BEFORE & AFTER :: living | dining

I thought I would share with you one of my most favorite projects and spaces... creating a home!
A few years ago I snagged a steal of an apartment in the same neighborhood I was living in at the time. I had been to one of the units in the building before, and knew that if it ever went on the market I would need to do whatever I could to get my hands on it. 

At least once a month I would drive up and down some of my favorite streets and wait for a 'for lease by owner' sign up be in the yard...  and one of those days I got lucky. The sign went in the yard and and very day I met the agent and handed him a deposit check. No time for questions - I knew I wanted it. 

750sqf - open concept, lots of light and even (my favorite part of all) a screened in porch - dreamy!!

so here you have it, a few of the before pictures of the space.
(the true before had dark gray walls in the living and bedroom and a bright red/black combo in the bathroom... I went with softer colors to brighten it up and give it a cleaner feeling!)

Since sharing before & afters of all the rooms at once would be too easy, I'm going to share one at time (there are only 4 before and afters) staring today with the LIVING/DINING ROOM. 

BEFORE

paint color || BM Camouflage

AFTER

I love love love this space! 

When I moved in, the renter before my had the room flip flopped: sofa in front of the windows, and windows covered to avoid a glare on the TV. By changing the layout, I was able to bring more light into the room, create a welcoming entry space (front door it in the back left corner of these pics). 

While I don't love the TV being a focal point of a room, or center of a mantlepiece, I do like having it angled to one side of the room. Plus by adding the giant bull print from my boyfriends ranch to the mantle the room felt like it now had two directions, a living room on one side and a dining room on the other. 

There are so many, what I like to call, treasures in both rooms... it is a collection over time, travel, countless garage, estate sales and junking trips to lots of fun places!

And its a habit that will always be part of me.. my great-grandfather, grandfather and even my mamma all stop(ped) for any 'sale' sign and it's hard to leave without a good treasure or find, it doesn't matter how big or small!

The only thing that was purchased 'new' for this space was the white sofa. I had a big, down-filled sofa for a few years, it was the most comfortable sofa ever... and provided some of the best naps in history! But moving into an older home, means really narrow door frames - you learn something new every day. The movers tried to fit the sofa in through both the front and the back doors, from ever angle you can imagine, but it was just not going to happen. Solution: IKEA Flatpack Sofa for the win! It came in 2 flat boxes, required minimal instructions and with a bottle of wine my sister and I had it assembled in no time. A white sofa is not the best choice, but the whole cover fits in the wash and fits back on perfectly after washing (hang to dry!!)

I would love to tell you where each piece is form- but thats a lot, and most of it is not from a store. So I a made this, to give you the same look and feel:

lamp || sofa || table || print || cowhide || rug || chairs || mirror || bar cart

candle || blanket

chairs || chairs || bench || faux hide || lamp || table || butcher prints

candle || plant 

WEEKEND

snuggling up on the weekend is the best. not having plans for a few hours sounds all kinds of wonderful and relaxing right about now.
winter whites and accents of gold are speaking to me i would say this seasons, but its more like always and every season!
i would be barefoot all year long, every day but cold toes lead to the chills which leads to a cold.. so i like to keep my tootsies warm and these slippers are looking yummy!!
and if you dont have a fire place, or only have a faux fireplace like me, still can't hurt to make it look cozy with firewood in cute baskets ;)

here's to a season full of snuggles and warm and cozies!!

star lamp || faux deer skull || wool throw || robe

candles || candle holders || mugs || pillow || cable knit throw

baskets || birch logs || chevron blanket || slippers

COZY CREAMS

1 wish bone ring holder, anthropologie || 2 pillow shams, anthropoloie || 3 basic bedding, zara home

4 tranquility travel set, barr co. || 5 special edition candle, zara home || 6 lace bralette, madewell

7 lace panties, madewell || 8 lace trim robe, zara home  || 8 lace trim nightgown, zara home

i love me some whites and creams in the bedroom. 

there is something so calming to be in a sea of whites when you snuggle in for the evening... or when you spend a weekend morning in bed... or, maybe it's just me?!

a good 'home' section always gets me. 

recently i've been browsing zara home, anthropologie and a few others for some yummy winter whites. 

the above are a some of my favorites ...  i love all the lace trim and girly details!!

PLASTIC TO FANTASTIC

good morning lovelies and happy friday!!
the weather has turned back to beautiful, sunny, warm and spring like in texas... and i cant wait to spend the weekend outdoors with family and friends. and what better way to start the weekend off than fresh flowers! i love fresh flowers in the house, and normally i would go for a soft pink or a plain white.. but these bright colors came home with me yesterday.  
carnations are not the most expensive flowers at the store, so its easy to take them out of the plastic and arrange them in your favorite vases and make them look cute, really easily!  and the best part about 'em... they last a really long time (two weeks or more)!
so here's to fresh flowers, beautiful weather and spring time!

ANTLER ART

Good Morning Lovelies! Incase you missed my guest post this week over at Cashmere & Camo, I wanted to make sure you had a chance to read it here today. The sweet Brandy asked me to share my 'antler art' to be apart of her really cool antler series she has running on her blog!

As you know from my blog, I am (slightly, ok maybe a lot more than slightly) obsessed with antlers! It helps that my boyfriends is a ranch and avid bow hunter. We have date-nights where we take the 40wheeler out for hours and cross the ranch in search for fallen deer sheds.

Last year there were a few left over, that did not turn into wine holder, bottle opener or decorations around the house, that I used for my jewelry racks. 

 
Materials used: 
-one wooden frame that i found at an estate sale for $2
-2 deer sheds from the ranch
-gold floral wire (crafting wire will work too)
-2 nails and a hammer

2 main how-tos:
first: hang the frame, so you can center the antlers
second: wrap the antlers with the wire and create a loop for the nail
 

This little frame with a sweet little prayer sits on my dresser - I made one for all the ladies in the lane family for Christmas a few years ago: 

‘Hear Him whisper those same words to you every morning when you open your eyes: “Today, my precious daughter, let true be light.” And at the end of the day, when He tucks you tenderly into bed, may He delight to say: “There was light in you today.” 

Hope you all enjoyed this little DIY! Be sure to check out Cashmere & Camo!!

A SPECIAL BRUNCH

a few days ago we celebrates the 'little lanes' birthday- quarter of a century is a fun one to celebrate too! so instead of just a gift, that will be forgotten after a while, i decided to host 

a sweet and special brunch for my sister!

to make the brunch special for my sister, i added place cards and 'happy birthday' cards pinned on pale pink clothespins; tied pieces of lace around the planters and glasses; and added a few fresh pink and peach carnations in old hotel silver and old apothecary jars to make it festive and fun!

as for the food- i made and served all of her favorites- starting with mimosas of course! followed by eggs in a nest, sausage patties and a sweet strawberry salad, that i soaked in sugar, a squeezed orange and a few teaspoons of vanilla extract about an hour before serving- so yummy and the perfect ending to a savory brunch!  

ps: i'm guest blogging today at cashmere&camo with some fun antler art & DIY project!

be sure you visit the blog- if your an outdoor, camo and antler lovin gal like myself- you will love the blog too!

DECK THE HALLS (THE LANE HOME)

with so much decorating going on for others this holiday season, i am really glad i decorated and strung twinkly-lights at my place a few weeks back.

so today i am sharing with you a few iphone pics i snapped around my festive little nest this week. there's no tree, since i will be around the family tree for Christmas, but there is garland and lots of mercury glass ornaments everywhere! 

i snatched up a bunch of them last year at WISTERA - they were having an amazing holiday sale that couldn't resist... it was my Christmas gift to myself:)
**they have similar ones again this year.. try these, these and these oh and these are the same ones i got last year!! if you live in dallas, their warehouse is a MUST!! 

do you have your home decorated for the holidays yet?!
hope you enjoy this little peek into my home!

THE PROJECT: REVEALED

it's finally here... THE PROJECT revealed and in its new home!

beck- i owe you big time. your talents need to come out more often. 

thank you from the bottom of my heart for listening to all of my crazy ideas for the past months and helping me make them come to life! 

there is a prayer written around the antlers, its been hanging on my bathroom mirror for a few years now, and it was perfect for this project- i love the words and reading them everyday: 

May today there be peace within.

May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be.

May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others.

May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.

May you be content with yourself just the way you are.

Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, 

dance, praise and love.

It is there for each and every one of us.

This is my prayer.

THE PROJECT

this week it finally happened- crazy ideas and months of how-to chatter came to life!

above my bead and headboard was looking a little bare, so i've had this idea to incorporate antlers, and a prayer, along with beck's amazing talent... here is what we needed to make it happen:

**check back tomorrow for the BIG REVEAL!** 

along with the prayer we decided to use around the outline of the antlers. 

i could not be more happy with the outcome! its defiantly one of my favorite things in my apartment now- and i will cherish it always!!

thank you, thank you to my girl beck- you have mad talents- xoxo

supplies:
2x4 ft chalk board- pre-painted $10 @ home depot
15ft crown molding - $10 @ home depot
1 can spray paint - $7 @ home depot
chalk: around the house
chalk paint pen: $4 @ michaels 
tools:
saw/ angled edges 
heavy duty staple guy/ board to trim
clamps/ board to trim
sandpaper/ rough up the trim if you want aged look
gray paint stain/ if you want to antique the trim 

ANTLER OBSESSED

as you can tell by my blog header... i kinda like antlers, a lot!
not only are they on my blog, but they make appearances around my home as well. 
and all over my pintrest account!

today i want to share with you a few of my antler-favorites that i have pinned on pintrest- its a slow process to add antlers to the house, as they are rather pricy, but adding little/single antlers is always a cute way to freshen up the country-inspired look around the home!

latest 'antler' addition will be featured as soon as the DIY project is complete!
--check back soon:)



**all pictures were found on pintrest and are repined for sources** 

SOMETHING 'SWEET'

today i had a few extra minutes and a new cookie recipe i wanted to try.

so i made a really small batch of nutella cookies and realized, even a small batch is too many cookies not to share with someone else! 

so i wrapped up a two little bags with a small note for each of my neighbors!

(photo taken with iPhone)

SIMPLY SUPPER

once a month my mom, sister and myself have dinner with the grandparents. 

we started out meeting at a different local byob restaurant every month, but this month we started the new tradition to host the dinner at my place. 

the time we spend together is precious- this past diner we started talking about my grandfathers baptism, he was trying to remember what year it was.. i reminded him that i had his old bible.. when i got it out for him he got all teary-eyed (don't tell him i told you!) and sure enough, the date of his baptism was written on the first page of his little bible!

dinner.good.

conversation.great.

family.love. 

In a Box

A few months ago I moved into my new apartment- Practically two blocks away from where I lived before. I love the neighborhood and the cute 1930's homes that are converted into duplex/triplex, all while keeping the character and cuteness of the homes. 


Funny story about moving into an older home: the doors are more narrow then your regular doors. Odd- I know. So trying to cram my favorite sofa into my new place was more than comical. We tried both doors at all angles, but there was just no way it was going to fit. 
After a few months of shopping around and measuring countless sofa's to see if they would fit through the doors, I discovered that IKEA has a few sofas with 'some assembly required'. Translated: you can get a sofa in a box. 


IKEA is a treat. Growing up in Europe, we always made a 'day-trip' out of it. Browsing the upstairs (decorated areas), stopping for MEATBALLS! and then off to the downstairs to buy all the fun items you can't live without;)
Yesterday, my sister and I made the trip, meatballs and all! 

Pictures taken by TheLane


Pictures and details of the new apartment to follow soon; Box-Sofa and all!