home is where the heart is

ok so like i said before - i'm in a new apartment! and i can't wait for each of you to come visit me! *hint hint*

here are some fun artsy shots of my room and sitting room (yeah that's right, i have a sitting/guest room of my own)

enjoy! and come see me!

a space to create in

so omg it has been waaayyy too long since i last posted. i know this. but life has been a little crazy. with moving in to a new apartment and then going on vacation, having family in town for a week, and just life in between - i haven't had much time. but i'm back. and i want to share with you my biggest project as of late. its my bedside table.

i set out to find the perfect bedside table quite awhile ago - and i found this little gem at Homegoods. it was marked down because the top was chipped (and lets face it - it was not too pretty) but i saw potential in it and i took it home! it took me way long than expected to finish it but finally - i am ready to show it off!

this is the before picture (it is missing the top because my dad had already taken it off to make me a new one!) i could not have finished this project without my dad. he was a huge part.

so i started working hard. i painted the outside grey and the inside yellow. to match my room of course! i'm still obsessed with grey and yellow. :) my dad made the new top, i bought some new fun knobs at World Market (two for $5) and then added some flowery details to the inside of the draw and cabinet! i'm so glad to be finished with it and have it in my room to enjoy.

(the inside of the drawer)

the inspiration came from my recent outing to Sips 'n Strokes which was so much fun! the girl taught us how to paint flowers with your fingers! so i wanted to practice my new skillzzzz :)

all done!

Wednesday Update

look at how Clark has grown!! He's taller, has sprouted some more leaves, and is turning pink (it's a good thing! he's a man that is not afraid of pink)!

sooooo proud of him, and i knew you would be too. i know you were just DYING to hear about how he was doing.

stay tuned for more updates that don't have to do with my house plants #whendidigetsoold?!

love,

Nat

Leafy Love

Once upon a time i got a house plant from a friend. it was this tiny, sick, pathetic plant that had been neglected and forgotten. my dear friend was moving out of her shoe box of an apartment and moving to Denver, with no need for a house plant on the trip. so i rescued it. i took it in, re-potted her (in a very stylish white pot from IKEA) and gave her TLC (and i'm sure the water and sunlight helped a little, too). but most importantly i gave her a home and name - Gloria. and now she lives up to her name and is quite glorious.

i tell you this story so that you can hope for the next story i am about to tell. last weekend, i rescued another forlorn and forgotten house plant. he was intended to be a Christmas present to me when he was fresh from the store - green, fluffy and full of potential. Alas - somewhere along the way in the journey to my home (i won't name any names...) he faced some serious trials - and took a beating. But he was a strong little guy and pushed through... never completely giving up, although some others did. he finally reached my home a couple days ago and i took pity on him and have also given him a name and a home. This is Clark.

i know he may not look like much right now, but you just wait. with the same TLC given to Gloria, Clark too can grow to be strong and handsome. he sits in my window, soaking up the sun and most importantly - Clark is not alone. He has someone to gain inspiration from every day.

Clark and Gloria - i think they make a good pair...

i hope you enjoyed that story - i promise i'm not crazy, but i have been named the plant lady... so i suppose you should not be surprised that i have such a soft spot for those little leafy guys.

on a completely different note - here are some pics i took on my drive home from work tonight. "drive by photography" is what i like to refer to it as... seeing as how i never got out of my car. haha i know the people around me thought i was crazy. i'm starting to think it might be true.

today i got something in the mail.

"here's the mail it it never fails it makes me wanna wag my tail and when it comes i wanna wail MAAAAIIIIILLLLLLL!!!!"

what? no that is not from blues clues, i made it up myself. ok, fine, it is from blues clues.... no shame.

anyways...

what did i get in the mail, you ask? oh - it's a card... but not just any card. it is a very special homemark VALENTINES card made with lots of love and care from my dearest friend, Megan.

it has my inital on it! and not only that, but it is SPARKLY!!!! i love sparkles. you might remember this about me. it is very reminiscent of my graduation cap. it also had sparkles... see....

i wonder if she did that on purpose. probably so... she is a clever one like that. gotta keep and eye on her...

here is what the other side of the card looked like. it was a love note. don't read it! it's personal.

oh but there was one more thing in the envelope. a very attractive thing...

P.S. - i love you too, Luke Wilson

what a great valentines surprise. i feel so loved! love you Megs!!! can't wait to see you soon!

Love,

N

Paintbrushes and Perspective

so lately i've felt like painting... i wanted to pain the sky and earth. i love dramatic clouds. i love the sky. i love when the sun breaks through clouds and lights them from behind so that they glow.

i wanted to paint that. i think i was fairly successful. expect for when i showed it to my parents and they said "oh pretty... what is it?" dang it. not quite as talented as i thought. i found that as i was trying to create this masterpiece, i found it hard to give perspective to the sky. how do you fit the sky into a box? how do you condense it and give perspective. i have no idea. and maybe that is why i love it so much. it always reminds me of how simple i am and how majestic my God is.

i found more luck when painting winter trees. i've had an itch to paint this scence ever since the first snow. i finally got to put paint on canvas and satisfy my creative desire. i did this one on sunday. i apologize that these are out of chronological order. that is something that bothers me, but i am too lazy to fix it. ha.

the paint, the brush, and the ice tray

love,

N

Snow Day!!! woo hoo. so grateful for a day without work to enjoy staying all bundled up at home and adventuring out into the cold just to capture the graceful snow. i love how quiet everything gets when the snow falls. with just its gentle touch a busy world becomes still. i love it.

here are a few of my favorites from my afternoon photo shoot with the snow...

Love,

N