Friday, August 30, 2013

New Jersey, New Home - Part 2

Well, several months ago in a part 1 post, I promised a part 2. Finally, here it is! After our summer away, we came back to Jersey and spent some time organizing and put some "finishing touches" on our place.


This spring, I added a wreath to our front door. I love it! I will be making some changes to it for fall... adding a football detail and autumn colored flowers.

This is our "everyday" / non-holiday decor on the shelf above the TV that serves as our "mantel" =)


We made some changes in our dining room display bookcase. We bought a small black bookcase, on sale, at Target and I got to work. I had fun strategically placing and displaying!

I added twine details to candles and our drink dispenser. And my dessert stand found a new home, in a more appropriate place... in the dining room! And the red tray that was just too big as a table center piece (for funcionality) also found a new home.

I am obsessed with the color pops and height.

My cookbooks look much better placed on this bookcase, as it's a little deeper.


And our patio furniture! We scored this on the end of summer clearance at Target. We've already enjoyed spending cool nights on the porch together and look forward to many more!

This was a fun, affordable addition! I painted paper mache letters from Hobby Lobby and they are now hanging above our pantry in the kitchen.

 One of my grandmother's muffin tins now adds some vintage flair to our kitchen!

As much as I love the cupcake decor Tyler got me for Christmas last year, I was starting to hate seeing it displayed as it was on the wall. It needed some grouping. It just looked out of place to me. So I found this cupcake printable on Pinterest, put it in a frame I already had, and viola! My baking corner is now updated and I like it much better!

This bookcase look familiar? It's had MANY homes. The first place I remember this bookshelf was in my NURSERY as a baby! But when we moved into this place, it served as our dining room display case. Now, it's in our guest room/office! My Southern Living, Better Homes and Gardens, and Tea Time magazines now have a display place and I love the folded quilt(s) [normally there are 2, one is currently in our car...] display idea I got from Pinterest!


We're sneaky. In the CLOSET, is our office! Before we moved, this was our plan. To make a 2 bedroom apartment function with a room that could double as an office and a guest room. This took some serious effort to organize and really, squeeze in. But we enjoy having this space to work -- having a separate "work space" allows for living space to actually feel like living space, more tranquil. 

Across the room, is the pullout couch we scored before moving from Florida on Craigslist. It's where I comfortably sit each morning, sipping coffee, and spending time in God's Word. That is, when we don't have guests ;-)

We also have a gallery wall in the room, which I am actually very impressed with!


Right across the hall from our guest room/office, is the guest bathroom. It's simple and decorated with cool colors.

In the guest bathroom, is a door. It's kind of an interesting set up. But hey, it's IN APARTMENT LAUNDRY (a luxury really in New Jersey apartments, at least the ones in our price range). But, it's quaint-- a stack able washer/dryer across from the furnace and water heater. No room for shelving. So when I stumbled upon this over the door shelf on Pinterest, I knew I'd found our storage solution!

And..... our master bedroom! Everything finally has a place in this room, so we've been able to keep it much tidier and therefore it's been more of a haven for us.

The sliding glass door lets in a glorious amount of natural light. Which is lovely. Except in the morning. So our black blackout curtains are awesome.

In the corner, next to our dresser (yes, we share a dresser.) is another small black bookcase with photos, memory boxes, journals, etc. I love the arrangement of the photos above the bookcase-- (left to right) a framed picture of us with a Bible verse on the matting, a gift I gave to Tyler when we were dating; a shadow box of wedding memorabilia; and a Norman Rockwell painting, "Wedding License" that my mom gifted us!


(Updated 3/30/2014) I recently redid this shelf from Target in our bathroom. It was super functional before, but kind of an eye sore. Now, it's pretty AND functional... a win win!



There you have it. The #StowellHome! I'm sure it'll go through many changes, as I really enjoy decorating and "nesting" but for now, I feel satisfied with everything having a place and the style our home has come together with.


"She looks well to the ways of her household..." - Proverbs 31:27



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