wonderfully made: It's the little things...

Thursday, July 25, 2013

It's the little things...

Happy Thursday! First off: I've had some friends and family say that they are having trouble commenting on the blog. I know that it's not impossible because some of you have been able to comment, so the only solution I've found so far is to enable your 3rd party cookies in your internet settings. Try that, test it out, and let me know if you still can't comment! Sorry for the trouble!

Today I want to chat a little about shopping. I'm a girl, I like shopping and talking about shopping, what can I say?! I've given you our big picture ideas for the house, but I want to get into the details today and talk about accessories. I feel like accessories totally make the look whether dressing yourself or dressing up your home. Young House Love, the blog that led me to create this one, is a wealth of accessory knowledge. Sherry, the better half of the husband-wife team, is obsessed with ceramic animals. Check out some from her collection:

rhino-from-zgallerie-ceramic-animal-nate-berkus1ceramicdogimg_9719

While I'm totally there with her on the ceramic animal obsession, I can't say that I am THAT obsessed. I love the ceramic dog and horse head. I have two ceramic elephants and two ceramic birds that say "mark" and "diana" (they were supposed to be our cake toppers but got lost in the chaos), but that about does it for my collection! Either way, ceramic animals are a fun, ever-classic way to add a personal touch to your home.

Another thing I love are throws and blankets. My parents kept their house cold in the winter and I would ALWAYS need a blanket when downstairs watching TV while living with them. I love having them draped across chairs and couches in my house or tucked away in baskets, ready to grab when it gets chilly. I think the right blanket makes a home feel cozy and warm. Here are a few I like:

SpectraThrowBlue40x70F13

MarleyThrowYlw40x70F13
via 



Another obsession Sherry and I share is our love of pillows. OMG pillows! I think all men despise pillows, as Mark has proved by his weekly pillow complaints: "why do we have all of these?" Sherry writes about cheap ways to freshen up a space, and there's no surprise that adding pillows is number five. Here is the post. I'm obsessed! Here are some fun pillows that I would love to add to my home:

Lovely color combinations-Scales Pillow.
Firenze Velvet Tassel Pillow #anthropologie


Aside from pillows, throws, and ceramic animals, I like to decorate with candles, magazines, books, pictures, flowers(favorite!), and meaningful objects. For example, Mark and I bought some postcards in Kauai on our honeymoon and they are in hanging in our bathroom. I just love seeing them in there every morning and it's something I want to make into our own tradition. I also like bringing natural wood in when it isn't already prevalent in the architecture of the home. I think natural wood accents bring more warmth into the home. I have wood shelves, picture frames, and kitchen items that help me with that. Here are some examples of what I mean:

White, blue and natural wood accents

gorgeous swedish kitchen - lots of white with natural / wood accents

Den colors- soft blue, burnt orange, gold, and white/ natural wood accents

As I said, I feel accessories make the space. How boring would that space above be without pillows, throws, art, and objects? Snooze. I like to find knick knacks and HomeGoods and Target, but you can pick them up almost anywhere. Boutiques have unique items and there is always a treasure waiting at Goodwill or thrift stores, garage sales, and the like. Just keep your eyes open! My advice is to stay away from the trendy items but go for something that speaks to you and carries some sort of meaning, or is something that you just really love and can mix and match throughout your home for years to come. 

I hope to get some photos of our current apartment before we start packing up to show you more of my style and show you how I make a house a home. Stay tuned for that!

If you have a place that you like to find accessories, share it with me!


Update: Can I just say how honored I feel with Sherry's response and the fact that she read my post?!!??!!! eeeek!!!! (ignore my lame sounding comment on their post!)