chicago Christmas fun: 2 days. 

Countdown to driving home for Christmas: 3 days. 

I'm a happy girl. 

Give me an old fashioned fireplace.

We didn't have a fireplace growing up. When we were little, we were concerned about how Santa Clause would come visit us, thanks to the countless images and songs about coming down the chimney. I think we eventually convinced ourselves that the TV disappeared and turned into a "magic fireplace," relieving any fears that Santa might bypass our house for lack of a chimney. 

And while I'm not too worried about this anymore (for Santa always finds a way!), I would still love to have a fireplace. For one, Christmas cards and decorations look their best on top of a mantel. And since it's getting cold in Shorewood (but still no snow), this morning, I'd be happy to sit in front of a roaring fire, get lost in a book, and drink my coffee. Instead, I'll leave you with some of my favorite finds and fireplace inspirations, and let Frank Sinatra sing us out...

Photos (1), (2), (3) via apartmenttherapy.com; (4), (5), (6) via Pinterest. 

For the kitchen: Christmas decorations.

Decorating for Christmas is so much fun, and I just love when there's a touch of holiday sparkle in each room of the house. What better place for Christmas decorations than the kitchen, a room that's full of warmth and cozy places to gather with family and friends (for some reason, Ukrainians always seem to congregate in the kitchen)? 

Pinterest is not lacking in ideas on how to bring Christmas into the kitchen, ranging from setting up a gigantic decorated Christmas tree in the middle of the room to hanging snowflakes made by the youngest members of the house from the windows. Some of my personal favorites are below. These touches are a bit more subtle and would still allow one to actually use their kitchen...all just Christmasy enough to make the room look and feel special for the holidays.

Photos (1), (2) via apartmenttherapy.com; (3), (4), (5), (6), (7) via Pinterest. 

For the kitchen: herbs.

Cooking with fresh herbs brings dishes to a completely different level, one that's bright, vibrant, and full of flavor. I'd love to be able to bring in bunches of fresh rosemary, thyme, basil from outside to use in my kitchen...but unless you have your own garden this likely is a bit of a luxury (actually, it's a near impossibility if you rent, like us, and have no private outside space). For now, we improvise, wrapping up fresh herbs that we bring home from the store with wet paper towels and then sealing them in individual plastic bags; they'll keep in the fridge a surprisingly long time that way. But just for fun, here are some inspirational photos to get you growing (hah!) inside your kitchens.

 Photos via: Williams-Sonoma, Crate & Barrel, and apartmenttherapy.com

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween, friends!

May your night be filled with ghosts, pirates, princesses, and superheroes. And how adorable is this costume?

Since we live in an apartment building with few kiddos, it's unlikely that we're going to get many trick-or-treaters, but I'm guessing our neighborhood will be crawling with dressed up monsters and fairies. Tonight, we'll be making pizza, having some wine, and I'm going to make these: peanut butter brownies. We've been wanting something chocolaty and gooey, and this seems like the perfect treat. Maybe we'll catch up on some Walking Dead, too - zombies are super scary, best enjoyed on Halloween!

Enjoy all your candy! I really can't believe it's the end of October...

P.S.: if anyone is hosting a party this weekend, I think this is a genius idea!

Photos via apartmenttherapy.com and ohhappyday.com.

Apartment tour.

Before my mom came to visit last week, I had to make sure our apartment was ready for its first hosting. Andrew's parents and my sister, of course, saw the apartment when they helped us move in, but my mom had only seen it through videos and spotty tours on FaceTime. Andrew and I fell in love with this unit when we first saw it (the previous owners did an amazing job decorating and painting), and we were especially happy with how bright and open it is. There's still more we want to add, but we'll get to that eventually...nothing is ever completely finished in a home, is it?

We love having people over, so it was wonderful to have my mom stay with us and share the apartment (and I'm glad to note she loved it, too!). This, then, is an open invitation to our friends and family: come over! Our place is ready and waiting for you, and so are we! 

For the kitchen: flowers.

It's cloudy, windy, and a bit gloomy here today, so I figured, what better way to bring some sunshine into the kitchen than flowers? I love how just the tiniest bouquet can brighten up the entire room. A colorful and happy way to decorate and easily changeable with the seasons? Yes, please! 

*Photos via apartmenttherapy.com

The art of hanging art.

So far, most of our walls in the living room are completely blank, except for my goddaughter's drawing that she gave us before we moved. It's called Ferris Wheel, and I absolutely adore it. But because we have lots of wall space throughout the apartment, there definitely need to be more pictures hung up. Hanging art helps any space feel more inviting and complete, but I find that I'll often leave frames on the floor for weeks, trying to figure out where they'd look best. 

Hanging art is something I've never, ever liked. Frankly I'm surprised that we have anything up on our walls, considering it's only been about four weeks since we've moved. Commiserating with friends who have also recently moved, I discovered that hanging anything seems to be a common enemy for us. Not only do you have to make sure every piece is even, angled correctly, and fills up the appropriate amount of space on the wall, you must also hammer in that nail in exactly the right spot or risk everything looking lopsided and mismatched (and not the cool, fun mismatched in these photos, but the really messy, not-at-all-meant-to-go-together mismatched).  Plus, we haven't had the greatest record when it comes to hanging pictures in the past; plenty of holes in rented apartment spaces aren't likely to make landlords happy. 

While browsing for inspiration (and help), I found these lovely shots from Domino. I could get lost on that site, there are so many beautiful ideas for the home. Also, this one from Apartment Therapy. 

But one of the best hints I found was this, also from Apartment Therapy, which just might help me get over my aversion to hanging pictures. I will be trying this out in the next few days (or, let's not pretend, weeks...), it's genius!

What do your walls look like? Are they filled with favorite photos and family memories? Do you have one giant frame, or do you hang eclectic art pieces that mix style, color, subject matter, but match just enough? Pass along any ideas, I'm curious to know!

Kitchen dreams.

This is not our new kitchen. 

While browsing decorating ideas online, I was struck particularly by these kitchens. Not only are they gorgeous, over-the-top, and probably really, really expensive, I noticed they were all galley kitchens. Our old apartment had a galley kitchen; what I disliked most about it was that you couldn't do anything without turning on a light. There were no windows that opened up the space or allowed any natural light to come in. These are all so bright, which I think is essential in any kitchen, but especially in a long and narrow one.

For these photos and more, visit apartmenttherapy.com

Our new kitchen is coming along, and while it won't look like any of the ones posted above, we are absolutely in love with it. The window is nice and big and lets the sunshine in, which is just the best in the morning. Once the decorating is all done and everything is organized, I'll post some pictures, but for now, I'll just lust over these. Happy kitchen dreams!