Apartment Decor Updates

Unfortunately I have a sick kiddo this week.  Most days we are on the go, out and about town, visiting friends and playing together.  Not feeling well, my little guy has been content to just hang out, which leaves mama with no opportunity to trek outside (more about outdoor trekkin' soon...the weather with a little one has meant I need to explore in other ways!).  So in the little windows of time when I'm not taking care of my guy, I've been working on a couple of tasks at home.  I have a craft project that will be posted about once I am all done, so I'm excited to get that finished!

I also updated my kitchen chalkboard...long overdue.  When we first moved into our apartment, I had a long space that needed "something."  I took an old mirror we had, painted the mirror with chalkboard paint, sanded the frame down to look more distressed and hung it up next to the cabinets.  It fit perfectly!  My next thought was that I would write the new menu for each week on it.  Yeah...right.  I haven't exactly kept up on that, and our friends probably think that we eat the same meals week after week. 

I decided to write something besides the menu and opted for some of my favorite herbs and flavors instead.

I also added a touch of Spring and Easter to my dining room.  When I was at Target recently, I found some blue and tan eggs with nests (vase filler) which I used around the room.  I'm loving birds as well...

  It's good to keep creative when I can't get outside as much--it keeps me in a good place and loving life!

Lovin' fresh flowers

I absolutely love fresh flowers.  I don't care if it's cliche', it's true!  I'm decorating an apartment in an urban area and striving to create the ambiance of a true family home in a rental property,  so I try to add a lot of personal touches.  Since I love looking at flowers and savor the way they brighten even the smallest space, I've decided that I'm going to pick up a bouquet during my big weekly grocery shopping trips.  I often love the selection at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.  This time I found some yellow, pink, and white flowers at Jewel Osco that feel "happy" to me.  I know it's close to Valentine's Day, so the proper colors for the season are pink and red with some white.  However, I'm doing my own thing this week!  Here are a few pictures on my dining room table in some glass jars I have collected at flea markets--and one glass container from Ikea.  I especially love the milk jug I found recently at a antique store!

Here is a small glass jar in my entry:

Lastly, there is a small bouquet in our library/office/craft space/sometimes air mattress-on-the-floor guest bedroom.

You can see  I indulged my occasional retro furniture crush for this chair.  I like that this room has a little different feel to it than the rest of our home.

What I love is that I am able to make all of those small arrangements from one bouquet and really spread the beauty throughout our home.  Well, maybe next week we'll do some seasonal colors.  They'll add some romance to the Surf -n- Turf dinner I'm making for my fantastic husband for our Valentine's Day dinner (after my 18 month old goes to bed for the evening!).

Stay safe trekking through the cold temperatures and mounds of snow!