Home Sweet Home.

Mostly intended for my dear mother and sisters, who have been asking for pictures of my apartment, here's what you can do with a mere...235 square feet. It's small, but it's cozy. We have today off of school (MLK Day), which is nice for two reasons. One, I finished decorating the place, hanging everything, and arranging my bookcase. And Two, it's good to have a chance to get a solid amount of studying before the big first exam on Thursday. (Yikes!)
A very, very talented friend of mine painted this gorgeous painting, which I bought soon after seeing it. She's incredible in all mediums, but I just fell in love with this piece. And the colors are stunning! It then became the inspirational piece (*for those of you that know...I'm saying that in an Argentinian accent hehe) for my cute little apartment. Here is is. Love nudes, love backs, love this painting.

This painting then inspired me to use this teal and red color combination to schnaz up my desk, turned all-purpose desk/kitchen table.

Formerly an all-black hand-me-down desk from my older sister, I repainted it a dark grey, with red and teal drawers. If you only live in 235 square feet, you really have to capitalize on the drawer space wherever you can. And I got this cute little stool from a really special flea market shop down the road called "Not Too Shabby." 

While rearranging my bookcase, I took the cookbooks off the shelf, and just sort of threw them onto my little stool. And they looked so cute there! But, I need the stool for sewing, and eating and such. But I did snag a photo before putting them back on the bookcase. 

                                       

Being a creative person, I've always needed an outlet and a place for freely hanging things. In my old apartment, this involved a three foot wide, twelve foot long piece of butcher hung across the wall, so I could stick anything and everything up there. 

Here, it is a collage of things I've collected, or been given, that have some sort of special meaning, all hanging about my desk. 

From the painting, and the desk, it's really just been an explosion of red and teal hues around here, in my tiny little home. 

A red card with a ball of yarn, my Aunt and I bought on a trip to Iowa,
 to watch my cousin compete in the Big 10 Men's Gymnastics tournament.
Next to a teal staff invitation for a trip to the MOST delicious
soft serve ice cream shop in Colorado. It hung on the door of
The Little Bird's walk in fridge. And it was a great staff field trip.

A card, from my former boss, when I left for Europe. Perfect.

An ornament my Aunt made for
Christmas - the bay, in red and teal.

A painting I bought in Madrid this fall.
It's hard to see here, but the tan is actually copper. 

Even the magnet and the magnet strip follow suit

Part of this wall hanging my dear sister gave me.
 It reads, "Just wait until you see what is possible when you shine
your little light on the world!" and "There are very few who
possess something of that spirit that will brighten whatever they touch."
Such a special gift. 

Even the napkins are teal in a red drawer!

Knitting bag my sister made, and a set of crafty books. 

My mom makes each of us an afghan when we graduate
from high school (the GREATEST graduation gift!)
It often hangs on the back of my futon bed,
or folded up as a cushion on the stool. 

 Around the rest of my little kitchen...

A basket in the kitchen for cookbooks, and house plants,
and a plethora of aprons. Oy yoy yoy.
You know you are a baker when...you move across the
country, and the majority of your car is taken up with
boxes of cookbooks and aprons. 

The top portion conveniently doubles as a place for
dry produce, like onions, potatoes, garlic, and the occasional shallot. 

I have so many artistic and talent friends! My dear, dear friend Averie made me these awesome "utensils" for my birthday present. Made of contact paper, I could freely stick them anywhere! And they fit perfectly between my counter and cupboards. So big, so bold, and so perfect for a kitchen. 

  The living room/dining room/bedroom very much an all-purpose room...

 The book, Sweet Paris, was a gift from my parents, this past Christmas, after I retured from a three-month solo trip to Europe, where I fell madly in love with Paris - the pastries, the people, the unending charm which radiates from everything, the sounds, the art, the shoes. Oh the shoes. Even the homeless people. It's really true, that everything in Paris is beautiful. While I was sitting on the couch as Christmas, flipping through the book, remembering my trip, I came across a page, with the face of a Chef I had the pleasure to meet at what I consider to be the single-most outstanding pastry shop in all of Paris. And there he was! In this book. Such a special book.
The wood is from the same trip. I picked it up as I was strolling along the English channel on my last day in Europe.
The sea glass if from a family vacation to Norther California several years ago. And here I am again.
The wooden biscuit cutter was a gift from my parents after they visited a Shaker village in the Midwest this past fall.

The best cookbooks out there.
If you are looking to buy a baking book - these are the one's to buy.

And a bird, clipped on to a Snow and Graham calendar.
We are a family of bird lovers, my mother, aunt, sisters and I .

Cheers.