House Tour: Dining Room

Happy Hump Day!

Sorry there has been a bit of a lull in my house tour posts.  I've literally been pulling 12 hour days at school AND bringing work home with me, so the blog has been a bit neglected.

That being said, I am very excited to share our dining room with you today.

I don't have any before pictures of the dining room, because quite honestly it seems to be always evolving and changing.

When I first met Bryce, he literally had an oversized rectangular dining room table and no chairs.  It has come a long way since then!

I still have quite a vision for the dining room down the road.  However, it isn't a priority now and additionally,  working on the house and putting my touch on things is an ongoing effort and I'm happy to take baby steps!

So without further adieu, you're invited to a virtual dinner party...

Take a look at the party's decor!

I had a particularly fun time putting together a fall tablescape for this virtual soiree!

This is a view of the dining room from the living room.

I love the French doors that lead straight to the back patio!

I pretty much refuse to ever put a tablecloth on the table, because I can't bear the thought of covering up the beautiful cherry wood.

This is the view from the far left corner of the room.

Bryce's mom gave him the corner cabinet for his 25th birthday and we store our oyster plate collection inside!

Those of you who follow me on Instagram have already seen this bar set-up I created over the summer!

I am obsessed with this snakeskin tray I found at Home Goods (my happy place!).

I also love, love, love this painting we bought together at last year's Waterfowl Festival in Easton, Maryland.

This space, on the opposite wall from the bar space, is where the actual bar is!

This room, in particular is filled with reminders of our travels.  For example the painting in this picture was also found at the Waterfowl Festival last year, and Bryce's mom bought it for him as a Christmas present.  We bought the fish plate at an antique store on a trip to Charlottesville.

Did you really think all our booze would fit on that little tray?!?

Believe it or not, Bryce picked out the floral fabric for these cushions!

Tablescapes have been particularly fun since getting the dining room together.  I have really been enjoying these napkins that my grandmother passed down to me!

And finally:  No room in Bryce's house would be complete without some ducks and dogs!

What do ya think?

My dreams for the dining room involve apple green walls and a fancy chandelier...BUT...they can wait for now!  

*And finally, just a note, this is just a starter home.  I'm 24 and Bryce is 26.  It is not our dream home and this is not how I plan to decorate my dream home.  We are working together to mesh my style into Bryce's already furnished and mostly complete home.  We know there's not quite enough space for all our stuff and not every piece in the house will not be our forever piece, SO, if you're a realtor...please don't post any comments on my blog or contact me.  We're not looking to sell or to buy a bigger house; I just want to share a big part of my life lately on my blog!*

Have a great day!

Loving...

A much happier Friday over here today!

This week has been much better than last and we have an exciting weekend of wedding festivities ahead!  Our good friends S & C are tying the knot on a farm tomorrow and Bryce is a groomsman!  I'm excited to have an excuse to throw on my cowboy boots and dance!

Here's a look at some of the things I'm loving this week:

Anthropologie Katrine Peplum Top

Those of you who follow along on IG, know that I scored this on sale last Sunday and am obsessed!  Thinking of wearing it to tonight's rehearsal dinner...

I'm loving our fall tablescape, complete with flowers Bryce brought home to me last week when I was at my lowest!

J. Crew Factory Dotted Gigi Pant

These pants take neutral to a fabulous new level!

Voyage en Chine Pillow Cover

Is it just me, or is this pillow to die for?

Kate Space Pencil iPhone Case

Wishing I had an iPhone 5 so I could get this cutie...

And finally, since I'm feeling back to my old self again, we'll end with an eCard!

This is how I'm feeling about tonight's rehearsal.  It's a hike to the venue so Bryce and I should really ride together, BUT...he has to be there at 4, and I would much rather arrive pretty!

What are you loving this week?

Have a great weekend!

Loving...Inspirational Quotes Edition

Friday!  Friday!  Friday!

This might be the happiest I've ever been for Friday!

Not only has this been an exhausting week, but also an emotional one.  Those of you that follow me on Instagram, know I've been having a tough time at school.  Quite honestly it's been taking a toll on me.  I'm in the process of writing a post about everything I've been dealing with, but for today, I thought I would share some inspirational quotes that have been particularly helpful in the last few days.

I've got nothing else to say...these words sum it up!

Have a great weekend!

Loving...

As always TGIF...AND...what a week!

Yesterday I was at school almost 14 hours!  Immediately after dismissal we had interviews for 3 hours (one of our teachers has decided to resign so we're in the process of finding a new K teacher) and then that was followed by back to school night.  I am wiped out...probably will be asleep by 8:00 pm tonight!

That being said, I am really hoping you have had a better week than me!

On a happy note, here are some things I have been loving lately...

C. Wonder Piggy Bank

C. Wonder is a frequent flyer in these "Loving..." posts...pretty much everything they sell is just fabulous and I have to admit, I'm a little more than a bit obsessed with this piggy bank!

Ralph Lauren Jenny Riding Boots

In this past post I mentioned Tory Burch boots.  Well friends, I tried them on recently and while they're gorgeous, I really prefer more of a tan color than dark brown.  Since Katie, of In the Pink posted these on Instagram, I have been smitten!  These are the replacement boots I have been searching for!  AND...on top of that, they are half the price of the TB pair, meaning I can buy them AND something else new for Fall without feeling guilty!

J. Crew Colorblock Socks

The fact that it's boot weather, also means it's sock weather!  Y'all...if you haven't bought a pair of J. Crew socks, you should!  They are the best...so comfy! These are just plain precious!

Tory Burch eau de Parfum

Bryce's mom brought a sample of this back from a recent trip to NY and it smells heavenly!  Bryce even exclaimed "What is that wonderful smell?" after coming upstairs when I first put it on!  It's available for pre-sale now and you are going to want to snag it up!

Anthropologie Trumpeter Buttondown

I love this buttondown!  The mix of classic blouse with fun cuffs and collar is right on the mark!

And finally, I'm going to diverge from my usual e-Card closer.  I'm going to be honest with you...it's been a really rough start to this school year.  I may go into it more in a personal post soon, but, things have been crazy, frustrating, and overwhelming to say the least.  I'm trying to stay positive and am really loving this quote as a reminder of why I teach.

What are you currently loving?

Have a great weekend!

House Tour: Full Bath

Happy Tuesday readers!

Have a good weekend?

Mine was spent at the "rivah" for Bryce's cousin's wedding.  I am definitely having to readjust to school after a weekend that felt like summer...

For today's house tour post, I am sharing one of the easiest rooms I tackled in the house this summer-- the full/master bath!

This room makes me happy because it needed little work and with a trip to Home Goods costing less than $50 I was able to make some big changes in the space!

I'll start with my favorite spot in the room:

The biggest change that took place in this room was right here!  It previously was a storage space for a heap of magazines as well as Bryce's dopp kit.  A basket for just $9.99 solved all problems, thus enabling me to style the back of the toilet with my perfume, a favorite Tocca candle, a Michael's zebra tray, and a little blue and white trinket box.

This is how the space looks from the hallway!

Bryce's house was built in 1951, so it has the iconic tile of the era.  I am SO thankful that his is the black and white version and not the blue or pink versions we've all seen.  I actually really like the black and white and decided to use it as an inspiration for the space rather than something to overcome.  As you can see I pulled it in using the art work, towels, and zebra dish.  I also like having a few subtle pops of color in the space!

The walls are painted a light blue which may not be apparent in these photos.

This little basket solved so many problems in the space!

The back of the door holds my towel, body brush, and robes!

At first, I wasn't in love with this shower curtain which Bryce had picked out when he first got the house, but once the room came together, I decided it was perfect for the space.

A clean sink is a happy sink!

I used to store my makeup bag either on the towel rack pictured or the side of the sink...I can't tell you how many times it would tip into the sink, disastrous! Now it is kept in the linen closet!

Now for those of you who were wondering, here is the before...

Not bad, but definitely room for improvement...

What do ya think?

Storage solutions were definitely crucial for this small space.  I also wanted to keep the space as light and bright feeling as possible.

The only project I may have left in this room is sprucing up the medicine cabinet.  The one we have is perfectly functional and a good size, however, the frame for it is not in good shape.  I thought an easy fix would be to simply make a new frame and paint it black to continue the theme?  Thoughts?  

Sources:

Shower Curtain:  no idea (similar here)

Towels:  Home Goods (similar here)

Wastebasket:  World Market

Magazine Basket:  Home Goods (similar here)

Sine Print:  Eliza Askin

Toothbrush Cup:  Home Goods (similar here)

Zebra Tray:  Michael's (similar here)

Candle:  Tocca Colette

Perfume:  Brooks Brothers Madison and Philosophy Eternal Grace

Horn Comb: a souvenir Bryce got in London (similar here)

Blue&White Trinket Box: Cotton Gin (similar here)

Dopp Kit: Orvis (similar here)

The next installment of the house tour will be a look at our dining room!

Have a great day!