Settling In

I lived in the same house until I was 16.  It was the house my Papa built, and in my mind, it was probably the only place I would ever live.  My entire future was planned out, in that house.

Then, I didn't live there anymore.

That was a really, really short summary of a long story, but that is the gist of it.

I felt like I would never feel at home again.

I felt like the next place I settled in better be IT!

Heck, for a few years, I was actively planning to buy the house back.

That passed, and yes, if I ever have the opportunity, I would love to own it (winning the lottery would help). 

Then, I just kind of figured that I would hold off on settling in anywhere because once I settled, I wanted to stay. 

Then, with Ty, it didn't matter what the place looked like, as long as there were a few choice possessions and my little family.

 

So, now with this job, I had two main goals (besides saving money); expanding my book collection (AKA building my book nook), and making our apartment more "homey".  I was finally ready to decorate.  After several years in a row of thinking we would move out next time our lease was up, and then deciding to stay for another year, it was time.  I mean, I would be here for at least another year.  I was sick of looking at blank walls, clutter, and lack of personality in my home.

So, I have been working on it. It is still a work in progress, and I still may add some more this coming weekend, but I have managed to hit both of my goals.  I have expanded my book collection, and I have made our apartment more homey.  And, I took pictures!!! 

Remember, this is a work in progress and only a few snapshots of pieces of the projects. 

^ So, this is one of my new storage pieces to help me declutter. Notice all of the Doctor Who stuff :)  This is in my living room, leading to the hallway.



 

 

^ This is in my kitchen, which we are trying to go for a brewery type style in.  I had all kinds of clutter on my counters and cook books spread out all over the place.  I found this nifty little corner bookshelf and managed to get fix both issues at once!  Oh, and I completely reorganized my cupboards, but that is neither here nor there.  Also, not worth taking pictures of.

And on to the bedroom, where most of the money has been spent!  This is on our bookshelf headboard.  It is a Mikasa bowl that my aunt got us for our bridal shower, and a message in a bottle that we picked up at Gordman's.  The nifty ball thing is a Christmas present from an awesome friend.  No idea what its purpose is, but it is pretty.  And the crystal flowers beneath are from our wedding :)  And in case anybody forgot, the bedroom is in the pirate and mermaid get married motif.

 

 

This is the corner of my night stand.  It has fishing net, a pretty bottle, my ring box, a mirror, and a mermaid sleeping in a shell :) 



These are the two middle-ish shelves of the bookshelf.
It has our treasure chest, bottle of rum (empty, of course),
and some chains, just in case! Also, notice, more books.
I am not actually sure what is going to happen when
I get more and take up all the shelf space....

So, this is my corner of the headboard.  That is the whiskey barrel from our unity ceremony (which is still fermenting!), a picture of us, and behind it is a behavioral therapy technique that I adapted to be pretty and help me remember that I am capable of getting things done.

This is also on my night stand.  It is my wedding bouquet in a nifty little rope vase.  My best friend necklaces that all of my bridesmaids have the other halves to are still on there :)

 

 

This is purely for décor.  We have a cubby shelf with random trinkets we have.  A whale (Ty is terrified of whales! lol), some rusty old keys, fake daggers, pretty shiny jewelry, a boatswain whistle...  Hoping it fills up more over time.

 

This is the top shelf of our bookshelf.  It is where I am keeping the classics and our pirate ship.  Makes sense to me...

This is the over all bookshelf!  Notice the pretty shiny things hanging (another Christmas present), the nifty artwork on top....Now, ignore the bottom 2 shelves.  I'm working on those!

This is another Christmas present we received! (People know us so well!)  Notice the eye patch....

This is the top of my dresser, filled with my shiny things and two ridiculously awesome candlestick holders, from my aunt.


So, this is what I have been working on the last few weeks!  I am hoping that there will be more pictures to come, and yes, I will be adding all of this to my Pinterest. 

P.S.  Thank you for the gifts, my family and friends! You guys know us so well ;)  Gnomes, shiny things, pirates...what would we do without you all?

P.P.S.  Here is my Pinterest link:
http://www.pinterest.com/luminessa08/
This includes all of the stuff I want to do and the stuff I have already done! Check it out :)
Plus, it has some recipes and links to my wedding blog that are pretty awesome.


So, what do you think?  Comments?