A tour of our California studio

Seeing as Rudy and I are on the brink of moving into our new digs, I thought I would post some pictures of our apartment in Vista. Even though it was small, (~400 sq ft) it was perfect for our first place together. I will look back fondly on the year and a half we spent there.

Because there was basically no storage space, we got a filing unit that could double as a coffee table that held all of Rudy's math papers. Genius! Gatsby likes it too:)

Needless to say, I'm very excited to get into our new place in Columbus. I can't wait to see how all of the paint looks on the walls and get our stuff out of storage! 8 more days...

Tea Stain and an Anniversary

Today is my grandparent's 60th anniversary! We had dinner with the family last night to celebrate. Here are Rudy and I with Tissy and Bunky.
We are staying with them while we wait for our own place on August 1st.

And speaking of our house, here are the colors I have picked for the rooms!

From top to bottom, all in the left row of colors:
Living room: Tea Stain
Dining room: Delicate Frost
Art Studio: Sprinkle
Office/Guest: Almond Puff

The Green Room

Today I am going with my new landlord to Lowe's to pick out paint colors for our house. Here are some more inspiring rooms in green, (and another gray for good measure).

I love the olive green in this room, but I think it may be a bit dark for our house. I love the idea of a softer green with rich olive accents.

This sort of robin's egg blue is what I'm thinking for our dining/sitting area. You would be able to see this color from the gray living room. I think the two would go nicely together.

This green might go well in our 3rd bedroom, used as an office/guest room. Wouldn't this color go great with a really dramatic olive green headboard?
All pictures are from Design*Sponge sneak peeks.

Color color everywhere.

Rudy and I have found our very own home in Columbus. It is a 3 bedroom townhome with tons of old charm and a decorative fireplace in the master bedroom! I have the exciting job of picking out new colors for the entire place! Here are some of my current inspirations. They are all found on design*sponge.

I love the dark gray in this living room with pops of bright pink. I don't know that it would work in our space, but it is some good eye candy! It's definitely something I could bring into our house on a smaller scale.

The gray in these rooms is more of what I am thinking of for our living room. They make such a nice backdrop for colorful extras.

The best ice cream..and some color inspiration.

Jeni's is a family owned and operated ice cream shop based in Columbus. It also just happens to be the best ice cream I've ever had. However, at $3.75 for a single scoop, I can't make it a habit.

While in the store I grabbed a pamphlet about their "Ohio Love You" philosophy, which involves using organic ingredients from Ohio. On the front it is their logo for Ohio Love You, which is a great mustard yellow. I'm going to use this color in one of the bedrooms of our new house!

Chihuly at Franklin Conservatory

My grandma and I went to the Franklin Conservatory in Columbus today. The beautiful building houses a variety of different biospheres from around the world. Placed within each of these "regions" were the colorful glass works of Dale Chihuly. The whole exhibition was so beautiful and bright. The pictures don't do all of his pieces justice, but here they are anyhow!

Colier West Columbus

Rudy and I came across this amazing store while apartment hunting in the Short North, the arts district of Columbus. They have so many beautiful tidbits and odds and ends that would really make a house a home. I love their decoupaged plates and chandeliers made from branches!

www.CollierWest.com

Salvadrawer

I just came across these drawer shelves on Design*Sponge. I LOVE them!

I have no idea how much they cost, but if anyone would like to buy them for me, be my guest!
They would be perfect in an entryway. Maybe I will have to fashion something of this sort when we finally find our own place.

They are from Ubico Studios, a Tel Aviv based company that uses recycled materials. Lovely.

Fireworks in the City

Red White and Boom!

Rudy and I went to the fireworks show in downtown Columbus. A trip that was well worth it! The display was amazing. It felt as if all of the fireworks were close enough to rain down on us, (but they didn't).

That is part of downtown Columbus behind us. It really is a lovely city.

The first week...and then some.

It has been a bit over a week since Rudy and I landed in Columbus, and I still feel like I am still only in a transitional period. We have not truly settled down in Columbus. I have yet to go and check out all of the places I've read so much about. All of our things are in storage. And we are still staying in the basement of my grandparents lovely home.

Rudy and I have been looking at apartments all over Columbus. Mostly in the Short North, (the arts district), and the German Village. It has been hard not to become disheartened at the price of rent. All I can keep thinking is "who are these people who can afford to buy houses, and where on earth do they get all this money to decorate them so well." And I'm not talking Elle Decor decorating. Just simple, lovely homes. It feels as if we'll never get there. (I know full well that this is irrational, and that we are young, etc. But still!)

As I sit here writing, I'm looking out of my grandparent's wall of windows at nothing but green. No exaggeration, only green. And branches. Earlier there were so many goldfinches and cardinals. I think Gatsby might just break through the window with excitement over all the squirrels and chipmunks.

Road Trip to Ohio (Part 5)

Dinosaur World in Middle of Nowhere, Kentucky

On the last day of our trip, we got a late start. We went into Hillsborogh Village near Nashville and had breakfast with the great Phil Danew. Right after we were all packed up and ready to be off, we realized that one of the trailer's tires was blown. Needless to say, we got into Columbus very late on Saturday evening.

Road Trip to Ohio (Part 4)

Gatsby at his post.

Day 4-Drove from Paris to Nashville.

The ever-wonderful Long family.