{ life lately }

Hey guys, long time no talk. Between moving, trying to catch up with work, and coming down with a nasty cold, my energy to blog has been zapped right out of me. But not to worry. Things are about to get a lot simpler in my life starting next week, so I should be back in full swing soon. 

In the meantime, here's whats been happenin':

 all the pretty things come down in the old apartment.

 said goodbye to my sweet little chair.

 ripped my jeans a little more than what is socially acceptable during the move.

took a break from moving to browse my favorite Cincinnati consignment shop one last time, and came across this unbelievable campaign dresser/nightstand set. $170 for both. BANANAS.

 byebye little house.

Because I've been sick since I got back, I'm still behind with emails and projects, so I'll most likely be spending this weekend catching up with alllll that mess. It's going to feel good to get things back in order. Ya know when everything from your blog to your inbox feels like a heaping pile of crap? That's kind of the boat I'm in right now. With the help of some Theraflu, and my trusty laptop, I'll get things squared away ;).

Hope you all have a wonderful day.

-C

{ on the road again }

via

Hey friends! Sorry for my radio silence the past few days.

I'm finishing up the move out of my apartment in Cincinnati and will be hitting the road back to Chicago later on today. I promise to post with an update on how everything is going.

thanks for stickin' with me. hope you all are having a great week.

-C

{ a night in the park }

Last night I checked off one more thing on my summer bucket list.

See a movie in the park. 

I ventured to a large, grassy area with Danielle, Alaina, Alaina's boyfriend Mike, and Colleen and Nick, Danielle's friends from Crossfit. We came prepared with blankets, all kinds of yummy snacks, and plenty of wine. I also brought my laptop, of course. Because it makes sense to try and do work at such an event, doesn't it?

Then I remembered you don't get internet in the middle of the park. Which is probably a blessing because what kind of crazy person tries to do work while seeing a movie in the middle of the park with night stars and city lights beyond the screen? It felt nice in that moment to just watch the movie. drink wine. laugh. and be happy.

As I sat there last night, I laid down and took a second to stare at the stars. Something about doing that always makes me feel like a little kid again. As I was laying there, I felt the biggest wave of peace and happiness rush over me. Myself a year ago would have laughed if you told me I would be sitting on a blanket with Alaina and Danielle in Chicago watching a movie in the park. But here I am. In Chicago. Working with people I admire. Offering design services. Having fun. Doing things I thought were so beyond reality for me. And no matter how many things are unsettled right now, I knew in that moment that I'm exactly where I'm meant to be. And there are so many more things to come that I haven't even dreamed of yet. And I mean this for everyone. Do not underestimate yourself. 

You just never know where you'll be in a year.

lovelovelove.

-C

(thank you to Miss Danielle for the last two photos thanks to her iPhone)

{ Marital Bliss }

Having a boyfriend who is design savvy is awesome for a lot of reasons. He doesn't complain when I suggest we go to a furniture store, he gives me advice on my decorating projects, and doesn't roll his eyes when I tell him about my deep emotional feelings for a throw pillow. 

However, there is a downside. 

Since he actually has an opinion about things that are interior and design related, it means that when we move into together next year I'm going to have to consult him before I make any interior/design related decisions in our home. He's going to have an opinion about the throw pillows, the mirrors, the couch, the bedding, the dinnerware. All of it. And we've both accumulated a lot of our own furniture over the past couple of years, so figuring out what can stay and what needs to go will be a challenge, to say the least, because we both really like our own pieces. I figured I can't be the only one in this position, so with the encouragement of Jess, I added a brand new package to my interior decorating services. 

Introducing, The Marital Bliss Package.

This service is here to help ease the pain of merging two homes into one. After you take the leap of faith to move in with your loved one, I’ll help you plan a space that will reflect both of you by merging your individual items,  helping you select which pieces will stay and which pieces will go, as well as choose new pieces that will complete and unify the space. The service is priced at $200 a room, and like all of my design packages, includes three rounds of revisions.

I'm also going to be updating my design services page with a full list of packages and pricing later on today (much easier than having to email every time for a price list, don't ya think?) so be sure to check back!

Have you moved in with a loved one lately and experienced some decorating woes?

Happy Monday, everyone! lovelovelove.

-C

P.S. How lovely is the photograph I used in that storyboard? Purchase from Etsy here.

{ Pinterest for Men }

It's happened.
My boy has finally jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon. 

For those of you who don't know, Trevor is an industrial/product designer and has awesome taste, so I'm loving going through his pinboards.

See for yourself:

I know. I'm a lucky lady. When we get a place together next year, we're gonna have a rootin' tootin' time sprucing the place up.

Go on and add a man's point of view to your Pinterest feed. Follow him here.

lovelovelove.

-C

photo 1, 2, 3, 4 5

{ Juxtaposition }

I came across this image via Country Living today and feel instantly in love.

This is a perfect example of layering a room to feel collected and thoughtful but never too "decorated" or overdone. The graphic West Elm poufs add the perfect touch of contrast against the rest of the neutral, natural fabrics. 

What has been inspiring you guys lately? I won't even attempt to apologize for my absence--days have been filled with applying to jobs (more on that later) client projects, internships, and generally sorting out my life :). I'm getting there though! Stick with me.

Hope you all have a wonderful day. Thanks so much for stopping in. lovelovelove.

-C

{ finding the "i" in relationship }

Today on The Everygirl, Jess Constable is sharing her latest Living Well column, discussing the recent lesson she learned about the importance of balancing friendships and family with your relationship. It is so well said and a topic that I think most of us can relate to, and it got me thinking about my own relationship.

When it came to making my decision to stay in Chicago, there were obviously many things to consider, but one of the biggest things weighing on my mind was my relationship with Trevor.

At this point, Trevor and I have been together for about six years. Our relationship is clearly extremely important to me. However, when I started my summer here in Chicago, I quickly fell back in love with the windy city and started seeing more potential for my career than I had ever anticipated. Because I knew my financial situation wouldn't allow me to return to school in Cincinnati, I had to make the decision to either stay in Chicago and see what it had in store for me and my career, or return to Cincinnati and finish out the year in my apartment with Trevor and all of my college friends. 

The thing is, I've made decisions before based entirely on what would benefit my relationship, even if I knew that those decisions weren't always the best thing for me as an individual. While I think sacrifices in relationships are important and oftentimes necessary (especially later in life when you're married, have children, etc) I also know that in the end, if Trevor and I are not fulfilled or happy as individuals first, our relationship suffers, even when the intention is to better it. I have found myself in the past unhappy and putting too much pressure on my relationship to "complete" me when I've put my own needs and aspirations aside because I worried they would stand in the way of us.

Funnily enough, even though Trevor and I are long-distance right now, our relationship feels stronger than ever because we are both taking care of ourselves, and in turn, taking care of our relationship. I'm lucky that he supports me and loves seeing me happy, doing what I love, and moving forward with my life. Yes, I could have returned to Cincinnati and returned to my apartment right down the street from him and we could have hung out every single night together. But would it be worth it if every time he saw me I was moping about the loss of opportunity in Chicago or felt stuck and embarrassed that I wasn't doing more for myself and my career?

Sometimes we think that if we attach every ounce of ourselves to something, that will ensure that it stays close to us. And sometimes, that approach works. But I know right now that making decisions that are good for my own future ultimately means making decisions that are good for our future. 

thanks for stopping in today everyone. lovelovelove to each of you.

-C

{truth be told...}

Truth be told, I don't have any inspiring images or words to share today. Truth be told, I'm plum worn out and sick to my stomach and it's one of the days that I'm just working on getting through it. I feel okay saying that, because we all have those days, so I know you guys will understand. In general, I would say I'm in a good place in my life. But naturally, just when you think things are rolling along, issues pop up. Obstacles occur. And you have to deal with them. Even when all you want to do is lay in bed and pull the covers over your head.

So that's what I'm doing today. I'm dealing with the obstacles. Checking things off the list. Moving forward. Thank you guys for sticking with me while I figure things out. Wishing each of you a happy Thursday. And thank you so much for stopping by the blog. Really.

lovelovelove.

-C

image via