Inspiration Photo Friday: The Meaning of Christmas

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So Christmas is just around the corner and its time to start preparing for the holiday. Whether you are hosting or not, there is always something to do. This year I am having my family over for Christmas Eve and couldn’t be more excited. For years I dreamt of hosting this event and having us all together in my home. And now its finally coming true.

I am sure Christmas means a lot of different things to everyone, depending on your traditions, but to me it is all about spending time with your loved ones and making memories. Although I love giving gifts, that is just a bonus. I imagine a white covered landscape, a crisp breeze, a warm cozy home filled with festive tunes and smiles, and lots of love in the air. Oh, what a great night it will be. It’s the whole package of the holiday that makes me smile.

I took this photo days ago when we got some snow. Long Island hasn’t seen a storm yet so this is the best we’ve had. Even though its a little, it put me in the holiday spirit. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!

Inspiration Photo Friday: The Meaning of Christmas

Sound in Color: The Outline-You Smash it, We’ll Build Around it

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Although I don’t listen to Outline that much, I really did enjoy this album. Their first full length record, You Smash It, We’ll Build Around It, was released in 2006 and since then only put out one more project. The California band has an experimental sound that is full of energy and strong vocals that hit you to the core. My favorite tracks are Aesthetics, Why We’re Better Now, and Shotgun.

The album art is colorful and bright with a dark foundation, featuring an industrial scene that reflects the album’s title as well as their sound. Orange hues take over the sky while black and light blue ground the design. The collage style of the piece and scratchy, yet streamlined lines really do offer a peak into the bands work.

Sound in Color: Outline-You Smash it We'll Build Around it

Inspiration Photo Friday: Fresh and New

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When we moved into our home, my husband and I took hold of all the projects and got to work immediately. Since we lived here, there has been an endless amount of things to get done, all of which we pretty much did ourselves. It has been a tiring two years for sure. I knew when I saw a photo of the house that it was the one for us and I was right. It just needed a lot of love.

The last major space that needed to be renovated was our master bath. Besides having no heat, it was seriously outdated and very small. The jacuzzi tub was too big for the room, as well as the toilet, and due to the layout there was so much space wasted. It drove us both nuts. Two years using this bathroom was two years too long. So I am sure you can imagine how excited I was that we were getting it redone. And we didn’t have to do it!

Since last Thursday the contractors have been working hard to bring my vision to life. I knew what I wanted from the start so translating my design was easy. I imagined it would look modern with a vintage touch. We couldn’t change much of the format of the space but was able to open up more of it for storage. This was a major element for me. I chose all white tile for the shower and floor and a light gray for the walls so it felt more airy and spacious. The new white vanity and medicine cabinet will tie in well and the brand spanking new tub and toilet are going to make a huge difference in updating the look.

Watching the stages of its transformation has been fun but getting our bathroom back fresh and new is going to be simply amazing. These are the photos I took when we first looked at the house. The previous owners did nothing for the space, as you can see. How depressing! I look at these and finally smile because its in the past. We both feel so lucky to have had this renovation done and have it reflect our Chicago remodeling style. It surely needed a makeover and now it can truly shine.

{I will be posting about the process and final results soon!}

Fresh and New

Sound in Color: Blur-Parklife

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I have always liked Blur. Their fun and happy sound can always put a smile on my face. Even their slower songs have a whimsical feel. The band formed in 1988 in London and became an inspiring leader in the brit pop genre of music. Parklife, one of my favorite albums, was released in 1994 and featured awesome tracks such as Girls and Boys, End of the Century, Parklife, and Clover Over Dover.

They went their separate ways in 2003 to pursue other projects but reunited years later and have been creating new stuff here and there. They are a really positive band and have a number of albums that are truly worthy to listen to. The album art of Parklife shows greyhounds racing in action which was taken at the Walthamstow Stadium in London. It features a color palette that is neutral with bright highlights. It was also chosen one of the ten images for Royal Mail postage stamps. How rad is that?

Blur-Parklife