I’m still here; quiet but alive. I’m in a brooding sort of mood that requires deep thought & pen to paper. I’m settling in & trying to figure out what to do with this space. In the midst of the move, a lot of strange memories were dredged up. I guess that’s what always happens when you are packing up your past in boxes. Things that had gathered dust under the bed for over a year. Things that seem so insignificant but had survived the moving process the past several times. No matter. I’m here at the new place & trying to make it my own.

In the mean time, I simply had to share this video. A friend posted it on Facebook & it inspired me & nearly brought me to tears. I truly value alone time. Relish in it, in fact. So, I totally get this video. Perhaps you will too.

{Camilla Engman}

I’m beginning the slow & painful (in my opinion) process of packing up all my worldly possessions & moving into a new apartment. My new place is lovely, but there is always the stresses of making a new apartment feel like home. I’ve been rather obsessed with searching for inspiring interiors over the past few weeks. After compiling these images, I think I’m drawn to clean, airy, & light-filled rooms.

{this is glamorous}

I’m a sucker for a bed with crumpled sheets. They just look so inviting!

{decor8}

I like the faded blue curtains, wire chair, & little cluster of frames in this one.

{pinterest}

Really, does this photograph even need an explanation as to why its amazing? I think not.

{pinterest}

The bookshelves, the ladder, the table. Oh my…!

Also, I am thinking of starting a new feature every Tuesday, where I feature interiors that I find inspiring each week!
Share your interior inspirations with me, por favor!

Upon A Fold‘s stunning paper products caught my attention when I saw them over on Pinterest.
They are beautiful & breathtaking. But, the best part? You can buy all of them & make them yourself to display in your own home!

Beautiful wild horses in Corolla, NC.

I just got back from a week of sunshine & relaxation in the Outerbanks of North Carolina. I went with my family which is always nice & care-free. Now I know what all those bumper stickers were talking about! I spent my days at our private (!) swimming pool or soaking up the sun by the beach. But, now I’m back to reality. My apartment is in complete disarray as I begin the transition of moving into the new place. I hate clutter & it seems to be suffocating me at the moment. AHopefully I’ll be able to get things organized, packed, & moved into the new place by the end of next week! In the mean time, here are a few of the pictures I took the past week. I didn’t take too many because my dad is quite the photographer & I left a lot of the picture-taking up to him. Perhaps I can snag a few of his to post later.

Kevin couldn’t come on vacation with us because of work, so his only request was for me to taking a picture of (in his words) “the place on the beach where they put up the fences and there’s high grass growing around it” because it’s his favorite part. So, here you go. These are for you, Kevin!

This was the SUV we drove around in for our wild horses tour. A little bumpy, but so much fun!

Kevin & I walked around the neighborhood of the new place earlier today. Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati is such an interesting neighborhood. There are abandoned houses right next to newly renovated, beautiful homes. Today was my first time really venturing out into the neighborhood to take photographs. I am looking forward to doing it more often in the future!

Kevin loves exploring new places.

Myself; looking pretty “natural”. I don’t really fix myself up too much in the summertime. I get too hot and sweat it all of anyways!

These stairs are on the same street as our apartment.
Someone painted them with these awesome swirls.
I envision many a photoshoot here in the future!

These little lizards are everywhere. I almost stepped on a few of them.
Kinda freak me out, but I’ll be okay.

Well, I hope you enjoyed a glimpse into my new ‘hood. As I said, I hope to take more photographs of it sooner rather than later!

I am pretty sure I let out an audible “Awww!” when I saw the new illustration that Kris Atomic made for her website. The colors! The clothes! And, most importantly, the cat on a leash! The cat also resembles my Atlas. Although, he’d never be caught dead on a leash. I’ve actually tried it. He just rolled onto his back & refused to move. But, I can live in a fantasy world when I look at this illustration! So cute.

P.S. Thanks so much for all your feedback on the last entry. I’m going to try adding a belt to my tucked ensemble next time.

That is the question.

Alright, let’s get straight to it. The high-waisted trend is running rampant in fashion. I think little petite girls with tiny waists look so charming in this trend! I was really inspired to start trying it after seeing Julie of Orchid Grey pull it off so flawlessly. I guess my question is, am I doing it right? I really can’t tell. I do have a “bit” (okay, more than a bit–let’s be honest) of a belly that makes me feel slightly self-conscious. I don’t know. I’m really on the fence with this one. I’m not a fashionista, so I tend to dress in a way that doesn’t attract much attention. You know? I guess it’s because I’m never fully confident of my fashion sense.

Tucked.

Not tucked.

I think it looks more polished tucked when compared to it being not tucked. But, I was just wondering what you all thought of this trend? Should I leave it to the petite girls or commit to it myself? Here are a few other examples of me trying to pull it off. So, what’s the verdict? Do you have any pictures to share for inspiration? How do you get over your fashion phobias & find the confidence to try new things? I’d love to hear all about it!

I’m excited to share that I’ve put down the security deposit & will be signing the lease tomorrow for an awesome apartment in an “up-and-coming” (Over-the-Rhine for all you Cincinnatians) area walking distance to a bunch of neat things in downtown Cincinnati. Granted, the area is a bit “rough”, but the street the apartment is on is very nice! I know I just need to be careful. It’s a touch on the expensive side, but the apartment itself definitely seems to be worth it. It has an amazing view from an amazing balcony & all the other amenities I’ve been looking for in a place. Unfortunately, I don’t have any interior photos but above is an exterior photo. I love the flower boxes. And, there’s Kevin pointing out the awesome view that you can see really well from inside the apartment from the floor to ceiling windows!

Here’s a picture of the view I took with my Blackberry while we were looking at the apartment. Amazing, right?

Now, I’m beginning to think about how I’m going to decorate it. I want it to be just right. You should share with me some of your interior decorating blogs and/or images that are inspiring you lately! That would be very helpful!

I had the absolute pleasure of attending my friend Liz’s wedding in Fortville, Indiana yesterday. I didn’t get a chance to take as many photographs I had been meaning to. Actually, to be honest, I took a lot at first but realized my memory card wasn’t inserted into my camera correctly! Urghh! Regardless, it was an absolutely magical wedding. Liz decorated it herself down to the smallest detail. Everything was beautiful! Congrats, Liz & Steve!

Honey!

Me & the lovely bride!

This is such a beautifully simple idea. Its a great example of how taking an idea & running with it can yield fantastic results. To see more, along with a complete list of full addresses visit Papercut.