Weekly Roundup

A highlight of the week was receiving our custom portrait by artist Caitlin Metz. Her blind contour drawing of Ross and yours truly is so pretty/odd/sweet/funny/classic/unique/modern/charming/cute/beautiful. Art that gives me all the feels is my absolute favorite and this one is no different. She's still offering $50 custom portraits, so email her a photo of you and your honey, then get the prettiest treat in the mail. P.S. shipping is included and it's only +$10 for a third face. I framed it in this frame on sale at Aaron Brothers (they're going out of business) but I actually like this one from Target so much that I may even swap it out.

This week I posted about my first week of One Room Challenge progress. Did you catch it? I recommend watching it in video form because it's simply way more fun and I spent many many minutes making it for you, so check it out! Also, please give me video feedback. I plan to make more videos this year and want to give the people what they please. Do you like the vlog/diary style? Do you want more instructional tutorials? A house tour? Or just pretty shots of the house set to fun tunes?

Speaking of tunes, I've been adding all sorts of music to my Spotify playlists. I add songs to my monthly playlist nearly every day, so follow along with me as I listen while working on my ORC room.

Two of my favorite bloggers have books coming out this week. Melissa's minimalist cookbook is in my Amazon cart and Orlando's hilarious home design book is on its way! Melissa recently spoke on the Why Do We Have Things podcast and talked about living minimally. She mentioned a quote that resonates with me, "pare down to the essence, but don't remove the poetry." It's by Leonard Koren from his book Wabi-Sabi: For Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers.

This Instagram caption.

Spring has sprung in San Diego and our front yard garden is already going wild. I'm so lucky to live in a warm climate and have plants that bloom all year long, so the garden is one of my favorite parts of our house. I've been enjoying cutting trimmings for friends and family - it's the perfect gift for when you forget a gift or want to do something simple for someone else. I bought a bunch of cheap bud vases so I always have an easy way to hand off blooms, but I just ran out so I ordered these.

I'm still picking out products for the One Room Challenge and I'm SO SO bad at making decisions. I spent HOURS deciding on a rug, and I mean HOURS. Does anyone have tips for making choices when you're guilty of overthinking?

My friend Alison of the blog Deuce Cities Henhouse just launched an online kit shop featuring beautiful lighting pieces that you assemble yourself. She sends the instructions and the parts, then you supply the DIY. You may have noticed that I'm using once of her sconces in my One Room Challenge space!

There are several art sales this week! Get 25% off Society6 with code APRIL25 through 4/16. Artfully Walls is offering 20% off with code YAYSPRING. If you're looking for art inspiration, you can check out my post featuring artists from a recent trip to Australia and New Zealand.

Happy Friday!