Category: Recap

I had started out pretty well with doing month-in-review posts, last October and November, but it looks like I spaced out on December! Whoops! No time like the present to lump it in with January for an extra-special double dose roundup.

December

Waaaaay back in December, I posted a bit about the time Doug and I took a Szechuan cooking class at Sur La Table, and then shared a bit about Christmas decorating at home and over at the Hotel Del Coronado:

Then I clued you all in on my other, part-time gig, helping authors DIY! I shared the sad fate of our natural-fiber rug, and then did a little reflection of 2012 (a recap within a recap… is this the Inception of blog posts?)

January

Whew! We made it to 2013! I started the year out by coveting some of the furniture in the TOO line–Blu Dot’s collaboration with Target–still crushing on those chartreuse dining chairs by the way!

I foreshadowed a little bit by sharing my bedroom, about to change, then promptly shared our newest DIY… a OSB (plywood) headboard! We are still loving the headboard and thinking of art options to hang above it.

Mid January I hit a milestone–my 500th post. Thanks again to all that commented for your encouragement! 

Inspired by repeated search engine inquiries, I made an inspiration board based on Barney Stinson’s apartment from How I Met Your Mother. I also did my fair share of popping into a bunch of places around San Diego– Balboa Park, The Mission, and Dark Horse Coffee Roasters! Consider me your virtual travel guide.

And there you have it! The past two months in one blog post! Phew! I’m exhausted just reading this–hope you made it all the way down here to the end! I love doing these review posts because it really encourages me and helps keep up momentum. Thanks for reading.

I feel like the month of November totally flew by. Truly, I feel like I was just donning my Halloween costume and stocking ceramic cauldrons at work. Now it’s officially December and Christmas approacheth!

I started out the month with my second 2-second tip about how putting even a tiny bit of effort into decorating one’s stoop will set it apart from a zillion others in a large apartment complex.

Then I went into depth about space planning, offering a few tips and a brief introduction to using an online floor planner tool to help map out a room before starting to move around heavy furniture. I felt really good about this post and got some feedback from those who put some of my recommendations to good use!

We totally transformed our dining area into a purposeful-looking space by hanging  a light above the table using a large shade and a swag kit. No hard-wiring was involved at all! I can’t emphasize what a game-changer this light is. The dining area makes so much more sense now and it’s so pleasant to turn on the light for eating or other tasks, like addressing Christmas cards! (Confession: No, unfortunately we have still not fixed the extension cord issue.)

Believe it or not, my old bedroom was featured on West Elm’s instagram and on their blog, Front & Main! This was a huge milestone for me as I’ve always dreamed of being featured by my favorite brand.

Leading up to Turkey Day, I asked my friend Amy for some tips on hosting a gluten-free Thanksgiving for those who might be new to accommodating someone with a wheat allergy. For Thanksgiving we stole away from San Diego for an enjoyable couple of days at my parents’ house. We were joined for Thanksgiving dinner by my cousin Ashley who made delicious chocolate-nutella mini stacked cakes.

I think my favorite post to write and create the graphics for in November was my dream office. Some inspiration boards are just, well, so inspiring! I like to close my eyes and imagine when a bright and cheery office like this will be a reality.

To wrap up the month I revealed that the console table behind the couch is actually a clever solution to my problem of where to hide two huge speakers and two large bar stools.

And as the Christmas shopping season got into full swing, I got scheduled for more hours at work but managed to fit in a little research on vintage glass and help my mom set up a case for her pink depression glass at a local antique mall. Inspired by all the reading I did on vintage glass, I curated a little Etsy Treasury about some eye-catching pieces.

After all that review, I think my most important post this month was announcing Design Services. Make sure to check it out!

So, December is here! I am excited for shopping, holiday sweets, and of course Christmas dinner with my mom and dad. My in-laws are coming to visit, too, and work will really be picking up! I can already tell that this month is going to zoom by like November did. Among the business, however, I will be sure to keep updating with interesting content! I think I’ll more-or-less stay away from gift guides though, because my blog reader is becoming totally inundated with them at the moment. You’re welcome.

Anything specific you would like me to write about in December? 
Anything exciting happen to you in November? 
Let’s get the conversation going! 

A lot of bloggers have begun doing monthly wrap-ups, and I think it’s a great way to look back and see how the time has flown! Some of the posts I wrote at the first part of the month seem so long ago by now! Sometimes when I feel like I have nothing to blog about, or that I’m not spending as much time and energy on my blog as I want to, looking back and giving myself a virtual pat on the back is just the trick to get geared up for another month’s worth of great content!

I started out the month by sharing a Chilean recipe for you guys–if you haven’t had a chance to make this, I would encourage you to try it. In fact we picked up some ingredients the other day so we can have choripan and pebre again.

Next I did a little around-the-apartment catch up work. I shared photos of the office, the patio, and our new shelving system.

My favorite October project and post has got to be my gallery wall, though. I’m still in love with it and planning on expanding it soon!

Wouldn’t you know I took not one, but two walks down Parisian Memory Lane this month? Must really be in the mood to plan another vacation ;) I shared my finds at the Marché aux Puces de Clignancourt and doctored up some spooky graves from Père Lachaise Cemetery.

I was also invited to write a guest post for Alyssa at All Things Beautiful. I spent several days soul-searching and pondering why I love interior design so much! To be honest, it took me a really long time to craft that post together, and I did some self-analysis in the process. If you haven’t checked it out yed, I would be so glad if you did!

Lastly, Doug and I attended not one but two fun Halloween parties. Doug dressed as Marty McFly from Back to the Future and I dressed as a rich old lady, wearing a fabulous sequined dress and pillbox hat I got at a thrift store here in San Diego on Garnet Street. Forgive me for not sharing pictures, but the ones I managed to take on my iPhone aren’t really making the cut. :/

There was no blog post about this, since writing about real stuff is not easy for me (decor, however–piece of cake). But as Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast, I thought back to how scared I would get during thunderstorms in Kansas (including tornado warnings) but looking out my window and seeing the Sunny So Cal weather I really had a hard time imagining the extreme weather conditions. It wasn’t until the photos started appearing in the NY Times or Washington Post that I really could understand the scale of the damage, especially in places like New Jersey, where a good friend’s family lives. A few friends of ours are still without power at home, but we’re glad they are safe and sound, with alternate accommodations.