Wednesday, July 27, 2011

a tiny peek into our home

Eric and I have been planning on moving after our lease was up ever since we signed the 1 year contract.  Living in apartment style condos can be pretty difficult when the family that lives above you has 4 kids.  4 kids that aren't quiet, and don't care what time of night/morning it is.  But I won't get into these frustrations we have :) 
 We are ready to have our own space but it did make me sad to think about leaving the area and all of the friends we have made in such a short amount of time!  Well, with Eric's new calling we decided that it's not time for us to move yet.  Since we are staying for another year I decided I needed to make our place a little homier. 
I kept most of our decorations boxed up...I mean why unpack them if we were going to turn around and pack them back up so soon?!  I just didn't care to put effort into our place.  Haha how sad, right?  No worries though, Eric and I got to work and added a couple things to our living room...

I'm not very good at taking pictures, but I promise it all looks right when you walk into the room :)

I am not very creative, definitely not a DIY kind of girl, and I have no clue where to begin when it comes to decorating but I'm pretty happy with how our living room looks/feels.  White walls are the worst to decorate with but I feel like I brought enough color into the room....hopefully :)  I can't wait to go through the condo, room by room and spruce it all up a bit!  And I definitely can't wait to own our home, buy nice furniture, paint the walls, etc. haha!
And I'm glad I have this bloggy to post pictures!  The first 15 months of marriage we lived in a studio apartment.  We called it our box :)  It was a very nice studio....but it was definitely small.  Don't ask me how Eric got me to live there that long haha!  Then we moved into a 2 bedroom apartment.  Now we're in a 3 bedroom.  I guess Eric did it right to start us out small, each time we move it's definitely an upgrade haha :)  But I really don't have any pictures of our box or the 2 bedroom apt. so at least I'll be documenting our homes from here on out! :)
p.s.  I know I need to get pinning, and once I do I'm sure I'll find all sorts of home decor ideas that I'll absolutely need (Eric's gonna kill me when I start that addiction haha) but I'd love some decorating tips/ideas/help until I get going with pinterest! 

36 comments:

m&msmommy said...

I love your photo wall! Adorable!

I am the WORST decorator ever and I think it's because most of our stuff (well, not most, but some ;) is hand-me-downs, so I feel like it's a tad "mish mashed" and not coordinated well, but it's home and that's all that matters! :) We don't own our home either and I can't wait until we do! :)

Have a great day! :)

Laynah said...

that photo wall is the cutest!
you're doing great at working with what you've got.

Gentri said...

Ya pinterest! Haha! I think you are doing great with your home! It might not be a bad idea to get out the decor. It will make your condo more homey. :)

Shay said...

We got a paint upgrade in the apartment we are moving into and I am so thankful- it is so hard to make an apartment homey but you are doing a great job!

Sometimes apartments let you paint if you turn it back to white- maybe you could paint an accent wall to warm it up a bit? Pinterest will be awesome for you!

Jen said...

I have a little kid that lives below me and they are soooo loud. always running around and the whole place shakes and always..always...ALWAYS crying (no exaggeration). I lived in a tiny studio before this too. Now this is a small one bedroom. I can't wait for the day when I get a 2-bedroom!

P! said...

I am so happy you posted this- it's so sweet that you shared your dwelling with us! I was going to a post like this- you've motivated me to do it too!! I LOVE that photo wall- can't wait to do one myself!

shay said...

my last apartment i had a family with 5 kids living above me. i feel your pain! LOL

and i felt the same way about decorating when i moved... too much of a hassle, but i realized even doing small things to make it feel homey are worth it!

ashley.warner said...

ohhh! your apartment is darling. and i really like the idea of upgrading each time you move. i hope when i get married that the hubs and i can love living in a crackerbox for the first year of marriage...woo

Lauren said...

Love your photo wall!! :-)

Ashley said...

Super cute photo collage on the wall! I love that style of decorating with picture frames. I just love to decorate with a bunch of color...some old/antique or new furniture...I think a nice blend of your own personal style makes a house a home :)

Haley said...

love it! i tell you, i'm all about photos being the best way to decorate a home, bring in character, and cherish memories :) love your little gallery above the couch!

and yes. pinterest pretty much ROCKS :) I have so much pinned for home inspiration...now I just have to follow through and create them for our home!

Shannon said...

Looks like such a cute apt!!

Megan said...

Oh, I love the gallery wall and the curtains! Don't get on Pinterest...it's SO addicting. Haha.

Afton said...

Oh my goodness I love decorating. I already have how I want to decorate our apt planned out. Gregg loves it too. I pretty much want to be an interior designer.

Bree said...

Utah Lake looks pretty dirty, but it's because it's really shallow! The lake is only like 10 feet deep. My husband's family lives like 5 minutes from it so we always go there and I like it. The water is warm, it was like 85 when we were there on Sat. If you're craving boating and live close you should definitely take a trip there!! :)

Alexis Kaye said...

haha! oh dear! apartment life. some day I will post about all the funny and terrible things about our apartment! haha!

Bonnie said...

I love your picture wall in the second photograph. I really want to create something like this for me and my Mr. A at our house. It's adorable!

http://www.glamkittenslitterbox.com/
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Unknown said...

Love your cute thing under the Brinkerhoff sign. Is that a cork board...a frame...did you make it?? Darling whatever it is. And P.S. Watch out...once you start pinning you'll be addicted!

Autumn @ Autumn All Along said...

I totally understand this...I have never ended up decorating our apartments because "we will move soon." Thing is though...we still have to enjoy living here some part of it. I understand the loud kids thing too.

Lauren said...

Ok, pinterest is great except once you see a billion pics of "dream" decorating your own accomplishments don't seem to stack up in your mind even when you've created something amazing... Or maybe that's just me (probably). You've done a great job and if it makes you happy and feel at home - mission accomplished :)

Ashley {hudson's happenings} said...

Your little photo wall is adorable!! Love the way you have it laid out, and the B is too cute!! & oh boy, I love pinterest....are we friends on there yet!?

Lauren said...

I love it! :) Your place looks too cute!!!

Rebecca said...

I love the photo wall! I totally wish I was creative enough to do something like that, but I don't think mine would come out looking as good as yours :)

ConnieB said...

looks so cozy! Very darling!!

Christy said...

Courtney---It's like I could have written this post!! I've been complaining for the past couple weeks that I wish our house was decorated in a more sophisticated, cohesive, and creative way. But I have no idea how to go about decorating! Our house is nice, but it's definitely a little thrown together looking. Most of my experience comes from decorating a college room...now I want a grown up house! I've kind of avoided Pinterest b/c I don't need another way to waste my time...but I'm thinking I may need to check it out. Apparently it's the best thing ever for inspiration. We shall see! Good luck to you!!!

Lauryn said...

It's definitely hard to find decoration inspiration when you know you're only going to be somewhere temporarily... but I really like what you've done with your place! That wall in the living room is cute! Very unique :)

Sharstin said...

i feel the same way about my basement--no motivation to decorate it~ your house is cute! i especially like the photo wall~

RACHAEL said...

you could always get some bright cushions, or a nice rug?? anyways, i'm sure once you get onto pinterest, you'll have a million great ideas (like i do, once we eventually move!) :)

i love those round chairs (not sure what they're called, the one in your last picture)-- so very comfy! x

ps. thanks so much for your lovely comment on my blog :)

Chelsea said...

Aww, I love it! We have the same couches. Whoohoo.

Also. I saw someone use fabric as wallpaper the other day. Like, they just applied liquid starch to lightweight fabric and applied it as you would wallpaper. Apparently, it's awesome because it comes off with water. I think I'ma hook my apartment up with a little fabric wall!

fabulousamy said...

I love how you decorate your house. When I grow up and get my own place I want your help to decorate my place:) luv ya cute thing

Tatiana said...

I love gallery walls, and your pics are so cute! I love decorating, I just wish we had more money to do so :-)

Megan said...

so cute!! i love it! i wish i had more style when it came to decorating. you will have to keep posting more pictures to help inspire me :)

tifsong said...

CUTE HOUSE.

I need to come visit and get my hair done. I haven't since May! that's a long time! :)


tif

Liesl said...

How FUN!!! I can't wait to have a house of our own and to decorate...so excited for you!!!

Liesl :)

Ashley said...

I know how you feel about living in an apartment and not wanting to really decorate or paint much, because you know that living there won't be for too long. I'm the same way, so I just try and decorate as best I can with pictures and colorful accessories. (:

Pinterest is full of inspiring interior images. You're going to love all of the beautiful ideas you find there. Let us all know when you get an account!

Colby Moore said...

Oh, that seems to be a pretty nice place. Well, a bit of decorating can add something extra to the rooms. It doesn't have to be anything fancy. Adding a splash of your own style can create a very good effect in the condo, making the place more comfy and personal.

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