2013 Adventures!

Hi Friends,

So 2013 has many new things for us already!

Remember that little flood we had last fall?  Well, since then we've been on the hunt for a new place to call home here on the West Coast.  After much praying and much much searching, we've finally found our new apartment and we moved in over the weekend!  I can't wait to share photos with you once it's a little more unpacked and complete - until then here is a pic from my instagram.

Aside from the apt hunt, I've taken on some other things as well.  One of them being an opportunity to volunteer weekly at our local pregnancy center.  It's been such a different ministry for me to dive into, but one I'm excited to be part of.

AND if that's not enough, I'm exploring a new and exciting business venture!  {More on that later.}

With that said, we've been a bit busy over here and PinkPeonyStyle has been a little neglected *sad face*.  But with a pretty new apartment to decorate and a new design project for a client underway, I'm excited to share my fav design projects and inspirations with you over the next few months!

So tell me - has 2013 been full of change for you as well??

Looking forward to posting again soon!

XOXO

More Cabinet Space, Please?

What a productive day it's been!  I've done my grocery shopping, made dinner {gfree potato soup} and just popped a batch of homemade gfree biscuits in the oven - all before noon.  This is not my typical, I assure you!

While I've been rummaging about my teeny, tiny kitchen this morning, I'm convinced there are better storage options than what I've employed.  Cabinet space is sparse and my pots, pans, and appliances are just too big {that's apartment living, I suppose}.  Not to mention my "pantry" is sharing space with those bulky pots and pans.

Here are a few clean, organized {and pretty of course} kitchens and storage solutions I'm loving today....

{This would be my dream pantry!}

{These are precious!  I saw them in Anthropologie a few weeks ago and just fell in love with them.  It would cost a small fortune to replace all of my spice bottles though.  It's great inspiration.}

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 

What are your tricks for kitchen storage?  Do you prefer exposed storage over hidden storage?

Help!

Good news.  We got the apartment!  {hands up & little booty shake}  So now that the "house" hunting has come to an end, let the decor fun begin!

This is my expertise {well, I'm not an expert but I do totally enjoy decorating}, however.  I'm at a standstill & I need your HELP.  You see, my last home was warm - hardwood floors throughout most of the place, warm colors on the walls, neutral textiles and dark wood furniture.  Several people who walked through my home said it had an "Anthropologie" feel, and to me, that was a compliment.  While I LOVE me some Anthro, it was never my intention to have that feel, it just sorta happened.  Hubby and I got married, acquired a few furnishings from my family, found a few craigslist gems and voila - we had a furnished home!  But this time I actually have an opportunity to decorate the place with purpose.  I have a chance to give it a real sense of my style.  And that's where my dilemma lies - I love two very different styles and yes, I can mix them and make it work, but I want to go all out - one way or the other.  I love modern - mostly white with a pop of bright color here and there, straight lines, clean, simplistic, chic.  While I also love Rustic/Eclectic - warm, woodsy, bright textiles with mixed colors, comfortable.  Like I said, I could totally mix the two styles and come up with my own unique blend of things, but for once I'd like to just go all out modern or all out rustic....what to do, what to do???

The apartment is SMALL - 1,000 sq ft smaller than what we're used to, so I don't want it to be cluttered.  {Not to mention, we just did a major overhaul of our belongings and shipped only the essentials.}  One thing I loved about the place when we did our first walk through is that it has lots of natural light, so despite it's size it actually feels quite roomy.  Another thing to consider is it's very tan {and can't be painted} - not a color I love, but one I'm willing to deal with.  I can see tan walls and tan carpet accompanied by warm furnishings - but just as easily I can see it accompanied by lots of white and bright colors here and there.  Starting to get my drift???  What do you think??  Any suggestions?  I need to decide fast - we move in Sat and we have NO furniture.  Help!

Here's a peek of our Florida home:  {this is for you Nicole}

{& the quality isn't so great - they were snapped on my phone before we began packing everything up}

{Entry Room}

{Living Room}

{Kitchen - and I thought this was small :}

{Master Bedroom}

And here's our new apartment:  {Lots of tan...}

{Bedroom}

{Bedroom}

And what I can't decide between:

{Clean. White. Light & Airy.}

{vs}

{Rustic. Eclectic. Anthropologie-esc.}

{but not so cluttered}

{Eclectic.}

What's the verdict?????

From Coast to Coast....

We made it!  Today marks one week of being California residents and it's also hubby's first day at his new job.  It's a bit surreal we're here. I don't know that the magnitude of what we've done will hit me for a few more weeks.  Oh. My. Goodness.

I did manage to pick up some sort of flu bug while in transit and was feeling pretty cruddy for the first few days.  (Flu + living out of a suitcase + emotions at an all time high = one hot mess of a girl)  Hubby took great care of me though, and Blakely was one sweet snuggly pup; I'm happy to say I've recovered.

The past few days have been filled with house hunting.  I knew shopping for a place to rent would be stressful and even a little depressing, considering housing is sooooo much more expensive on this coast, but nothing could have prepared me for just HOW expensive and tiny housing is here.  Our first few days of this were just sad - we found that most landlords don't allow pets, and if they do, you pay a pretty penny to keep that furry friend under your roof.  (Which is a little confusing, cause this is one dog friendly area.  Most shops have dog bowls and treats outside their front door, and some allow pets inside their businesses.)  Saturday our spirits were lifted - we found a great little apartment complex just 5 minutes away from downtown Monterey and just off the interstate for easy access to hubby's work.  And guess what??  They take pets!  We applied for the apartment yesterday and are hoping to hear back from them today or tomorrow.

While I'm thrilled we finally found something clean, close to budget and pet friendly, I have to say I'm still a bit shocked.  We came from a beautiful 1,666 sq ft home in FL and (if all goes well) we're headed to a 600 sq ft apartment.  Talk about an adjustment!  My wheels are turning - I've been scouring the internet for tips on decorating and making the most of small living spaces.  Any tips, hints or suggestions from seasoned small space dwellers, or interior designers are welcomed & appreciated.

Blakely's dying to be walked, but here are a few pics from our last few days home in Florida.  Monterey pics coming soon, I promise.