Art + Soul: Double Dutch Press

Ever since taking a screen printing course in high school, I have been intrigued and inspired by the process. And naturally I was thrilled when Double Dutch Press opened right around the corner from my house back in 2012. Although I haven't been able to work with Katherine and Amanda until recently, their shop has been a favorite spot in Normaltown for a little while now.

They offer workshops right in their studio and are always open to creating custom work - like welcome bags and coasters for an upcoming wedding. I personally love to visit their shop to pick up last-minute gifts like a print, card, or tea towel.

Doesn't their Facebook page look like they have fun ALL the time?! If you're an Athens local, be sure to stop by Tuesday through Saturday (after grabbing a donut next door at Ike & Jane) and take a peak at all their awesome-ness! If you're not local you can still visit through their online shop.

P.S. My wishlist includes this Normaltown print - the two dogs remind me of Chief and Kola :)

// Top, second and third image from Reclaimed Reporter. All other images from Double Dutch Press. //

house update : guest room

This might be the room I'm most proud of because it's allowed me to incorporate so many more details and pieces I love, but that don't work in our bedroom.

We painted the room Silver Tinsel by Behr's Premium Ultra Plus and I know what you're thinking - silver?! It's actually the most pleasant shade of gray I've ever seen and creates a wonderful neutral palette for the room (of course that's just my opinion ha).

This picture above is a little too dark, but hopefully you get the gist. Shannen and her husband gave us their old Ikea bed frame (similar one here) in exchange for some babysitting and Liz let us have her old Ikea mattress. I stacked vintage suitcases as one night stand (topped with a personalized tissue holder below) and made-over an old electric spool for the other stand (pictures coming soon).

The photo gallery above includes some of Taylor's favorite pictures of Yankee's players which I thought was a fair compromise instead of a baseball themed room :)

The desk might look puny under those windows, but I love how the dark wood matched the floors. And it gets so much more use than when it was in the laundry room at the old house. I haven't told many people this, but I actually keep all my clothing in this room. Besides the fact that the closet is waaay bigger, I like having my space to get away to and get ready (especially before dates :)

Our little Chief sleeps in his crate in the guest room for now and it's nice to have a room where he can keep to himself. We've had a few guest so far, including my sister this week, and I love being able to offer them their own room. All I need are guest toothbrushes :)

// Also: before pictures and inspiration //

house update : kitchen

Our kitchen is still very much a work in progress (my goal is to have it painted by the end of the summer), but I'm content with where it is at for now. My first design goals were/are:

• paint the walls yellow or pink or something else
• paint a chalkboard wall
• install open shelving
• organize utensils
• have some plants or herbs displayed

 

If we weren't renters I would love to paint the cabinets too, although I think a light blue will work better with the wood than the yellowish/cream/blah on the walls now. I plan on removing the shelf above the stove and will install either a hanging dish rack or peg board above to utilize the wall and storage.

Two or three wood shelves will go above the coffee pot to the right. I found some planks in our garage that will work - just need to find the right stain and distress them!

The space is tight, but functional and I wouldn't trade a thing for that sink window over looking the backyard. Even though no more than 3 people can ideally work in here at a time, I just love our little kitchen. And the dishwasher. I love my dishwasher :)

// Also: before pictures //

house update : dining room

When it comes to the dining room, I want to keep it simple and easy so that entertaining is never too stressful (besides the cooking part). My initial goals for the room were:

• use the space more than just when we had company
• swap wood chairs for something modern
• paint the walls gray
• add a rug
• purchase or make a bar cart

As you can see, we are very much still in the beginning stages of decorating. However, since we don't have room in our kitchen for a table, we eat here everyday! I love that our farmhouse table is getting lots of love and it's the perfect spot to watch Chief in the yard while we dine. After the living room was painted gray, we started to really like the yellow and now we are pretty set on keeping it- it's cheery, don't you think?

I still need to purchase a striped rug (or make one out of smaller rugs!) as well as 2 large frames to hang Scottish tea towels on the wall to the left. The future bar cart will come in handy to store the mason jars when guests come over, too.

More to come tomorrow!

// Also: before pictures and inspiration //

house update : living room

Not including the past couple days, my blogging consistency had been pretty weak. Between work and setting up the house, my creative juices have been somewhat zapped, but I am ready to get back to sharing about life and things I love!

To make up for the blogging lull, let's go on a new house tour, shall we?! Today I will be sharing the details of our sweet living room. In case you don't remember the initial ideas, my main goals were:

• light gray walls
• textured rug
• leather couch
• re-do our wicker chairs
• fill fireplace with wood
• add industrial lighting

Things are looking pretty good so far! We love the light gray color even though it looks slightly different depending on the time of day (it's Behr Premium Plus Ultra in Mineral in case you're wondering). We got a killer deal on the couch from Craigslist and it is super comfortable (with a pullout bed no less!). The wicker chairs were a labor of love - stripping the paint was impossible so I had to give up my natural wood idea. Instead, I gave them a coat of semi-gloss black spray paint and covered the cushions with a natural fabric. The black looks pretty sick though, no?

I even have a little seating area for my morning quiet times. We got the green leather recliner from the same Craigslist seller and she actually just let us take it! I mean who can give up a free chair??

With a few more finishing touches (like this rug that I LOVE), the room will be complete! I am also adding a few more items to my wish list, like a long wood bench with plants to go under those gorgeous windows. What do you think?

P.S. Be sure to check back next week to see the rest of the house!

// Also: my first house tour, the new house first look, living room inspiration, and more ideas //

home improvements

One. Whole. Week. That's how long it's been since my last post. Apologies all around- but the past week has been NUTS. We moved into the new house last Saturday (hooray!) and have since been unpacking, rearranging, painting, potting training the pup, etc. To say I have felt overwhelmed would be an understatement and I really can't wait for a normal week/weekend (whatever that means). I made a to do list for the house, but last night Taylor had to help me accept the fact that it's not all going to get done in a week. How does he always say just what I need to hear? :) So far the only room finished is our bedroom. Pictures coming soon!

xoxo

sneak peek - part two

Let's skip the chit chat and get right to the rest of the new house sneak peek shall we?

Bathroom:

Told you I wasn't kidding about the brown ceiling! This will be the first room we paint and the first room I transform into my nautical getaway.

Guest Room:

The guest room is right off the kitchen (door in far right corner) and will probably be the last room we work on since we won't really be using it until we have guests. I was pleasantly surprised by how large the room is- with plenty of room for the bed, desk and maybe the wicker loveseat.

Bedroom:

The top picture is of the hallway leading from the guest room to our bedroom (with the bathroom in the middle). I think this room really needs a color makeover...but I love the hardwood floors and windows. Taylor and I also had a short debate over which way the bed should face and didn't reach a decision.

Backyard & Side Yard:

Notice the covered patio and charming play house? Chief will love it back there! We seriously have got our work cut out for us between reviving the backyard grass and painting until our arms are sore, but I think each project will be a labor of love. I'm really looking forward to sharing the progress with you on YLIN too!

// Top photo via Pinterest //

sneak peek

One of my most favorite things about Design*Sponge is their weekly Sneak Peeks. I love going on mini house tours and gaining inspiration from such creative individuals. Last night Taylor and I went over to the new digs to plan out which rooms we would paint before moving in. I might be even more crazy about the house than when we first went in! Here's a sneak peek, but keep in mind this is very much BEFORE all of our painting and improvements :)

Living Room:

Please disregard all the stuff piled up in our future living room - it belongs to the landlord and they're having a garage sale next weekend. I hope it helps to have a visual to go along with my living room ideas.

Dining Room:

The dining room is the perfect size with large windows and plenty of space for a bar cart, should we get one :) The walls are not quite the yellow I thought they'd be so we will definitely be going with a dark gray.

Kitchen: 

Unfortunately these pictures do not provide the best view of the kitchen, but hopefully you have an idea of what we're working with. It might be tiny, but it's exactly what I have been waiting for - a dishwasher, double sinks and plenty of cabinet storage. It also has the perfect walls for a chalkboard and open shelving :)

Check back later for the rest of our sneak peek!

// Top photo via Pinterest //