Hello from New Orleans!

So we packed up a jumped on a plane for New Orleans a couple weeks ago! I have never in my life been here and to see it all for the first time is nothing short of spectacular. 

[ 7 am flights are probably the least glamorous thing... ever]

We are here for 6 weeks so we rented a little house in one of the older neighbourhoods, just a couple blocks off the Mississippi River. This way we fully settle in and have some sort of routine during our stay as well as getting a full New Orleans experience. 

All our neighbours have a front porch as well and it has been amazing to see how neighbourly and friendly EVERYONE is here. I honestly keep saying to Sean "it feels like we went back in time 40 or 50 years!". The little girls on the block all love to go catch bugs, everyone has welcomed us with open arms and we even had invitations to come over for dinner after only a day here. The reality is that I know nearly every person on our. whole. block. on a first name basis which is not common back home. It has a lot to do with how close houses are here, but I think that it is also that southern hospitality that people here are raised with.

I could spend days just admiring the houses here. Our own house, although small, has incredibly tall ceilings (it goes up another foot or so from the picture rail in this shot of Wren squished between the pocket doors LOL). Every room has a fireplace and every door has a transom window over it, and I cannot get enough!

Some of our neighbours are so creative in their gardening and house paint colours that I have to document it all for future reference! I would love to bring back a little of this flavour somehow in a future project at home.

Wren in particular has just taken to New Orleans. She has a love of plants and animals and between the gorgeous blooms everywhere and the countless friendly dogs and cats that call our street home she is just in heaven.

This beachy blue house down the street has stolen my heart!

But really, every house is special and makes me fall in love.

We live across the Mississippi from the French Quarter so on the days we want to go into the city we catch a 5 minute ferry ride then take trolley cars where we need to go.

The faded out chairs on the ferry deck just make my heart sing!

And of course Wren thinks it's amazing!

You really could get lost just taking in how beautiful everything is down in the French Quarter! From the creole cottages to the townhouses to the taller buildings, everything is dripping in beauty. 

I have been so busy and excited to get out and explore that I actually haven't even whipped out my Canon at all, just shooting with my iPhone, but I definitely need to make a point of snapping some more of our little neighbourhood and I can't wait to share the rest of our stay in my next post!

Happiest of Fridays guys!

Photo Fun / 1

Sometimes when I'm looking for some inspiration I play with my photos. It's an awesome way of coming up with a cool colour combination that may not have naturally come to me when I play with the hue adjuster on my favourite photo editors ( I like using Pixlr when I'm on my computer at home, or Afterlight app on my phone). It is also a great way to take your photos to a cool new level if you wanted to have them all be coordinated and cohesive for a gallery wall!

I usually save them for myself, but I thought I might start sharing some of my play time creations, just because.  Literally the only thing altered is the hue, it's not a photoshop trick or time consuming process. You just scroll the hue meter back and forth until you think the colours look good! Definitely give it a go.

PS: all these photos were taken on my phone, so don't feel like you need to be using the fanciest equipment to make something beautiful.

And lastly, who wouldn't want a cute little purple dog??? Sounds like every little girls dream.

xoxo

   Holly

Balloon Love

It might only be Wednesday, but I we are only one day away from Summer Holidays officially starting in our house and I thought it deserves a little celebration. If only in pictures.

Some pretty balloons to make your day a hint brighter.

Cottage Bedroom Purchases

We made a trip down to the cabin to check on all the progress while we were away. It has come so far! I can't wait to show you all the photos on Monday. But more importantly my Mom and I have been ordering and stockpiling everything as far as furnishing and decor goes. We have jointly come up with plans for all the living areas but she was kind enough to let me go off on a bit of a tangent for me and Sean's room. We wanted a rustic take on Scandinavian/Finnish cottage life and I think we are on target to achieve that.

Here are the items we've bought in anticipation of move in day (sources below)

Ikea Bedding / Urban Barn Lamp / Urban Barn canvas cross pillow / Urban Outfitters Bone Print /  replica Bertoia Chair from Wire Home / Ikea night stand / Calypso reindeer hide

Upstairs Guest Bedroom Cabin Inspiration

We have two bedrooms upstairs in the new cabin. One is going to be a set of twin beds for any of the younger guests so we are planning on doing something like this.

And in the other bedroom Sean and I have been given free reign to do as we please (THANKS MOM!!!). The biggest challenge in there is that the bed really only has one possible position: in front of a picture window. So I've decided to forfeit a bed frame and have been thinking of going with an eclectic yet warm vibe like these beautiful bedrooms.

Cottage Dining Room Ideas

For the cabin dining area off the kitchen we have decided to do a modern/rustic twist. I am totally impressed with how willing my Mom has been to go slightly out of her comfort zone which is typically on the most traditional size. The reason we are loving the mix is that we want simplicity with warmth and easy of use and on a pretty conservative budget (furnishing a whole house at once really puts it in perspective!).

Here are a few of the ideas we have been inspired by and are incorporating in different ways.

Dreaming of...

We aren't really close to worry about it, but when you have wood floors you will inevitably have to refinish them. Our floors are so dark they almost border on being black and I've always loved the contrast against all our white furniture. But lately I've become enthralled with the idea of going white!

I know, I know. They aren't for everyone, and they do require upkeep. But when you see the loveliness of these rooms you may not think I'm entirely crazy. Close, but not entirely crazy.