ikea weekend

I am tired, tired, tired from a weekend of fixing up our apartment. We went to Ikea TWICE! Nightmare, that place just makes me dizzy. It was fun to pick out stuff with Sean but why do people think they have to bring their entire families there!?? And don't shop with a cart or you will get stuck behind a herd of super slow families of 10+! Ugh...anyhoo we got new bedding, curtains and a panel system...crazy new thing, see here. Sean got his chest of drawers he desperately needed, we got a big rug for the living room and some other randoms.

example of panel system - Ikea

We had a freaktastic dinner Saturday night that made the whole weekend totally perfect. We ate at Sable Kitchen + Bar and OMG the food was so yummy - duck fat fries, espresso steak, duck leg with pork ragout! The head chef is from a season of Top Chef and we saw her as we were leaving! She thanked us for coming...haha. We had drinks and apps at Devon Seafood Grill before and I drank wine and champagne all night! Taking in the late Vday holiday was so fun. Future guests, we are so going to take you to Sable! Now back to work and finishing the apartment so I can show pics soon. The bathroom is FAR from being done but the tub is beautiful!!!

 

redoooo it | bath time

So President's weekend has finally come and this means that I am off Monday and Sean got THREE days off in a row to spend all weekend with me! And it's about time we finish our bathroom! The tub is in desperate need of a makeover and we are adding new bathroom accessories to spruce it up. I do have to say though...I've realized that I just can't win with this bathroom, no matter how much I change it. There are cracks in the tile, paint droppings on the floor, 2 big holes above the toilet that can be mistaken for bullet holes....shall I go on?

And check this bathroom out, I can't believe I found this on Apartment Therapy! To give you an idea of what we are working with - this bathroom has our EXACT tile. Yellow with a black trim. See the pedestal sink? That was like ours. You will also notice all the black fixtures...well for some reason all of ours are (very poorly) painted white! I want ours to be black and I know it is going to take a lot of elbow grease!

So can you kinda get an idea of what I am working with here? Don't you think the new shower curtain is perfect for the colors? I know I need to stay positive and think on the brighter side - we got a brand new toilet, sink and vanity and the bathroom has a window! Can't wait to show you all the before and after pics! Happy weekend loves!

 

treasure in the laundry room

The week we moved into our new place we finally had a chance to look at our building's basement where the laundry and storage units are located. Sean spotted this chair tucked back in a corner covered with boards and cob webs. If it's orange Sean will find it. "Can we take this you think? Let's ask Andy!" he said. "You better clean it first and make sure there are no crazy big spiders living in it!" was my reply. Then one day I came home and it was in our living room!

Our landlord said it had been down there for years and that we could have it, so Sean cleaned her up and now she is ours. We are going to refinish the wood and I'm on the hunt for new buttons to replace the missing ones. I love having a piece of furniture with a pop of color.

vanity redo

This week we (Sean) replaced our old, yucky, pedestal sink with a new one! The faucet even has those cute white handles with hot and cold on them. Pedestal sinks work in maybe a half bath but not in your one and only bathroom! I was desperately needing storage space in there and plus the sink was just naaaasty...I could never get that effer clean...

Gag me...

Look how pretty!

Next up is resurfacing the bathtub and fixtures, new shower curtain (I'm wanting this one) and new bath mats! This is how we re-doooo it....

baby elliptical

The weather is starting to get cold and windy in Chicago so it has been stressful trying to fit in a good cardio session outside. We canceled our gym membership to save money so I was really relying on running outside to get the job done. So for a while now I was thinking of getting an elliptical for our place, but with the new move we just won't have the room. I did a little research and found this baby elliptical, the Stamina InMotion, that is super tiny and easy to store!

It had a ton of great reviews on every Web site I researched so I went ahead and purchased it on Amazon. It was around $200 at other stores but I got it on Amazon for $89, deal! It came last night and I put it together in like 30 mins, so easy! It was kind of hard at first to stay balanced but I ended up really liking it. And this morning I notice that my abs hurt and realized this sucker works your core too since you have to balance yourself on it!

dear anthropologie,

I have really tried to love you and I always enjoy looking at your unique clothes and home decor...but you are just too effing expensive for me. Regretfully, I must stop browsing your online store while at work, and I must stop receiving your amazing emails that claim you have awesome sales going on, but in all actuality your sales are also too effing expensive for me. Lies...all lies! For example, $100 for a shower curtain? Really? And it's only $36 for the matching towels...woo wee! Oh wait...that's per towel!? Well shit...

Let's not forget your über adorable and unique dresses! They only range from $200-$5,000 dollars! Kidding about the $5,000 but still...come one! And usually when I spot something cute I want to buy from you, I have to save for a few weeks just to purchase it. By the time I'm ready to hand over my hard-earned $250 to you for a swimsuit, the damn thing is gone! Why Anthro!? Why!? And then you have to go and create a wedding line!? WTF, why are you so MEAN!??? 

Anyways, I hope this letter finds you well and you are enjoying the fall weather. Sean sends his love and he also asked if you could put those owl cookie jars on sale that we found two years ago. We are really excited about purchasing them for our new apartment!

sneak peek: our new apartment!

Here are some sneak peek photos of our new place! It has all the charm that we have been looking for and it is BIG! There are built-ins, a fireplace, wall sconces, crystal door knobs, top floor north and south views, plus FOUR closets! The kitchen isn't as nice as ours now but I know we can fix it up, anyways, black and white kitchens are my fave. Our landlord looks, talks and acts just like Oscar from The Office, he is so nice! We will be sad to be leaving our current home but I just know this is the perfect place for us to live in for the next few years!

i'm sorry for the zombies...

I am sorry to anyone who views my blog that I have made you look at zombies for weeks and weeks....I guess it is appropriate now that it is almost Halloween. ANYWAYS, I have been so busy with work, Sean and just life! Let's catch up!

• I am now 28 and couldn't be happier it is an even year! Those are my favorite years! 

• It is now the busy season here at ALA, everyone is back to work and running around like crazy! 

• I have finally gotten into running and just LOVE it! I am now up to 30 mins without stopping, but now I am getting nervous about running in this cold weather that has come upon us!
  
• I am loving TV, enough said...

• Sean found out from his work that we are staying in Chicago! Woo Hoo! 

• I FINALLY found us our perfect apartment that we have been searching for! It has taken me months to find the right place for us and at the right price! ;) 

So, now I am back and excited to write about decorating our new place, the holidays, TV shows and more!

moving small

This Saturday Sean and I are going to look at studio apartments in the Wrigleyville and Lincoln Park neighborhoods. We have decided to downsize and move south so Sean will be closer to his job and we can start saving money, since these studios are half the price of what we pay now. 

I'm not gonna lie that I am kinda nervous about living in a studio! How are we going to fit all our stuff in it!? We will definitely be leaving behind a lot of luxuries at our current apartment....in-unit washer and dryers are few and far between in these neighborhoods, unless you want to pay like $2,000 a month on rent! But I found these faux washer and dryer hampers from CB2 that I am totally going to buy for our soon-to-be tiny home... a girl can pretend right?

 

oh my owls

Sean and I are gradually changing things in our apartment and are investing in home décor that we both own. No more of “that is yours” and “this is mine.” We are finally at the stage where we are creating a home together.

Now I know how it goes: first comes love, then comes marriage...but for us, well...we are first comes love, then comes make a home together!

I was surprise when I took Sean to the Southport Anthropologie and he spotted these owls. Let’s just say he fell in love with the orange one, and as for myself...I couldn’t resist the short, little white one. What do you think?